The ‘Curmudgeon’ God -----7/12/09               http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/707067427/item/

The Noble & Good Heart (1) ---8/1/09           http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/708697003/item/

The Noble & Good Heart (2) ---8/6/09          http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/709047890/item/

The ‘Contemptible’ Existence of God Believers ----9/9/09 
                                                                http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/711611511/the-contemptible-existence-of-god-believers/

The Mundane- ness of Daily Miracles ----10/9/09 
                                                                 http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/714188488/the-mundane-ness-of-daily-miracles/

"I See Men as Trees Walking" ----10/22/09 
                                                                  http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/715042618/i-see-men-as-trees-walking----/

‘Getting Better and Better Everyday in Every Way’ ----11/14/09
                                                            http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/716507614/getting-better-and-better-every-day-in-every-way/

God Still God -------12/2/09                            http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/717482870/god-still-god/

Our Nasty Little Secret! What Shall We Do With It? ----1/25/10
                                                             http://mr-turniphead.xanga.com/720754335/our-nasty-little-secret--what-do-we-do-with-it/

                              

     I recall during my course of employment in a bakery factory not far from here, a co-worker who would from time to time mention a notable person of fame that had just recently died perhaps from old age, but more often tragically, from an accident, suicide or unintentional drug overdose. Almost invariably he would say; "Well, [old-so-and-so] bit the dust last night!" And then with a big smile on his face and in almost utter glee he would add; "I reckon he/she is burning up in eternal hell-fire about now!" I understand how easily believers can inadvertently slip into a smug attitude over time that adopts the tendency to gloat over others in such a manner. This, however, was never the attitude of Jesus and it is never appropriate or called for among His followers! At the close of His ministry, as Jesus looked out over Jerusalem, He uttered words of deep grief and compassion for that city’s people;

An Irrefutable Answer

[The very loose retelling of an NPR story aired April 2011]

     Last evening, I was listening to a Public Broadcasting station in which a young fellow was describing a showdown with his father. He had been raised in a very strict religiously conservative environment at home (read-‘Bible Thumpers’). Upon graduation from high school he had enrolled in a Bible-based college--perhaps a seminary. He became absorbed in the scholarly pursuit of understanding all of the ‘ins and outs’ of the Bible--its language, syntax, history, and variant readings along with the most up-to-date textual discoveries and modern thinking. With each additional course that he took, his enthusiasm for and attitude toward the Bible as a divine book and the Christian faith plummeted. He became an angry snarling skeptic with a mission--to rescue anyone; friend, family or acquaintance who had been helplessly and haplessly ensnared in the cruel and insidious grip of what he knew was an ignorance-based faith. He had a reasonable and rational argument or answer for every tenet of the Christian faith. He could expose the most basic teachings of religious thought and every supposed miracle as fraudulent with the incontrovertible and undeniable facts. The Christian religion was such a farce--a system of thinking so totally arcane. It was a sham.

     And so he was ready when he met his father for breakfast that morning--he was ready to reduce his father’s faith to the junk heap of irrelevance, fully intending to deliver him from a religion with no foundation in either fact or rational thought. All he needed was an ‘in’--a mere opening to do what he thought was a work of compassion and love. He was on a mission. He was there to rescue his father.

     The young man’s father sighed deeply. "Tim," he said, "Your mother and I are extremely proud of you and we love you! Your tireless and relentless pursuit of knowledge and understanding in Biblical studies and related courses has been an amazing thing for us to watch. We know how hard you have worked and the tremendous sacrifice it has taken to come to the level of achievement you have attained. We are confident that very few people have surpassed the high mark of excellence we have seen in your life. I cannot answer your questions. I cannot offer you studious or highly technical answers to your objections. I cannot come up with sophisticated or well documented reasons for my faith."

     His father continued; "All I know, Tim, is that before your arrival into our family, our lives were an unequivocal mess. It was a shambles--a ‘house of cards’ threatening total collapse. Your mother and I were ready to throw in the towel and I was at the end of my rope ready to ‘cash in my chips’. Were it not for the precious faith that was so graciously given to me and your mother, I have no clue where we would be today. I know we would not be together and I strongly suspect that if it were not for the comfort and strength that God has given me through that faith, I would not be here talking to you at this very moment. I wouldn’t be anywhere on the face of this earth! For you see in a word, Tim, it ‘saved’ me. Perhaps all of your reasoning and fine sounding arguments are ‘spot on’ correct and maybe my faith is little more than utter foolishness. But it is precious to me and it sustains me and has made me today what I am. I owe my life to it and I cannot and will not relinquish it."

