I thought to myself, how can we forgive other people? Say "You hurt me but I'm still ok." See, we are told to forgive people, but why is it ok? It's ok because of something more important, God has us in his hands so nothing people can do will really affect us.
That's the normal idea. But let's extrapolate that.
God forgives us...arbitrarily or because of something bigger? Maybe he died on the cross because we were worth it? And I don't mean 'worth it' like we have any power or something. If we did, we would save ourselves. God valued the pleasure he would get out of forgiving us and letting us live in his presence above the excruciating pain of the cross.
Maybe this is related to why we stick with friends when they're going through tough times. We value their restored condition and the joy it gives us (not primarily the service they can provide for us) to see them well.
Along the lines of a previous post, we could say that God stuck with his creation, his works of art not yet completed, and considered his works worth the effort to not destroy but keep shaping into beautiful creations.
I do realize that this post especially, and the last 3 a little, clash a little with common ideas. (actually a LOT of my posts do that) I'm going to keep thinking about it. Talk to me or posts comments on my blog or facebook if you have ideas.
P.S.
Due to the comments of a dear friend on facebook, I should add a couple notes:
1) My post was about how to deal with people hurting you and be able to forgive them - specifically in terms of actual damage done to your person.
2) You forgive people by first saying "You really hurt me and that was wrong", while to yourself you add "but that doesn't kill me because I have God".
3) Second, you cancel the legal debt against you "I forgive you." [you do NOT have the right to retaliate in any case because they are made in the image of God too]
4) For added motivation, remember that God forgave you.
16 March 2011
numbers in the bible
So why on earth are there three parts to the trinity and not four? What fundamental property of systems caused that?
First of all, God created numbers so he could have chosen whatever he wanted. God was first, function stuff came later, so we can't ask ourselves how the 'more fundamental' idea of systems disproves God. He created them.
Honestly, I don't know much about this number thing. It has effects in the real world though. Why do most people have three points to their English papers and speeches? Color wheels, mathematical stability, etc.
Special numbers: 1,2,3,4,6,7,10, 12,40,1000
Note: 6 only comes from 666. Also 40 appears in different powers of ten and other units, so we can simply combine it with 4.
Let me just say something about revelations: It has 3 subsequently tiered sets of 7 plague type stuff each starting with 4 similar plagues, 2 odd ones, and 1 more which contains the next 7. There are 7 lamps/spirits/churches of God, 2*12 = 24 elders around the throne, 12^2*1000 = 144,000 martyrs in white robes, 3 frog-type demons, 2 evil beasts, 10 horns/kings on the dragon, 3 beings thrown into the lake of fire, 3 6's = 666 on bad peoples foreheads or palms, 1000 years of JC reigning, and 1 God doing it all. Whooooe!
1 is just special. No comment.
2 does not appear much in the bible but does in our bodies, in relationships, in binary, and other places. There are 2 witnesses in revelations.
3 I just mentioned shows up everywhere. I think it means 'complete' in a functional sense.
4 This I will explain more. People generally think it denotes judgment. 400 years in Egypt, 40 years in the desert, 40 days of rain. But it's also a commitment idea. 40 days of fasting. 40 days of Elijah seeking God through the desert. And I wrote something down in my notes about "Moses tablets = seek". Maybe a dedication or purification idea too. There are 4 beasts in Daniel corresponding to four upcoming civilizations. There are four-sided heads of the hovering animals in Ezekiel.
6 I looked this up, and there are an excess of appearances of 6 in the bible regarding years of labor, amounts of Jewish people, construction of the temple, and other stuff - weird. Anyway, the only think I remember is 666. It might mean evil - maybe not. 12/2 = 6. Leah and Rachel both bore 6 sons to Joseph. God spent 6 days making the earth and on the seventh he rested. The only reason we think 6 is evil is because of 666.
7 This might mean holy. Spirits of God, churches, days of creation, days in a week, etc. I wonder why we don't also associate it with judgment because of the 3 sets of 7 plagues???
10 Plagues in Egypt, kings/horns on the dragon/devil head. Also a general base for making numbers larger. (see the number 4)
12 I'm thinking 'complete' in a human sense. 12 tribes, 24 elders, 144k martyrs. etc.
1000 is just a big number. 1 day is like a thousand years. They probably don't mean exactly, they just mean a LONG time. JC reign in final kingdom.
Math: 3+4 = 7 = 4+2+1. 10 = 7+3. 2*6=12...you get the idea.
Conclusion - none. You figure it out. I'm too tired.
First of all, God created numbers so he could have chosen whatever he wanted. God was first, function stuff came later, so we can't ask ourselves how the 'more fundamental' idea of systems disproves God. He created them.
