Siege: How to Take the City by R.T.T 3-31-11
Imagine if you will a highly fortified city, standing behind huge walls, armed with soldiers, and laden with supplies of food and grain. Once the gates are closed it appears impervious to assault. Now imagine the citizens of the city going about their daily business, trading with each other, stockpiling necessities, meeting together at the market and gossiping.
The news from outside the walls is troubling to the inhabitants however. They have heard how a mighty river close by had stopped flowing. They have heard that from the east a rugged band of wanderers have recently put two powerful kings to the sword.
Even with the uneasiness of the news, the citizens continue to believe they are safe behind their walls and with their fighting men guarding them. The discussion about this in the marketplace has now turned to consideration of a possible siege by the wanderers. But again, the citizens know that they have plenty of food and supplies. The harvest has recently ended and there is enough provision to last for months. They have weathered this type of storm before.
But in the midst of the crowd there is a lone voice of a harlot. She shouts that the city is not safe, that all in it may die. But who listens to a prostitute, worn and beaten down by her trade?
Finally, a man has heard enough and strikes her, sending her sprawling to the dirt. As she slinks away, he voices the opinion of the rest of the citizenry: “What do we have to fear from these vagabond Israelites? Let them come. They will throw themselves against our walls and die. Jericho cannot be conquered.”
Please read the 6th chapter of Joshua.
It was some time ago that I heard a preacher present an idea regarding Matthew 16:18. In this Scripture, Jesus tells Peter that the “gates of Hades” will not prevail against the church. This is a commonly quoted Scripture, but the preacher pointed out one thing that I had never considered: In warfare, gates are defensive, not offensive. For years I had read that verse and in my mind always assumed that the forces of Hell (Hades) were attacking Christians. But seriously, how can a gate attack you? Instead, the preacher pointed out, the Christians should be the ones attacking the gates. We should be offensive, not defensive. We should be like the Israelites attacking Jericho.
With that in consideration, we can look at Jericho as a metaphor for the mind of a non-believer, even one somewhat hostile toward the Gospel, convinced that he or she has life well in hand and does not need or even desire God in their life.
We can also see that we, as evangelicals attempting to win the lost, could be represented by the Israelites in this same story.
Finally, we can look at the figure of Rahab (Joshua Chapter 2 & Chapter 6: 22-25) as the only rational voice in a city (mind) of filled with irrational people (thoughts).
Let us now examine these comparisons.
As we all know, Jericho was a walled city. The reason for the wall was for protection of the people that lived within the city. Much like Jericho had walls to protect itself from outside forces, so do our minds construct fortifications against influences contrary to what we believe is true or pragmatic. Often it takes a great amount of force to change our minds. This is especially true in several cases.
A prime case would be attempting to change the mind of someone who has had a traumatic or troubling experience that has left them scarred and/or resistant to proclamation of the Gospel. For example, say you are attempting to witness to someone and she replies, “I have had a hard time believing in God after I saw the pain that my father (mother, son, etc.) went through battling cancer before they died.”
Here we have a person who has a legitimate hurt in her life and they have directed that hurt toward God. While as Christians we may understand what the source of that hurt really is, it is difficult to surmount that type of wall she has built around her heart and mind.
Another case might include witnessing to someone who has for years engaged in a number of sinful activities and finds it hard to believe that they could be forgiven. Perhaps they have done something that they are ashamed to reveal and have carried that shame for a long time. In doing so, they have built up their defenses either through justification in their mind for their action or some type of self-destructive behavior. Again, these walls are difficult to break down.
A final case may be that they are acting out of ignorance or confusion regarding spiritual matters. Many people have been taught a wide variety of things regarding God and their own souls. Many have been taught that such things are myths or old-fashioned modes of thinking that do not apply in our modern world. These teachings may be reinforced by their background, family, and even our society. In such cases, we might have a lifetime of confusion to wade through just to get to wall we need to climb over.
These are just three examples. I’m sure we could list a multitude of others if we were so inclined, but given just these three it appears that our work is cut out for us. If we are to be soul-winners we need to really suit up and get to it like the Israelites did.
So in comparison to us, how did the Israelites prepare for battle? Well, one thing that Joshua did was get to know the defenses of Jericho beforehand. While Joshua used spies, we should not try to be sneaky. All we need to do is to legitimately try to get to connect with the person we are witnessing to beforehand. What you may find is that there are a number of commonalities between you and the person you are trying to witness to. Secondly, Joshua talked with God and we need to do the same thing. Pray that God will lead you to a person who His Spirit has been preparing. Third, do as God directs you. For the Israelites this included walking in circles around the city. For you, it may mean knocking on a door or beginning a conversation in a coffee shop. Whatever it is, be sure to follow the Spirit as He leads and do not try to push an agenda. Jericho would never have fallen if the Israelites would have hollered too early or would have only marched six times around the city the last day.
