As I type this, I think about one of the things I care about in life. What is that? People. Why do I care about them? God cares about people. For years, I've seen them degraded, disregarded, dehumanized and destroyed. Stereotypes disregard and destroy people. The self-esteem movement taught us how to degrade them. The industry of immorality leads the way into dehumanizing them. And finally, Christians have been excessively judgmental and reclusive from their existing needs. I will start by explaining how people are important.
God created man in His own image. (Genesis 1.26) We have an eternal soul that is a part of us. We must respect mankind because of his soul. Genesis 9.6 says, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." Although God knows the number of a man's days, He will still hold the one accountable who disregarded that image by murdering. James talks about the evil of the tongue in the third chapter of his book.
"With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so." (3.9, 10)
If we profess to be of God, then we must not profane those who bear His image. This is hypocrisy and does not come from the Spirit of God, but from our sinful nature and desires. (James 3.15) A person is important because of his soul.
A person is important because of the life that God gave them. Life is a gift. The Old Testament reminds us that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 7.11). The nation Israel was given specific directions not to eat flesh "with its life, that is, its blood" still in it. (Genesis 9.4) As we saw from Genesis 9.6, God will hold man accountable to the innocent blood he sheds.
"A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?" (Proverbs 20.24) God directs the paths of man. We must remember that God has given everyone a unique background and story that brought them to where they are. The prophet Jeremiah speaks out of this knowledge when he says, "I know, O LORD, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps." (10.23) To disregard this history, is to disregard the work of God through an individual's life.
God made us in His image, that is, with eternal souls. He gave us one of the most precious gifts, life. He also gave us the memories and history that is wondrously unique to every person. And for thousands of years, man has scarred, destroyed and forgotten what God has made.
Stereotypes allow us to categorize people into groups with predetermined feelings, actions, backgrounds and even appearance. We have disregarded soul of that individual we judged as belonging to a stereotype. We have become the judges of who is important to us because of what circles we desire to be a part of. A person is no longer unique because we destroyed in our minds what God has created because of our pleasures.
Self-esteem lifts us up above everyone else. The world told us that we deserve the best and we believed it. In our efforts to make ourselves feel as good as we could about ourselves, we degrade everyone around us. The road to gratification is easy and quick. It does not have places nearby it by which to take rest and thought, neither does it encourage thoughtfulness. The urge to feel good does not care about the feelings of others in its facilitation. Cutting people down is the quickest way to make us appear higher than we really are. It destroys anyone without restraint and disregards everything about them, including their soul, life and history.
Immorality dehumanizes people. Man and a woman become tools of pleasure who live only to gratify it. This is one of the most popular industries in the world next to self-esteem. Men dress to appeal and women dress to appease. Humans are no longer seen in the image of God, but in the image of man. A young girl, raised without a knowledge of the existence her soul very easily becomes a machine of lust. The soul is lost in the enticement of living for the moment and what pleasures that moment offers. Life becomes a right, instead of a gift, just like how every other pleasure becomes a right. Executives of clothing companies, movie industries and record labels all collect their money at the end of the day just like the prostitutes on the street do. Immorality sells, but what is sacrificed in return is gone forever, scars forever and ignores what God has created as unique, eternal and important.
Christians are guilty just as much as the world is. When we disregard who a person is, we do so in God's face. We, as Christians, have judged people by what they wear and what they do even more than the world does. Jesus never refused to heal someone because of who they were or what the world thought of them. He ate with the immoral and sinful people of the world and went to the places where they were to be found. In spite of His example, the Church remains huddled in their Christian bubble, trying to keep ourselves separate from the world in every respect. If we are to fulfill the Great Commission, we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to place a Christian with the Gospel inside the circle of any group of unbelievers.
