September 13, 1994
A Canadian doctor, after 12 years of doing surgery in war-torn places, has come to this conclusion: “There are only bad people and worse people.” He hopes he is “only one of the bad.”
Many people say war brings out fine attributes in people such as courage and national pride, but this doctor seems totally disillusioned. For him, there is no human goodness and war makes it obvious.
According to the Bible, the doctor is correct. It is those who see a positive side of human nature, wars or not, that are disillusioned. Consider this verse from the Old Testament: “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). That means everyone, even those who seem the most saintly, have sinned.
A second passage from the New Testament adds more: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).
Certainly by human standards, people often do good (the doctor did some good during his 12 years of service), but the Bible teaches that by God’s standard, sin pollutes every person and every deed. God even says the good we do is polluted. One of His prophets explains: “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.”
For God to condemn what we esteem, must mean He sees something behind our supposed good deeds that we cannot see. Consider our motivations. I honestly must admit I am often influenced by selfish desires for personal gain or recognition. I know God sees that and does not approve.
If sinful motives were not enough to condemn even the good we do, God expects even more. He says “whatever is not of faith is sin.” Not only do selfish motives fail His test, deeds done in unbelief fall short. He wants us to be motivated by faith.
According to God’s Word, all sin, even sin not apparent to us, needs to be exposed by God and acknowledged to God. His purpose is not so He can condemn us (sin already does that) but so He can forgive and cleanse our sin from us. Accepting and believing His evaluation of our condition is the first step towards good deeds that are not motivated by selfishness and unbelief.
God, through grace and the power of His Spirit, provides a way to be rightly motivated in godly activities. Our hope is in the righteousness of Christ, given freely to all who admit their need. Romans 3 says “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
The goodness of God is a genuine gift. No one can earn or deserve it; we do not have the capacity. We cannot even claim the smallest measure of goodness. Nothing we do without Jesus can satisfy God’s high and holy standard. Without His offer of salvation by grace through faith, none of us would even seek that degree of goodness.
Even with faith in Christ, the good we do is clearly from Him. Any believing Christian who thinks otherwise simply proves our sinful tendency toward pride.
As the doctor said, war does amplify the extremes of our sinful nature. While we respect those who courageously risk their lives to defend homeland and families, we should never forget it is because we are sinners that we go to war in the first place.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
Atheists, agnostics and knowing God .................. Parables 437
September 6, 1994
A person professing to be an atheist was flattered when someone suggested to him, “You must be extremely knowledgeable.”
He responded that he felt he was definitely intelligent and well informed. To that, the other person responded, “You must know everything there is to know.”
The atheist said, “Well, no, I have to admit that I do not. Actually, no one can know all there is to know.”
The next response was more unsettling: “I am surprised. Being an atheist requires knowing all there is to know about everything. The reason you have to be so knowledgeable is simple: if you don’t know everything, then God could exist in a realm of which you are completely ignorant.”
At that, and somewhat to his credit, the person who called himself an atheist changed his label. He said perhaps he was really an agnostic. The Bible says, “Only a fool says in his heart there is no God.” This man at least decided not to be a fool.
An agnostic position is somewhat like atheism, however. Agnostics believe ultimate reality (usually God) is unknown and unknowable. They seldom insist there is no God but say no one can know for sure.
Strangely, the Bible never argues for the existence of God. Instead, it treats the issue as self-evident. Concerning creation, no one finding a grand piano in the middle of a jungle would suppose the ebony trees fell in just the right configuration, ivory tusks from elephants over a period of years arranged themselves in order and were polished smooth by the rains, and copper ore was buffeted by the elements until it became piano wire. Because of the intricacies of creation, an intelligent Creator is assumed.
As for accountability, the Bible also assumes every man realizes that one day he will die and face judgment. This common fear is evident in the way people from every culture and era try every possible means to either escape death or appease the “ultimate judge” regarding their obvious imperfections.
