Father,

I believe You. I believe that You are the Potter and I am the clay, and that every detail of my life—past, present, and future—is in Your hands. You have written all my days before even one came to be. You are not reacting to me; You are forming me.

And yet… I confess, Lord, I struggle. I know You are in complete control, and I rest in that truth—but I still wrestle with my failures, my mistakes, my regrets. I look back at things I’ve done, the paths I’ve taken, and wonder, “Was that the best way?” I see the faces of my children and ache to know what is best for them. I want to lead them well, but I also know that even their choices, their future, and their faith are in Your sovereign hands, not mine.

I live knowing the “snatching away” could come at any moment—that You could call us into the air and change us in the twinkling of an eye. But I also wake up each morning to a world in which bills still need paying, and a future that still seems to need planning. I hold this tension—longing for Your call home, but also wanting to be faithful here.

I have dreams, Lord. Some are small and some are big. I imagine things I’d like to see, places I’d like to go, experiences I’d love to have. But I know… when You clothe me in immortality and give me the mind of Christ, my desires will be different. Some dreams may remain, others may fade away in the light of Your glory. And yet, here I am—still wanting them now. How do I hold these longings loosely without letting them take over my heart?

I know the answer is in You. I know the answer has always been You. Whether my current dreams match the ones I will have in Your kingdom or whether You replace them with something far greater, my life is safe in Your plan. Still, I need You to teach me how to live today—with joy, with wisdom, and with hope—while trusting You completely for tomorrow.

Thank You for never leaving me. Thank You for ordering my steps even when I stumble. Thank You for loving my children more than I ever could. Thank You for the certainty that You will finish the work You began in me.

I am Yours. Completely. Even in my confusion, even in my longing, even in my failures—You are still the Potter, and I am still the clay. Shape me however You see fit.

Reflection & Response: Living Honestly Under a Sovereign God

If you’ve read this far, you know the truth: God is not merely watching history unfold—He is writing it. Every detail, every decision, every breath, is in His hands. The Potter does not lose control of the clay.

And yet, knowing this doesn’t always remove the tension. We still feel the pull between what we know in our minds and what we wrestle with in our hearts. We still grieve over past mistakes. We still question the “what ifs.” We still wonder how to plan for tomorrow while expecting the “snatching away” at any moment.

The letter you just read is my way of being honest before God about that struggle. Not to doubt His sovereignty, but to bring my confusion, desires, and regrets into His light. It is in the bringing that we find peace. Because God doesn’t just ordain the outcomes—He also ordains our prayers, our tears, our longing, and even our wrestling.

Here’s the takeaway:

• You can trust God’s control and still admit your fears.
• You can plan for the future while knowing He might call you home before you see it.
• You can dream, even if you know those dreams might change when you stand in His presence.

Don’t wait until you have “the mind of Christ” to talk to Him about the mind you have now. The same God who planned your first breath has already planned your last—and every moment in between. That includes the moments when you’re unsure how to live, how to love your children, how to spend your time, or how to balance longing for heaven with life on earth.

The key is not to figure it all out. The key is to keep placing it all—your past, your plans, your pain—back into the Potter’s hands. He’s not just shaping the outcome; He’s shaping you in the process. And when the work is finished, you’ll see that every detail, even the ones you couldn’t understand, was part of His perfect design.

When Did God Give Us Free Will? Scripture’s Answer: Never

1. God Wrote Our Story Before It Began (Psalm 139:16)

David declares:
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

From the womb, before our first breath, every detail of our existence was already scripted by God. If our days are written before we live them, how can we claim autonomy? Free will would mean the ability to alter what God has decreed—but Psalm 139 says plainly that our days are ordained, not optional.

Real-world example: No one chooses the day of their birth, the family they are born into, their genetic code, or the circumstances that shape them. If we cannot even control the beginning, why assume we suddenly gain independence later?

