I believe that at this point I may possibly have satisfied in my mind, at least in a temporary sense, the problem of evil as it relates to free will. Essentially, why would God create humans who could commit evil?
Unfortunately, I believe, I have come to rest on a point I adamantly rejected at the beginning: you can't have good without evil. I will also add - that sort of evil is really not so bad.
Let us think from the perspective of God. Though we can in no way grasp his thoughts, it may benefit us.
Why does God have to make people with free will?
God wants a people whom he can love and they can respond. More importantly, he wants people to glorify him. "Each of the four living creatures...day and night never stop saying 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty' who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev 4:8) To say 'God is holy' with meaning, one must be capable of saying 'God isn't holy'. He cannot simply make mechanical people. A rock 'responds' to you in a sense when you throw it. An evil genius can make a machine that assesses his capabilities and says "Your'e awesome!" But only a true God worthy of praise can get a human with free will to respond with joy to his love.
Let me come from the other side. Is it possible to get rid of evil while keeping free will?
Let us say that God, who has control over every aspect of the universe, were to stop your tongue every time you tried to lie. No sooner had you formed your mouth to the first syllable, you'd find yourself saying "God is holy." Well, that would get rid of lying wouldn't it? God could do this to every sin and we'd have a perfect world. But if God must stop outward sin, he must also stop inward sin. (See Matt 5:21-30 for the seriousness of inward sin.) He should have to control the very thought of lying, the false words as they ran through your head. Would free will survive? Perhaps. But even then, he should control even the intention to sin. To control sin, by the true meaning of sin, he should encroach so far on free will, in my estimation it should be completely destroyed.
Clarification - to be tempted, to have the thought of sinning, is not sin. Even to misinterpret the bible I would not think is sin. Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Sin is the intention to do something wrong or disobey God (roughly - that definition may need a lot of editing).
A minor point in this regard comes purely from C.S. Lewis (This post was sparked by a portion of Mere Christianity found in A Year with C.S. Lewis, titled "Voluntarily United" from Feb 21.) By creating man with an existence, it is unavoidable that he should have the choice to idolize himself. Even in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had to make the small choice to surrender themselves to God, even though they had no concept of evil.
Now, though this solution may be correct - in order to accomplish his purposes God had to create man with free will, and free will provides the opportunity for evil - we may still be bothered. I mean, evil is pretty nasty. Is getting a few more praises from us silly humans worth a whole broken universe that constantly defames his name? The point we miss here is that it's just us silly humans defaming him. A criminal cursing the policeman who arrests him does very little against the officers name. A broken chair in your house set in the corner and marked for repair or destruction is not so embarrassing as a broken chair which you knowingly leave at the table because you don't care if your house degrades or have not the money to repair it. Or we have only been treating the sinner until now. The pain or anger or suffering evil causes is even less a problem. A bullet in the head of a man sentenced to execution is rather a good thing than even a neutral one. In Romans 9 we learn that God is withholding justice for a time, abstaining from destroying the earth in order to have mercy on his people. What should he care if we start the process for him a little early? Even further, suffering sometimes brings good. Does not God bring us trials for the building up of our faith?
So all in all, I should say I am at least temporally satisfied with the problem of free will and evil. (Free will and Gods sovereignty is still a little sticky.) We may suggest better ways of doing it, but Gods method seems satisfactory to me (not that we should ever really question the plans of him who invented knowledge and reasoning, just try to understand).
Until next time.
11 December 2012
03 December 2012
humble and contrite - clean your mirror
"'Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?' declares the LORD. 'These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.'" Isaiah 66:2
Today I was reading a portion of Mere Christianity from A Year with C.S. Lewis. Lewis explains how God can only show himself to people to the extent that they can receive, "just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one".
Frankly became a little scared. Isn't our ability to see God dependent on how well we can see him? I mean, I figure being a 'clean mirror' meant being a good person, and being a good person is largely dependent on how much we see of God. If you're not already clean, God can't show himself to you as much and therefore you can't become clean as well - there's no escape - that stinks!
My next thought was of contradiction. This mentality seems to put the responsibility of becoming 'clean' on the person, not God. The only way to become clean is without God showing himself - through our own efforts. Once we get over the hump and God shows himself, it'll be easier. But... I always heard we are supposed to rely on God for sanctification. We, in and of ourselves, have no capability of making ourselves better, we need to rely on God. We don't sit there passively and bam - we're perfect - but relying on our own strength ultimately results in exhaustion and failure. So... how can C.S. Lewis's idea be right?
