It's that time of year. Parents spending their last on toys or clothes or shoes. Salvation Army volunteers with red kettles collecting money to help those that are in dire straits. Grandmas and Grandpas over-doing it with toys and confections to give to the kids. It's CHRISTmas.
Too many times, we get caught up in the revelry and the routine of Christmas without pausing to understand what Christmas us really all about. We celebrate Christmas to honor the birth of the Savior of the world, Christ Jesus. While December 25th has been ascribed, his actual birth probably varies from that date. Roughly 2000 years ago, He was born and the shepherds knew because the angel told them. The ones that visited Him brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. While I sat in a Christmas Eve service last night at Millbrook Presbyterian church, the preacher kept bring up one thing- THE CROSS! All I could see was Christ, the Savior, taking my place and becoming a sin offering unto God on my behalf. Even the frankincense and myrrh were symbolic in that they were death spices. Christ was born to die for the sins of the WORLD.
I love Jesus for what He did for me. I love Him for His selflessness and his power to do for me what no priest or goat or bull could do- take away my sins and restore me to fellowship with the Father. So I don't say X-Mas or some other code because Christ is the reason for Christmas. Atheists in California have removed the Nativity scenes along the coast in Santa Monica but they don't seem to understand that Christmas doesn't change meanings because the Nativity scene is gone. Christ is still in the hearts of true Christians that understand the reason for the season. Even if you listen to some of your favorite carols, they ALL speak of the birth of the Savior. You can't change that, regardless of how much you protest. If you don't believe in God, don't celebrate Christmas, it's that simple. Don't try to change the meaning to suit some selfish desire to humanize everything. Don't sing, don't give, don't do anything- just ignore us "fools" that understand what the true gift of God was/is to us. Merry Christmas to you all.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Ticked Off
I subscribe to the Nation magazine because politically, I am left leaning. I have always been opposed to the Republican brand of governance which seems only to favor the wealthy and big corporations. I consider myself an independent but I will be voting for Obama again in 2012. The Nation is a good magazine. The articles are insightful and intelligently written. I feel like reading the Nation gives me a side of the news that I won't see on television.
Upon subscribing to the Nation, I started noticing ads and fund raising material for every liberal cause in America coming to my house. Recently I received something to help elect a gay congresswoman. While my political leanings are leftist, I am very much conservative socially. I don't support gay marriage, I don't agree with abortion while I do believe that a woman can do whatever she chooses- I won't answer for them at the judgment, they will answer for themselves. I do not agree with the way the right uses abortion as a hot button issue and how they think they have the market cornered on morality. There are other sins like overlooking the poor, arrogance and pride that those on the "right" glibly look over in favor of homosexuality and abortion. I don't agree with the death penalty either which is another favorite issue on the right.
I think it is funny that in America where there are choices for everything, people are pigeonholed according to the way they vote. It is my understanding that "liberals" are by default atheistic according to popular culture. They don't believe in God, they simply believe in helping their fellow man and doing good to those that are in need. They believe, according to the right's definition, that morality doesn't have to be based on the bible or the 10 commandments but based on the heart of man. One of the atheist's favorite musings is the ability to live a "moral" life absent from God. While that may be possible, it does nothing to address the sinfulness of mankind nor does it address the debt that we all owe because of that sinfulness.
I think that the last straw and my last issue of the Nation came on Tuesday. I received a solicitation for a magazine called "Blasphemous" which, I assume, is a magazine geared towards atheists. What ticked me off about this is the fact that my information would be given to the publisher of this magazine without knowing whether or not I was an atheist. I guess the people that control the distribution of subscriber information assumed that because I was a subscriber to the Nation I was also an atheist. I was offended. The magazine touted itself as "intelligent" as if someone that believes in God is unintelligent. The very word intelligent is derived from a Latin word, intelligentia, that means the ability to discern. In other words intelligence means that I have the power and the ability to choose when presented with different options.
While I choose to vote left that does not mean that my social or even my religious views are "liberal". I made the choice to subscribe to the nation because I am intelligent enough to filter out what they print. If it does not align with my spiritual sensibilities, I do not allow it into my mental environment. Not that I will not accept a logical and sensible argument but when it calls for me to blindly accept someone's word/opinion about God over what I know to be true I push it to the side. My uncle always tells me to listen with a shovel and a rake. Use the rake to bring what is good to me and a shovel to push what is bad away from me. The Apostle Paul said it better in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "test everything, hold fast to that which is good." If there is something that makes sense after examination, I will accept it otherwise, it goes onto the scrap heap.
I enjoy reading the Nation because I like the political arguments and the great analysis of complex social issues. I do not appreciate getting solicitation for atheist communications in the mail. I would never subscribe to such a magazine and while I know that the Nation is not screening my information and they have no way of knowing my religious beliefs- but that doesn't change the fact that I was highly offended by this latest solicitation. It was promptly thrown into the trash. My main beef with atheists is this: Just because you don't believe in God, don't try to sway other well meaning people away from God. I was listening to NPR radio and they were discussing the death of Christopher Hitchens. The host asked callers to call in and discuss a way that Hitchens changed their lives. One man called in and said that whatever religious beliefs that he had before reading the work of Hitchens were dismissed after being exposed to Hitchens' work. I thought that was really sad. If these two were co-defendants in God's court, this would be tantamount to saying "thanks for making sure that I go to hell with you brother!" Another caller promptly called in and said that Hitchens was the "lowest piece of scum on earth." I was not even familiar with Hitchens before he died but reading excerpts from "god is not GREAT" he was a great orator, even if his opinions were off base.
