Blogpost #22

Chapter 10: The Omniscience of God and His Solution for Eliminating Evil

Some animals eat everything. We call them omnivorous. Some people think they are almighty; they have even declared themselves to be gods. But, then they die...and so does their claim to being god. Some people think they know everything; we usually end up calling them arrogant fools. Only the one, true and living God knows everything. He alone is omniscient in the true sense of the word.

Most folks don't know that our word science is taken from the Latin word scientia or knowledge. We usually think of the word science in technical terms. We think of physical science or botanical science. It limits our knowledge to one area. But, when we add omni- (Latin for 'all') we get "all-knowledge" or omniscience. By definition, this term can only be applied to one, all-knowing, unique being, God.

But, what is the value of omniscience? Stop and think about that for a minute. IF you could have omniscience for a day, how would it benefit you? What would you do? How could it benefit others?

The most obvious benefit would be the ability to know the future. In the minds of most people, this would seem to be of enormous value. To know the future has an instant appeal. Just yesterday, some lucky soul won a $600 million dollar lottery. The odds were 175,000,000 to 1. If you had omniscience, you would have known the winning numbers and also won the lottery. The history of lottery winners would seem to indicate this might not be the blessing it would seem, but I doubt you could convince the winner of that...at least not right now.

The point is, omniscience removes the risk (though not the responsibility) from every decision. If you already know the outcome, playing the lottery is not a gamble. Omniscience knows every outcome...and every potential outcome. It knows every option and the inward thoughts of every person who has the potential to affect that outcome. When you combine this with the thousands of decisions and possible decisions and the knowledge of the inner thoughts, attitudes and motivations of 6 billion+ people, (every day!)... it becomes pretty mind-boggling! But, that's what it means to be omniscient.

It's one thing to contemplate all the possible advantages and positive and profitable options which a day with omniscience might bring, but there's also a "dark side". With the knowledge of all the good things, also comes the knowledge of all the bad things.

The Dark Side of Omniscience

You would know if there's going to be a terrorist bombing in the world tomorrow...and where it would be. You would know if a young, runaway girl is going to be abducted and sold into sex slavery. You would know how many babies would be born in a failed abortion and murdered on the table. You would know the depth of government corruption and who the real culprits are. You would know every angry word spoken, every act of unfaithfulness, every lie and deception, every burden each person carries and every cry for help. What would you do with this knowledge? What could you do?

You might think that you should use this knowledge to fix things, to solve the world's problems. While your thoughts and desires may be benevolent and charitable, the fact is, you could do very little. Knowledge is not power, unless you have the power to act and change things. Omniscience does not give you the power to act and change things.  But, let's assume for a minute that you do have the power to act and change things. What would you do? Would you act to solve all the world's problems? How exactly would you do that? What would be your plan and strategy? What you're really saying is that you would want to remove "evil" from the world. That sounds noble. But, how would you do it?

IF you will stop for a minute and actually think through what you might do, you'll be amazed at how little you might be able to accomplish! Unless you resort to simply annihilating everyone you perceive as "evil", you won't make much progress. And, by the way, don't be surprised to find out you're likely to be eliminating a lot of folks whom you thought were pretty good folks! Remember, the Bible teaches that there is "none righteous, not even one"!

But, if you have the knowledge of what is evil and the power to act and change things, don't you have the responsibility to act and eliminate it? This question has plagued philosophers and theologians for centuries. In its simplest form, the question is: How can a good God allow evil to exist? The fact is plain to all that God has apparently chosen not to eliminate evil and suffering. Is that true? Let's think about it.

The Burden of Responsibility

God has all-knowledge. He has always had all-knowledge. Therefore, He knew before time began that evil would come, yet He allowed it. We don't know all about evil, but we know enough to know how ugly, how vicious, how cruel it can be. Why would God allow it? And, now that it's here, why doesn't He step in and eliminate it? He has the power and knowledge necessary to eliminate all evil, but He doesn't do it. Why?

