About Me

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I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Neither Were They Thankful

 "Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy" (Psalms 107:22, NIV).

"But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you..." (Jonah 2:9, NIV).
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and grateful" (Col. 4:2, NIV). 
"Amen!  Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!"  (Rev. 7:12, NIV). 
"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD" (Psalm 116:17, KJV).  

They knew God but didn't give Him thanks and for this reason, God darkened their foolish heart.  We are responsible for the light God has given us or we will be judged accordingly.  Thanksgiving is a sacrifice to God (cf. Psa. 50:14) and praise is another sacrifice to God (cf. Heb. 13:15) that we can offer God as a way to gain entree into His divine throne room and presence.  "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise..." (Psa. 110:4, KJV).  That seems to stipulate a formula for getting into the spirit of worship and prayer.  They are juxtaposed in this verse and go hand in hand--thanksgiving for what He's done or will do and praise for who He is and how He reveals Himself in glory. 

You can be sure that an ingrate is not filled with the Spirit, neither knows it, for this is a basic lesson of spirituality we all learn to mature in the faith.  But a lot of ingratitude is habitual and a matter of nurture and upbringing; i.e., it might be the parents who didn't bring them up right!  As Romans 1:21 equates the two and says, "they glorified him not as God." Gratitude and praise go together to comprise an act of worship that we owe God as creatures, knowing that He is alone is worthy of our worship.  We ought to be so thanksgiving oriented that we are grateful that someone thanks us for kindness rendered in Christ's name-it should make our day!  But we should remember that our tasks in the Lord are often thankless tasks!

Paul targets thanksgiving as the right mental attitude in his epistles:  "Giving thanks always for all things unto God..." (Eph. 5:20, KJV); "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:7, KJV); "In everything give thanks" (1 Thess. 5:18, KJV); "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts ... and be ye thankful" (Col. 3:15, KJV).  This is stated as the will of God for us.  He wants us to learn to see the silver lining behind every cloud and to learn that all our adversity and affliction is Father-filtered and will work together for our good (cf. Rom. 8:28).

The amazing example of having the right attitude of gratitude in dire circumstances is when Paul and Silas were in prison and sang joyfully unto the Lord.  No one can take away our attitude and that's why we must cultivate this as a sure way to stay focused on God.  Paul demonstrates his attitude of gratitude in prison writing Philippians by opening with thanksgiving.

Gratitude is not the ultimate proof of faith per se but is the sign of a right mental attitude (cf. Col. 4:2; Psa. 100:4).  God condemns ingrates:  "... for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6, ESV).  Nowhere in Scripture are gratitude and faith equated, correlated, or juxtaposed as a measure or keynote of each other; however, faith and obedience are in Hebrews 3:18-19, NASB, as follows:  "And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief"  (cf. Heb. 4:6, 11).  Some translations mistranslated these verses and put in "unbelief" instead of "disobedience."  James 2:18, NIV, says, "... and I will show you my faith by my deeds."


But the NASB and ESV are more literal and use what is functional equivalence; i.e., word for word translations not thought for thought.  Faith and obedience are eternally equated in Romans 1:5 and 16:26 (that they might "come to the obedience that comes from faith," cf. NIV) and in Acts 6:7, "They were obedient to the faith."


Also, note that Dietrich Bonhoeffer said quite dogmatically, "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes." These two are definitely equated in the Word.   Doctrinally speaking, the only proof of faith is obedience just as Christ admonished that if we love Him we will obey Him.  Thanksgiving, even praise, can be signs of faith but not the ultimate litmus test, but obedience is the plumbline (cf. John 14:21).  We don't have the law to obey but are measured by our obedience to the will of God (we are free in Christ but not free from God's will!), which is an easier yoke and we have the Spirit which bears witness with our spirit to give us peace. Clearly, obedience is the test:  "... Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22, NKJV).


