Blogpost #29

Chapter 14: God's OmniPresence

If you ask the typical churchgoer what the meaning of omnipresence is, what you will likely hear is that it means God is everywhere. While that is technically true, the Hindu thinks he believes the same thing; that's why he worships rock and trees. What's the difference? The difference is that the Christian's God is a person. A person who acts. No rock or tree is going to act. It doesn't have that power. It is not God. The one, true God is everywhere. And He can act in any situation and is sovereign in every situation.

Omnipresence is one of those great truth words describing God that everyone seems to know, but it doesn't really seem to make much difference in our lives. We have a much greater grasp of the value of omnipotence or omniscience. Why is this? Maybe it's because we focus on the wrong end of the word. We tend to focus on the omni- instead of the presence. Let's approach it that way and see what we can learn.

Presence

To be present is one thing, to have presence is another. You can be someplace and yet have no impact on it at all. Presence occurs when you have an impact on the place you are at. We all know that when some people come into a room, their presence is felt. Why is this? It can be the result of their character, their prestige, their power and influence, their accomplishments or even just their name. It's not just the fact of their presence, it's the knowledge of who they are that makes their presence have impact. For example...

We might as well begin with God, since His presence is the one that matters most to all of us! It's not far into the book of Genesis that we find that God manifested His Presence to Adam on a daily basis. Living in His Presence was part of Adam's daily life. Yet there must have been something awe-inspiring (even fearful) about that Presence because after they disobeyed God's command the Bible says, "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." Gen 3:8

Up to this point in time, Adam had only experienced the love and goodness of God. He had nothing to fear. Why fear now? Why run and hide? It's clear from Scripture that when sinful, rebellious men come into the presence of God, fear is always the result. Even righteous men (Daniel, Isaiah, etc.) react this way; we can only imagine what sinners feel in His Presence! Adam's response was the same as any guilty man...and since we're all sinners, even righteous men's initial reaction is fear when they first encounter His holiness. But, their joy and peace is restored when His love and grace are reaffirmed.

So, presence is what you feel when you are in the presence of greatness, power, holiness, etc. Even on a human plane we have many examples of this.

Kings have presence. It pretty much doesn't matter what king; virtually every king has presence, if only because of their power and influence over people's lives. The Scriptures tell us that Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh when it was discovered that he had killed the Egyptian slave overseer.

"When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well." Ex 2:15 NASU 

What was Moses doing? He was escaping the power and influence of Pharaoh to punish him for His crime. To do this He had to "flee from His presence." He had to go into a far away land.

This is one aspect of presence. There's also a very positive aspect. His Presence!

Omnipresence: God is with Us

This aspect of omnipresence is one of the great truths of Scripture. There are many scriptures we could use to illustrate this truth, but the point we need to embrace is that this takes the objective truth of God's omnipresence and makes it personal: He is with us. This changes everything! This is our anchor when the storm's begin to batter our lives and those we love. This was to be Israel's constant encouragement.

To Isaac, He said,

" I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you.  I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, for the sake of My servant Abraham." Gen 26:24 NASU

To Jacob, He said,

"Behold,I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Gen 28:15 NASU

When He sent Moses to deliver Israel in Egypt, so that Israel would know God was with Him, He said,

"Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ' The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'" Ex. 3:14-15 NASU

To Israel, He said, (many times in many ways!)

"Do not fear, for I am with you ; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  Isa. 41:10 NASU

One of the most beloved verses in the New Testament and which has brought great comfort to multitudes of Christians throughout the centuries is Heb. 13:5

"He Himself has said, 'I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'" NASU

But this verse is actually an O.T. quote from the day when Moses was about to hand the reins to Joshua to bring Israel into the Promised Land. To encourage Joshua and Israel, he said,

"Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance. 8  The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.'" Deut 31:7-8 NASU

Even through all their failures and judgments, God continued to encourage them saying,

28 "O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the LORD, "For I am with you,

For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you,

Yet I will not make a full end of you; But I will correct you properly..." Jer 46:28 NASU

Through Isaiah He often communicated His steadfast love and affection for His wayward people, the Bible often refers to it as "covenant love"...

"In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old." Isa 63:9 NASU

Even after the 70 years of judgment in captivity in Babylon, He was there to encourage them when the work of rebuilding the temple looked useless.

4 "But now take courage, Zerubbabel," declares the LORD, "take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage," declares the LORD, "and work; for I am with you ," declares the LORD of hosts. Hag 2:4 NASU

It's More Than "Comfort Food" for the Soul

The Biblical truth that God is with us is more than comfort food for tough times. While it is beyond dispute that knowing He is a "present help in time of need" (Ps.46:1) is great comfort, it's really much more than that. It's our identity. It's how we are meant to be known to the world. We are His...and His Presence in our midst is what is supposed to distinguish us from every other people on earth! This is exactly what God told Moses...and what Moses clearly understood by his response to God. Listen...