2. God Is the Source of Life and Motion (Acts 17:25–28)

Paul declares in Athens:
“He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything… In Him we live and move and have our being.”

If every breath, every heartbeat, and every step exists in Him, then we cannot step outside His plan. Even rebellion is only possible because He grants life and breath to rebels. Independence from God is as impossible as a fish living outside water—it would cease to exist.

3. God’s Sovereignty Over Human Choice (Romans 9)

Paul anticipates the objection: “Is there injustice with God?” after showing that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart and loved Jacob before he was born. Paul answers: “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”

This eliminates “free will” as the basis of salvation. Pharaoh’s choices were not independent but directed by God’s hand for His purpose (Romans 9:17). If the most powerful king’s heart is in God’s control, how much more ours?

Real-world example: A chess grandmaster controls the board, not by moving every piece, but by directing the flow of the game. Each piece has apparent “freedom,” yet the master dictates the outcome. Likewise, God orders history.

4. Death and Resurrection Are God’s Work, Not Ours (1 Corinthians 15:21–28)

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
Notice: death came without our will, and resurrection will come without our will. Both are imposed realities.

Paul then looks to the end:
“When all things are subjected to Him… then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.”

History doesn’t climax with autonomous creatures making independent choices—it ends with everything brought under God’s headship. If the final state is God all in all, then autonomy never existed in the first place.

5. The Cosmic Scope of Christ’s Cross (Colossians 1:15–20)

Paul describes Christ as:
“The image of the invisible God… by Him all things were created… in Him all things hold together… and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace by the blood of His cross.”

From creation to reconciliation, Christ is the mediator and sustainer. Nothing slips outside His control. Independence would mean something could exist, live, or decide apart from Him—but Paul says all things are held together in Him and reconciled by Him.

The Logical Flow

1. Before birth: God wrote our story (Psalm 139).
2. During life: Every breath is sustained by Him (Acts 17).
3. In choices: God directs hearts and wills (Romans 9).
4. In death and resurrection: We do not choose either—God ordains both (1 Corinthians 15).
5. At the end: All are reconciled through Christ’s cross, with God as all in all (Colossians 1).

At no point is humanity granted independence from God’s will. Free will, as popularly taught, would require a sphere where God has no say. Scripture leaves no such sphere. From beginning to end, God is Author, Sustainer, Director, and Completer.

Conclusion

So, when did God give us free will? Scripture answers: Never.
When did we become independent of Him? At no point.

We are clay in the hands of the Potter, breath in His lungs, and stories already written in His book. To claim autonomy is to deny reality. The gospel is not about exalting human choice but about magnifying God’s sovereignty and the sufficiency of Christ’s cross—“that God may be all in all.” .

Stop Treating God Like He’s Just a Bigger Version of Us

Romans 1:23 warns against exchanging “the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man.” People quote that verse all the time, but deep down, many hate what it actually means — because it exposes how often we think of God as just a bigger, more powerful version of ourselves.

Religious arguments almost always come from that faulty perspective:

“If a human acted this way, it would be controlling — so if God acts this way, He must be controlling.”

That’s wrong thinking.

The Human Perspective vs. God’s Reality

Here’s the problem: as humans, we are separate from one another. I’m not living inside you, you’re not living inside me. Because of that, we assume the same is true with God — that He’s “out there” somewhere, interacting with us from a distance. But scripture says otherwise:

• “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
• “He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25).

We don’t live, move, and exist in our spouse, our friend, or our parents. Our relationships with humans are a back-and-forth exchange — I give you something you don’t have, you give me something I lack.

The Flawed Analogy

Because that’s how human relationships work, we start thinking God works the same way:

• “I can give encouragement to my friend when they’re down — maybe I can give God something He doesn’t have.”
• “I can forgive my spouse when they’re wrong — maybe I can give God my forgiveness, my loyalty, my faith.”

But that’s the trap. We treat God like He’s a man in need of what we can offer.

