Romans 3:11 – No one understands; no one seeks for God.
This simple statement is loaded with theological concepts, making it not so simple. Rather than solely stating the fact that men do not seek God, this verse implies that God seeks men.
John 1:14a – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. . . .
There are many Christians who tend to believe that theology isn’t that important because, they will say, application and right living is all that really matters. But is this really the case? Is theology unimportant? Should theology take a back seat to application or is theology application’s back seat driver? Is right living and application the only thing that really matters?
When speaking about application, the question always remains, what is being applied? The application of what? Of course the answer, although many may not realize it, is theology. This is why when individuals make statements such as, “Oh, theology’s not that important. It’s the application that really matters. You’ve just got to live right,” they are revealing their ignorance and intellectual and logical short sightedness. Continue reading
Often times a plainly strange thinking finds its way into our perception of how humans/we relate to God. This false thought (although not often purposed) is thinking that instead of man being made for God, God was made for us, that God is for man, not properly vice versa. And of course the first problem with this statement is the word “made,” for God is eternal. He is the Creator, the maker, not “the made.” But not only is this the first problem, from here other issues develop.
We are told in Romans 1:25 that we have worshiped the created and neglected our “worth-giving” to the Creator. Why? Because in this mindset of ours, God has been lowered to our level. He has become just as much created as we are because we have made Him to be as if He was made for us. But this is completely false. Allow me to explain.
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The Bible explicitly speaks about predestination, and therefore, the doctrine is undeniable. However, many disagree on how to interpret its meaning. One view in particular believes that God predestines to salvation all He foreknows will believe on Him. This view is commonly called conditional election because it states God chooses (elects) individuals to be saved based upon (conditioned upon) their foreknown future belief. It makes election conditional on man’s will in essence. The main text used to support this view is Romans 8:29.
Romans 8:29 – For those whom He [speaking of God] foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
From simply reading this verse, it is very possible to make the assumption that God’s predestining is based on His foreknowledge of people’s future faith in Him. However, I feel that the very next verse (v. 30) is vital to a proper understanding of what verse 29 is truly saying. Verse 29 by itself is an unfinished thought in many senses.
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Ephesians 2:8 states that one is saved by grace through faith. In other words, this implies that faith is not what ultimately saves us, but God’s grace. Continue reading
Kirk E. Miller 