I become righteously indignant when anyone tells me that I should disregard who a person is and where they come from. Many well-meaning people have slid to that extreme. And this, I believe, dishonors God because of what God has done in that person's life. They act as though God has not been working in that individual's life at all. Christians do more damage to the Gospel when they enter the life of an unbeliever without care for that person's needs and history. I believe that in order to reach someone efficiently with the Gospel, I need to be respectful of their background and be prepared to expend myself on any emotional and physical needs they have as a result of that. Jesus fed thousands of people at once. He "saw" and "had compassion" on the sick and the maimed and He healed them. He set the example for us to follow to attend to those who are needy as a means of preaching the Kingdom of God through. It becomes, then, cruel and unusual for a Christian to ignore these basic needs even for the most righteous of motives and intentions.
I feel very strongly about all of this. I pray that this has touched you, the reader, in a way that will find its application through your life. I do not propose myself as an example to you, but I do propose the life of Christ and His Apostles as servants of God as your examples. I encourage everyone to study the works of Christ and how He offered Himself for our sins. Put your faith into action and find a way to witness to that friend you've known for years who always found a listening ear and a compassionate heart in you. It is just as cruel and unusual to keep the good news of our salvation from the suffering world as it is to ignore their basic needs.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
~Curtis~
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
What do you think when you look into their eyes?
Can't you hear their cries? They're desperate for the Truth. Many of them have nothing left to lose.
John 4.35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."
They sing about it in their songs; they play it out in their movies. Redemption is as close as a word (Romans 10.17).
Acts 17.23 "For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you."
Answer the call to the harvest. The Gospel will fall like rain on a land that is dry and parched. Proclaim what was formerly unknown, but sought after.
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Problem of Evil and Suffering.
Why do bad things happen to good people? How can an Omnibenevolent God create or allow evil? Why is there suffering in this world that a loving God created? This has been a problem that men have wrestled with for thousands of years. Most formalized arguments that I skimmed though ended with the similar conclusion that either God is a flawed, finite being, or that God doesn't exist at all. Christians, specifically, have often been assailed with this issue for nearly as long as men have rebelled against God. While I do not presume to offer the solution to this issue, hopefully I can open up some Scriptures that will shed a little more light on the subject. To begin, I will use some common responses to the problem of evil and show how they are un-Biblical.
One response defines "evil" as an absence of good. Augustine of Hippo (fifth century) asserted that evil was simply a 'privatio boni'-a privation of good. Evil is only the negative form of a good thing and is therefore opposed to it as sort of a contrast (ie, darkness is the absence of light and is also its contrast). This response is commonly called the Contrast Theodicy. If a being is not completely good, then evil will naturally fill in the space like a vacuum. However, this response denies that good and evil are moral judgments. Also, Mankind is inherently evil, so there's never been any capability for good in them to begin with.
"As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'" (Romans 3.10-18)
Romans 3.23; "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."The Bible teaches that we not only "fall short" and that "no one seeks for God," but that we have also inherited guilt from Adam. Psalms 51.5; "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." We were born as sinful beings even before we committed our first offense against God, so that all are in complete rebellion against God even from before birth. Evil in mankind then isn't the "absence of good," but the result of Adam's Fall in combination with our conscious moral judgments (we consciously "turned aside"-Romans 3.12). Romans 5.12 says, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." We inherited guilt and we also trespassed God's laws ourselves.
Another response defines "evil" as a necessary opposite. This concept is known as "Yin and Yang" and is related to the Contrast Theodicy and to dualism. According to Wikipedia, "Yin and Yang (known as "Taiji") is used in Eastern thought to illustrate complementary opposing forces (positive/negative, light/darkness, male/female, heat/cold, good/evil) as an unchangeable and necessary law of nature." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil) Evil can only be defined in terms of its opposite good. But in this dualism there's a little bit of good in the evil and a little bit of the evil in the good. They must always exist because of their opposite and balancing natures toward each other.
Assuming that God is the "good" part, there must be a being who is completely opposite but completely equal in power, knowledge and eternality to God. Isaiah 45.5 says, "I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God" If "there is no other," then God must have a different side to Himself that balances the "good." But Deuteronomy 32.4 says, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." And 2 Samuel 22.31 also says, "This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." There is no evil power that is equal but opposite to God, nor is there a different side to God that is contrary to His nature (see the Law of Non-Contradiction).