God Is the Source, Not a Receiver in Need

The reality? God lacks nothing. He is not a man who needs to be given anything in order to be complete.

• “Who has given to the Lord that He should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11)
• “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” (Romans 11:36)

God isn’t just someone we interact with — He is the source of everything. That includes your very ability to breathe, think, believe, repent, and act.

Real-World Example

Think about the ocean. Every fish lives in it, moves in it, and exists because of it. The fish can’t “give” the ocean something it doesn’t already sustain. Every wiggle of its fin, every bubble it exhales — all of it is possible only because the ocean surrounds it, supports it, and gives it what it needs to live.

That’s our relationship to God — except infinitely more so. We’re not operating independently and handing God “gifts” from our own little stockpile. Even the gifts we give Him come from His own hand.

The Bottom Line

We cannot give God belief, repentance, or any action under the sun as if they originate in us. They come from Him.

• “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
• “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

God is not a man — and the moment we treat Him like one, we reduce Him to our level and diminish His glory.

ebooks and paperback books:

Evil in the hands of a loving God https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR68ZSB3

Unlearning Christianity: Exposing Christian Myth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQX7NX7D

In Perfect Control: God’s Sovereignty Over all Creatures and Every Detail https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFQ8P9FW

Eternal Shores: A Love story of Grace and Truth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPT3HJMQ

Death Dies: How God Ends the Grave for Everyone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGH2YRY

No Free Will, No Hell https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP32Z8XD

The Potter’s Fire: The End of Empty Religion https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNY9T3SJ

Is Grace Really Free?

“Free grace.” Christians love that phrase. But think about it: free?

Christ went through the cross. He bore sin, entered death itself, and destroyed its power (Hebrews 2:14). That wasn’t free—it cost Him everything. When people call grace “free,” they reveal that their focus is on themselves, not on Christ. They measure grace by human convenience instead of divine sacrifice. If they truly grasped what He endured, they’d never dare call it free.

The Christian Obsession with Human Response

Most Christians sincerely believe they honor God by making the “right decision,” by obeying, or by responding properly to the cross. I get it. But here’s the contradiction:

When someone declares that the cross is powerful enough to save all mankind—and that it actually does—why is the knee-jerk reaction always: “So you’re saying we should sin as much as possible”?

That objection exposes the truth: their obedience is rooted in fear of punishment, not thanksgiving. By admitting that without a penalty they would sin freely, they confess that their motivation isn’t love for God, but fear of hell.

Right Living Is Thanksgiving, Not Earning

Yes, obedience matters. Yes, good works flow from faith. But living rightly is not about earning salvation—it is the fruit of thanksgiving for salvation already secured by Christ’s finished work.

The moment someone says your response, your obedience, or your good works determine salvation, they’ve crossed the line from thanksgiving into self-righteousness. At that point, they’ve denied two things:

1. That God alone is God.
2. That Christ alone is Savior.

It’s subtle—but very important.

The Final Word: Christ Saves All

The good news is bigger than most Christians dare to believe. The cross didn’t merely make salvation possible—it accomplished it. For everyone.

Paul declares:

• “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
• “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people’s sins against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)
• “Through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” (Colossians 1:20)

This doesn’t mean all escape judgment. Believers are saved first—the firstfruits of His work (James 1:18, 1 Timothy 4:10). The rest of humanity and creation will come through God’s refining judgments (Isaiah 26:9; Revelation 15:4). But the end is guaranteed: “so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)

Conclusion

Grace isn’t free. It cost Christ everything. But that sacrifice was not wasted, not partial, not dependent on human will. It is universal in scope, unstoppable in power, and final in outcome.

