Showing results by author "Troy Edwards" in All Categories

There are numerous places in Scripture where God says that He will “send” or is said to have “sent” a disaster, a plague, pestilence, delusion, an evil spirit, a cruel and ruthless enemy army, ferocious man-eating wild animals, and other harsh judgments. Atheists use such passages to castigate the God of the Bible. Some theologians use such passages to present theological views of God that make Him appear to be harsh, unloving, and unfair. Other Christians avoid such passages altogether, believing that certain parts of the Bible are too difficult or irrelevant. However, an often ...

Does God hate certain people or does He love everyone? Is He jealous of anyone? Does He struggle with anger? Is He looking for people to be terrified of Him? Is He self-centered and vindictive? Can He be provoked easily? Does He lead people astray? Is He punishing children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for the sins of their forefathers? Some argue that the Bible teaches that God is the one who accomplishes all of this. Sadly, some have reached these incorrect conclusions because they were unable to appreciate the figurative and idiomatic language of Scripture. This book, “...

In this book I want to prove to the reader that the Bible offers a satisfactory answer to the “why” questions many have in relation to an omnipotent but good God in contrast to the rampant heart-breaking evil we see in our world. Many people are fed up with the standard Christian responses on this subject. Though some claim to give Biblical answers to our “why” questions we often receive responses that consign much of God’s alleged activity to “divine mysterious purposes.” I pray that I will be able to answer some of your “why” questions in a satisfactory manner. I believe...

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High (Dan. 7:25) Satan is a slanderer who has deceived men into falsely blaming God for his own works. Sadly, the majority of Christians have bought into his deceptions and denigrate God’s character in their sermons and Bible studies. In this study we will examine several areas in which God is always getting the blame, even from His own children, and show the reader that Scripture actually points to Satan as the culprit. Once we have learned this truth then we will learn how to walk in victory ...

We hear the religious clichés quite often: “God is in control,” “God took my child,” “God’s ways are mysterious, His wonders to perform,” and other statements attributing life’s hardships to God. God has been falsely accused of doing things that He actually hates. In this short book we use the Bible, God’s own written Word, to set the record straight concerning His involvement in the harsh realities of life. When you have finished reading this book, you will no longer blame God for the difficulties you encounter and you will be able to point others to a loving kind God ...

We appropriately use the Bible as our foundation for all Christian belief and practice because we rightly recognize it as God’s written Word. Why then is there such a lack of clarity on the God that this book is supposed to reveal to us within its pages? Why does He claim to be good, compassionate, and merciful while He is accused of hardening hearts, tempting people, causing sickness and accidents, etc. in so many other places? The issues arise from our failure to accurately understand and apply the “idiom of permission” to our reading and study of this holy text. In this book, ...

In this book, How? We will look at a number of God’s acts recorded in the Bible, those acts that upon a superficial reading of Scripture, paint Him as malicious, harsh, hypocritical and in some cases, worse than the humans whose sin He punishes. Hopefully when you see the explanations that the Word of God itself offers you will see the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in a new light. Some of the questions this book attempts to answer are: How Does God Reveal His Wrath? How Does God Bring Judgment? How Does God Create Evil? How Does “God’s Hand” Go Against Sinners? How Does God Punish...

Many approach the book of Job with a number of presuppositions: God desires to test Job's faithfulness. God is controlling the actions of the devil. That God just might make you the next Job.These presuppositions demonstrate a failure to study the book of Job in the light of the full revelation of Father God found in Jesus Christ. Hence, Job is misused to present God as a capricious deity. In this book we will learn how a proper study of Job shows us that Satan’s plan was to discredit both God and Job. We will learn that God did not instigate Job’s trials, but showed the patriarch ...

God knows all things and there is nothing that is hidden from Him. Therefore, if the future is already in existence and is a settled reality then there is no doubt that God knows it exhaustively. Yet, what if the future does not exist as the past did and the present currently does? Is it necessary for an omniscient God to have exhaustive knowledge of a non-existent entity? In his book, "Is the Future Set in Stone?," Pastor Troy J. Edwards presents a thorough examination of the Scriptures, revealing the fact that the future is NOT in existence until it happens. This truth is important to ...

There are sincere worshippers of Christ who are quite ignorant of how to deal with difficult passages in the Bible that might be used by God’s enemies to paint a false picture of Him. Many remain confused as to how to deal with passages that seem to go against what they know by their experience is a loving God. I believe that these daily devotions can assist believers in this endeavor. When one meditates daily on the truth of God’s character then they will not be easily swayed by those who speak against it. They will see that there are better ways to understand the passages often ...

What we believe about God has an impact on how we live. It will shape how we raise our children, treat our spouses, deal with strangers, engage with coworkers, and carry out our ministry to the Lord and others. Therefore, this study is extremely significant. We believe that after completing this study, you will love God and your Bible even more, and that while you will continue to fear (reverence/worship) God, you will no longer be afraid of Him because you will realize that He is a loving God who is exactly like Jesus. And you will yearn to be just like Him.

God has been misrepresented by both His “followers” and His enemies. Most of the misrepresentation centers around the Biblical phrase, “the wrath of God”. This misrepresentation is due to the failure of both “defenders” and “detractors” of God to thoroughly study Scripture’s teaching on this subject. In this book we show the reader that as we allow Scripture to interpret itself we will find that God’s wrath does not equate to the angry destructive being that He is often portrayed to be nor does His wrath eliminate His love. The reader will learn that Scripture presents a...

I have so much more to tell you, but it is too much for you to accept now. (John 16:12; Easy to Read Version) God was faced with a problem. He needed a nation on the earth that He could work through in order to send forth the Messiah and bring about man's redemption. However, His chosen people, Israel, were strongly influenced by pagan thinking. Attempting to abruptly change their mindset to one of a high godly ideal was impossible. God had to work with the people at the level where they were at and progressively lead them to a "more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31). In the meantime, God had ...

If a nation marches against you, know that I am not behind it. (Isaiah 54:15a; The Voice) A common phrase used by many Christians, particularly when there is some tragic event, is that “God is in control”. Many people mean different things by the statement, however, the majority of those who use the statement believe that God initiated the tragic event and had a secret mysterious plan to bring some unknown good from it. We believe that such a teaching casts aspersions on God’s character. Besides, the origins of this teaching is not from the Bible but is derived from pagan philosophy. ...

“God is said in Scripture to send what he can (but doth not) hinder from being sent.” – Edward Bird (1726) God has been taking the blame for sickness and disease for centuries. We have been told that He sends sickness as an aid to spiritual growth and piety or as a punishment for sin. Vast amounts of Scripture have been cited to support this claim. This idea has contributed to the lack of faith prevalent in the church today for healing and deliverance. After all, if God gave a person sickness then His willingness to heal is questionable. Faith can only be present where the will of God...