Unfairness

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If you do a web search on “where is God when it hurts” you will find a book by Philip Yancey by this title, as well as some other articles and dicussions of this topic. Here’s one page in particular that is relevant: http://www.gotquestions.org/btgp.html

There is a verse in the Bible, 2 Peter 3:9, that says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.” If I could have my own book of the Bible, I might have a verse that said, “The Lord is not unfair in dealing with people, as some understand unfairness.”

To illustrate this concept, Jesus tells a story in Matthew 20 about a man who hired some workers to work in his vineyard. At the beginning of the day, he hired some men and agreed to pay them a typical days wage. At various times throughout the day, he went out and hired more workers. The last few workers he hired were hired only an hour before quitting time. Then, at the end of the day, he paid all his workers a full days wage, even the ones who had only worked part of the day. The workers who started first thing in the morning were upset, because they thought they should get more than the workers who only worked part of the day. The owner of the vineyard told them, “Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take it and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be angry because I am kind?”

Another story in the Bible that illustrates how God operates is the story of Job. Job was “blameless, a man of complete integrity. He feared (obeyed) God and stayed away from evil.” God even bragged about Job to Satan. “The LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth–a man of complete integrity. He fears (obeys) God and will have nothing to do with evil.” Satan replies that the only reason Job is so obedient is because God has blessed him greatly. “Take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” So God said, “All right, you may test him. Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” Later, after Job has remained faithful to God, Satan wants to up the stakes. “Take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” So God allows Satan to go even further. “All right, do with him as you please. But spare his life.” Although Job never curses God, he does begin to ask, “Why me, God?” At the end of the book, God goes on for four chapters asking Job all sorts of questions that Job cannot answer, really putting Job in his place. Finally Job says, “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me.” Then God restored Job’s fortunes and blessed him even more than ever. Was God fair to Job? Would it have been fair of God if he hadn’t restored Job’s fortunes? (hint: the answer to both questions is “yes”)

One more verse: Matthew 5:45. “He (God) causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Not everything that happens in life is a function of whether we “deserve it” or not.

In reality, everyone has sinned against God and deserves immediate destruction. It would be perfectly fair and just of God to let the ravages of sin completely destroy us. However, in His wisdom, in ways that we do not understand, He extends grace at certain times to certain people.

Originally posted 8/3/2005 on bibleforums.org

Calvinism

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(Also see “Once Saved Always Saved”)

God’s sovereignty does not violate man’s free will. Please understand this…it is very important. God does not force anyone to love Him or choose Him. Please do not let this all-or-nothing thinking be a stumbling block to the biblical principle of man’s total depravity or God’s sovereignty.

I’ve heard lots of objections to God’s sovereignty, usually with the assumption that it overrides man’s ability to choose. I’ve also heard God’s sovereignty explained away such that it’s really man’s choice and God just knows what will happen so He plans accordingly. I don’t recall ever hearing a good explanation of what Romans 9, Matthew 20, and the numerous other passages dealing with God’s sovereignty are really saying if you reject the notion that the choice originates with God, independent of man.

Another thing I’d like to reiterate, as a few people have already mentioned, is that God is the standard of righteousness, justice, and love. God doesn’t just decide what Right is, and then abide with His “rules.” Whatever God does–that, by definition, is Right. If God declared that green was holy and pink was evil, it wouldn’t matter that I think it’s arbitrary and stupid. I would still be sinning if I decided to wear pink anyway. If God decided to eliminate a race of people, it wouldn’t matter if it seemed heartless to us. The fact that God did it, and that alone, makes it Right.

Now, that doesn’t mean that God is inconsistent and contradictory. He has revealed His character to us, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We know from the Bible that He is loving; He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He is very patient, pursuing His beloved even after we reject Him time and time again. Our understanding of salvation needs to be consistent with this.

Our understanding of salvation also needs to be consistent with the biblical principles that have been presented, indicating that man is depraved and does not seek God on his own.

Originally posted 7/15/2005 on bibleforums.org

Perseverance of the Saints

Perseverance of the Saints is very much dependant on God’s Unconditional Election and Irresistable Grace. With regards to Calvinism vs. Arminianism, I’m not very interested in proving which of the two opposing views are correct. I believe the Bible gives indications of both, and I am more interested in reconciling the seeming contradictory concepts than picking one versus the other.

However, here are some of the common verses that indicate a Perseverance of the Saints:

Continue reading →

Marriage

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How do I know if I’m ready to get married? It’s a common question I’m sure, and it would be nice if there were a simple checklist or test one could take that would provide the answer. The reality is, it will always be a judgment call. However, it occurs to me that three elements ought to be satisfied before deciding to get married.

1. Ask yourself, “Do I feel confident that I want to spend the rest of my life with this person?” This takes into account the level of emotional attachment as well as your knowledge of your similarities and differences and your compatibility on various issues, but it’s mostly a gut-level evaluation of your feelings for this person.

2. Am I willing to do whatever it takes to love this person for the rest of my life? Am I willing to put their needs and desires above my own? Circumstances change and emotions come and go, but a decision to love someone forever is an act or your will.

3. The final question addresses the physical/practical component. Are we old enough and mentally/emotionally mature enough to make such an important commitment? Will marriage present a great financial hurdle? Will our careers or lifestyles have to change drastically if we get married?

