I just saw an amazing movie. It is called The Truman Show. (1998) The star of the movie, Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey) discovers one day that his life is a reality tv show. Through a series of singular events, Burbank becomes curious about his world. He attempts to escape from the city that his adopted author created. In the end, Burbank faces the option of either staying in the perfect world where he is nurtured and cared for by the author, or leaving and discovering the real world. Possibilities and new expectations remain in the air as the director of the movie (Peter Weir) cuts the film just as Truman Burbank walks out of the controlled universe created for him.
Now I'm definitely not a fan of science fiction. The closest movie I ever got to liking in that genre was The Matrix. Nonetheless, I always love good story lines that take slightly different spins on what we consider to be the ordinary. After watching the movie, I was simply taken back. There is so much that is woven into the plot. The Truman Show pulled several strings in my heart and opened several doors of inquiry in my mind.
There is a quote from the movie that remains with me. When the author of the show is being interviewed he says, "We accept the reality of the world with which we're presented." This is an interesting concept. To a certain degree, we take the world around us at face value. Geographically, we know that life can be completely different on the other side of the world, or on a seperate continent. Spiritually, we have an abiding premonition that there's something more to this life. Ecclesiastes 3.11 tells us that God has placed eternity in our minds, so that we would seek after it, but never understand it entirely.
Another thought that strikes me is how unique people are. Do you ever considered how much of an irony it is for an actor to play the starring role in a biography? The only person who can ever do as much with the circumstances, background and characteristics that you have... is you. No one else can play your life. But we also need to remember that our lives were given to us by God. The world will always tell us that we are who we choose to be; however, this is not true. King Solomon tells us, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." (Proverbs 16.9) Our task is set before us and the wise man will follow after God. No one will be walking off this set without scripting from God.
I will leave you all with a few questions. Does God exist to relate to us? Do we exist to relate to each other, or do we exist to relate to God? While Truman Burbank leaves a world of facades for a real world, he also leaves a relationship with the author for a relationship with other people. Given, the author in The Truman Show was by no means an accurate portrayal of our Heavenly Father.
This is your show and everybody's watching. How are you going to relate to your Author?
~Curtis~
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About Me
- Curtis
- Father, husband and currently in-between jobs. Just relocated to Michigan from Nebraska and am on the hunt for work! These are my musings about life so far and what I've done.
My hang-outs on the internet
- Generation MOVE
- Hebron Bible Church Blog
- I am Standing Here
- The Upward Momentum Blog
- The Rebelution Blog
- LoLcats
- Kidd's Closet!
- Mary's Blog
- Small Town Proser
- In Transit
- Full Of Sound And Fury
- Here I Go
- The Little Things
- The Journal of Strings
- So There I Was
- The Things I Think About
- Rae's Blog
- Teen2teens
- The Rebelution Forum
- The Rebelution-- Home to the incredible ministry of Alex and Brett Harris! Check out their upcoming events and articles!
- Upward Momentum--The ministry of Curtis and Preston! Check out our home page, our blogs, or our forum!
- My Facebook--It's one of my several blogs. Check it out if you get time and send me a friend request!
- My Myspace--This is in fact my beauteous myspace! It currently suffers from lack of use because people have moved on to Facebook. But oh well. It's there for anyone who might still use it.
- AsYetUnNamed.com--The fantastic forum! It's run by George the Benevolent. Check out their many boards, arcade games and archived podcasts!
Quotes
"Eat well, stay fit, die anyway."
- Anonymous
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."
- Abba Eban
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
- Oscar Wilde
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow
"You have delighted us long enough."
- Jane Austen
"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
- Winston Churchill
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
- Anonymous
"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives."
- Abba Eban
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
- Oscar Wilde
"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow
"You have delighted us long enough."
- Jane Austen
"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
- Winston Churchill
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."
- Abraham Lincoln
27 comments:
Good thoughts Curtis! I'm glad you liked the movie and that it inspired so many good thoughts! Like I said, it just kinda wigged me out the first time I watched it. "What if someone's watching through MY windows or mirrors?" But this is a good point, people ARE watching... what am I showing them?
thanks pal!
