Steven Colborne's Blog, page 85

Advent Songathon (9 Dec)

Thank you all for your involvement in the Songathon so far! Today’s song is probably one of the most often covered songs in the world of Christian music, but I wanted to introduce you to a lovely version that you may not have heard before.

This is ‘Nothing But the Blood’ performed by Randy Travis, and taken from his 2005 album Glory Train. It’s a nice arrangement (Country style) with some lovely harmonies, and it’s a bit different to other songs I’ve featured so far, so I hope you enjoy it. God bless!

Advent Songathon (8 Dec)

I’m excited to share another great song with you today! This one’s the orchestral piece that I was going to share yesterday but it got usurped by Sounds Like Reign. Today’s song is an epic arrangement of the opening of the Gospel according to John, one of the most famous passages in the Bible as it speaks of the divinity and eternality of Jesus.

I know very little about this song and the performers, it’s just something I stumbled upon a couple of days ago and added to my Spotify playlist because I thought it was so good. It’s been in my head ever since! The sound quality on the video isn’t perfect, but you’ll get the general idea. I hope you enjoy it!

Is God Able to Lie?

It seems to me logical, sensible, and obvious, that an all-powerful God, who is creator and sustainer of the universe, can do whatever He pleases. Indeed, there is a scripture that says as much:

But our God is in heaven;

He does whatever He pleases.

(Psalm 115:3 NKJV)

Yet I often hear Christians saying that God cannot lie, and there does appear to be scriptural justification for this:

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

(Hebrews 6:17-18 NKJV)

I have quoted two scriptures from the Bible that could be seen to contradict one another, for surely either God isn’t able to lie, or He can do whatever He pleases, but both statements can’t be true. It’s an important problem to consider, and readers may see this problem differently according to the degree to which they affirm the Bible to be inerrant and/or infallible.

Is there a way that both of the above quotations can be true? Or would you agree with me that to say God cannot lie places restrictions on His being; and we cannot restrict an omnipotent God?

Perhaps you have encountered this problem before, or have some thoughts that will illuminate the discussion. If so, feel free to leave a comment below.

New Essay Added

I read a lot of blogs and consider it a tremendous blessing that I have access to so much great writing. Occasionally I stumble upon an article that is so well-written and insightful that I can’t help but want to share it with the world (I’m sure you can relate – after all, that ‘reblog’ button is there for a reason!).

A couple of days ago I was reading a post by Tsholo Pooe on his excellent blog ‘Boammaaruri’ (click here to visit) and was so impressed with the piece that I asked Tsholo if he would let me turn his post into an essay format and offer it as a free download from my blog. He was very happy for me to do so.

To find out more and download Tsholo’s essay (PDF format) simply visit my Essays page and scroll down – you’ll find the essay just above the copyright notice at the bottom of the page.

Let me know if you enjoy the essay as much as I did!

Advent Songathon (7 Dec)

Hi friends! I was all set to share a wonderful piece of choral music with you today, but something landed in my inbox just now that is so amazing I’ve changed my plans. If you’ve been following this Songathon you’ll remember I shared a cover of ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ by Sounds Like Reign. Well, they just released a new cover of the classic Christian song ‘In Christ Alone’, and you simply have to hear it!

Advent Songathon (6 Dec)

I spent several years attending Hillsong Church London. Some of my most precious moments with God happened in that church setting and I’m sure most of you will be familiar with the church and the wonderful worship music of Hillsong United. In today’s Songathon post, I want to share one of my favourite songs from the Hillsong worship team.

‘Elohim’ is one of the Hebrew names of God found in the Bible, and is used to refer to God as Creator of the world (though it’s a difficult word to translate into English). In this song, Elohim is magnified and exalted, and I love the simple but powerful chorus which repeats throughout. If you enjoy this live version, there is also a stripped back studio version which you can find on YouTube.

Advent Songathon (5 Dec)

I’ve featured a lot of music by American artists so far on the Songathon, so today I’ll mix things up a bit with something distinctly British and very traditional. This hymn is one of my favourites. It dates back to 1719 and the words are a paraphrase of the 90th Psalm. The simple step-like melody is deeply affecting and for me the hymn powerfully evokes the ancientness of God.

Written by William Croft (melody) and Isaac Watts (lyrics) this song is a staple of Anglican church services throughout the year, but is also often sung on special occasions – it was, for instance, sung at the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. I hope you enjoy this version, which is the most popular on YouTube and I absolutely love it.

Advent Songathon (4 Dec)

This morning I had to deal with some frustrating admin stuff. Nothing major, just paying bills, making enquiries, booking appointments – that kind of thing. All of which is to say, I need to let off some steam, so today’s Songathon post will be a slice of Christian metal from Californian rockers Sleeping Giant.

My good friend Anthony (hello if you’re reading buddy!) introduced me to this band earlier in the year, and this song was a kind of ‘summer anthem’ for me. I had it on repeat for a while and I love its energy. This might not be for everyone, but on the other hand, it might be for someone

Leibniz’ Contingency Argument

Why is there something rather than nothing? This is a question that many deep-thinking people have asked throughout the ages. It is the focus of this blog (and of my life) to try to understand the nature of existence, and of the God who I believe created the universe.

In the video embedded below, God is described in a way that makes excellent sense to me. The following definition of God is one that I would agree with, although it is of course not exhaustive – there are many other things that could be said about God’s nature:

God is the extremely powerful, uncaused, necessarily existing, non-contingent, non-physical, immaterial, eternal being, who created the entire universe, and everything in it.

One thing that I would add is that although I believe God is immaterial essentially, I do believe the universe exists ‘within God’ and so the matter that is contained within the universe is part of God and an expression of Him. The reason why I say God is immaterial essentially is because all matter could cease to exist, and God would still exist perfectly and wholly.

I hope that you enjoy this video, which I think is extremely well-produced and presents Leibniz’ argument in a clear and simple way. If there is anything about the video that you don’t like, disagree with, or would like to elaborate upon, feel free to leave a comment below.

Advent Songathon (3 Dec)

In yesterday’s post I mentioned J.D. Sumner, as he used to perform a cover of Wayfaring Stranger, which was the song I shared. Today’s Songathon song is Sweet Sweet Spirit, performed by J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, which is one of my favourite gospel songs and was actually Elvis’s favourite spiritual song too.

When I get married one day I’d like to play this song at my wedding as I believe it is so touching and powerful and really ushers in the presence of God. I have shed many a tear listening to various versions of song, and have often felt the overwhelming presence of God while listening. Music can be so powerful!