The publishers of "Blasphemous" have every right, according to the 1st Amendment, to print and say whatever they please. They do not have a right to send it to my house. For atheists, you have every right to believe what you want to. I won't argue with you because every atheist that I've ever encountered already knows EVERYTHING and are immediately looking to intimidate and insult me because I am "foolish" enough to believe in God. While it is my sincere desire for everyone to come to the knowledge of Christ and receive the free gift of salvation, I know that everyone will not accept this. There will always be those that refuse to accept the grace of God. That's not novel, and definitely not worth having a magazine devoted to it.
Upon subscribing to the Nation, I started noticing ads and fund raising material for every liberal cause in America coming to my house. Recently I received something to help elect a gay congresswoman. While my political leanings are leftist, I am very much conservative socially. I don't support gay marriage, I don't agree with abortion while I do believe that a woman can do whatever she chooses- I won't answer for them at the judgment, they will answer for themselves. I do not agree with the way the right uses abortion as a hot button issue and how they think they have the market cornered on morality. There are other sins like overlooking the poor, arrogance and pride that those on the "right" glibly look over in favor of homosexuality and abortion. I don't agree with the death penalty either which is another favorite issue on the right.
I think it is funny that in America where there are choices for everything, people are pigeonholed according to the way they vote. It is my understanding that "liberals" are by default atheistic according to popular culture. They don't believe in God, they simply believe in helping their fellow man and doing good to those that are in need. They believe, according to the right's definition, that morality doesn't have to be based on the bible or the 10 commandments but based on the heart of man. One of the atheist's favorite musings is the ability to live a "moral" life absent from God. While that may be possible, it does nothing to address the sinfulness of mankind nor does it address the debt that we all owe because of that sinfulness.
I think that the last straw and my last issue of the Nation came on Tuesday. I received a solicitation for a magazine called "Blasphemous" which, I assume, is a magazine geared towards atheists. What ticked me off about this is the fact that my information would be given to the publisher of this magazine without knowing whether or not I was an atheist. I guess the people that control the distribution of subscriber information assumed that because I was a subscriber to the Nation I was also an atheist. I was offended. The magazine touted itself as "intelligent" as if someone that believes in God is unintelligent. The very word intelligent is derived from a Latin word, intelligentia, that means the ability to discern. In other words intelligence means that I have the power and the ability to choose when presented with different options.
While I choose to vote left that does not mean that my social or even my religious views are "liberal". I made the choice to subscribe to the nation because I am intelligent enough to filter out what they print. If it does not align with my spiritual sensibilities, I do not allow it into my mental environment. Not that I will not accept a logical and sensible argument but when it calls for me to blindly accept someone's word/opinion about God over what I know to be true I push it to the side. My uncle always tells me to listen with a shovel and a rake. Use the rake to bring what is good to me and a shovel to push what is bad away from me. The Apostle Paul said it better in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "test everything, hold fast to that which is good." If there is something that makes sense after examination, I will accept it otherwise, it goes onto the scrap heap.
I enjoy reading the Nation because I like the political arguments and the great analysis of complex social issues. I do not appreciate getting solicitation for atheist communications in the mail. I would never subscribe to such a magazine and while I know that the Nation is not screening my information and they have no way of knowing my religious beliefs- but that doesn't change the fact that I was highly offended by this latest solicitation. It was promptly thrown into the trash. My main beef with atheists is this: Just because you don't believe in God, don't try to sway other well meaning people away from God. I was listening to NPR radio and they were discussing the death of Christopher Hitchens. The host asked callers to call in and discuss a way that Hitchens changed their lives. One man called in and said that whatever religious beliefs that he had before reading the work of Hitchens were dismissed after being exposed to Hitchens' work. I thought that was really sad. If these two were co-defendants in God's court, this would be tantamount to saying "thanks for making sure that I go to hell with you brother!" Another caller promptly called in and said that Hitchens was the "lowest piece of scum on earth." I was not even familiar with Hitchens before he died but reading excerpts from "god is not GREAT" he was a great orator, even if his opinions were off base.
The publishers of "Blasphemous" have every right, according to the 1st Amendment, to print and say whatever they please. They do not have a right to send it to my house. For atheists, you have every right to believe what you want to. I won't argue with you because every atheist that I've ever encountered already knows EVERYTHING and are immediately looking to intimidate and insult me because I am "foolish" enough to believe in God. While it is my sincere desire for everyone to come to the knowledge of Christ and receive the free gift of salvation, I know that everyone will not accept this. There will always be those that refuse to accept the grace of God. That's not novel, and definitely not worth having a magazine devoted to it.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Pain to Glory
Sitting in the chemotherapy clinic you see many things. A wide range of emotions from the glee of finishing a final treatment to the anxiety of getting set up for a first treatment are on display. The families of cancer patients sit anxiously while the treatments are administered behind a heavy wooden door. Hard times have chiseled the faces of the patients and their caretakers. Many look worn out and ragged but there is something else going on here- the healing power of God.
