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Colossians 2:6-8

Grace and peace be with you.

In the previous installment, God in effect – God in affect Part 1, I shared some thoughts on the idea that bad things happen because God doesn’t always intervene.  That’s not entirely accurate though.  Bad things don’t necessarily happen because God doesn’t intervene, they happen as a result (consequence) of the really bad things happening.. sin.

I’m going to take a step back today, by refreshing on two pivotal points in the history of the physical and spiritual worlds, hopefully tying these ideas together more tightly with the original thought of why bad things happen in the next installment.

IN THE PHYSICAL
Going back to Genesis and the Fall of Man, we could ask, “Where was God when Eve was being tempted by the serpent?  Why didn’t the Lord step in and crush the serpent before he even tempted Eve?”  A problem with this train of thought is that it leaves room to attempt to dodge the responsibility put on Adam and Eve.  Remember though, God gave Adam a command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil along with the reason for why He was giving the command.  Though sin (the human ailment),  hadn’t entered into the world quite yet, the text from Genesis 2 points out that evil already existed.

Genesis 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." 

IN THE SPIRITUAL
In Isaiah 14:12-14 & Ezekiel 28:12-18 we are given an account of something happening in the spiritual realm, that is, God dealing with Satan’s rebellion,take note of Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:17…

Setting the record straight for Job is God saying…

Job 38:4-7
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
       Tell me, if you understand.

5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
       Who stretched a measuring line across it?

6 On what were its footings set,
       or who laid its cornerstone-

7 while the morning stars sang together
       and all the angels shouted for joy?

It’s not clear at what point angels were created or when exactly was Satan’s access to heaven revoked.  What is clear is that Satan’s rebellion, occurring before or during the seven days of creation is the earliest account of sin we know of.  What can be concluded, is that God allowed Satan and his minions to rebel, as He also allowed Adam & Eve to rebel when they exercised their choice to obey or disobey what God had commanded in the Garden of Eden.

BUILDING ON WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN
So we ask, “Why would God allow either instance of rebellion to happen?”  An answer that seems to fit  God’s nature &  character is that for God to exert His power and will in such cases would seem to violate his very nature, that which makes Him good, just and righteous.  In short, coercion and force on the part of God to make Adam & Eve or us obey would be an act of oppression against his creation.  This is not to say that it elevates the creation above the creator, rather the Lord preserves His goodness in spite of His creation’s will to go against His will and desires.  Another view of obedience is that it is, the exercising of the option/attitude to obey vs not to obey.

As a side note:

If we begin with the belief that goodness and only goodness comes from God; and that goodness was the original order and intention of God, what options for understanding evil do we have?  While Hollywood, deep thinkers, and other “cultural” influences might have us believe that the natural order of things is to have an opposite for  “goodness”, I don’t believe this to be an accurate reflection of goodness from the Christian worldview.     

To elaborate, I don’t understand evil as being the “compliment” of good; evil existing has nothing to do with a duality of good and evil, ie; good is not dependent upon evil, it’s not a yen & yang proposition.  Evil is a way to describe that which is without goodness, ie; void of goodness. And on that abrupt note I’ll close for now.

To be continued…

Grace and peace be with you.

Blogging buddy E. Barrett of R3, wrote a post titled: “God’s sovereign reign”’, which serves as a catalyst for me to write today’s post.  The primary point I would like to focus on is a thought E. Barrett relays in his post…

One of my pet peeves is the phrase, “God’s sovereign reign.”  I can’t stand it when people start using that phrase.  Now I believe that God is in control.  And I believe that he’s the boss (not Tony Danza).  So in theory I have nothing against this phrase.  The problem is, when someone says, “God’s sovereign reign” what they really mean is “God just caused that bad thing to happen.” (emphasis mine)

It occurs to me that one reason that we may have a problem with this thought of God causing calamity(bad things to happen) is that we tend to look at it through our eyes instead of trying to gauge the situation from a Godly perspective.  Knowing that the loving God that you worship is also one that “causes calamity” may be a hard pill to swallow if, we don’t consider within that idea, God’s character and nature in handling wickedness.   For  instance, recall what God proclaimed to King David through Nathan for the transgressions that David committed against God…

2nd Samuel 12:7-13
”’’… 11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’ ”

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”

Now - I don’t mean to muddle the context of David’s sins and the consequences of such with those of the recent earthquake in Haiti, nor past events such as Hurricane Katrina because there are several differences to consider (more on that at a later time perhaps).  So as E. Barrett points out in his post that he doesn’t buy into some folks claiming that “God caused such and such to happen”  I agree… to an extent.

