Children of God

As I was speaking with a friend who was LDS, he said regarding Heaven and Hell that he could not, no, he would not believe in a God who would send His children to Hell. I mentioned that according to Mormonism, Satan and those that followed him end up in Hell. That accounts for 1/3 of "God's children" for their decision to walk away from God in the pre-existence. Atheists will say as well that God is cruel for sending His children to Hell.

I think that as Christians we can confidently answer that according to God's word,

NO CHILD OF GOD WILL BE IN HELL.
Here's why.

We know that Jesus is the Son of God.
John makes it clear that Christ is the son of God, eternally begotten (John 1:1, 14, 18 and John 3:16, 18). The Father and the Son have always been and have always been in this Father/Son relationship. Any other reference to a child of God is in the sense that one becomes a child of God.

But Jesus is not our brother.
John records Jesus making the distinction that He is from Heaven and we are from this world in John 3:31-32 and John 8:23. Colossians 1:16 tells us that Jesus is the creator of all things including the angels and us as well, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

We were made by God. We are His creation, not His offspring.
We read in Genesis 1:26-27 that we are God's creation and valuable by being in His image (Genesis 9:6). Genesis 2:7 says, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Unfortunately, due to sin, a once beautiful creation had become the enemy of God. Genesis 6:6-7 tells us that God was saddened at how quickly His creation had gone bad and so He wiped much of the canvas clean by the waters of the flood.

So where do we get the idea that we are the children of God?
100% of the time when we see God refer to His children in the Bible it is in reference to believers; followers of God. We see this prior to the flood with the line of Seth, later with God's chosen people, Israel (Hosea 1:10), and in the New Testament with believers in Christ (John 11:51-52, Psalm 82:6 - speaking about righteous judges appointed by God, Romans 9:26 - speaking of Israel, Revelation 21:7 as well).

1 John 3:10 tells us that there are many who are not children of God. Jesus declares in John 8:42-47 to those around Him that, "If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; ...Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ...And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God." Paul says in Ephesians 2:3 that man is by nature a child of wrath. The writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12: 5-9 that if God is not active in our lives, disciplining us, then we are bastards, and not sons.

We become children by faith.
John 1:12 says that when we believe on His name, He gives the power to become the sons of God. Galatians 3:26 says that we "are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

We are adopted into the family of God.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Paul equates adoption with redemption in Romans 8:23 and in Galatians 4:5 says, "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." Ephesians 1:5 tells us that it pleases God to choose His children for adoption through Christ like He chose Israel (Romans 9:4).

Why would we need to be adopted into God’s family if we were already His children?

Only the saved are called children of God.
1 John 3:1-2 tells us, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Jesus says in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

Why would we have to now be “called” the sons of God, if we were already His children?

Our status as children of God is synonymous with forgiveness (Romans 8:21), salvation (Philippians 2:15, Romans 9:8, Luke 6:35, Luke 20:36), being in Christ (1 John 5:2 – here John is speaking about the body of Christ) and filled with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:14, 16).

What about Acts 17:28-29?
I find it interesting that when talking with LDS about this subject, they almost always point to this verse to prove that everyone is literally a child of God. The problem is that Paul is using Pagan ideas as a springboard for pointing toward the true God similar to how he uses the altar of the “unknown God”.

I think that as Christians many times we aren't clear about this distinction and perpetuate the myth that every created person is a child of God. As a painter sees fit to create, and if not satisfied, start his painting anew, so God has the right with His creation. While we are certainly created in God's image, but we are made family by adoption and heirs with Christ by faith in His redemptive work by God's grace.

Children of God

God's Jealousy

Over on Mormon Coffee, an LDS man was again trying to use Deut 32:8 as proof of REAL other gods (see previous post). When asked why YHWH appears to hate these other gods, or why He is so against worship of them, the man replied "because he's a jealous god".

Well, that is certainly true, but not the way this man thinks of it. God is not jealous of the other gods. His jealousy is one without "apprehension of superiority". He doesn't fear anyone; He doesn't covet what anyone else has. In fact, the word used for God's jealousy is a different one than the word used for everyone else's kind.


Does God's jealousy mean that there are actually other real gods that people worship? No. The "other gods" we tend to worship, as He has pointed out, cannot help and do not love us. He knows there is no peace, no joy, no wisdom in giving our devotion to them. He knows that if we could only understand who He is, and who we're not, namely, THE ONE TRUE GOD THAT EVER WAS OR EVER WILL BE, that our foolishness, our despair, our cares, our problems... would melt away in the glory and rapture of the relationship that He provides in Christ.

I like the expression: "God is not jealous OF you, He's jealous FOR you!"