     For the first time in the course of their conversation, the young man was silent. There was no rejoinder, no comeback, no rebuttal--simply silence. What else was there for him? For in that moment he at last realized who had been the condescending one, the arrogant one, the presumptuous one--perhaps even the one in need of ‘rescue’. His urgent mission to rescue his father was no longer crucial. He now realized that it had already been accomplished--long before his arrival on the scene.

Speaking as the Oracles of God [continued]

(It seems that the Apostle Paul (undoubtedly an inspired man), himself acknowledged that not everything that came out of his mouth (or from his pen) was necessarily always the very Words of God.)

The Corinthian believers had been redeemed from a culture steeped in idolatry, sensuality and degradation. A casual reading of both letters to them from Paul made it abundantly clear that these followers had seriously misunderstood the Christian life. There were even instances of immorality that Paul was compelled to address.

Leading up to his remarks in I Corinthians 7: Paul had reminded the disciples at Corinth that they had been redeemed (bought back) from a life of degradation through Christ’s grisly death upon the cross. They had been purchased (at a great price--see v.23) by His blood. They were now His, having been sealed by the Spirit of God who dwelt within them. They no longer belonged to themselves but to God through Christ. Since their lives had been dramatically changed on the inside, how was this to be reflected in the important relationships that they sustained to the world on the outside? Must they now give up their spouses and families who had been a part of their lives as unbelievers? Should they change their jobs? And what about their other previously normal activities and customs?--Must these be abandoned as well?

It was obvious that some relationships and behaviors would have to be released. Involvement with prostitutes (even the sacred prostitutes of the temple of Venus or other pagan shrines in Corinth) was no longer appropriate. Paul laid down a general principle to be followed (he repeated it at least three times in chapter 7:). He concluded that any station in life or relationship not dishonoring God should continue as before (see verses 17, 20 and 24):

                                   "Each one should remain in the situation which he was in when God called him."

In the midst of establishing this thought, Paul made (what we might consider) a startling admission:

"Now about virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think . . . ."              (I Corinthians 7:25)

What was Paul saying here? Had he confessed that these remarks were without divine authority? Was he admitting that he shouldn’t be listened to? Did he recognize in this instance that his instruction could appropriately be ignored? What do you think?

It seems to me that instead of laying down an inflexible divine mandate (like "steal no more"), here, Paul was giving the Corinthians some wise advice that each person should carefully consider in making decisions for his/her unique set of circumstances. Paul was still an Apostle of Jesus Christ, but he admitted that in this instance, he was merely offering advice based upon the wisdom that he had received as a spiritually mature follower of Christ. Though his words were not per se, a direct command from God, Paul still ‘spoke as the Oracles of God’ since what he said was very much in line with the will of God. What Paul spoke to the Corinthians was true and truth, even though he was not quoting God verbatim. It was therefore the responsibility of each Corinthian believer to carefully weigh Paul’s advice in coming to an answer of peace for his/her specific situation. In closing out this section of instruction to the Corinthian disciples, Paul again reminded them of his role in the Kingdom of God; " . . . and I think that I too have the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 7:40).

When the truth is communicated, regardless of the source, the ‘Oracles of God are spoken. It may come from the lips of a teacher, or a speaker, or a book or even from nature itself. The writer of Psalms stated the truth when he said;

                                 

 
   Image by grevillea     http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en

But does Peter’s statement imply much more than even this? I personally reject the notion that anyone’s instructions or exhortations, no matter how accurate or useful they may be, should ever be given a place of equal standing with Scripture. And so, if this be the case, then is it ever appropriate for a preacher or teacher to stand before fellow believers for the purpose of speaking anything other than Scripture? In other words, is the minister or exhorter reduced/limited to just the quoting of Scripture--nothing more and nothing less? I have had the occasion of being in gatherings where a speaker attached together one string of Bible verses after another without adding any of his own personal remarks throughout the entire discourse. They were rather novel experiences, but I think their overall value was rather limited. To a degree, it may have been encouraging that so much Scripture could be packed together in such an oration, but I think its instructional value was probably minimal.

