Thinking Out Loud

Disclaimer: The following thoughts are offered to stimulate further thought. If you have anything to add (positive or negative) please leave a comment.

Many of the ideas people have about what God must be like come from Greek philosophy rather than from divine revelation. The idea that God cannot change in any way comes from a philosophical assumption about perfection.

The reasoning goes like this:

• Change involves getting better or getting worse.
  
• If God gets better, then he was not perfect before.
  
• If God gets worse, then he is no longer perfect.
  
• But God is eternally perfect.
  
• Therefore, God cannot change in any way.
  
  

But this is not the God of the Bible. This "god" is simply a philosophical construct that cannot have anything resembling a relationship. Such a god certainly cannot be acted upon or be affected by the actions of any other being. But he could not even "act" except in the sense that his being emanates eternally into some form of "action."

This "perfect" god could not plan out the creation of a universe. Even hypothetical actions in his mind must be perfect without any false starts. The whole "plan" must exist perfectly formed "all at once." What is more, that plan must have existed in his mind from all eternity. A god who devises a "plan" to create a universe is superior to a god who cannot do so or who hasn't yet gotten around to doing so.

Neither can this god enact his perfect plan. To do so would make him superior to a god who can't or hasn't. The "actions" of a "perfect" god would not be actions at all. They would be products that automatically and eternally result from his perfect eternal nature.

Yet the God of the Bible expresses

• regret (1 Samuel 15:35—The Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.),
  
• frustration (Exodus 4:14—Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses.),
  
• disappointment (Jeremiah 3:7—I thought that after she [Israel] had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.),
  
• outrage (Ezekiel 5:13—Then my anger will cease and my wrath against them will subside.),
  
• delight (Deuteronomy 3:9, 10—The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands.), and
  
• joy (Zephaniah 3:17— The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.).
  
  

It is because of the philosophical view of God that he is assumed to be "outside" time. If he is "perfect" (according to the Greek view) then he cannot change in any way. To participate in time is to change.

If we imagine some hypothetical being who never changed in any way, it would be exactly the same at every point in time. If it is exactly the same today as it was three years ago, how can it be said to have participated in time in any meaningful way? Without some change in knowledge, feeling, attitude, intention, experience or some other property, there can be no involvement in time. Such a being could not have a relationship with a time-bound being anymore than a statue could have a relationship with a human being.

We say that God is "outside" time. But in order to interact with humans, God must participate in time in some way. Certainly the Incarnation was an instance of God "entering" time.

If Jesus is fully God and fully human, it seems unavoidable that God (in the Second Person of the Trinity) must be different in some way than he was before the Incarnation, before the coming together of the divine and human in the person of Jesus Christ.

That God is not bound by time seems beyond dispute. Time appears to be a property of creation. When God created the universe, he created time. But not being bound by time is not the same thing as "timeless."

When we try to conceptualize timelessness or eternity, we tend to image some sort of a steady state—an unchanging condition. In such a situation, nothing interesting happens. (No wonder that many people think heaven will be boring.)

But if that is the nature of God, creation could never have taken place. The only option would be for some kind of pantheistic world that eternally emanates from the divine being.

Timelessness does not allow for "before" or "after." But if God created the universe, there had to be a "before." There had to be a "time" before God had the idea to create the universe. After he had the idea, he "developed" his plan or strategy. He chose from among all the possible worlds he could have created to fashion this particular one. Did all this just pop into God's mind fully formed? If so, in what sense can it be said that he planned it or designed it?

(It seems that a distorted view of God's "sovereignty" logically results in a God who is also ruled by his own kind of determinism.)

If God is going to have any sort of a relationship with human beings, he must be able to interact with time. The Incarnation of Jesus is evidence that he has done just that.

The timeless god of Greek philosophy cannot do that.

But what about the biblical assertion that God does not change?

Let's look at a few of them:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17

This statement follows an argument about the nature of temptation. James says that no one should accuse God of causing temptation. The reason is that God is good and that only good comes from him, because his goodness does not wax or wane.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
Numbers 23:19

These words are from the oracle of Balaam, who was hired by a king to pronounce a curse on the Israelites. What he is saying is that because God has already blessed them it is impossible to curse them. Once God has made a promise, he does not go back on it. Essentially Balaam is saying that God is a "man" of his word.

He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.
1 Samuel 15:29

These are the words of Samuel to King Saul, who has just been informed that God is revoking his appointment as king of Israel. In other words, Samuel is telling Saul that the revocation is absolute and that there is no appeal.

I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
Malachi 3:6

God is telling the Israelites that they have been faithless. And because of their faithlessness they should have expected to have been destroyed. The only reason that they haven't been is because Yahweh has remained faithful to his covenant even though the Israelites have failed to keep their part of the agreement.

Paul takes up the same theme:

Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13

God does not disown himself—change his basic nature. It is not possible for him to break faith.

