Resisters

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. -- John 3:16

Like most people, I believe in free will.  Everyone acts as though man can choose, even those who declare that God has His elect who will be saved while He has chosen in His indisputable wisdom and sovereignty that others will go to hell. 

The words of John 3:16 are in red.  Jesus said that the Father loves the world to the extent that He was willing to send His only begotten Son to save it.  God loves the world.  It is what someone called an objective universal. 

Not only is divine love universal, it is unilateral -- as the Apostle John says in his first epistle:  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).  We did not love God.  We did not even know God.   Humanity is such a wreck that the Lord would be perfectly justified not only in not bothering with us but in positively condemning each and every one of us.  Yet Jesus says that He was not sent into the world to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:17).

Despite all the Lord has done, despite the redeeming work of Christ in His Incarnation, His death, His  burial, and His resurrection, it still comes down to us.  We decide whether we will be condemned or delivered.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already … (John 3:18).

There may well be some people who adopt universalism because it has that liberal, I’m-ok-you’re-ok new agey vibe to it.  Genuine Christian believers, though, may become open to universalism because they grasp the nature of God’s love.  Too, there is this plain statement by Paul:  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22).  It may be argued, reasonably, that this applies only to the elect.  After all, if we are all dead in trespasses and sin (and we are), how can a dead person respond to God’s call?   

The blood of Christ opened the way for all.  The veil was rent from top to bottom.  The partition that separated the elect from those outside of God’s sovereign choosing was taken down:

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility …  that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two … through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God  … In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:14-22).

Strictly speaking, I am not a universalist.  I think it possible for a soul to resist the love and grace of God, to be so self-absorbed as to consign itself eternally to the fires of hell.  But I also think it is possible for any soul, anywhere, anytime to respond to the Holy Spirit’s call, to recognize and respond positively to God’s offer of reconciliation.  In the end, those separated from a loving, forgiving, compassionate God will have no one to blame except themselves, while those who have accepted the gift will have no one to thank and praise but Christ alone.

Our Father's World

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  – Galatians 4:1-2

With regard to these verses commentaries focus on the distinction between Israel – the called of God, under the law and the called and chosen under the New Covenant in Christ.  I was immediately reminded of one of my top five most-quoted passages, Ephesians 4:11-16, and in particular verse 13 which asserts that God gives us leaders and teachers … until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.   We can understand the historic perspective, but we should also see the personal application.  Individually, we start out in Christ needing a lot of help, a lot of support, teaching, and discipline.  We are, in effect, “under the law” for a time until our ability to communicate with God develops and matures.  Even after we have grown in the faith, there are often times when we need others to come alongside to encourage or correct us.  Sometimes I need a rebuke or reproof as 2 Timothy 3:16 says. 

We see something else inherent in this passage, though.  We have been adopted by the Father who “is the owner of everything”, and, that, as Paul points out, makes us the “owners” of everything as well.  Man was created and commissioned to rule in this world.  Adam lost his position through sin, and so we all have suffered in our fallen state.  We have been rained on where we should have reigned.  In Christ, our enslavement and servitude to the elements and powers of this world come to an end. 

I don’t know about me.  I believe there are saints who have overcome and matured in this life to the point that they rule and reign in this life.  I may have to wait until the next one – which is all right.  I don’t mind being in school all my life.  It seems to me that too much authority and power is kind of dangerous both for myself and for those around me.  Nevertheless, I think we need to realize we are part of the hierarchy, part of the ruling family, whether we are responsible for running much of the show or not. 

We all have spheres of authority, influence, and control.  Like the servants who were entrusted the talents, it may be small or large.  We are obligated to care for that with which the Lord has entrusted us to His glory and in His honor.  My wife always considered the condition of her house, her car, her lawn, whatever, as a reflection on Christ.  She kept things neat and orderly, clean and in good repair because a) she’s German; and b) it’s all the Lord’s stuff.  I believe that she was right in that we owe it to God to do the best we can where we have been placed. 

I also think it is a mistake to be silent and passive concerning the issues of the day.  This is especially true when it comes to children and education, but we ought also to stand up to oppression in every area where we can make our voices heard.  This is our Father’s world.  It’s never going to be utopia, Disneyland, or heaven, but it’s His, and we should live, work, and speak with that in our minds.   