Cancer in various stages can take a huge toll on its victims- but even something as aggressive and destructive as cancer has a remedy...hope. I had a thought driving to the clinic with my mother and my sister that was astonishing. God, in his infinite wisdom placed the cures for some of the world's most dangerous diseases within plants, trees, sea sponges and other natural sources. One of the drugs prescribed to my mother, Taxol, comes from the pacific Yew tree- a tree that, if harvested, takes 100 years to grow back. But God gave wisdom to men like K.C. Nicolaou, E.J. Corey and Robert Holton to isolate, characterize and synthesize this compound in their laboratories at their respective universities. Countless numbers of scientists are committed to the area of medicinal chemistry and biotechnology. In the words of Paul Erlich, there is the constant search for the "magic bullet" in the war against infectious disease.
Looking into the faces of the many people there to take treatments and there for moral support, it's quite possible that they do not care about the science behind their cure. Truthfully, it is not supremely important to me because I know the Scientist that lies behind the science. The Great Creator whom, although the outward man perishes and grief shows on our faces, has the power to strengthen and renew the inner man on a daily basis.
Many of the patients have no clue what to expect, but God says to us through His Word that faith without doubt allows us to pray to the Father and be answered by the Great Physician. I wrote this on a notepad before I typed it and as I wrote it I had to hide my tears. The tears were not from grief or anxiety but from God's Spirit giving me hope that I can hold onto. The Holy Spirit has shown me that in our darkest hours, there is yet hope because God can do ANYTHING!!
Some of these patients may not survive their bout with cancer- but death does not always equal death, especially for those that know Christ. Cancer may just be the facilitator of the glorious transition from corruptible to incorruptible. From Pain to Glory. For those that survive, and I fully expect my mom to survive, the testimony to God's healing power will be great and His name will be proclaimed in all the earth. This is not a storm to be weathered alone, but with God all things are possible.
Cancer in various stages can take a huge toll on its victims- but even something as aggressive and destructive as cancer has a remedy...hope. I had a thought driving to the clinic with my mother and my sister that was astonishing. God, in his infinite wisdom placed the cures for some of the world's most dangerous diseases within plants, trees, sea sponges and other natural sources. One of the drugs prescribed to my mother, Taxol, comes from the pacific Yew tree- a tree that, if harvested, takes 100 years to grow back. But God gave wisdom to men like K.C. Nicolaou, E.J. Corey and Robert Holton to isolate, characterize and synthesize this compound in their laboratories at their respective universities. Countless numbers of scientists are committed to the area of medicinal chemistry and biotechnology. In the words of Paul Erlich, there is the constant search for the "magic bullet" in the war against infectious disease.
Looking into the faces of the many people there to take treatments and there for moral support, it's quite possible that they do not care about the science behind their cure. Truthfully, it is not supremely important to me because I know the Scientist that lies behind the science. The Great Creator whom, although the outward man perishes and grief shows on our faces, has the power to strengthen and renew the inner man on a daily basis.
Many of the patients have no clue what to expect, but God says to us through His Word that faith without doubt allows us to pray to the Father and be answered by the Great Physician. I wrote this on a notepad before I typed it and as I wrote it I had to hide my tears. The tears were not from grief or anxiety but from God's Spirit giving me hope that I can hold onto. The Holy Spirit has shown me that in our darkest hours, there is yet hope because God can do ANYTHING!!
Some of these patients may not survive their bout with cancer- but death does not always equal death, especially for those that know Christ. Cancer may just be the facilitator of the glorious transition from corruptible to incorruptible. From Pain to Glory. For those that survive, and I fully expect my mom to survive, the testimony to God's healing power will be great and His name will be proclaimed in all the earth. This is not a storm to be weathered alone, but with God all things are possible.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Preparation for the Facebook Onslaught
This is the time of year where "super" seniors muster up their last bit of energy (energy they have been conserving all semester as the have not done much more than complain and try to use "senior" status to get by) to get those last few points for a passing grade. Students that have basically lagged ALL semester are now in beastmode trying to "get'r done" as Larry the Cable Guy would say. All for what? In hopes of passing a class that you've had all semester to pass? Why the sudden burst of energy? Why the sudden "need" to speak to the professor who has been waiting patiently in their office all semester for you to show up, who has been sitting in study sessions alone for the better part of 3 months waiting for some student to take the initiative to come in and get some help. But in this 11th hour attempt to look like a student, students end up falling short and blaming their failures on the instructor.