And He (God) said, " My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then he (Moses) said to Him, " If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?" Ex. 33:14-16 NASU

That's quite something to read. God honored Moses request; He was personally present with His chosen people. But it wasn't enough, even for Israel. The testimony of the O.T. is that one day God had enough of their stubborn rebellion and pronounced "Ichabod" on Israel and His Presence departed from the temple and the nation.  Israel had ceased to be the tool God was using to reveal Himself to the world, at least for now. It's sad, stunning and bewildering at times to read of Israel's history. But, God is a holy God and Israel was shaming His Name (not unlike America today). However, that is not the end of the story. God has done a "new thing." The New Testament tells of God choosing a new people, making a new covenant, providing a new and unique way that His Presence can dwell with His chosen people...both Jew and Gentile...forever!

The Ultimate Presence

The Christmas story is about much more than the coming of the Jewish Messiah. It's the story of God revealing Himself to the world in a new way, "in the person of a Son," a Son who was willing to humble Himself to the point of taking on human flesh, becoming a man and living a life of perfect submission and trust in His Father, then offering that perfect life as a sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of God which should have been ours. Isaiah's prophecy said His Name would be called "Immanuel, which translated means "God with us." Matt 1:23 NASU.

But, there was more. There was a grand mystery yet to be revealed. God was doing a new thing.

One of the most remarkable statements Jesus ever made was in John 14. Here He gave the essence of the "new thing" God was doing "in Christ." God was going to use the exercise of faith and trust in His Son as the vehicle to unite "believers" to Himself in a spiritual union forever. We would be one with the Father and the Son...and that union would be forever. Here's what Jesus said,

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; ... He abides with you and will be in you . In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." John 14:18-20 NASU

The apostle Paul confirmed this in his epistle to the Colossians,

"...the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory..." Col 1:26-27 NASU

and, if there was any doubt that we were meant to be the dwelling place of God, the vehicle through which He could reveal Himself to the world, he confirmed it in first letter to Corinth...

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." 1 Cor 3:16-17 NASU

He is Everywhere, He is Everywhere With Us and (now) He is In Us...Now What? Go!

There is a divine purpose to the revelation of this "new creation" in Christ. While we should be greatly comforted and strengthened by the manifold truth of God's presence with us and in us, it's not meant to end with us. If we live and dwell in His Presence and we truly appreciate the blessings He has given us, how can we not share them? Paul says plainly we are "saved by grace," but we are saved for a purpose...we have been "created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has foreordained that we should walk in them." This is not a suggestion, it's a divine imperative! God's plan is to reveal Himself to the world through us. Through us He wants to be "salt and light" to the world.

We don't know who wrote these words (possibly the German ribbon-maker, Gerhard Tersteegen), but it is hard to surpass them in beauty or power,

"From the glory and the gladness; From His secret place;

From the rapture of His Presence, From His radiant face;

Christ, the Son of God, hath sent me through the midnight lands;

Mine the mighty ordination of the pierced hands."

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...I am with you always, even to the end..." Matt 28:18-20 NASU

Blogpost #28

Chapter 13: God is Transcendent 

 

When is an attribute not an attribute?

Transcendence is not an attribute of God. It's also never used in the Bible to describe God. So why do we use it and why did Tozer include it? Being human, we tend to look at things from a human perspective. This can easily leave us with a false concept in our thoughts about God. And, as Tozer encouraged us starting back in chapter 1, we must think rightly about God, if we are to have any chance of knowing Him.

To "transcend" means to rise above. It could apply to a circumstance where, because of an emergency, one situation rises above all the others and demands immediate attention. But, it's probably easier to illustrate in the human realm...especially among the sports and entertainment realms.

Most parents have had to think through the practical side of their children's dreams.  What do I mean?

It means the precarious balancing of wanting to encourage our kids to feel free to dream, even "shoot for the stars," but also realizing the price that has to be paid to fulfill those dreams, both personal and financial and often by both parents and child. It also means recognizing that some dreams require having natural skills that not everyone has.

In other words, it means guiding them so that their dreams align with who they really are, yet realizing that they might be capable of much more than it appears. If you look at pictures of Tiger Woods as a skinny young boy with those huge glasses, you might not see the potential his father did. Being a parent requires serious wisdom.

Tens of millions of young people have dreamed of being the next Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. But what are the odds of that happening? They are not good! Here's why. Think about the filtering process.

Let's start with high school. You might have, literally, millions and millions of young people who aspire to the greatness of a Tiger or MJ. The really good athletes (in any sport) will get to college, probably on a scholarship. (With typical college expenses running $50-100k, that's an attractive possibility!) But, at least 90% of those who started out playing in college will be filtered out. Of the ones who finish college and turn "professional," another 90% (or more) will be filtered out. In case your math is a little weak, this works out to 1 out of 100. But then there's the elite in the professional ranks; this eliminates another 90% in whatever field you look at. So now we're looking at 1 out of 1000, at least.