A few decide the most rational choice is to declare God dead. If there is no God, there can be no judgment. Others imagine a god (or gods) that would approve of their lifestyle. Still others make idols to represent the gods they fear and offer sacrifices of various sorts hoping this will make their gods treat them favorably in the afterlife.
The religions of the world have in common the notion of some sort of ultimate reality but only one holds there is one God, the Lord Jehovah, creator of the universe and sovereign over His creation. This God revealed Himself to a people-group, the Hebrew nation, who recorded that revelation in a collection of books known as the Old Testament.
Then, two thousand years ago, He revealed Himself more fully by pulling on humanity (like a suit of clothes) and becoming one of us. In Jesus Christ, we can see what God is like: He loves us, but hates sin — so much so that He became our sacrifice for it. His story is in the New Testament.
As for the atheist’s requirement to know everything and the agnostic’s insistence one cannot know, Christ declares God is knowable. Those who follow Christ enjoy an intimate, personal relationship with Him. The reality of that relationship is so incredible that we are satisfied not to know everything else.
A person professing to be an atheist was flattered when someone suggested to him, “You must be extremely knowledgeable.”
He responded that he felt he was definitely intelligent and well informed. To that, the other person responded, “You must know everything there is to know.”
The atheist said, “Well, no, I have to admit that I do not. Actually, no one can know all there is to know.”
The next response was more unsettling: “I am surprised. Being an atheist requires knowing all there is to know about everything. The reason you have to be so knowledgeable is simple: if you don’t know everything, then God could exist in a realm of which you are completely ignorant.”
At that, and somewhat to his credit, the person who called himself an atheist changed his label. He said perhaps he was really an agnostic. The Bible says, “Only a fool says in his heart there is no God.” This man at least decided not to be a fool.
An agnostic position is somewhat like atheism, however. Agnostics believe ultimate reality (usually God) is unknown and unknowable. They seldom insist there is no God but say no one can know for sure.
Strangely, the Bible never argues for the existence of God. Instead, it treats the issue as self-evident. Concerning creation, no one finding a grand piano in the middle of a jungle would suppose the ebony trees fell in just the right configuration, ivory tusks from elephants over a period of years arranged themselves in order and were polished smooth by the rains, and copper ore was buffeted by the elements until it became piano wire. Because of the intricacies of creation, an intelligent Creator is assumed.
As for accountability, the Bible also assumes every man realizes that one day he will die and face judgment. This common fear is evident in the way people from every culture and era try every possible means to either escape death or appease the “ultimate judge” regarding their obvious imperfections.
A few decide the most rational choice is to declare God dead. If there is no God, there can be no judgment. Others imagine a god (or gods) that would approve of their lifestyle. Still others make idols to represent the gods they fear and offer sacrifices of various sorts hoping this will make their gods treat them favorably in the afterlife.
The religions of the world have in common the notion of some sort of ultimate reality but only one holds there is one God, the Lord Jehovah, creator of the universe and sovereign over His creation. This God revealed Himself to a people-group, the Hebrew nation, who recorded that revelation in a collection of books known as the Old Testament.
Then, two thousand years ago, He revealed Himself more fully by pulling on humanity (like a suit of clothes) and becoming one of us. In Jesus Christ, we can see what God is like: He loves us, but hates sin — so much so that He became our sacrifice for it. His story is in the New Testament.
As for the atheist’s requirement to know everything and the agnostic’s insistence one cannot know, Christ declares God is knowable. Those who follow Christ enjoy an intimate, personal relationship with Him. The reality of that relationship is so incredible that we are satisfied not to know everything else.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Practical Education Methods .................. Parables 436
August 30, 1994
The students in Leah’s elementary class were each given two plants and instructed to put one in a closet and the other where it would receive plenty of sunshine. Otherwise, both plants must receive equal care.