I love that movie!!
I am glad you got such great wisdom from it Curtis and again you amazed me with how wonderfully spiritual you can be.
You made me think about my stage and show. Hmm maybe I should start preforming better?
Have an awesome day bro!!
Jessica
Thanks y'all! Yea, it's one of those unique movies that really gets your wheels turning. I like movies like that. :) Y'alls should be proud of me, lol. I had a whole paragraph written up about predestination, but I decided to pull it. *grins*
Ok call me stupid, what is predestination?
Jessica
*sigh* Lol, I really didn't want to get into explaining it on here. Look up Romans 9. That's the best passage in the Bible that describes it. Think of it as pre(before) -destination(think destiny or destination, lol) It's a predetermined destiny, essentially. It's an extremely controversial topic. (hence, you should be proud of me for not going there, lol) I can actually go on and on about it, because I believe in predestination.
NVm About the predestination thing, i figured it out. Which makes me wonder ever read Blink? It is really good!
Jessica
Ok I deleted it lol. and feel free to delete anything you'd like.
*Spammer alert* make sure you check out my next worry wart chapter
Jessica
Lol, otays. I haven't read Blink, but my mom did. Just from what she told me, I don't think I'd agree with Dekker's view. It's not that I'm opposed to reading books that I don't agree with, but I'm almost getting tired of debating freewill/predestination, lol. My mom said that if someone who wasn't in the know about the whole discussion, they might have thought that the main character in the book was using clairvoyancy. (witchcraft) I'm pretty sure that the Bible directly supports predestination.
I just found it to be an interesting way of describing it. I mean people are always saying "If God knows what is going to happen how can we have free will?" Well I thought the book appropriately illustrated how God can see all the possible outcomes depending on what choices we make.
But I am an open book so if you have another opinion than teach me o great one lol.
No but seriously would love to here your thoughts.
Your sis,
Jessica
Shweet. Oddly enough, you won't find the word "freewill" mentioned in the Bible in referral to anything outside the old testament offerings in the sacrificial system. (ESV) The word "predestined" occurs 5 times in the Bible (ESV), 4 or which directly relate to the election of the saints. (Romans 8:29, 30; Ephesians 1:5; Eph 1:11) Just look up the word "chose" and all the times that it refers to salvation, you will find that God has done the choosing. One of the arguments you'll run across on the freewill side is, "God loved us so much that He didn't force His love on us; He gave us the ability to choose Him." You won't find that anywhere in the Bible. A lot of the time, they go to
2 Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
The word in the Greek is literally "wishing." So it is God's desire that all be saved, but justice has to be carried out on sinners. Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death. We did the sinning, so we receive the penalty, which means Hell. We can't decide to accept salvation.
Psalm 14:2,3; "The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."
and...
1 Corinthians 2:14; "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
The Holy Spirit convicts the heart of a man through the Law. When the Bible says "repent and believe" it is only after this work of the Holy Spirit; otherwise, how could the natural man understand or accept the things of God? (the concept of salvation) Repentance and belief are natural responses to Grace. This is known as the doctrine of Irresistible Grace.
"But what about all the poor, starving people in Africa and third-world countries who have never heard the Gospel?" They are no less sinners than the people who have heard the Gospel and have hardened their hearts. (or their hearts have been hardened?) The Bible still refers to everybody when it says that the wages of sin is death. Even those who have not heard, still know that they have sinned.
Romans 2:14, 15; "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them."
"But why would a loving God send people to Hell?" God is a perfect Being. His attribute of love cannot over-shadow His attribute of justice. Remember that He still had to send His only Son to the cross because of this justice. It's an act of Grace that He saves any of us.
Romans 9:15-23; "For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honored use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory?"
This is the doctrine of predestination in an extended nutshell, lol. As far as I can see, the case for predestination is much stronger in the Bible than the case for freewill.
*grins* I think this also takes the cake for some serious blommenting, lol.
What do you think? I'd strongly recommend that you check it out yourself. Romans 9 is an excellent place to start.
Ttyl, sis!
