GodWords: Theology and Other Good Stuff Latest Posts

Was Peter's wife martyred?

Sun, 06 May 2012 16:52:41 CDT

A GodWords reader asked:

Does the Bible refer to Peter's wife being martyred?

The Bible doesn't mention that Peter's wife was martyred. After doing a bit of looking, it appears that Clement of Alexandria wrote the following:

They say, accordingly, that the blessed Peter, on seeing his wife led to death, rejoiced on account of her call and conveyance home, and called very encouragingly and comfortingly, addressing her by name, "Remember thou the Lord." Such was the marriage of the blessed and their perfect disposition towards those dearest to them.

This comes from Clement's The Stromata, or Miscellanies: Book VII. Tradition, then, rather than Scripture give us this story. If you'd like to read Clement's words, you can find them here. I wouldn't bother, to be honest...if you're curious, it's interesting. If you're not that curious, it's very tedious. =)

Why didn't God create us to automatically be righteous?

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:39:25 CDT

A GodWords reader asked:

Why couldn't [God] have created mankind with free will that also chose to love him and were righteous from the get go?

An interesting question, to be sure. The answer is in the question itself: free will.

The alternative to having free will is to NOT be FREE. Were God to create people who would automatically choose to love Him, those people would not be - and never could be - free. It's like asking why God didn't make circles with corners...if it's got corners, it CAN'T be a circle. In the same way, making us an offer we can't refuse is exactly the same as not making an offer at all. We're either free to decide - and live with the consequences - or we're not free at all.

I understand her frustration. This is a sick and broken world, filled with hurting and dying people. Our ache for relief from this suffering goes unanswered, and it's probably the most difficult part of life. We want things to be different, so we blame the One who set it up...it's perfectly understandable.

At the same time, free will is the key to it all. If we're not free, then our decisions have no value at all. If we're free, we get the bad with the good. God will make all things right, at the perfect time, in the perfect way...or He's not God at all. I read recently that, in the end, "all sad things will become untrue". I like that. It offers comfort to we who suffer, acknowledges God's promises, and looks ahead to when our wounds will finally be healed.

Why is Religion Divisive?

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:36:15 CDT

One simple reason is that we tend to think that God loves us for what we do. If God loves us because we're nice, it becomes easy to look down on mean people. If God loves us because we're generous, we have no trouble being critical of stingy people. If God loves us because we're liberal, open-minded people, we tend to look down on bigoted, conservative people. If God loves us because we're traditional people of faith, it only makes sense to believe that God loves progressives and atheists less than He loves us.

The Bible teaches that God loves us NOT for what we do, but because of WHO WE ARE. We are His creation, the focus of His affection. Jesus died as a demonstration of God's love for us...not because we're good, but because we need to know His love. That's grace: God loves you even when you don't love Him. When people understand grace, they stop thinking of others as less worthy of God's love.

When we see others through the lens of good works, we tend to be critical and exclude others. When we see others through the lens of grace, we tend to be generous and compassionate and include others. When we measure the effectiveness of the American church at reaching out to the unsaved, it seems obvious to me that we seldom offer to others the same grace we've been given.

What is the Bible Basically About?

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:35:33 CDT

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:27

What is the Bible really about?

Is the Bible basically about me and what I must do, or is it basically about Jesus and what He has done? When you read in Luke and Acts how Jesus, in those 40 days, got His disciples together 40 days before He ascended, after He was raised, what was He doing? Basically, He was saying "Everything in the Old Testament is about me." He says "The reason you didn't understand what I was about was you didn't realize that everything in the Prophets and the Psalms and the Law was pointing to me."

Do you believe the Bible is basically about you, or basically about Him? Is David and Goliath basically about you, and how you can be like David and Goliath, or basically about Him, the one who really took on the only giants that can really kill us? An so His victory is imputed to us. Who is it really about? That's the fundamental question. And when that happens, then you start to read the Bible anew, you know.

Jesus is the true and better Adam, who passed the test in the garden...His garden, a much tougher garden, and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for our acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham, who answered the call of God to leave all of the comfortable and familiar and go into the void, not knowing whither He went.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac, who was not just offered up by His father on the mount, but was truly sacrificed for us all while God said to Abraham, "Now I know you love me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love, from me". Now we, at the foot of the cross, can say to God, "Now we know that you love me, because you did not withhold your Son, your only Son, whom you love, from me".

Jesus is the true and better Jacob, who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserve so we, like Jacob, only receive the wound of grace that wakes us up in discipline.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph, who was at the right hand of the King, and forgives those who betrayed and sold Him, and uses His power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses, who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord, and mediates a New Covenant.

Jesus is the true and better rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God's justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job. He is the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves His friends.

Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes His peoples' victory though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther, who didn't just risk losing an eartly palace but lost the ultimate heavenly one, who didn't just risk His life but gave His life, who didn't just say "If I perish, I perish" but says "When I perish, I'll perish for them, to save my people".

Jesus is the true and better Jonah, who was cast out into the storm so we could be brought in.

He's the real Passover Lamb. He's the true Temple, the true Prophet, the true Priest, the true King, the true Sacrifice, the true Lamb, the true Light, the true Bread.

The Bible is not about you. It is primarily about Jesus.

The Second Commandment

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:32:46 CDT

In response to a picture of Jesus I once posted, a GodWords reader says:

Brother, you said to contact you if we had any concerns. I really don't like the image at all based on the Second Commandment. I think the heart of the image is right, but I think it is important we worship God as He has told us to.

I appreciate his concern, and I appreciate hearing from him. When we look at the second commandment, here's what we find...

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6 and Deuteronomy 5:8-10)

The Hebrew here is ASAH PECEL. It means an idol, or an image.

Do not make any idols. (Exodus 34:17)

The Hebrew here is ASAH MACCEKAH ELOHIYM. It means a pouring, libation, molten metal, cast image, drink offering.

This command is repeated or referred to in Leviticus 26:1, Deuteronomy 4:16 & 4:23, Deuteronomy 27:15, Judges 17:3-4 & 18:14 & 18:17-18 & 18:30-31, 2 Kings 21:7, 2 Chronicles 33:7, Psalm 97:7, Isaiah 40:19-20 & 42:17 & 44:9-10 & 44:15-17 & 45:20 & 48:5, Jeremiah 10:14 & 51:17, Nahum 1:14, and Habakkuk 2:18.

In every case - without exception - the context indicates that the graven (molten) image is worshipped instead of God. The second commandment is not a prohibition against images or art, as some have suggested. It's a prohibition of creating anything for the purpose of idol worship. Now, I certainly didn't include that picture so that people could worship it. On the contrary: I put it in there so people would join me in worshipping the one true God.

In case anyone still wonders about this, read the command carefully: it says ANY likeness of ANYTHING in Heaven above or in the earth beneath. If God intended for the command to be carried out literally, that is to say "don't make any images of anything", then He would not have had the Israelites create a temple:

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. (Hebrews 9:22-24)

If God didn't want anything copied, He wouldn't have instructed them to make copies of things in Heaven. Instead, we can see - from the context of all of Scripture - that the second commandment prohibits idol worship...not the making of images, but of images to replace God as the only one worthy of worship.

Are the God of the Bible and Allah the same?

Sat, 05 May 2012 16:30:34 CDT

Two items of note here. First, the reader who asked this question stopped being my friend because she disagreed with me. That's why she's a "former" reader. Second, the question came up because she believes that Rick Warren, a popular minister who is reaching out to Muslims, is not a Christian and is a false teacher because of his attempts at building bridges in this area. I tend to avoid debates involving personalities and prefer to limit discussion to the principles involved, the applicable Scriptures, and the benefit of the doubt.

A (former) GodWords reader asks:

Do you believe that the God of the Bible and Allah is the same?

That's a complex question. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity come from the faith of Abraham. They're not the same, as much has been added to Abraham's faith for all three. From a historical point of view, Islam and Christianity and Judaism worship the same God. How they understand God, and how they live that faith, is a very different story.

Do I believe that Islam will lead one to eternal life with God? Nope. I don't believe that of Judaism, either...but you'd be hard-pressed to claim that the God of Judaism and Christianity aren't the same. Christians have a more complete understanding of God, but it's the same God. Complex.

Paul went to Athens and told the people there that they were ALREADY worshipping the same God. Were they Christians? Absolutely not. Were they saved? Absolutely not. Could their religion lead them to salvation? Not directly...but, indirectly, that's exactly what happened:

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. "For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. - Acts 17:22-23

It seems logical to me that you could drop Paul in the middle of a Muslim community and see him doing EXACTLY the same thing. He would probably say that they were very religious, but that they worshiped in ignorance...and then proclaim the gospel to them.

It's important that we approach such matters with a clear view of Scripture, and with some amount of logic. We don't have a problem with Paul finding common ground with the Athenians...why would we have a problem with any Christian finding common ground with Muslims in an effort to win them to Christ?

What's Wrong with Lent?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:28:04 CDT

Lent is about prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Certainly those are good things. The question is whether it's appropriate for Christians to set aside 40 days of the year to do these things in preparation for Easter.

Prayer is good. There's nothing wrong with setting aside 40 days to pray. When compared with the Biblical injunction to "pray without ceasing", however, the Lenten focus on prayer seems misguided. If someone needs a season like Lent to help them learn to make prayer a part of every waking moment, then Lent is good...as long as we don't stop there.