After a few weeks, the teacher asked the class what they observed. All reported that the plant in the sunlight was twice the size as the other one. All but Leah said they learned from the size of the larger plant that plants need sunlight. Leah had a different view. She looked at the smaller plant and said, “No matter where you live, you can grow.”
While some teacher might not appreciate that response, Leah’s mother applauds her daughter’s thought processes. Leah did not give the “expected” answer and she “doesn’t think like the others.” She is very “positive.”
My question is: will the education system encourage thinkers like Leah? Or will she eventually “learn” to give only the “expected” answers?
A common method of education involves teachers learning material, then passing the information to students, often by using a lecture. The students use notebooks to record what they hear, memorize some of it in order to get a passing mark on an exam, then forget most of what they learned.
Although most manuals on teaching say this is the least effective way to learn, many teaching situations fall into this lecture/exam pattern. Sunday school and church are often similar. Even though preachers and Christian teachers usually spare us from exams, most use lectures and applaud note-taking.
Jesus lectured too, but used another teaching method that was very effective. He involved His students both in discovering and defining problems as well as involving them in the solutions.
The following example illustrates a modern application. Students form a circle leaving one person out. They wrap their arms tightly around the neighbor on each side and will not allow the one outside in, no matter how hard he or she tries.
After the exercise, the class discusses how it felt to be excluded (helpless, unwanted, angry) and how it felt to exclude one person (fun at first, then uncomfortable, guilty). They examine ways outsiders can find acceptance, what to do if they are part of such a group and do not like what is happening, what the others might do if one person broke the circle, and creative methods of displaying acceptance.
After this exercise and discussion, they will long remember the importance of Romans 15:7, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
In a class that uses active learning exercises, the students are not expected to give certain responses. There is no right way to feel nor is there an exam hanging on the answers. The students are drawn into a situation that produces emotions very much like those they experience every day but in an environment where it is safe to discuss them. Students who participate in the above exercise often say they feel just as bad keeping someone out as they feel being left out, something they normally would not admit in an actual life situation.
Jesus taught His disciples this way, but rather than create an artificial situation, He took them out into the marketplace. Together they met with, taught, and confronted their world. After a debriefing with the Master teacher, those men never forgot His lessons.
Leah would fit extremely well into classes like that.
The students in Leah’s elementary class were each given two plants and instructed to put one in a closet and the other where it would receive plenty of sunshine. Otherwise, both plants must receive equal care.
After a few weeks, the teacher asked the class what they observed. All reported that the plant in the sunlight was twice the size as the other one. All but Leah said they learned from the size of the larger plant that plants need sunlight. Leah had a different view. She looked at the smaller plant and said, “No matter where you live, you can grow.”
While some teacher might not appreciate that response, Leah’s mother applauds her daughter’s thought processes. Leah did not give the “expected” answer and she “doesn’t think like the others.” She is very “positive.”
My question is: will the education system encourage thinkers like Leah? Or will she eventually “learn” to give only the “expected” answers?
A common method of education involves teachers learning material, then passing the information to students, often by using a lecture. The students use notebooks to record what they hear, memorize some of it in order to get a passing mark on an exam, then forget most of what they learned.
Although most manuals on teaching say this is the least effective way to learn, many teaching situations fall into this lecture/exam pattern. Sunday school and church are often similar. Even though preachers and Christian teachers usually spare us from exams, most use lectures and applaud note-taking.
Jesus lectured too, but used another teaching method that was very effective. He involved His students both in discovering and defining problems as well as involving them in the solutions.
The following example illustrates a modern application. Students form a circle leaving one person out. They wrap their arms tightly around the neighbor on each side and will not allow the one outside in, no matter how hard he or she tries.
After the exercise, the class discusses how it felt to be excluded (helpless, unwanted, angry) and how it felt to exclude one person (fun at first, then uncomfortable, guilty). They examine ways outsiders can find acceptance, what to do if they are part of such a group and do not like what is happening, what the others might do if one person broke the circle, and creative methods of displaying acceptance.
