This is a question I've been asking myself lately. Some of you know that I have been going through difficult times lately, both financially and emotionally. I have tried to write about this several times now and haven't been able to, always rewriting posts to be about some other, non-personal subject. I think this is because I'm honestly not entirely sure how to answer this question. We all, I especially, want to be respected. I like to be viewed as the teacher, the one with all the answers. However this is a question that I struggle with. Obviously we rely on God for everything, this is easy to say when one knows how it will be provided. 'I rely on God for my rent payment' and he provided through my paycheck. As a child I might 'rely on God' for my food and clothing and he provided through my parents. I find that he still provides through my parents much more than I would like.
However, it is much more difficult to say 'I rely on God for my rent payment' when I'm really not sure where its going to come from. It is painful to realize that my faith often extends only as far as the reach of my arm. I wish I could say that I never fail in faith, that I am always confident that God will provide whatever I need, but the knowledge in my mind all to often fails to reach my heart. I 'know' that God will provide, just as I 'know' that he has me here for a reason, God knows my path before I walk it and he knows the currents of my heart before they ever shift. However, what I know so often fails to inform what I believe, while I 'know' that God will provide for my needs I look at my checking account and think 'I am so screwed.' The knowledge and the belief fail to meet one another.
I find this frustrating to no end because, much as I try, I am often at a loss for how to correct it. I do believe that I am growing, or at least I hope, but my struggle if far from over. So I ask, what does it mean to be a Christian in hard times? Am I really any different from anyone else dealing with these difficulties? I know that I should trust God, rely on him and know that everything works out for God for those who love him and do his will. However I find that when I look at my bank statement, or my credit card bill, or any of my other bills, my faith often fades away and is replaced by desperation.
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christianity. Show all posts
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Holiness and Righteousness of God
I had intended to deal with the justice of God today, but as I started writing I realized that I needed to deal with his holiness and righteousness first. A proper understanding of God's justice, especially as it relates to our sin, is reliant upon a proper understanding of God's holy and righteous nature.
The meanings of the terms righteousness and holiness are interconnected throughout scripture, though never the same. They are also both closely connected with the idea of God's perfectness. First of all the basic meanings of the two terms are very different. Holiness refers to a separateness while righteousness refers to obedience to the law. To be holy is to be set apart or separate from something and to be righteous is to be, literally, within one's rights.
The idea of being set apart is not uncommon in today's Christian community, however it is commonly misused. The Old Testament idea of holiness is generally reserved for references to those people or objects that had a direct connection with God. The tabernacle, and later the temple, were set apart because they were to be used only for the worship of God. The priests had holy garments that were worn only during their priestly duties within the temple. Likewise the Jewish people as a whole were to be set apart for God, that is that they were to worship and bow only to God and not to others, a purpose which they consistently failed to fulfill.
The idea of righteousness was, in the Old Testament, a legal one. One was righteous when one was acting within the bounds of the law of Moses.
When we apply these words to God their common definitions, which depend on God, do not completely apply. God is not set apart for God, however God is wholly separate from this world. While God is in the world, he is omnipresent, he is not of the world, in fact the world is of God. God is a being that is set apart from the world because he was its creator, he is more than the world. In the same way God is righteous in anything he does because he is the origin of law. God in incapable of not being righteous because he is the definition of righteousness.
The meanings of the terms righteousness and holiness are interconnected throughout scripture, though never the same. They are also both closely connected with the idea of God's perfectness. First of all the basic meanings of the two terms are very different. Holiness refers to a separateness while righteousness refers to obedience to the law. To be holy is to be set apart or separate from something and to be righteous is to be, literally, within one's rights.
The idea of being set apart is not uncommon in today's Christian community, however it is commonly misused. The Old Testament idea of holiness is generally reserved for references to those people or objects that had a direct connection with God. The tabernacle, and later the temple, were set apart because they were to be used only for the worship of God. The priests had holy garments that were worn only during their priestly duties within the temple. Likewise the Jewish people as a whole were to be set apart for God, that is that they were to worship and bow only to God and not to others, a purpose which they consistently failed to fulfill.
The idea of righteousness was, in the Old Testament, a legal one. One was righteous when one was acting within the bounds of the law of Moses.