Finally, be aware that we can throw any number of spears and rock at a wall without knocking it over. We can also try to argue, reason, arm-twist, and needle a non-believer into making a profession of faith with about the same results. The end result is really not up to us. As was the case with Jericho, God had to flatten the wall. Once he did, the Israelites could move in, but not until that point. Until then, they had to be patient as they marched in circles. While I am sure this was somewhat tedious, it did allow for one thing to happen.
While the Israelites were marching, Rahab had the opportunity to signal to them to let them know where she and her family would be. Just like Rahab, non-believers also give us signals on how to reach out to them.
The three cases I provided above were given as challenges to reaching a lost person. However, all three could also be seen as opportunities. If a person is hurting, that is a call for ministry. If a person has been engaged in sinful pursuits, they may be tiring from it all and be looking for something more substantial. If a person is ignorant about the Gospel or from a different belief system but is still asking questions about Christianity, then you know their interest is peaked. Remember, people do not pursue God, he pursues us. It is His initiative for us to come in contact with Him. If a person is asking about God, then God is already involved in some way in that person’s heart and mind.
In conclusion, I hope that this has provided you some small framework to build upon when witnessing to the lost. The Bible says that “..in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). We have been given power to overcome the walls that have been erected to keep the Gospel out. We just need to get on the offensive.
The news from outside the walls is troubling to the inhabitants however. They have heard how a mighty river close by had stopped flowing. They have heard that from the east a rugged band of wanderers have recently put two powerful kings to the sword.
Even with the uneasiness of the news, the citizens continue to believe they are safe behind their walls and with their fighting men guarding them. The discussion about this in the marketplace has now turned to consideration of a possible siege by the wanderers. But again, the citizens know that they have plenty of food and supplies. The harvest has recently ended and there is enough provision to last for months. They have weathered this type of storm before.
But in the midst of the crowd there is a lone voice of a harlot. She shouts that the city is not safe, that all in it may die. But who listens to a prostitute, worn and beaten down by her trade?
Finally, a man has heard enough and strikes her, sending her sprawling to the dirt. As she slinks away, he voices the opinion of the rest of the citizenry: “What do we have to fear from these vagabond Israelites? Let them come. They will throw themselves against our walls and die. Jericho cannot be conquered.”
Please read the 6th chapter of Joshua.
It was some time ago that I heard a preacher present an idea regarding Matthew 16:18. In this Scripture, Jesus tells Peter that the “gates of Hades” will not prevail against the church. This is a commonly quoted Scripture, but the preacher pointed out one thing that I had never considered: In warfare, gates are defensive, not offensive. For years I had read that verse and in my mind always assumed that the forces of Hell (Hades) were attacking Christians. But seriously, how can a gate attack you? Instead, the preacher pointed out, the Christians should be the ones attacking the gates. We should be offensive, not defensive. We should be like the Israelites attacking Jericho.
With that in consideration, we can look at Jericho as a metaphor for the mind of a non-believer, even one somewhat hostile toward the Gospel, convinced that he or she has life well in hand and does not need or even desire God in their life.
We can also see that we, as evangelicals attempting to win the lost, could be represented by the Israelites in this same story.
Finally, we can look at the figure of Rahab (Joshua Chapter 2 & Chapter 6: 22-25) as the only rational voice in a city (mind) of filled with irrational people (thoughts).
Let us now examine these comparisons.
As we all know, Jericho was a walled city. The reason for the wall was for protection of the people that lived within the city. Much like Jericho had walls to protect itself from outside forces, so do our minds construct fortifications against influences contrary to what we believe is true or pragmatic. Often it takes a great amount of force to change our minds. This is especially true in several cases.
A prime case would be attempting to change the mind of someone who has had a traumatic or troubling experience that has left them scarred and/or resistant to proclamation of the Gospel. For example, say you are attempting to witness to someone and she replies, “I have had a hard time believing in God after I saw the pain that my father (mother, son, etc.) went through battling cancer before they died.”
Here we have a person who has a legitimate hurt in her life and they have directed that hurt toward God. While as Christians we may understand what the source of that hurt really is, it is difficult to surmount that type of wall she has built around her heart and mind.