After this exercise and discussion, they will long remember the importance of Romans 15:7, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”
In a class that uses active learning exercises, the students are not expected to give certain responses. There is no right way to feel nor is there an exam hanging on the answers. The students are drawn into a situation that produces emotions very much like those they experience every day but in an environment where it is safe to discuss them. Students who participate in the above exercise often say they feel just as bad keeping someone out as they feel being left out, something they normally would not admit in an actual life situation.
Jesus taught His disciples this way, but rather than create an artificial situation, He took them out into the marketplace. Together they met with, taught, and confronted their world. After a debriefing with the Master teacher, those men never forgot His lessons.
Leah would fit extremely well into classes like that.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Importance of love .................. Parables 435
August 23, 1994
Love is risky. We all know it. Boy meets girl and they fall in love, then one of them changes their mind and the other one is devastated. The risky side of love is that there is no guarantee of a return on the investment.
Love is also vital. It must be, because, for the most part, no matter the risks of falling in love, it still happens. Experiments prove that unloved children (and adults) have poorer health and some even die. Receiving love is a basic need. Giving love is also a basic need, as we shall see.
Because of pain after having their love rejected, a few people refuse to love again. For them, the risk was not worth it; their hearts have been broken. Without a return on their investment, they do not want to love anyone. It makes them too vulnerable to tragedy.
They are partly right. C. S. Lewis says it well: “To love is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, no even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the coffin of your selfishness....”
Definitely the opposite of love is self-indulgence. As Lewis says, it is pampering the heart and making comfortable the body, refusing to take risks, and flat-out denying the love-needs of others.
The familiar words of John 3:16 stand out in stark contrast to this idea of holding back love. It describes how God made Himself vulnerable and took the risk of loving us. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
God’s love is unlike ours. He did not concern Himself with getting strokes, enjoying hugs, receiving gifts, or basking in complements. His love gives – as demonstrated by Christ Himself. What more could God do to show He loves us than by giving His own life?
Further, He did it “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5). Since sinners are people who reject God and do not love Him, being loved in return was not the issue for God. Had it been, He would not have gave so much to people who were ultimately going to reject and crucify Him.
Scripture describes love, not as an emotion but as attitudes and actions. Both require decisions; read 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient—lovers decide to be patient. Love is kind—lovers choose kindness. Love does not hold grudges—lovers sometimes even acts apart from contrary inner feelings.
Followers of Christ must be committed to His kind of love. In fact, without love, Jesus said no one can be His disciple. He describes it as being willing to give up control, comfort, pride, and personal rights for the sake of God and the eternal good of others. It is a choice, a risky but vital decision.
Those not wanting to risk it, as C. S. Lewis says, will wind up clinging to their comfort, and guarding personal wants and rights carefully, locking them safely in the coffin of selfishness.
Lewis goes on: “But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--your heart will change. It will not be broken, it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”
Love is risky. We all know it. Boy meets girl and they fall in love, then one of them changes their mind and the other one is devastated. The risky side of love is that there is no guarantee of a return on the investment.
Love is also vital. It must be, because, for the most part, no matter the risks of falling in love, it still happens. Experiments prove that unloved children (and adults) have poorer health and some even die. Receiving love is a basic need. Giving love is also a basic need, as we shall see.
Because of pain after having their love rejected, a few people refuse to love again. For them, the risk was not worth it; their hearts have been broken. Without a return on their investment, they do not want to love anyone. It makes them too vulnerable to tragedy.
They are partly right. C. S. Lewis says it well: “To love is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, no even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the coffin of your selfishness....”
Definitely the opposite of love is self-indulgence. As Lewis says, it is pampering the heart and making comfortable the body, refusing to take risks, and flat-out denying the love-needs of others.
The familiar words of John 3:16 stand out in stark contrast to this idea of holding back love. It describes how God made Himself vulnerable and took the risk of loving us. “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
God’s love is unlike ours. He did not concern Himself with getting strokes, enjoying hugs, receiving gifts, or basking in complements. His love gives – as demonstrated by Christ Himself. What more could God do to show He loves us than by giving His own life?
