Is God Love?

God claims to be compassionate, but in the Bible we see him be cruel.

                God sends the angel of death to kill all the Egyptians first-born sons

God claims to be forgiving, but we see him be petty.

                God kills a man for touching the ark of the covenant to settle it when he wasn’t the right person to touch it.

God claims to be gracious, but we see him be harsh.

                God commands death for small crimes, such as picking up sticks on the Sabbath.

God claims to be good, but we see him be evil.

                God commands the genocide—killing of men, women and children as well as animals—of entire nations.

Yes, God is shown to be loving as well. 

                God delivers an undeserving nation from slavery.

                God forgives a man for murder and adultery.

                God provides food for the hungry.

                God raises children from the dead.

                God pays the debt of a widow.

                God establishes a great nation out of nobodies.

But the very nation God established was patriarchal, bloodthirsty and warring. 

They’re ancestral heroes are lying, cheating and disloyal.

I’d like to say that there is an error in the Bible.

  That some events were attributed to God when they really weren’t.

  That people penned God’s name to sayings he never said.

  That God experimented in different methods to train humans to love, and many of them failed.

  That God could do what humans could not do because He was creator.

But these are all excuses for an unloving God, or, at best, a God that was learning how to love.

  A God who did not know what compassion, grace, forgiveness and good really meant.

  Or a God who was sorely, even deceitfully, misrepresented.

Frankly, I just don’t know.

But this I do know:

The God I worship, adore, obey and imitate is displayed in full glory in Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect demonstration of the love of God.

Jesus is the God who transforms the occasionally harsh law into pure love.

Jesus is the God who heals the sick and feeds the hungry.

Jesus is the God who supports the poor.

Jesus is the God who welcomes the sinner.

Jesus is the God who sacrifices himself for the sake of the world.

Jesus is the God who forgives completely, without punishment.

Jesus is the God who exuberantly, abundantly, enthusiastically loves.

And there is no other God but the God whom we see in Jesus.

Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Jesus turns deceit into Truth.

Jesus turns disloyalty into Faithfulness.

Jesus turns selfishness into Sacrifice.

And Jesus turns a broken God into a God broken for us.

In Jesus we see the Compassionate, the Gracious, the Merciful, the Forgiving.

This is the God I love, the God I seek, the God I pray to.

There is no other.

The Humble and the Powerful: A Scriptural Guide

James 1: 9-12

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.  Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Psalm 73:1-19
Surely God is good to Israel, To those who are pure in heart!
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped.
For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For there are no pains in their death, And their body is fat.
They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like mankind.
Therefore pride is their necklace; The garment of violence covers them.
Their eye bulges from fatness; The imaginations of their heart run riot.
They mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high.
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.
Therefore his people return to this place, And waters of abundance are drunk by them.
They say, “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?”
Behold, these are the wicked; And always at ease, they have increased in wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure And washed my hands in innocence;
For I have been stricken all day long And chastened every morning.
If I had said, “I will speak thus,” Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.
When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight
Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end.
Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.
How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!

Isaiah 2:11-17
The proud look of man will be abased And the loftiness of man will be humbled,
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased.
And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft.
The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased.

I Samuel 2:3-8
Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are shattered, But the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes.
The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them.

Luke 14:11
Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 6:20-26
Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Luke 16:25
Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

I Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.  If you are reviled [j]for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Discovering God: Questions

This is part of continuing series of theological questions.  We will give some description, but the purpose of these posts are not to answer questions but to ask them.  You may answer some if you like in the comments section, but I will keep myself in the questioning mode for now.

Many of us desire to find God, and some spend their whole lives just doing this.  But why?  Is God so the center of the meaning of our lives that we should be seeking Him?  Is God the Source we should be seeking, or is there another Subject that is more true, more to the core of our being?  Some have said that we should not be seeking God, but ourselves, humanity, reality, love, economic stability, truth, power....  If we find God will we find all these as well?  If we find these will we find God?

Is God even an object to be discovered?  We can discover most things within our own universe, eventually, but if God is outside of our universe, then can we truly discover God?  Can we only describe God through what God is not, because we cannot see or measure what God is?  Is it possible to describe or communicate God at all, if God is beyond our imagination?

What would be the tools to discover God?  If God is beyond human comprehension, then perhaps God is the only one to describe what or who God is.  But what is this revelation in which God describes God?  Is it creation, made by God, but ravaged by time?  Is it physics, the building blocks of creation?  Is it the human mind, the most sublime creation?  Is it a text in which God laid out the most important thoughts about God?  Is it a person, who communicated God most sublimely through both words and action?

Who are we to make such choices?  Can we grab onto one of these tools and call it the ultimate revelation?  Or should we live our lives and hope that God is some rock that we will stumble upon and everything will make sense? Is such a search ultimately futile or fruitful?

Joy in Difficulty - A Scriptural Guide

Luke 6:20-23

Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I Peter 4:12-14

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

James 1:2-4, 9, 12

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything… Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position… Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Acts 5:40-41

After calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

I Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

God's Sovereignty: Questions

We will be starting a series of theological questions today.  We will give some description, but the purpose of these posts are not to answer questions but to ask them.  You may answer some if you like in the comments section, but I will keep myself in the questioning mode for now.

All the monotheistic religions hold that God is Sovereign-- that is, He rules the universe.  But there has been much disagreement as to how much and to what extent God rules.

Does God rule every aspect of the universe?  Or are there portions of the universe He never had control over?  Are there portions that He relinquished control over?  Is God the god of this world or did He give it over to Satan?  Or did he give it over to humanity?  If God is not really in charge of the earth, then why complain to God if things go bad or if there is evil?  Shouldn't we take it up with the current management?

Is God specifically ruling every single atom of the universe, or just the general flow of things?  Is every aspect of what has happened and what will happen under God's control?  Is the movement of every atom directed by Him?  Did he set the universe up and let it go, still understanding exactly what would happen, every day, for the rest of eternity?  If that is so, then is God responsible for every evil that took place, because He set it up that way?  If God is responsible for evil, doesn't that ultimately make Him evil?  Or at least part evil?

It says in the Bible that God sustains life.  Is it speaking about in the general sense, in the way that God provides food and other sustenance for those who need it?  Or does it mean that without God no life would exist, that God is somehow holding all of creation so that it doesn't fall apart, and that without God holding things together, nothing could continue to exist?