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (Isaiah 14.12-15)
This is what the Bible says about the beginning of evil. Satan (Lucifer, or the "Day Star") was the first created being that sinned. The first sin was pride; Satan was lifting up and glorifying himself rather than God. Somehow, Satan had been created with a mind that was capable of conceptualizing malcontent of his own position in relation to God's. I don't know how, philosophically, an omnibenevolent God could have specifically created that mind; but He did and the Scriptures specifically record the Fall of Satan. Next, we will examine how evil entered the world.
When God created the world He made several laws that hold the universe in place. On the second day, God created the atmospheric pressures, the vapor canopy, the layers of the atmosphere and established laws that would keep them in order so that they were complete and "good" (Genesis 1.10). On the third day, He created vegetation, the processes of germination, photosynthesis and reproduction "according to its kind." These cycles operated on specific laws that God created to govern them and allow them to subsist. On the forth day, He created the "lights in the expanse of the heavens" (Genesis 1.14) so that they would mark "signs," "seasons" and "days and years." This is the order of the planetary system and system of stars. Psalms 147.4 says that, "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names."
I could go on through the description of creation, but I can draw my point from the days already mentioned. Everything was created in a specific order and under certain laws that would sustain and contain them in that order so that all things were "good" (Genesis 1.4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). God is pleased in the law and order of the universe. Because laws cause order, when those laws are violated or removed, there must be a specific effect on those things which were previously held in order (IE, disorder).
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2.16, 17)
Next we see a commandment (or law) set in place for mankind. This law keeps the trusting, perfect relationship between God and man in place. The result of violating this law is stated as, "you shall surely die." This was not an immediate physical death (although physical death would be included, it would not be the immediate result directly following), but an immediate separation of the perfect relationship between God and man, a spiritual death. Although mankind had a propositional knowledge of this commandment and the result of its violation, they were still innocent of the experiential knowledge.
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'' (Genesis 3.1-5)
Here is the temptation. Satan presents the option of mistrusting God and discontentment to Eve. Sure, the commandment was always there and so was the opportunity, but Eve had not yet known the sweet but always temporary taste of disobedience which Satan described to her.
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3.6)
Contentment, innocence and obedience were immediately sacrificed for the desire of what was not hers. The law was broken even before she ate, since she mistrusted God already in her heart. Adam also partook of the mistrust and of the act of eating the fruit with Eve. The law that preserved the trusting, perfect relationship was violated and the effect was the forewarned separation by spiritual death. God then cursed the serpent for his deceit, Adam and Eve for their mistrust and the earth as a result of the separation.
Genesis 3.15 however, records the first Messianic prophesy: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Still in the wake of Man's Fall, God promises to send the Redemption of Mankind, His Son, the Son of Man.
Romans 5.12 "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." Sin came from Adam. And all are under the same judgment of death "because all sinned." We inherit sin and we also sin ourselves. We inherit guilt from the former and judgment from the latter. Evil is a result of the disobedience of the Fall.
Why is there suffering then? Why do "bad things happen to good people?" There is suffering partly because of the Fall. But also, we are not "good people" to begin with. What all the formalized arguments failed to consider, was the fact that we merited all suffering and sin because we crossed the line that God drew in the sand, as it were, before the Fall. But where we have transgressed, God is able to "remove our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103.12).
So why does God allow suffering to come to His saints on the earth who are justified in His sight? He allows it because He will work it for our good. Romans 8.28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." But we cannot see the specific good that God will accomplish in suffering on this earth, just as King Solomon talks about life "under the sun" in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is like an enormous tapestry, being woven through us down the passages of time. All we can see from our point of view (or, "under the sun") are the knots and tangles on the bottom. What God sees, is the completed work of beauty and meaning from the topside. While sufferings and injustices occur on the earth, we must remain confident that God is still sovereign in the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3.11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." God has given us a hope and yearning for eternity.