Another case might include witnessing to someone who has for years engaged in a number of sinful activities and finds it hard to believe that they could be forgiven. Perhaps they have done something that they are ashamed to reveal and have carried that shame for a long time. In doing so, they have built up their defenses either through justification in their mind for their action or some type of self-destructive behavior. Again, these walls are difficult to break down.
A final case may be that they are acting out of ignorance or confusion regarding spiritual matters. Many people have been taught a wide variety of things regarding God and their own souls. Many have been taught that such things are myths or old-fashioned modes of thinking that do not apply in our modern world. These teachings may be reinforced by their background, family, and even our society. In such cases, we might have a lifetime of confusion to wade through just to get to wall we need to climb over.
These are just three examples. I’m sure we could list a multitude of others if we were so inclined, but given just these three it appears that our work is cut out for us. If we are to be soul-winners we need to really suit up and get to it like the Israelites did.
So in comparison to us, how did the Israelites prepare for battle? Well, one thing that Joshua did was get to know the defenses of Jericho beforehand. While Joshua used spies, we should not try to be sneaky. All we need to do is to legitimately try to get to connect with the person we are witnessing to beforehand. What you may find is that there are a number of commonalities between you and the person you are trying to witness to. Secondly, Joshua talked with God and we need to do the same thing. Pray that God will lead you to a person who His Spirit has been preparing. Third, do as God directs you. For the Israelites this included walking in circles around the city. For you, it may mean knocking on a door or beginning a conversation in a coffee shop. Whatever it is, be sure to follow the Spirit as He leads and do not try to push an agenda. Jericho would never have fallen if the Israelites would have hollered too early or would have only marched six times around the city the last day.
Finally, be aware that we can throw any number of spears and rock at a wall without knocking it over. We can also try to argue, reason, arm-twist, and needle a non-believer into making a profession of faith with about the same results. The end result is really not up to us. As was the case with Jericho, God had to flatten the wall. Once he did, the Israelites could move in, but not until that point. Until then, they had to be patient as they marched in circles. While I am sure this was somewhat tedious, it did allow for one thing to happen.
While the Israelites were marching, Rahab had the opportunity to signal to them to let them know where she and her family would be. Just like Rahab, non-believers also give us signals on how to reach out to them.
The three cases I provided above were given as challenges to reaching a lost person. However, all three could also be seen as opportunities. If a person is hurting, that is a call for ministry. If a person has been engaged in sinful pursuits, they may be tiring from it all and be looking for something more substantial. If a person is ignorant about the Gospel or from a different belief system but is still asking questions about Christianity, then you know their interest is peaked. Remember, people do not pursue God, he pursues us. It is His initiative for us to come in contact with Him. If a person is asking about God, then God is already involved in some way in that person’s heart and mind.
In conclusion, I hope that this has provided you some small framework to build upon when witnessing to the lost. The Bible says that “..in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). We have been given power to overcome the walls that have been erected to keep the Gospel out. We just need to get on the offensive.
On Pain and Suffering by R.T.T. 05/04/10
How can I believe that there is a God that cares for us since there is so much pain and suffering in the world?
When I hear people ask this question I generally try to frame it using these assumptions. First, I assume that when they say God they are speaking about an omnipotent deity. This is because that if they are not considering God as omnipotent, or at least powerful enough to have dominion over the forces on the earth, then their question lacks merit. In other words, how could we expect a god lacking power to change things to actually change things? Secondly, I assume that they are speaking of a benevolent God. Following the same logical path it would be hard to imagine why an uncaring god would go to the trouble of helping out those he does not care for. Some sort of divine responsibility, perhaps? Maybe he doesn’t want to look bad in front of the cute female goddesses? I doubt this to be the case. Anyway, the last assumption that can be made is that there is some reason that the pain and suffering should be alleviated. In short, there must be some type of sense of cosmic balance (i.e. good as opposed to evil) or cosmic order (i.e. law as opposed to chaos). It was the ancient Greeks that are credited with the notion that the gods operated on whim and thusly cannot be trusted. But in a cosmos of order and right and wrong, whim cannot really play into it when we discuss the mind of God. Again, if the person asking the question does not believe in a true “right” and a true “wrong”, then what merit does their question have? Suffering and pain are not really suffering and pain, just matters of opinion. So now that we have dispensed with these assumptions, let us rephrase the question:
How can I believe that a God who is powerful enough to change things and actually cares for us would allow real pain and suffering to exist in our world?