Jesus made it clear love would be the telltale sign of the believer (cf. John 13:35) and the world would know we are Christians by our love.  Love is the distinguishing trait of our faith and its greatest contribution in charity, outreach, missions, evangelizing, and labor.  Faith is what pleases God and its expression is love:  "... The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Let Us Give Thanks Unto The Lord

 "Always giving thanks to God he Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," (cf. Eph. 5:20).

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus," (cf. 1 Thess. 5:18)

Why?  He is good and His mercy endures forever, for two good reasons. We can be secure!   We must make the sacrifice of thanksgiving that He is worthy of and is also that which puts us in the right mindset and frame of mind to worship and serve Him. Thanksgiving isn't natural just like worship; we must be oriented, taught, trained, and inspired to do so.   It's a way of forgetting about ourselves and focusing on Jesus and be filled with the Spirit.  We cannot be self-centered and spiritual simultaneously. Self and thanksgiving don't mix!  

We all have something to give thanks for even if we are impoverished or broke, even in the pandemic we can realize our blessings and celebrate our life and that it's worth saving and living for Jesus. When we give thanks it orients to eternity and off our predicament;  we must learn to live in light of eternity and not for the here and now. When we are filled with gratitude, we want to spread the cheer and payback to others and society of what God has blessed us with. 

We never give thanks in vain because in the measure we do it, God blesses in return. God is no man's debtor and pays back multiple when we give as unto the Lord. Freely we have received from the Lord and freely we are to give! We must first realize that all we own is the Lord's and we are just stewards: We must first offer ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice and render to God what is God's. That's the key, one can never repay the debt of love and grace is that which we don't deserve, cannot repay, and cannot earn even in all eternity we will be debtors to God. 

We ought to overflow with thanksgiving!  For instance, just think of the blessings of salvation both in this life and the next we have the perks of being the children of God. In our salvation, our past is forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured!   We cannot but thank Him for His "unspeakable" or indescribable gift!  (Jesus!)   As members of God's kingdom, we have many privileges and should rejoice in our status as overcomes! Remember, we owe it all to the Lamb who sits upon the throne and has overcome and invited us to be joint-heirs.  

In short, this is God's explicit will: give thanks in all things as unto the Lord, in every circumstance even if we don't know why.   That can test our faith!  How can we do this?  There are infinite ways: multiple instruments of music, multiple songs and hymns to sing,  multiple gifts, multiple talents, multiple opportunities, multiple songs,  multiple relationships, multiple occupations, multiple hobbies, multiple blessings, multiple passions, and multiple salvation stories or testimonies.  We must render thanks for all that salvation involves and who we were before: remembering the rock from which we were hewn and the quarry from which we were dug.  

Remember, we are commanded to give thanks and this is for our good as God doesn't have anything to gain; He is worthy and deserves to be praised and worshiped with thanksgiving. When we do so, wonderful peace will fill our hearts for doing God's will.  Even in prayer, the right attitude is to do it in thanksgiving and to prepare our hearts with it. Praise God for who He is and thank Him for what He's done, even given us the victory!  Our conversation and fellowship should be in thanksgiving and no obligation but willingly and voluntarily. We are to worry about nothing, pray about anything, and thank about everything if we want to enjoy the peace of God in our hearts.   

In summation, giving thanks entails much more than just telling someone "thank-you" or even doing lip-service to God to that effect, but in bearing fruit in respect to it and being a witness of thanks to others, doing good works showing and proving gratitude as in remitting a debt.    Soli Deo Gloria! 

Sunday, November 15, 2020

The Gospel As The Power Of God

 "We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord," (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5). 

"... when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as in the truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe," (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). 

"For my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should no stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God," (cf. 1 Cor. 2:4-5). 

A preacher should realize that the gospel is where the action is and should never grow weary of preaching it.  It may be milk of the Word but we never outgrow milk or any other staple of our diet such as bread.   The Holy Spirit doesn't desire to glorify Himself but to praise and glorify Jesus for what He's done to save us as a people of God and for who He is as the Son of God, earnest unto good works. 

