Tag: God

Posted on

Understanding God’s Compassion for All . . . And Our Own

One of the most persistent questions in theology is this: how do we bring together God’s sincere compassion for all sinners and His decision to save only some of them?

Scripture presents this to us in at least three ways. First, there are God’s indiscriminate offers of mercy to all. Second, there are declarations of His love for the world, such as John 3:16. Third, there are passages that speak of God’s compassion toward those who are never saved. These seem to pull in different directions. Either God does not truly have compassion for all, or He has compassion but cannot act on it.

This is not a minor difficulty. As A. A. Hodge noted, it is one of the strongest points pressed by Arminians against Calvinists. Robert Lewis Dabney also recognized that Calvinists have often struggled here. Because of that, he believed that this issue deserved another look.

Nor is this just a theoretical issue. When we look at any person and have compassion, we may ask, “Does God stand behind this compassion?”

Dabney offered a solution to this perplexing question in his article, “God’s Indiscriminate Proposals of Mercy: As Related to His Power, Wisdom, and Sincerity.” But his real contribution, I would suggest, lies deeper than he himself fully realized. He did not so much introduce a new principle as expose one already at work—and show how it ought to be applied more consistently.

The Problem: Collapsing Affection into Action
The difficulty arises from an assumption that feels intuitive but is false:

If an affection is real, one must act on it.

If God truly has compassion, then He must relieve the misery. If He does not relieve it, then compassion must not be there.

This assumption drives both sides:

  • The Arminian says: if God has compassion, He must act—so something must limit His action.
  • Some Calvinists reply: since God does not act, the compassion must not exist in that case.

Both accept the same premise. Both are mistaken.

What is needed is not a new theological distinction, but a clearer understanding of the structure of rational agency itself. Continue reading “Understanding God’s Compassion for All . . . And Our Own”

Posted on

Becoming a People Fit for Fellowship with the Triune God

The Life We’ve Always Wanted

What if we could live in fellowship with God so deeply satisfying that every other desire, need, and hurt receded into the background?

I recently read the story of Brian “Head” Welch, the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Korn. He had everything—fame, money, and every indulgence that success could buy. Then, in 2005, he left it all behind. Why? Because he found something better: Christ. That is what true fellowship with God can do. It gives us something richer than everything else combined.

Jesus called this “eternal life.” He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). According to Jesus, real life consists in communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is life lived in fellowship with God Himself.

We Need to Change to Experience It

Eternal life is a gift of grace that we do not deserve (Rom. 6:23). It is freely available to all—no matter where we have been or what we have done. God stands ready to receive us. His character does not change. But we must change if we are to enjoy His life.

What kind of people must we become in order to live this life of fellowship? Three characteristics mark those who are growing into it:

  • God awareness
  • God-rooted confidence
  • Godward affection

These qualities are not something we produce by sheer effort. The good news is that all who have received God’s gift of life are “being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). This is the Spirit’s ongoing work.

Yet we are not passive in it. Scripture calls us to lean into what God is already doing: “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12–13). Paul holds together the mystery of divine and human agency in spiritual transformation with perfect balance.

Let us consider these three characteristics more closely and how we can participate in God’s transforming work that conforms us to Christ.

Continue reading “Becoming a People Fit for Fellowship with the Triune God”

Posted on

How to Live a Life of Communion with God

Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Eternal life is not merely living forever. It’s a quality of life—a life lived in fellowship with the triune God. It’s an entrance into the love shared by the Father and the Son from all eternity.

This life is a gift. Whoever believes in Jesus receives the gift of knowing God—of enjoying fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Spirit.

The challenge is that we are not naturally fit to enjoy this relationship. We are not the kind of people who easily enter into an experience of the love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the good news is that if we have received this gift, God is already at work making us into the kind of people who can. He is shaping us to enjoy communion with Him—and with all those who share in that life (the church).

Our calling is to lean into this work. We are not passive. As Peter wrote, “Make every effort to add to your faith . . . virtue” (2 Peter 1:5). That virtue—those excellent qualities—are what make communion with God possible and enjoyable.

How do we grow in this? The heart of it is simple: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4). Stay connected to Jesus. There’s more to do, but this is the center.

How does that connection work itself out in daily life? That’s what we’ll explore below.

You Need Time
All relationships take time. Aristotle once said that friendship requires eating a pound of salt together. Not all at once, of course—but slowly, over many meals. Time together builds friendship.

So it is with God. Communion with Him takes time. This is why we set apart time for fellowship with God—especially through His Word and prayer.

But how we spend that time matters. Continue reading “How to Live a Life of Communion with God”

Posted on

Loving God the Most: Lovers of God Rather Than Lovers of Pleasures

There are so many good things to enjoy in this life that we can readily make them the focus of our lives: food, sex, alcohol, movies, etc. These pleasures are so powerful that Jesus warned that “life’s worries, riches and pleasures” are like weeds and thorns that choke the good plant of the Word of God in our lives (Luke 8:14). We easily become “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4).

Pleasures easily become our masters. Paul describes the life before Christ as one in which we were “deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures” (Tit. 3:3). People become slaves to pleasures. They sacrifice their health, their relationship with God, their relationship with people, and their fortunes to these things.

Because of the power of these pleasures, some people make the opposite error. They get focused on rules prohibiting these pleasures. The problem is that this often produces a focus on these pleasures just as intense. Religion becomes all about avoiding these things rather than a change of the heart.

In addition, God created these pleasures to be enjoyed. Enjoying the good things of this world is not just an option. It is a commandment. The Apostle Paul wrote that these are things “God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (2 Tim. 4:3b–5).

How do we learn to receive these pleasures in a good way that doesn’t make us lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God? How do we avoid becoming enslaved by them? Continue reading “Loving God the Most: Lovers of God Rather Than Lovers of Pleasures”

Posted on

Loving God the Most: Working for God Instead of Work as God

One of the greatest blessings that humans can enjoy in this world is to be able to do work that blesses oneself and others and glorifies God. When God made Adam, He did not want him to sit passively in front of a beautiful creation. God wanted him to discover its latent possibilities and do work to bring out those possibilities to show forth the beauty and usefulness of creation.

The Bible’s view of work is positive. The author of Ecclesiastes says that in spite of the effects of the fall on work, “[t]hat each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God” (Eccl. 3:12). In the Proverbs, Solomon commends hard work: “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense” (Proverbs 12:11). Work is such a blessing that even slaves can see themselves as doing something unto God when they are working: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters . . .” (Col. 3:23). Even if you don’t get paid what you deserve, the Lord will ensure that you get a reward for your labor.

On the other side, the Bible condemns those who won’t work. Paul warned the Thessalonians against idleness: “make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thess. 4:11–12). He also said, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ‘The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat'” (2 Thess. 3:10).

So, work is a blessing, and it is a necessity. Every human being is called to work, and there is great delight in work. To be able to raise and prepare food for people is aiding people with their most basic needs. The labor it takes to raise a child is crucial to human flourishing. Discovering ways to do things more efficiently empowers more productivity and frees people for greater labor. Cleaning an office makes it usable and a blessing to those who are a part of it. So, it is with all honest labor. It is a blessing and God-approved.

The Right Way to Work
However, we must labor in the right way. In terms of God, we must all learn to work for Him and not human masters. We should work “as unto the Lord.” We work unto the Lord. Continue reading “Loving God the Most: Working for God Instead of Work as God”

Proudly powered by WordPress