Category Archives: God

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August 29, 2023

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Christianity, God, Heaven

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How can Heaven be a place of unhindered happiness if our loved ones are not there?

God promises He will one day wipe away every tear and take away all sorrow, pain and crying. (Revelation 21:4) In eternity all Christians will have unhindered access to the presence of God where there is full joy and eternal pleasure. (Psalm 16:11)

How can Heaven be a place of happiness without sorrow if those in Heaven remember their own failures? How can Heaven be a place without any crying if those we loved on earth are not in Heaven? How can those in Heaven know unending pleasure while also knowing all in Hell are suffering unending torment? For some the only answer seems to be that the people in Heaven can only have unhindered joy if God removes from them all painful memories and all knowledge of those once known on earth. That solution seems to create another problem. How can anyone retain their distinct identity if they do not remember who they once were?

No full solution can be given to this challenging problem, but an answer can be given which addresses some of the most pressing concerns. The wise person will remember Heaven is glorious beyond comprehension. None should expect to understand on earth what can only be understood in Heaven. The Bible does not present Heaven as a place of great forgetfulness, but of great delight.

These questions can be answered in part with the Biblical promises that the joy we have in Heaven will be so great we will not think on the sorrows of our life on earth. “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18) “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) A mother’s pain of childbirth is intense, but that pain is not grieved later because of the joy she has at bringing a new life into the world. (John 16:21-22) The pains of this life are great, but in Heaven they will not be grieved because they will finally be fully understood. All sufferers will in Heaven understand and rejoice because of the great, eternal blessing their earthly pain has brought them. In the presence of God is a joy so great sorrow cannot endure.

In Heaven all will recognize the justice of God. The bringing about of God’s perfect justice will be the basis of great rejoicing. Revelation 19 shows this in action. The saints of God in Heaven rejoice when He destroys the kingdom of the Antichrist. ““Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments.” In Heaven God’s judgment of the wicked will be know by all to be right and just. None will revel in the agony of another, but all will understand and praise the perfect justice of God. Heaven rejoices in God’s judgment of the wicked because it displays His power, righteousness, truth, glory and justice. In Heaven humanity will rejoice because God’s justice will finally be fully understood and His glory will be displayed to all.

Heaven is a place of joy without sorrow because God is the joy of Heaven and the full revelation of His glory will bring delight beyond description.

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August 8, 2023

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Crucifixion, God, Jesus, Salvation

How is Jesus’ death on the cross loving and just?

The death of Jesus on the cross was unfair. Many view the Christian teaching that Jesus died for our sins as a barbaric relic of an ancient world awash in oppression, cruelty and blood. How could a loving God demand His Son suffer a death as terrible as crucifixion?

Death by crucifixion was a horrific torment designed to be as cruel and slow as possible. Before being nailed to the cross Jesus suffered a vicious scourging. His final hours were filled with intense pain and anguish beyond description. Few Americans can truly comprehend the brutality of Jesus’ death. The savagery of crucifixion is shocking.

The Bible says, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16) and “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) How could such a brutal death be an act of love?

The problem is not the violence of the cross, the problem is the failure to understand the true severity of sin. We cannot truly comprehend the wickedness of man’s treason against his Creator and Sovereign. The savagery of the cross reveals the heinousness of sin. One sin, seemingly no more severe than a child swiping a cookie from the cookie jar, plunged the entire world into the misery it now experiences. All the war, abuse, rape, assault, murder, suffering, poverty, starvation, disease and every other horror that fills this world is the direct result of Adam and Eve’s single act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden. When God cursed them He cursed all the world. Now all things groan in agony under the curse of sin.

The consequences of sin are severe because God is holy. God’s holiness involves absolute separation from all sin. God is also the only source of all good. When man’s sin separated him from God all creation drew back from the source of good. When even a little of God’s good favor is removed from His creation terrible things come upon the world. Sin removed creation from God’s blessing thereby bringing on all the terrors of being allowed to attempt life without Him.

Holiness also involves the proper response to all sin. The book of Habakkuk declares that God is too pure to overlook any evil. Isaiah 59:18 says, “According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay.” Job 34:11 says, “He repays man according to his work.” In Jeremiah 17:10 God says, “I the Lord search the heart. I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.” Because God is the Holy Judge of all the earth (Genesis 18:25) He will always punish all sin with a judgment equal to its severity.

On the cross Jesus suffered God’s punishment for the sin of humanity. The cross must be horrible and the punishment of sin must be terrible because sin is an appalling rebellion against God. Romans 3:26 says that the cross shows how God can remain just and still justify sinners. God’s justice permits an innocent party to take the place of the guilty. The sinless Jesus willingly took the place of sinful men and was punished for all our sin. He bore the wrath of God as if He were guilty of all our iniquities. The cross shows God’s love because God the Son willingly suffered our punishment (2 Corinthians 5:21), God the Spirit willingly enabled Jesus to endure the cross (Hebrews 9:14) and God the Father willingly accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for the sin of mankind.