~Curtis~
Oh and a side note, lol. I do think that we have a certain amount of "freewill", just not as it applies to the plan of salvation. God chose and God did the predestining, but we still have to grow in our faith. God gives us room to move around to prove out trust in Him. We are not "puppets" or "robots". I don't even really like to use the word "freewill" to refer to this freedom, because of its a connotation of choosing redemption It's just one of those "sticky" words that even some theologians try to avoid.
And another thing, if man can choose salvation, then man can loose salvation. God needed to choose man. It had to rest entirely on His shoulders, because only He can keep our salvation secure. Remember the Abrahamic Covenant? God put Abraham into a deep sleep so that only God would be the one who was obligated to keep His word on the Covenant. (Genesis 15) This is a picture of our salvation. God chose us from before the beginning of the world and sealed our salvation with the Blood of the Cross and the indwelling Holy Spirit so that it was entirely God's responsibility. God did it because He knew we couldn't. To me, that is a greater picture of love than the idea that we chose God.
Like I said though, check it out for yourself. Do not take my word for any of this. A good student will always ask questions and look things up on their own. These are simply the reasons why I believe in predestination.
Ttyl for reals this time, lol,
~Curtis~
You are the greatest Curtis. Thanks for the info. I actually did read romans 9 with translation because simply put, it was really confusing. Now I will come right out and say that I think there is a lot in the bible that will always be debated and that we will never truely understand even a percentage of what it is trying to tell us but here are my thoughts and questions o great teacher.
First off let me see if I got this right or if I am totally off the chart. Basically predestination is just hope it sounds. All destiny is all ready decided by the one true ruler. Nothing we do, say, or try will change what God has already decided. The grace of God is a gift and a blessing that he chooses when to use.
So here are my questions.
Where does faith fall in? If nothing we do matters than why do we need to believe or try?
Also God is merciful and God is love so why would a God of love or mercy condemn innocent people who have never heard God (Which would included babies) be sent to hell? I am still a little confused at that.
Alright o great teacher (which btw is your new nickname) answer this.
Thanks for the Blomment!
Your sister in Christ,
Jessica
"Where does faith fall in? If nothing we do matters then why do we need to believe or try?"
Faith comes after repentance and belief. The Holy Spirit gives us the conviction for repentance and belief, but God expects us to exercise faith. It's like prayer. God knows all our needs, but He still wants us to ask Him anyway.
Philippians 4:6; "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."
I'm not saying that man is a robot. God gives us choices everyday of our lives. The only thing that He didn't give us a choice in, was salvation.
"Also God is merciful and God is love so why would a God of love or mercy condemn innocent people who have never heard God (Which would include babies) be sent to hell?"
But see, people aren't innocent. Romans 3:23; "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Everybody has transgressed God's law. But everybody is a sinner by inheritance, too. This doctrine is known simply as Inherited Guilt. Paul says in Romans 5:18 that everyone inherits sin because of Adam.
"Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men."
Everybody is a sinner by practice and a sinner by lineage. Now, I can't back this up with Scripture, but I think I can safely say that God saves babies who die because of His Grace.
See, so many people keep thinking of salvation on their terms instead of on God's terms. Man is nothing. Man is sinful. Man is a created being. God is perfect. God can do anything He wills to do. God is love, but He is also justice and holiness. What has man done to deserve salvation? Why does man even deserve to live? We don't. The only reason we exist, is Grace. It always has been. And this Grace glorifies God.
Thanks for the questions, O Great Student, lol. I hope that this all makes sense. It took me forever to type out. Let me know if you're still fuzzy on something and you want clarification. I'd be glad to try to get some answers to you!
Ttyl, sis!
~Curtis~
Ok so I can never really be all that clear on this one o great teacher so let me put it in these terms. Is a person went into a foreign country with out knowing the laws and the break a law are they still held responsible? In the same accord, if we have sinned but do not know the way to salvation than are they to die for something they can not control?
Also if nothing we do matters why can't we just sin and run a mock. If no matter what God is going to choose whether or not he wants to give grace than why bother trying, whats the point? I mean even if I don't believe I still have just as much chance as an atheist right?
