I was listening to some old mark driscoll sermons (the trial series from 2009) and had a little revelation. He was talking about election and God’s foreknowledge…now before you get your panties in a wad I’m not going there… I’m merely going to talk about how the goodness of God is incomprehensible. A lot of people ask “if God was good, how could let/allow/make______________ (insert “bad thing” here) to happen?” but my question is, “if God is so good, how could He choose me and call me to Himself?” you may see the external me and think I’m a “good person” (or maybe you don’t…if not, let me know and I’ll show you just how good I am. HA!) anyway…a "good" and perfect God would simply keep His goodness to Himself and not even risk taking a chance on a human such as myself with the free will to deny Him at any cost. And that’s what I did for the first 18 years of my life. Yeah I know, you think I’ve loved Jesus since conception. NOPE! (that is impossible by the way) On the outside I may have been a “good person.” I did my homework (even so much to say that I LOVED school), I was a captain on the b-ball team, I did my chores, was responsible, got a job, was an upstanding citizen, did the speed limit (on most days), helped little old ladies across the street (and not just my own granny), was in NHS, the IB program, never went to juvie, obeyed my mom (again, on most days) paid my taxes (hail Caesar!), got good grades, the list could go on and on—that’s how “good” I was.
And yet, all these things were done in vain—because I just wanted to be “good”…there was no driving internal force other than myself. I wanted to be “good” because it was the right thing to do and with no other purpose. It wasn’t until Jesus found me (I didn’t find him, he knew where He was the whole time; I was the one who was lost.) that I truly began to understand the desire/purpose and outcome of all those good things I was doing and wanting to do.
It was because I was made in the image of that “good God” and wasn’t made to be in this world and stay here. My home is not of this world, but rather of a much better place filled with perfect people who were made by that “good God.” so let’s break that down for a quick second.
Better place. Where God is (not necessarily heaven--but that’s too deep for me right now). Period. That’s where it all began. God spoke the world into existence and by His word declared all things “good.” And then sin entered the world. (we’re not going to discuss how if all things were good how sin entered—another blog, another day) but just roll with me. As sin entered the world ALL things got jacked up, so nothing was “good” anymore…all things were now CRAP (to say the least). So no one is “good’ anymore, no one seeks God and the knowledge of Him is even more remote than God Himself. So as knowledge decreased, so did the healthy fear, reverence, and obedience to Him. And this is why we are where we are today—the lack of the knowledge of (let alone an intimate relationship with) God. And by the way, there is ONLY ONE GOD—and only ONE WAY TO GET TO HIM. DON’T BE DECEIVED (that’s just where the enemy wants you to be)! So back to this better place. It all revolves around being in his presence, and knowing Him and living in that perfection that you were made for. Which is possible now, IFF (I didn’t spell it wrong, that’s a math term for ‘if and only if’) you have come to understand Jesus as “Lord and Savior.” A lot of people think they’re in this boat, yet are sadly mistaken. I’m not judging, just calling it as it is…
Perfect people. Well, like i said we were made in perfection until sin entered the world and all things went to hell in a hand basket…until Christ rolled in (unlike the way they were expecting…another blog another day. But needless to say, He lived His life in the perfection that we were made for and pleased the Father as He was sent to—serving as an example for us; Living a simply obedient life just as God had planned since the beginning of time. And really it’s just this simple. Once you realize that Jesus took on the punishment that you deserve for your disobedience (voluntary and involuntary) you receive His righteousness. YOU HAVE TO DO NOTHING…you can’t earn it, because if you really think about it, all the junk you’ve done (and trust me, I’m not exempt from that punishment) you could never really earn righteousness (which by the way, can be defined as "being in right standing" with God—meaning He can look at you and find no fault). The only one who really has righteousness in and of Himself is Christ. No, I wasn’t there to witness it, but then, that’s why it’s called FAITH. So when you trust that Christ’s righteousness is given to you only because you believe that it is, you are made perfect. God can now look at you and see perfection. No, you may not really be living a perfect life, but what you see doesn’t matter…it’s how God sees you that matters. BOTTOM LINE.
Good God. Well, this just leaves this “controversial” phrase…can God really be “good” if all this bad stuff happens?? And the answer is a resounding YES. Regardless of what happens here on earth God’s character does not vary. He is, always has been, and always will be UNCHANGING. He was good when He spoke the world into existence; good when he destroyed evil with the flood; good when He allowed Satan to become the prince of this world (trust me, you don’t want to be one of his who faces judgment at the end); and good when He allowed you to be born into sin…so “good” in fact that He allowed a way for you to be restored to the perfection that you were originally made for. If He wasn’t good, do you think he would have even cared that you were destined for destruction? No. He would have just complained that His plan went terribly awry and would not have provided a solution…BUT because He is good, He did provide a solution, and the best one at that.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
Mark said something that I had yet another epiphany about…he talked about people coming out of the closet…and I got to thinking…yeah a lot of people are coming out of the closet to confess what they really are…no matter what it is, and yet we as Christians need to do the same… we need to come out of the closet and be UNASHAMED about who we really are. If we are really Christ followers then we need to profess Him all the time. Yes, there is a way to go about that, but at the same time we need to stop fearing man and be offensive. Use that sword He gave you and DO SOME DAMAGE. I’ll be the FIRST to admit that I’m a happy slappy, mamby pamby, light weight when it comes to sharing the gospel, but it’s about time to GET IT TOGETHER! This is a battle folks.
About this alleged battle. I look at my life and reflect on the fact that I’ve not been battling. I feel like I’m just tiptoeing on the battlefield looking at all the dead bodies around me grieving for the loss and yet my sword remains in its sheath. And I don’t really ever make it to the front lines to take the enemy head on. LAME! We’ve got to get in his face and beat him down; and really show him how much power he doesn’t have. I think our passivity is a greater detriment than we think…it’s exactly where the enemy wants us and he’s taking advantage of it like nobody’s business. So we can’t be mad that the world is headed in a downward spiral if we’re not willing to do something about it—and then ACTUALLY DO IT.
AND ANOTHER THING:
Let’s talk for a minute on tolerance… I just think it’s kinda funny about how people these days are talking a lot about tolerance…whether it be about abortion, homosexuals, or other religions, but when a Christ follower wants to share Truth, they’re not tolerated. I don’t know what to do about that…I just guess that the world will remain in opposition to the Truth until it slaps them in the face then they’re going to be on their face crying out to a God who’s always been there, seeking and pursuing them---yet they maintained their position to be blinded and turn their back on Him…
What a CATCH 22?!
PS. If God’s love were only for good people, none of us would be able to have it…
That’s all for now…I’m out!
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