How does an omnibenevolent God allow evil and suffering in the world? I don't know. But I do know that God did not leave the world in its evil and hurting condition. John 3.16, 17 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." We were condemned already because of the Fall, but God sent a Savior into the world to redeem the lost. God endures the wickedness in the world because they will reap their reward at judgment. How are we who are justified in His sight supposed to respond to the evil and suffering in the world? Hebrews 4.16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 10.23 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
2 Thessalonians 2.16, 17; "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
God bless,
~Curtis~
One response defines "evil" as an absence of good. Augustine of Hippo (fifth century) asserted that evil was simply a 'privatio boni'-a privation of good. Evil is only the negative form of a good thing and is therefore opposed to it as sort of a contrast (ie, darkness is the absence of light and is also its contrast). This response is commonly called the Contrast Theodicy. If a being is not completely good, then evil will naturally fill in the space like a vacuum. However, this response denies that good and evil are moral judgments. Also, Mankind is inherently evil, so there's never been any capability for good in them to begin with.
"As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'" (Romans 3.10-18)
Romans 3.23; "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."The Bible teaches that we not only "fall short" and that "no one seeks for God," but that we have also inherited guilt from Adam. Psalms 51.5; "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." We were born as sinful beings even before we committed our first offense against God, so that all are in complete rebellion against God even from before birth. Evil in mankind then isn't the "absence of good," but the result of Adam's Fall in combination with our conscious moral judgments (we consciously "turned aside"-Romans 3.12). Romans 5.12 says, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." We inherited guilt and we also trespassed God's laws ourselves.
Another response defines "evil" as a necessary opposite. This concept is known as "Yin and Yang" and is related to the Contrast Theodicy and to dualism. According to Wikipedia, "Yin and Yang (known as "Taiji") is used in Eastern thought to illustrate complementary opposing forces (positive/negative, light/darkness, male/female, heat/cold, good/evil) as an unchangeable and necessary law of nature." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_evil) Evil can only be defined in terms of its opposite good. But in this dualism there's a little bit of good in the evil and a little bit of the evil in the good. They must always exist because of their opposite and balancing natures toward each other.
Assuming that God is the "good" part, there must be a being who is completely opposite but completely equal in power, knowledge and eternality to God. Isaiah 45.5 says, "I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God" If "there is no other," then God must have a different side to Himself that balances the "good." But Deuteronomy 32.4 says, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." And 2 Samuel 22.31 also says, "This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." There is no evil power that is equal but opposite to God, nor is there a different side to God that is contrary to His nature (see the Law of Non-Contradiction).
"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." (Isaiah 14.12-15)
This is what the Bible says about the beginning of evil. Satan (Lucifer, or the "Day Star") was the first created being that sinned. The first sin was pride; Satan was lifting up and glorifying himself rather than God. Somehow, Satan had been created with a mind that was capable of conceptualizing malcontent of his own position in relation to God's. I don't know how, philosophically, an omnibenevolent God could have specifically created that mind; but He did and the Scriptures specifically record the Fall of Satan. Next, we will examine how evil entered the world.
When God created the world He made several laws that hold the universe in place. On the second day, God created the atmospheric pressures, the vapor canopy, the layers of the atmosphere and established laws that would keep them in order so that they were complete and "good" (Genesis 1.10). On the third day, He created vegetation, the processes of germination, photosynthesis and reproduction "according to its kind." These cycles operated on specific laws that God created to govern them and allow them to subsist. On the forth day, He created the "lights in the expanse of the heavens" (Genesis 1.14) so that they would mark "signs," "seasons" and "days and years." This is the order of the planetary system and system of stars. Psalms 147.4 says that, "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names."
I could go on through the description of creation, but I can draw my point from the days already mentioned. Everything was created in a specific order and under certain laws that would sustain and contain them in that order so that all things were "good" (Genesis 1.4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). God is pleased in the law and order of the universe. Because laws cause order, when those laws are violated or removed, there must be a specific effect on those things which were previously held in order (IE, disorder).
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2.16, 17)
Next we see a commandment (or law) set in place for mankind. This law keeps the trusting, perfect relationship between God and man in place. The result of violating this law is stated as, "you shall surely die." This was not an immediate physical death (although physical death would be included, it would not be the immediate result directly following), but an immediate separation of the perfect relationship between God and man, a spiritual death. Although mankind had a propositional knowledge of this commandment and the result of its violation, they were still innocent of the experiential knowledge.