At this point in my academic career, I am no longer interested in being the "friend" of my students. I've come to realize that it is my job to preapare students for the real world AND teach them as much organic chemistry as possible while doing so. "Friendly" teachers quickly lose the respect of their students and the students feel like they can bring any bootleg excuse to you and you will accept it because "you're cool". I'm not out to be a jerk, but the line has to be drawn in the sand such that students respect the student/teacher interface and the student/teacher relationship. "Friendly" teachers are like "Player's coaches" in the NFL- things look good for a while but eventually the inmates will run the asylum leaving the "coach/teacher" hapless and with zero control of the situation. While we converse on many levels outside of class, when in class the relationship is professor/student and business. I often wonder how students can have the mentality of "I will work harder once I get in the real world." when college is preparation for the real world. You don't start training when you get in the fight, you train before the fight. Students that are lazy, disorganized and cannot maintain deadlines carry those bad habits over to the workplace and soon find themselves shuffling from job to job. How can you expect someone to make a huge monetary investment in you when you won't even invest the time that it takes to come to class and get every ounce of knowledge that is possible out of the professor? The litany of excuses has become so boring to me until I almost want to just walk away in mid-sentence. As my old basketball coach, coach Larry Bowman, would say- "it's not about excuses, it's about results!" We live in a results driven society and those that do not produce results get left by the wayside. Lesson 1 for every student that reads this, never make an excuse for something that you are clearly the blame for. Take responsibility for your own actions and in doing so, you will become a better person and learn to make better decisions.
With that being said, I am fully prepared for the Facebook onslaught of sly remarks, complaints and other drivel that people resort to when the blame is on them but they refuse to accept it. Here's to you, o whiny ones. If there ever was a time to suck it up and say, "I screwed up.", this would be that time. Post away and rememeber that I don't have an account anymore, lol.
In all seriousness, take your education seriously. Never commend into someone else's hands that which you should take responsibility for yourself. Stop blaming instructors and start taking the initiative to do what it takes OUTSIDE of class so that the performance INSIDE the class shows. God bless and Godspeed on all of your final exams.
At this point in my academic career, I am no longer interested in being the "friend" of my students. I've come to realize that it is my job to preapare students for the real world AND teach them as much organic chemistry as possible while doing so. "Friendly" teachers quickly lose the respect of their students and the students feel like they can bring any bootleg excuse to you and you will accept it because "you're cool". I'm not out to be a jerk, but the line has to be drawn in the sand such that students respect the student/teacher interface and the student/teacher relationship. "Friendly" teachers are like "Player's coaches" in the NFL- things look good for a while but eventually the inmates will run the asylum leaving the "coach/teacher" hapless and with zero control of the situation. While we converse on many levels outside of class, when in class the relationship is professor/student and business. I often wonder how students can have the mentality of "I will work harder once I get in the real world." when college is preparation for the real world. You don't start training when you get in the fight, you train before the fight. Students that are lazy, disorganized and cannot maintain deadlines carry those bad habits over to the workplace and soon find themselves shuffling from job to job. How can you expect someone to make a huge monetary investment in you when you won't even invest the time that it takes to come to class and get every ounce of knowledge that is possible out of the professor? The litany of excuses has become so boring to me until I almost want to just walk away in mid-sentence. As my old basketball coach, coach Larry Bowman, would say- "it's not about excuses, it's about results!" We live in a results driven society and those that do not produce results get left by the wayside. Lesson 1 for every student that reads this, never make an excuse for something that you are clearly the blame for. Take responsibility for your own actions and in doing so, you will become a better person and learn to make better decisions.
With that being said, I am fully prepared for the Facebook onslaught of sly remarks, complaints and other drivel that people resort to when the blame is on them but they refuse to accept it. Here's to you, o whiny ones. If there ever was a time to suck it up and say, "I screwed up.", this would be that time. Post away and rememeber that I don't have an account anymore, lol.
In all seriousness, take your education seriously. Never commend into someone else's hands that which you should take responsibility for yourself. Stop blaming instructors and start taking the initiative to do what it takes OUTSIDE of class so that the performance INSIDE the class shows. God bless and Godspeed on all of your final exams.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Free Will
There is a common belief among those in the camp of election that there is no such thing as "Free Will" or the ability of man to actually choose. According to this camp, man can never choose anything good. Man is totally depraved and has no good intentions nor does he have the ability to make a morally correct decision. In their view of man, it is utterly impossible for man, by his own free will, to choose God at all. Therefore, it is concluded that there is no such thing as "free will". It does not exist. So, they adopt the doctrine of monergism which simply means that man does not do anything and has no responsibility in the process of salvation and God does everything. According to the doctrine of predestination, which most monergists follow, God specially elects a few for salvation, God compels those that are specially elected to accept Him and God makes all the decisions. The doctrine of predestination (tied in with special election) says that God has predestined who will be saved and who will go to hell which I see as one of the most cruel and unforgiving ideas that Christianity has to offer. Yes, God is sovereign and can do whatever he pleases but God is also love and love doesn't send people to hell without, at least, the opportunity for salvation which resides in one making a decision to follow Christ as Lord and Savior. That is the subject of another blog post however.