There is a list of commandments that God gave, and Jesus summed them all up under just two. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." (Luke 10:27)

I know, from the way the Bible speaks of God, that He, and He alone, is deserving of all the worship and adoration we could possibly give Him. But I don't think this is the only reason He wants us to love Him with everything we've got. I believe that we need to love Him like this because it is the best thing for us.

Are you with me? Did He command that we love our neighbor because He wants our neighbor to be getting respect and gifts from us? Well, I think that is part of it. But even more than that, God knows that our greatest joys in relationships come from giving of ourselves. He knows that if I expect to "get" from others, I'm setting myself up for a life of disappointment. He knows what it does for my own soul when I get to be part of a moment where He blesses someone through me. He knows all the ins and outs and whys of "love thy neighbor as thyself", and has shared this wisdom so that we can be happy.

And thus it is with loving Him.

When I am alone, my awareness of God's faithfulness keeps me from being lonely. When I am in a trial, it is my trust in God that keeps me from fear. When I fail, it is my understanding of how much God loves and understands and forgives me that keeps me from depression. His Mercy and Long-suffering are what I count on when I realize how out of line I am with His Will. That He knows everything about me and still bestows His unconditional love and blessings upon me is what keeps me centered and grounded in reality. Even on good days, or in times when the norm is comfortable, it is a relationship with God that makes everything more meaningful.

In short, it is when one loves God with all one's heart, might, mind, and strength that they really have LIFE.

Is God jealous? Yes, but in a holy way, wholly different than we understand jealousy. We are His right, as is our devotion and adoration. If we could only comprehend how wonderful He really is, how deserving. God's jealousy. Even IT displays His beauty.

God's Jealousy

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 140

Answering Two Atheist Objections

In this podcast, Jim answers listener email and responds to two atheist objections. Most skeptics cite either the problem of evil or the unlikely occurrence of the resurrection in an effort to invalidate theism and the Christian Worldview. Why would God create our world in the first place if he could simply have ushered us directly into heaven and avoided all the pain and suffering? How do we account for those episodes in the scripture in which Jesus' followers seem to have trouble identifying him after the resurrection? Is this evidence that the resurrection was a fraud?

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PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 140

A Cruel God?

I've heard it said, and used to think, that the God of the Old Testament seems much crueler than Jesus. My coming-out-of-Mormonism friend uses this argument. However, she admits not knowing very much about the Bible, only "enough to know [she] can't believe in a God like that" (cruel).

True understanding of any Bible topic does not come easily. More than a decade after starting to really learn from the Bible, I believe the Old Testament and New Testament God are the same, but I didn't trust myself to answer her. I went to someone who is far more studied of the Old Testament than I am, and asked for his take on the seeming cruelty of the OT God. This is what he wrote:

"A common statement made by those who aren't very familiar with the Bible is that they cannot bring themselves to believe in the God of the Old Testament, in that He is seen to require the death of great numbers of seemingly innocent people. I believe their perception would change with a more thorough study of the Old Testament. Few people who see the Old Testament deity as cruel, vindictive and even mean have made themselves aware of what God is presenting there. Their rejection of the Bible is based upon a superficial understanding of what God is saying.

Perhaps it would help to understand the idea of a ‘chosen’ people. We all come through the school system and grow up having endured the ‘choosing’ process. Few of us were ever the ones to do the choosing when teams were picked at recess. How many of us were always the last one to be chosen? In the latter years of public school, the dating games further entrenched this idea. Do we now look at the chosen people of the Bible in the light of our own experience? Maybe we do so in error?

Our question now needs to be asked: What was God doing?

God created man, and He did not create imperfection. His plan was to have created beings for fellowship with himself, but He did not want their fellowship to be mandatory. He wanted His created beings to desire His company of their own will. His desire is mirrored in our own desire for our children to love us. We don’t want them to do so out of obligation, but of their own will to do so. We have to let our children make the choice of whether or not to love us. Some will; some won’t. We have to let the ‘chips fall where they may’ so to speak, and so it was with God.

We take a risk in letting our children choose for themselves. They may choose to reject us. They will ALL choose to do things outside of our guidelines for them, and so it was with mankind and God. Adam and Eve made a conscious decision to reject God’s command to abstain from partaking of the one tree in the garden. God didn’t stop loving them, but they did reap the consequences. At that point they inherited mortality, and so did all of their offspring.

Do you know that your children are going to disobey your directions?
Certainly you do, and so did God. He had even made provision for their consequences before He gave them the restriction concerning the tree in the garden. He set up a plan to reinstate them in full fellowship with Him in the end. He couldn’t just wink and let it all go away because that would violate His own requirements for justice, but His created were not capable of reinstating themselves with Him. They were not created to endure the requirements of His justice. He would have to meet those requirements in their place; and so He did.