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'' (Genesis 3.1-5)
Here is the temptation. Satan presents the option of mistrusting God and discontentment to Eve. Sure, the commandment was always there and so was the opportunity, but Eve had not yet known the sweet but always temporary taste of disobedience which Satan described to her.
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3.6)
Contentment, innocence and obedience were immediately sacrificed for the desire of what was not hers. The law was broken even before she ate, since she mistrusted God already in her heart. Adam also partook of the mistrust and of the act of eating the fruit with Eve. The law that preserved the trusting, perfect relationship was violated and the effect was the forewarned separation by spiritual death. God then cursed the serpent for his deceit, Adam and Eve for their mistrust and the earth as a result of the separation.
Genesis 3.15 however, records the first Messianic prophesy: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." Still in the wake of Man's Fall, God promises to send the Redemption of Mankind, His Son, the Son of Man.
Romans 5.12 "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." Sin came from Adam. And all are under the same judgment of death "because all sinned." We inherit sin and we also sin ourselves. We inherit guilt from the former and judgment from the latter. Evil is a result of the disobedience of the Fall.
Why is there suffering then? Why do "bad things happen to good people?" There is suffering partly because of the Fall. But also, we are not "good people" to begin with. What all the formalized arguments failed to consider, was the fact that we merited all suffering and sin because we crossed the line that God drew in the sand, as it were, before the Fall. But where we have transgressed, God is able to "remove our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103.12).
So why does God allow suffering to come to His saints on the earth who are justified in His sight? He allows it because He will work it for our good. Romans 8.28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." But we cannot see the specific good that God will accomplish in suffering on this earth, just as King Solomon talks about life "under the sun" in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life is like an enormous tapestry, being woven through us down the passages of time. All we can see from our point of view (or, "under the sun") are the knots and tangles on the bottom. What God sees, is the completed work of beauty and meaning from the topside. While sufferings and injustices occur on the earth, we must remain confident that God is still sovereign in the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3.11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." God has given us a hope and yearning for eternity.
How does an omnibenevolent God allow evil and suffering in the world? I don't know. But I do know that God did not leave the world in its evil and hurting condition. John 3.16, 17 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." We were condemned already because of the Fall, but God sent a Savior into the world to redeem the lost. God endures the wickedness in the world because they will reap their reward at judgment. How are we who are justified in His sight supposed to respond to the evil and suffering in the world? Hebrews 4.16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 10.23 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
2 Thessalonians 2.16, 17; "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."
God bless,
~Curtis~
Monday, February 11, 2008
Breakthrough!!! Please read!
I've been praying for this girl I know, "Becky" for months and months now. Her life is an incredibly broken road, but she knows that God has been drawing her to Himself. If I have ever poured the most of myself into an unbeliever, "Becky" is the one I have poured myself into! Every time I chat with her, I felt like I always ran up against a brick wall of "works-righteousness," but God gave me the opportunity to break that down today! I shared several verses with her about being "dead" in our trespasses and sins and about how salvation is through faith apart from works. I used several analogies and common sayings to make it real for her, too. Eventually, she said that she had to go and think about everything because she had never looked at salvation that way before. God is sooo amazing, people!
Please tell everybody you know to pray for "Becky." I have asked God that He would give me this one soul and I need everybody to be in prayer for her. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could get a hundred people to pray for this lost one?
~Curtis~
Please tell everybody you know to pray for "Becky." I have asked God that He would give me this one soul and I need everybody to be in prayer for her. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could get a hundred people to pray for this lost one?
~Curtis~
Friday, February 8, 2008
Immutability
So I decided to tackle a rough outline of the immutability of God. I just finished reading an article on the issue and I feel as though my brains might explode without warning, lol. I will attempt however, to transfer the scattered vestiges of thought that still remain in my possession to you. *grins* Ie, I'll give it a shot.