Believers live in thanksgiving now. The rest will learn through judgment. But in the end, all creation will be reconciled, and every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord—to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10–11)

That’s not “free grace.” That’s blood-bought, world-redeeming, creation-restoring grace. And it will save all.

ebooks and paperback books:

Evil in the hands of a loving God https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR68ZSB3

Unlearning Christianity: Exposing Christian Myth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQX7NX7D

In Perfect Control: God’s Sovereignty Over all Creatures and Every Detail https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFQ8P9FW

Eternal Shores: A Love story of Grace and Truth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPT3HJMQ

Death Dies: How God Ends the Grave for Everyone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGH2YRY

No Free Will, No Hell https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP32Z8XD

The Potter’s Fire: The End of Empty Religion https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNY9T3SJ

Introduction: Paul’s Radical Gospel

Even critics who claim the gospel has been twisted, or that Jesus Himself was nothing more than a deception, have no real argument against Paul’s message. Why? Because to purposely corrupt something, you must first understand it. Yet most who dismiss it have never grasped what Paul actually proclaimed.

Paul’s gospel was not second-hand tradition. He did not learn it from Peter, James, or the other apostles. He insists repeatedly that the message he carried came directly “through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). This was the glorified Christ, risen and exalted, breaking into history to reveal the fullness of what the cross accomplished. That alone sets Paul’s gospel apart: it is not a human philosophy, nor a recycled religion, but a divine disclosure from the living Son of God.

The deep meaning of Paul’s gospel lies here: Jesus Christ is not merely a Jewish teacher or failed revolutionary—He is the crucified and risen Lord whose death destroyed sin and whose resurrection guarantees the life of the world. Paul insists, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Christ has been raised, and Paul, who once hunted Christians, became the loudest witness to this truth—not by choice, but by God’s sovereign interruption.

Paul’s radical gospel demonstrates that Jesus is real because only something utterly divine could have taken a man like Saul of Tarsus—a violent persecutor—and turned him into the most passionate herald of the cross. And Paul’s testimony is consistent: all humanity is shut up under sin, but in Christ all are destined to be made alive (Romans 11:32; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

This is not a message that can be invented, for no human would dare craft a gospel that strips mankind of boasting and lays salvation entirely in the hands of God. Paul’s gospel is the ultimate proof that Jesus is who He said He was, and that the risen Christ continues to act, not in theory, but in history.

Paul’s Radical Gospel: To Know Christ No Longer After the Flesh

2 Corinthians 5:16–17 – “So that we, from now on, know no one according to the flesh. Yet even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, nevertheless now we know Him so no longer. So that, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The Misunderstanding of Religion

Every religion today, and even many believers in Paul’s own day, make the same mistake: they seek to cling to the terrestrial Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, the man who walked the dusty roads of Judea, the teacher of parables and miracles “in the flesh.”

That’s all Christianity today talks about: “What would Jesus do?” “Imitate the earthly Jesus.” Sermons repeat His earthly walk, His compassion, His teachings. But Paul makes a radical declaration: “We no longer know Christ this way.”

Back then, men literally walked beside Him. They ate with Him, they heard His voice, they saw Him crucified. Yet Paul insists that this “knowing” is not the true basis of salvation.

Paul’s Revolutionary Teaching

Why such a strong statement? Because the cross and resurrection transformed everything.

• Romans 6:9–10 – “Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more; death has no dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in that He lives, He lives to God.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 – “All is of God, Who reconciles us to Himself through Christ and gives us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them…”

Paul declares that knowing Christ merely “after the flesh” misses the point: His mission was not to set up an earthly kingdom, but to abolish sin and death for all creation.

Christ as Sin for Us

Paul’s words are staggering:

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For Him Who knew no sin, He makes to be sin for our sakes, that we may be becoming God’s righteousness in Him.”

Christ did not just forgive sins. He became sin itself. He absorbed it, bore it, destroyed it in His death. If Paul were a liar, a fraud, or a deceiver, how could he possibly invent such a revelation? No Jewish Pharisee in his right mind would fabricate a Messiah who becomes sin itself to reconcile not just Israel but the entire world.