My third thought was a recollection of Isaiah 66:2 "These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit" and "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Humble and contrite. Mercy. What are these? These are not mans efforts, but neither do they really require a deep knowledge of God to express. It does not take a deep or even devoted knowledge of God to admit that man is limited and can do nothing by himself. This is believe is what is mean by a clean mirror, knowing that God is God and you aren't.
After all, what is humility? It is not belittling yourself, it is knowing your place. And the dust on a mirror has nothing to do with what it reflects, but with itself. As soon as you know who you are, you can accurately reflect other things, including God.
So, do you want to see God? Do you want his favor? Stand in his presence amazed, fall prostrate before the God of the universe and know that you are man (human). Then watch him lift your chin and show you wonder upon wonder.
Today I was reading a portion of Mere Christianity from A Year with C.S. Lewis. Lewis explains how God can only show himself to people to the extent that they can receive, "just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one".
Frankly became a little scared. Isn't our ability to see God dependent on how well we can see him? I mean, I figure being a 'clean mirror' meant being a good person, and being a good person is largely dependent on how much we see of God. If you're not already clean, God can't show himself to you as much and therefore you can't become clean as well - there's no escape - that stinks!
My next thought was of contradiction. This mentality seems to put the responsibility of becoming 'clean' on the person, not God. The only way to become clean is without God showing himself - through our own efforts. Once we get over the hump and God shows himself, it'll be easier. But... I always heard we are supposed to rely on God for sanctification. We, in and of ourselves, have no capability of making ourselves better, we need to rely on God. We don't sit there passively and bam - we're perfect - but relying on our own strength ultimately results in exhaustion and failure. So... how can C.S. Lewis's idea be right?
My third thought was a recollection of Isaiah 66:2 "These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit" and "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Humble and contrite. Mercy. What are these? These are not mans efforts, but neither do they really require a deep knowledge of God to express. It does not take a deep or even devoted knowledge of God to admit that man is limited and can do nothing by himself. This is believe is what is mean by a clean mirror, knowing that God is God and you aren't.
After all, what is humility? It is not belittling yourself, it is knowing your place. And the dust on a mirror has nothing to do with what it reflects, but with itself. As soon as you know who you are, you can accurately reflect other things, including God.
So, do you want to see God? Do you want his favor? Stand in his presence amazed, fall prostrate before the God of the universe and know that you are man (human). Then watch him lift your chin and show you wonder upon wonder.
01 December 2012
Is Believing in God Irrational? Ch6 - Transformed Lives
This post is inspired by Amy Orr-Ewing's book "Is Believing in God
Irrational?" Chapter 6. Most of it is her ideas, some are mine. Please see all the chapters in the post "Is
Believing in God Irrational?" for the full picture.
Ch6) Why are Christians so bad?
Many people object to the Christian faith based on the hypocrisy of Christians they know or hear of: Clergy that sexually abuse children, megachurch pastors that cheat on their wives, televangelists with private jets, Christian neighbors who shun them with elitist morality, and just people who claim they're Christian but act like everyone else. If God is supposed to transform lives, why don't we see that in Christians? The failure of some to follow Jesus's moral teaching might be evidence against the validity of the Christian faith, against God himself.
Unfortunately Amy bounces around a lot between different arguments of quite different types. I'll try to separate them here and make my own comments.
a) First of all, let me clarify two things:
i) The idea called into question here, what lies at stake, is whether or not God transforms lives. His existence, the actions of Jesus, the truth of the moral codes he taught, and other facts are not at stake. Transformed lives are simply another piece of evidence in favor of Christianity, and their lack only calls into question the claim that God transforms. It's like the wind: if someone claims it turns windmills and it doesn't seem to, that doesn't defeat wind, because we might feel it on our face too. However, if the bible claims that Christians should be transformed and they aren't, there's a lot more ground to question the rest of it, simply because if we lie in one place, we're probably wrong in another too (though other things like Gods existence can be independently verified).
ii) Doing good things is completely not the point. Jesus came to "seek and the save the lost" (Luke 19:10). And he said himself "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matt 9:12). We Christians are sick, messed up people who need help. That's why we trust in Jesus instead of trying to make it our own way. Unfortunately many people (including myself from time to time) fall into the trap of thinking that we can earn our way into heaven by doing good things. Nope. If that were the case we're all doomed. 1 John 4:18 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Following Jesus is not for perfect people. If you're perfect, you don't need him (but no one is). People aren't supposed to have their act together before they come to God, but hopefully start improving after.
b) Christians do not claim that they will be transformed into good people immediately or perfectly
i) First of all, let me say again that we begin as sinners needing a savior, and never stop needing Jesus - ever. Even when he brings us to heaven.