But, then there is what is often called the generational athlete, the one who only comes along once in a generation, the one who transcends the game, whose persona is bigger than life. Both Jordan and Woods fill the bill here. When Woods was at this peak a few years ago, one of his playing competitors (Ernie Els - who is a Hall of Fame caliber player himself) made this revealing comment, "Right now, Tiger is playing a different game from the rest of us." His greatness was so compelling that those who played with him, even at the highest level, had to admit that he was in a league all his own. His ability to perform was (and often still is) transcendent, it rises above all the other players.

That's a good illustration of the meaning of transcendence, but it has a fatal deficiency. It's a human picture. God is not human. He is not even super-human, He is another of a different kind. He is divine. When we say He is transcendent, we don't mean that He's one-in-a-million or even one-in-a-billion among men. It doesn't apply. His transcendence is wholly and completely beyond humanity, even the best of humanity. Humanity was His idea. He is the Creator of all humanity...and without Him we would cease to exist.

God is not merely the highest being, He is the source of all being. He is not merely Almighty, He is the Source of all might, all power. The truth is that all our efforts to comprehend Him, to describe Him, to understand Him fall short. They just do. You just can't get your mind around who He really is. It just doesn't compute. The best we can do is conjure up an ultra Super-Hero...and that just falls pathetically short. When we think we're beginning to grasp one attribute another comes in and we find there's a whole new dimension we never saw before...and in a sense, we just have to start over.

God is never outdated. He is never obsolete. The more we know of Him, the higher He rises. He is simply beyond our grasp. He knew that. He designed us with a capacity to know Him, even enjoy Him, but the capacity is limited. It's limited by His design, but it's also distorted by our sinful natures.

He knew that also. That is why He revealed Himself...first in Creation, then in Scripture and, finally in His Son. There probably are no more spellbinding words in all of world literature than those opening words in the first chapter of the book of Hebrews. Surely, they qualify as majestic:

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things,

 through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory 

and the exact representation of His nature,

 and upholds all things by the word of His power."

 Heb 1:1-3 NASU

The Transcendent Man

Knowing that we could never reason our way into understanding who God really is, especially who He is as a person, He gave us one final revelation: His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Hebrews 1:3 says so clearly, "He is the exact representation of His Nature." What does this mean? It means that He is God in human form.

How can that be? Isn't He supposed to be infinite, almighty, omniscient? How can a man (with all his inherent limitations) be God? Isn't that a logical impossibility? Can He be both infinite and finite?

The theologians describe Him as "the unique Being in the universe." He is both God and man. That is how He was able to become the mediator between God and man; the One (and only one) who could be the link that made a reconciliation and restoration of a relationship with a holy God possible once more. It also means going from glory to the dung heap! How was it possible? The answer of the Bible is simply that "He humbled Himself." If we knew and understood more of who God really is, we would probably label that as the understatement of all time!

While the Lord was both God and man on earth, His deity is described in the Bible as being "veiled." In other words, He purposely kept hidden the more dramatic attributes of His being so that we would not be distracted and mesmerized by them and miss what is probably more important: His character.

Of course, in events like the Transfiguration we see momentary glimpses of His true power and glory, just as we do in the feeding of the 5000. But the primary revelation was focused on the work of redemption which had to be accomplished by a man, a perfect but fully human man, a man who perfectly displayed the righteous character of God in His life.

When Hebrews 1:4 says that the Son is the "exact representation of His nature," it literally means "the representation of the reality of Him." What does that mean? It means that this man, in all his humanity, is the very image of God. And, filled with the Spirit of God, His life and character reflect that image. We see in His life and the things He did what a perfect man does, a man made in the image of God and unpolluted by sin, and how he glorifies God with His life. We see in living reality what transcendence really looks like. That's why the Apostle John could says "in Him was life. And the life was the light of men."

His selfless sacrifice of Himself transcends human love.

His obedience to His Father transcends and overcomes our disobedience.
His kindness and compassion transcends human kindness and compassion.
His humility and meekness transcends our pride and arrogance.
His judgment transcends and satisfies the wrath of God on our behalf.
His Resurrection transcends our death and makes a new birth and a new life possible.
His Desire for us to be with Him in Heaven transcends every obstacle.

"With God all things are possible." Why? Because He is Transcendent. If we would live in the light of His Transcendence, in the light of His "unsearchable wisdom," then it should lead to an awesome reverence for all that He has said and revealed.

When He encourages, our faith should be strengthened.

When He rebukes, we should learn from the instruction.
When He commands, we dare not disobey.

He has commanded us to "follow Him". Since we know His path leads to glory, why would we travel any other path, especially when He has promised not to ever leave us or forsake us?

 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that men may know 

from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me.  