The New Creation Reality

To be “in Christ” is not to imitate His earthly ministry, but to participate in His risen life:

• Romans 8:1–2 – “There is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus frees you from the law of sin and death.”
• Colossians 1:20 – “Through Him to reconcile all to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, whether those on earth or those in the heavens.”

Paul proclaims nothing less than a new creation. The old humanity, tied to Adam, bound by law and sin, has died at the cross. A new humanity, born in Christ, has already begun and will encompass all creation.

If Paul Were a False Apostle…

Think about it: if Paul were only a deceiver or “false apostle,” where could such radical truths come from? Could a mere man invent the idea that:

• God was in Christ reconciling the world (not just Israel) to Himself?
• Offenses are no longer reckoned to mankind?
• Sin and death themselves are destroyed in Christ?
• Believers—and ultimately all creation—are not improved versions of the old humanity but are a brand-new creation?

Such a revelation is either the greatest lie in history—or the very gospel of God’s grace entrusted to Paul by the risen, glorified Christ Himself (Galatians 1:11–12).

Conclusion

Paul’s message was not built on tradition, nor on “knowing Christ after the flesh.” It was given by revelation from the glorified Christ. The earthly Jesus saves no one. The crucified and risen Christ saves all.

This is why Paul could boldly say: “We know Him so no longer”—because we now know Him as the One who became sin, destroyed death, and reconciles all creation to God.

🔥 If Paul were false, his gospel would have died in obscurity. Instead, his words echo across centuries, revealing the cosmic Christ who makes all things new.

ebooks and paperback books:

Evil in the hands of a loving God https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR68ZSB3

Unlearning Christianity: Exposing Christian Myth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQX7NX7D

In Perfect Control: God’s Sovereignty Over all Creatures and Every Detail https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFQ8P9FW

Eternal Shores: A Love story of Grace and Truth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPT3HJMQ

Death Dies: How God Ends the Grave for Everyone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPGH2YRY

No Free Will, No Hell https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP32Z8XD

The Potter’s Fire: The End of Empty Religion https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNY9T3SJ

Paul’s Proof: All Are Under Sin

Paul pulls no punches. He doesn’t flatter mankind. He doesn’t offer loopholes. He declares with divine authority that every single human being is under sin—not some, not most, but all. And this truth offends both the religious in his day and the religious today.

Scripture Testimony

• Romans 3:9–12 – “What then? Are we better? Not at all. For we previously charged both Jews and Greeks that all are under sin. As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. All turned aside, together they became useless. There is none doing good; not one.”
• Romans 11:32 – “For God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all.”
• Galatians 3:22 – “But the Scripture locks up all under sin, that the promise by the faith of Jesus Christ may be given to those who are believing.”

Paul declares all humanity—religious or not—equally guilty.

The Religious Problem

Nobody likes to hear this. People want to perform, to prove they are not as sinful as others. They want to show God they are better.

• Romans 10:2–3 – “For I am testifying to them that they have a zeal of God, but not in accord with knowledge. For, ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they are not subject to the righteousness of God.”

Religion clings to works and appearances. But Paul exposes the lie: all come up short.

• Romans 3:23–24 – “For all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus.”

God Chooses the Lowly, Not the Religious Elite

Paul repeatedly shows that God’s plan flips human pride upside down.

• 1 Corinthians 1:27–29 – “God chooses the stupid things of the world, that He may be disgracing the wise, and God chooses the weak things of the world, that He may be disgracing the strong, and the ignoble things of the world, and the contemptible, has God chosen, and things that are not, that He should be discarding the things that are, so that no flesh at all should be boasting in God’s sight.”

The very ones religion writes off as “useless” are the ones God calls. Why? To eliminate boasting.

Christ Died for the Worst, Not the Best

Paul goes further: Christ didn’t die for the righteous, the religious, or the performers. He died for the ungodly, sinners, and enemies.