This very characteristic of God often causes him to "change his mind":

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah 3:10

How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.
Hosea 11:8-9

Therefore the Lord was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance. He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them. Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power. Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
Psalms 106:40-45

Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Exodus 32:14

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:13

So the Lord relented. "This will not happen," the Lord said.
Amos 7:3

So the Lord relented. "This will not happen either," the Sovereign Lord said.
Amos 7:6

Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek his favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them?
Jeremiah 26:19

(emphasis added)

Interestingly enough, one of the passages that proponents of theological determinism like to use teaches just the opposite:

Then the word of the Lord came to me:
"O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the Lord. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it."
Jeremiah 18:5-10

(emphasis added)

The Lord is announcing that he retains the flexibility to respond to the choices that people make. This seems to be anything but the impassive, imperturbable, immutable "God" suggested by Greek philosophy and deterministic theology.

• This is a God who has a real relationship with his people.
  
• This is a God who reacts and responds to the choices of his creatures.
  
• This is a God who is able to participate in time.
  
  

Make no mistake about it, Yahweh is perfect.

The point is that "perfect" doesn't mean what Greek philosophy has always thought it means.

The Lord is complete and lacking in nothing. But he is not the detached watchmaker of deism or the stoic deity of Plato.

He is the Eternal One who is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

Missional Patience

How many church growth experts does it take to change a light bulb?

If you were an awesomely bold leader you wouldn't install a wimpy light bulb when you could install a high-tech, mega-lumen illumination device. All you need is a demographic study, a marketing strategy and a long-term business plan. And why change only dead bulbs? After a few months, all bulbs lose some of their light-producing ability.

According to some, every church should be a mega-church, if only the pastor worked hard enough and the congregation used the right evangelism program. But this assumes that the Church operates just like a business. It relegates God to a marginal role as a silent partner.

But the kingdom of God cannot be grown in vitro in a lab.

The kingdom of God has more in common with a farm than a factory.

Clark Cowden writes at Allelon:

If you are a church leader or a ministry leader, how long will the seeds you are planting in your people remain underground before God brings them to the surface? Ten years? More? Less? If you are seeking to plant and spread missional seeds in a denominational system, how long will they remain underground before their fruits begin to surface? Ten years? More? Less? If you are seeking to be missional in the community in which you live, how long will your efforts remain underground before you begin to see results? Ten years? More? Less?

I believe the missional conversation can have a positive effect on the western church, but it is not a quick fix. It will not produce an overnight success. You can't order it at a fast food drive-through or cook it quickly in your microwave. And because so much of the growth takes place underground, we can't even see it happening. We have to operate by faith. We have to keep planting, fertilizing, cultivating, and watering, trusting in the Lord to produce the growth.

Our job is to plant the seeds of the kingdom and to be patient in doing the work of the kingdom.

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

Put the Credit Card Away

I've noticed with some concern how parents feel enormous pressure to spend money they don't have on their children at Christmas.

Brant Hansen provides a gentle word of advice for those parents.

It's time that the Church made a stand against this materialistic, consumeristic tradition. Let's quit spending so much money on our children (and ourselves.) Let's quit buying expensive toys for the kids in our Adopt a Family programs. Let's refuse to buy anyone a gift card.

I'm not against gifts.

Gifts are great. But the boxes we wrap at Christmas aren't real gifts.

Among other things,

• Real gifts are especially suited for the recipient.
  
• Real gifts are not made in expectation of a return gift.
  
• Real gifts are unexpected, surprising in some way.
  

Give your family, your friends and yourself permission to get off the Christmas gift escalator.

Good grief, how did we get to the place where a Lexus is a reasonable Christmas gift?

Whether you are "that guy" or not, you don't need to buy your wife a diamond.

American retailers are not going to come by your house in February and help you make your credit card payment.

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

Third Sunday of Advent

Whoops!

This was supposed to be posted at Wiki-Sermon.

Here are the readings for December 16, 2007:

Isaiah 35:1–10

James 5:7–10

Matthew 11:2–11

Pastor Rod

On a Lighter Note

Here are a couple of things to bring some joy to your day (HT: BHT).

First a video of a men's a cappella group from Indiana University:

And here's a story about the first ever Emerging Amish congregation.

Enjoy.

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

God Kills Worshippers

This is the message of Peter Pike at Triablogue.

And he intends this to be a comforting thought.

According to Peter, God did this for a good reason known only to himself. Every specific thing that happens has been orchestrated by God before the creation of the world. All the seemingly free choices that people make have been predetermined by God. Everything happens exactly as God wants it to. God could have designed human history without people being shot at the New Life Church in Colorado, without planes flying into the World Trade Centers, and without millions of people being exterminated by the Nazis.

Peter writes, "I simply do not understand how anyone who is not Reformed could deal with this situation without falling into despair."

Let me explain.