James warned would be teachers; "Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified" (James 3:1 [MSG]). Those who would teach, bear the heavy responsibility of communicating to the best of their ability, only the message of God. As indispensable as it is, no amount of prayerful study can guarantee that only God’s words will be communicated in any given setting, even though that should always be the teacher’s goal.  This was the reason that Luke indirectly complimented the Berean Jews. Luke said that they heard Paul speaking in their synagogue and noted that they " . . . were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Acts 17:11 [NIV]). They were very careful about what they accepted as truth. As a result, they carefully compared or contrasted with Old Testament Scriptures what Paul was confidently affirming.

In no way was Paul misleading the Bereans as he taught them. However, the implication of this passage, I think, may indicate that even an Apostle like Paul himself, could mislead or mis-teach others. In his harsh rebuke of the Galatian believers who were embracing a "different Gospel" than the one they had originally accepted, Paul made this astounding admission; "But even if we [emphasis mine- e.m.] or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Galatians 1:8).

Certainly the Apostle Peter’s behavior toward the Gentile believers in Antioch (see Galatians 2:11-16) when James and the other Jewish believers arrived from Jerusalem, was very much inconsistent with the Gospel message he had first proclaimed at Pentecost. He had announced that God’s favor and mercy because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had been poured out upon all peoples (not just Jews). This was the Good News of God’s acceptance to all based not upon compliance to some set of religious rules or rituals, but simply upon a responsive faith to Jesus Christ as Lord. However, in separating himself from the fellowship of the Gentile believers upon James’ arrival, Peter’s behavior suggested that his original message at Pentecost had been bogus! By his actions, Peter was loudly proclaiming to the Gentiles that they would have to become Jews if they should expect Christian acceptance from Jewish believers. As a result, Paul openly repudiated Peter to the face:

                  

From our initial examination of this very important matter, it is clear that a person who has spoken as ‘the Oracles of God’ on one or more occasions is not to be guaranteed a free pass of permanent honor and awe. In the case of Peter, he had spoken the truth many many times in his career as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He is therefore certainly due the respect and consideration that his words and life as a servant of our Master and Lord, must be afforded to him. But we must also realize that his role and position in the body of Christ as one of His Apostles never certified his perpetual infallibility. As in the case of Paul (noted in Acts 17:), both Peter’s words and behavior needed to be scrutinized in light of the Scriptures. Did his life properly represent Yahweh God or not? This being true of the Apostles means that it is true as well, for every one of us.

May both our words and actions consistently be accurate reflections of the very ‘Utterances of God’. Amen and Amen!
                                                                                                                                                        [More to follow]

 
      It should be noted that I have emphasized repeatedly throughout this series of discussions concerning Adam and Eve, that God gave them the power/freedom to deprive themselves of a permanent place in Paradise (the Garden of Eden). It clearly did not happen by some mere happen-stance accident or incidental mistake. Our first parents were driven from the garden and banned from it because of a conscious, willful and defiant decision against God. No power or person--nothing (not even satan himself) could rip the blessing of life in Paradise from them. Rather, they intentionally chose to be drawn away from God by their own arrogant and determined choices.

      The difference between inadvertently losing salvation and the deliberate intentional breaking of covenant with Yahweh God is the same difference as in my marriage relationship with my wife, Deborah. It is impossible that Debs can lose her relationship with me because of something so simple as losing her wedding band or by ruining an otherwise wonderful breakfast because of burnt toast. A break in this permanent covenant could be accomplished only if she were to intentionally pull that ring off and fling it as far as she possibly could while shouting all sorts of invective and derisive remarks about me and my relationship with her. She can deliberately declare how much she hates me and scream that the marriage is done, caput--finished. And if she carries through with her threats, that relationship between me and her, a relationship intended to be permanent, is broken.

      To "be free indeed" means that Christ has set us free for the purpose of being able to make truly free choices for the first time in our lives. He has ". . . thrown open his door to us . [And] we find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand--out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise!" (Romans 5:5 [MSG]). A part of this true freedom that Yahweh God has given us is the same freedom He originally gave Adam and Eve--the freedom to deliberately choose to reject and walk away from Him. The freedom to defiantly scream; "I hate you, God and God damn you to Hell!" This is what Paul said Hymeneaus and Alexander had done when they made ship wreck of their faiths. Jesus affirmed this possible outcome when He discussed what the ‘wise and responsible servant’ could decide to do in choosing to turn from fulfilling his appropriate responsibilities to the Master in order to abuse his fellow servants and to live in a perverse and wicked manner (Luke 12:42-46). Jesus said he would be "cut asunder" and appointed to the same place with unbelievers.