Further, He did it “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5). Since sinners are people who reject God and do not love Him, being loved in return was not the issue for God. Had it been, He would not have gave so much to people who were ultimately going to reject and crucify Him.
Scripture describes love, not as an emotion but as attitudes and actions. Both require decisions; read 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient—lovers decide to be patient. Love is kind—lovers choose kindness. Love does not hold grudges—lovers sometimes even acts apart from contrary inner feelings.
Followers of Christ must be committed to His kind of love. In fact, without love, Jesus said no one can be His disciple. He describes it as being willing to give up control, comfort, pride, and personal rights for the sake of God and the eternal good of others. It is a choice, a risky but vital decision.
Those not wanting to risk it, as C. S. Lewis says, will wind up clinging to their comfort, and guarding personal wants and rights carefully, locking them safely in the coffin of selfishness.
Lewis goes on: “But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--your heart will change. It will not be broken, it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”
Friday, May 20, 2016
God speaks in a whisper .................. Parables 434
August 16, 1994
In recent storms, lightning turned night almost to day, thunder shook the walls, and the wind even got our attention. Insurance companies describe those storms and their aftermath as “acts of God,” but, while God’s power may be illustrated by thunder and wind, it is not the only way He gets our attention.
Disasters usually bring God to mind though. Some raise an angry fist and shout at Him, “why me.” Others close their hands in prayer, even pull a dusty Bible off the shelf, and turn to Him for help. They are hoping He will somehow speak reassuringly.
Elijah, an Old Testament prophet and godly man, suffered what he thought was a disaster, then listened for God’s reassuring voice in a storm. To his surprise, he heard Him in another way.
Elijah had been divinely sent to confront the wickedness of King Ahab, his treacherous wife Jezebel, and a few hundred false prophets who promoted idol worship. After a spectacular encounter, the prophets met their death. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah: “May the gods deal with me ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like of one of them.”
Elijah He ran for his life. After covering considerable distance, he collapsed under a tree. God took care of his physical needs but Elijah was still extremely anxious. He traveled even farther and spent a night in a cave. Then God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
At that, God told him to stand on the mountain in His presence and He would pass by. When Elijah obeyed, a powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks, but the Bible says, “the LORD was not in the wind.”
After the wind there was an earthquake, but “the LORD was not in the earthquake.” After the earthquake came a fire, but “the LORD was not in the fire.”
Finally, after this display of power, God did speak—in a gentle whisper. Elijah heard it and covered his face. God quietly told him, “Go back and anoint a new king.” He also addressed his fears: “I reserved seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
God reassured Elijah that he was not battling evil all by himself, but the story makes another point. In his state of anxiety, Elijah was so wrapped up in himself and his concerns that God had to use a spectacular demonstration of power to get his attention, some so-called “acts of God.” In them, Elijah discovered what many of God’s children also discover: God’s voice is not loud like thunder, earth-shaking like a quake, or flashy like lightning or fire. Instead, He speaks in a “a still small voice,” a whisper.
That “whisper” can be heard, if we, like Elijah, turn toward Him and willingly listen.
In recent storms, lightning turned night almost to day, thunder shook the walls, and the wind even got our attention. Insurance companies describe those storms and their aftermath as “acts of God,” but, while God’s power may be illustrated by thunder and wind, it is not the only way He gets our attention.
Disasters usually bring God to mind though. Some raise an angry fist and shout at Him, “why me.” Others close their hands in prayer, even pull a dusty Bible off the shelf, and turn to Him for help. They are hoping He will somehow speak reassuringly.
Elijah, an Old Testament prophet and godly man, suffered what he thought was a disaster, then listened for God’s reassuring voice in a storm. To his surprise, he heard Him in another way.