While being penitent is good, penance - in my opinion - has no place in the life of a follower of Christ. It's the process of suffering for your sins, and ignores the fact that Jesus suffered in our place. Along with the doctrine of Purgatory, it denies the sufficiency of Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross. Expressing sorrow over sin is good, but self-abasement for sins as an act of penance does indeed obscure the gospel.

Repentance is awesome. If someone needs a season like Lent to help them learn to make repentance a part of daily living, then Lent is good...as long as we don't stop there.

Giving to the needy is awesome, too...you might see a pattern here. Christians are stewards of all that God has provided for us, so giving should be a daily focus. If it takes a season like Lent, well...good. But don't stop there. Lent is often seen as a time when serious believers take more seriously their responsibility toward God. Unfortunately, the notion of discipleship is obscured by an annual time of doing what should be done all year long.

Self-denial is both a virtue and a discipline for Christians. However: denial as evidence of our piety, or as an act of penance, is a waste of time. We are called to be living sacrifices because of what Jesus did for us, and spending 40 days in self-denial is a great way for someone to begin learning what self-denial means. Unfortunately, Lent is too often seen (like the annual sacrifices for the nation of Israel) as a covering...a way to 'take care of business' for another year.

There's NOTHING wrong with the observance of Lent, of course. Prayer and repentance and giving and self-denial are things that all believers should practice...but not for only 40 days. The modern Christian church has too often replaced discipleship with ritual. A quick fix or a burst of activity might be good, or even necessary at times, to help an immature believer learn about discipleship. Were Lent seen as a gateway to a life lived more consistently, I would promote Lent all year long. Because it's generally seen as an end in itself, I can't pretend that even a devout observance during these 40 days is enough. We should all be doing - and teaching - more, shouldn't we?

The ABCDE's of New Testament Reliability

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:25:14 CDT

Mike Licona is a pretty well-known apologist. He writes book and speaks, especially on college campuses, about the intellectual soundness of the Christian faith.

Bart Ehrman is probably the best-known skeptic of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in America today.

Having debated Ehrman more than once (and having beaten him soundly, in my estimation), Licona here outlines some responses to Ehrman's claims that weren't thoroughly covered in their debates. It's the A's, B's, C's, D's, and E's of the Reliability of the New Testament:

Authorship
Bias
Contradictions
Dating
Eyewitnesses

Each one has been more thoroughly covered in other places, and by other people. If you aren't sure about how YOU should respond when someone questions the Gospels, this is a great place to start. Thanks, Mike!

You can follow Mike on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/Mike_Licona

Mike Licona addresses the 5 major objections to the historical reliability of the Gospels: Authorship, Bias, Contradictions, Dating, and Eyewitness Testimony.

Year-End Review

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:35:19 CDT

2011 was a banner year for GodWords! Despite a distinct lack of new material (only about 20 new posts), traffic to GodWords during 2011 more than doubled. Most of it comes from search engines, which is no surprise. Being a web designer, it's my job to understand how the web works.

I thought it was time that I looked at some stats about GodWords from a long-term perspective. I've been hosting this website on the same server since 2004, so I have access to traffic info from then until now. Surprisingly, more than 4 million people have visited since 2004! That might not seem like a lot when compared with sites like Google and Yahoo...but when you consider that I've only posted 20 articles in the past year, it seems like a miracle.

It also seems miraculous to look at the different countries you all visit from. Here's a list:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaidjan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European country, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, Former Czechoslovakia, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Great Britain, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe (French), Guam (USA), Guatemala, Guernsey, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast (Cote D'Ivoire), Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia (French), New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Polynesia (French), Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis Anguilla, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Samoa Islands, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tadjikistan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Unknown, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (USA), Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Yeah, that's almost everyplace.

The most popular blog post? Surprisingly, it's My Experience with Landmark Education. Don't go there yet. Finish here first. =) I say it's surprising because relatively few people have even heard of Landmark. I think that's good, because I'm not a fan. Coming in second is the ever-popular Do You Have to be Baptized to go to Heaven?. That post also has the most comments. Drop in and look around if you're so inclined.

Thank you very much for a prosperous 2011.

What's coming in 2012?

More blog posts
A fresh redesign
A small but helpful reorganizing
Less politics (I think)
More basic information about God, the Bible, Christianity
Basic information about other religions

Definition: Solipsism

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:05:38 CDT

Solipsism is the idea that only one's own mind is certain to exist.

Very few people are sincere solipsists. Instead, solipsism is generally used as an argumentation tool. For example, one might ask how another knows that something is true, to which a scoffing reply might be "How does anyone know that anything is true? The only thing we can know for sure is that we exist."

This line of reasoning is related to René Descartes' cogito ergo sum, that is "I think, therefore I am". While one can only be certain that they exist, one cannot be certain that anyone else exists.

While thinking about such things as whether solipsism is true might be entertaining, there is no real value to the point of view in daily life. We act as we must: presuming that the universe and other people exist outside of ourselves.