NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

The Ten Commandments – Brief But Brilliant!

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Skeptics Query

Why are the Ten Commandments so shallow/narrow? Why do the commandments say nothing about children’s rights, the internet or offer great insights about math?

I found the above question a little amusing. It came originally from an Agnostic/Atheist type (Agath) and is very different to what you would expect. Agaths usually oppose restrictive laws and here one is asking for more. Doesn’t make sense!

But that’s not the only weak point in this question. Three areas of concern are mentioned: Children’s rights, mathematics and the internet. And the complaint is, God failed to regulate these issues.

Well, I agree and disagree. [Read more…] about The Ten Commandments – Brief But Brilliant!

The Devil Serves God Too!

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If God is so powerful…how does the Devil exist?

This question was originally posed by an agnostic/atheist type (Agath) and sent to me by a Christian friend but it’s a little bit confusing. No explanation was offered so you have to analyze it a bit to get a handle on what is really being asked.

After reading the question, my first thought was, “why shouldn’t the Devil exist?” I know he’s not the nicest guy around and I don’t like him any more than the next person but does that constitute a reason to X him out?

And, yes, God does have the power to dispose of him but if God were to annihilate him, who else should He blot out and by what rule would He decide who goes and who stays? Should I expect Him to eliminate every person I don’t particularly like?

Quite honestly, I’ve never met the Devil or tangled with him directly – at least not that I know of – but I could give you a long list of people who have aggravated me to no end. What about them? Should they be on the death list also?

Aside from personal issues, however, what other reasons could justify the Devil’s elimination? Should we expect God to blot out any person who does wrong and, if so, aren’t we all in danger? No one is entirely without sin so everyone could be on the list. Solomon said…

“There is not a just man upon earth that does good and sins not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

And only an argumentative or delusional soul would disagree with that point.

So the next question is, would we expect God to exterminate only those who commit particularly egregious crimes and, if so, who gets to decide where acceptable crimes end and egregious ones begin?

Obviously, Agath’s original question spawns many more sub queries making it difficult to fully resolve the issue. Maybe before we demand God eliminate the Devil’s miserable soul we should take a look at what the Bible actually says about him. And the first observation to note is… [Read more…] about The Devil Serves God Too!

Natural Disasters – God’s Fault?

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Is It Reasonable To Expect
God’s Omni-Capabilities
To Override Natural Law

A friend recently sent me an email posing an assortment of questions about miracles. The questions originally came from an agnostic/atheist type (Agath) – my friend is neither – and were intended to discredit God and belittle believers.

A summary of each question is included for your reference. I summarized them because unedited they were quite long but I was careful to retain the essence:
 

  1. If God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, as the Bible claims, why does He allow people to die in floods and tsunamis or children to die of cancer?
  2. Why are miracles reported less frequently and in fewer numbers in modern times?
  3. If God is so powerful why does the Devil exist?
  4. Why are the Ten Commandments so shallow/narrow? Why do the commandments say nothing about children’s rights, mathematics or the internet?
  5. Why doesn’t God heal amputees (restore lost limbs)? Why does God only heal things that have a statistical possibility of healing on their own, e.g., cancers?
  6. Doesn’t the conflict between Christian, Muslim and Jewish beliefs cancel each other out? If one is right wouldn’t the others be considered atheists?

I can’t say whether Agath is genuinely open to real answers or not but he apparently won’t accept fluff. According to my friend “God works in mysterious ways” won’t do, hence this post.

Disasters, Diseases And Miracles – Accusations vs Issues

I’ll discuss only the first two questions in this article. The others will come later but since the first two are closely related and Agath offered an answer for each they seemed like a good place to start. [Read more…] about Natural Disasters – God’s Fault?

Sovereign Choice: Jacob And Esau

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God's choices are ratified by human response.

Calvinism Implies God
Is Partial

Unfortunately, God’s dealings with Jacob and Esau are often used to bolster the claims of Calvinism, the idea that God elects certain people for salvation and sends everyone else to hell. Admittedly, God made three very interesting statements relative to these two men that on the surface seem to support a Calvinistic view.