I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness,

 causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these." Isa 45:5-7 NASU

Blogpost #27

Chapter 12

 

OMNIPOTENCE–THE DIVINE POWER OF GOD

The jarring headline read, "The Merchant of Death is dead." This was the bold print at the top of the obituary of Alfred Nobel in 1888. The only problem was, he was reading it! He was still very much alive. It was actually his brother who had died.

But what captivated Nobel's attention was the realization of how people perceived him, and ultimately, how they would remember him. He didn't like what he saw. The title, "The Merchant of Death," was unsettling, so he set out to change that perception. How did he do it?

He was an enormously wealthy man, so he created a charitable foundation that would fund the awards we know today as the "Nobel Peace Prizes." Millions of dollars have been awarded in prize money, but what was it that made Nobel so concerned about his legacy. Why was he being labeled the "Merchant of Death"?

Alfred Nobel was a chemist and inventor. In 1867 he filed a patent for the invention of a high explosive called dynamite. While dynamite found its most destructive uses during WWI, it was a major asset during the great infrastructure-building days when the great dams and railroads were built. Its ability to blast away mountains of rock and other obstacles made stunningly quick progress of a Herculean task possible. Nevertheless, what people remember most is the devastation and the death-toll that dynamite caused.

Dynamite is still the great default metaphor to describe power 

that can instantly and permanently change things.

PAUL'S DYNAMITE: THE GOSPEL

Dynamite comes from the Greek word "dunamis" which means power. This is the same word which Paul chose to describe the divine power which is active in the gospel. In Romans 1, Paul said "the gospel is the power (dunamis) of God unto salvation." The picture here is that just as dynamite is able to blast away stubborn mountains of rock blocking the path of progress, the gospel is also able to blast away the seemingly immovable mountains of darkness, the deception and rebellion which blocks the path to the restoration of a rebellious sinner to a right relationship with a holy God. And the effects of this spiritual dynamite are just as obvious and permanent.

OMNIPOTENCE: THE ETERNAL POWER OF GOD

What do we mean when we use the term omnipotence? First, it is a term that can only be used of God. When we think of the divine attribute of omnipotence, we literally mean that God has all-power and that He alone has all power. The Scriptures clearly teach this. David says it in Ps 62:11, "...power belongs to God." He is the source of all power; it's His personal possession.

A common synonym which is often used interchangeably is the word almighty. It's used over 50x in the Bible ...but it is never used of anyone but God. Any power that anyone else may seem to have is strictly on loan from God. He is in control.

It is even more accurate to say that there is no limit to God's dunamis; it is infinite and eternal. Why do we care about this, or at least why should we? Is this more than an academic issue? What's the practical importance to us? Two words. Wisdom and Sovereignty. 

 

DIVINE WISDOM'S VALUE DEPENDS ON DIVINE POWER

We've been looking at God's wisdom, seeing how it is revealed. But there's another reality here that is essential to God being God. Wisdom without power is useless. You may know the right thing to do, but if you do not have the power to effectively apply your wisdom, what good is it? That's impotence; not omnipotence. Only wisdom with dunamis has real practical value.

One fundamental tenet of Christianity is that God rules wisely. But His sovereignty depends on power. There is a business axiom that is often called the Golden Rule. It's a little different from what Christians call the Golden Rule. It goes like this; "He who has the gold, makes the rules." But it must be understood, if you are not strong enough to protect your gold, someone stronger will take it from you. That's just common sense. Your ability to rule is ultimately dependent on your power to control those you rule over. 

 

America is a great example. We enjoy an experience which few people, if any, have ever had: a nation which is ruled by the people and for the people. Two hundred-plus years ago our forefathers were convinced that the dunamis of a nation was in the people who made up the nation. They convinced those early citizens that if they would collectively delegate their power to elected representatives, they could achieve more working together than they could as individuals. Of course, success would ultimately depend on the integrity and wisdom of the elected representatives.

The few times a system of government like this has been tried, it has always unraveled. Sadly, our nation does not appear to be an exception to the rule. Why? The reasons why it unravels are almost always character-related, in other words, these nations almost always self-destruct because the people become corrupt. Usually, it is the leaders of the people who are corrupted first.

England's Lord Acton famously surmised, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..." In other words, at heart, all men are selfish and greedy. While history tends to confirm Lord Acton's assessment of men's uses and abuses of power, it is not so with God. He does not abuse His power because all His ends are righteous, and unlike men, totally selfless. It is the selfish, sinful nature of man which supplies the contaminating corruption to the power God allows him. There are no such character-deficiencies infecting God's power. It is absolute and always totally consistent with His goodness and righteousness.

GOD'S POWER REVEALED IN THE BIBLE

It is very interesting to note that the most common term used to describe God's omnipotence in the Old Testament, almighty, is never used in the New Testament Gospels or Epistles (NASV). It is used several times in the book of Revelation and in an O.T. quote in 2 Corinthians, but that's it.