But, man did not learn his lesson from the punishment that Adam and Eve (and the rest of mankind) had received for their disobedience. Is that how it is with your children? Even if you spank them, or if you withhold privileges, do they always learn their lesson? And neither did mankind. They continued to disobey God, AND THIS IS WHY GOD CHOSE A PEOPLE, ISRAEL.

You see, God didn’t choose Israel so that He could show favoritism. He just chose them. He chose them to be an example to the rest of mankind. He gave the Law to them alone. The Law of Moses wasn’t given to anyone else. It was for Israel alone. God didn’t require any other group of people to abide the Law that He gave to Israel. God chose Israel to make an example of them.

Was that fair? No. So, God made up for it with special blessings to them alone. We see those blessings in the Old Testament. We see God go to war with Israel, and perhaps we wonder why God showed favor to them, and maybe we even feel sorry for the other guys. We see God provide protection to Israel in the land of Goshen (Egypt) during the plagues, and we feel that He was biased against the Egyptians in making them go through all of that misery. Perhaps we are missing something when we see it that way.

So, what kind of example was God making out of Israel through these policies? Was He showing us that Israel was a superior race? No. Absent God’s help they continually fell on their face. Was He trying to point out that He likes Israel better than the rest of us? No. Maybe we ought to look at the example that they were? Maybe that would tells us why God chose them.

Did Israel obey the Law of Moses? Looking at what the Law says, we see that Israel repeatedly broke the first of the Ten Commandments: to have no other gods besides their Creator. They repeatedly turned from Him and followed after the false gods of the neighboring countries.

How about the second commandment? Did they break that one? Of course they did. The record tells of several occasions where Israel made idols and worshiped them.

Did you know that the southern kingdom of Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity in Babylon specifically because they violated God’s rule for letting the land lay fallow every seventh year? They violated the sabbath for the land.

To make a long story short (too late), Israel violated every one of God’s commandments, both as a nation and as individuals. They were a lousy example to us of how to obey God. BUT THAT IS THE VERY EXAMPLE THAT GOD INTENDED TO MAKE WHEN HE CHOSE THEM. God chose Israel so that they could show the rest of us how impossible it is for us to live up to God’s standards. This is the message of the Old Testament, plain and simple. We cannot measure-up-to God’s standards.

But why was God seemingly so cruel, mean and vindictive? What we see as cruel, mean and vindictive is simply God showing us how demanding His standards really are. He repeatedly shows us what justice demands. Justice, standing alone, is cruel. Can we say that justice on its own is ‘merciless’? God isn’t merciless; justice is. Justice is harsh and cold, but absent justice we have anarchy. Justice is necessary for our survival.

Here, then, is the message of the New Testament. God Himself has provided the only way to reconcile us to Himself, and that way is through Christ. This is God’s mercy being demonstrated and offered to us. Mercy is necessary for our survival.

Why do you tell your child not to touch the hot parts of the stove? It is because they will be burned if they do, and you don’t want that. Why did God tell men not to touch the Ark of the Covenant? Because He knew that they would die if they did. When Uzzah touched the ark, he died. Was God unjust? Was God mean?

When the men of Bethshemesh removed the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, they became exposed to the unbroken tablets of stone upon which were written God’s Law. They were exposed to the unbroken law. They had moved the ‘mercy-seat’ out of the way. That ‘mercy-seat’ was a picture of God’s mercy standing between his Law and mankind. We cannot survive the penalties of the Law without God’s mercy coming between it and us. Fifty thousand men died to show us that this is the case.

Is God unmerciful? No. If we choose to remove His mercy (which will protect us), it doesn’t make Him merciless; it demonstrates our foolishness.

Is God mean, cruel and vindictive? No. His desire is to save all mankind, but many choose to take His mercy out of the picture, and when they do so, they see Him as something He is not."


I happen to believe that it is because we think so highly of ourselves, and so lowly of God, that we make the mistake of thinking Him cruel. But that's the point, isn't it? Coming to know God, who He is and what He has done, does require the removal of the SELF that so often gets in our way. And even in requiring that of us, He does us a blessed favor.

A Cruel God?

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 139

The Divinely Unifying Message of the Bible

In this podcast, Jim finishes his series on the reliability of the Bible by examining the unifying theme of the Bible. How does the Bible answer the three most important questions related to "worldview"? Is there a single message that spans the Old and New Testament? Does the unity of the Biblical message provide us with any evidence related to the origin of the Bible?
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PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 139

The Truth (keep watching)

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

The Truth (keep watching)

Jim Interviewed on WORD FM 101.5 (Pittsburgh)

Talking About the Tim Tebow Super Bowl Commercial

John Hall and Kathy Emmons from WORD FM 101.5 interviewed Jim on the John and Kathy Show about the Tim Tebow "Celebrate Life" Ad and the opportunity it provides for all of us to discuss the sanctity of life. They also discuss how to focus conversations and some strategies for engaging people on the important issue of abortion.

