Greg Boyd
“Christ is Lord”: What Does it Mean?
Category: General
Tags: Christian Life, Confession, Salvation, Shalom
Topics: Following Jesus
We enter the domain of God’s reign when we enthrone Christ as Lord of our life. This seems simple enough. But actually, I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding of what this means. The Bible…
That Weird Episode with the Pigs
Category: General
Tags: Demons, God's Character, Jesus, Non-Violence, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Creation Care, Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
In my opinion, the single strangest episode recounted in the Gospels is the account of Jesus’ encounter with a demonized man that ended with two thousand pigs drowning themselves in the Sea of Galilee (Mk…
Process Theology & Open Theism: What’s the Difference?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Process Theology, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not
Question: When ReKnew talks about Open Theism is it a mistake for people to equate it with Process theology, and if so what are the defining differences? I guess I am starting to lean toward…
God’s Dream for the World
Category: General
Tags: Jesus, Love, Trinity, Triune Love, Unity
Topics: Following Jesus
The future doesn’t yet exist—which is why it’s future instead of the present or past—this doesn’t mean I’m claiming the future is wide open. To the contrary, it’s very clear from Scripture that God has…
The Case For Believer’s Baptism
Category: Essays
Tags: Discipleship, Essay, Kingdom Living
Topics: The Church
In this essay I briefly present my reasons for believing that baptism is intended only for people who are old enough to responsibly choose to become disciples of Jesus. I will first offer several biblical…
If salvation depends on our free choice, how are we saved totally by grace?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Grace, Predestination, Q&A, Salvation, The Holy Spirit
Topics: Death and Salvation, Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Trinity
Question: I’m an Arminian-turned-Calvinist, and the thing that turned me was the realization that if salvation hinges on whether individuals choose to be saved or not, as Arminians and Open Theists believe, then we can’t…
What is the biblical basis for “free will”?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Q&A
Topics: Free Will and the Future
Question: Much of your theology depends on a supposed ability humans have to thwart God’s will by our free choices. But what is the biblical basis for your conclusion that people have “freedom”—at least “freedom”…
Podcast: What Causes Personal Transformation?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Covenant, Discipleship, Transformation
In this episode Greg talks about the important role of imagination in our prayer life and in our thought life. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0005.mp3
How is the Bible “God-Breathed”?
Category: General
Tags: Bible, Bible Interpretation, Cross, Cruciform Theology, Inspiration, Jesus
Topics: Biblical Interpretation
The historic-orthodox church has always confessed that all canonical writings are “God-breathed” (1 Tim 3:16). But what exactly does this mean? How could God guarantee that the writings that his “breathing” produces are precisely what…
What Does It Mean to Be Married to Christ?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bride of Christ, Covenant, Jesus, Married to Christ
Topics: Death and Salvation
The New Testament calls Christ the “bridegroom” and the church his “bride.” To understand what this means can change your life. We need to read this through the lens of first century Jewish marriage. In…
What are the different models of the Trinity in the Christian tradition?
Category: Essays
Tags: Essay, God, Trinity
Topics: Theological Method, Trinity
The Psychological and Social Models of the Trinity The Bible teaches that there is only one God. At the same time, it teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God. For…
When does salvation happen?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Q&A, Salvation, Security
Topics: Death and Salvation, End Times
Question: I grew up in a strict, fundamentalist community and our whole goal in life was to get people to pray “the sinners prayer.” Once they prayed this prayer, we believed, they were “saved.” But…
Is the Book of Acts Reliable?
Category: Essays
Tags: Apologetics, Bible, Essay, New Testament
Topics: Biblical Reliability
(Note: We apologize that certain German vowels didn’t translate onto this site). Introduction The book of Acts is of critical importance in the contemporary debate about the historical Jesus. The reason for this is straightforward….
What does the Bible mean when it says God “sent an evil spirit” on certain people?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bible, Demons, Old Testament, Q&A, Responding to Calvinism, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Verse: 1 Samuel 16, 1 Samuel 18, Judges 9
Question: In Judges 9:23, I Samuel 16:15ff and 18:10 it is said that God sends evil spirits on people. Doesn’t this support the idea that everything Satan and demons do is under God’s sovereign control?…
Where is Human Free Will in the Bible?
Category: General
Tags: Evil, Free Will, God's Will, Love, Problem of Evil, Theodicy
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The Bible is emphatic on its teaching that humans possess free will and are capable of originating evil. Notice, for example, that in the very first chapter of the Bible God commands humans to be…
How do you respond to Ephesians 1:4-5?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Q&A, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
Verse: Ephesians 1
Question: Ephesians 1 refers to believers as predestined before the foundation of the world. How do you reconcile this with your view that free actions of people (like choosing to believe in Christ) can’t be…
The “Christus Victor” View of the Atonement
Category: Essays
Tags: Atonement, Church, Essay, Jesus, Spiritual Warfare
Topics: Christus Victor view of Atonement, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
God accomplished many things by having his Son become incarnate and die on Calvary. Through Christ God revealed the definitive truth about himself (Rom 5:8, cf. Jn 14:7-10); reconciled all things, including humans, to himself…
Inconceivable!
Category: Essays, General
Tags: Humility, Knowledge, Philosophy
Though it’s now thirty-one years old, I’m willing to bet that the majority of you have watched the Princess Bride at least once. In fact, I’m willing to bet that a lot of you have…
Three Arguments Against Determinism
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
There was an interesting article in the NY Times yesterday by John Tierney entitled “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s The Only Choice.” The article reviews research that suggests that everybody intuitively believes people are…
The Point of the Book of Job
Category: Essays
Tags: Apologetics, Bible, Essay, Old Testament, Problem of Evil
Topics: The Problem of Evil
The point of the book of Job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a war-torn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of God’s all-controlling will. Given how…