The term that is often used in the N.T. is the power of God, but it's used either of God the Son or God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is basically left out. The purpose seems to be to show that whereas in the O.T., God often revealed His divine power directly (i.e. in the Creation or in behalf of Israel in Egypt), His dunamis power during this present age is revealed indirectly thru Christ and by the Holy Spirit. Why is this?

The great example of God's power in the N.T. all revolves around the person and work of the Lord Jesus. Paul speaks about the the gospel...the power of God in salvation. In I Corinthians, as we saw last time, "Christ crucified" became "the power of God" to those who believe. And the great confirmation of the truth of the gospel is the power of God demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ (Romans 1:4). Peter seems to sum up the whole idea in his first epistle when he tells us that God has "caused us to be born again to a living hope thru the resurrection" and that our salvation is "protected by the dunamis of God thru faith." 1 Peter 1:3-6

What can we glean from this? I think the main lesson is that the power of God that is active in the gospel is the same divine power that was revealed in creation. It is easy to see the enormity of that power in creation, but it's not always so obvious in a spiritual work like salvation. But according to the Bible, it's the same unlimited power at work.

What is interesting is that both creation and the Resurrection are clear manifestations of the eternal power of God. And only those who come to God and accept these truths by faith will ever know their reality. It's a simple fact of life: God only reveals Himself to faith. We know this, but tend too often to forget it. But nothing works without it!

The Christian life is a life of faith. Faith is believing what God says is truth and then seeking Him on the basis of that truth. IF you eliminate faith as a path to knowledge, you eliminate the possibility of ever knowing God at all. Today people want reality. They want the experience which God's truth promises. But, only faith leads to that reality. Isn't that what Hebrews 11:6 says?

"...without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God 

must believe that He is 

and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." NASU

As the days grow darker in America spiritually, it will surely require the dunamis, the divine power of God, to break through hardened hearts so that men might see the need to seek Him in faith so that the power of the gospel might do its work.

Blogpost #26

Chapter 11: Wisdom of God - Part 3

Ref: I Cor. 1:18-2:10

The Jewish Mindset: "Show Us a Sign"

In the last article we considered the mindset of the Greeks in their "search for wisdom" and saw how it was, at its core, an intellectual pursuit of purely worldly wisdom. When they were presented with "spiritual" truth, i.e. the Cross and the Resurrection, they scoffed at it. But, what about the Jews? What was their "mindset"?

Charles Hodge, the great Princeton theologian of the last century, points out that the history of the Jews is one of constantly demanding "signs," some miraculous proof that something is true. Starting with the book of Exodus, this demand reappears over and over. Sadly, rather than a search for proof of truth, it ultimately came to signify nothing more than a hardness of heart.

Now, to be fair, there was a history of God, indeed, giving them "signs." He gave Moses the burning bush. He gave Israel the 10 plagues which destroyed Egypt and freed them. He gave them the parting of the Red Sea to deliver them once and for all from Egypt. Gideon had his fleece, Elijah praying for rain on Mt. Carmel...and many others. But what was the purpose of these signs? Faith! Trust! God only gives signs to establish the fact in doubting minds and hearts that He can be trusted. Sadly, only a small remnant of the Jews ever caught on.

The Greeks despised the religion of the Jews. To them, it was all meaningless rituals because there was no evidence their God existed; sadly the Jews really couldn't provide convincing proof that He did. By the time of the Greeks and Romans, Israel had become the servant-slaves of one world empire after another. With their God no longer present, their religion was powerless. Besides, the Jewish idea of an absolute, all-powerful Creator God made no sense to the Greeks. If such a being existed, why didn't He reveal Himself? That is actually a very valid question! And, Israel was supposed to have been the proof of the answer!

Israel: God's Chosen Vehicle of Revelation

Indisputably, the Jews were God's chosen people. He revealed Himself to them in ways that no other people on earth ever experienced. The plan was for God to reveal Himself to the other peoples by the wisdom, blessing and prosperity that Israel would experience because they followed and obeyed the laws and commands of their God, Jehovah. The others would see the wisdom of their ways and the prosperity they enjoyed and want to follow their God as well. Obviously, that plan didn't work out too well.

But, there was a bigger plan overlaying it; one that did not depend on man, but on God alone. It was a plan that revealed God's wisdom. It is known by different names: The Gospel, the Lamb slain, Christ crucified. But they all reveal the true wisdom that leads to God. The problem is this wisdom just doesn't make sense...at least not to most people!

The Gospel Does Not Make Sense

In I Corinthians 1 as Paul continues to outline the reasons for the failures of both the Jewish and Greek attempts to find God, he highlights the main problem: The Gospel doesn't make sense! Not rational sense. Not philosophical sense. It only makes sense to God.

