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Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Some people, even preachers, say that everything that happens in the world – good, bad, or otherwise – is the will of God. Is it?

“I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they suffer no pain; their bodies are healthy and sleek. They are free of the burdens of life; they are not afflicted like others” (Psalm 73:3-5 NAB). The realities of this life often just don’t seem to make any sense, even as they didn’t to Bible writer Asaph 3,000 years ago. The opposite of what common sense would tell us is what often happens. Why? read more

Articles on this Website about “Eternal Security,” or “Once Saved, Always Saved”

Articles on this Website about “Eternal Security,” or “Once Saved, Always Saved”

There are six scripturally based articles on this website that deal with this issue, since there are some very deep-seated, very emotionally entrenched beliefs in this doctrine. These articles can also be browsed on on the Homepage of this website under Categories by clicking on: “Once Saved, Always Saved.”

“Eternal Security: ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’?

“Once Saved Always Saved?: How About Works?”

“Does 1 John 5:13 prove ‘Once Saved, Always Saved’?” read more

IS THE BOOK OF JONAH HISTORY OR FICTION?

IS THE BOOK OF JONAH HISTORY OR FICTION?

“A light satire, with no prentions to being historical . . . This fictional form is unique in the prophetic tradition”—Catholic commentary on Jonah

“There are convincing reasons why the book cannot be historical”—Dictionary of the Bible, by John L McKenzie

“Jesus replied, ‘Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here–but you refuse to repent'”—Matthew 12:39-41 NLT (also, see Matthew 16:4 and Luke 11:29,30,32) read more

ARE THERE MULTIPLE PATHS or WAYS TO GOD?

ARE THERE MULTIPLE PATHS or WAYS TO GOD?

It is popularly believed  that there are many ways or paths to God. Many truly believe that one can find God through either any of such diverse paths as Christianity, or Buddhism, or Hinduism, or Islam, or Shintoism, or Confucianism, or Paganism, or Mysticism, or Sun Worship, or through their own enlightenment and path, or Native American religion, or Spiritism, or “the energy of the universe,” or New Age, or by being a good person, or through no religion at all, or through nature, or any combination of these and/or other beliefs, etc. Those who disagree with this populist idea are viewed as narrow-minded, or ignorant. read more

SHOULD WE CELEBRATE THE LORD’S SUPPER?

SHOULD WE CELEBRATE THE LORD’S SUPPER?

The reason to celebrate “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20 NIV) is because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, commanded that his disciples should. Notice:

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured  out for you'”—Luke 22:19,20 NIV read more

THE EVIDENCE PROVES GOD’S EXISTENCE

THE EVIDENCE PROVES GOD’S EXISTENCE

“Even when walking in the street the fool, lacking understanding, calls everyone a fool”—Ecclesiastes 10:3 NAB

BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY REQUIRES LESS FAITH TO BELIEVE IN THAN ATHEISM

While Christians are often derided for their seemingly “blind faith” in the Creator/God’s existence, the facts give powerful evidence the Biblical Creator/God is real. 

The overwhelming scientific evidence confirms the essential truths of the “Big Bang”. In just the last 100 years, scientists, such as cosmologists and astronomers, have been forced by their very own discoveries to admit the universe had a beginning, which harmonizes with what the Bible stated as fact thousands of years ago. For example: read more

WHY DID JESUS SAY: “ANYONE WHO DOES NOT REMAIN IN ME IS THROWN AWAY?”

WHY DID JESUS SAY: “ANYONE WHO DOES NOT REMAIN IN ME IS THROWN AWAY?”

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing. Anyone who who does not remain is thrown away like a branch—and withers; these branches are collected and thrown on the fire and are burnt”—John 15:5,6 NJB

Using an illustration of a vine and its branches, Jesus made very it clear that Christians must remain in him, and not leave him. Just to be clear, a Christian could leave and later return, like the prodigal son did (Luke 15:11-32). But what if a Christian leaves Jesus at some point and does not return to him? Then what? Does that mean that he “was never saved in the first place”, as “eternal security” believers claim? Is “Once Saved, Always Saved” (OSAS) a Biblical teaching? read more

COVID PANDEMIC PROVES THAT “FAITH HEALERS” ARE FAKES

COVID PANDEMIC PROVES THAT “FAITH HEALERS” ARE FAKES

Revised January 22, 2022

Today, there are many in the world who claim that they are empowered by God to perform various miracles, including  healing people of sickness and disease. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, accurately predicted that many would claim that they had done many “miracles”, including divine healings, when he said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!'”—-Matthew 7:21-23 NIV

Some Christians have been claiming to perform these healing miracles all through the ages, ever since genuine healings were actually performed, as recorded in God’s written word, the Bible. 

“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul” (Acts 19:11 NIV) read more

What Are John 3:16 & The Gospel About?

What Are John 3:16 & The Gospel About?