Actually, at one point, He did. Remember there was a time on earth when God looked into the thoughts of men and saw that they were "only evil continually". Evil so permeated the minds and thoughts of men that righteousness could not survive. A child born into the world would be so surrounded by evil that they would be consumed by it. So God destroyed the world by a mighty flood. Only one man, Noah, and his family, survived. And they only survived because Noah was deemed righteous and obeyed God when He told him to build the ark.

But, it wasn't long before the sad truth was revealed that destroying mankind did not destroy evil. Mankind needed more than a new start. He needed a new heart. The seed of evil was in every man and that was the source of the problem. The hearts of men were polluted by their rebellion against God. Evil was man's choice and God had granted him the right to choose. The choice was free, but it came with consequences..and consequences can be costly.

It's important to remember that in the beginning, Adam knew God. He was comfortable being in His Presence. Adam and God were both righteous. But, that friendship could only last if Adam "honor(ed) God as God". God had given Adam a command so that there would never be a question about who had the right to rule on earth. Adam's dominion on the earth was real, but limited. He was a man under authority. He had the power to choose whether he would obey God and enjoy continued blessing, or rebel against God. When Adam rebelled, that all changed. Now all men know good and evil, but they do not know God!

Man was now a prisoner of his sin, what could God do? What would you have done? Remember, you can't just undo the past, and as God, you have a righteous and holy character which demands justice, so how do you solve the dilemma of man? He must be punished.  Actually, that's not quite accurate. Sin must be punished.

A godly minister I met with the other day shared how he shocked a congregation he spoke to when he said, "God doesn't forgive sin. He punishes sin. Always. No exceptions." At first, that may sound a bit heretical, but it's not. God can't just forgive sin. It must be punished. The punishment is death. That punishment is never waived, it is always demanded. Thankfully, God does forgive sinners. But, He can only do so because the debt of punishment has already been paid by another. He can forgive me only because Christ died in my place.

But God in His omniscience knows that simply forgiving me of my sins doesn't solve the problem of evil in me (the Noah problem). It means the wrath of God no longer abides on me and that is a great blessing! Tragically, many stop here, as if that were the whole message of the Gospel. But, it's only the beginning. The true gospel has the power to change me.

Stop and think about this.

If God's plan were to offer His Son to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind, but leave their sin-filled hearts and souls unchanged, would that not be an enormous tragedy, a senseless waste of a beautiful life? We would still be the sinful, selfish monsters we always were. The only difference would be that we wouldn't be accountable for our sins! It would make a mockery of the death of Christ.

If we were left unchanged, we could have no fellowship with God. We would have no desire for it. There certainly could be no love relationship; evil men do not love God. They can't. They are His enemies. Sadly, this is what the advocates of "cheap grace" (those who offer salvation with no real repentance and no new birth) unwittingly promote.

But God, in His omniscience, saw the entire need of men and made total provision. He granted that the Son would have a company of "saints" who would share not only the death He died for the punishment of their sins, but they would also share in His resurrection to a new life, a new birth. They would have God's Holy Spirit literally indwelling their spirits and transforming them into the likeness of the Son of God Himself. One day, when the preparations are finally completed, they shall be fit to join Him forever in His Kingdom, where only the righteous dwell.

The question which the Gospel of Jesus Christ presents to all men now is simply this: You know good and evil. But, do you want to know God? Do you see your sin as evil? Do you want to be free of it so that you can seek God or do you want to continue in your sin and rebellion?

In His omniscience, God has given all men a new choice. They can turn from their rebellion and enjoy all the blessings of God or continue on the path to judgment. The choice is ours.

The simple fact is that IF all men would turn to Christ and follow Him, evil would be completely removed from the earth. The only reason evil is still here is because men love the darkness.

