What is Reprobation?
Thank you for your question, which really addresses two things: election and reprobation. While studying these doctrine one will realize that on the one hand election brings joy to the heart and the…
Does God Use Evil to Accomplish His Purposes?
I understand your concern about the way the text is phrased. In the Hebrew it could be phrased something like: "LORD, thou hast persuaded me, and I was persuaded." However, even if we phrase it this…
Infralapsarianism, Supralapsarianism, and the Problem of Evil
Reformed theologians have argued both sides of this issue. The Puritans were largely supralapsarians, believing that God predetermined the salvation of man before he decreed the Fall. Most modern…
The Trinity or the Truth?
I'm afraid that you will indeed find that many academic reference works oppose the doctrine of the Trinity. This is often true because many of these reference works are written by people who are more…
Apocrypha Accounts?
Most Protestant churches do not recognize the inspiration or authority of these books. However, they are still used in many churches today (such as Episcopal churches). The authority and authenticity…
Bible Versions
There are several factors to consider when discussing the accuracy of translations. First, some different translations are based on different manuscripts (old copies of Greek and Hebrew texts).…
Does the Doctrine of the Trinity Matter?
The matter is highly complex and abstract. In fact, it took the church until A.D. 451 (at the Council of Chalecedon) to finalize its formal statements most of these things issues. Even today the…
Violence in Old Testament
There is a tremendous amount of violence in the Old Testament, but there is also a lot of love. In fact, the New Testament commands to love are frequently just quotations and affirmations of Old…
Blessing God
The word generally translated "bless" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew word barak . Barak can mean many different things, depending on its context. The same thing is true of the Greek word eulogeo…
Supra or Infra?
On Infralapsarianism and Supralapsarianism There is no single Reformed stance on infra- and supralapsarianism, although it is probably true that infralapsarianism has been the dominant view. Both of…
Evil and God?
Though evil has been "ordained" by God, the fallen creatures (fallen angels and humans) "author" it. John Calvin stated: . . . the Lord had declared that "everything that he had made . . . was…
Hypocritical Christians?
Indeed, God is perfect in every way. The Bible, God's resource on Himself, states, Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong…
God's Goodness
Yes, God is omni-benevolent. He is infinite in his goodness, and his goodness includes such aspects as his love, grace, mercy and long-suffering. When we speak of the infinitude of these divine…
God is Wrong?
There are at least two ways to approach Jeremiah 3:7. The first is to say that is a metaphoric representation that ascribes human qualities to God in order for the reader to understand God's point.…
Translation or Perversion?
Well, since we don't have the original Scriptures, which were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, any Bible we compile entails some guesswork. But beyond this, the problem you raise does not deal…
Yahweh?
Some theologians, following Jewish tradition, avoid using God's name, or even spelling it, because they are afraid they might take his name in vain. By contrast, the Bible exhorts us to "call upon…
What is Theology?
Actually, there isn't really one "right" definition. The word "theology" may be properly used in a number of ways. The most common idea represented by the word "theology" is "the study of God" or…