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Jim Interviewed on WORD FM 101.5 (Pittsburgh)

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 138

Drew Brees, Tim Tebow and High Profile Christianity

In this podcast, Jim detours yet again into the popular culture to look at two Christian athletes and their role as Christian Ambassadors. Drew Brees and Tim Tebow have garnered a broad stage from which to proclaim the truth of the Christian Worldview. How are they doing? Is there anything that we can learn from their successes or their challenges? Has this Super Bowl given us an opportunity to talk about important issues with our friends and family? If so, how can we best take advantage of the opportunity?

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PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 138

One God Only

Using the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), the Septuagint(LXX), and King James Version(KJV) translations, I did small comparison-study on some of the ONLY ONE GOD verses in the book of Isaiah. Remember, the all-capital-letters word “LORD” and the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, “YHWH”, are what we (English) would translate as Jehovah. Take a look!


Isaiah 42:5-8
(DSS): "Thus says The God (ha-el) and God (elohiym), the creator of the heavens, (and stretched them out in the firmament) and the earth, and that which comes out of it; the Giver of breath (neshamah) to the people upon it, and spirit to those walking in it:... I am YHWH that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to idols."
(KJV): "Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein... I am the LORD; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord God, who made the heaven, and established it; who settled the earth, and the things in it, and gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to them that tread on it... I am the Lord God: that is my name: I will not give my glory to another, nor my praises to graven images."

Isaiah 43:10-11
(DSS): "You are my witnesses, says YHWH, and my servant whom I have chosen: so that you may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, nor after me will there be. I, even I, am YHWH; and beside me there is no savior."
(KJV): "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior."
(LXX): "Be ye my witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am he: before me there was no other God, and after me there shall be none. I am God; and beside me there is no Savior."

Isaiah 44:6
(DSS): "Thus says YHWH the King of Israel, and his Redeemer YHWH of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
(KJV): "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts, I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
(LXX): " Thus saith God the King of Israel, and the God of Hosts that delivered him (Israel); I am the first, and I am hereafter: beside me there is no God."

Isaiah 44:24
(DSS): "Thus says YHWH, your redeemer, and he who formed you from the womb, I am YHWH maker of all things; stretching out the heavens alone; spreading abroad the earth by myself"
(KJV): "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself"
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord that redeems thee, and who formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that performs all things: I stretched out the heaven alone, and established the earth."

Isaiah 45:5-7
(DSS): " I am YHWH, and there is no one else, and beside me there is no God I girded you, and you did not know me: So that they will know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am YHWH, and there is no one else. I am the former of the light, and creator of darkness: making good, and creating evil: I YHWH am doing all these things."
(KJV): "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me, I am the LORD, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil. I the LORD do all these things."
(LXX): "For I am the Lord God, and there is no other God beside me; I strengthened thee, and thou hast not known me. That they that come from the east and they that come from the west may know that there is no God but me. I am the Lord God, and there is none beside. I am he that prepared light, and formed darkness; who make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord God, that does all these things."

Isaiah 45:18-22
(DSS): "For thus says YHWH creator of the heavens; He is the God and He formed the earth and made it; and he prepared it, He did not create it void, he formed it to be inhabited: I am YHWH; and there is no one else.... there is no other God beside me; a righteous God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: because I am God, and there is no other."
(KJV): "For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else... there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else."
(LXX): "Thus saith the Lord that made the heaven, this God that created the earth, and made it; he marked it out, he made it not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none beside. ... I am God, and there is not another beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none but me. Turn ye to me, and ye shall be saved, ye that come from the end of the earth: I am God, and there is none other."

I think it's significant that the book of Isaiah was the best preserved of all the Biblical texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Perhaps God wanted to make sure there was no doubt?

One God Only

PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 137

What is the "Middle Knowledge" of God?

In this podcast, Jim takes a one week break from his series on the reliability of the Bible to answer some listener email and talk about recent events. Jim describes his recent appearance at a local men's ministry event, and talks about the role of men in the church and the hunger that young people have for apologetics. Jim then discusses the newest PCM TV video on YouTube and concerns related to the concept of God's "middle" knowledge. Finally Jim discusses his upcoming radio interview related to the Tim Tebow SuperBowl commercial.

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PleaseConvinceMe Podcast 137