goodness of God

Is God the Author of Evil?

July 6, 2018 // 98 Comments

Whenever I tell people that God-is-all-the-time-good, I am invariably rebuked by those who say he isn’t. And they’ve got the scriptures to prove it. Job 1:21 says God robbed Job 1 Samuel 2:6-7 says God makes people poor and kills them Exodus 4:11 says God gives people disabilities Isaiah 45:7 says God is the [...]

The “I Wills” of God

July 20, 2017 // 44 Comments

At the foot of Mt Sinai the Israelites boasted We will do everything the Lord commands. (Exodus 19:8) Perhaps you have said something similar, but this is a fatal boast, and a recipe for disaster. Make an impossible promise and you will invariably break it. What the Lord demands you cannot provide. This is the [...]

Isaiah 45:7 – Does the Lord create evil?

July 27, 2016 // 72 Comments

Whenever I tell people that God is good and he is not the One making them sick nor is he responsible for the bad things going on in the world, I can guarantee that I will get two cynical responses. (1) “Tell that to Job,” and (2) “That’s not what is says in Isaiah 45.” As I have looked at the foolish [...]

Take the grace test

July 6, 2011 // 4 Comments

A few weeks ago someone asked me, “how well did you understand grace before you understood grace?” Now it’s time for me to ask you that same question; how well do you understand grace? Below is a very simple test to find out. Because this is a grace test, I’ve filled in the perfect answer [...]

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

February 5, 2011 // 13 Comments

Escape to Reality is one year old today! I started blogging on 5 February 2010 for no other reason than I couldn’t help myself. I had words inside me that needed to get out. I didn’t know if anyone would want to read them, but to those of you who have, thanks! And to those of you who’ve taken the time to [...]

Bill Johnson on the Goodness of God

August 29, 2010 // 14 Comments

One of the most thrilling messages I’ve ever heard was preached just a few nights ago. In the middle of the Manifest Presence conference, Bill Johnson preached on the goodness of God. He started with this scripture: The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the [...]

By Which Gospel are you Saved?

August 11, 2010 // 105 Comments

Read the New Testament and you might come away with the idea that there is more than one gospel. The very first words of the New Testament in the King James Bible are, “The Gospel According to Matthew.” Read on and you will also find the gospels according to Mark, Luke and John. Keep reading and you will come [...]

Does God Give Bad Gifts?

July 26, 2010 // 27 Comments

Does God give us sickness, poverty, and recessions? Should earthquakes, tsunamis and acts of terrorism be interpreted as his divine judgment on a sinful world? Does God kill babies? Are these dumb questions? You might think so except that many sincere Christians believe all these terrible things are from God. In [...]

Laodicea, Part 7: To Him Who Overcomes (Rev 3:21)

June 23, 2010 // 14 Comments

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne

UPDATE: This is an old article. An updated and expanded commentary on this passage can be found in Paul’s book Letters from Jesus. You will never understand the gospel of grace until you first appreciate the love of God shown to unworthy humanity: “But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were [...]

How to Really Overcome Discouragement: Lessons from the One Who Never Lost Heart

June 14, 2010 // 8 Comments

What do you do when you get discouraged? Maybe you’re discouraged right now. If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’m going to tell you something Jesus said that will set you free. His words are found in a story about a widow whose pleas for justice were being ignored by a bad judge (Lk 18:1-8). In Part 1 [...]

Mixing Grace with Works: It’s Not About the Widow

June 10, 2010 // 12 Comments

Most Christians know it’s a bad idea to mix grace with works because of what Paul said to the Galatians: Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (Gal. 3:3) You probably know that we cannot finish that which was begun by the Spirit. Yet many [...]

God is Good, But How Good is He?

April 30, 2010 // 47 Comments

I read something on the weekend that hit me like a stone. It was written by someone who is troubled that the church no longer fears God like in the good ol’ days of the Old Testament. The problem, apparently, is the result of “overemphasizing the goodness of God.” Think about that. We have [...]

Where Does Forgiveness Come From? And Why Does it Matter?

April 19, 2010 // 15 Comments

There are two statements in the Bible that seem to contradict each other: 1. If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Mt 6:14) 2. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13) Did you spot the difference? The first statement says forgiveness starts with [...]

God Doesn’t Do Half-Jobs: Why Partial Forgiveness Is Completely Bogus

April 9, 2010 // 71 Comments

There’s a teaching going around that says that God has only half-forgiven us. If it sounds wacky, that’s because it is. But partial forgiveness is what you have if you think there are things we must do to stay forgiven. Sure, Jesus forgave us at the cross, but to stay forgiven we need to forgive others or [...]

Psalm 51 – The Badness of David versus the Goodness of God

March 23, 2010 // 15 Comments

Christians sometimes battle with guilt and condemnation even though God declares them “not guilty” and Christ has given us the gift of “no condemnation” (Rms 8:1). Some think that the way to shake off these bad feelings is to confess their sins. This is a little bit like saying “I feel condemnation [...]

Top 12 Blessings in the New Covenant

March 17, 2010 // 59 Comments

In Christ we can participate in all of the blessings God promised to Abraham (Gal 3:14,29). We also get all of the blessings promised under the law covenant and none of the curses (Gal 3:13). This is pretty amazing when you think about the blessings God offered in the Old Testament: To Abraham and his descendants [...]