Oooh, good question. But we can actually go further if we stretch this “powerful enough” statement. Here is how:
Why did God create a world in which there is true pain and suffering to begin with? - or- Why didn’t He create a world that functions and allows us to learn and grow without the nuisance of pain and suffering?
Oh boy, I’ve really backed God into a corner now, haven’t I?
Well, not actually because the answer to that “world creating” question is this:
He did.
Don’t believe me? Look at the first chapter of Genesis. God provides us a list of the things he created. We know that there is nothing wrong with any of it because He calls all of these things “very good” (Gen. 1:31 NIV). We can also guess that God, being omnipotent and all, has a pretty high standard and is probably a pretty good craftsman. In fact the first thing that he says is not good is the fact that man is alone. He therefore quickly takes care of this with the creation of woman (Gen. 2: 18-22 NIV).
So we see the formation of a perfect world with the Garden of Eden. Man has purpose (to take care of the garden- Gen. 2:15 NIV), companionship in Eve, and a bountiful supply of food and resources (Gen. 2: 9-14). In addition to that, man has a personal one-on-one relationship with God Himself, not only in a spiritual way, but in a material way because God would walk among Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8 NIV). Imagine if you can taking a leisurely stroll with God, asking questions along the way. What else do you need? A 72” flat screen? Don’t you think God could show you something a little more breathtaking if you were so chummy with Him that He would leave heaven to spend time with you (and you asked nicely of course)?
But that doesn’t answer the question about pain and suffering does it? So we have this perfect world once upon a time, but our world isn’t so perfect now is it? If that is the case, then how did we get into all this mess and why did God allow us to get here? Well, you see it all comes down to a simple choice, a beautiful tree, and the nature of God. Intrigued? Well, let’s investigate. But before we do it is pop quiz time?
Here is the question: Did Adam (and does mankind now) have the freedom to choose? I think there is evidence to say he did. Look at the first job that God gives Adam. He assigns him the task of naming the animals. God didn’t tell Adam what to name the animals, he just told him to name them. In fact, the Bible says that God brought the animals before Adam to see what he would name them (Gen. 3:19 NIV). So it appears that Adam had the ability to choose, and this is very important when it comes to why there is pain and suffering. This is due to the fact that there was a certain tree growing in the garden.
This tree was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and apparently if you ate the fruit from it you would gain exactly that type of knowledge. So, what does Adam go and do? He eats from it, which would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact that he was explicitly told by God not to eat from it (Gen. 2:15 & 3:6 NIV). Here is freedom of choice at play and the root of all future pain and suffering. Adam eats the fruit and bad things begin to happen.
It is important to point out here that God already warned Adam what would happen. He told Adam that if he ate from the tree then he would die (Gen. 2:15 NIV). God did not say “I will kill you or curse you” but simply “you will die.” Now let’s look at that a little more in depth because it seems that death is a little bit of a high price to pay for eating an apple, right?
First of all, what type of death are we talking about here? Not some type of instantaneous death apparently. To be sure, Adam didn’t drop dead on the spot. Instead, we are talking about a spiritual type of death in which we are separated from God. You see, God is an infinite being, existing outside the physical realm with all of its laws and limitations. In order for us to access that eternal realm, we must be in good relationship with Him. If we are not, then we do not have access to the eternal (which really is God). If we are not eternal, then at some point we reach our end and that is death. Sin breaks that relationship and sin can only occur where there is a choice. Free will can lead to death. It is one of the costs associated with it.
Secondly, we are also talking about a physical death. Look at verses 17 to 19 in Genesis, chapter 3. God outlines what is going to happen and in doing so describes the conditions that allow pain and suffering here on earth. Please note that again God does not say “I curse you”. He only indicates what is going to happen. He has already cursed the serpent (Gen. 3:14 NIV). But here, He doesn’t say He is making the curse. The physical death then is a reflection of the spiritual death. The two go hand-in-hand. And this curse, this physical death, is a whopper. It continues to be in effect even now, thousands of years later. When we talk about our broken relationships with other people, with the natural world, and even with our own psyches we are really only reflecting our broken relationship with God. Isn’t it curious that when God gives the law (the Ten Commandments) to Moses that the first several of these commands have to do with developing and keeping a relationship with Him and only after that developing and keeping a relationship with other people (Exod. 20:3-17 NIV)?