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world,

and men loved the darkness rather than the Light,

 for their deeds were evil. John 3:19 NASU

9" But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, 

A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, 

so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him 

who has called you out of darkness 

into His marvelous light;1 Peter 2:9 NASU

Blogpost #21

Chapter 9: The Immutability of God

 'The Only Real Anchor in Life'

We live in a world where literally nothing stays the same. No matter where you look, the only thing you can be sure of is that things will change. Sometimes they change for the better, sometimes for the worse. Sometimes change comes quickly, sometimes agonizingly slowly. But, you can be sure that things will eventually change.

The word "immutable" has as its root a word we're probably familiar with. In our bio-tech world we often hear the word "mutate." When you hear the word in the medical world, it's usually not a good sign. We hear of a virus mutating or a gene mutating; the result often leads to a sad outcome...or worse.

But, change is not always for the worse. When it's winter, things change and spring comes. When the seasons change, gratefully so do many of the fashions. When the stock market goes down, it usually comes back up (eventually...of course, the opposite is usually true as well!). The good times don't last, but neither do the bad times...at least for most folks.

For many though, life is a tiresome merry-go-round...and they would really like to know how to get off, at least for a while. They want a stable foundation, something that simply won't move. Something they can count on. Something that won't change, period. There is only one place to find that anchor: GOD.

The Bible declares unequivocally, "For I, the LORD, do not change..." (Mal 3:5). Why?

The answer is simple. Perfection and change are mutually exclusive. You can't improve on perfection! We know nothing of perfection in this world. We know great beauty, awesome grandeur, astounding technology, but none of it is perfect. As wonderful as it is, it can always be improved. No human effort, especially the efforts of sinful, rebellious man, is ever perfect.

Therein lies man's problem with God, he can do nothing to atone for his sinful acts because he can produce nothing that is perfect to offer as payment.

Man's dilemma is actually worse. Why? Because "immutability" applies to all God's attributes. His perfect character demands perfect integrity. Many people mistakenly believe that because the Bible declares so clearly that "God loves us" that He will relent when it comes to executing judgment. But, He can't. His righteousness demands the penalty for sin be exacted (..."the soul that sins shall die"). If the Bible is true, He can not relent. He has said, "...I, the LORD, do not change...". Those who are hoping for some special, last minute mercy, when they finally face God, are going to be shocked and sorely disappointed. He cannot deny His justice and righteousness. If He did, He would cease to be God.

But, we know that He found a way to make it possible to satisfy His justice, righteousness, mercy and love...all at once! The answer was His Son. Newton could not have described it any better, it truly is "Amazing Grace." A Scottish hymn writer has penned another gem that describes the anchor we have in the unfailing grace poured out on us through Jesus Christ. His name was Horatius Bonar. I'd like to share some thoughts on him and a hymn he wrote, "I hear the words of Love."

'The Disruption of 1843'

Horatius Bonar was to the Church of Scotland in the 1800's what Charles Wesley was to the English Church in the 1700's. He was called the "prince of Scottish hymn writers." It was a tumultuous time in Western Europe. The true meaning of the "separation of church and state" was the issue there. State religions, dominated and directed by kings, queens and their appointed clergy, were the established rule. As the gospel flourished in these kingdoms, the inevitable conflict with the ruling factions emerged. The issue was simple. The king on earth cannot usurp the right of the King of Heaven to rule over His Church.

In Scotland, this conflict came to a head in 1843 when Thomas Chalmers (the most respected minister in all of Scotland) led a group of almost 500 clergymen to leave the royal church and form what was called the Free Church of Scotland. Horatius Bonar had only been a pastor 5 years when the "disruption" occurred. But, since he had been tutored by Chalmers himself, there was never a question where his sympathies would lie. His ministry and hymns reflect the conviction that "Jesus Christ is Lord."

He wrote over 600 hymns. His simplicity and clarity have assured his legacy, even to this day. One of the best known hymns he wrote seems to sum up the value of the immutability of God to His children.

He begins with faith:  

I hear the words of love,

I gaze upon the blood ;

I see the mighty sacrifice,

And I have peace with God.