I am so confused O great teacher lol.
BTW check out my blog I posted another one.
"If a person went into a foreign country with out knowing the laws and the break a law are they still held responsible?"
Yes, they are. I have Bible verses to back this up, too. Paul talks about this in Romans 2:12,13;
"For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified."
Paul is literally saying here, that if you sin even without knowing God's perfect standard, you will still perish. It may sound a little harsh, but the fact remains (and Paul mentions it) that those who have not heard will still come to judgment. If you break the law of a foreign country without knowing it, are you still a law-breaker? By the letter of the law, anyone who breaks it must pay the penalty, whether they were aware of it or not. God's Law is unforgiving. Thank God His Grace is forgiving, though. So for everyone who is still under the Law and not under Grace, yes, they still have to pay the penalty for being sinners, whether they knew it or not. The Law is harsh and unyielding.
"Also if nothing we do matters why can't we just sin and run a mock."
Lol, why? Because we now have a new responsibility toward God. Since God died for our sin, we are now dead to it. Paul pretty much answers your question directly in Romans 6:1,2;
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?"
We have been freed from sin. Think of it like this: A prince came from a distant land to look at this old dungeon. The jailer said, "You may free anyone you wish, as long as you pay the set bail." The prince paid the bail and walked through the dungeon, picking out the men he wanted to set free. After selecting the ones he wanted to, he undid their shackles and led them outside. Now, they were no longer bound to the jailer; they were bound to the one who paid for their freedom. They could still wander back to the dungeon, but they would never become slaves of the jailer again. The prince encouraged them to start working around on his lands so that his kingdom would be completed.
We are the the former prisoners of sin. Christ came, paid the penalty for our sins and picked us out. We are now encouraged to evangelize, grow in faith and work for the Kingdom of Heaven, instead of wandering back to the practices of sin.
Oh, and this will really cook your noodle, lol:
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them." (Romans 1:18,19)
The unrighteous actually suppress the truth when they have it. The atheist had to know that there was a God before he could decide and proclaim that he didn't believe one existed. How can you deny something you didn't know existed? And if the Holy Spirit truly convicts you of your sin, you wont be able to help repenting and believing. If God draws you, you will come. That's pretty much the short and the long of it, lol. Everybody suppressed the truth somehow before they were saved.
Lol, in case you haven't noticed this, I use the book of Romans quite a lot. That's because Romans really contains a lot of really good theology.
Catcha later, Mater!
~Curtis~
Later mater hehee. Sorry seen that movie enough times to write the script and I believe the line is actually will talk later mater lol.
Anyway thanks for the answers bro, I can tell you really know your stuff. BTW I had no intentions of becoming an atheist or running a muck but I thought they were good questions lol. But you barely broke a sweat, amn I need to try harder lol. I wonder though where did the thought of free will come from? If no where in the bible it mentions free will, where did this concept come from o great teacher?
Was that floating like a Cadillac or stinging like a beamer? Ok sorry couldn't resist.
Jessica
*Opens mouth*
*Closes mouth*
...
*Walks away*
ah um what?
Lol, Jo happens to believe that we have freewill. *silly Jo, I know* Well, actually in a way we have freewill. *grins* ...Just not in salvation... And the thing is, each time I look into it, my belief is reaffirmed. I'll find new passages that point to predestination. I'm not saying that I know all the answers when it comes to the Bible, but I know that everything in the Bible works together as a complete work. See, to me, predestination just fits together so nicely and makes the most sense.
*sips a caramel latte*
But as far as where the idea of freewill came from, I really don't know. In church history many people will think over an idea and then finally one man will use a certain word in his description of the concept. This word eventually becomes the "catch-word" for that particular doctrine and people will use it from that time on, even though it wasn't that man's original idea. That's the best answer I have off the top of my head for that one. If you really want to know where it comes from though, I know where to find out.
Ttyls!
