A few years ago, I made two decisions: to love the truth above all and to establish beliefs that are based on the weight of evidence. I want to know the truth, and I want to embrace it with all that I am. The bigger the truth, the more I want to know it and embrace it.
I’m a reader and a writer, a student and a teacher, a pursuer and a purveyor of truth. I explore the war between good and evil, the truth about death and hell, the choice between life and death, and the beginning and the end of suffering. I also love to show others how the Bible is a trustworthy source of truth, how to study and interpret scripture, how to think critically, how to foster a love of truth, and how to build sound beliefs that are less likely to be shaken and more likely to be true.
My background includes work as a church planter and an intelligence analyst. These days, I find joy and purpose in writing, speaking, and teaching.
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What I Believe
I aim to know and uphold biblical truth. I acknowledge God as my creator, redeemer, and best friend.
The Bible
The Bible is the authoritative word of God that reveals the truth about Him and connects us to Him relationally. He inspired the writers and those who selected the canon in their activities to communicate God’s word. Because God is the ultimate authority, His word is the ultimate authority and the most trustworthy source of truth. Because God is Truth, His word is truth. We must test all other prospective pieces of evidence about God (personal experience, etc.) against the Bible.
While parts of the Bible are figurative and not literal (“I am the door,” the content of visions, etc.), the vast majority of it is literal history.
We must not confuse the Bible with interpretations of the Bible. Even with the best intentions, we can get it wrong. We must read and study the Bible prayerfully with a sincere goal of knowing the truth — indeed, Truth Himself.
See John 17:17 and Psalm 119:105.
God
God is three persons — Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. All three are everlasting (They have no beginning and no end). All three are fully God and always have been.
God is holy, which means “other.” He is different from everyone and everything else — not in degree, but in kind. God alone is the Creator, not creation. He alone is life, love, and goodness.
See Matthew 28:19, Psalm 86:8-10, and Genesis 1:1.
Humanity
God created humans in His image (character) on Earth. He gave Adam and Eve the freedom to choose between life (the tree of life) and death (the tree of knowledge). They chose death because they believed the devil’s lie that God was withholding from them a glorified, enlightened life.
God wanted Adam and Eve to choose life and never die, but He respected and loved them enough to let them choose. The whole world is cursed as a result of that choice. Humans, in particular, are in need of atonement in order to have access to life again.
See Genesis 1-3.
Salvation
God created humans because He wanted their companionship. Adam and Eve’s rebellion (sin) disrupted the God-human relationship. Because God is life, the consequence of sin is death. Created beings live only when they connect to the source of life.
The consequence of sin is not the first death (what we experience at the end of our lifetimes). The consequence of sin is what the book of Revelation calls the second death (most commonly referred to as “hell”). That’s why Jesus lived and died as a substitute for us if we accept that gift. He put on record a sinless life that we can claim if we want it. He died the second death as our substitute if we want it.
The second death (the death from which there’s no resurrection) is the natural ultimate consequence of sin. We can choose to accept Jesus’s death in our place or to die that death ourselves. There’s no third option. Sin can’t be swept under the rug.
While God wants everyone to choose life, not everyone will. Sadly, not everyone will be saved, but that’s each person’s choice, and God will respect those desires.
In short, based on what I understand the Bible to say, I believe in substitutionary atonement, but I don’t believe in universal salvation.
See Genesis 3, Romans 6:23, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 11:29, and Deuteronomy 30:19.
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