The Lord says, "My sheep hear My voice...."  It's just a fact, His sheep hear His voice. It's different, it's distinct. Something resonates within the sheep and they know, "This is my shepherd." They see the mighty sacrifice, they understand what was necessary and realize at least something of the love that made it possible. They believe Him and trust Him...and they find the "peace" they could never have.

Then comes the assurance:

'Tis everlasting peace,

Sure as Jehovah's name ;

Tis stable as His steadfast throne,

For evermore the same.

This peace is stable, secure, permanent..."forevermore the same." Why? It's based on a covenant between the Father and the Son. It cannot ever be broken...because "He ever lives to make intercession for us". He died once, He can not die again. His kingdom is everlasting. If He is my King, His security is my security. But, why do I need such assurances?

Then come the inevitable trials and tribulations of life:

The clouds may come and go,

And storms may sweep my sky,

This blood-sealed friendship changes not,

The cross is ever nigh.

Peace with God means war with the world, the flesh and the devil. It just comes with the territory. The trials of life become the trials of faith. If a person is going to follow Christ, the requirement is simple, but it's also absolute. The Lord Himself said it, "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me." The picture is unmistakable.

You have to turn away from the natural path of life your flesh will urge you to follow...with all your dreams and hopes, their possibilities and potential. You have to see this as the "broad path" and simply turn away from it. You die to living life for your sake, on your terms, for your satisfaction. Now you are free to follow Christ, to live for Him, to do His will...whatever that may be.

The "storms" will come and go, your anchor is that Christ died for you, you have been "bought for a price," now you live for Him. When Christ died for us, the Scripture says His motivation was "the joy set before Him." In other words, we were His reward. We were "saved" for Him, to Him we were worth the sacrifice. What is our motivation? What is our reward? Your reward is His love, the love of a husband for a wife, a father or mother for their child. It's an everlasting love. And it's all based on a 'blood-sealed' covenant that will never change. "It is finished", He said. And that secures our blessing for eternity.

But, there is a good side to change, from man's perspective. As Bonar writes, "I change, He changes not." While it is true that God never changes, His response to us can change. As rebellious sinners, we can only experience His justice. This demands judgment. While He may still love us, as rebels, "the wrath of God abides on us."

But, when we confess our sin and turn from going our own way, we don't continue to "abide under His wrath," instead we experience His forgiveness, His love and His blessing. He didn't change, but we did...and that changed our experience of Him.

How beautifully Bonar sums it all up...

I change, He changes not,

The Christ can never die ;

His love, not mine the resting place

His truth not mine the tie.

It is a place of true rest...eternal rest.

Blogpost #20

Chapter 8: The Infinitude of God ... 
'More than Unlimited...Immeasurable'

Do you ever just have those moments where you wonder, "Is it all true?" Does God really exist? For thousands of years, a lot of really bright philosophers and theologians have struggled to prove the existence of God...but, they just can't do it. Of course, the reason they can't do it is that they set the "rules of proof" so that they exclude any revelation God might have given us. This would be a pretty good example of what Paul wrote in Romans 1, "thinking they were wise they became fools."

Others may argue, "Well, the evidence is there if you want to believe it." But, this is exactly my point. When you try to stretch your mind to grasp the being of God, you realize you just can't do it. It's too much! To use the modern vernacular, it just won't compute. You have to exercise faith!

There are times when you might (as a hymn writer wrote) be "lost in wonder, love and praise." But, other times you might just be lost! You might just find yourself wondering if it's all true or you're just deceiving yourself. Then you begin to ask the question, "Is it all worth the effort?" Short answer: Yes.

It's All About Faith

This is why we study the attributes of God. We need to know in what we are trusting. When a wave of doubt like this threatens to overwhelm us (and for every diligent seeker after God the doubts will come), it's good to remember the apostle Paul's admonition, "we walk by faith, not by sight." It's the things we see with our eyes that have the most potential to deceive us and terrify us. These scary situations and obstacles look like they're going to be permanent, but the Bible says they're temporary. It's the things that we see in the realm of faith which are permanent, eternal. But, they require faith to hang on to when the waves roll over us.