      To even seriously entertain such a possibility seems ludicrous. Why would a person who has been redeemed from the degradation of condemnation ever intentionally and deliberately renounce his salvation? This is an excellent question--one for which I really have no adequate answer. The only way in which I might even begin to address it is to ask this question: How in the world could unblemished creatures like Adam and Eve, be enticed to reject the perfect environment and relationship that they had with God by their deliberate choice to do something sternly forbidden by Yahweh God?--A decision with such dire consequences? The answer to this question is the only answer I can offer to the first question. In both cases, by any measure of logic and sense, it is beyond all reasonable comprehension or explanation.

      Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, believers are sternly warned about deliberately choosing against God (Luke 12:42-47 and Hebrews 6:1-6 are two of many). Believers need to be warned about the real consequences of their deliberate decisions . As in the case of Luke 12:42-47, these warnings are as severe as the warnings Yahweh God had given Adam and Eve ("For when you eat of the [tree] you will surely die."). The warnings were real. They deliberately chose to ignore God, and tragically they suffered for that decision. If believers have only the capacity to choose ‘for’ God and not to choose against Him, how, by any sense can it be said that they are "free indeed"? These warnings ring hollow--they mean less than nothing.

      Destroying our freedom as human beings is not the appropriate way to provide us with the sure assurance of our permanent place in Christ Jesus. Rather, we need to be encouraged, and challenged, with the promise that despite our human limitations, Jesus gives us even divine resources in our battle for life and freedom. As believers, we need the tremendous encouragement to know that choosing to serve God means that extra-ordinary resources are available to us in fighting the good fight against satan in all of his deceit and trickery. Though we are no match for satan, "He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world" (I John 4:4). And this is a theme that needs to be repeated over and over again. It is important that we understand that our Creator knows us inside and out. He knows what He has made us of--He is fully aware that we "are but flesh", that "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Psalm 78:39 & Mark 14:38). But Jesus provides the strong assurance that though He was flesh, He was able to overcome the world--and so can we.

      He is fully aware that we are in constant need of being reminded that He is with us always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:18). He understands that we need to be comforted with the reality that "If God be for us, who can be against us . . . . Who [therefore,] will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen . . . . Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:31-35).

      As believers, we need to hear these words of encouragement so that we will not grow weary in doing well and not give up (Galatians 6:9). In our struggle to be loyal to our God, we must continue to refuse to be like our first parents who used their freedom and chose to walk away from their Father. Each day, it is our choice--our decision to deny ourselves and continue to take up our crosses in order to follow our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, all the while being convinced that He will give us the wisdom, the strength and resources to do everything that He has for us to do (Luke 9:23 & Philippians 4:13).

      A good friend of mine made a succinct observation: "The whole issue you are discussing revolves around this; It is not in losing, but in choosing that salvation is won or lost." As Joshua said: 

                               

        This is the pervasive message of Jesus’ ministry: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Jesus connected the Egyptian deliverance to His own ministry and message when He invoked the Moses motif in His reaffirmation as to why He had come: "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (emphasis mine-e.m.) . . . . Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free " (John 8:34-36 & v.32).

    I suppose if anyone was ever "free indeed", it was Adam and Eve, our first parents who dwelt in Eden. God had promised them eternal life in the Paradise of God by giving them continual access to the tree of life. In creating them as perfect beings and providing them a permanent place of abode, Yahweh God had also taken a great risk by entrusting to them complete freedom--even the freedom to intentionally and defiantly turn against Him. Had He not allowed them to freely make this choice, to that degree, they would not be free (and certainly not free indeed). If their rebellion to Yahweh God was not an option, they would be little more than automatons.

    God had promised them life--eternal life in Paradise. But He had also warned them: "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die" (Genesis 3:3). They consciously and intentionally exercised their freedom in doing what Yahweh God told them not to do. The result was the separation of themselves from the source of life. In Adam and Eve’s intentional renunciation of eternal life, had Yahweh’s promise failed? In their defiance of God’s stern warning, they were driven from the garden and lost access to the Tree of Life. As a result, I suppose by some measure of logic, it could be concluded that God had not been truthful to them. After all, God had promised them eternal life and they, by their clear and intentional choice, had refused it. May I suggest that God’s promise of eternal life had not failed! In good faith God had given them a permanent place and relationship with Him, but in their rebellion it was rejected. It was through the sacrificial system of shed blood (pointing to Jesus, the ultimate lamb of sacrifice), that Adam and Eve could again approach Yahweh God.