Keys

And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.  -- Jeremiah 18:4

I suppose I have always read this as saying, more or less, “God is in control.”  And He is.  He’s the potter; we’re the clay.  He can do with us as He pleases.  Nevertheless, He allows us to decide how it is going to be:

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it.  And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. (Jeremiah 18:7-10)

This is repeated by other prophets, notably Ezekiel, but the thing here is that it occurs within a passage that has a flavor of predestination. 

Over the weekend, I was praying Psalm 32.  In verses 8 and 9, the Lord responds to David saying, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. “

Yes, the Lord can beat a person like a rented mule to get their attention.  He can make our lives so miserable that we may feel that we have no choice except to obey.  He’d prefer not to.  He invites us to be close to Him.  He has made every provision possible for us to abide with Him, and He with us.  He knocks, and all we have to do is ask Him in.  The one thing that will prevent that is our own stubbornness. 

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, knew what was coming to his people.  He pleaded over and over for them to hear and to repent.  They remained defiant.  They resisted the calling of the Lord to change, to repent, and to receive forgiveness.     

“Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’   But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” (Jeremiah 18:11-12)

We want to exalt the sovereignty of God.  We want to glory in His omnipotence and rejoice in the fact that He rules and reigns over all things, that He has a hand in even the most mundane aspects of our lives.  I understand the motivation and the thinking of those who minimize man and maximize God.  Man is nothing compared to God.  But the Lord makes us something.  That, too, is His glory, that He willingly and in love hands to men the keys of the kingdom.  He says, “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.”  (Matthew 16:19)  Here are the keys of history.  Here are the keys to the potent force on earth.  Here are the keys to life, and to death.  Take care how you choose. 

Time and Chance

[T]his is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. – Daniel 4:24-25

It has been a challenging week so far.  I finally got some sleep last night, and we have been getting some rain, which makes things better. 

Daniel was a trusted adviser to King Nebuchadnezzar at this point, and he was the man the king called when something disturbed him.  Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed of a beautiful tree which was cut down.  A true prophet, Daniel, who had affection and respect for the king, though troubled himself when he received the interpretation, nevertheless delivered the verdict.  Due to his achievements, his victories, and the magnificence of his kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar had been filled with pride.  He was impressed with himself, forgetting that he had been raised up by the one true God, whom Daniel worshipped and served.

In our day of popular democracies and (allegedly) constitutional republics, of democrats and demagogues, it may be hard to relate to the ancient concepts of warlords and autocratic kings.  There is a time and a place for everything.  When communication is primitive and travel is difficult if possible at all, the idea of some kind of representative central government was perhaps less of a concern to people trying to scratch out a few years of subsistence before succumbing to famine, the latest plague, accident, or attack. 

It might have made more sense to people five or six hundred years ago that God would raise up, favor, and empower a gifted person to bring a period of peace and prosperity out of chaos and constant struggle.  I even wonder if God did not have an easier time of it back in those days.  It seems to me that it would be a lot harder to bring a few million people in line to vote for the “right” candidate than to find one seven-foot head-banger to bring it all together.  It would be for me.  I am confident, though, that God can work things out regardless of the political structure of any given era.

As He did in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, God has a way to bring us in line with His purpose and His will.  This great king lost his mind.  One day, a year after the delivery of Daniel’s prophetic warning, he was walking amid the wonders and marvels of his wealth and power, thought, “Ain’t I somethin’”.  The next moment he became as a beast of the field:  Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws (Daniel 4:33). 

Madness engulfed Nebuchadnezzar.  It’s hard not to think of Howard Hughes with his great wealth, living in crazed and fearful isolation.  We wonder sometimes why powerful, wealthy people find so many ways to humiliate themselves, why they seem to descend into such utter foolishness and self-destruction.  It’s not all their doing.  They refuse to acknowledge God and endeavor to exalt themselves to the throne that is His alone.  At some point, the Lord simply lets them have their way, allows their will to be done, and steps back.  The consequences are varied but inevitable. 