So now that we know what type of death we are discussing, and how that is akin to the pain and suffering our question raised, we have to answer why death is the penalty. The short answer is that death is the natural consequence of sin (James 1:15) and that sin is simply not following the same path as God. Often we associate the term “sin” with evil, and rightly so. But the word also means to miss the mark. Why is it given that context? Well, think about being in an archery contest with God. Turn after turn, God shoots and hits the bull’s-eye. Turn after turn we shoot and often we hit the bull’s-eye, but occasionally we do not. Why? Because we are not perfect like He is. And since we are not perfect, our relationship with Him is not perfect. And we must have that perfect type of relationship with Him in order to access the eternal within Him as mentioned above.
So, what have we learned? Pain and suffering is the result of sin and sin is the result of choices we make that are not in step with God. In this sense God is the measuring stick and since we are not perfect like He is, we cannot measure up. It is possible for us to make some, even many, choices that are in step with God, but not all. So that begs the question of why do we have free will. Why did God, who supposedly loves us so much, give us the opportunity to make bad choices?
When I was a child one of the reasons I loved Christmas time was because it meant a trip out of town to the mall. The reason I wanted to go to the mall was not only because I could look at the toys in the stores and eat at my favorite Walgreens diner that had the most super-duper milkshakes. It was also because I got to see elves. You see, the mall I went to had elves all over the place during Christmas. They were busy doing things that elves do. Apparently this includes sawing logs, mending houses, driving trains, and sweeping the floor. What am I talking about? If you have ever taken a trip to the local fair or even to Disneyworld you probably have an idea. The mall I went to always had dozens of animatronic elves as decoration. I was fascinated by the little mechanical guys. The way they moved, sawing that log, sweeping that floor, over and over was fun to watch. I used to pretend that they were real.
Now do you see my point? God wanted us to be real. He wanted us to have the ability to move about and make choices, not perfectly saw perfect logs all day and every day. In short, He wanted us to choose Him. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to.
But you know what the kicker is? Being God, He knew that we would screw up. He knew that we would fail because of our limitations. So the question now becomes not why does pain and suffering exist, but are we then doomed to a life of pain and suffering? Are the sins that have been committed since the first poor choice made by Adam and including all the poor choices we make on a day to day basis too much to deal with?
Fortunately for us, the answer is a clear and resounding “NO!”
There is hope. A brilliant and heavenly hope.
What is the hope?
Yay! I’m glad you asked…
When I hear people ask this question I generally try to frame it using these assumptions. First, I assume that when they say God they are speaking about an omnipotent deity. This is because that if they are not considering God as omnipotent, or at least powerful enough to have dominion over the forces on the earth, then their question lacks merit. In other words, how could we expect a god lacking power to change things to actually change things? Secondly, I assume that they are speaking of a benevolent God. Following the same logical path it would be hard to imagine why an uncaring god would go to the trouble of helping out those he does not care for. Some sort of divine responsibility, perhaps? Maybe he doesn’t want to look bad in front of the cute female goddesses? I doubt this to be the case. Anyway, the last assumption that can be made is that there is some reason that the pain and suffering should be alleviated. In short, there must be some type of sense of cosmic balance (i.e. good as opposed to evil) or cosmic order (i.e. law as opposed to chaos). It was the ancient Greeks that are credited with the notion that the gods operated on whim and thusly cannot be trusted. But in a cosmos of order and right and wrong, whim cannot really play into it when we discuss the mind of God. Again, if the person asking the question does not believe in a true “right” and a true “wrong”, then what merit does their question have? Suffering and pain are not really suffering and pain, just matters of opinion. So now that we have dispensed with these assumptions, let us rephrase the question:
How can I believe that a God who is powerful enough to change things and actually cares for us would allow real pain and suffering to exist in our world?
Oooh, good question. But we can actually go further if we stretch this “powerful enough” statement. Here is how:
Why did God create a world in which there is true pain and suffering to begin with? - or- Why didn’t He create a world that functions and allows us to learn and grow without the nuisance of pain and suffering?
Oh boy, I’ve really backed God into a corner now, haven’t I?
Well, not actually because the answer to that “world creating” question is this:
He did.
Don’t believe me? Look at the first chapter of Genesis. God provides us a list of the things he created. We know that there is nothing wrong with any of it because He calls all of these things “very good” (Gen. 1:31 NIV). We can also guess that God, being omnipotent and all, has a pretty high standard and is probably a pretty good craftsman. In fact the first thing that he says is not good is the fact that man is alone. He therefore quickly takes care of this with the creation of woman (Gen. 2: 18-22 NIV).
