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Faithful

In Blog, Common Questions, Theology on
January 2, 2023

Can God Learn, Change, or Adapt?

There seems to be a growing number of people who believe that the God of the Old Testament is not the same God of the New Testament. This belief is not exactly new or revolutionary. It really has been around for centuries, ever since Marcion spouted ideas like this and got excommunicated from the church for being a heretic in the year 144 A.D. But as the years pass by, we are seeing more and more professing believers agree with this sentiment—that the loving and lovable Jesus who arrived on earth in the first century A.D. is not the same God as the fiery and vengeful One of old.

In Ligonier Ministries’ biennial State of Theology survey, they asked both believers and unbelievers whether they believed that “God learns and adapts to different situations.” Forty-eight percent of professing Evangelicals who participated in the survey agreed with this statement.[1] This means that about half of supposedly Bible-believing Christians in this country believe that God is able to and does change over time.

However, this belief is not a biblical one, and as we’ll see in a moment, how we think about this issue has a great impact on our Christian faith.

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In 1 Peter, Bible Study, Blog on
November 21, 2022

A Chosen People

In my opinion, one of the most rewarding parts of studying the Bible is when you discover a connection between the Old and New Testaments. You’ve read a passage dozens or possibly even hundreds of times, but then one day you read it again, and suddenly a lightbulb goes off, and everything just seems to click. I’ve always loved to solve puzzles and decipher mysteries, so when I feel like I’ve made sense of some mysterious verse in the Bible—whether I discover how an Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled in the New or I recognize when the New Testament is clearly quoting or referring to the Old—I get really excited.

This happened to me a few months ago as I was studying 1 Peter using a Bible study written by Lydia Brownback. I read a pair of verses that I had no doubt read countless times before. All of a sudden, the lightbulb went off, and the passage now had a much deeper and richer meaning than before.

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Encouragement on
October 24, 2022

A Better Encouragement

Have you ever felt discouraged, down in the dumps, and someone tried to cheer you up with some kitschy phrase like, “You got this!” or “You are enough!” or “Girl, wash your face!”

It’s not that encouraging, right? Sure, it might sound nice in the moment, but when have these little self-help phrases ever actually encouraged you—ever actually strengthened and empowered you to do whatever you needed to do? If we’re being honest with ourselves, these cultural expressions are not truly encouraging. They do not help us when we are weary, and stretched thin, and don’t know how we’re going to make it through the day. Discouragement is a normal part of the human experience, and whether we want to admit or not, all of us need a little encouragement. But as Lindsey Carlson argues in her new book, we, as believers, are in need of a better encouragement.

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Spiritual Growth on
September 25, 2022

Embrace Your Life

Life was not going as planned.

I graduated with my master’s degree in May last year, and I had planned on getting a full-time job as soon as I was finished. As I neared my final day of classes, I began looking for jobs and submitting applications, but nothing was panning out. After graduation, weeks and months passed by. Holidays and special events came and went, and I still did not have a job. I became depressed and confused as to why I couldn’t find a good job. Thankfully, after ten very long months of waiting and hoping, I finally started in a full-time job, and as I look back, I can see that God moved me out of my old position and into my new one at just the perfect time.

However, not every situation in my life has turned out quite like this. There have many times where I wished and hoped and prayed for something to happen for weeks, months, years. I was absolutely convinced that everything would work out the way I had planned and dreamed. But it never did. My prayers appeared unanswered. My dreams were unfulfilled. And I was left in a perpetual state of longing, wondering what in the world God was doing in my life.

Over the years, I’ve had to learn embrace the life I’ve been given, which is exactly what Elizabeth Woodson’s new book is all about.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Exodus on
September 5, 2022

Image of Idolatry

Every time I read through Exodus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy, I can’t help but think, “How can Israel be so forgetful?” God had performed miracle after miracle, wonder after wonder. He had answered their prayers, provided for their needs, and proven that He was nothing but faithful to His people. Yet, Israel still grumbled, and complained, and longed to return to their bondage—again, and again, and again.

But whenever I think these thoughts, I’m reminded that we are no different than Israel. God has performed miracle after miracle, wonder after wonder in our lives. He has answered our prayers, provided for our needs, and proven Himself faithful to us. Yet, we still grumble, and complain, and long to return to the bondage of our old, sinful ways. There is one Old Testament story in particular that highlights our similarities to Israel well, and it has to do with the creation of a golden calf.

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