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July 11, 2023

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God, Life Questions

Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer?

The world often seems unfair. Good people suffer while evil people often appear to have an easy life. Most people instinctively know that evil should be punished and good rewarded. If God is just why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?

This question is one that has troubled God’s people for thousands of years. Psalm 73 describes the problem well, “I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; they have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily. Behold, these are the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.” (Psalm 73:3-8, 12)

The prophet Habakkuk saw unrestrained wickedness increasing and the ungodly threatening to overwhelm the righteous. He cried out to God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13) The prophet’s words echo the cry of many hearts. However, Scripture does not just raise the question. God gives troubled men an answer to this perplexing problem.

The answer revealed in Psalm 73 and in the book of Habakkuk still applies today. The prosperity of the wicked is temporary while the blessing of the righteous will be eternal. God also assures all men that the wicked will not escape judgment. “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.” (Psalm 73:18-19) Habakkuk 2 pronounces five woes on the ungodly and Habakkuk 3 promises that God will deliver the righteous. The do prosper for a little while, but their prosperity will expire. The wicked will be cut off. God will establish the righteous in joy that will never cease.

Judgment will certainly fall on the wicked. Reward will certainly be given to the righteous. However, judgment and reward are never fully doled out in this life. As a result, many people feel as if the wicked are never judged and the righteous are never rewarded. The problem is that most people do not think beyond this life. Most people act as if this life is everything. That perspective is wrong.

The Bible reveals this life is not all there is. Existence, suffering and joy do not end at death. Every person continues to exist in a conscious state and is able to experience sorrow and joy. What a person is given after this life they will never lose. All the good things gained in this life are kept for only a short time. All the good things received in Heaven are kept forever. All the horrors suffered in this life will be endured for only a short time. The judgment after death will have no end. The wicked may prosper right now, but the righteous will be comforted forever. (Luke 16:25) The righteous may suffer now, but the wicked will be punished forever.

When a person can learn to view life through the eyes of faith he will see that God may not be bring full judgment on to the wicked right now, but He will not fail to judge everyone in eternity. A life of ease and prosperity now is a poor substitute for an eternity of joy. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

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June 21, 2023

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God, Prayer

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Why Doesn’t God Answer Prayer?

The problem of unanswered prayer is one that perplexes many religious people. If God promises to answer prayer, and He does, then why does it seem that God often refuses to answer the earnest prayer of sincere people? Why does God seem to be unwilling to intervene in the circumstances of this world?

Everyone who prays must remember God is not a genie who promises to grant every wish. God places restrictions on the kinds of prayers He will answer and on the kind of people whose prayers He will answer. God answers the prayers of His children. God never promises to answer the prayer of every person in the world. The Bible does not contain one single promise that God will answer the prayers of the unsaved. God promises to answer the prayers of only those who have by faith received Jesus as their Savior. Those who have not received Jesus cannot expect God to hear their prayers because they are not members of the family and kingdom of God. Americans have no right to expect the Chinese government to protect them or provide for the stability of the United States. Likewise, those who are not the children of God and citizens of the Kingdom of God have no right to expect Him to give them what He has promised to His people.

The Bible also warns that Christians living in sin will not have their prayers answered. (Psalm 66:18) Christians who are refusing to repent of known sin cannot claim God’s promise of answered prayer. Instead, the promise of answered prayer is dependent on the Christian being in a right relationship with God.

God promises to answer the prayers of His children if those prayers are not selfish and are seeking His will. God does not always answer in expected ways, but He does answer the proper prayers of His people. Consider the following Biblical accounts of answered prayer. When King Hezekiah prayed for protection from the armies of Assyria, God wiped out the Assyrian army in one night. (2 Kings 19:15-20, 35-37) When Solomon prayed for wisdom, God gave it to him in great abundance. (2 Chronicles 1:7-12; 1 Kings 3:16-28) When the Corinthian church prayed for Paul, God delivered him. (2 Corinthians 1:10-11) Other examples of answered prayer could be given from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, the Israelites, Moses, Job, David, Isaiah, Elisha, Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Paul and Peter. The Bible shows that God hears and answers the prayer of His people. The personal testimony of thousands of Christians shows that God still answers prayer. Specific examples can be found in the life stories of George Mueller, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey and Elizabeth Elliott. Faithful Christians living today can give personal testimony of God answering their prayers.

The problem of unanswered prayer is not a problem with God or with His faithfulness. Unanswered prayer is the problem of sinful people. Prayer for wrong things, prayer from wrong motives and prayer from those who are not right with God will not be answered. The children of God who truly delight in the Lord will have the desires of their heart. (Psalm 37:4)

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March 7, 2023

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God

Who is God?