Elijah had been divinely sent to confront the wickedness of King Ahab, his treacherous wife Jezebel, and a few hundred false prophets who promoted idol worship. After a spectacular encounter, the prophets met their death. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah: “May the gods deal with me ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like of one of them.”
Elijah He ran for his life. After covering considerable distance, he collapsed under a tree. God took care of his physical needs but Elijah was still extremely anxious. He traveled even farther and spent a night in a cave. Then God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
At that, God told him to stand on the mountain in His presence and He would pass by. When Elijah obeyed, a powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks, but the Bible says, “the LORD was not in the wind.”
After the wind there was an earthquake, but “the LORD was not in the earthquake.” After the earthquake came a fire, but “the LORD was not in the fire.”
Finally, after this display of power, God did speak—in a gentle whisper. Elijah heard it and covered his face. God quietly told him, “Go back and anoint a new king.” He also addressed his fears: “I reserved seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
God reassured Elijah that he was not battling evil all by himself, but the story makes another point. In his state of anxiety, Elijah was so wrapped up in himself and his concerns that God had to use a spectacular demonstration of power to get his attention, some so-called “acts of God.” In them, Elijah discovered what many of God’s children also discover: God’s voice is not loud like thunder, earth-shaking like a quake, or flashy like lightning or fire. Instead, He speaks in a “a still small voice,” a whisper.
That “whisper” can be heard, if we, like Elijah, turn toward Him and willingly listen.
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Taming a moose .................. Parables 433
August 9, 1994
An Alaskan airport has an unusual item in their budget; special turnstile gates for moose.
Alaskan moose are gigantic. We had a cow and calf living in our neighborhood in Kenai. She stood over six feet tall at the shoulder. We also noticed if any vehicle, no matter its size, encountered a moose on the highway, the moose won.
No wonder airport officials were concerned when moose continually wandering across airport property. These animals thought nothing of lying down on the runway for a snooze, swimming in the float plane basin, and grazing along landing strips. Special gates had to be installed, turnstiles that let moose out but do not allow them to return.
Wildlife can be a problem anywhere. Today a magpie landed right outside my study window. When I moved, it flew to the fence but returned as soon as I looked away. It squawked at me as if to say, “I was here first, get out of my space.” Sometimes I think magpies (and mosquitoes) really plan on taking over the world!
Whether animals plot against us or not, the first chapter in the Bible describes what God intended our relationship to them should be: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
This plan of dominion over all creation is often misunderstood; environmentalists sometimes blame Christians for exploiting nature. Clearly, the Bible never advocates such exploitation. Adam was told to “tend and keep” the garden, indicating God meant we were to take care of the world. It provides food and other resources necessary for our survival yet God forbids we selfishly abuse or pollute that supply.
Having dominion means nature’s creatures were intended to be subject to man. Some of that is apparent in the domestication of cattle, sheep, chickens and other birds and animals. Some are trained to work: oxen, horses and carrier pigeons; or to perform: lions, tigers, and talking parrots. Others are tamed as pets.
Occasionally someone shows an ability to relate to animals in an unusual way such as feeding wild birds out of their hand. I used to be able to catch horses that others had to lasso. However, most animals require work to tame or train. They have minds of their own and are not interested in doing what we tell them to do.
In fact, most wild animals run the other way when they see or smell human beings. They seem to understand something has gone wrong in the heart of man. Instead of respecting us, they are afraid of what we might do to them.
It was not always like that. Adam and Eve lived in harmony with creation. A few generations later, Noah built an ark and was able to put on it two of each living creature, but even by his generation, sin was beginning to have its effect. Not only were human relationships rapidly deteriorating, so was the proper relation of man to animals. Because of sin, we have now lost most of the kind of dominion we were intended to have.
The airport in Alaska previously used 54 regular gates but, wouldn’t you know it, people were always leaving them open. Once one man could command a multitude of animals into a boat, now it costs thousands of dollars just to keep a few moose out of our space.