~Curtis~
Not really lol. But you finally got winded it sounds like lol. So umm lets get into something really deep, how do you feel about Capital Punishment? NO PLEASE don't answer that. I am just kidding. Have a great day Curtis and Time to update. I know I have kept you busy but I have been cracking them out about 1 or 2 a day so you are falling behind lol.
Jk friend,
Your sister in Christ,
Jessica
where did the idea of freewill come from?? please. Curtis, the idea of predestination came from John Calvin (who, for the record, actually had a man burned at the stake). before John Calvin, everybody believed in freewill.
*thinks about stopping now but decides not to*
And you said that if we "chose" salvation then we can "unchoose" it, but that's not what I believe, or what any of the people who think the way I do believe either. I've never heard anyone say that in my life. I dont believe that we chose salvation. that is very blatantly unbiblical. salvation is a gift, yes. gifts are not forced things. we did not choose to be given the gift, but we can act in obedience to God and accept it, or we can be rebellious and not accept it. and if we DO accept it, we cant just say, "Here, you can have this back now." if we (for some reason) dont want it anymore, because that would entail God taking it back, which he wont do. we're stuck with it, like it or not.
that's all I'm going to say about this topic. I know what I think and why I think it, and so do you, and I dont plan on changing my mind, and neither do you. so I've decided not to argue anymore simply for the sake of a debate.
Can we still be friends even if I dont want to argue about predestination vs. freewill???
;)
I have to say you guys are awesome. your knowledge of the bible and its many winding roads far surpasses mine. I appreciate the help that both of you have been in answering all my silly questions. And the best part is that we can all debate about this and have different opinions with out it blowing friendships. My personal opinion falls to one verse "For who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I believe in God and I know I am going to heaven. i also know that it is part of my duty to get as many people to Christ as possible so they can share in the gift of salvation. I know there is a heaven and a hell. And I know God is love. That is where I end. The rest I will figure out when I get there.
thanks dear friends,
Jessica
Well of course we can still be friends! But the blood is just starting to flow... and it is hunting season you know... *grins* If you don't want to argue, then don't read on.
*ahem*
That being said, the idea of predestination certainly did not come from Calvin. Sure, he was a theologian who discussed it and organized some basic points about it, but he in no way came up with it. If you want a name behind the doctrine of predestination, you should look up The Apostle Paul for that. You're right though; people did believe in freewill way before Calvin came along. *winks* Actually, Augustine was a big champion for freewill.
But I think I see the logic behind your statements. (finally, lol, after so long of not being able to figure it out) We don't choose the gift; we simply either accept it or we don't accept it. I have a quick question though, isn't that the same as choosing to accept it, though? Because a decision has to be made, which implies that somebody has to make that decision. I think we can all agree that the Gift is free, that it is from God and that God offers this free Gift to everybody on His green earth. But right now it sounds like you're saying that we are the ones who make the decision to either accept the Gift or to not accept the Gift. (doesn't this sound like "choosing" the Gift?) Just a thought. You don't have to take me up on this question if you don't want to. I'm only wondering. They just sound so close *in concept* to me. We can still be friends even if you don't agree with me. :)
And Jess, you are totally right on. The doctrines of freewill and predestination shouldn't effect our witnessing to unbelievers. And none of us will hit the nail exactly on the head while we remain on this earth. But it's fun to try! Lol.
Again, don't let this get too serious. Maybe I already did, but I'm still learning after all this. I have tons of questions about freewill and predestination that I want to ask God when I get to Heaven. Sometimes I get a little excited about what I believe, lol.
Ttyls! Thanks for putting up with me for so long! A new blog will be coming... soon!
~Curtis~
Well hurry up already bro lol!
Jessica
And you guys are awesome. It has been really great talking with you guys!
Like I already said, no more from me (Even though it's hard...so hard...). I like what you said, Jessica. you are completely right. Faith of children is all we're told to have, not all the answers.
(Even thought I DO have all the answers!)
(That was a joke...)
(But seriously...)
;)
Child like faith is wonderful. i love when my little sister says things like "mommy I saw an angel!" no adult go around seeing angels on a regular basis. It is awesome!
And yes Jo we know that you do, but if you told us all now, where would the adventure of life be right? lol
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