Christian liberty is an interesting concept. It creates a lot of suspicion whenever it is mentioned. It seems clear that Paul teaches that Christians have the liberty to have differences with each other on non essential issues.
Why does such a concept face such strong resistance?
The reality is that Christian liberty faces resistance because there are many who wish to abuse it. For example Christian liberty turns into sexual liberty - clearly this is an abuse of the concept.
How can a person maintain the concept of Christian Liberty without endangering oneself to grave error? I think it is simply the we must always seek to understand and learn and sit under the teaching of the bible.
You will always see two sorts of impulses among "Christians." The one impulse is to sit under the teaching of scripture. The other impulse is to stand over the scriptures and figure out what is actually true in the scriptures.
It seems pretty clear which impulse is correct. If Jesus is who he says he is and has done what he has claimed to have done how can you stand over his teaching.
It is a very interesting state that many people do not reject the existance of God and yet they wish to tell God he is wrong about issues.
It is difficult to understand the impulse it seems to verge nearly on the absurd to say that an all powerful and all knowing God exists and I will tell him he is mistaken on life issues.
Showing posts with label all knowing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label all knowing. Show all posts
Friday, June 7, 2013
Monday, September 5, 2005
How Our Wisdom Compares in Relationship to God
How should we compare our wisdom in relationship to God. Well if we compared the smallest part of an atom to the universe and said our wisdom is like that minuscule particle and God’s wisdom is like the universe we would be heretical. God’s wisdom is too incredibly superior than ours for that analogy to hold water. So in the face of hurricane Katerina many people would barely dare to speak of or question God’s sovereignty. God would reply to them like this, like he did to his servant Job, who had insisted on his own righteousness at the expense of God’s justice. A response by John Piper defending God’s sovereignty can be found at http://www.desiringgod.org/library/fresh_words/2005/090205.html
The bible verse below is long, but well worth reading.
Job 38
1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2"Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3"Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6"On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8"Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther
And here shall your proud waves stop'?
12"Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (the wicked be shaken out of it?
14"It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
15"From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the uplifted arm is broken.
16"Have you entered into the springs of the sea
Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17"Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18"Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19"Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20That you may take it to its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21"You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24"Where is the way that the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25"Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27To satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28"Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29"From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30"Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32"Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
33"Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?
34"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you? 35"Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, 'Here we are'?
36"Who has put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given (understanding to the mind?
37"Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
38When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40When they crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41"Who prepares for the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
Job 39
1"Do you know the time themountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2"Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
The bible verse below is long, but well worth reading.
Job 38
1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2"Who is this that darkens counsel
By words without knowledge?
3"Now gird up your loins like a man,
And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
6"On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
7When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8"Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9When I made a cloud its garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,
11And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther
And here shall your proud waves stop'?
12"Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And caused the dawn to know its place,
13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,
And (the wicked be shaken out of it?
14"It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand forth like a garment.
15"From the wicked their light is withheld,
And the uplifted arm is broken.
16"Have you entered into the springs of the sea
Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17"Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18"Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.
19"Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,
20That you may take it to its territory
And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21"You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!
22"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23Which I have reserved for the time of distress,
For the day of war and battle?
24"Where is the way that the light is divided,
Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25"Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,
27To satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28"Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29"From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30"Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
32"Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
33"Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?
34"Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you? 35"Can you send forth lightnings that they may go
And say to you, 'Here we are'?
36"Who has put wisdom in the innermost being
Or given (understanding to the mind?
37"Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
38When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
39"Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40When they crouch in their dens
And lie in wait in their lair?
41"Who prepares for the raven its nourishment
When its young cry to God
And wander about without food?
Job 39
1"Do you know the time themountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer?
2"Can you count the months they fulfill,
Or do you know the time they give birth?
Monday, August 8, 2005
Marveling at the Infinite Wisdom of God
Two things in the past two days made me marvel at the infinite wisdom of God. The first was a game of go. So is normally played on a 19 by 19 line board having 361 intersections. This would give the possible games to be somewhere around 361! (!=factorial (4!= 4x3x2x1)) (not sure exactly how accurate this is it could be but it is at least a breathtakingly huge number). Anyway I decided to play a 37 by 37 go game for fun to see how it would be. I had absolutely no idea how any stone related to any other on the board. It so blew my mind away how impossible it would ever be for humans to master. And then I though this is simple for God. He has known every possibility of this game from all eternity. This 1369! challenge is far simpler to God than tic-tac-toe could ever be to any human.
The other thing I marveled at was how I was sweeping up tons of dust today at work. And I though there is not one piece of dust that is not in exactly the spot that God wanted it. Considering the incredible amount of dust that was on the ground and flying around and being scattered by construction workers and being kicked and flying in the air and being pushed by brooms that is mind blowing also. In fact consider all of the universe and there is not one atom that is not under our creators control. Such a thought is utterly breathtaking. It is also very good news for Christians as humans are utterly fickle and would never turn to God on their own, and because God is totally free and totally in charge and thus totally God centered which is very good news for believers, and because God is most glorious when he is most free, and for many other reasons predestination is very good news.
The other thing I marveled at was how I was sweeping up tons of dust today at work. And I though there is not one piece of dust that is not in exactly the spot that God wanted it. Considering the incredible amount of dust that was on the ground and flying around and being scattered by construction workers and being kicked and flying in the air and being pushed by brooms that is mind blowing also. In fact consider all of the universe and there is not one atom that is not under our creators control. Such a thought is utterly breathtaking. It is also very good news for Christians as humans are utterly fickle and would never turn to God on their own, and because God is totally free and totally in charge and thus totally God centered which is very good news for believers, and because God is most glorious when he is most free, and for many other reasons predestination is very good news.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Philosophy Class Discussion of the Problem of Evil
We spent a whole class period in Philosphy discussing the problem of evil. How can we preserve God's forknowledge without ascribing evil to him. The problem has always bothered me but after class I nailed it down in such a way that I feel it will never bother me again.
God is all knowing and forknows all history. To toss these things aside would violate scripture's message. Just because I do not see how the two can fit together does not affect my faith that the two are in harmony. I will have faith that these two fit together even if they do not seem to. I shall believe so that one day I shall understand. If you look at good Christian theology by good Christain theologians you will find that much of it ends in mystery. The trinity is the perfect example of this. When the infinite meets the limited mystery naturally occurs. It is a terrible mistake in theology to use reason to try to explain away mystery.
As Kierkegaard says we never get farther than faith.
God is all knowing and forknows all history. To toss these things aside would violate scripture's message. Just because I do not see how the two can fit together does not affect my faith that the two are in harmony. I will have faith that these two fit together even if they do not seem to. I shall believe so that one day I shall understand. If you look at good Christian theology by good Christain theologians you will find that much of it ends in mystery. The trinity is the perfect example of this. When the infinite meets the limited mystery naturally occurs. It is a terrible mistake in theology to use reason to try to explain away mystery.
As Kierkegaard says we never get farther than faith.
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