• Romans 5:6 – “For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the irreverent, died.”
• Romans 5:8 – “God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes.”
• Romans 5:10 – “For if, being enemies, we were conciliated to God through the death of His Son, much rather, being conciliated, we shall be saved in His life.”

The gospel Paul preaches saves those who least deserve it. Religion says: “Clean yourself up first.” Paul says: “Christ saves the unclean.”

Paul Himself as Proof

Paul points to himself as the chief example:

• 1 Timothy 1:15–16 – “Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I. But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian.”

If the worst sinner, a persecutor of the church, is saved, then no one is beyond God’s reach.

The Righteousness of God Alone

Paul demolishes the religious idea that salvation belongs to the smart, the disciplined, or the moral achievers. Instead, salvation is God’s work alone:

• Philippians 3:9 – “…not having my righteousness which is of law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God on faith.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For Him Who knew no sin, He makes to be sin for our sakes, that we may be becoming God’s righteousness in Him.”

Conclusion

Paul consigns all under sin, then drives the point home: God saves the stupid, weak, sinful, enemies, and lowest of all.

Religion says: “The strong, the smart, the obedient are saved.”
Paul says: “The weak, the foolish, the disobedient are saved—so no flesh may boast.”

This is the offense of the cross, and the glory of Christ.

paperback and ebooks:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=books+by+scott+hicko&crid=1ZWT08ATPX411&sprefix=books+by+scott+hicko%2Caps%2C138&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

People say Paul is a false apostle? Of course they do—because they hate his gospel. Think about it: if someone were going to “doctor Scripture” to push a false agenda, what would they add? Would they add, “all are saved” (Romans 5:18–19; 1 Timothy 4:10), “God does it all” (Philippians 2:13), or “where sin increases, grace superabounds” (Romans 5:20)? Not a chance. People doctor Scripture for power, control, money, pride, and self-glory. Never for a message that strips humans of control and gives God all the credit.

Let’s get real. People today chase after visions, dreams, aliens, demons, trips to heaven and hell. They claim secret knowledge from government programs, supernatural encounters, or private revelations. And here I am, left with thirteen letters written by some “nobody” two thousand years ago. And then, to make it worse, some claim Paul is a false apostle. Others say only some of his letters apply. Others claim his words are only for the Jews. Convenient, isn’t it?

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But here’s the kicker: those letters carry more weight than every fake dream, every supposed trip to heaven or hell, and every sensational YouTube vision combined. Why? Because what Paul wrote slices right through human pride, dismantles religion, and exalts God’s sovereignty so completely that people either hate him or twist his words beyond recognition.

1. Paul’s Gospel Could Not Be Human

Let’s be honest—no human mind would ever invent Paul’s gospel. Why? Because it destroys human ego. It declares:

• “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
• “It does not depend on man’s will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy” (Romans 9:16).
• “For God is the One working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

Do you realize how offensive that is to the religious mindset? Human nature craves reward and punishment: “Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, impress God, earn your ticket to heaven.” That’s the American Dream. That was the Pharisee’s dream. That’s every religious system on the earth.

And Paul torched it.

2. Paul: Enemy of the Law, Friend of Grace

• Romans 3:20 – “By works of the law no human being will be justified.”
• Romans 6:14 – “You are not under law but under grace.”
• Galatians 2:16 – “A man is not justified by the works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ.”
• Galatians 3:10 – “All who rely on works of the law are under a curse.”

Who would invent that? Paul was a “Pharisee of Pharisees” (Philippians 3:5). He loved the law. He lived the law. He excelled in the law. If he were making up a message, he would have doubled down on the law and positioned himself as the ultimate authority. Instead, he threw it all away and called it “dung” (Philippians 3:8). No sane Pharisee invents a gospel that cuts his own ladder to pieces.

