“Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” Flannery O’Connor Friends, I’ve wrestled for years with the Bible’s teaching on hell and its implications. Although it still troubles me deeply, so much so that I’ve chosen not to include a featured image this week, that doesn’t make it less true. Below are the most helpful quotes I’ve … Read More
Is the Essence of God Love?, Part 3 of 3
I mentioned last week that, in scripture, predestination is a positive doctrine (e.g. Eph. 1:4-5 says, “In love he predestined…”) and should be applied pastorally like the following: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day … Read More
Is the Essence of God Love?, Part 2 of 3
Growing up, movies like The Burning Hell made me think God was more wrath than love, and then, detoxing from that, I spent another thirty-five years believing love and wrath were both attributes of God. In viewing John’s plain statement that “God is love,” I stood with good-hearted teachers that said things like “certainly love is a very important attribute … Read More
Is the Essence of God Love?, Part 1 of 3
Fatherhood—including now being “Papa” to my grandson, Emmett—has provided me with powerful testimony to a loving God who, in Christianity, reveals Himself as “Our Father.” I shared this story about the first time I heard my then two-year-old son, Matthew, tell me he loved me and received this note from a friend: “IMHO, you are probing, without saying so in … Read More