There has recently been a lot of discussion generated by my questions about the creation account.  It has been fascinating and frustrating at the same time.  Some find these things to be an unnecessary discussion and some see it as part of the mission.  Personally, I just like to read the evidence that others have for their views.  I don’t believe any of my main readers are experts in some of these things and I know I am not.

We can all learn something and we definitely need to know why we believe what we do.  These discussions are not just to argue.  They are to help all of us think.  God gave us a brain and unfortunately very few seem to use it for the advancement of the Kingdom.  Instead we seem to trust whatever persons views already line up with our own.  I want to invite all to discuss the issue today.  And I would especially like to hear form any who have a Background or training in these areas.

The last heavy discussions lead to some comments about the age of the earth.

How old do you think the earth is?

What evidence do you have for your answer?

How are you able to justify your dismissal of the other side?

And once again, does it really matter in the light of God’s grace and mercy in the reconciliation of mankind to Himself?

I also love the increase in commentary so if you are tired of reading and discussing these things, comment on some of the other posts that have largely went ignored.

Love you all

Tags: Creation, creation account, Discussion, God, Kingdom, Mercy, mission, Personal, town hall, Tuesday

Yes.  He did.  And we are here, only by His gracious act of creation.  If you have been following along with the posts and especially the commentary the last couple of weeks you are aware that creation has been discussed and I hope will continue to be.  No one is denying the fact of creation, just how to interpret the narrative we have that portrays it.  This post is not about creation in a wider sense.  It is about the many questions I have read out there in cyberspace asking what God created.

There is the question asking, did God create evil?  Another asks, did God create sin?  What about, did God create time?

Some believe He created evil and sin for example, so that we can experience good and His mercy.  Some believe He had to create time because He does not experience duration or sequence because He is infinite, but because we are finite we had to have time created to experience the same.  Some of these concepts are definitely brain twisters and the most vocal of the believers in these things end most of the discussions with the argument of God being so far beyond, above, mysterious, and such that we should not attempt to even ponder them.  Logic seems to have no place for determining what God is like.

I have other questions.  If we need evil to experience good, then how in the heavens are we going to experience good in eternity?  Isn’t the promise that evil will be gone?  Is evil a noun; is it something with independent existence?  Or is it just what occurs when Gods ways are not followed? The same goes for sin.  Isn’t it really just a turning from the path God set before us, missing the mark, as it is defined?

God is good because he said so.  Good has independent existence because God exists.  But God never, ever, said He was evil.  Isn’t evil really just a measurement, as is sin, of how much we are unlike God or how far we or our actions are from Him.  Did God create large, small, sweet, sour, pretty, ugly and such, or are these just descriptives and measurements of the things He did create?  Evil and sin are not things.  They are what things that are created do.

Time is in the same ballpark.  It is a measurement of sequence and duration.  Again, do we say that God created height, or depth, or diameter?  Or aren’t these just concepts that we use to relate to creation?  To me, time fits this description.  I once thought of God as timeless and above and outside time and it gave me nothing but headaches.  Upon further study, prayer, reflection and discussion I have come to the conclusion that this is a manmade concept and is not only unbiblical, it actually goes against much of the biblical witness.

As I read the love letter to mankind that we call the bible, I see a God that desires relationships with His creations.  I see a God that experiences sequence and duration.  A God that asks things like, how long?  How much?  When?  All of these things point far away from timelessness.  In eternity, if God does not experience time, meaning duration and sequence, then how will we relate to Him then?  It will be no better than it is here.

God is everlasting to everlasting.  God simply always was and always is and always will be.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, which are actually finite terms meaning the beginning and the end.  These do not point to timelessness either.  They actually point us to the fact that we find our beginning and ending only in Him.

Did God create…?

As far as evil, sin, and time go, I say no.  It just does not fit the picture of the Father that Jesus painted for us.  Instead we find that He is good, He is perfect, and He will be there with us and for us.  Hallelujah.

Love you all

Tags: alpha and the omega, Beginning, Bible, Creation, Discussion, Ending, Eternity, Evil, Father, God, Good, hallelujah, Heaven, jesus, King, Mercy, Perfect, relationship, Relationships

You probably read the title and might be wondering what in the world I am talking about.  Atheism was not as hard as what?  The answer is atheism was not as hard as Christianity.  At this point some of you are probably thinking I am crazy, but hold on.  Am I?  Do you find Christianity easy?  If you do then I simply have to ask which Jesus you are following.

I know, before some of you even say it, loving a wonderful, merciful, savior is easy.  Loving God as Father is easy also.  He is so very easy to love when you get a taste of His incomprehensible mercy, amazing grace, and unsurpassable peace.  The very real fact that He rescued me from the jaws of death, literally, and an eternal destination far from Him, and even from enslavement by sin and service to the enemy makes it easy for me to love Him.

But is that all Christianity is?

No, it is not.  Christianity, no matter how a postmodern society and church defines it, is really about or should be about, following, serving, and doing as that easy to love Savior-King, Jesus, commanded us.  And He commanded us not only to love Him but to love everybody else too.  We must love our spouses as He loves the church-His body and bride.  We must love our families by obeying our parents and caring and instructing our children.  We must love our brothers in the family of God because anyone that hates his brother is a murderer.  We must love our neighbors even as we love ourselves and we know that we love ourselves very dearly.  We must even love our enemies and show it by turning the other cheek and giving them our coat when they steal our shirt.