    The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares that access to the Paradise that was lost through Adam and Eve’s foolish and defiant decision is intact. It still exists and is still available to all. It has been reclaimed through the work of Jesus Christ in His perfect living, dying and resurrection from the dead.

    God, in His sovereignty, has bequeathed to us as His children, the power to be free! And like our parents, we have decided to reject Him and His blessings. But the proclaimed Gospel empowers us to exercise the freedom to honor Him by embracing His message so at last we may be set free. We are free--yes, free indeed, for the Son has set us free! This is what Paul was saying when he declared that "Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you" (Galatians 5:1 [MSG]). Anything (any substance, activity or system of thought) that stymies the full freedom that Christ purchased for us with His death on the cross must be resisted and refused!

    The promise of eternal life with all its blessings through Jesus Christ surely provides a tremendous amount of security and comfort to every follower in Christ. These sure promises are clearly proclaimed throughout the Scriptures so that no one should ever fear that satan nor anyone else or power could strip these promises from them. Jesus, Himself had said; "Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever (e.m.). So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

    Because we have been given a permanent place as members of God’s family, we as followers of Christ have the security of freedom to be free--to live as we see fit in this world. Though there is a wide latitude of choice in our lives, we have learned from experience that living without the wise and holy guidance of our Heavenly Father is sheer folly and stupidity. We know that a life lived divorced from Christ’s intimate involvement, is a guaranteed train wreck waiting to happen. But we also know that as beloved children, we are free to choose how we are to live. Yahweh God has restored to us the power to make those very heavy and important decisions. He has entrusted us with that right. We are free to live wisely--or foolishly before God. And the down-to-earth truth of this thought meshes perfectly with the story Jesus told His disciples (and us);

                                        "Who then is the wise and responsible servant whom his lord will put
                                   in control of his family, to give them their food at the right time? Happy
                                   is that servant who, when his lord comes, is doing so. Truly I say to you,
                                   he will put him in control of all his goods.
                                        But if that servant (e.m.) says to himself, My lord is a long time com-
                                   ing; and goes about giving blows to the men-servants and the women ser-
                                   vants, feasting and taking overmuch wine; The lord of that servant will
                                   come at a time when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is
                                   not ready for him, and he will have him cut in two and will give him his
                                   part in the fate of those who have no faith" (e.m.).

                                                                                                            Luke 12:42-46 (BBE)

    Yahweh God is Sovereign and in that sovereignty, He has decreed that we are to be free. In that freedom, He has decreed that as His children we are to choose life each and every day (Luke 9:23), and because we are free, this is a real choice. This seems to be exactly the point Jesus made in His story of "the wise and responsible servant". As His servants, we can choose wisely or foolishly and the consequences of those decisions will follow. In all of those choices, God’s promise of Paradise restored still stands and the servant of Christ can live in confident assurance that the Lord is with him/her and is able to guard that which has been entrusted to Him to the very end (II Timothy 1:12). 

        [I will be tying up some loose ends in one last part in this series of posts.]                               

Today 4 years ago I was lifted out of 'The Pit' of my 4 1/2 year deep dark depression!  I have been on the mountain top and down in the valley, but that "continuous low lying black-cloud" has never returned.  I thank God everyday for His kind and undeserved deliverance.
                                       [The following was written about an actual event one day after I had been pulled out of 'the Pit' in March of 2007]:

My Journal of Beginnings. . . . Happy ‘New Year’, Lynn [Stardate: 3.05.07-1]

Tiffany’s early hour dream yesterday (Sunday March 4, 2007) was a prelude or simultaneous event with my 3:30 A.M. ‘wake up’ call from God. My customary recitation of woe and despair (honed to a fine edge in four years’ time) was instantly transformed into an anthem of praise and thanksgiving. The God who had seemed so distant, indifferent; even hostile toward me, was suddenly close at hand, quite eager to fully embrace me in complete acceptance, love and forgiveness. There was a deep awareness that four years of crying to God had not gone unnoticed as I had presumed. He had listened to every word and had answered according to His own timetable.