Honestly, I don't know much about this number thing. It has effects in the real world though. Why do most people have three points to their English papers and speeches? Color wheels, mathematical stability, etc.
Special numbers: 1,2,3,4,6,7,10, 12,40,1000
Note: 6 only comes from 666. Also 40 appears in different powers of ten and other units, so we can simply combine it with 4.
Let me just say something about revelations: It has 3 subsequently tiered sets of 7 plague type stuff each starting with 4 similar plagues, 2 odd ones, and 1 more which contains the next 7. There are 7 lamps/spirits/churches of God, 2*12 = 24 elders around the throne, 12^2*1000 = 144,000 martyrs in white robes, 3 frog-type demons, 2 evil beasts, 10 horns/kings on the dragon, 3 beings thrown into the lake of fire, 3 6's = 666 on bad peoples foreheads or palms, 1000 years of JC reigning, and 1 God doing it all. Whooooe!
1 is just special. No comment.
2 does not appear much in the bible but does in our bodies, in relationships, in binary, and other places. There are 2 witnesses in revelations.
3 I just mentioned shows up everywhere. I think it means 'complete' in a functional sense.
4 This I will explain more. People generally think it denotes judgment. 400 years in Egypt, 40 years in the desert, 40 days of rain. But it's also a commitment idea. 40 days of fasting. 40 days of Elijah seeking God through the desert. And I wrote something down in my notes about "Moses tablets = seek". Maybe a dedication or purification idea too. There are 4 beasts in Daniel corresponding to four upcoming civilizations. There are four-sided heads of the hovering animals in Ezekiel.
6 I looked this up, and there are an excess of appearances of 6 in the bible regarding years of labor, amounts of Jewish people, construction of the temple, and other stuff - weird. Anyway, the only think I remember is 666. It might mean evil - maybe not. 12/2 = 6. Leah and Rachel both bore 6 sons to Joseph. God spent 6 days making the earth and on the seventh he rested. The only reason we think 6 is evil is because of 666.
7 This might mean holy. Spirits of God, churches, days of creation, days in a week, etc. I wonder why we don't also associate it with judgment because of the 3 sets of 7 plagues???
10 Plagues in Egypt, kings/horns on the dragon/devil head. Also a general base for making numbers larger. (see the number 4)
12 I'm thinking 'complete' in a human sense. 12 tribes, 24 elders, 144k martyrs. etc.
1000 is just a big number. 1 day is like a thousand years. They probably don't mean exactly, they just mean a LONG time. JC reign in final kingdom.
Math: 3+4 = 7 = 4+2+1. 10 = 7+3. 2*6=12...you get the idea.
Conclusion - none. You figure it out. I'm too tired.
body: in the image of God
We are made in the image of God.
This means ALL parts of us, mind, soul, will, and BODY. But how on earth does our body, this random construction of chemicals, reflect the unseen awesome God? I have no concrete idea, but I'm pretty sure it does.
Maybe think about the way you experience it. The nice feeling of athleticism, the smooth motion of joints in artistry, dexterity far beyond other animals, the way we are designed for running, ...and how sexy we are.
Just chew on that a little bit.
But here are some random implications. Almost all of our body comes in pairs. Limbs, brain halves, eyes, ears, nostrils, muscles, lungs, etc. This might reflect something related to the male/female mutual dependence picture of God. Both hands are necessary but often do different things/have different jobs. Two eyes from different perspectives are needed for depth perception etc.
Now, the two external parts of the body that do not come in pairs. - the head and torso in general I suppose but I won't count those. What are they? The mouth and genitals.
It is interesting that both are sexually related. (I came up with this post by wondering why we don't kiss people with our ears) Also, lots of emphasis is given to the tongue/what people say in the bible. Proverbs says it is like a rudder to steer the whole body, if you can control it, you can control all of you. James 3:8. Proverbs 18:21
Internally nearly everything is single, which kind of makes my theory fall apart. But I'll keep looking at it. Lungs are in pairs, and the bible does not emphasize breathing much. Eating and drinking (bread of life, living water) are mentioned. The heart has not just two but four chambers (but a circular function). What's up with the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, etc??? Two kidneys.
Just more food for thought.
This means ALL parts of us, mind, soul, will, and BODY. But how on earth does our body, this random construction of chemicals, reflect the unseen awesome God? I have no concrete idea, but I'm pretty sure it does.
Maybe think about the way you experience it. The nice feeling of athleticism, the smooth motion of joints in artistry, dexterity far beyond other animals, the way we are designed for running, ...and how sexy we are.
Just chew on that a little bit.
But here are some random implications. Almost all of our body comes in pairs. Limbs, brain halves, eyes, ears, nostrils, muscles, lungs, etc. This might reflect something related to the male/female mutual dependence picture of God. Both hands are necessary but often do different things/have different jobs. Two eyes from different perspectives are needed for depth perception etc.