God is sovereign. But he doesn't exercise exhaustive control over the tiniest of details. It is a rather impotent God who can only accomplish his purpose by rigging the system. He is on the level of a chess player who can win only by scripting the moves of his opponent.

Jesus Christ defeated sin, Satan and death, and God's ultimate victory is secure. I find it absurd that God would imitate his enemy in order to produce some good result.

The God of the Bible does not suffer from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. He does not create problems so that he can solve them and make himself look good.

God did not cause sin so that he could send his own Son to die a brutal death on a cross to satisfy his own wrath for something that he himself decreed must happen.

Peter writes, "Without the sure knowledge of the overall sovereignty of God, how can one rest in the promise of Romans 8 that all things will work for the good of those who love Christ and are called according to His purposes?"

If God exercises exhaustive control, then everything happens just the way he wants it to. It doesn't matter whether we believe that it happens that way. It doesn't matter whether we "acknowledge his sovereignty." It doesn't matter what we write on blogs. If Peter were right, then he wouldn't be trying to convince us that he is right.

This system has God saying, "Everything that happens has been orchestrated by me and will result in good for those who are fortunate enough to be among the called."

Instead, I hear Paul saying, "No matter what happens, God is resourceful enough to make it result in good for those who love him and trust in him."

Peter writes, "But if things can happen that God did not want, at some level, to have happen, how can we trust anything He has promised? How is He able to bring about His plan if events like this can thwart His purposes?"

Ah, here is where the logic fails. Just because some things happen "that God did not want" doesn't mean that they "can thwart His purposes."

Back to our chess player. Does a grand master need the novice to make any specific move in order to win the game?

Imagine the master saying, "Ah, I didn't expect that. Well, then I guess I'll move here."

Interestingly enough, the Bible is filled with God making several similar statements.

Yet the master wins the game. And God accomplishes his purposes.

Peter makes his biggest logical leap with this: "We [Calvinist] pray because we do believe in a sovereign God who can do as He pleases in His world. And we pray because we know that He will make all things work out for the good of His people, just as He has promised."

Let's get this straight. According to the Calvinists:

• God has predetermined the tiniest detail of human history. The movement of every molecule has been charted out in advance.
  
• There is nothing anyone can do to change a single one of these details.
  
• These people pray to this martinet of a God because he is going to do what he would have done anyway.
  

Not only is this illogical, it is contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture.

Let me say plainly, God did not cause the deaths of those churchgoers in Colorado. God did not decree the massacre of millions of human beings for some greater good.

God will accomplish his purpose.

• But our choices are real.
  
• We can influence the shape of the future.
  
• Our actions do make a difference.
  

Don't be mislead by these caricatures of God that depict him as a selfish tyrant.

Don't be paralyzed by the evil actions of individuals thinking that they were predetermined by God for some hidden purpose.

Fight against evil in every form it takes. And you'll never have to worry about working against God or his purposes. Fight knowing that the final outcome is certain.

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be."

Evangelism Is Evil

Well, not evil. But there is something messed up about what is usually referred to as evangelism. Too often it feels like selling Amway.

The early Church did not have an evangelism program. It seems unlikely that early Christians were trained how to "share their faith." Yet "the Lord added to their number" regularly.

Most modern evangelism emphases tend to use guilt to motivate believers to memorize a presentation of "the gospel" and to confront friends, family and even strangers with a call to decision. The primary value is pragmatism. If it works (produces "converts"), then we use it. Marketing techniques are used to sell the gospel.

But why would we need to sell good news?

• If the news is truly good, won't people want to hear it?
  
• If the news is truly good, why would anyone need to be bullied to proclaim it?
  
• If the news is truly good, why does it feel like we are putting one over on our friends and family?
  

It seems obvious that most Christians don't really believe that the gospel is good news.

Of course, they think it is a "good deal."

They exchange most of the things that people think of as fun for a ticket to paradise when they die.

They go to church, try to be honest and give God some of their money, not because they really want to. They do it to get the big payoff.

And this is what most Christians are selling when they "do evangelism."

One of our problems is that we haven't found the gospel to be good news. And this needs to be addressed. But for now, I would like to focus on a different problem, the way we "do evangelism."

David Fitch has suggested that we give up on evangelism and focus on witness instead.

Here is a chart showing the distinction he makes between these two concepts.

Evangelism	Witness
Done by Individuals	Done by a Community
Hard work	Natural
Coercive	Patient
Strategic	Responsive
Argument	Ministry
Presented as a Message	Presented as a Community

He says, "Evangelism can be done without witness. Witness cannot be done without evangelism."

Yes we must proclaim the good news, but the most important part of that proclamation can only be done by a community that is living the gospel and embodying God's grace. And in this community the gospel must be experienced as truly good news.

Does this make sense? Do you find his concept of witness helpful?

Pastor Rod

"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"