This is a love that goes against our very natures.  When someone does not love us like we love them we tend to draw away, to hold back.  But this is in direct opposition to our instructions.  When I am faced by someone that does not reciprocate the love I try to develop I must try even harder.  When I am faced with bitter words coming from a loved one I am to keep quiet instead of retaliating.  When I am faced by ridicule, slander, or hurtful invective I am supposed to pray blessing upon that person.  None of this is easy.  But it is necessary.

It is necessary if we are going to be effective in our mission.  It is necessary if we are going to help win some to the cause of the Kingdom.  It is necessary if we are going to achieve unity in the Body.  It is necessary if we are going to be like our King.

Yes, atheism was easy in comparison.  All I had to do was be self-centered and admit it instead of deny it like we seem to do when we are born again.  Joining Christ’s cause did not automatically take away my self-centeredness.  I also recognized that I pretty much hated everyone and cared little about anyone except sometimes in a self-centered way.  Hate is easy but the eventual destination is not anything I would wish on my worst enemy.  And that is what love is all about.  It is about being truly concerned for the eventual eternal destination of everyone we know or meet.  But loving everyone in a magnanimous, sacrificial way is so very hard at times.

Atheism was not this hard.  But where was the challenge in it.

Love you all

Tags: amazing grace, Atheism, Christian, Christianity, Church, Death, Enemy, Father, God, Grace, jesus, Kingdom, Lie, Mercy, mission, Murder, neighbor, Self, Service

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! Luke17:1 NKJV

The He in the scripture used above is Jesus. He was warning us that we will be offended. And we all know that if we have spent any time at all being a live human. But this post is not about offense, or even forgiveness. Instead I submit another statement as one that Jesus could just as readily have said and it is:

“It is impossible that no criticism should come, but you also will criticize.”

Ever since the fall, things have not been right. Creation is not “very good” anymore. With that fact of reality, there is going to be many opportunities for criticism. Julie said the following in a comment on Tuesdays post.

“Criticism is definitely necessary in order to provoke change in human beings as well as methods and procedures.”

This is what criticism is all about and why it has to occur. We must do our best to align ourselves and all the things we say, do, think, or desire with the original “very good” state of God’s creation. We are to strive to be like God, to become more Christlike every day. To achieve even a modicum of success at this, we must be criticized and learn to accept criticism for what it is. It is those words that provoke change in us, or they should. Change in the way we are, or the way we think, or what we are doing with our life.

Shannon, over at Hope Aflame, was telling me about an upcoming meeting with his professor concerning his submitted thesis for seminary. It didn’t sound like he was altogether thrilled at the notion but as we talked the necessity of the meeting was clear. He needs it. He needs to have his work critiqued not only to find out if he is right but to prove to himself and his professor that he knows what and why he believes. Criticism helps us grow if we are open to that growth. And that growth brings us in line with our goals of becoming like our Savior.

We are all wrong sometimes. We are fallen human beings living in a war torn creation. How could we not be? But any person hungry to be like Jesus has to be not only open to criticism but to actively pursue it. Criticism can sharpen us, quicken us, and stimulate us. Have you ever lost a debate but knew you were right. A good critique can make you better the next time. John Sanders needs a little criticism about his debate with James White on Open Theism. He had the better argument, in my opinion, but failed miserably in his delivery.

Is criticism always good? I would have to say no.

Wayne asked in a comment, also on Tuesday, “Is there a difference in being critical vs. being negative?”

I believe there is but I also know that some of our critical attitudes are nothing more than negative attitudes. As some of the others commented, we are sometimes quick to say how bad the sermon was, or how pitiful the music is. We let others know how messed up their lives are when we hide so much of our own. We look at a fallen minister and say things like “How could he” or “He should have known better”. We should never hesitate to speak out against sin, but should we even wonder how it could happen in someone else’s life when we ourselves are so messed up. And if you aren’t, then praise God. I know I need His grace and mercy daily, not just once or twice a year.

Some of us are just negative by nature or nurture. Some of us are jealous and envious of others successes, gifts or abilities. Then we become bitter and negative after a period of letting these emotions reign in our lives. The criticism we then offer has nothing more behind it than the need to hurt someone else, because we hurt.

Before we criticize I believe we should ask ourselves some questions. Could I have done any better? Do I have a solution to offer? Does this really matter? Why do I feel the need to offer up any particular criticism? Is it my place?

We all need criticism and should offer criticism. We all need to accept it in the way we want the other to accept ours. We must not hesitate to offer it up when necessary and we need not always be gentle about it. Jesus softly criticized the disciples when they wrongly criticized the woman with the alabaster box in Matthew 26. He also offered up harsh criticism to the Pharisees, in the form of woes or warnings of severe punishment, even calling them names, in Matthew 23.

The first example only dealt with a style of worship but the second had eternal ramifications. For the Pharisees and those they were leading. Evaluate what type or level of criticism is needed in all situations. It may be that none is needed because it just doesn’t matter.

Or you may need to pound it into them because of the eternal stakes.

Whatever the case, remember this. It is impossible that no criticism is ever going to be needed. At least not until we all get to go home. Can you handle it? You need to because it is for your own good, however it is delivered.

Love you all

Tags: attitudes, Christlike, Creation, Grace, Hope, Love, Mercy, Self, seminary, Sin, thesis