Immutability is simply the unchangeability of God. This has been variously interpreted to mean either that God's nature cannot change but that God can, or that God himself cannot change at all. Now, we could discuss what "change" means (philosophy loves to dither over definitions, lol). Is God unchangeable intrinsically and extrinsically, or just intrinsically? Frankly, this is when my head starts to split open and all the entries in my short-term memory are irrevocably erased. So... moving on! :-D
Sure, we could reference James 1.17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." and call it a wrap, but I believe in doing things the hard way. *grins* Let's examine one aspect of God's nature for a minute or two.
Does God ever lie? Let's skim through some verses. Deuteronomy 32.4 tells us that, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." God is without iniquity. 2 Samuel 22.31 says, "This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." His word proves true. God has a history of faithfulness. It's not in His nature to lie. Okies, so we see that not only has God never lied, but also it is contrary to His nature to lie.
But why? Couldn't one just say that God hasn't lied because He doesn't want to? Doesn't Luke 1.37 say that "nothing will be impossible with God."? The answer lies (no pun intended) in Hebrews 6.18: "So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us." Okies, suppose that I'm not one to accept the Scripture at face value. I need more proof. *grins* Besides that, I just love to ask, "why?"
2 Timothy 2.13, "If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself." So we see that if it is in God's nature to be faithful, then He cannot be unfaithful. This is also known as Aristotle's law of non-contradiction, which is the basis for logic. As Aristotle stated it, "One cannot say of something that it is and that it is not in the same respect and at the same time." 'A' cannot be 'A' and contradict itself at the same time. Either it is 'A' or it is not. God is either faithful and true, or He isn't. He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature. That is why God cannot lie. It is impossible for iniquity to be in a Perfect Being.
An issue that's worth a mention too, is immutability vs. impassibility. Impassibility is simply the inability to express emotion as a result of external events (or anything, really). If nothing can affect a change in God, does this include emotions? Are emotions really a change in the nature of someone? Or are they simply a response? Can an immutable God experience grief?
Hebrews is an excellent reference for this question! In this book, the Apostle Paul un-packs the humanity of the Son of God. Hebrews 2.18a "For... he himself has suffered when tempted." Isaiah also refers to Christ in the prophetic passage about the "Suffering Servant." Isaiah 53.3 "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." If Christ had not suffered, then He would have not been able to "sympathize with our weaknesses." (Hebrews 4.15) But, because Christ knew grief, suffering and temptation, "he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Hebrews 2.18b) and who likewise suffer. So a God who is immutable can also be passable. What an encouragement!
So I would recommend that y'all to check out those verses for yourselves! Ask the skeptical questions! Look it up and don't stop until you are absolutely satisfied! If it's in the Book, then it's for us! 2 Timothy 3.16 (the "other 3.16" *grins*) "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
Immutability is simply the unchangeability of God. This has been variously interpreted to mean either that God's nature cannot change but that God can, or that God himself cannot change at all. Now, we could discuss what "change" means (philosophy loves to dither over definitions, lol). Is God unchangeable intrinsically and extrinsically, or just intrinsically? Frankly, this is when my head starts to split open and all the entries in my short-term memory are irrevocably erased. So... moving on! :-D
Sure, we could reference James 1.17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." and call it a wrap, but I believe in doing things the hard way. *grins* Let's examine one aspect of God's nature for a minute or two.
Does God ever lie? Let's skim through some verses. Deuteronomy 32.4 tells us that, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." God is without iniquity. 2 Samuel 22.31 says, "This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him." His word proves true. God has a history of faithfulness. It's not in His nature to lie. Okies, so we see that not only has God never lied, but also it is contrary to His nature to lie.
But why? Couldn't one just say that God hasn't lied because He doesn't want to? Doesn't Luke 1.37 say that "nothing will be impossible with God."? The answer lies (no pun intended) in Hebrews 6.18: "So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us." Okies, suppose that I'm not one to accept the Scripture at face value. I need more proof. *grins* Besides that, I just love to ask, "why?"
2 Timothy 2.13, "If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself." So we see that if it is in God's nature to be faithful, then He cannot be unfaithful. This is also known as Aristotle's law of non-contradiction, which is the basis for logic. As Aristotle stated it, "One cannot say of something that it is and that it is not in the same respect and at the same time." 'A' cannot be 'A' and contradict itself at the same time. Either it is 'A' or it is not. God is either faithful and true, or He isn't. He cannot do anything that is contrary to His nature. That is why God cannot lie. It is impossible for iniquity to be in a Perfect Being.
