Archive for October, 2008

05
Oct

the dignity of free choice - part 1

By couch 4 Comments
Categories: Articles and revelation

We’ve all heard it before - if God is all-loving, why does he allow suffering? I’m not tired of this question, it’s valid. What I’m tired of is the answer that is often given, one that I’ve given at times myself. The typical answer includes lots of disclaimers such as “God’s ways are higher than ours” and “I’m not completely sure”, answers that leave the hearer/asker with much to be desired. Not that these answers aren’t true in some sense, but there is a richness in the Word of God (the person and the text) that needs to be searched out, and our lack of depth here not only robs us of key understanding, but others of “an answer for the hope we profess”. In other words, we are missing a key opportunity to share the Word of Life when we give a shallow answer.

For sure, there is no reason to be fake, or to be dishonest about your own struggles in understanding the great mystery of God. But I know for a fact that even in those times the Holy Spirit within us is yearning to speak to us and through us. I by no means have massive revelation on this question, but I do think I’m getting somewhere as I learn God. Often, insight into the journey is more important, and often gives a greater answer than the destination itself.

I’m considering this after listening to Matt Candler talk about the privilege we humans have in prayer. He was sharing that in his study of the Word, he has not found one place where Angels ask God for anything. Not once in all recorded scripture do angels intercede for anything before the great majesty, before the Holiest of All, before the All-Consuming Fire of God. As the old hymn declares, we have access where “angels fear to tread”, the place of standing before the One who fills all in all to ask Him for anything. Anything! Imagine! And why us?

Angels are so mighty that they often come in great power and glory, heralding great messages, bringing great visions, destroying entire cities, so much so that many eat the dust at the mere site of them! And yet, they look at us, “weak” us, and they “long to look into such things”. (1 Peter 1:12) Why? Because they learn about the nature of God from watching how He honors us to participate in the outworking of His image.

Because we, unlike them nor anything else in the created order, were created in God’s image. Without unpacking that entirely, think about this. God is God, and He made us to reflect Him, just as my image in the mirror reflects me. We are meant to reflect what God is like, how He feels, and how He acts - the ultimate example and perfect representation being Jesus Christ, the God-man, God incarnate in the flesh from the inside out. And the uniqueness we share with God is that we are given the dignity of free choice. God the Father doesn’t make Himself love His Son, but He voluntarily loves Him out of His own free will. If anyone has free-will, it’s God! And He chooses to love Himself, and He chooses to love us, demonstrated most spectacularly through His voluntary death on the cross. We are created in God’s image, and as He absolutely honors and appreciates his own ability to choose to love us (in order to reveal His nature) He honors the created man with the same dignity.

This is one of the reasons I think Calvinism is so dangerous, as it can truly and seriously do damage to understanding the very character of God, which will lead to a false understanding of who we are and our own destinies in Him. I have more to say about that, but for now let me focus back on free-choice.

Much has been said about God giving us the privilege to choose Him, and to voluntarily love Jesus because He first loved us. That’s amazing in of itself, but the flip side of that is that He has even honored the human race enough to allow unspeakable atrocity to occur in order to maintain His intended promise, the dignity of choice, to us. We are still allowed to choose, even if we choose evil and pollute the world with sin so that it “staggers and reels like a drunkard.” (Isaiah 24:20)

Why is suffering allowed by a God of love? Because a God of love demonstrates what true love is by giving those He loves the dignity to choose Him, or the alternative, themselves. God never meant us for suffering, but the devil has. And the amazing thing is - God will ultimately give us ALL what we ask for. Is this truly love, giving us the ability to choose what could ultimately destroy us? Yes, because where there is no freedom of choice, there is no freedom to love. And where there is no freedom of love, there is no freedom of God, because God is love. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

His freedom shows us the Truth, which woos our heart to understand the wisdom and glory of choosing Him. And when we choose Truth, we know the Truth, and He sets us even more free! (John 8:32)

And why, does the scripture say we were set free?

“For it is for freedom’s sake Christ set us free.” (Gal. 5:1) Hallelujah!

03
Oct

conceiving and building

By couch 1 Comment
Categories: Heart

“What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.” - Psalm 51:6 (MSG)

We all love it when our life in God is effortless, and we feel alive in His presence. Circumstances intertwine with new-found joy and peace and outflows communion with God. We are experiencing God and our partnership with Him feels tangible.

Then there is the opposite. Where did He go? Did I do something wrong? Even the most basic things in our life in Him seem arduous and devoid of His presence. We are restless, truth isn’t sitting well in us, and nothing comes as easy as in the previous days. The faucet is still turned on, but there’s nothing coming out anymore!

In seeking to know God, we often focus on His characteristics (His omniscience, meekness, power, etc), which is a very powerful and necessary activity. But just as important is how those characteristics cause Him to act towards us, and work inside of us. We need to not only know God’s character, but become familiar with how He works in our lives, that we may not be so “caught off guard” at His dealings with us. This is called knowing His ways, which flow out of who He is.

In my experience, these “opposite” times when God doesn’t seem near are critical moments when we can really dive deep into the “hidden wisdom” (1Cor. 2:6-7) of God and come out with some real understanding. If we can just get past the initial offense of “what’s wrong” we can begin to settle in and search God out. First, we recognize what He is doing in our lives. We realize we are in a season where He is calling us beyond our practical experience and into a deeper realm of faith.  It doesn’t mean He isn’t there or that there won’t be times where we do feel Him again, but we recognize that He is building truth in us by faith. When we recognize how He is working in us, we can then follow that trail back to who God is, seeing His goodness and delight in working in us.

To put it a different way, God’s desire is for us to know Him by faith, so that we don’t ultimately trust in feelings or our own understanding as our barometer of His active involvement and heart towards us. When we can’t feel Him, we can either be offended and slip away from Him, or take the invitation to dive deep into His Word and search Him out by faith. Whether we feel it or not, the Holy Spirit is filling us with the true, new life of Christ!

When we feel Him, we are actively experiencing Him, and that points to His goodness. When we don’t, He is actively conceiving truth and building us through our faith-choice, and that points to His goodness. Be encouraged, for God’s goodness is His glory! (Ex. 33:19)