We should strive to know nothing save Christ and Christ crucified (cf. 1 Cor. 2:3) and to spread the good word of Jesus or the gospel message and to apply it to our lives as a testimony to others; i.e, to live it out and make it relevant the only gospel others may see is in us!    If they see it in us it becomes real and a welcome mat to the infidel.  This gospel is indeed good news but there is also bad news that must accompany it: to repent of sins as a prerequisite of salvation.  We must get them lost first!  In the true gospel message, which is about what Christ has done and not we do, God reaches down to us in condescension. 

We must realize it's all about God and not about us!  We can experience salvation in real-time and have an actual encounter with God.  We are made alive (or our souls are quickened per Eph. 2:1) by the preaching of the cross because we are as good as dead in God's eyes in our sins.  God quickens and opens the door of faith within us (cf. Acts 14:27) and makes us alive in Christ tor born again. When we have the Holy Spirit, we see life with a new lens or with a Christian worldview or outlook. We have a whole new motive for living:  kingdom living for Christ's glory in God's economy as it were.  

To enter the kingdom of God, we must surrender or raise the white flag to Christ of the ownership of our lives. We become living sacrifices!  We are the salt of the earth to preserve it and give it a flavor but also the light of the world to show the way. We see ourselves for who we are and the picture isn't pretty; we need a renewed mind in the image of Christ.  Salvation brings a new identity in Christ so we can relate to Him as family; not as a second chance or new lease on life but a whole new life becoming regenerated and made new from the inside out.  We don't just turn over a new leaf, make a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge but are given a clean slate and a new beginning, a fresh start. 

We must not ever be ashamed of the gospel as Paul wasn't and realize that it's the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes (cf. Rom. 1:16).  The gospel has convicting power and we never outgrow it as believers; it's the staple of our spiritual diet of the Word. We must remember that the Christian life is not just hard, it's impossible!  We need the grace of God to live it out and make it real to others by our witness and we should never jeopardize this.  The unconditional love of God is shown in Him reaching down to us when we don't deserve it, our worship is reaching up to Him and our fellowship is in reaching out to fellow believers.  When we reach down to those in need, it's compassion and mission.   

The Christian life is not for spectators and worship isn't passive but active because only genuine believers can share the true gospel with conviction: it's not just about do-goodery or doing good deeds but about being a witness for Christ and obeying Him in all things. God doesn't want our achievements but our obedience and the measure of our spirituality aren't our ecstasies but our obedience  Worship is not passive but active and we are participants in our own way.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Our Mission Statement...

 Jesus honored us by assigning us the Great Commission and to be ambassadors for Him to the ends of the earth, i.e., no place He wouldn't be with us.  We are to keep the main thing the main thing and remember as Paul did to preach Jesus and Jesus crucified, i.e., the gospel message as the main focus and theme of our message.  But we cannot do this faithfully if we aren't practicing what we preach and living as Christ lived.  We are to walk as we have received Christ, as Lord.  We must therefore be purpose-oriented and keep our mind on the Lord and not lose heart.  

We are to love the gospel, want to live it out, and never grow tired of its message as the milk of the word that is so necessary for good spiritual health.  The church that is obedient church is one that focuses on the goal: the Great Commission and has this as a great commitment until we have achieved the great completion.  We are to look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith and not to focus on ourselves or the world.  The purpose is to bring glory to God and when we are obedient this does that.  That means finding our niche and doing our part in the church.  

Discipleship begins in the church body as mature believers mentor and train those who are younger in the faith by exercising their gift.  We are all students matriculated in the school of Christ and must be faithful for that can not be separated from our faith.  Obedience and faith are forever joined together and we are challenged to obey Christ's Great Commission.  The father of missions was William Carey, who said that we ought to expect great things from God and then attempt great things for God!

We must think big and follow Christ who said we would do greater things than Him.  As we are going about our daily routine we are to be examples of Christ's love and kindness.   We all have an orbit of friends and can reach out to them.  The mission's ethic can be summed up: "Follow Me!" as Christ commanded. Our rallying cry is to preach salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!  The purity of the gospel cannot be compromised or dumbed down.

