Bible thoughts
- Perhaps the Parable of the Prodigal Son (which Doug Wilson, and I suppose Kenneth Bailey too, would call the Parable of the Running Father) tell us something about the reason for the Fall. God lets humanity run away from Him for a while so that we can know His love a lot more deeply when we return.
- Reading Phillipians in church yesterday I came upon this:
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…
which is a beautiful image and is perhaps intended to bring to mind God’s promise to Abraham, that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. It is possible that this is a false connection though, as the where the NIV has ‘stars in the universe’, the ESV has ‘lights in the world’.
17 responses to “Bible thoughts”
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(1) reminds me of Romans 11:32: “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”
i remember someone bringing up the possibility of something very similar to (1) with my dad, who disagreed with it on account of something doctrinal i can’t remember what. to me, it seems like it just shifts the problem of evil, doesn’t solve it. back to square one: if God is so good and so powerful, couldn’t and wouldn’t he make man such that man would understand God’s love properly, without having to recourse to all this suffering?
perhaps you weren’t trying to answer that question, though.
I was intending to speak to the problem of evil, not necessarily solve it. I would say God’s character love is most fully truly poignantly revealed in suffering, maybe that defuses your question a bit?
That is beautiful – “the parable of the running father”.
Yeah, sure is. Here’s DW’s post about it.
bryan – i think there’s a counterargument that says God *has* made man that way because suffering is the best way for man to understand God’s love. not sure if i’m putting it effectively enough, but if you want to look it up, it’s often referred to as the “best of all possible worlds” argument(something like that)
At a seminar a month or so ago Peter Vardy said when you talk about ‘the best of all possible worlds’ you have to ask ‘what for?’. Like when you make the claim for a pen that it is the best possible pen, you have to specify whether that is for writing, hanging in your pocket, or poking out eyes. Seems this world isn’t the best possible if the criteria is the minimisation of suffering, but perhaps it is the best possible if the criteria is something like ‘the perfecting of souls’.
If anyone is interested, I have for sale a pen that’s designed for poking out eyes. It’s a blue bic biro, near new. Offers welcome.
I dunno if this is common knowledge. If not, it should be: in a great sermon by Chuck Missler he figures out that the names of Adam -> Noah translate into a verse that prophesises the coming of Jesus.
Hebrew English
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow
Mahalalel The Blessed God
Jared Shall come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His death shall bring
Lamech The despairing
Noah Rest, or comfort
Sure God LETS man run away, but I don’t believe he would ever encourage it. Man appointed mortal sorrow, not God. He has suffered so that we might not, and I believe it is ignorant to even toy with this masochistic idea. Have I missed the point?
and/or reconceptualize “suffering”? just a thought.
I distrust anyone called ‘Chuck’
What about Chuck Colson? If he was good enough for Nixon, he should be good enough for you Aaron.
Yeah but look what’s happened. He’s become a Christian.
What about Chuck Norris!!? http://www.chucknorris.com
Once again, Tim is full of wisdom. Once again Aaron, you are defeated. Everyone trusts Chuck Norris – “The eye of the ranger is upon you..”
Sorry, but I don’t even know who Chuck Norris is. Clearly, he isn’t that important.
You haven’t lived. Walker Texas Ranger ring any bells? Truckers mullet with a ginger beard combined with kung fu moves ring any bells?