What both these philosophical approaches miss is the core of the gospel message which is "Christ crucified"...and specifically the need for it. "Christ crucified" as the solution to all the world's problems seems ludicrous to the world. Why? The world sees man as having enormous potential, not as one "dead in sin." Man's pride blinds him to the truth. Admitting one is hopelessly, morally flawed requires real humility. To the "wise" of this world, it is nonsense, utter foolishness.

"It is foolishness...to the perishing"

But, does it make any sense that God would design a plan for man's redemption which would allow him to be forgiven and restored to a place of blessing, with all his pride still intact? With no change to his sinful, rebellious nature? No, that makes no sense either. And that is Paul's point in I Cor. 1, God's plan is to expose man's pride by allowing those who are typically despised by the world to see the value of the truth of "Christ crucified." The proud dismiss it as nonsense, but to the convicted sinner it is the only hope of redemption.

It is foolishness to the Gentiles. It makes no sense that the God who created the universe and all those who dwell in it would sacrifice His precious and only Son for the sin and rebellion of His created beings. It makes no sense. The logic does not compute.

It's foolishness to the Jews as well. They saw no need of a "Savior," they were already God's chosen people. They prided themselves on their knowledge of God, literally! They already occupied an exalted place in this world and were simply waiting for a messiah, a king, who would restore their fortunes. They were just as blind to their need as the Greeks!

The Blinders on the Jews

Jesus addressed this blindness head-on in John 5. In effect, He said they were dead men reveling in the revelation of God. They were masters of the technical aspects of the law, they knew it backwards and forwards...memorizing large parts of it. Yet, they were blind to what it meant and how it should impact their lives in their search to know God.

To those religious leaders He said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40) The amazing thing is that Jesus closes the chapter with the warning that when they are finally judged, it is Moses ("...in whom you have set your hope") who will judge them! Why? Because the truth is, they don't believe Moses's writings any more than Jesus's words. They weren't seeking God. They were enjoying the intellectual stimulation of speculating about God!

Wait a minute. Isn't that's exactly what the Greeks were doing when Paul confronted them at Mars Hill. The truth is the Jews and Greeks were essentially engaged in the same thing, a pride-stimulating, intellectual search for God/gods that blinded them to their own personal need for a Savior to redeem them from their sin.

Write it down: Truth without Application is merely Information.

God once told the Jews that "you shall seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." The only way to find God is faith. Faith is the path of true wisdom, but Faith requires humility. James said, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

True wisdom is knowing the right thing to do (the will of God) and the right time to do it (God's time to do it).  How do you get that wisdom?

True wisdom begins with "the fear of the Lord" which means you'll have to humble yourself before God. Neither Greeks nor Jews were willing to take the humble place before God. That's why they completely missed the message of the gospel. Because of their pride, they missed the Christ "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." It is God's good pleasure to reveal Him to those who are willing to believe and trust in Him.

The Missing Key: Faith

True Wisdom can only be found with eyes of faith; humble eyes that see that the love of God in Christ is sufficient reason to trust Him and that all that He has said and done in Christ is true. And the only place you can find the proof of that love is in the cross of Jesus Christ. When this truth is confirmed by His Resurrection, you have in this one person the "wisdom of God and the power of God."

The Greek approach to the "search for wisdom" made faith impossible; likewise, the Jews' demand for "signs" makes faith impossible. God knew the message would sound like foolishness to those would who would seek Him this way. But, He also knew that there would be a "few," "the called," who would hear the truth, see it revealed in Christ and choose to "follow Him."  These God was "well-pleased to save."

To these and these alone, Paul says, Christ became " the power of God and the wisdom of God".

Blogpost #25

Chapter 11: Wisdom of God - Part 2

"...Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

"...to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Gentiles foolishness.

"...the foolishness of God is wiser than men..." 

 I Cor 1:23-24-25

The wisdom of God and the wisdom of man never lead to the same place unless the relationship between man and God is in the right place. Since man by his very nature is a rebel against God, any time his will and desire coincides with God's will and desire is purely accidental. Man, at his core, is totally selfish. His desire for wisdom is, at its core, a desire to exalt himself. This is why the gospel is such a problem; there is no way for a person to exalt himself and respond to the gospel of God's grace. A saving response requires a humble acknowledgment of wrongdoing, a plea for forgiveness and a recognition of one's total inability to change or atone for the wrongdoing.

Most people have no problem admitting they're "sinners". The essence of that admission is simply a general acknowledgment that "no one is perfect." This requires no humility because everyone is in the same boat. No personal responsibility for "my sins, my acts of rebellion or my selfishness" is required. There is no conscious personal awareness that, in God's eyes, "I am an outlaw; I have committed crimes against God that deserve His wrath and judgment." Rather, the mindset is more, "Yes, I've not been what I ought to be, but I can do better and, eventually, my good deeds can atone for my failures." How did we get so far from the truth? Where did this "mindset" come from?

