The Danger of Misjudging God

Tom Ascol

The depravity of the human race has been blatantly displayed in every place throughout all of history. The Apostle Paul was clearly right when he said, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

This truth is illustrated every day. We see riots in the streets, corruption in government, perversion in marriage, and then, of course, there is plenty of sin remaining in our very own flesh. The Reformer, John Calvin, taught that such things should turn our gaze to God. He wrote, “Indeed, our very poverty better discloses the infinitude of benefits reposing in God. The miserable ruin, into which the rebellion of the first man cast us, especially compels us to look upward.”

We have all sorts of trouble down here because we have neglected to look up there. We are made in the image of God. But many have forgotten God, leaving the phrase “image of God” meaningless. Now is a time to know God and worship Him. Calvin also said, “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” Man no longer knows himself. But there is no way to rediscover the truth about man without first coming to a true knowledge of God.

This presentation was given by Dr. Tom Ascol on January 21, 2021 at the Founders “The Only God” national conference in Southwest Florida.

Tom Ascol has served as a Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, FL since 1986. Prior to moving to Florida he served as pastor and associate pastor of churches in Texas. He has a BS degree in sociology from Texas A&M University (1979) and has also earned the MDiv and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas. He has served as an adjunct professor of theology for various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary, the Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary, African Christian University, Copperbelt Ministerial College, and Reformed Baptist Seminary. He has also served as Visiting Professor at the Nicole Institute for Baptist Studies at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Tom serves as the President of Founders Ministries and The Institute of Public Theology. He has edited the Founders Journal, a quarterly theological publication of Founders Ministries, and has written hundreds of articles for various journals and magazines. He has been a regular contributor to TableTalk, the monthly magazine of Ligonier Ministries. He has also edited and contributed to several books, including Dear Timothy: Letters on Pastoral Ministry, The Truth and Grace Memory Books for children and Recovering the Gospel and Reformation of Churches. He is also the author of From the Protestant Reformation to the Southern Baptist Convention, Traditional Theology and the SBC and Strong and Courageous. Tom regularly preaches and lectures at various conferences throughout the United States and other countries. In addition he regularly contributes articles to the Founders website and hosts a weekly podcast called The Sword & The Trowel. He and his wife Donna have six children along with four sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law. They have sixteen grandchildren.