When we apply these words to God their common definitions, which depend on God, do not completely apply. God is not set apart for God, however God is wholly separate from this world. While God is in the world, he is omnipresent, he is not of the world, in fact the world is of God. God is a being that is set apart from the world because he was its creator, he is more than the world. In the same way God is righteous in anything he does because he is the origin of law. God in incapable of not being righteous because he is the definition of righteousness.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
An Example of the Fear of God
Well, after that brief interlude I wanted to give an example of what I was saying about the fear of God. One of the best examples I have ever found of the idea, and one that helped me to understand what was meant by the fear of God, is actually in a fiction novel.
The novel Year of the Warrior is set in Medieval Norway shortly after the early introduction of Christianity into the Norse world. The main character is a young man who is removed from the Catholic seminary because he is unable to keep his vows. The man arrives home to find his village in the midst of a viking raid in which he is captured by the raiders to be sold as a slave. He tells them that he is a priest to gain preferential treatment (priests sold for a greater sum) and is sold to a Christian viking lord.
At one point in the story this lord takes ill and the main character is asked to go pray over him for God's healing. The description of the main character's walk from his hut to the hut where his lord is dying begins as a beautifully written introspection about whether or not he actually wants his lord to live. If his lord died he would be free, and he has fallen in love with the woman his lord keeps as a mistress, though she harbors no such feelings for him at this point in the story. During his introspection a figure, who is obviously cast as Satan, appears beside him and promises him a great many things if he would be willing to allow his lord to die. This temptation culminates with the promise that his lord's mistress will fall in love with him and they will be together.
The main character responds to this temptation in a manner that many Christians today would not understand, he turns to the Satan figure (who is pictured as a man in a black cloak), and says "If I were a stronger man, or a braver man, I might accept your offer. But I am weak and a coward and terribly afraid of my God."
This simple statement struck me, when I first read the book several years ago, as a profound departure from the modern view of God.
The novel as a whole is excellent and is a powerfully written story of one man's journey from near atheism to a complete faith in God. This statement comes at a point where the main Character is beginning to finally believe in the God of scripture and in his power, both to protect and to punish. What strikes me most about this scene, and the book as a whole, is the unwavering honesty that it applies to the Christian experience. Sometimes we NEED to be afraid of God, not just so that we can understand his revelation to us, but also so that we can make the right choice when faced with abundant temptation.
The novel Year of the Warrior is set in Medieval Norway shortly after the early introduction of Christianity into the Norse world. The main character is a young man who is removed from the Catholic seminary because he is unable to keep his vows. The man arrives home to find his village in the midst of a viking raid in which he is captured by the raiders to be sold as a slave. He tells them that he is a priest to gain preferential treatment (priests sold for a greater sum) and is sold to a Christian viking lord.
At one point in the story this lord takes ill and the main character is asked to go pray over him for God's healing. The description of the main character's walk from his hut to the hut where his lord is dying begins as a beautifully written introspection about whether or not he actually wants his lord to live. If his lord died he would be free, and he has fallen in love with the woman his lord keeps as a mistress, though she harbors no such feelings for him at this point in the story. During his introspection a figure, who is obviously cast as Satan, appears beside him and promises him a great many things if he would be willing to allow his lord to die. This temptation culminates with the promise that his lord's mistress will fall in love with him and they will be together.
The main character responds to this temptation in a manner that many Christians today would not understand, he turns to the Satan figure (who is pictured as a man in a black cloak), and says "If I were a stronger man, or a braver man, I might accept your offer. But I am weak and a coward and terribly afraid of my God."
This simple statement struck me, when I first read the book several years ago, as a profound departure from the modern view of God.
The novel as a whole is excellent and is a powerfully written story of one man's journey from near atheism to a complete faith in God. This statement comes at a point where the main Character is beginning to finally believe in the God of scripture and in his power, both to protect and to punish. What strikes me most about this scene, and the book as a whole, is the unwavering honesty that it applies to the Christian experience. Sometimes we NEED to be afraid of God, not just so that we can understand his revelation to us, but also so that we can make the right choice when faced with abundant temptation.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Fear
In my blog yesterday I mentioned Matt. 10:28 which says "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Proverbs 1 says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." and Proverbs 9 says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." In fact the 'fear of the Lord' is a common theme throughout scripture.
In the modern world this idea is usually ignored entirely. We live in an age which desires the almighty God to be a 'big buddy' or the 'big guy in the sky.' Christians today tend to believe that God is a teddy bear who would never hurt a fly. The movie 'Dogma', which is a satire against Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular, introduces itself with a Roman Catholic bishop presenting the 'buddy Christ' as the new official Church representation of the Christ figure. The movie is not far off of reality.