So we see the formation of a perfect world with the Garden of Eden. Man has purpose (to take care of the garden- Gen. 2:15 NIV), companionship in Eve, and a bountiful supply of food and resources (Gen. 2: 9-14). In addition to that, man has a personal one-on-one relationship with God Himself, not only in a spiritual way, but in a material way because God would walk among Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8 NIV). Imagine if you can taking a leisurely stroll with God, asking questions along the way. What else do you need? A 72” flat screen? Don’t you think God could show you something a little more breathtaking if you were so chummy with Him that He would leave heaven to spend time with you (and you asked nicely of course)?
But that doesn’t answer the question about pain and suffering does it? So we have this perfect world once upon a time, but our world isn’t so perfect now is it? If that is the case, then how did we get into all this mess and why did God allow us to get here? Well, you see it all comes down to a simple choice, a beautiful tree, and the nature of God. Intrigued? Well, let’s investigate. But before we do it is pop quiz time?
Here is the question: Did Adam (and does mankind now) have the freedom to choose? I think there is evidence to say he did. Look at the first job that God gives Adam. He assigns him the task of naming the animals. God didn’t tell Adam what to name the animals, he just told him to name them. In fact, the Bible says that God brought the animals before Adam to see what he would name them (Gen. 3:19 NIV). So it appears that Adam had the ability to choose, and this is very important when it comes to why there is pain and suffering. This is due to the fact that there was a certain tree growing in the garden.
This tree was called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and apparently if you ate the fruit from it you would gain exactly that type of knowledge. So, what does Adam go and do? He eats from it, which would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact that he was explicitly told by God not to eat from it (Gen. 2:15 & 3:6 NIV). Here is freedom of choice at play and the root of all future pain and suffering. Adam eats the fruit and bad things begin to happen.
It is important to point out here that God already warned Adam what would happen. He told Adam that if he ate from the tree then he would die (Gen. 2:15 NIV). God did not say “I will kill you or curse you” but simply “you will die.” Now let’s look at that a little more in depth because it seems that death is a little bit of a high price to pay for eating an apple, right?
First of all, what type of death are we talking about here? Not some type of instantaneous death apparently. To be sure, Adam didn’t drop dead on the spot. Instead, we are talking about a spiritual type of death in which we are separated from God. You see, God is an infinite being, existing outside the physical realm with all of its laws and limitations. In order for us to access that eternal realm, we must be in good relationship with Him. If we are not, then we do not have access to the eternal (which really is God). If we are not eternal, then at some point we reach our end and that is death. Sin breaks that relationship and sin can only occur where there is a choice. Free will can lead to death. It is one of the costs associated with it.
Secondly, we are also talking about a physical death. Look at verses 17 to 19 in Genesis, chapter 3. God outlines what is going to happen and in doing so describes the conditions that allow pain and suffering here on earth. Please note that again God does not say “I curse you”. He only indicates what is going to happen. He has already cursed the serpent (Gen. 3:14 NIV). But here, He doesn’t say He is making the curse. The physical death then is a reflection of the spiritual death. The two go hand-in-hand. And this curse, this physical death, is a whopper. It continues to be in effect even now, thousands of years later. When we talk about our broken relationships with other people, with the natural world, and even with our own psyches we are really only reflecting our broken relationship with God. Isn’t it curious that when God gives the law (the Ten Commandments) to Moses that the first several of these commands have to do with developing and keeping a relationship with Him and only after that developing and keeping a relationship with other people (Exod. 20:3-17 NIV)?
So now that we know what type of death we are discussing, and how that is akin to the pain and suffering our question raised, we have to answer why death is the penalty. The short answer is that death is the natural consequence of sin (James 1:15) and that sin is simply not following the same path as God. Often we associate the term “sin” with evil, and rightly so. But the word also means to miss the mark. Why is it given that context? Well, think about being in an archery contest with God. Turn after turn, God shoots and hits the bull’s-eye. Turn after turn we shoot and often we hit the bull’s-eye, but occasionally we do not. Why? Because we are not perfect like He is. And since we are not perfect, our relationship with Him is not perfect. And we must have that perfect type of relationship with Him in order to access the eternal within Him as mentioned above.
So, what have we learned? Pain and suffering is the result of sin and sin is the result of choices we make that are not in step with God. In this sense God is the measuring stick and since we are not perfect like He is, we cannot measure up. It is possible for us to make some, even many, choices that are in step with God, but not all. So that begs the question of why do we have free will. Why did God, who supposedly loves us so much, give us the opportunity to make bad choices?
