Tag: mercy

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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”

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Why Didn’t Jesus Tell Peter He Loved Him?

In the account of Jesus’ life written by His follower John, we have the report of Jesus’ conversation with Peter by the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ resurrection (see John 21). This conversation is remarkable because it is the first recorded conversation between them after Peter betrayed his dear friend and leader.

Remember that Peter had stated emphatically that he would never deny Jesus. Even if everybody else did, Peter would not do so, he said. Everyone else, though, agreed with Peter and also said that they would not abandon Jesus.

Then, Jesus was arrested. Most of Jesus’ followers fled. Peter followed at a distance. He was in the court of the priests while Jesus was on trial. Three times people asked Peter if he was one of Jesus’ followers. Three times he said “no.” The third time, he even swore an oath that he did not know Jesus.

At that moment, Jesus looked at Peter. Peter was undone. He ran out of the court and wept over his failure.

Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. Then, He arose from the dead. Jesus had already appeared to His followers twice. The third time, He appeared to them on the beach of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus appeared after a night of fishing. Peter and six of the others had been fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing. Continue reading “Why Didn’t Jesus Tell Peter He Loved Him?”

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Is There Hope for the Future of the World? (Study of Romans, Part 6: Romans 9–11)

Key thought; we grow in joy, peace, and hope by developing a brighter view and expectation for the future of the world.

Note: How do we find joy, hope, and peace in our lives? The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is all about that. He teaches that we do it by having more faith, hope, and love. In the 6th part of this study, we consider, is there hope for my the world? This is the 6th of an 8 part study of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. You can read part 1 here, part 2 here, part 3 here, part 4 here, and part 5 here.

The Heartbreak of the World
Right now, there is a war going on in the Middle East. Israel is vowing to defeat Hamas. But will it bring peace? Where is the hope in this complicated situation for a lasting solution?

Immigrants make the hard trek to the United States because of the miserable and insecure living conditions in which they live. It breaks the heart.

Beyond these bigger issues, We all have families, churches, communities, or businesses that have failed us. We thought they were in one place, but they were in another. Few things can grieve our hearts like a community gone wrong. Few things can rob us of hope for the future like seeing the communities we relied on totally fail us.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was experiencing. He had hoped that his people would accept Jesus, but they had not. This broke his heart. He saw them as being on a destructive road. “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit—I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart” for his own people (Romans 9:1–2). They should have accepted the Messiah, but they missed him. Paul understood because he was one of them. He did not see it at first. God had to get his attention in dramatic fashion (read part 1 of this study here to read about Paul’s story).

So, how did Paul process his grief over his community going in the wrong direction? He saw God’s purposes above it. He recognized that God’s purposes are not tied to any particular community. He is not bound to them or dependent on them. He can do what He wants. Continue reading “Is There Hope for the Future of the World? (Study of Romans, Part 6: Romans 9–11)”

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