To make disciples means to teach them all Christ commanded and especially to be obedient, which is the measure of our faith.  God isn't looking for our personal achievements but our obedience and love.  When properly armed with the truth we can march on to wherever Christ sends us.  But we are expected to bloom where we are planted!  Let Christ send us!  He expects us just to be willing.  The call to make disciples is the time-tested method of church growth and we don't need to re-invent church growth techniques.  Only in the church can we find our place in the mission of Christ and grow in grace and in knowledge for no believer is a Lone Ranger or hermit.  We find out spiritual gifts through serving and willingness to be used by God.  We want to be like Jesus and follow on to know Him in discipleship.  

Our message is simple: preaching Jesus and His gospel.  But we must get them lost first and not water down our call to repentance and faith, for easy-believism (no-lordship discipleship) is not salvation.  We must preach that sinners repent and receive Christ as Lord of their lives and Savior and that they only trust in Him and obey Him in all things. Repentance and faith go hand in hand: believing repentance or penitent faith (cf. Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1).  They must bring forth fruits to be real; there's no genuine repentance without saving faith.  

We should not be asking what is the mission as much as what is the mission for me?  Personalize it and see that we all have a place in God's redemptive plan and will.  "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!" (cf. Psalm 107:2).  We will see that the gospel is always relevant and is for everyone as it goes out to all in earnest and anyone who repents can be saved.  We must bear in mind that our strongest witness is a personal testimony that cannot be refuted:  "I was blind but now I see!"  We all have a similar one!   Soli Deo Gloria!

What Do Atheists Get Wrong In The Bible?...


  1. It was written by men; i.e. not inspired by God or is just pie in the sky.
  2. It has been corrupted from the original texts.
  3. It is incomplete or the wrong books are in it.
  4. It has no scientific merit or scientific absurdities.
  5. It makes historical errors.
  6. It was not written when claimed but much later or by those claimed.
  7. It has been undermined by science.
  8. It is illogical or irrational, contrary to “common sense.”
  9. It has not been verified by archaeological digs.
  10. It has no modern relevance.
  11. It has contradictions; it contradicts them, not itself.
  12. It is not of any significant social, moral, or cultural value.  Soli Deo Gloria!

What Are The Most Convincing Arguments For God's Existence?...

 

  1. The ontological, cultural, or anthropological argument,, or where did we get this idea from and why do people believe universally; God is not an idea made up.   Do apes build chapels? Do animals pray? God is self-evidentThis ethnological proof, that virtually every tribe, tongue, and people-group has had some belief system concerning God or deity is compelling as circumstantial evidence.; where did they get the idea from, if not God Himself?  
  2. The cosmological or the that nothing happens by itself and nothing can create or cause itself but needs the First Cause: no First Cause means no beginning because infinite regress is impossible; you cannot cross infinity! A beginning (Big Bang) implies a Beginner. God is eternal without beginning, having no cause but being uncaused!
  3. The teleological proof that we see order, harmony, intelligence, purpose, design, and beauty in nature as evidence and this point to the anthropological principle or that there appears to be designed in nature (it is fine-tuned for life), and this may be called the argument from design; design only implies a Designer; order implies an Orderer, purpose a Purposer, and intelligence an Ultimate Mind.
  4. The moral argument or that it seems that we have morals and there must be justice for that to make sense. Where did we get our conscience from?  This implies a Judge or Judgment Day. God seems to care a lot about right and wrong and has given man a moral code, compass, or conscience to be culpable. Morals make no sense without a Judge or God to make them universal.   God must be the moral center of the universe and standard of Good as Plato called Him, the Supreme Good.   Morals then imply a moral Lawgiver; also, how can you believe in justice without a Judge?  

Can You Justify Biblical Creation?