While I agree that man will not (I chose not to say can not because there are atheists that live "morally upstanding" lives although they reject the Son of God and God altogether) choose anything good (John 3:19) and I agree that because of sin, man is depraved and has serious moral defects- I do not agree that there is not a such thing as man having "free will". Man is created in God's image. This doesn't mean that we are "little gods", it means that we take on God's transitive properties and one of those properties is the ability to choose or having volition. God gave us the ability to love, to show compassion, to feel empathy etc. If we have the ability to choose, that would be indicative that man has a will and man can exercise that will. Man, when prompted and guided by the Spirit of God will, at some point, see that it is his responsibility to follow God. That's why the gospel is preached- so that man would hear of the goodness of God AND hear of the error in his ways (SIN) which will ultimately lead to death. God's mercy through Christ's sacrifice, when preached to sinful man causes conviction of those that hear it. However, some make the choice to reject the gospel. Joshua gave the directive, "choose this day whom you will serve". Elijah asked the people on Mt. Carmel, "how long will you limp between two opinons?" These statements indicate that there is a responsibility on the part of man to follow God.
Let's go back to Eden where the whole issue of free will originates in the minds of both sides of this argument. In the garden of Eden, Eve was presented with a question from the serpent regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While Eve answered by telling the serpent exactly what Adam told her, she also did something else. She doubted God, took the serpent's word over God's Word and finally rebelled against God's command and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In doing so, Eve became complicit with the rebellion of the serpent who was already an outcast and she subsequently placed her will above that of the Father's will. She chose to gratify a desire that the serpent intensified by making her believe that God was withholding something from her. Had there been no free will, not only would Eve not have disobeyed God, the serpent would not have rebelled nor would he have been in a position to cause man to rebel. Martin Luther in his treatise, "On the Bondage of the Will" takes the following position: "If we believe that Satan is the prince of this world, ever ensnaring and fighting against the kingdom of Christ with all his powers; and that he does not let go his captives without being forced by the Divine Power of the Spirit; it is manifest, that there can be no such thing as—"Free-will!" I would counter this by simply saying that Eve was not ensared by sin because prior to this event in the garden of Eden, there was no sin nor was there enslavement of man to sin. Unless we say that man was created sinful, which we know is not the case, then we cannot rightly say that Eve did not exercise her "will" in the garden. What we can say is that her "will" was easily swayed to rebel against God which is where I wholeheartedly agree with Luther and others that say that the "will" of man will choose evil if given the opportunity and therefore must be pressed upon by God's Spirit to be LED in the direction of God (Added 12/30/11).
Forced love, forced devotion and forced worship is not really worship at all. William Dembski, author of The End of Christianity, makes a very pointed and concise statement about what true worship is: forsaking all else and placing God as head of everything. Worship is a choice and to place God as the head and all other things as secondary is a choice made by those that truly worship Him. The most beautiful thing about the Christian life is the restoration of the fellowship between God and man that was lost because of sin. God does not become less than Almighty by actually having a relationship with man. He is still holy, sovereign and magnificent- even if He chooses to fellowship with man and give man (not force upon man) the opportunity to return that fellowship.
Another question to ponder is this, if there were no such thing as free will , why would God have to call man? If we were forced to serve and worship God, there would be no need to call man out of darkness at all. God would simply force man to serve Him and darkness would not be an option. Actually, there would be no darkness because there would be no sin because there would have been no rebellion in Eden. God calls and gives man the ability to accept that call because of His love. A loving God would not allow man to stay in darkness. Here is where free will is so critical because when God calls, the faith to hear the call and believe is a gift from God (1 Cor 12:9) that man can choose to use or not to use. Once a gift is imparted it becomes the possesion of the one to whom it was granted. The position that I take here is that of synergism. Not in the classical Arminian sense but in the sense that man has a responsibiltiy, albeit minimal, in the fellowship with God. A synergistic relationship is one where two parties are involved and the outcome of the relationship is based on the actions of both parties. Now, the relationship is still synergistic even if God does ALL of the work because as much as God calls, man must hear and take heed. An argument against this point would be to say that I am insinuating that God "needs" man. I am not saying that at all. God does not need anything or anyone, but he desires the fellowship. The bible says in John 4:23 that God SEEKS worshipers that worship Him in Spirit and in truth [added 12/30/12]. Why were we created in the first place? To fellowship with God and to Worship God [added 12/30/11]. One example of this synergistic relationship is the call to repentence in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says simply "IF (emphasis added) my people who are called by my name WOULD (emphasis added) humble themselves and pray and SEEK MY FACE and turn from their wicked ways- THEN I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. God calls on man to "seek his face" and he showed himself to man through the the Law, the prophets and eventually through Jesus.
God calls men out of darkness, God gives man the ability to believe however, it is man's decision and responsibility to accept the call. Some would accuse me of minimizing God in favor of man- but I see it as quite the contrary. This is far from a "seeker friendly" gospel. The only responsibility of man is to accept the call of God and even that cannot be done without God endowing man with the ability to believe. Faith is a gift from God, but every gift must be exercised by the one that it was granted to. While God can give man the ability to believe unto salvation(believing faith), He cannot and will not believe for man.