Let us begin with the presumed idea that God sits in heaven just itching to punish humans anytime we sin.  This thought is not accurate however, when we go back through the Old  Testament and see how God led Israel to the promised land in spite of their sins.  Yes, there were consequences of their sins; and perhaps it seems harsh, however we should consider that the Jews had God there with them ie; he manifested His presence to His chosen people.

You’ve probably heard the argument/objection.. “If God exists, why is there evil in the world?” . As if the mere utterance of the statement is somehow a valid and logical argument for refuting God and His existence.  That’s like asking the following while sitting in a dark closet.. “If light exists, why is it dark in here?”  But to get back on track with the point to be made, in a like wise manner maybe we need to consider that in His reign, perhaps God does “cause bad things to happen’ when He exercises His will to not intervene, thus allowing nature, physical laws and the nature of man to run their respective courses.

Colossians 1:15-17
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

To be continued…

Grace and peace be with you.

And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.
Mark 1:36

Simon Peter is well known to us for his foolish, extemporaneous statements throughout the Gospels (Matthew 16:22; 17:4; 26:33). But Peter was always seeking after Jesus. Peter followed Jesus from afar during the night of Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:58). Peter ran to the tomb when he heard Jesus had risen (Luke 24:12). Peter did not always say or do the right things, but he did constantly seek to be with Jesus. Because of this, he was continually encountering his Lord and growing to be a more faithful disciple.

Whenever we see Peter coming to Jesus he is always accompanied by others. Because Peter was seeking Jesus, others sought Him too. What are you known for by those who know you best? Do they see you searching for fame, power, success, or happiness? Are you known as a person who seeks after Jesus? God promises: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Did you begin today intent on encountering Jesus? Is your search for Him halfhearted, or are you seeking Him with all your heart? Have others grown closer to Jesus because they followed your example and sought Jesus? If your heart is set on pursuing Jesus, you will always find Him. “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come” (Revelation 22:17).

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

From what I’ve gathered from the reading, here’s a “short” outline/summary along some verses that came to mind for further referencing of those requirements that the Apostle Peter laid out in 1st Peter 1 verses 13-25 for Christians to live a holy life.

REQUIREMENTS FOR LIVING A HOLY LIFE

1. Have a mind prepared for action
   1. Being self controlled v13
      See Galatians 5:22-26, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5
   2. Having hope in the grace given by God through Christ Jesus our Lord & Savior v13
      See John 3:16-20,Romans 3:23-25, Romans 5:20-21
   3. Do not continue to live as though you are still a sinner v14
      See 1st Peter 2:11, Ephesians 2:11-22, John 15:18-19
   4. Live in Christ and with the knowledge of knowing Christ through God’s Word v14
      See John 5:36-40,John 15:3-5, 2nd Corinthians 4:6
   5. Be obedient and submit to God and His will v14
      See Deuteronomy 11:12-14, Matthew 22:35-37,Luke 10:26-28, John 14:21-25
      1. In heart
      2. In mind
      3. In body
         1. In deeds
         2. In word(s)
2. Live as aliens of the world, not as it’s citizens do v17
   See John 15:18-19, 1st Thessalonians 5:1-5
3. Fear the Lord out of reverence v17
   See Deuteronomy 6:23-25, Psalm 19:8-10, Psalm 33:17-19, Psalm 111:9-10
4. Be eternally minded v18
   See Isaiah 26:3-5, Matthew 25:31-46, John 3:15-17,2nd Corinthians 4:16-18
5. Cherish the new life given to you by the blood of Christ v18-20
   See 2nd Corinthians 5:16-21, Galatians 6:12-15 & 1st  Peter 1:23
6. Remember that you are saved and why you are saved v21
   1. By God’s mercy & grace
      See 2nd Corinthians 4:6
   2. By and through Christ’s blood, and atoning sacrifice to appease God’s coming wrath against sinner
      See Romans 6:19-25
7. Abide (continue) in the love of God v22
   See 1st Corinthians 13:7-9, John 14:22-24, 1st John 2:4-6, 1st John 5:2-4
   1. Deeply
   2. Unconditionally
   3. Sacrificially
   4. Selflessly
8. Remember God’s promises v24
   See Ephesians 2:11-13, Psalm 33:17-19, Daniel 9:4

Grace and peace be with you.