An Alaskan airport has an unusual item in their budget; special turnstile gates for moose.
Alaskan moose are gigantic. We had a cow and calf living in our neighborhood in Kenai. She stood over six feet tall at the shoulder. We also noticed if any vehicle, no matter its size, encountered a moose on the highway, the moose won.
No wonder airport officials were concerned when moose continually wandering across airport property. These animals thought nothing of lying down on the runway for a snooze, swimming in the float plane basin, and grazing along landing strips. Special gates had to be installed, turnstiles that let moose out but do not allow them to return.
Wildlife can be a problem anywhere. Today a magpie landed right outside my study window. When I moved, it flew to the fence but returned as soon as I looked away. It squawked at me as if to say, “I was here first, get out of my space.” Sometimes I think magpies (and mosquitoes) really plan on taking over the world!
Whether animals plot against us or not, the first chapter in the Bible describes what God intended our relationship to them should be: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
This plan of dominion over all creation is often misunderstood; environmentalists sometimes blame Christians for exploiting nature. Clearly, the Bible never advocates such exploitation. Adam was told to “tend and keep” the garden, indicating God meant we were to take care of the world. It provides food and other resources necessary for our survival yet God forbids we selfishly abuse or pollute that supply.
Having dominion means nature’s creatures were intended to be subject to man. Some of that is apparent in the domestication of cattle, sheep, chickens and other birds and animals. Some are trained to work: oxen, horses and carrier pigeons; or to perform: lions, tigers, and talking parrots. Others are tamed as pets.
Occasionally someone shows an ability to relate to animals in an unusual way such as feeding wild birds out of their hand. I used to be able to catch horses that others had to lasso. However, most animals require work to tame or train. They have minds of their own and are not interested in doing what we tell them to do.
In fact, most wild animals run the other way when they see or smell human beings. They seem to understand something has gone wrong in the heart of man. Instead of respecting us, they are afraid of what we might do to them.
It was not always like that. Adam and Eve lived in harmony with creation. A few generations later, Noah built an ark and was able to put on it two of each living creature, but even by his generation, sin was beginning to have its effect. Not only were human relationships rapidly deteriorating, so was the proper relation of man to animals. Because of sin, we have now lost most of the kind of dominion we were intended to have.
The airport in Alaska previously used 54 regular gates but, wouldn’t you know it, people were always leaving them open. Once one man could command a multitude of animals into a boat, now it costs thousands of dollars just to keep a few moose out of our space.
Monday, May 16, 2016
God’s amazing love .................. Parables 432
August 2, 1994
Did Dr. Spock start it? Or was it the flower children of the hippy generation? Who popularized this laid-back, passive “love” that does not bother itself with trying to correct anyone’s behavior? Who decided that love accepts anything anyone else does?
Whoever did it, the concept is a far cry from what many of us from an “older generation” experienced in our growing-up years. Our parents loved us... so much so that whenever we rebelled, we received correction—bent over their knees. Some of my friends, who were never spanked, complained their parents didn’t care about them!
This soft, look-the-other-way brand of “love” probably contributed to another popular concept. It goes something like this: “God loves us too much to send anyone to hell.”
Putting that alongside Biblical descriptions of God, one must conclude those who deny the reality of hell and deny that anyone will go there, have a false concept of God and of love.
That does not mean God is unloving, not at all. Remember John 3:16; “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son....” But God is also holy. Holiness is wholeness, perfection. Christ demonstrated it: He was “in all points tempted like we are but was without sin.”
Does sinlessness mean that God is so good, so pure, that if anyone entered His presence with their sin it would somehow pollute, violate, or ruin God?
Not at all. His holiness does not depend on the purity of anyone or anything else. Again, Jesus demonstrated it: He walked this earth and rubbed shoulders with sinners yet none could entice Him to do wrong.
However, sin did violate God in a sense. It was imputed to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made Him (meaning Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us...”