If you think about it for a moment, it has to be this way. To walk by sight would mean we would never have to look beyond what we could touch and feel. By default, it would confine us to the limits of this world. Anyone who seeks to know God this way can never find Him. He can only be known in the realm of faith...and the realm of faith has no limits. The Lord Jesus tried to teach this when He told us, "All things are possible with God." This is why it's important to understand the infinitude of God.

Eternal vs. Infinite

Eternity is not time without limits, infinite time. It's really time with no beginning and no end. It's existence without any time factor at all. Some have described it as the "eternal now." How can we comprehend such a concept? We can't. We can't even come up with a visual concept to help us.

That's why we tend to default back to the idea of "endless time"...we can at least visualize that, it's more comfortable. But, though we don't intend it, what's really happening is that we're beginning to "humanize" God, limiting Him so we can feel like we're getting a better grasp of Him. But by bringing God down to our level, we're really missing some of the majesty He could reveal to us. But, a little bit of Holy Spirit-aided mental effort can reap rich dividends.

After all, which is better, to be given a life which goes on forever ('everlasting life') or, to be joined in spirit into a union with One whose life is the source of all life and which has no beginning and no end. Ultimately, we do not want our lives to last forever; we want to share God's eternal life...there's a big difference!

The difference is in the quality of this "eternal" life. It's life in all the essential perfection in which God alone lives. The marvel of it all is that God the Father and God the Son have joined in a covenant which allows us to be brought into the experience of all that perfection and glory...forever with them!

We need to see God's infinitude in a similar way. When we say that God is infinite, we mean that His attributes are infinite, without limit. The concept of infinity is really of no value unless it is applied to something. That's the problem. It's applied to some thing. Is this the best way to think about God? It's not that it's wrong, it just falls short...and God has given us so much more.

Infinite and Eternal

Whenever we think about God's attributes, we need to always think of them in terms of being both infinite (without limits) and eternal (that is, they have always existed in all their fulness in God). That concept at least begins to put God into the exalted, separated position He deserves. The truth is, it's just a challenge to rightly think about the character and attributes of God.

Sadly, too often we make a feeble effort to try to understand God, then approximate the rest. That's why so many really don't know Him and tend to collapse when those difficult times in life come along. Is it really worth it? Will it make a real difference in our lives? Consider this...

Let's take God's power. One of God's fundamental attributes is His Omnipotence. Do we mean that He has unlimited power? Infinite power? Yes, but it's more than that. The word itself means "all-power." The Scripture is even clearer. In Romans 1:20, His power is described as "eternal power." In other words, God not only has all power, but there is no beginning and no end to His power. He is the source of all power. As amazing as this is, I'm sure experiencing the reality of it in person will be beyond words.

The point is, this is true of all His attributes. His grace is unlimited, His patience is unlimited, His love is unlimited...all of His attributes are infinite...and we need to commit ourselves to this truth if we're going to stand in the "evil day". Please don't misunderstand me here. God is pleased with every true effort we make to know Him better. If we need to use some mental "props" to help us, so be it. At the same time, when we face the limits of human understanding in trying to comprehend "God", we need to avoid settling for a concept of God just because it's easier to grasp...it may not be God at all!

Above all, we need to make sure that we don't lose the wonder and majesty of God! We need a big God, an infinite, eternal God to have strong faith. If we bring Him down to our level, where we can understand Him easier, we run the risk of having a God who is really not big enough to handle all our problems. It's a whole lot easier to forget about ourselves and circumstances when we're "lost in wonder, love and praise" of the One who is infinite, eternal and holy. 

How big is your God? It's best to find out now. Sadly, too many find out it's too late when the waves of doubt begin to roll over them in the crisis. Isaiah's word is timely... "Seek the LORD while He may be found ; Call upon Him while He is near." Is. 55:6 NASU