ii) Sanctification (become a better person) is a process. Philippians 1:6 "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." So, don't expect Christians to be perfect right away.You can't build a house by snapping your fingers.
iii) This process of sanctification is not easy, it's a struggle, and sometimes we backslide. Paul tells Timothy to "Fight the good fight of faith." So in a fight you win some and you lose some. Eventually you will win the war, but there are individual battles that you might lose. Even great leaders in the bible fell sometimes. David was said to be a man after Gods own heart, often looked to as a model of devotion. However even he fell to murdering Uriah in order to sleep with Uriah's wife Bathsheba.
iv) The 1 John 4 passage, saying we can never claim to be without sin, implies that we will not be without sin until Jesus comes back at least. So no matter what a Christian can never be perfect until Jesus comes back and we should never expect them to be without mistake.
c) Christians are not supposed to be perfect, yet most people (including me) still feel like there's something missing. God is supposed to transform us right? Doesn't somebody get it right? Why do we hear of so many catastrophic failures?
i) First of all, for the perfect example look to Christ himself. He's not with us on earth right now unfortunately, but look at the bible. His behavior was perfect. Gandhi said "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." (from the book). The goal of the Christian walk is to be like Christ. 2 Cor 3:18 "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
ii) So how should we look for transformation? First of all, look for effort. Is the person honestly trying to improve, to treat people with respect, to be a man or woman of integrity? Again, people backslide, but the point is they mainly fight to be like Christ. Now, any of you Christians reading this who are satisfied there, shame on you. We alone are not fighting this battle. Many non-believers also try to be good people. That's what all the self-help books, yoga, meditation techniques, etc are for. In fact, that's what all other religions are for. All other religions save Christianity have humans trying to reach, control, or appease God, not God coming down, humbling himself, and dying for humans. So we ought to see more change than simply effort. One easy way to quantify this might be looking at the long-run. I admit my lack of research here, but I'll bet most people who try self-help programs don't stick with it very long, moving on to something else or giving up on those sorts of things for a while. Christians, on the other hand, have the holy spirit inside of them. As long as they have approached the Gospel recognizing they need a savior and have accepted Christ for real, not just as a moral code to follow, relying on Gods help and not their own effort, they should stick with the fight until they die. Go see if that's true. (Unfortunately there are so many people who call themselves Christians and really don't believe at all).
iii) There are quite a few false people who call themselves Christians simply because their parents were, simply because that's what everyone is in America, right?, or simply, because that's what good people are.If that sounds like you let me say, you're missing so much. I'm not here to condemn you, I'm here to beg you, please, dig a little deeper and see what you find. The truth of the gospel transforms your life. Because God has died for you and now fights for you, because he holds your soul in the palm of his hand, you have nothing to fear, nothing to get ticked off about, everything to gain and nothing to lose, and you have him, the holy spirit living inside of you. These truths by Gods spirit, settled down into the soul of a Christian, are what makes them good, loving people, and allows them to give of themselves and serve others repeatedly without needing something in return. Woot Woot!
iv) On a different note, it may seem that many Christians make huge mistakes because those that do are televised and harped upon. Kind of sad, but true. Why do we hate every president we elect? Because we only see the things we disagree with. Why do we only hear of our troops dying in Afghanistan and not all the good they're doing? (FYI I'm against the war - for some reason I just don't tend to talk about politics in this blog). Because that's what people want to see on television. So yeah, some people mess up, but there are a bjillion pastors and individuals who don't make such spectacular mistakes (and quite a few who do but just aren't in public positions).
Ch6) Why are Christians so bad?
Many people object to the Christian faith based on the hypocrisy of Christians they know or hear of: Clergy that sexually abuse children, megachurch pastors that cheat on their wives, televangelists with private jets, Christian neighbors who shun them with elitist morality, and just people who claim they're Christian but act like everyone else. If God is supposed to transform lives, why don't we see that in Christians? The failure of some to follow Jesus's moral teaching might be evidence against the validity of the Christian faith, against God himself.