As magnificent as all of this was, Tiffany’s dream was the linchpin, the element that reaffirmed the authenticity of what I had just experienced. However, I was totally unaware of her dream–until this morning. I was preparing for work today, when I received Tiffany’s email relating her dream of the previous morning. She said in part;

"Dad,

I love you so much! . . . I rejoice to hear of the beautiful insight that God gave you [this morning] when he woke you up! : ) Also, I didn't get a chance to tell you on the phone, but last night I had a dream with you in it. All I remember is that it was pretty happy, and you gave me the biggest, most comforting dad hug ever. It made me feel happy and safe. I love you dad! Hang in there . . . we'll keep praying, and we'll see how God decides to work.

Your liltuliphead"

I was blown completely away by the total impossibility of anyone but our great God ever pulling off such a beautiful and seamless series of circumstances in such a marvelous manner. He had been planning this for weeks, months-- probably even for years and years. He had provided hints all along the way, but these incidents were insignificant in and of themselves. It was only after He had pulled everything together in yesterday’s culminating event that all of these seemingly unrelated piddley happenings began to gel into mounting importance and relevance.

At work today, as I mulled over the last couple days’ events, along with these other recent and long past experiences God had woven together into a lovely tapestry of memory, the immensity of it all began to emerge. Likewise, the trip my wife and I took to Chicago in February, and one experience in particular, came to mind. During our stop at the Navy Pier, we learned that a large throng of brightly costumed Chinese people in the Chicago area were gathered together that morning to celebrate the Chinese new year (the year of the pig). Also Agnes (our daugheter 'from across the Sea'), last year’s foreign exchange student from Hong Kong had written to remind us of the Chinese new year in her e-mails from time to time in recent weeks.

So at the end of my work day today I was ready to go home to make an important proclamation. I walked through the door of our home into the kitchen where my wife Debs and my youngest daughter, Kimberly were, and boldly announced; "The Williams family will no longer recognize January 1^st as our New Year’s celebration. As of today, our  New Year will begin the week of March the 4^th. This is when I began my new life with God and is also the week that Kimberly has entered the Randolph County Art Show for the first time as a professional artist. This week will be the start of our new year! If Agnes and the Chinese can do it, so can we!"  At that very moment Debs calmly approached me and said; "Happy New Year, Lynn!" as she thrust an envelope into my hands that had just arrived –A ‘New Year’s’ card from Agnes.

Look, what else can I say? Our God is an awesome God!

                  "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved!" 

                                                                                                                                          Ephesians 1:6 [KJV]

In Their Own Image (Prt.2)

     Adam and Eve had been created in the image, after the likeness of Yahweh God and as such, I am convinced that a part of their essential nature was the innate desire for self-determination with the essential need to be free to choose. Yahweh’s wise understanding of this is apparent in both the environment He provided for them and the responsibilities He gave them in that place. Eve, being the mother of us all (see Genesis 3:20), bequeathed to us these same very basic needs. Because every human being is essentially connected to our original set of parents physically, mentally and emotionally, in a very real sense, we have been created in their image.

     Just as we are essentially connected to our original parents, there is also an inseparable bond to our Heavenly Father, Yahweh God. Moses and David both spoke in a clear and distinct manner regarding how we all were created and formed:

"The Lord . . . . Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you" (Deut.32:6), "You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; you works are wonderful" (Psalm 139:14), and "The Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he . . . who forms the hearts [emphasis mine--e.m.] of all . . . considers everything they do" (Psalm 33:13-15).

     How we were formed--that is, in what manner and how Yahweh God involved Himself in the process of bringing us from the womb into this world, we cannot exactly know. In this miracle of life, our parents have given us bodies that are limited--subject to hardship, pain and suffering along with legitimate desires and urges in a fallen world. And to add insult to injury, we are destined to die. The "Father of our spirits" [e.m.](Hebrews 12:9) has given us what our original parents received--perfect hearts  with a deep longing to be free, just like them. And just like them, we will all choose to join them in sin just as Adam chose to follow Eve in her transgression. It is inevitable. Instead of experiencing the exhilaration of freedom, we bear the devastation of death--separation from God in this world and destined for death in the world to come. And so in this sense Paul ‘nailed’ it: ". . . All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23[NIV]).