That means that God put all our sin on Jesus, much like a judge, if so disposed, could write the crimes of another person to my account, thus forcing me to pay their penalty. In Jesus’ case, Isaiah the prophet said it would happen, yet Jesus was not forced to take our sin; He did it willingly. “The Lord laid on Him the iniquities of us all... yet He did not open His mouth...” (Is.53:6). Why would God do that?
The answer is also found in Scripture. The Lord took our sin upon Himself here on earth so we could enter heaven without it. The full reading of 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
In this great exchange, my sin was put on Christ and Christ’s righteousness was put on me. By this trade-off, the Divine Judge declared me free, no penalty to pay myself because Christ paid it for me. I am not innocent but, because of Christ, I am justified. God treats me just as if I had never sinned.
To say God is too loving to punish sin implies that the love of God is not really love, sin is not a big deal, and most of all, that Christ did not have to die. It says the descriptions in the Bible of God’s character are lies, as is the historical account of Christ’s death and resurrection. If God does not love us, Jesus had no reason to do what He did.
Perhaps Jesus knew some would misinterpret the love of God as a soft, look-the-other-way tolerance. Even though He both affirmed and demonstrated the love of God as far greater than that, He also said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”
Hell is not a pleasant thought, but because of Jesus, the place is avoidable.
Did Dr. Spock start it? Or was it the flower children of the hippy generation? Who popularized this laid-back, passive “love” that does not bother itself with trying to correct anyone’s behavior? Who decided that love accepts anything anyone else does?
Whoever did it, the concept is a far cry from what many of us from an “older generation” experienced in our growing-up years. Our parents loved us... so much so that whenever we rebelled, we received correction—bent over their knees. Some of my friends, who were never spanked, complained their parents didn’t care about them!
This soft, look-the-other-way brand of “love” probably contributed to another popular concept. It goes something like this: “God loves us too much to send anyone to hell.”
Putting that alongside Biblical descriptions of God, one must conclude those who deny the reality of hell and deny that anyone will go there, have a false concept of God and of love.
That does not mean God is unloving, not at all. Remember John 3:16; “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son....” But God is also holy. Holiness is wholeness, perfection. Christ demonstrated it: He was “in all points tempted like we are but was without sin.”
Does sinlessness mean that God is so good, so pure, that if anyone entered His presence with their sin it would somehow pollute, violate, or ruin God?
Not at all. His holiness does not depend on the purity of anyone or anything else. Again, Jesus demonstrated it: He walked this earth and rubbed shoulders with sinners yet none could entice Him to do wrong.
However, sin did violate God in a sense. It was imputed to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “God made Him (meaning Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us...”
That means that God put all our sin on Jesus, much like a judge, if so disposed, could write the crimes of another person to my account, thus forcing me to pay their penalty. In Jesus’ case, Isaiah the prophet said it would happen, yet Jesus was not forced to take our sin; He did it willingly. “The Lord laid on Him the iniquities of us all... yet He did not open His mouth...” (Is.53:6). Why would God do that?
The answer is also found in Scripture. The Lord took our sin upon Himself here on earth so we could enter heaven without it. The full reading of 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
In this great exchange, my sin was put on Christ and Christ’s righteousness was put on me. By this trade-off, the Divine Judge declared me free, no penalty to pay myself because Christ paid it for me. I am not innocent but, because of Christ, I am justified. God treats me just as if I had never sinned.
To say God is too loving to punish sin implies that the love of God is not really love, sin is not a big deal, and most of all, that Christ did not have to die. It says the descriptions in the Bible of God’s character are lies, as is the historical account of Christ’s death and resurrection. If God does not love us, Jesus had no reason to do what He did.
Perhaps Jesus knew some would misinterpret the love of God as a soft, look-the-other-way tolerance. Even though He both affirmed and demonstrated the love of God as far greater than that, He also said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.”
Hell is not a pleasant thought, but because of Jesus, the place is avoidable.
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