Were it not for the presence of the Remnant, there would not be a human left on the face of the earth by now.  The rest would have destroyed themselves, wiping one another out until the last fell and became naught but bones for the coyotes to gnaw triumphantly.  But that is not God’s plan.  He will adjust and rebalance the equations.  In this sense, I think miracles happen all the time – if by miracles we mean interventions normally attributed to chance -- chance being a comfortable, reassuring, though meaningless term to fence off the inexplicable Cause.

In another place, in his initial encounter with the King of Babylon, Daniel had been given both the forgotten dream and the interpretation.  In response, he praised God, saying:  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding (Daniel 2:21).  God is present in all things, working through and with natural agencies and causes in a vast multi-dimensional game of unlikely blocks, startling captures, strategic retreats and unexpected advances.  Sometimes I think research in subatomic particles is akin to taking apart a radio looking for the voices.  In the end, as Chesterton would say, they will find a Man.

What Pleases God

Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him. – 2 Samuel 10:12

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.  -- Psalm 115:3

The verse from Second Samuel is a statement by David’s general, Joab.  If I had been writing the Bible, I would probably have left Joab out or at least left out some of his contradictions and complexities.  As it is, the character fascinates me.  I may have said this before.  As best I can tell, Joab is kinfolk -- David’s nephew, the son of David’s sister Zeruiah (1 Chronicles 2:16).  Joab seems very often to know the will and ways of God better than David and is unfailingly loyal.  He is also vengeful, conniving, and ambitious.  He is both a courageous warrior and a pragmatic, cold-blooded politician. 

Here we see an example of Joab who believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  The Ammonites had foolishly provoked Israel to battle.  Joab when out to fight them only to find that they had multiplied their forces by hiring the Syrians, surrounding the army of Israel.  Rather than panic, Joab divided his forces, putting some of the army under command of his brother, Abishai, to attack the Ammonites while he, with a handpicked cadre, would assault the Syrians.  In the end, Joab was wise enough to reckon that “the battle is the Lord’s”. 

If God is going to do “all that He pleases”, what is our responsibility?  Why should we worry about anything?  We were pointing in the previous post that worry is needless.  Does that mean there is no part for us to play?  Moses held up his staff and the sea parted.  Did Moses do that?  Moses did his part.  Joshua and the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, blew their trumpets and the walls fell down.  Who knocked down those walls?  Joshua did his part.  Gideon and his three hundred broke their pitchers, blew their trumpets and shouted, and the Midianites fell into confusion, slaughtered one another and fled.  Gideon did his part.  David faced Goliath and slung a stone.  Joab and his army attacked. 

I trust God to provide for me, but I get up every morning and go to work.  If I wanted to find a job, I’d trust God, but I’d also go out and look for one.  God doing what he pleases and our doing what we can are not contradictory concepts.  God’s sovereignty does not interdict man’s free will and responsibility.  He did not create puppets but people, and what He really wants is for us to delight to do His will. 

I am afraid that one of the reasons Joab has such a strong appeal for me is that I am too much like him.  Loyalty and courage are the two virtues I admire almost more than any.  I'm actually pretty good at loyalty.  I could never call myself brave, but I would like to if I could.  Love, by contrast, seems almost self-serving because the one who loves gains so much joy from it.  Love ought to hurt – as it sometimes does.  People should -- more to the point, God should respect my self-sacrifice and unselfishness.  That seems right to me.  Nevertheless, I am wrong.  In “The Weight of Glory” Lewis says: 

If you asked twenty good men today what they thought the highest of virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness.  But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love.  … The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.  I do not think this is the Christian virtue of Love. 

It irks a part of me that God does not recognize Joab as the better man.  Joab is out doing what needs to be done, stabbing people and cutting throats.  David is nearly a sissy by comparison -- whining around about all the blood shed for his benefit, just about swooning before God.  He loved God, praised and served Him for the pure joy he found doing so.  To Joab, the Lord was someone to appease and, usually, obey rather than someone in whom to delight.  Yes, I am wrong.  

David was flawed, often weak and prone to mistakes of misplaced empathy, mercy, and compassion.  Yet, in this, he is more like God, closer to the heart of God than old canny, practical Joab me.