Archives

Q. Has God reconciled all things to Himself or is He still wrathful? John 3:36 says that the wrath of God remains on the disobedient, but Colossians 1:20 says that God has reconciled all things to Himself by Christ, “having made peace through the blood of his cross.” Can you explain this seeming contradiction?

A photo of a quizzical looking infant captioned, The wrath of God remains on the disobedient...or...through Him to reconcile all things to Himself
How can God reconcile all to Himself while remaining wrathful towards some?

A. This seeming contradiction has caused no end of controversy. How can God be wrathful toward the disobedient if He has reconciled the entire world to Himself through Christ’s atonement? Colossians 1:20 sounds like a universal atonement, but John 3:36 seems to name the disobedient as an exception to it. On top of that, the exception sounds like it is based on works—disobedience or obedience. Does this mean that obedience (works) saves people from God’s wrath and reconciles them?

Read more… →

Q. You sometimes use the words “Arminian” and “Arminianism” in a negative way. What do Arminian and Arminianism mean?

A. The words Arminian and Arminianism come from Jacobus (or James) Arminius (also known as Jacob Harmensen or Hermansz), a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560 to 1609. Arminius studied at the University of Leiden and in Geneva under Theodore Beza (or Bèze), John Calvin’s successor.

Read more… →

Q. In 2 Peter 2:1, the apostle says that false teachers will deny the Lord that bought them and bring swift destruction on themselves. If Christians can deny the Lord who bought them and be damned for it, doesn’t this mean that not all saints persevere and that Jesus purchased with His blood people who are not eventually saved? If so, this contradicts the teachings of limited atonement and perseverance of the saints that you say are biblical.

A. You are right that if Christians can deny the Lord who bought them and be damned for it, this would indeed prove limited atonement and perseverance of the saints as unbiblical and false doctrines. But we must be careful to fully examine this Scripture before reaching such a conclusion.

Read more… →