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”—John 3:16 NKJV

On November 8, 2018, an article was posted on Patheos entitled, “Why John 3:16 Isn’t About The Crucifixion“:

In preparation for an upcoming online debate about PSA [Penal Substitutionary Atonement] Theory, I started wondering whether or not Jesus, or any of the Gospel authors, specifically communicated the Gospel as being about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, or to appease the wrath of God, etc.

In the process of exploring this question, I started with John 3:16 because, growing up, I had always equated it with the crucifixion. However, I realized that this entire conversation has nothing to do with the crucifixion, nor does it even mention the death of Jesus at all.

Here’s what the verse actually says:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”

Now, I think most of the time we have been told to read the word “gave” in this sentence to mean that “God laid Jesus down on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world and sacrificed Him for us.”

But, quite obviously, it does not say any such thing.

What it says is that God loved the world. He loved the world so much that he gave us Jesus and that if anyone would trust in him, and his teachings, he would live and not die.

I’ve also started to realize that whenever Jesus talks about “eternal life” or “will not perish”, he is not talking about the afterlife, or about what happens to us after we die.

In a very practical way, John 3:16 is a verse about how those who follow the path of Jesus will escape the coming destruction of Jerusalem and live beyond that event.

Here’s the deal: Jesus showed up as the promised Messiah at a time when the Jewish people were seeking a violent, revolutionary hero who would lead the uprising against their Roman oppressors. Instead, Jesus tells them to repent of this desire for violent revolution and warns them that if they live by the sword they will all die by the sword. He teaches them to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and seek to overcome evil with good.

The promise, then, that Jesus makes is that they will have life that extends beyond the end of the age [that is, the end of the Jewish age], if they follow His teachings. If they refuse, then they will be slaughtered along with the destruction of the Temple, the end of the daily sacrifice, and the death of the Jewish Priesthood. [Which, by the way, is exactly what happened to those who rejected the message and path of Jesus].

So, the promise of John 3:16 is that those who trust in Jesus [that’s what the word “believe” really means], and put his teachings into practice, will not reap the fruit of rebellion [which is death], but survive the end of the age which Jesus promises will come within a single generation.

Forty years later, that prediction came to pass.

And, just as Jesus promised, those who followed the Way of Christ, escaped the “wrath of God” – which was simply the reaping of a harvest of rebellion against Rome – and the Christians who were in Jerusalem fled to the city of Peleg months before the Roman army surrounded the city and began to lay siege to it.

In this way, the promise of John 3:16 was fulfilled: Those who put their trust in the Way of Christ – which was to love their enemies, bless those who cursed them, and do good to those who hated them – escaped the horror of AD 70. They did not perish but inherited life beyond the end of the age [or “eternal life” that extended beyond the present age].

Jesus never communicated the Gospel as saying a prayer so you could go to heaven when you die, or as a human sacrifice that would appease the wrath of God. What Jesus said the Gospel was is simply this: “Change your way of thinking! The Kingdom of God is here, right now! You can live under the rule and reign of God today. No need to wait until you’re dead. The Good News is for your life now, not for after you die.”

Here are just a few examples from Scripture:

“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)

“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matt 9:35)

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom..” (Matt 4:23)

Jesus taught this Gospel, and so did the Disciples, and the Apostles, including Paul and Peter and Philip, etc.

Why are we teaching any other Gospel than this one?

That’s a great question. (And another blog post). read more

Atheists Ask: “If God Is Real, Then Why Is Faith Required?”

Atheists Ask: “If God Is Real, Then Why Is Faith Required?”

First of all, when people ask this they are using a different definition of “faith” than the the Bible does. The average person thinks “faith” means: “blind faith”, or belief without any evidence, zero, zippo, nada. That is not Biblical “faith”. So let’s clarify what we mean Biblically by faith. “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1 NAB). Biblical faith has evidence in support of it, in fact, lots of it! For example: “Since the creation the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, been understood from what has been made” (Rom 1:20 NIV). We can see from the earth  and the universe that there must be a designer and Creator. However, it is impossible to see Almighty God literally. “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live” (Ex 33:20 CSB). This is why faith is required. In some ways it’s no different from things we think, and do, everyday, but without giving it much thought. Would you work for a company, or organization that you didn’t think was going to pay you on payday? No, you have faith, for good reasons, that you will get paid. You wouldn’t buy a car, or an appliance, if you didn’t at least have some faith that it would work. Your wouldn’t hire someone to do a job for you without some faith they could do it, would you? Logical reasoning tells us what Hebrews 3;4 says: “For every house is built by someone, but he that created all things is God” (Jubilee Bible). You didn’t see a certain house being designed or built, but you logically know that someone had to design and construct it. Why would we use different reasoning standard about the immeasurably more complex universe, and its designer and builder? Therefore, the Bible says: “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God'” (Ps 14:1 NLT). While it is true that “not all  people have faith” (2 Thess 3:2), faith is available to all people!

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