 

  1. Even science acknowledges a beginning (the Big Bang)
  2. Matter/energy/time all began about 13.7 billion years ago accordingly and not contradictory to the Bible
  3. If there was a beginning, there must be a Beginner or cause behind it
  4. Creation implies a Creator (order an Orderer, purpose a Purposer, etc.)
  5. The Bible doesn’t say when the beginning was or when the earth was created but only “in the beginning,” there is a gap between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2 that is an unspecified amount of time
  6. The so-called six days of creation could be interpreted as epochs or episode, not necessarily 24-hour days; to God, a day can be a thousand years, for example, or a period of time (the day of the LORD)
  7. The Bible doesn’t tell how things happened but that God made them happen at His word by the breath of His mouth
  8. The Big Bang or creation is an event; all events require explanations and have causes
  9. Everything that begins to exist (creation) has a cause; that cause is most likely God—the First Cause (infinite regress is impossible)
  10. Science cannot explain many things and doesn’t have all the answers, such as the mystery of life and its origin.    Soli Deo Gloria!

What Proof Is There The Bible Isn't Just Another Book? ...


  1. Over 2,000 fulfilled predictive prophecies in great detail, not just a few lucky guesses.
  2. Historical accuracy that is even corroborated by secular sources, even about Jesus—it dehistoricized, it’s totally discredited (and some have tried).
  3. Archaeological digs verifying its references (over 25,0000)—as Jesus said, “The stones cry out….” (cf. Luke 19:40).
  4. It has been the most translated book in history (over 1800 languages) and has had more impact and influence than any other book in history.
  5. It has meaningful miracles that are not just helter-skelter or random; it’s the only holy Scripture that, if you remove the miracles, is meaningless.
  6. It was written by over 40 men over 1500 years and has no contradictions, unexplained.
  7. it is inspiring and changes the lives of those who read it—it claims inspiration of God—it’s the most quoted book in history.
  8. It says, “Thus saith the LORD,” or its equivalent over 3,000 times—it claims to be the Word of God, unlike any other “scripture.”
  9. The Bible can prove itself if one gives it a chance and only reads it.
  10. It has no scientific anomalies but makes many statements ahead of its time that have been proven true—the Bible is the foundation of the philosophy of science saying there are laws of nature (cf. Job 38:33). Soli Deo Gloria!

Is There Any Proof God Exists?...


"The only system of thought that Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point." --Athanasius
We begin with God and explain the universe of ideas, we don't reason to God but from God!


Unbelievers don't want to believe in evidence because the evidence is stacked against them and they're looking for a loophole to justify themselves. Find out for yourself: Ask them just what evidence they have found that proves there is no God! They will have to answer far more questions about God's existence than they can argue against God, as we will see. God needs no evidence to exist and merely assumes you have realized His existence--He doesn't need to prove Himself! The Bible even presupposes and assumes God: "In the beginning God...." The Bible doesn't seek to apologize for God or offer any proof but even says those who deny Him are fools. It is a matter of the heart, not the intellect, for denial of God is intellectual suicide and people suppress the knowledge they do have. They are in a state of denial! It is convenient for their lifestyles to deny a God who is the moral center of the universe.

What we know about God is not a matter of speculation or conjecture, but revelation and faith, we cannot have laboratory conditions, put Him in a test tube, or conduct an empirical investigation on a God who is not tangible, visible, or audible to us but dwells in another dimension. He isn't subject to scientific analysis--there can be no laboratory conditions--because He's not observable, measurable, verifiable, repeatable, experimental, predictable, testable, variable, or controllable. God has revealed Himself to us and in the Bible we see this consummated, personified, and incarnated in the personhood of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Where we start determines where we will end up! We must begin with Truth with a capital T to find God. We don't start with the universe to explain God or explain Him away, but start with God and explain reality and the universe. We don't conclude with God in the equation; rather, we start with God in the equation.

Man's problem today is to forget God and take Him out of our reckoning and life's equation. God makes no apologies and owes no one an explanation for His works or actions. He is too kind to be cruel, too deep to explain Himself, and too wise to make a mistake, it has been said. The problem with the infidel is that you cannot argue him into the kingdom. There is always enough evidence or conviction for the willing but never enough for the unwilling. Even if convinced he will be of the same opinion. There isn't enough evidence to dissuade the willing, nor enough to persuade the unwilling. This is because God cannot be rationalized but only known through faith by a work of grace.