Unfortunately Amy bounces around a lot between different arguments of quite different types. I'll try to separate them here and make my own comments.
a) First of all, let me clarify two things:
i) The idea called into question here, what lies at stake, is whether or not God transforms lives. His existence, the actions of Jesus, the truth of the moral codes he taught, and other facts are not at stake. Transformed lives are simply another piece of evidence in favor of Christianity, and their lack only calls into question the claim that God transforms. It's like the wind: if someone claims it turns windmills and it doesn't seem to, that doesn't defeat wind, because we might feel it on our face too. However, if the bible claims that Christians should be transformed and they aren't, there's a lot more ground to question the rest of it, simply because if we lie in one place, we're probably wrong in another too (though other things like Gods existence can be independently verified).
ii) Doing good things is completely not the point. Jesus came to "seek and the save the lost" (Luke 19:10). And he said himself "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." (Matt 9:12). We Christians are sick, messed up people who need help. That's why we trust in Jesus instead of trying to make it our own way. Unfortunately many people (including myself from time to time) fall into the trap of thinking that we can earn our way into heaven by doing good things. Nope. If that were the case we're all doomed. 1 John 4:18 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Following Jesus is not for perfect people. If you're perfect, you don't need him (but no one is). People aren't supposed to have their act together before they come to God, but hopefully start improving after.
b) Christians do not claim that they will be transformed into good people immediately or perfectly
i) First of all, let me say again that we begin as sinners needing a savior, and never stop needing Jesus - ever. Even when he brings us to heaven.
ii) Sanctification (become a better person) is a process. Philippians 1:6 "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." So, don't expect Christians to be perfect right away.You can't build a house by snapping your fingers.
iii) This process of sanctification is not easy, it's a struggle, and sometimes we backslide. Paul tells Timothy to "Fight the good fight of faith." So in a fight you win some and you lose some. Eventually you will win the war, but there are individual battles that you might lose. Even great leaders in the bible fell sometimes. David was said to be a man after Gods own heart, often looked to as a model of devotion. However even he fell to murdering Uriah in order to sleep with Uriah's wife Bathsheba.
iv) The 1 John 4 passage, saying we can never claim to be without sin, implies that we will not be without sin until Jesus comes back at least. So no matter what a Christian can never be perfect until Jesus comes back and we should never expect them to be without mistake.
c) Christians are not supposed to be perfect, yet most people (including me) still feel like there's something missing. God is supposed to transform us right? Doesn't somebody get it right? Why do we hear of so many catastrophic failures?
i) First of all, for the perfect example look to Christ himself. He's not with us on earth right now unfortunately, but look at the bible. His behavior was perfect. Gandhi said "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." (from the book). The goal of the Christian walk is to be like Christ. 2 Cor 3:18 "And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
ii) So how should we look for transformation? First of all, look for effort. Is the person honestly trying to improve, to treat people with respect, to be a man or woman of integrity? Again, people backslide, but the point is they mainly fight to be like Christ. Now, any of you Christians reading this who are satisfied there, shame on you. We alone are not fighting this battle. Many non-believers also try to be good people. That's what all the self-help books, yoga, meditation techniques, etc are for. In fact, that's what all other religions are for. All other religions save Christianity have humans trying to reach, control, or appease God, not God coming down, humbling himself, and dying for humans. So we ought to see more change than simply effort. One easy way to quantify this might be looking at the long-run. I admit my lack of research here, but I'll bet most people who try self-help programs don't stick with it very long, moving on to something else or giving up on those sorts of things for a while. Christians, on the other hand, have the holy spirit inside of them. As long as they have approached the Gospel recognizing they need a savior and have accepted Christ for real, not just as a moral code to follow, relying on Gods help and not their own effort, they should stick with the fight until they die. Go see if that's true. (Unfortunately there are so many people who call themselves Christians and really don't believe at all).
iii) There are quite a few false people who call themselves Christians simply because their parents were, simply because that's what everyone is in America, right?, or simply, because that's what good people are.If that sounds like you let me say, you're missing so much. I'm not here to condemn you, I'm here to beg you, please, dig a little deeper and see what you find. The truth of the gospel transforms your life. Because God has died for you and now fights for you, because he holds your soul in the palm of his hand, you have nothing to fear, nothing to get ticked off about, everything to gain and nothing to lose, and you have him, the holy spirit living inside of you. These truths by Gods spirit, settled down into the soul of a Christian, are what makes them good, loving people, and allows them to give of themselves and serve others repeatedly without needing something in return. Woot Woot!
iv) On a different note, it may seem that many Christians make huge mistakes because those that do are televised and harped upon. Kind of sad, but true. Why do we hate every president we elect? Because we only see the things we disagree with. Why do we only hear of our troops dying in Afghanistan and not all the good they're doing? (FYI I'm against the war - for some reason I just don't tend to talk about politics in this blog). Because that's what people want to see on television. So yeah, some people mess up, but there are a bjillion pastors and individuals who don't make such spectacular mistakes (and quite a few who do but just aren't in public positions).
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