The bible says in John 6:44 that no one can come to Christ except he be "drawn" by the Father. In 1 Peter 2:9 the bible says that those that believe have been "called out" of darkness and into the marvelous light. The fact that a person has to be called to follow Jesus is not something to be taken lightly. It actually answered a lot of questions for me when I thought about it in this way. We all have relatives, friends, co-workers and others that we know and we always wonder "when are they going to 'get their life together?'" They will get their life together when God calls them out of darkness. When will that be? That's not for us to decide but that doesn't mean that we shouldnt' be a living epistle before them nor does it mean that we should not pray for them and share the gospel whenever possible. God is revealed to man through His Word and whenever we proclaim His word, we reveal Him to those that do not yet "know" Him. We who have already been called and have accepted the call are to be salt and light in the world. Paul said in 1 Tim 1:15-16 that he was shown mercy so that in him and his life and conversion, Christ could display His unlimited patience and so that Paul could be an example to others who might see and believe.
Free will is a topic of serious debate. Many speak of the "irresistible will" of God and that it is impossible for man to resist God but the truth is that God calls but there are some that reject that call. If it was impossible to reject the call, why is there scriptural reference to the "grieving" of the Holy Spirit [Ephesians 4:30] or the "trampling under foot of the Son of God" [Hebrews 6] or "profaning of the blood and outraging the Spirit of grace" [Hebrews 10]? These point to the ability of man to accept or reject God's offer of salvation or even, as in the case of Ephesians 4:30, His process of sanctification [Ephesians 4:30 is addressed to believers]. Compare it to God leading us to the waters of grace, showing us flowing streams of mercy and once we get there we decide that we do not want to drink. God is not going to drink for us, however He is merciful enough to lead us to the source which is Christ.
There are countless biblical examples of rebellion of man against God. There are even examples of God hardening the heart of men that rebelled against him so that they were unable to believe, even in the face of irrefutable evidence. According to Jesus in Luke 8:10, and in Matthew 13:11, the people (Jews) that He preached to were unable believe in order to fulfill prophecy [Isaiah 6:9] that said "though seeing they will not see and hearing they will not hear." When the people rebelled and chose something other than God, their punishment was that their hearts were hardened. God called but they did not choose Him, they chose something else and He did not force them to follow Him. He was upset and angry with the people but even in that, he did not force anyone to do anything- the ones that followed God were the ones that saw the evidence (i.e. the Red Sea experience, the waters at Meribah etc.) and believed God. The consequence of choosing anything other than God is death. Jesus said in John 8:24 that unless man believes that he is the Living God he will "die in his sins".
Are there times when free will is suspended? I believe so. There are times when God has a purpose to fulfill and He does so regardless of the feelings or reluctance of those involved. When God called Moses to speak for Him, Moses made a few remarks regarding his inability to speak and his lack of qualifications for the job of spokesperson for Israel. While Moses did not want to go, Moses really had no choice. Jonah is another good example. Jonah was supposed to go to Nineveh but instead boarded a ship to Tarshish. Jonah's free will chose to disobey God and for a while it looked as if Jonah got out of his assignment. But the storm that came up and great fish that came to transport Jonah back to Nineveh would say otherwise. The fish and the storm were both sent by God to let Jonah know that his choice in the matter of prophesying to the Ninevites was suspended.
While there are times when free will is suspended, there is ample evidence for the ability of man to accept responsibility when it comes to worshipping God. God chose man however, man, once chosen must accept that choice/calling. There are those that believe in special election which, in my estimation, gives an elitist and supremacist air to Christianity. Where is the card that goes in your wallet that says that you've been elected? Why would God only choose certain people or give them the option of heaven whereas others are just doomed for hell? Why would God, who is love, not open the doors for all who would believe to come to Him thereby placing the burden of heaven or hell on the one that rejected him? I am not a believer in "election" in the sense of "God has chosen me to go to heaven but you have to stay here" but I do believe that God elects some believers to different places/functions within the kingdom. Herbert Lockyer said it this way, "election is always inclusive, never exclusive. He (God, emphais mine) chooses a few in order that ALL (emphasis mine) may be blessed." All all are called but only certain ones are elected to "offices" to fulfill specific duties within the kingdom of God. God's call to salvation is general in that ALL who would come to believe have the ability and the opportunity for salvation. When John the Baptist preached repentance, everyone in the crowd had the opportunity to hear, repent and be saved. When Jesus preached the same message, the same scenario was presented- everyone that heard his voice had the opportunity to hear, repent and be saved. It is not a specific call but a call to all men to be saved. Rejection of that call comes at the peril of the hearer. God's call becomes specific as in the case of Samuel- although Eli was a priest, he did not hear God's voice when God called out to Samuel those three times. That call was meant for Samuel and it was for a special purpose.
Is there a call from God to follow Christ, yes. Does man have a responsibility to accept that call or reject it? If we use the analogy of a phone ringing- if you know it's God on the other end and don't answer, the results could be quite disastrous. When God calls us to repentance and salvation (for those that are unsaved), accept his calling. His kindness leads us to repentance and God has been more that merciful with us all. The bible says that it is God's desire that ALL men be saved [1 Tim 2:4]. His calling to accept the ransom that has been paid on our behalf is the most loving and gracious act in the history of mankind. If God is calling you, pick up the phone, it's your responbility.