When the 'fear of the Lord' is mentioned in modern Christianity, whether it is by lay people or by the clergy, it is normally represented as a healthy respect of the awesomeness of God, but not as an actual fear. However these attitudes stand in stark contrast to the biblical representation of the 'fear of the Lord.' While certainly a healthy respect for our creator is a part of the biblical idea of the 'fear of the Lord' it is only the beginning. The 'fear of the Lord' represented in Matthew 10, and also in Acts 5 as well as many Old Testament passages, is not simply respect but honest fear.
Americans today have come to the conclusion that fear and love are mutually exclusive, however this is not what scripture teaches. It is, in fact a recent idea. It is common knowledge that in Machiavelli's classic The Prince the author declares that 'it is better to be feared than loved'. However it is less know that he first states "Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with." (The Prince, Chapter 17) Machiavelli's statement here is exactly what the scriptures teach about God, he is to be both feared and loved. The difference between Machiavelli and God is that Machiavelli was a man; fallen, imperfect, and limited; while God is perfect in every way and infinite. What Machiavelli saw as being near to impossible God can do easily.
This brings us back to the idea of the 'fear of the Lord.' What we must understand is that the scriptural teaching of the 'fear of the Lord', while it includes the idea of healthy respect, also included the idea of one's fear for the state of his immortal soul.
The context of Christ's teaching in Matthew is the provision and protection of God. Christ is teaching his disciples that they need not be afraid of Satan and his minions. However we must look at his technique, in this teaching Christ does not tell his disciples that they should not fear the Devil because God will protect them from him. Instead Christ teaches his disciples to fear the Devil because God is altogether a more fearsome being. While the Devil and his minions can 'destroy the body' or kill a person, God can 'destroy both body and soul in hell' or commit one to eternal torment.
The teaching of the 'fear of the Lord' is that we are to both love God, who is our father, and that we must fear his wrath. Though for Christians we are given freedom in Christ that the Jews were not. We must still keep in mind this idea of fear if we are to come to an honest understanding of our place in the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 1 says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." and Proverbs 9 says that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..." In fact the 'fear of the Lord' is a common theme throughout scripture.
In the modern world this idea is usually ignored entirely. We live in an age which desires the almighty God to be a 'big buddy' or the 'big guy in the sky.' Christians today tend to believe that God is a teddy bear who would never hurt a fly. The movie 'Dogma', which is a satire against Christianity in general and Roman Catholicism in particular, introduces itself with a Roman Catholic bishop presenting the 'buddy Christ' as the new official Church representation of the Christ figure. The movie is not far off of reality.
When the 'fear of the Lord' is mentioned in modern Christianity, whether it is by lay people or by the clergy, it is normally represented as a healthy respect of the awesomeness of God, but not as an actual fear. However these attitudes stand in stark contrast to the biblical representation of the 'fear of the Lord.' While certainly a healthy respect for our creator is a part of the biblical idea of the 'fear of the Lord' it is only the beginning. The 'fear of the Lord' represented in Matthew 10, and also in Acts 5 as well as many Old Testament passages, is not simply respect but honest fear.
Americans today have come to the conclusion that fear and love are mutually exclusive, however this is not what scripture teaches. It is, in fact a recent idea. It is common knowledge that in Machiavelli's classic The Prince the author declares that 'it is better to be feared than loved'. However it is less know that he first states "Upon this a question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with." (The Prince, Chapter 17) Machiavelli's statement here is exactly what the scriptures teach about God, he is to be both feared and loved. The difference between Machiavelli and God is that Machiavelli was a man; fallen, imperfect, and limited; while God is perfect in every way and infinite. What Machiavelli saw as being near to impossible God can do easily.
This brings us back to the idea of the 'fear of the Lord.' What we must understand is that the scriptural teaching of the 'fear of the Lord', while it includes the idea of healthy respect, also included the idea of one's fear for the state of his immortal soul.
The context of Christ's teaching in Matthew is the provision and protection of God. Christ is teaching his disciples that they need not be afraid of Satan and his minions. However we must look at his technique, in this teaching Christ does not tell his disciples that they should not fear the Devil because God will protect them from him. Instead Christ teaches his disciples to fear the Devil because God is altogether a more fearsome being. While the Devil and his minions can 'destroy the body' or kill a person, God can 'destroy both body and soul in hell' or commit one to eternal torment.
The teaching of the 'fear of the Lord' is that we are to both love God, who is our father, and that we must fear his wrath. Though for Christians we are given freedom in Christ that the Jews were not. We must still keep in mind this idea of fear if we are to come to an honest understanding of our place in the Kingdom of God.
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