Rejecting God

The Problem with Sodom

Ian Johnson May 5, 2021 6 Comments

The problem with Sodom was its arrogant indifference to the poor and vulnerable, as shown by the violent hate crime it attempted to commit against two visiting angels. This arose, in turn, from its affluence and its sensual focus. All of these problems characterize the modern world, including the Church (where they lead to often-violent divisions). The traditional Christian interpretation of the Sodom story prevents us from seeing this.

An abuse of God's image, Christianity and Social Evils, Church purpose versus church growth, Desire to have our own way, Desire to have our own way, Disrespecting poor believers, Divisions in the Church, God's sovereignty, Greed, Historical Background, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Racism, Rejecting God, Sin, To be in his image, Trusting sight over God's words, What is sin?

2 Peter 2, affluence, arrogance, Deuteronomy, Ezekiel 16:49-50, False believers, False prophets, false teachers, Gibeah, Gomorrah, indifference, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jude, poverty, Prophets, rejection of the good, Sodom, unbelief

The Bad Example of Cain

Ian Johnson September 16, 2020 5 Comments

Cain’s underlying sin was his arrogant insistence that he could come to God on his own terms. This is the “way of Cain” of which Jude speaks—self-sufficiency, insisting on coming to God on one’s own terms, murderous jealousy of those who truly seek God and are accepted by him, and “repentance” only of the consequences of these sins and not of the sins themselves. It all starts with an attitude of self-sufficiency.

Desire to have our own way, Desire to have our own way, God Never Stopped Speaking, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Rejecting God, Sin, What is sin?

anger, arrogance, Cain, dead works, faith, false repentance, jealousy, murder, murderer, pleasing God, pride, rejecting God, self-sufficiency, trusting in myself

False Believers and Divisive Persons in Jude

Ian Johnson August 23, 2020 3 Comments

Jude’s description of divisive persons in the church points to false believers who try to look like us but have infiltrated the church for their own advantage, to serve their own greed and lusts. They are dead trees, and dead trees bear no fruit. In dealing with them, we need to contend for the truth and resist contending against them personally.

Authority Contests, Desire to have our own way, Desire to have our own way, Disrespecting poor believers, Divisions in the Church, Greed, Heresy, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Peril of Seeking Power, Rejecting God, To live in unity

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

Ian Johnson July 13, 2020 6 Comments

This post is the first in a series of six outlining a broad view of how things in the Church and the world got to be as they are now, including contributions early Christianity and Islam made to each other. This post attempts to outline the basic positions of early Christianity. Comments are invited!

A God who Speaks, Adoption, Background Information, Church purpose versus church growth, Complex unity, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Emotions, Eternity Present, Free will, God Acts by Speaking, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's sovereignty, God's Voice, His Children, His Friends, Historical Background, Human Rationality, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Jesus the Son, Knowing good and evil, Language and Speech, Logical thinking, Male and female, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Prophecy, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Rejecting God, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Sin, Sins versus sin, Son of Man, The Bible, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, To live in unity, Trinity, Unity, What is God's Word, What is sin?

Christian history, Christianity, Christianity and Islam, doctrine, Early Christianity, History of Christianity, New Testament, New Testament Christianity

About Racism

Ian Johnson June 15, 2020 4 Comments

The ultimate solution to our national racisms lies in the Church, in who we are in Christ. We are not called to uncritically support the current social order, no matter how unjust. We are called to show how social divisions are overcome by the Holy Spirit among us.

An abuse of God's image, Christianity and Social Evils, Church purpose versus church growth, Complex unity, Compulsory Christianity, Divisions in the Church, Emotions, God's sovereignty, Human Rationality, Injustice and Lawsuits, Peril of Seeking Power, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Racism, Rejecting God, Replacing Relationship with Morality, Restoration of God's Image, Show us the Way of Truth, Social control and statecraft, The Bible, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, To live in unity, Uncategorized, What is sin?

#AllLivesMatter, #BlackLivesMatter, change, Christ, Christianity, Dallas Willard, divisive language, equality, favoritism, God, heart change, Holy Spirit, human heart, Jacques Ellul, Jesus, peace, Racism, repent, repentance, Unity

Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

Ian Johnson June 7, 2020 2 Comments

A reader recently asked some very perceptive questions about my views concerning prayer, prayer burdens, and prayer for national sins. Here, I am publishing my answers to those questions. (The reader also asked some personal questions, which I omit from this posting): You asked: “Also that what matters is your relationship with the Lord not what denomination someone is or…
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A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Conversation with God, Emotions, Events and Signs, God Speaks to Us, God's rationality, His Children, His Friends, Human Rationality, In prayer, Language and Speech, Personal Background, Prophecy, Rejecting God, Replacing Relationship with Morality, The Bible, To live in unity, Trusting sight over God's words

children, emotional relationship, eschatology, faith, fervent prayer, God speaks, Hearing God, Idolatry, loving God, national sins, Negative emotions, prayer, Question and Answer, Revelation, simplicity, spiritual blindness, spiritual sight, time, trust

No Merit — The Golden Key to Freedom in Christ

Ian Johnson May 1, 2020 10 Comments

He has shown us the way into a new life, a life beyond death, a life that is at peace with God. We must receive his life and follow him, living in the Spirit as he did. That is all. No “merit” is involved. God doesn’t look at our “merit.” Jesus doesn’t save us by giving us his “merit;” he saves us by giving us himself. This is the key to freedom.

Desire to have our own way, Free will, God was never our enemy, God's rationality, God's Voice, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Knowing good and evil, Rejecting God, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Sin, Sins versus sin, To be in his image, Uncategorized, What is sin?

anger, atonement, forgive, forgiveness, God, guilt, Incarnation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Love, love of God, merit, Nativity, price, reconcile, reconciliation, sacrifice, salvation, shame, sin, sin vs sins, sins, wrath of God

The Existence of Invisible Things

Ian Johnson April 19, 2020 5 Comments

Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise. To all life Thou givest, to both great and small; In all life Thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish,…
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Eternity Present, Language and Speech, Rejecting God, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, Trusting sight over God's words

Creation, Creator, Eternity, Forms, God, Language, Provider, Provision, Reality, Self-existence, Shadows, Truth, Visible, Vision

The Bad Example of Cain

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False Believers and Divisive Persons in Jude

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From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

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Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

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No Merit — The Golden Key to Freedom in Christ

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The Existence of Invisible Things

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Rejecting God

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