The Wisdom of the World

In the book of Daniel, there is a famous "golden image" which foretells of the major empires which will rule the world. The first two (the Babylonians and Medo-Persians) were primarily about power and dominion. The third was Alexander the Great's Greece, then finally to Rome's world domination. As we read the histories of these empires, the major focus of their efforts was ruling their empires...with one exception: Greece. The other empires left very little in the form of a "legacy" to the world they once dominated. Greece is different. In a real sense, Greece continues to rule Western Civilization, at least it rules their thinking. Greece epitomizes the "wisdom of the world."

More than one historian has noted that while Rome conquered Greece, the culture of Greece ruled Rome and all of Western Civilization...and still does. There was a period in Greece from about 500-300 B.C. which is often called the "golden age of Greece."

It was one of the greatest periods of cultural development the world has ever seen. It was the period of the great philosophers (Plato, Aristotle), the great writers (Aeschylus, Euripides), mathematicians like Euclid and Archimedes...just to name a few. This period is viewed as the "birth of Western Civilization"...and when it is coupled with Alexander's vision of uniting his empire with a single "trade" language (Koine Greek), it laid the foundation for the ability of the "gospel" to be taken to the whole known world in one generation.

What is it about Greek culture that is so compelling? What does this have to do with the wisdom of God?

The "Mindset" of Jews and Greeks

It did not escape the apostle Paul's notice that Greek culture was dominating the world. In his letter to the Corinthians (Corinth was a major center of Greek culture), he noted that the "Jews seek for signs, Greeks search for wisdom." This masterfully sums up the two dominating mindsets of people in Paul's day. Their approaches couldn't be more different, yet both sought and failed to find the ultimate prize, the knowledge of God.

Yet, it is the culture and language of the Greeks which ruled the minds of the people, long after the power of the Roman empire vanished. What was it that was so attractive and compelling? The answer is pretty simple.

The Greek culture exalted man like no other. It represented the pinnacle of human achievement in many areas, laid the foundation for much of what mankind has achieved and planted the seed for the dream of "human potential" like it had never been seen before. This mindset (the seemingly limitless possibilities of individual human potential) has continued to rule Western Civilization ever since.

The interesting thing is how Paul sums up the contrast between the Jews and Greeks. The "Jews seek for signs, Greeks search for wisdom". That is really an amazingly succinct and accurate summation of two world-dominating cultures! The two paths they followed couldn't be more different; so you would expect them to be diametrically opposed. As we'll see, in many ways they were doing the same thing. But, though both supposedly sought the knowledge of God or at least "ultimate knowledge", neither path led to any kind of life-changing experience. If ever there was evidence that the idea that "all roads lead to God" was patently false, it has to be the history of the Jews and the Greeks. So, how did they approach the search for "wisdom"?

The Greek Mindset: Making Sense of It All

The Greeks worshiped perfection. It didn't matter whether it was in beauty, art, science, architecture or athletic prowess; perfection was always the goal. Logic and reason were the tools which guided them. Imperfection in all its forms was despised. Interestingly, while Greek philosophers often speculated about ultimate truth and moral accountability, the Greek "gods" were not morally perfect. They were, at best, super-human heroes. The gods of the Greeks had flaws, weaknesses...they usually excelled in only one main area or attribute. They were to be appeased, in order to secure their favor, not emulated.

The Greeks searched for a path to "perfection", believing that man is capable of great things. The problem is simply that this basic premise is totally false. Their idea of "perfection" was merely a human ideal. They called these idols "gods," but it was all an illusion. They simply ignored the obvious fact that all men are irrecoverably, morally flawed. They think God is more like man and man is more like God than they should. They have it totally backwards.

That's why they continue to try to reason their way onto the path of god-likeness. The reality of their world is very different from their perception of it. In other words, they are just deceived. As Paul says, they are "blinded by the god of this world." Their path to wisdom is a "dead end" street. This was inevitable because the Scriptures say that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning point of wisdom." They missed the turn because they were looking for glory for themselves, not God.

But...were the Jews any better? After all, they were God's "chosen people." Next time we'll see why both Jews and Greeks failed to see the "wisdom of God."

Blogpost #24

Chapter 11

WISDOM OF GOD

 

I never met Carl, at least not personally. But, he sure made my life miserable...me and untold millions of others. And, he has managed to continue to do it for several hundred years. If you've ever been forced to take high school botany or zoology, you've met Carl, too. You know him by the single letter moniker "L." (How many folks have that kind of power in their name...even Michael Jordan needs two letters "MJ." But, Carl doesn't. His full name is Carl Linnaeus. Don't recognize him?

In case you've forgotten, he's the guy who decided that Adam's work in the garden naming all the animals didn't quite meet the needs of modern science, so he created a whole new system using "binomial nomenclature." This project must have been funded by a government grant...that's the only reason you need $3 words to say "two names," first and last. But, that's what Carl Linnaeus did when he created the botanical version of the Dewey Decimal System for the world of organic science.