This post, however, is written in an effort to rethink Jacob and Esau and offer a different perspective. It isn’t a final answer on God’s sovereignty but is a different interpretation on these two fellows and God’s relationship to them.

It is my contention that the names “Jacob” and “Esau” were used, in most cases, as references to nations not individuals. In other words, the name of the person, Jacob, is used to represent his posterity, Israel.

And this isn’t just my opinion. Interchanging related words in this manner is a well accepted rhetorical device – otherwise known as metonymy – which is often used in the Bible. Most references to “Jacob” and “Esau” are references to their descendants and that is particularly true in Romans 9.

Figures of speech aside, however, you don’t have to be grammatically astute to recognize that any direct statement to or about “Jacob,” after the death of the man, in every case is a reference to his descendants.

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Most references fall into that category. The conversation with/about Jacob and Esau lasted almost two millennia. Obviously, most of what God had to say was said after they were dead.

What that means is God’s choice of and discussions about Jacob or Esau was national. It was focused on the larger picture. He was choosing a community, a nation to work with. He was selecting Jacob’s posterity not just Jacob and this choice had nothing to do with personal, individual salvation.

Now, with that understanding in mind let’s note some facts and make some general observations about the Romans 9 passage.

God made the following critical statements:

  • The elder (Esau) will serve the younger (Jacob). Genesis 25:23 and Romans 9:12
  • I have loved Jacob but Esau have I hated. Malachi 1:2-3 and Romans 9:13
  • I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Exodus 33:19 and Romans 9:15

Although all three statements were repeated in Romans 9 they were originally recorded in the Old Testament and were separated by hundreds of years.

  • The conception of Jacob and Esau, 1800 BC (+/-). Genesis 25
  • The Exodus, 1400 BC (+/-). Exodus 33
  • The Book of Malachi, 400 BC (+/-). Malachi 1.

Paul added some explanatory remarks to these statements which seem to further endorse Calvinistic ideas:

  • Paul said God’s choice of Jacob over Esau was based on His elective purpose.
  • He pointed out that this choice was made before the boys were born and, therefore, before they had done anything good or evil.
  • He said the choice was based on mercy and not human desire or effort – not of him that willeth or runneth.

Everyone admits these statements were made in the context of Romans 9. Not everyone accepts the Calvinistic interpretation imposed on them. I offer the following arguments as the basis for a different opinion. [Read more…] about Sovereign Choice: Jacob And Esau

Jesus Death: Ugly And Beautiful At Once

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Everything God Does Says
I Love You

Some portions of Scripture are very pleasant to read and very popular.

Who doesn’t like Psalm 23. Even nonreligious people enjoy reading this passage and many can repeat it from memory.

We love to talk about God’s grace and the song “Amazing Grace” is still one of the most popular songs in the world.

We love to talk about the nativity. Pictures have been painted, scenes have been constructed and theatrical productions have been organized all of which depict the beautiful story of Jesus’ birth.

But there are other portions of Scripture we don’t enjoy so much. The last few chapters of each Gospel tell us about the death of Jesus and the reports don’t make very pleasant reading.

When Jesus died it was visually very ugly. His accusers were unfair, unreasonable and manipulative. His executioners were aggressive, violent, abusive and cruel and the Gospel writers recorded all of it in great detail.

The amount of time covered from His arrest to His death was at least fifteen hours, possibly longer, and the humiliation Jesus endured during that time was unspeakable. He was lied about, spit on, whipped, mocked with a crown of thorns and beaten so badly He couldn’t be recognized (Isaiah 52:14). Even His disciples forsook Him.

And because He knew what was coming, just before His arrest He agonized in prayer.

Most people, preferring romance or mystery to gore, shy away from this type of reading. But when it comes to the death of Jesus we should take another look. [Read more…] about Jesus Death: Ugly And Beautiful At Once