      Adam and Eve were perfect creatures created in the image of Yahweh God and instilled with the capacity to freely choose.  From God’s perspective this must have been a wonderful thing--to have the crown of His handcrafted work respond to Him in the garden; to walk with Him and to willingly live before Him in a loyal and devoted manner.  But this kind of freedom also carried with it a deep dark danger--the danger of betrayal and rebellion.  Despite the joys and privileges of all they could ever have needed or wanted that the garden had offered them, what if this original couple walked away from its many blessings by deciding against God?  They could you know!  They were not robots after all, programmed only to do their master’s bidding.  God did not want automatons.  He wanted flesh and blood beings who wanted to love Him and serve Him.  They were created with the ability to freely choose.  And choose they did.  In that free exercise of choice, they lost all right to the genuine freedom that the Garden of Eden had afforded them.

      How could these unblemished creatures be drawn away from a perfect environment that gave them everything they could ever need along with a perfect relationship with their Creator, who had provided responsibilities suiting them so well?  How could they turn their backs to all the good things that were theirs to enjoy?  They had it made, after all!  Satan had promised them the world and they were left with nothing!  It is so unfathomable for us to wrap our minds around --how could this ever have happened? We do not know.  By any measure of logic and sense, it is beyond all reasonable comprehension or explanation.

      We do know, however, that satan employed one tactic that is still quite effective today: ‘Divide and conquer’! In some fashion, satan used the craftiest creature in the garden, a serpent (Genesis 3:1), as the ideal vehicle for his unholy treachery against the original couple. It seems that satan did not confront Adam and Eve together (see Genesis 3:1-5). Instead he waited until Eve, the most vulnerable of the two, was quite alone.  He appealed to her flesh (the appropriate desires, propensities and tendencies that were a part of that human nature) and deceived her into doing his bidding. Eve did not consult either Adam or Yahweh God, but chose to make her decision alone. With Adam, there was no deception (I Timothy2:14).  Eve brought him some of the food (fruit) and he, together with her, ate it with eyes wide open. Again, God was shut out of any consideration. With the God-given freedom to make autonomous decisions, Adam and Eve relinquished their rights as children of God and they were banished from Paradise and free access to the Tree of Life. They were no longer perfect nor free. The decision to handle their lives without divine assistance, etched one truth in stone for all time. No matter how strong or wise they thought they were, Adam and Eve, even in their perfection, were no match for satan without God’s help and guidance.

      Our original parents were fully developed perfectly mature beings in a perfect world and as such, had the perfect opportunity to live just as Yahweh God had intended--a permanently perfect life in a perfect place. They had every advantage to succeed, but they still failed--they blew it! Unlike them, we have none of those advantages! For although like Adam and Eve, we too are made in the image of God--created with eternity set within (see Ecclesiastes 3:11), that is where the similarities end. We do not bear the sins of our parents (read Ezekiel 18:), but we do suffer the crushing consequences of their wickedness. Because of their sin, the Father of our spirits has placed us in a fallen and corrupted world (I John 5:19 KJV). And that has had a devastating effect on all of us!

      In a very real sense, the cosmic ‘deck of cards’ has been stacked against every one of us! From the moment we enter this world, we are ‘in over our heads’. Adam and Eve had been adults when satan confronted them in the garden, we are but innocent and helpless babes. They were not raised by sinner parents, but if we are ‘lucky’, each of us will be raised by two of them (along with sinner grandparents, aunts and uncles, plus all the others to whom we are exposed). And it doesn’t matter how very hard our mothers and fathers try to raise us to love and serve God, they will still do an outstanding job of training us . . . to be just like them.  And some day, we will use our God-given freedom to choose between good or evil, and just like them and our original parents before us, we too will choose to be free from God. "For all have sinned and [continue to] fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

      Like our parents, we have the deep and profound longing to live our lives full and free. And like our parents, there is a strong sense of hope that we can make it happen . . , and satan agrees.  And inevitably in the free choices that we make, we find out what our parents have unfortunately learned; we are no match for satan, and we too walk away from the only One Who could keep us whole, innocent and free.

                                                          "God, teach me lessons for living, 
                                                                 so I can stay the course,
                                                            Give me insight so I can do what you
                                                                 tell me—
                                                            my whole life one long, obedient
                                                                 response."
                                                                                       Psalm 119:34 [MSG]