Unbelievers are people of faith too, they just place it in their own logic and philosophy and ultimately science has all the answers or can find absolute truth. Using science to harness truth out of its proper domain is not science but scientism--there are ways to truth outside of science and some knowledge isn't subject to science: ethics, morality, philosophy, theology, et cetera. The infidel puts God on trial and to the test, thinking they can judge God when He is their Judge. The point is that all knowledge is contingent except God's and we all begin our quest for it as a leap of faith, accepting something or someone's word as truth we cannot prove. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge! It's never a matter of reason versus faith but which set of presuppositions one is willing to accept.

We are all at the stage in our faith at the onset of believing but still need God to help our unbelief. Miracles, for instance, never force belief but only bolster and support faith and even produce a desire for more miracles. God is not in the business of miracles on-demand or doing biggie, showy, miracles to amaze us into faith. Miracles don't make faith--faith makes miracles! Everyone should realize that juries convict on the preponderance of the evidence, not all of it--which isn't available--and in the direction of the evidence. Often they must rely on merely circumstantial evidence or witnesses with little corroboration. But the biblical rule of thumb is to rule in favor of the defendant lest an innocent man perishes by mistake.

Also, history is not subject to scientific inquiry because it's nonrepeatable by nature and cannot be observed or measured. There are no living witnesses to antiquity! But the resurrection is arguably the best-attested fact in ancient times. Christ's resurrection is a matter of history and the circumstantial evidence is most compelling! In fact, Luke says there are many "infallible proofs." The Bible needs no defense or evidence for it is self-attesting and appeals to no higher authority than itself or it wouldn't be the final authority! You cannot logically say that it's true because it's never been disproved, but a person only need read it with an open mind and find out for himself--he can prove it himself! Legally, the burden of proof is always on the party disputing the validity or genuineness of the document.

The only way you can prove God is to limit Him or put Him in a box, and this cannot be done and if we could He wouldn't be worthy of our worship because the finite cannot grasp or contain the infinite. We do have arguments and evidence though for Him--and evidence isn't conclusive but only a reason to believe- but no smoking gun proof that makes us believe against our wills. He leaves faith up to our own decision but the Hound of Heaven is wooing us and is able to convict us and even make the unwilling willing and turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh--for the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart! But you cannot disprove God either, for it's illogical and impossible to prove a universal negative without being all-knowing and everywhere at once.

You can argue for God by realizing He makes sense of everything. We don't need a holy grail or theory of everything in science; what we need is enlightenment from God and return to our roots to Christianity as the mother of modern science. It's like saying we believe in the sun, not because we see it, but because we can see, and see everything else! Could you imagine someone not believing in words yet speaking them? We only believe in love because we've experienced it, not because its existence has been proven to us! Where did all the abstracts come from? For instance, what about heroism, honesty, fair play, aesthetic appreciation, conscience, good faith, altruism, fairness, equity, generosity, truth, honor, bravery, courage, et cetera? God makes sense of history and of the world, seeing it as having meaning and going somewhere, even telling a story with lessons to learn.

Even science is explained by God and wouldn't have arisen without Him in the picture. How can we explain the Big Bang or the beginning without a Beginner? If we have "creation," we need a Creator! How can we posit design without a Designer? Since we have art, that necessitates an Artist. Things appear to be in order and according to specs: what about an Orderer? They want to shun hell but they believe in justice without the Judge! 

How can we explain the principle of biogenesis (which denies spontaneous generation) or that life only comes from life without a source of life? How can we see the Anthropic Principle (or the fine-tuned earth) without realizing a God of design, beauty, intelligence, harmony, and intention? It looks like our Creator intended it this way. One scientist wrote a book entitled The Privileged Planet to prove this principle. Where did the first DNA, the metabolic motor of life, come from, if DNA only comes from DNA? How can we explain the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics without God in the calculus? If we must offer proof, so must the infidel!