Now, the two external parts of the body that do not come in pairs. - the head and torso in general I suppose but I won't count those. What are they? The mouth and genitals.
It is interesting that both are sexually related. (I came up with this post by wondering why we don't kiss people with our ears) Also, lots of emphasis is given to the tongue/what people say in the bible. Proverbs says it is like a rudder to steer the whole body, if you can control it, you can control all of you. James 3:8. Proverbs 18:21
Internally nearly everything is single, which kind of makes my theory fall apart. But I'll keep looking at it. Lungs are in pairs, and the bible does not emphasize breathing much. Eating and drinking (bread of life, living water) are mentioned. The heart has not just two but four chambers (but a circular function). What's up with the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, etc??? Two kidneys.
Just more food for thought.
eden vs. heaven
Summary "Humans were not complete/sanctified in eden."
So I was wondering what the difference between eden and heaven would be. I mean, eden was perfect right? But Adam and Eve still sinned. What prevents us from sinning in heaven?
I gave this to my "Hard questions" discussion group some time ago and I think we came out with a pretty good answer.
It's a good answer, but not a linear one, so I'll just throw stuff out there.
1 Nowhere in Genesis does it say that Man was complete, or even perfect.
2 When God made man and put the 'breath of life' in him, it was the same thing as animals, it just meant that he responded to external stimuli (alive).
3 Although I don't see evidence for this, most people I've run into think that we weren't around in the garden very long - less than a week.
4 Man was made in the image of God, but so are we. An image is just a picture, it's not as strong as the real thing. (like nature is in the image of God, but it's not obviously infinite)
I'm thinking that God is still 'making' us, in the sense that he's sanctifying and educating us in the way of following him. In heaven we will be true sons of God and know how to avoid evil, but not before.
Some stuff to think about:
Galatians 4 describes limitations/rules put on us as heirs of God but not yet sons, and then says that we are now becoming sons of God and do not need rules. We will still follow Gods way, but with the Holy Spirit. We will still try to obey his perfect law, but by understanding why he made those laws etc. ... Anyway. In the same way, our current physical limitations (like not being able to fly) may prevent us from doing too much damage with our errant minds. Later on when we're perfect, God will give us resurrected bodies. Cool!
Random theory: 7 days of creation. Each day is a thousand years. Some estimate a 8k yr old universe, others say 6k. I'm thinking 6k. So what if God is still 'creating' us and history will be 7k years long? That means we have 1k left, maybe that will be taken up by the 1000 years of ruling by Christ? That gives us basically no slack time before JC comes back! - Now, it's just a theory. And we won't know when JC comes back. But it doesn't hurt to expect it any minute.
Anyway, I've got more posts to come, I have to keep these short.
So I was wondering what the difference between eden and heaven would be. I mean, eden was perfect right? But Adam and Eve still sinned. What prevents us from sinning in heaven?
I gave this to my "Hard questions" discussion group some time ago and I think we came out with a pretty good answer.
It's a good answer, but not a linear one, so I'll just throw stuff out there.
1 Nowhere in Genesis does it say that Man was complete, or even perfect.
2 When God made man and put the 'breath of life' in him, it was the same thing as animals, it just meant that he responded to external stimuli (alive).
3 Although I don't see evidence for this, most people I've run into think that we weren't around in the garden very long - less than a week.
4 Man was made in the image of God, but so are we. An image is just a picture, it's not as strong as the real thing. (like nature is in the image of God, but it's not obviously infinite)
I'm thinking that God is still 'making' us, in the sense that he's sanctifying and educating us in the way of following him. In heaven we will be true sons of God and know how to avoid evil, but not before.
Some stuff to think about:
Galatians 4 describes limitations/rules put on us as heirs of God but not yet sons, and then says that we are now becoming sons of God and do not need rules. We will still follow Gods way, but with the Holy Spirit. We will still try to obey his perfect law, but by understanding why he made those laws etc. ... Anyway. In the same way, our current physical limitations (like not being able to fly) may prevent us from doing too much damage with our errant minds. Later on when we're perfect, God will give us resurrected bodies. Cool!
Random theory: 7 days of creation. Each day is a thousand years. Some estimate a 8k yr old universe, others say 6k. I'm thinking 6k. So what if God is still 'creating' us and history will be 7k years long? That means we have 1k left, maybe that will be taken up by the 1000 years of ruling by Christ? That gives us basically no slack time before JC comes back! - Now, it's just a theory. And we won't know when JC comes back. But it doesn't hurt to expect it any minute.
Anyway, I've got more posts to come, I have to keep these short.
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