When I was a child one of the reasons I loved Christmas time was because it meant a trip out of town to the mall. The reason I wanted to go to the mall was not only because I could look at the toys in the stores and eat at my favorite Walgreens diner that had the most super-duper milkshakes. It was also because I got to see elves. You see, the mall I went to had elves all over the place during Christmas. They were busy doing things that elves do. Apparently this includes sawing logs, mending houses, driving trains, and sweeping the floor. What am I talking about? If you have ever taken a trip to the local fair or even to Disneyworld you probably have an idea. The mall I went to always had dozens of animatronic elves as decoration. I was fascinated by the little mechanical guys. The way they moved, sawing that log, sweeping that floor, over and over was fun to watch. I used to pretend that they were real.
Now do you see my point? God wanted us to be real. He wanted us to have the ability to move about and make choices, not perfectly saw perfect logs all day and every day. In short, He wanted us to choose Him. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to.
But you know what the kicker is? Being God, He knew that we would screw up. He knew that we would fail because of our limitations. So the question now becomes not why does pain and suffering exist, but are we then doomed to a life of pain and suffering? Are the sins that have been committed since the first poor choice made by Adam and including all the poor choices we make on a day to day basis too much to deal with?
Fortunately for us, the answer is a clear and resounding “NO!”
There is hope. A brilliant and heavenly hope.
What is the hope?
Yay! I’m glad you asked…
Fear by R.T.T. 03/09/11
By fearing God we come to understand who God is, what He can do, and what that really means to us.
I want to start out in Genesis at the first recorded instance of the emotion of fear.
Look at Genesis 3:6-10.
Adam was naked before the Lord, but God doesn’t point this out, ask why he is naked, etc., but asks him another question: Where are you?
At this point Adam has just eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Prior to this, Adam was able to walk and converse with God. God had always been above Adam in terms of power, glory, intelligence, etc. Adam had been innocent in his understanding of God up until this point. But now, with this new found knowledge given by the fruit, Adam recognized that he was naked.
What does this mean? Was he literally naked? Yes, probably, but is that the extent of it. What does this nakedness represent?
Adam was naked before God. Perhaps for the first time he saw the difference between himself and the Lord. Perhaps for the first time he saw how insignificant he was when compared to the Lord. Adam, with his eyes opened for the first time, saw himself as he truly was.
How frightening is that? How do we feel in those times when we truly see ourselves as we really are, scars and pimples and all? Truly naked. A sinner before a holy God.
So what did Adam do? He ran and hid. Why? Because he was scared. He was scared that God would see him for who he was. He tried to cover his scars and pimples and blemishes from the eyes of God. He tried to get away. He was fearful. It wasn’t because he had some great idea of respect for God- in other words that God was so holy He shouldn’t have to look at poor ole’ Adam in all of his nastiness. No, Adam was scared. He didn’t know how to respond, so he ran. He knew something was different. He knew God was going to be upset and for maybe the first time he saw what it meant for God to be God and upset and for Adam just to be Adam. He was scared.
But look at how God responded to Adam.
God did not say, “Adam, who are you,” though this might seem to be the most appropriate question. Adam’s identity has just been totally rocked. He is seeing himself for the first time. Surely he had questions. Surely he was trying to figure out what he had done, who he had become. He knew he was different.
Instead, God asks what? “Where are you?” Why? Why that question?
You see, God already understood Adam’s perspective. He already knew how Adam must have been feeling, so he jumped on ahead to a positional question. It wasn’t important to God at this time who Adam was. He already knew. He wanted Adam to understand where he was. Where he was in relation to Himself, God.
Adam’s fear led to a question of position, not substance. Not who he was but where he was. And this of course leads us to consider where we are in relation to God.
But before we go any further, let’s talk about that word “fear.” One way I have always thought about “fear” in the Bible was to think of it in terms of respect for God, not in terms of having the bejeezies scared out of me. But is that really a Biblical representation of what “fear” is?
Let’s look at these verses:
Ephesians 6:5 Have you ever obeyed so much that you
trembled?
Philippians 2:12 Have you ever worked on your salvation hard
enough to make your knees shake?
Matthew 14:26 Have you ever respected someone so much that
you were able to walk on water?
Matthew 17:6 Have you ever respected someone so much that
you hid your face from them?
Matthew 27:54 Have you ever respected someone so much it
made the earth shake?
OK so now we understand that often in the Bible when it says “fear” we are talking about walking around a corner to find a hungry grizzly bear kind of fear.
But that fear leads us to understand who God is.
See Job 38
And what He can do.
See Colossians 1:16, Revelation 4:11, Genesis 1, & Genesis 6:7
So finally, what does all that mean for us?
Well, we know God is omnipotent. We know that he could brush us away with a thought. But He doesn’t. In fact He tells us not to fear.