While I agree that man will not (I chose not to say can not because there are atheists that live "morally upstanding" lives although they reject the Son of God and God altogether) choose anything good (John 3:19) and I agree that because of sin, man is depraved and has serious moral defects- I do not agree that there is not a such thing as man having "free will". Man is created in God's image. This doesn't mean that we are "little gods", it means that we take on God's transitive properties and one of those properties is the ability to choose or having volition. God gave us the ability to love, to show compassion, to feel empathy etc. If we have the ability to choose, that would be indicative that man has a will and man can exercise that will. Man, when prompted and guided by the Spirit of God will, at some point, see that it is his responsibility to follow God. That's why the gospel is preached- so that man would hear of the goodness of God AND hear of the error in his ways (SIN) which will ultimately lead to death. God's mercy through Christ's sacrifice, when preached to sinful man causes conviction of those that hear it. However, some make the choice to reject the gospel. Joshua gave the directive, "choose this day whom you will serve". Elijah asked the people on Mt. Carmel, "how long will you limp between two opinons?" These statements indicate that there is a responsibility on the part of man to follow God.
Let's go back to Eden where the whole issue of free will originates in the minds of both sides of this argument. In the garden of Eden, Eve was presented with a question from the serpent regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While Eve answered by telling the serpent exactly what Adam told her, she also did something else. She doubted God, took the serpent's word over God's Word and finally rebelled against God's command and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In doing so, Eve became complicit with the rebellion of the serpent who was already an outcast and she subsequently placed her will above that of the Father's will. She chose to gratify a desire that the serpent intensified by making her believe that God was withholding something from her. Had there been no free will, not only would Eve not have disobeyed God, the serpent would not have rebelled nor would he have been in a position to cause man to rebel. Martin Luther in his treatise, "On the Bondage of the Will" takes the following position: "If we believe that Satan is the prince of this world, ever ensnaring and fighting against the kingdom of Christ with all his powers; and that he does not let go his captives without being forced by the Divine Power of the Spirit; it is manifest, that there can be no such thing as—"Free-will!" I would counter this by simply saying that Eve was not ensared by sin because prior to this event in the garden of Eden, there was no sin nor was there enslavement of man to sin. Unless we say that man was created sinful, which we know is not the case, then we cannot rightly say that Eve did not exercise her "will" in the garden. What we can say is that her "will" was easily swayed to rebel against God which is where I wholeheartedly agree with Luther and others that say that the "will" of man will choose evil if given the opportunity and therefore must be pressed upon by God's Spirit to be LED in the direction of God (Added 12/30/11).
Forced love, forced devotion and forced worship is not really worship at all. William Dembski, author of The End of Christianity, makes a very pointed and concise statement about what true worship is: forsaking all else and placing God as head of everything. Worship is a choice and to place God as the head and all other things as secondary is a choice made by those that truly worship Him. The most beautiful thing about the Christian life is the restoration of the fellowship between God and man that was lost because of sin. God does not become less than Almighty by actually having a relationship with man. He is still holy, sovereign and magnificent- even if He chooses to fellowship with man and give man (not force upon man) the opportunity to return that fellowship.
Another question to ponder is this, if there were no such thing as free will , why would God have to call man? If we were forced to serve and worship God, there would be no need to call man out of darkness at all. God would simply force man to serve Him and darkness would not be an option. Actually, there would be no darkness because there would be no sin because there would have been no rebellion in Eden. God calls and gives man the ability to accept that call because of His love. A loving God would not allow man to stay in darkness. Here is where free will is so critical because when God calls, the faith to hear the call and believe is a gift from God (1 Cor 12:9) that man can choose to use or not to use. Once a gift is imparted it becomes the possesion of the one to whom it was granted. The position that I take here is that of synergism. Not in the classical Arminian sense but in the sense that man has a responsibiltiy, albeit minimal, in the fellowship with God. A synergistic relationship is one where two parties are involved and the outcome of the relationship is based on the actions of both parties. Now, the relationship is still synergistic even if God does ALL of the work because as much as God calls, man must hear and take heed. An argument against this point would be to say that I am insinuating that God "needs" man. I am not saying that at all. God does not need anything or anyone, but he desires the fellowship. The bible says in John 4:23 that God SEEKS worshipers that worship Him in Spirit and in truth [added 12/30/12]. Why were we created in the first place? To fellowship with God and to Worship God [added 12/30/11]. One example of this synergistic relationship is the call to repentence in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says simply "IF (emphasis added) my people who are called by my name WOULD (emphasis added) humble themselves and pray and SEEK MY FACE and turn from their wicked ways- THEN I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land. God calls on man to "seek his face" and he showed himself to man through the the Law, the prophets and eventually through Jesus.
God calls men out of darkness, God gives man the ability to believe however, it is man's decision and responsibility to accept the call. Some would accuse me of minimizing God in favor of man- but I see it as quite the contrary. This is far from a "seeker friendly" gospel. The only responsibility of man is to accept the call of God and even that cannot be done without God endowing man with the ability to believe. Faith is a gift from God, but every gift must be exercised by the one that it was granted to. While God can give man the ability to believe unto salvation(believing faith), He cannot and will not believe for man.