Certain basic facts about God can be learned from thoughtful observation of the world around us. Creation teaches the existence of God, His pre-existence, His greatness, His Divinity and His power. (Romans 1:20) That all things are made is apparent by the incredibly intricacy of the designs found throughout nature. The Maker must of necessity precede the existence of the things made. Thus, God existed before anything else. (Psalm 90:2) That God is great and powerful is clear from the magnificence of creation. Only a great God could create a universe with such beauty. Only a powerful God could fill a universe with geysers, volcanoes, stars and so many other mighty works. The Being who creates all things, who exists before all things and who fills the universe with wonders can be nothing less than Divine.

Not everything that can be known of God is learned from studying nature. What creation teaches about God is corroborated and expanded by the Bible. Scripture is God’s revelation of His character and of His deeds towards men. In the opening chapters of the Bible God is revealed to be a Triune Creator. That is, God is One God in Three Persons. He is also presented as the Sovereign ruler over all creation who orders the universe and decrees what mankind ought to do. When man disobeyed God, God was revealed to be the just and merciful judge.

In Exodus 34 God shows His glory to Moses. He declares that He is merciful, gracious, patient, abounding in goodness, abundant in truth, forgiving and punishing sin. (Exodus 34:6) The Psalms declare that God eternally exists (Psalm 93:2), is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7-10) and knows all things (Psalm 147:5). In the book of Jeremiah God declares He can do all things. (Jeremiah 32:27)

Maybe the most widely known attribute of God is His love. Scripture teaches that God shows love toward men, is a loving Father, that He acts in love towards all people. Love is more than just an action of God. Love is His character. God is love. (1 John 4:8) He never acts contrary to His nature, so all He does is loving.

Isaiah 6 reveals that God is holy. Though many understand love to be God’s greatest attribute, the Bible elevates the holiness of God as that attribute for which He is eternally praised. (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8) Holiness is God’s uniqueness from His creation (Isaiah 46:9), His perfect absence of all sin (Psalm 5:4) and His hatred for sin (Habukkuk 1:13).

Most importantly, God is the Savior who came to redeem sinners. God’s holiness and love do not contradict each other. In Jesus the love and holiness of God meet together. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, sin is punished and forgiven at the same time. Jesus’ sacrifice reveals the mind boggling wisdom of God’s righteousness. (Romans 1:17) In Jesus the gracious glory of God is revealed to all men. (John 1:14) Through Jesus God is shown to be the Savior of all who trust Him. (1 John 4:14)

Through the Bible a person can gain a fuller knowledge of God. Outside of Scripture some basic truths of God can be deduced from creation. However, all deductions and conclusions about God apart from the Bible have the possibility of being in error because all people are limited in understanding and corrupted by sin. Any conclusions about God which contradict the Bible must be rejected as wrong. Through Scripture men can know God and can know Him as Savior. Because God is gracious He has revealed His Word His nature, His works and His salvation to men.

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November 22, 2022

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God, Life Questions

How can I learn to be more thankful?

America sets aside one day each year
to give thanks. Historically this day has been understood as a day to give thanks to God. Some may wonder why. What is there to be thankful about? In a time of economic, civil and international troubles, what reason do Americans have to be thankful? Many people struggle with thankfulness. Some are not thankful because they think good things are due them. Some are not thankful because their life is filled with sorrows which overshadow the blessings of life. Whatever the national and personal challenges to gratefulness, can a person learn to be more thankful?

The first step in learning thankfulness is to recognize your dependence on others. Every day every person is dependent on others. You are dependent on city workers to keep a smooth flow of water to your house and an equally smooth flow of waste water away from your home. You are dependent on farmers who raise meat and produce, on distributors who ship your food, on drivers who transport it and on grocers who sell it. Even someone who lives off the grid and grows all their own food is dependent on others for the lumber in their house or the electronics in their solar panels. Few in America today cut their own trees, mill their own lumber, plant their own gardens, raise their own livestock, create their own technology, build their own houses and dig their own wells. Every person is daily dependent on the work of others. Those who have the humility to recognize their dependence on others will be thankful for the good things they possess.

Every person is fully dependent on God for life. God gives life and breath to all people. (Acts 17:25) Life is dependence. Life is dependence on God for the air we breathe, the lungs to breathe it, the muscles that control the lungs, the blood that transports the oxygen and the brilliantly designed cells fueled by oxygen our lungs inhale.

Most Americans are surrounded by good things in excess of their necessities. These good things are from God. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father.” (James 1:17) The refrigerator overflowing with food, the closet filled with clothes, the climate controlled house, the car, the job, the family and the friends are all gifts from God. Those who have the humility to recognize their complete dependence on God for life and goodness will be thankful for the good things He gives them.

Psalm 107 repeatedly says, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!” A careful look at the world and the abundance that fills it will show that God is a good God who gives good things to all men regardless of what they deserve. He gives sun and rain to the righteous and unrighteous alike. (Matthew 5:45)

Humbly look for the good things in life and you will see you have many reasons to give God thanks. You are surrounded by opportunities to give thanks. We do not need to learn how to be more grateful, but how to better see the blessings we receive every day.