See Isaiah 43: 5-7
Why not?
Because God is not only infinite in his power, but he is infinitely good in his character.
Watch Laminin by Louie Giglio
We are wonderfully made. We are made in God’s image. And the more we conform to His image, the more we draw into a closer position to Him and begin to answer correctly the question that He posed Adam a long time ago.
I want to start out in Genesis at the first recorded instance of the emotion of fear.
Look at Genesis 3:6-10.
Adam was naked before the Lord, but God doesn’t point this out, ask why he is naked, etc., but asks him another question: Where are you?
At this point Adam has just eaten the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Prior to this, Adam was able to walk and converse with God. God had always been above Adam in terms of power, glory, intelligence, etc. Adam had been innocent in his understanding of God up until this point. But now, with this new found knowledge given by the fruit, Adam recognized that he was naked.
What does this mean? Was he literally naked? Yes, probably, but is that the extent of it. What does this nakedness represent?
Adam was naked before God. Perhaps for the first time he saw the difference between himself and the Lord. Perhaps for the first time he saw how insignificant he was when compared to the Lord. Adam, with his eyes opened for the first time, saw himself as he truly was.
How frightening is that? How do we feel in those times when we truly see ourselves as we really are, scars and pimples and all? Truly naked. A sinner before a holy God.
So what did Adam do? He ran and hid. Why? Because he was scared. He was scared that God would see him for who he was. He tried to cover his scars and pimples and blemishes from the eyes of God. He tried to get away. He was fearful. It wasn’t because he had some great idea of respect for God- in other words that God was so holy He shouldn’t have to look at poor ole’ Adam in all of his nastiness. No, Adam was scared. He didn’t know how to respond, so he ran. He knew something was different. He knew God was going to be upset and for maybe the first time he saw what it meant for God to be God and upset and for Adam just to be Adam. He was scared.
But look at how God responded to Adam.
God did not say, “Adam, who are you,” though this might seem to be the most appropriate question. Adam’s identity has just been totally rocked. He is seeing himself for the first time. Surely he had questions. Surely he was trying to figure out what he had done, who he had become. He knew he was different.
Instead, God asks what? “Where are you?” Why? Why that question?
You see, God already understood Adam’s perspective. He already knew how Adam must have been feeling, so he jumped on ahead to a positional question. It wasn’t important to God at this time who Adam was. He already knew. He wanted Adam to understand where he was. Where he was in relation to Himself, God.
Adam’s fear led to a question of position, not substance. Not who he was but where he was. And this of course leads us to consider where we are in relation to God.
But before we go any further, let’s talk about that word “fear.” One way I have always thought about “fear” in the Bible was to think of it in terms of respect for God, not in terms of having the bejeezies scared out of me. But is that really a Biblical representation of what “fear” is?
Let’s look at these verses:
Ephesians 6:5 Have you ever obeyed so much that you
trembled?
Philippians 2:12 Have you ever worked on your salvation hard
enough to make your knees shake?
Matthew 14:26 Have you ever respected someone so much that
you were able to walk on water?
Matthew 17:6 Have you ever respected someone so much that
you hid your face from them?
Matthew 27:54 Have you ever respected someone so much it
made the earth shake?
OK so now we understand that often in the Bible when it says “fear” we are talking about walking around a corner to find a hungry grizzly bear kind of fear.
But that fear leads us to understand who God is.
See Job 38
And what He can do.
See Colossians 1:16, Revelation 4:11, Genesis 1, & Genesis 6:7
So finally, what does all that mean for us?
Well, we know God is omnipotent. We know that he could brush us away with a thought. But He doesn’t. In fact He tells us not to fear.
See Isaiah 43: 5-7
Why not?
Because God is not only infinite in his power, but he is infinitely good in his character.
Watch Laminin by Louie Giglio
We are wonderfully made. We are made in God’s image. And the more we conform to His image, the more we draw into a closer position to Him and begin to answer correctly the question that He posed Adam a long time ago.
Upcoming Articles
The Christian Walk
Be Assured of Your Salvation
I'm Saved! Umm..what now?
Finding Your Place Within God's Will
Who Is...?
God the Father
Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit
The Trinity
Ouch! Dont Touch That!
Hell
Sharing the Gospel
Tithing
Be Assured of Your Salvation
I'm Saved! Umm..what now?
Finding Your Place Within God's Will
Who Is...?
God the Father
Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit
The Trinity
Ouch! Dont Touch That!
Hell
Sharing the Gospel
Tithing