3. Salvation of All: Humanity Hates It

Paul’s letters repeatedly declare salvation is not for a few, not for the elite, not for those who perform well—but for all:

• Romans 5:18–19 – “As one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:22 – “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
• Colossians 1:20 – “Through Him to reconcile all things to Himself.”
• 1 Timothy 4:10 – “We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”

No human likes this. Why? Because we love hierarchy. We love exclusivity. We love saying, “I chose Christ, I obeyed better, I have more faith, I get in while others burn.” That feeds pride. Paul burned it all to the ground: “Where is boasting? It is excluded” (Romans 3:27).

4. Gentiles Elevated Over Israel

• Romans 10:12 – “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek.”
• Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• Ephesians 3:6 – Gentiles are “fellow heirs, members of a joint body.”

Jews hated this. They wanted Gentiles on the outside, at best second-class citizens. Paul shattered that wall (Ephesians 2:14). He even called Peter out to his face for hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11). That’s why the believing Jews wanted him dead (Acts 21:30–31).

5. Even Peter Admits Paul Is Hard to Understand

Peter himself writes:

“Our beloved brother Paul… wrote to you according to the wisdom given him… There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15–16).

So let me get this straight: Peter admits Paul’s wisdom was “given him” (from God), admits his writings are Scripture, admits they’re hard to grasp—and yet today’s critics say, “Paul’s a false apostle, ignore him.” Really? You think you’ve out-discerned Peter?

6. The Real Reason People Hate Paul

Paul’s message obliterates human pride. He says:

• God chooses, not you (Romans 9:16).
• God saves all, not just the religious elite (1 Timothy 4:10).
• Your law-keeping, your obedience, your “free will” counts for nothing (Ephesians 2:8–9).

That’s why people called him a false apostle in the first century, and it’s why they still do today. They want a system where they perform and God pays them back. They want credit. They want control. Paul—by revelation of the glorified Christ—says: Nope. Christ did it all. God is sovereign. You contribute nothing but the sin He saves you from.

Final Mic-Drop

Where could such a message come from? Certainly not from Paul’s Jewish, law-loving brain. Not from any human—then or now. Humans thrive on reward, punishment, and self-glory. This message—salvation apart from law, grace that exceeds sin, God saving all through Christ, sovereignty that crushes free will, Gentiles raised to equal status—could never have been invented by man.

It came straight from the glorified Christ.

That’s why people hate Paul. That’s why they call him false. Because his gospel tears down everything religion and human pride cling to, and leaves us with one truth: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15)—and He will not fail.

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A Detailed look at God’s Intimate Sovereignty

A potter’s work is one of the most intimate and hands-on crafts in existence, and Scripture’s comparison of God as the Potter and us as the clay (Romans 9:21, Isaiah 64:8) is far richer when you understand what that actually involves.

The Potter’s Detailed Process

When a potter begins, they do not simply throw a lump of clay on the wheel and “see what happens.” Every step is intentional.

1. Selecting and Preparing the Clay – The potter chooses a particular type of clay depending on the intended purpose of the vessel—some clays are coarse and strong for storage jars, others fine and delicate for ornamental work. The clay must be kneaded, purified, and moistened to the right consistency. No step is rushed.
2. Centering the Clay – The potter places the clay on the wheel and centers it, applying steady pressure with both hands to ensure perfect balance. Without this, the vessel will warp or collapse later.
3. Shaping with Precision – Using hands and specialized tools, the potter controls every curve, thickness, and height. Even the subtlest movements of the fingers determine whether the vessel will have a wide mouth or a narrow one, a rounded base or a sharp edge.
4. Correcting Imperfections – If the clay resists, wobbles, or forms unintended ridges, the potter reshapes it on the spot, sometimes collapsing part of the work and beginning again, all while maintaining control over the final design.
5. Detail Work – Handles, spouts, textures, and decorative etchings are added with careful thought to balance, function, and beauty. Each line, indentation, and curve is purposeful, not random.
6. Drying and Firing – Even after shaping, the potter manages the drying process, controlling temperature and timing. The firing stage in the kiln hardens the clay permanently, locking in the shape and function the potter intended from the beginning.