An issue that's worth a mention too, is immutability vs. impassibility. Impassibility is simply the inability to express emotion as a result of external events (or anything, really). If nothing can affect a change in God, does this include emotions? Are emotions really a change in the nature of someone? Or are they simply a response? Can an immutable God experience grief?
Hebrews is an excellent reference for this question! In this book, the Apostle Paul un-packs the humanity of the Son of God. Hebrews 2.18a "For... he himself has suffered when tempted." Isaiah also refers to Christ in the prophetic passage about the "Suffering Servant." Isaiah 53.3 "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." If Christ had not suffered, then He would have not been able to "sympathize with our weaknesses." (Hebrews 4.15) But, because Christ knew grief, suffering and temptation, "he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Hebrews 2.18b) and who likewise suffer. So a God who is immutable can also be passable. What an encouragement!
So I would recommend that y'all to check out those verses for yourselves! Ask the skeptical questions! Look it up and don't stop until you are absolutely satisfied! If it's in the Book, then it's for us! 2 Timothy 3.16 (the "other 3.16" *grins*) "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Through Pain
*Who knows? Maybe it'll become the chorus to a song...*
I'm broken
and in the stillness of my soul
Your still, small voice
speaks and makes me whole
through pain
I've wandered far away
but You wait for me to listen
to what You need to say
~Curtis~
I'm broken
and in the stillness of my soul
Your still, small voice
speaks and makes me whole
through pain
I've wandered far away
but You wait for me to listen
to what You need to say
~Curtis~
Monday, February 4, 2008
Just listen to the music... It's my heart telling you what my mouth cannot say...
"Undo"
by Rush of Fools
I tried to figure it out
Time and time again and time again
I guess there's just some things I'll never understand
'Cause Your ways aren't our ways
But deep down in my soul, down in my soul
There is one thing I know that I know
I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head
I've been holding on
Now I'm letting go, just letting go
Gonna let Your love carry me away
I don't know where I'm going
But I'm surrounded by the truth
And I can feel the current pulling me
Deeper into You
I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head
You see me for who I am
You did reach out Your hand
You made me understand
That Your love has always covered me
~~~~~~~~~
'Nuff said. :-)
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
by Rush of Fools
I've been here before, now here I am again
Standing at the door, praying You'll let me back in
To label me a prodigal would be
Only scratching the surface of who I've been known to be
[Chorus]
Turn me around pick me up
Undo what I've become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, need Your help
I can't do this myself
You're the only one who can undo
What I've become
I focused on the score, but I could never win
Trying to ignore, a life of hiding my sin
To label me a hypocrite would be
Only scratching the surface of who I've been known to be
[Chorus]
Turn me around pick me up
Undo what I've become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, need Your help
I can't do this myself
You're the only one who can undo
What I've become
Make every step lead me back to
The sovereign way that You
[Chorus]
Turn me around pick me up
Undo what I've become
Bring me back to the place
Of forgiveness and grace
I need You, need Your help
I can't do this myself
You're the only one who can undo
What I've become
~~~~~~~
"Over My Head"
I tried to figure it out
Time and time again and time again
I guess there's just some things I'll never understand
'Cause Your ways aren't our ways
But deep down in my soul, down in my soul
There is one thing I know that I know
I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head
I've been holding on
Now I'm letting go, just letting go
Gonna let Your love carry me away
I don't know where I'm going
But I'm surrounded by the truth
And I can feel the current pulling me
Deeper into You
I'm in over my head
Right where I wanna be
I'm so lost within Your love
The love that always covers me
So high, so deep, so wide
A strong and cleansing tide
My soul has found a place to rest
I'm in over my head
You see me for who I am
You did reach out Your hand
You made me understand
That Your love has always covered me
~~~~~~~~~
'Nuff said. :-)
Grace and peace be with you,
~Curtis~
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