Monthly Archives: August 2025

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

God’s Names & Attributes

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Father of lights. Father of spirits. Creator, daddy, healer, and provider. All label and describe the One who was, is, and is to come. And, as He is, God cares for His children as no other. What follows is a sampling of God’s many attributes, starting with His name.

  • God’s name. Hebrew YHVH is His formal name, usually pronounced as Jehovah or Yahweh. Conversely, the Bible mentions ‘in the name’ of God or Christ. Just ending a prayer “In Jesus’ name!” is not what this means—it’s their power, character, and authority by which followers must operate.
  • Creator & Father. “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.” (Genesis 2:4)
  • Daddy. One of the coolest names of God is Abba, which means ‘daddy’ or ‘papa:’ “And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me …” (Mark 14:36)
  • King/Lord. “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)
  • Shepherd (YHVH Rohi). Psalm 23:1-3 reflects this attribute: “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes … He leads … He restores … He guides …”
  • Healer (YHVH Rapha). Exodus 15:26 states “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.”
  • Provider (YHVH Jireh). God gives so many things, including food, shelter, money, transportation, and salvation.
  • Savior. We see the saving hand of YHVH through His Son, whom we call Jesus, who obediently came to earth, lived as a human, died a horrible death, and was raised by the Father to be the first of many who would be raised on the last day: “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1John 4:14)
  • Judge. YHVH’s Son will judge everyone at the end of this age. Some will then enter eternal life. Others will experience eternal destruction (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46): “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

Summary. God can be Father, Daddy, Creator, Healer, Provider, and Savior. Is He yours? Next time, we’ll dive into the complex topic of divorce. Meanwhile, remember the Father of Spirits and honor Him appropriately.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Finding the End of the World, Uncategorized

What God Hates

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While God loves many things, there are things He hates. Some, such as sexual immorality and deviousness (Proverbs 3:32), are disgusting—an abomination, according to the ancient language (Hebrew to-ay-baw’, to-ay-baw’). This makes sense, as He designed us to reflect His character and behave as He created us. Anything else is disrespectful and counter to God’s design. Here, we’ll focus on several categories of disgusting things after considering why they happen. But, before we do, a caveat: All rebellion against God is bad, and none is better or worse than another—the same fate awaits all who practice such things.

Why do we do stuff that God hates? Self-centeredness that seeks personal pleasure over obedience to God. Verse 1 John 2:16 states that, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;” these become the root of all kinds of abominations. Sexual immorality is an excellent example and one that deserves special attention because many Christian leaders have turned bad into good and corrupted the Church.

Sexual immorality. This includes adultery, prostitution, incest, bestiality, pedophilia, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13; Deuteronomy 22:5). Redefining the ancient language, distorting history, or promoting a self-gratifying love to legitimize disgusting behavior in the Church won’t make it less so or soften God’s response. See my related article for additional information (https://ronbraley.blog/2022/11/10/weed-patrol-weeds-beget-weeds-part-two-sexual-immorality/). Dishonoring God in a variety of ways is also something He hates.

Dishonoring God. Besides what I’ve already listed, God hates our prioritizing other gods, spiritual or material. Lying, especially to the detriment of others, and wicked behavior are also disgusting according to God (Proverbs 12:22; Exodus 20:16). God hates the abuse of His name (Exodus 20:7), which concerns His character and authority, not syllables. For instance, Ezekiel 13:6 condemns prophets who “see false visions and utter lying divinations” and claim, “This is what the Lord declares,” when He has not spoken. See also Jeremiah 14:14 and 23:16 and Deuteronomy 18:20. If I only had a dollar for every time I heard, “The Spirit said this…” or “God told me that …”)! God also hates the poor treatment of people.

Hurting people. Sexual immorality, lying, and injustice that God hates, as I’ve already mentioned, negatively affect humans. Add murder, theft, malice, slander, and envy (e.g., Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God commands us to love our neighbors charitably. So, the lack of love would be something He also hates, as evidenced by the hell-bound nature of those who don’t care for the less fortunate. Matthew 25:31-46 tells us that we’ll be judged for how we care for them. And Jesus chided the Pharisees for honoring the religious tithe instead of treating people appropriately (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42).

Summary. God hates, and often finds disgusting, behaviors that violate His standards and dishonor Him and hurt people. Next, let’s learn more about God through His names and attributes!

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.

discipleship, Finding Answers to Stuff Churches Don't Discuss, Uncategorized

What God Loves

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God is Love; He does love, and He experiences love … just like we do.  He loves things like justice, mercy, purity, righteousness, obedience, and loving kindness. As imagers of God, we should love what He loves and hate what He hates. Let’s focus on the things God loves here (we’ll cover rebellion and the things He finds disgusting next time!).

I began this article with the phrase, “God is Love.” Read 1 John 4:7-16 (at least!) and you’ll find these golden nuggets: “for love is from God” and “for God is love” and a reminder in verse 10 that He loved us so much that He sent His Son to satisfy our sin debt. Finally, verse 16 states that, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” God is love … and He, therefore, loves actionably. Salvation and discipline are but two examples.

God loves His creation (even if He doesn’t always like us or what we do (e.g., Genesis 6:6-7)). In fact, He loves us so much that He provided a way back to Him through Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 3:16). This is how “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And He corrects those He loves as any good father would (e.g., Proverbs 3:12 and Hebrews 12:6). God also loves righteousness, which is ‘right action’ according to His standards, and justice.

So, what is justice and its relationship to righteousness? Fairness and moral rightness in the way people are treated and how laws are applied. Because God loves His creation, it’s easy to see why justice and righteousness are essential. Psalm 37:28 teaches that God “loves justice, and does not forsake His saints”—a sentiment echoed in Psalm 146:8 and Isaiah 61:8. And Micah 6:8 reiterates that God desires for us to love kindness, do justice (as He does), and walk humbly with Him. OK. God loves us, justice, righteousness, and mercy. How do these manifest in practice?

As God’s ambassadors and partners, we are called to care for the less fortunate. In mercy, we must be fair and impartial. In righteousness, we must behave as God intended, as He loves: sexual purity, patience, self-control, and charity (see Matthew 25:32-46). Our charitable actions toward the poor may include sharing money, food, time, or talents; we give to others what God has given to us. In other words, our spirit, created by the ‘Father of Spirits, ’ must move the human mammal to do good, pure things. This is what God desires, what He loves.

Summary. God loves the charitable, merciful, just, and righteous person. Love what He loves; do what He does. In the next installment, we’ll, conversely, learn about what God hates.

God’s blessings and peace,

Dr. Ron Braley, MDiv, DMin.