Category Archives: Theology

The Deity of Christ: From God’s Glory

Posted on May 5, 2012 by humblesmith

In John 17, Jesus is praying to the Father the night before He voluntarily gave His life on the cross. In the prayer, Jesus says this: “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | 6 Comments

The Unique Deity of Christ: Attested by John the Baptist

Posted on May 2, 2012 by humblesmith

Of the myriad passages in the Bible that speak to the unique and full deity of Jesus, one is the passage used by John the Baptist. In Luke 3:4, and also in Matthew 3:3, John appears in the region near … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | 3 Comments

John 14:28: Is Jesus Less than Almighty God?

Posted on April 29, 2012 by humblesmith

Jehovah’s Witnesses often quote John 14:28 in trying to show their view that Jesus is less than Almighty God. In the verse, Jesus says “The Father is greater than I.” To the Jehovah’s Witnesses, this means that Jesus is less … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Church History, Theology | 12 Comments

Is All That Exists God?

Posted on February 19, 2012 by humblesmith

Is all that exists God? Is it the case that everything that exists a part of God? Or part of “the one” of God? Is it the case that all people are of one being? If this were the case, … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | 29 Comments

Inerrancy, Yet Again (Part 2)

Posted on November 28, 2011 by humblesmith

Regarding the current inerrancy controversy, I submit the following comments and evaluations. The issue should become clearer as you read through my comments. Orthodoxy: Michael Licona and his supporters all appear to be well within the camp of the orthodox, … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Bible, Theology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Is Mormonism a Cult?

Posted on October 11, 2011 by humblesmith

This week at a prominent political event, an evangelical pastor was introducing a candidate for president and mentioned that Mormonism was a cult and not Christian. The media picked up on this and reported it extensively. Most of the candidates … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Theology | 8 Comments

Aquinas, Free Choice, & Divine Sovereignty, Part 6

Posted on September 3, 2011 by humblesmith

This is part six in an intermittent series on Thomas Aquinas’ view of free choice and divine sovereignty. (To see the first five parts, do a search for “Aquinas, Free Choice” in the search bar in this blog.) Aquinas begins … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Theology | 2 Comments

What Does The Bible Claim About Itself?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by humblesmith

What does the Bible claim about itself? Peter claims that they did not make up the stories they told, but gave eyewitness accounts: “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of … Continue reading →

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Aquinas, Free Choice, & Divine Sovereignty, Part 5

Posted on May 14, 2011 by humblesmith

This is the fifth part of an intermittent series on Thomas Aquinas’ view of human free will and divine sovereignty. Many of the questions surrounding the problem of how much free will a human has vs. how much action God must take surrounds … Continue reading →

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What Is The Nature of Jesus’ Resurrected Body?

Posted on April 23, 2011 by humblesmith

The eyewitness accounts of the Jesus’ resurrection say that Jesus’ had a thoroughly physical body. In fact, the reports say that it was the exact same physical body that died on the cross. In Luke 24:39, Jesus appears to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | 11 Comments

Can Theology Be Demonstrated by Logical Argument?

Posted on March 20, 2011 by humblesmith

The question of whether faith can be proven by evidence or not is addressed by Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (1.1.8).  Thomas first lists the common objections: 1. Christianity is built on faith, not proven by arguments. 2. Argument … Continue reading →

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Apologetics Needs to be Grounded in Theology

Posted on February 25, 2011 by humblesmith

We are in what I call the “golden age of apologetics.” Today there are books, seminars, conferences, courses, clubs, all focused on presenting good reasons and evidences for the Christian faith. This is all well and good, but we must … Continue reading →

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The Origins of The Doctrine of the Trinity

Posted on February 15, 2011 by humblesmith

Periodically you will encounter someone who casts doubt on the doctrine of the Trinity. People have made all sorts of accusations about it……one of the more popular accusations is that it was invented at the Council of Nicea in 325. … Continue reading →

Posted in Theology | 10 Comments

Infinity, Christian Theology, and Greek Philosophy

Posted on January 23, 2011 by humblesmith

Some have made the charge that early Christian fathers borrowed concepts from Greek philosophy and used it in forming Christian theology. The charge is that concepts like infinity, omnipresence, and omniscience are not taught in the Bible and that these … Continue reading →

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The Bible’s Teaching About Babies

Posted on January 20, 2011 by humblesmith

A few years ago, the man who was then President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was quoted as saying that he had read the Bible and could not find in it where it said that unborn babies were persons, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Culture, Government, Morality, Theology | 1 Comment

God’s Solution to Problem Pregnancies

Posted on January 19, 2011 by humblesmith

We are told that the reason we need to allow voluntary child killing is that women who are not ready to raise a child should not have one. We are told that the problems created by unplanned pregnancies are so … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Culture, Theology, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

God Is Not The Author of Sin

Posted on January 15, 2011 by humblesmith

Since the days of John Calvin (or at least just after), there has been a branch of theology called “reformed theology.” It focuses a lot on the sovereignty of God. Reformed theology has always taught that God permits sin, knows it will happen, works … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Theology | 9 Comments

Aquinas, Free Chioce, & Divine Sovereignty, Part 4

Posted on January 8, 2011 by humblesmith

Aquinas had a strong view of God’s sovereignty, but also of human free choice. Much of his teaching is rather dense, but one of his books is refreshingly clear. In his book De Rationes Fidei (Reasons for Faith) Thomas answers … Continue reading →

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Change & God

Posted on January 3, 2011 by humblesmith

To change, the thing changing must have the unrealized potential to change. When a thing changes, it must be moved from potentiality to actuality. But the question arises: Can being change? Ancient thinker Parmenides concluded that being cannot change, since … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Philosophy, Theology | Leave a comment

Jesus Is Born: Glory to God in The Highest

Posted on December 24, 2010 by humblesmith

Jesus had to be born as a man so that He could be mediator, so that His death would be able to pay for human sin. If He were not 100% fully human, His death would not pay for human … Continue reading →

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