Sovereign...sure, but only de jure.

Many evangelical Christians use the word “sovereign” or “sovereignty” quite a bit to refer to God.  However, most of the time when this term is used, it is improperly applied. God is not sovereign in an absolute way (de facto) so that He is responsible for, or the cause of, everything.  If that were true, then He would be responsible for, and the cause of, evil.  God’s sovereignty is de jure = righteous (Daniel 9:14) and He controls it; His sovereignty does not control Him (Matt. 26:53).  In other words, God commits Himself to His word and keeps it. . . so Jesus sets His face like flint toward Jerusalem and the cross, disregarding the 144,000 angels available to Him.  It is a silly schoolboy’s argument that He could have used them when He has decided not to do so.  Their time will come.  Rev. 7:1-8 and 12:1.

Local only.

It is certainly a mistake to think that there is a universal (the word “catholic” means universal) church on this earth.  Yes, there is no doubt that the bride of Christ, the church in its entirety, belongs to Him in the eternal realm (Eph. 2:6).  But Jesus has left us with the Holy Spirit to unify and command the local churches throughout the world and in all the years since His ascension.  The picture language of Revelation 1 – 3 clearly points out that Jesus deals with local churches according to their particular conditions and exalts none to the place of being a perfect example or model for the others.  The local church is not a portal into a one world church but is an individual unit, judged on its own merits.  You can only come to claim life in the eternal realm where Jesus is seated next to the Father through faith in Jesus (John 14:6). Then you need to turn yourself in to join a genuine unit of the Kingdom of God...a church that holds onto Jesus!

Stay in your place!

Matthew 12:31

“Blasphemy” is one of those Biblical words that is difficult to define because it is a transliterated word:  it has been spelled in English letters to match the original Greek spelling.   (e.g., The word “telephone” has been transliterated into all the major languages of the world).  The best definition for its usage in the gospels comes from the enemies of Jesus in John 10:33 where they accuse Him of . . . “You being a man, make yourself God.”  This perspective of substitution is important when we approach the pronouncement of Jesus that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is unforgivable.  The clear understanding that comes from this analysis is that someone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit is moving Him aside and taking His place.  That person is establishing false comfort and counsel and conviction that leads to a false salvation and not to the only begotten son of God, Jesus Christ.

Criticism welcome...

It is shocking that there are people who cling to foolish ideas because their reverence for the author is unyielding to common sense criticism.  There are many people who believe the Calvinist doctrine of “Total Depravity” as they apply it to mankind.  Matthew 7:11 (or Luke 11:13 if you prefer) records Jesus as saying that, though evil, people can still distinguish between good and evil.  If evil were total, then a person could not understand either good or evil.  The fruit juice from the Garden of Eden was a gift to mankind (see # 2).

Bookends of the Bible

One thing that is startling about the Bible is how it reveals truth in unexpected ways.  For example:  Notice that Genesis 1:1 tells that the Heavens and Earth were established while Revelation 20:11 describes the last moment of the Earth and Heaven.  In between these two bookends, we find the struggle of God and man against evil (evil/Satan is dispatched to Hell in Rev. 20:10).  Perhaps it would be wise to dispense with Catholic and Reformation catechisms that say God created man to enjoy Him forever in favor of saying that God created man to serve with Him in His war against evil.  You can take sides with the Devil if you please but God made provision for the destruction of evil at the cross of Jesus . . . nowhere else.

We really are in His hands.

John 20:25-28

How could anyone ever come to think that it is wrong to talk of God as having human characteristics - what the theologians call anthropomorphism.  Without having hands and feet, how would God know how to design the ones that we are supposed to use as we serve Him?  If He has no hands or feet, what did the Roman soldiers hammer the nails into that spilled the blood which washes away our sin?  The anti-anthropomorphic folks are trying to protect God…protecting Him from being too much like His creation. In so doing, they make it impossible for the man Jesus to be fully God.  Jesus is God!

God knows what time it is...no matter where He is.

The idea that God lives in some condition like an “eternal NOW” is nonsense from Eastern Mysticism and bad notions from Greek philosophy.  The Bible never talks about God’s life as having all moments present to Him at all times.  Such a notion would make Genesis chapter one incorrect since God measures His activities by the days in the eternal realm.  It is obvious that those days are not “earth days” since he doesn’t create the sun and moon to rule the day and the night until day four (Genesis 1:13-14).