Thinking in the abstract, where did love come from and how can you measure it or define it. Measuring three feet of love is absurd! How did we come to know of good and evil if they don't exist and there isn't a source? Why do we have such a concern for right and wrong and a moral compass if there isn't a God who is the moral center of the universe? How can there be purpose, design, beauty, art, order, and musical harmony without God or one of purpose, design, and intent? How can there be wrongdoing and crime without a Judge? How can there even be good without a source of good or Supreme Good as the standard? History makes no sense without seeing it as His story and having a beginning and ending or consummation and of meaning instead of being circular or cyclical? Basically, how can we believe in the existence of truth without a God of truth as its source?

Cosmologically speaking: When we realize the law of causality or of cause and effect, we realize that there must be a First Cause because an infinite regress is illogical and it's impossible to cross infinity--the chain in the link has to begin somewhere. Note that we can know nothing for sure without the principle of cause and effect! But nothing can cause itself and be its own cause, and therefore everything must have a cause except this one uncaused cause that got it all started--no beginning means being eternal and nothing would exist without this beginning; however, God had to begin everything somewhere in time, for everything captive to the time-space continuum had a beginning and God created time, space, and matter, and so had no beginning--being eternal implies having no cause. In short, God is not an effect and is independent of time and therefore needs no cause, being self-existence or dependent on no one and nothing. Indeed, there are so many constants and fixed laws in the universe that it makes it look like God has a pure mathematical mind, which is what Einstein postulated.

Note: We are the evidence: Our very existence is rigged and we are a miracle! The biggest miracle is seen in the conversion and transformation of a believer upon salvation. We cannot explain our existence, much less God's! We will find that a little philosophy may incline one toward atheism, but true knowledge begins with God in the equation we may think we can reason to God, but reason tells us some things are beyond reason; we can only reason because of God of reason and our gift of reason!

Christians have simple, not simplistic faith, but not enough to be an atheist! The Bible says that unbelievers suppress the truth; this implies they know the truth! We must ask the unbeliever if he would repent and receive Christ as Lord and Savior if given sufficient evidence. The problem is always the same: Not that they cannot believe but they won't and will not believe! Believers are not Christians because of the evidence who were convinced against their will, but because the Holy Spirit made believers out of their sincere hearts, wooing them and turning hearts of stone into ones of flesh.

The conclusion of the matter is making decisions based on facts and evidence, not whim or feeling--without which it ends up being merely blind faith. We must be willing to follow the evidence with an open mind wherever it leads. We will never find truth--and all truth meets at the top according to Thomas Aquinas--unless we admit we could be wrong, as Socrates said. In other words Soli Deo Gloria!

Does God Have Free Will Since He Can Do No Evil?

 We have the ability to make choices, just not spiritual ones. Our free will is a curse because we don’t choose God. Free will is not defined as being free to sin. In heaven, saints will not want to sin anymore and free from its power, unable to sin just like Christ on earth. There will be no temptation to sin and we won’t want to.

God’s free will consists in His ability to do whatsoever He desires: “My counsel shall stand, I will do all my pleasure.” (Cf. Isaiah 46:10); “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that he did…” (cf. Psalm 135:6). God simply wills no evil. “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases,” (cf. Job 23:13). “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him,” (cf. Psalm 115:6). Nothing nor no one can thwart His will or plans (cf. Job 42:2).

God alone can exercise whatsoever He wills but restricts it to His nature which cannot be contradicted due to His holiness, the attribute that regulates the others, the attribute of attribute. In other words, God always acts in character and there are no arbitrary, capricious, or whimsical actions possible.

“For the good that I would that I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (cf. Romans 7:19–20). God doesn’t coerce us to do anything we don’t want to do. We cannot do whatever we want because we are enslaved to sin. Even if we were without sin, we could not do anything. So free will is not absolute in any sense. But in heaven, we will be free to do what we want to and we won’t want to sin but to glorify God.  Soli Deo Gloria!