Sanctuary Seating Psychology Supposition

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Okay, this is a dumb question, but I wonder if anyone else has ever had this conundrum.

Suppose you, an individual of the single variety, are walking into church. You’re fairly early, so there are lots of available seats. (Note: this is a Modern Church, so there are no pews; just individual seats lined up in rows and attached together at the sides.)

One of your friends is sitting in a row that is otherwise empty, so you go to join them. Now, the big question is, do you sit right next to them, or leave an empty seat (AKA, a “Bible Seat”) in between? If you are both male, there is no hesitation. Given that there are enough seats available, two or more males sitting “together” will leave an empty seat in between each occupied seat. This way there is no accidental touching; legs can be crossed, elbows moved about, etc, without bumping into each other. In contrast, two or more females sitting together will always sit in adjacent seats. The precise explanation for this is unknown, but some suspect it may be so whispering during the service is less noticeable.

But what if you are a male, and you’re getting ready to sit down by a female with whom you have a platonic friendship? You don’t want to seem aloof by creating an unnecessary distance between you, but on the other hand, you don’t want to give an impression that is unintended (by you) or unwelcomed (by her). It would be different if the row were already mostly full, but sitting side-by-side with no one else in the immediate vicinity might be awkward.

Am I alone in facing these life-altering quandaries? Is it all in my head, the result of my own insecurity, or have others been plagued by this as well? Any advice?

originally posted 1/23/2005 on bibleforums.org

Bizarre ritual

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Yesterday afternoon as I was driving home on a county road outside of town, I passed a field and noticed four people standing in the middle of the field, apparently wrestling with a cow. This seemed rather strange, so I pulled off the road onto a nearby driveway behind a barn, and observed them for a while. After struggling with the cow for a while, and apparently tying it up, it suddenly went limp. I happened to have a pair of binoculars in my car, so I pulled them out for a closer look at what was going on. There were four men, all dressed in robes. They had slit the cow’s throat, and were collecting it’s blood in a container. Then they smeared the blood on their faces, hands, and feet, and sprinkled some on their clothing. They cut the cow open and removed some of its internal organs, then began dismembering it, cutting off its head and legs. Certain parts they would wave in the air, and then place on a fire that they had started. I was pretty sick to my stomach, so I didn’t stick around to see what else they did. Does anybody know if this is a ritual that a particular group has, or was it most likely just four twisted individuals? Should I have told somebody about this?

Perhaps you would respond like some of these people responded:

“From my extensive study of many of the worlds religions, it seems you witnessed the act of four very messed up kids. This doesn’t sound like anything more than someone who has watched one too many gore movies.”

“Almost sounds like an OT sacrifice. Please note the word ALMOST. It also seems a little ‘dark lordish.'”

“It does sound like some kind of sacrifice…not OT though.”

“That’s disgusting. Sounds satantic to me.”

“My, this sound like some Old Testament ritual.”

“I would not have thought twice to call the cops…”

“It sounds a lot like a satanic ritual.”

What if I replaced “yesterday” with “3,500 years ago,” and replaced rural Indiana with the Sinai Desert; would that change your response?

“…they smeared the blood on their faces, hands, and feet, and sprinkled some on their clothing.”
Exodus 29:20-21 “…take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. …sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments.”

“They cut the cow open and removed some of its internal organs, then began dismembering it, cutting off its head and legs.”
Exodus 29:17 “Cut the ram into pieces and wash the inner parts and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces.”

“Certain parts they would wave in the air, and then place on a fire that they had started.”
Exodus 29:24-25 “Put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and wave them before the LORD as a wave offering. Then take them from their hands and burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering for a pleasing aroma to the LORD, an offering made to the LORD by fire.”

I think sometimes when people (including me) read the Bible, we read some pretty bizarre things without batting an eye. You’ve probably heard comments before to the effect that if the Bible were made into a movie, and Christians weren’t told that the script came straight from the Bible, many would think it should be banned. Why is it that our perception of the same stories is so much different depending on the source? How is it that something holy and righteous 3,500 years ago, would be viewed as satanic if it were observed today? Is there anything we should learn from this about ourselves or how we view God?

Some people believe that the last nine chapters of Ezekiel refer to the millennial reign of Christ, and that sacrifices will again be offered in the temple at that time. (There may be other passages that are used to support this idea, but this is the one I’m aware of.) The religious leaders of the day did not accept Jesus when he came the first time, because his ideas and practices were not consistent with the context in which they expected the Messiah to operate. How will we respond when Jesus returns, if he institutes practices that are unfamiliar to us, possibly even bizarre and shocking?

In thinking about this topic, I was reminded that evil is not the opposite of good, but rather a perversion of something good. We’re so used to the concept of “good vs. evil” that we tend to think of them as opposites, with good forces and evil forces struggling for superiority. However, Evil cannot exist by itself; without a knowledge of what is Good, Evil is undefined. The fact that evil is not the polar opposite of good can make it harder to identify. Since evil is in fact a twisted version of something good, our ability to recognize it depends on how twisted it is, and how familiar we are with the standard for Good.

originally posted 2/4/2005 on bibleforums.org