It also resulted in countless sleepless nights for millions of students trying to memorize the kingdom, phyllums, and classes, etc., for a staggering number of plants and animals! Why did Carl do it? Did he just hate kids? To make matters worse, he did it in Latin and Greek! Every high schooler would claim this has all the marks of a demonic conspiracy.

In fairness to Carl, his motives weren't sinister and he likely wasn't trying to ruin our lives. What motivated him was the need to answer the questions "what is it?" and "where does it fit?" He wanted to know the answer to that question for every living thing! His goal was clarity. As amazing as Adam's task was to name the things God had created, it was too much for Carl to handle. He needed organization and structure and some way to understand how all these things fit together, especially living things. Most of those who work in the related scientific fields feel he did a pretty good job. That is, once they recovered from all the sleepless nights.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE WISDOM OF GOD?

Whenever we think of wisdom, we have to think of knowledge. We've already seen what it means to have all-knowledge (omniscience). But, while knowledge is good, if you don't use that knowledge wisely, that is, apply it properly, it can be useless (at best), and possibly even destructive.

Order and clarity are essential to accurate understanding and, ultimately, wisdom. Without them, we can't "put all the pieces together," at least not in the right perspective. Our conclusions may sound right, but they won't work in the real world. Linnaeus saw this need; that's why he created a comprehensive system to name and categorize every living thing he could.

One of the most interesting aspects of Carl's system was how he classified man. At first, he chose the term diurnus (meaning man of the day). The distinguishing trait seemed to be that man did his work during the day, but much of the animal world rested during the day and came out at night.

Carl sensed this was inadequate as he wrestled with the questions: Who is man? Where does he fit in? What is it that really distinguishes man? What makes him different from the other animals? The final answer was based on two things: first, he saw that man is the only being that is both "self-aware" (of himself and others) and second, he is able to exercise discerning and discriminating judgment regarding the value and impact of the decisions he would make. In other words, he could reason through many variables in coming to his conclusions and determining his actions. No other living thing could fit into this "category." Man was unique in so many ways.

I don't know how much his strong Lutheran education and upbringing played in this, but whether he realized it or not, Linnaeus was simply saying that the distinguishing trait that makes man so different from all the other beasts is that he is made in the image of God. Linnaeus acknowledged this and renamed man homo sapiens (man of judgment or rational man). God created us in His Image, that is why we can choose to act wisely.

KNOWLEDGE, REASON, AND WISDOM 

There are all kinds of wisdom. There's conventional wisdom, practical wisdom, worldly wisdom, spiritual wisdom, etc. But, the idea in all of these is that we take the best information we have, try to reason through its value, impact, and relevance, and apply it accurately to come up with the best decision or plan of action. As the process is repeated, this knowledge can become wisdom.

That's a long way around saying that 

wisdom is knowing the right thing to do at the right time, 

doing it...and knowing why you did it!

In I Cor. 1, the apostle Paul says that the ancient Greeks "searched for wisdom". What does that mean? What were they searching for? Why did they search for it? Why did they think they were missing something?

The Greek language is a very meticulous language, clearly this is why God chose to use it to write the New Testament. It often has different words to describe the various nuances of similar ideas. A familiar example is love. It has one word philos to describe the brotherly or friendship type of love, the word eros to describe sexual love, then the word agape to describe the sacrificial love of Christ.

In the same way, it has different words to distinguish the varieties and function of knowledge which becomes wisdom. In effect, the Greeks saw wisdom as a triangle. It is built on two pillars. The first word (phronesis) describes practical wisdom; it involves the gathering and understanding of basic real world information. The second word (sunesis) describes what we would think of as discernment, the ability to see how the information fits together with other information, and organizes it so it can be properly understood. This is the basis of our decision-making abilities. You might hear someone use the word "prudent" to describe this, as in a prudent decision.

The ultimate word to describe wisdom in the Greek language was sophia. Augustine called sophia the "knowledge of eternal things." You could call it perfect knowledge and, when acted upon, it would produce wise counsel and decisions. The Scottish N.T. scholar Wm. Barclay summed it up best when he described sophia as "that ultimate knowledge which is nothing else than the knowledge of God."

Interestingly, the Greeks always viewed sophia (wisdom) as essentially bound up with goodness and nobility (= virtuous character).

So, let's put all this together. The Greeks were searching for the wisdom which would contain the perfect knowledge of ultimate, eternal and divine things, where order and structure are perfect and permanent, and where goodness and noble character and virtue are seen in all their perfection. Where is that "wisdom" to be found?

They are found in only one place. 

Jesus Christ.

"And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, 

and upholds all things by the word of His power." Heb. 1:3a

"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him..." Col. 1:19