God's Love

When considering the communicable attributes of God - those attributes of his that he has graciously shared with his creatures – it’s not often that I think of His being Spirit. Usually I think of attributes like love, kindness, wisdom, grace, or goodness as less abstract than spirit. [1] However,...
Asaph, reflecting on some of his deepest struggles in the life of faith, concludes one ohis psalms by saying, ‘But as for me, it is good to be near God’ (Ps 73.28). David says something similar in the most memorable of his penitential psalms with the words, ‘Cast me not away from your presence and...
I remember hearing this question in a Bible study more than once, and this was the common answer: “Mercy is not getting what we deserve.” While it's short and pithy, is mercy as simplistic as that? Is it only the commutation of a sentence or stay of execution? Or is mercy much richer and deeper? To...
When speaking about God it’s always crucial to remember that we are speaking about He who is incomprehensible, the infinite One of Whom finite language cannot fully describe or define. Thus, theologians have rightly stated that most language concerning the Being of God is analogical, rather than...
When we study one of the Lord’s attributes we focus on a characteristic that is attributed to His essence or being to tell us what He is like and Who He is. Some attributes are exclusive to God and so referred to as incommunicable. [1] But God shares other of His characteristics with His redeemed...
" May you live in interesting times " is an English expression that purports to be a translation of a traditional Chinese curse . While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically; life is better in "uninteresting times" of peace and tranquility than in "interesting" ones,...
“The guy upstairs.” “The big man in the sky.” These are just two of the more common, modern slang terms for God. Aside from being utterly irreverent, they transgress the Second Commandment of having no graven images of God in that they grossly mistake this important attribute of God: His...
The Exclusivity of the Gospel Jonathan and James have a one-on-one conversation to sort through three views surrounding the way of salvation. Is Jesus Christ really the only way? If so, what is required? Can one be saved without any knowledge of Christ’s person and work? Romans chapter one offers...
A favorite hymn we sing at church is Walter Smith’s “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” where the congregation beautifully confesses that “We blossom and flourish as leaves on a tree, and wither and perish, but naught changeth Thee.” My heart soars in adoration as we sing that last clause, “but...
Tony Arsenal
The world is, at its very core, divided. There are divisions between races, between nations, between political parties, and on and on it goes. Even within our own selves we are divided. We desire to do good, but our flesh drives us to do evil. God is not like this. God is not divided. The doctrine...