The bible says in John 6:44 that no one can come to Christ except he be "drawn" by the Father. In 1 Peter 2:9 the bible says that those that believe have been "called out" of darkness and into the marvelous light. The fact that a person has to be called to follow Jesus is not something to be taken lightly. It actually answered a lot of questions for me when I thought about it in this way. We all have relatives, friends, co-workers and others that we know and we always wonder "when are they going to 'get their life together?'" They will get their life together when God calls them out of darkness. When will that be? That's not for us to decide but that doesn't mean that we shouldnt' be a living epistle before them nor does it mean that we should not pray for them and share the gospel whenever possible. God is revealed to man through His Word and whenever we proclaim His word, we reveal Him to those that do not yet "know" Him. We who have already been called and have accepted the call are to be salt and light in the world. Paul said in 1 Tim 1:15-16 that he was shown mercy so that in him and his life and conversion, Christ could display His unlimited patience and so that Paul could be an example to others who might see and believe.
Free will is a topic of serious debate. Many speak of the "irresistible will" of God and that it is impossible for man to resist God but the truth is that God calls but there are some that reject that call. If it was impossible to reject the call, why is there scriptural reference to the "grieving" of the Holy Spirit [Ephesians 4:30] or the "trampling under foot of the Son of God" [Hebrews 6] or "profaning of the blood and outraging the Spirit of grace" [Hebrews 10]? These point to the ability of man to accept or reject God's offer of salvation or even, as in the case of Ephesians 4:30, His process of sanctification [Ephesians 4:30 is addressed to believers]. Compare it to God leading us to the waters of grace, showing us flowing streams of mercy and once we get there we decide that we do not want to drink. God is not going to drink for us, however He is merciful enough to lead us to the source which is Christ.
There are countless biblical examples of rebellion of man against God. There are even examples of God hardening the heart of men that rebelled against him so that they were unable to believe, even in the face of irrefutable evidence. According to Jesus in Luke 8:10, and in Matthew 13:11, the people (Jews) that He preached to were unable believe in order to fulfill prophecy [Isaiah 6:9] that said "though seeing they will not see and hearing they will not hear." When the people rebelled and chose something other than God, their punishment was that their hearts were hardened. God called but they did not choose Him, they chose something else and He did not force them to follow Him. He was upset and angry with the people but even in that, he did not force anyone to do anything- the ones that followed God were the ones that saw the evidence (i.e. the Red Sea experience, the waters at Meribah etc.) and believed God. The consequence of choosing anything other than God is death. Jesus said in John 8:24 that unless man believes that he is the Living God he will "die in his sins".
Are there times when free will is suspended? I believe so. There are times when God has a purpose to fulfill and He does so regardless of the feelings or reluctance of those involved. When God called Moses to speak for Him, Moses made a few remarks regarding his inability to speak and his lack of qualifications for the job of spokesperson for Israel. While Moses did not want to go, Moses really had no choice. Jonah is another good example. Jonah was supposed to go to Nineveh but instead boarded a ship to Tarshish. Jonah's free will chose to disobey God and for a while it looked as if Jonah got out of his assignment. But the storm that came up and great fish that came to transport Jonah back to Nineveh would say otherwise. The fish and the storm were both sent by God to let Jonah know that his choice in the matter of prophesying to the Ninevites was suspended.
While there are times when free will is suspended, there is ample evidence for the ability of man to accept responsibility when it comes to worshipping God. God chose man however, man, once chosen must accept that choice/calling. There are those that believe in special election which, in my estimation, gives an elitist and supremacist air to Christianity. Where is the card that goes in your wallet that says that you've been elected? Why would God only choose certain people or give them the option of heaven whereas others are just doomed for hell? Why would God, who is love, not open the doors for all who would believe to come to Him thereby placing the burden of heaven or hell on the one that rejected him? I am not a believer in "election" in the sense of "God has chosen me to go to heaven but you have to stay here" but I do believe that God elects some believers to different places/functions within the kingdom. Herbert Lockyer said it this way, "election is always inclusive, never exclusive. He (God, emphais mine) chooses a few in order that ALL (emphasis mine) may be blessed." All all are called but only certain ones are elected to "offices" to fulfill specific duties within the kingdom of God. God's call to salvation is general in that ALL who would come to believe have the ability and the opportunity for salvation. When John the Baptist preached repentance, everyone in the crowd had the opportunity to hear, repent and be saved. When Jesus preached the same message, the same scenario was presented- everyone that heard his voice had the opportunity to hear, repent and be saved. It is not a specific call but a call to all men to be saved. Rejection of that call comes at the peril of the hearer. God's call becomes specific as in the case of Samuel- although Eli was a priest, he did not hear God's voice when God called out to Samuel those three times. That call was meant for Samuel and it was for a special purpose.
Is there a call from God to follow Christ, yes. Does man have a responsibility to accept that call or reject it? If we use the analogy of a phone ringing- if you know it's God on the other end and don't answer, the results could be quite disastrous. When God calls us to repentance and salvation (for those that are unsaved), accept his calling. His kindness leads us to repentance and God has been more that merciful with us all. The bible says that it is God's desire that ALL men be saved [1 Tim 2:4]. His calling to accept the ransom that has been paid on our behalf is the most loving and gracious act in the history of mankind. If God is calling you, pick up the phone, it's your responbility.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)