Compared to Creation Without Detail

Contrast this with processes like:

• Pouring molten metal into a mold – Once the mold is made, you simply pour, wait, and remove it. There is little adjustment during the process, and the result is more mechanical and predictable.
• Casting concrete into a frame – It’s fast, rigid, and lacks the nuanced personal shaping that pottery requires.
• Baking bread – While skill is involved, much of the final form depends on the oven, rising, and ingredients rather than the baker’s hands actively shaping every contour throughout the process.

These methods may produce functional items, but they lack the same degree of real-time, constant, intimate interaction that pottery demands.

The Spiritual Parallel

When Scripture says God is the Potter and we are the clay, it’s not a picture of God simply setting things in motion and letting them “take shape” on their own. It’s a picture of total hands-on involvement:

• God selects, prepares, and shapes each life with a specific purpose.
• He applies exactly the right amount of pressure, correction, and care to form the outcome He desires.
• Nothing in the vessel’s final form is accidental—it all flows from His design.
• Even the “imperfections” or reshaping moments are part of His intentional process, not mistakes.

Pottery is about deliberate, personal artistry. The Potter’s hands are on the clay from beginning to end, and the final product is entirely the Potter’s doing. That’s why this analogy obliterates the free-will argument—clay does not choose its shape; it is shaped entirely by the Potter’s will.

And this is why salvation cannot come from human choice. The clay does not decide to become a cup any more than we decide to become believers. Faith is not self-generated—it is shaped into us by the Potter’s own hands. Just as the vessel’s final form is the work of the potter alone, so our justification, sanctification, and eventual glorification are the work of Christ alone. To claim otherwise is to imagine the clay shaping itself and then handing the finished product back to the Potter for approval—an absurdity that denies both the skill of the Potter and the reality of His sovereignty.

The Potter’s Process: Why We Were Not Created Perfect (Yet)

Many believe humanity was created perfect and then “fell” into sin. But Scripture tells a different story. We were not created immortal beings who later lost perfection—we were created mortal from the start, with death already operating in us. Mortality was not an accident; it was part of the design God, the Master Potter, chose for His clay.

Romans 5:12 explains, “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, on which all sinned.” Notice the sequence—death entered through Adam’s sin, and sin thrives in the soil of mortality, death. We sin not because we were once flawless and fell from it, but because death and mortality spread to us by no choice of our own. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:53, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Think of the Potter’s wheel. Clay is never placed on it in a final, finished form. It begins as a lump—soft, shapeless, and easily marred. The potter applies pressure, water, and constant shaping to form the vessel. Sometimes the clay wobbles or collapses, but even this is part of the process. The Potter doesn’t discard it—He reshapes it according to His plan (Jeremiah 18:4).

Likewise, God is using this mortal life—complete with sin and weakness—as part of His creative process. He is not making mistakes and then “fixing” them; He is deliberately shaping us through the reality of our imperfection. Mortality and sin are not the end goal, but tools in His hands.

We will not be perfected until the Potter’s process is complete—when death itself is abolished (1 Corinthians 15:26) and we are clothed with the immortality of Christ Jesus. In that moment, we will be as God intended from the start: perfect vessels for His glory, unmarred by sin, unthreatened by death.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Notice the present tense: we are His workmanship. The shaping is ongoing. The firing of the clay—the stage when the vessel is made permanent—hasn’t happened yet. That will come in the resurrection, when “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

So if you feel unfinished, you are exactly where you should be. The Potter has His hands on you. The pressure, the reshaping, even the flaws you see—these are all part of the masterpiece He is making. Your perfection is yet future, but the process is happening right now. And when He is done, you will be a vessel that reflects His skill, His patience, and His glory forever.