davidbowerkingwood

The Challenges of Being a Flawed Human Being

In Part 1 I mentioned the nature of love as described in I Corinthians 13: 4-7 and its application to self-love. The distinction between self-approval and self-love is a vital point which must be kept in mind.

It is unlikely that we will approve of everything we have done in our lives but in spite of our failures we are usually willing to endure and try to work past our mistakes; it is this quality of sufferance that we should apply to others as well.

Over the years I’ve noticed that many, if not most of us, have wondered how the Lord could love someone so unlovely and unworthy as we see ourselves from time to time. We must recognize the treachery of our feelings and refuse to be influenced by them; it is vital to operate on the basis of what we know from God’s word and not on our feelings.

God knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves and tells us He loves us anyway and will love us for all eternity. In Romans 8:35-39 the Apostle Paul tells us of the certainty of God’s love for us in very strong, clear terms. Our place in His love is sustained by His faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him, praise God!

Love Itself Can Help us Understand

Although we may know we should operate on the basis of what the Bible tells us, our feelings are hard to ignore; is there some way we can better understand God’s love for us from our experience? I believe God has given us a way to better understand and feel His love for us.

Although it is impossible for any believer to generate a positive emotional response toward everyone, it is possible to maintain a charitable, benevolent attitude toward almost everyone; this, I believe, is the message of I Corinthians 13.

Love is part of the fruit of the Spirit and is ours, supernaturally, when the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives and enables us to love with the love of chapter 13; in the power of the Holy Spirit we can maintain a benevolent, charitable attitude toward others.

A Case in Point

At this point I stopped writing and started thinking about an example I could use to illustrate my thoughts; I stood up to stretch and looked out of the door to my office and saw our black and white cat lying on the floor and realized she was the perfect illustration of what I wanted to say.

This cat, our Abby, had come unexpectedly into our lives; the last of our three cats had died over seven years before and we had decided not to get any more cats because of our age. That had worked until one fateful morning when I took our car over to the dealership for an oil change.

As the work was being done on the car I decided to walk around and look at cars on the lot; in the process I noticed a very small black and white clump under one car. As I looked closer I realized this was a small kitten all curled up so I walked over and knelt down a few feet away from the car.

I spoke to the small clump and a tiny kitten head stuck up and looked back at me; she was the cutest little thing I had seen in a long time and I spoke to her encouraging her to come out from under the car.

Ninja Cat Comes into Our lives

Ninja Cat

Not only did she come out, she came out on her hind legs with her front paws in the air like a ninja cat and wanted to play. About that time a used car salesman walked out the door and asked me if I wanted a cat; this one, he said, had been hanging around the used car lot for about two weeks and they had fed her scraps now and then.

Considering the decision we had made about no more cats, I realized I had to talk to my wife and see how she felt about bringing another cat into our family. I called her and told her I’ve got a problem and then hastened to reassure her it was not involving me or the car, but a tiny kitten.

I told her about the kitten and it didn’t take long to decide the Lord wanted us to care for this tiny, skinny little life He had so unexpectedly brought into our lives. After a bit of effort we finally caught that elusive kitten and got her in a box provided by the dealership. 

She was fearful and hungry when I got her home and it was several days before she would finally come out from behind the dryer; that is all history and she is now Abby, a delightful, loved member of our family.

When I see her living her little life around the house I’m moved with feelings of loving concern for her well being. I realize that if I, with my flawed human nature, can love this little cat, then God, in His perfection, can love me too.

This is one small example how greater harmony can be developed between our knowledge and our feelings, as I love others, I feel God’s love for me! What a blessing!

The Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor

On this date in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The attack started somewhere between 7:48 and 7:58 AM local time on a Sunday morning. The public announcement of the attack was delayed by almost two hours so the announcement aired in the USA around 2:30 PM Eastern time and 9:30 AM Hawaiian time.

My mother, stepfather, and I were out on a Sunday drive looking for an alternate camping site for my stepfather’s Boy Scout troop. The time was around 1:31 PM when the announcer broke into the radio broadcast we were listening to and said the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.

I was sitting in the back seat and still remember hearing the announcement; I don’t recall what was said at that point, but I’m certain none of us had any idea of the far reaching implications of that action.

A number of the boys that had been scouts in my stepfather’s troop would be killed in WW II and the Korean War; a name that stands out to me is John Ditner, a remarkably fine young man who had been my Patrol Leader when I was in the troop.

I am always fascinated by the impact of seemingly remote activities; Pearl Harbor was so far away so how could that affect our lives? But affect our lives it did and in a most profound way. The next several years would see a change in America that would deeply touch everyone.

Today, seventy years later, we still remember the day that “lives in infamy.” To that date we have added September 11, 2001; another date that will live in infamy. At Pearl Harbor 2,402 Americans were killed, on 911 there were 2,975 killed not counting the Muslim terrorists.

I hope and pray there will be no more days of infamy during my lifetime but I suspect that is unlikely.

Love is the Greatest!

We are told in I Corinthians 13:13 about the superiority of love: “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Most of us can acknowledge the important place love has in our lives.

The search for love has been featured in almost every way one can imagine; poems, songs, and stories, are only a starting point should we try to enumerate the many ways we have endeavored to express our interest in, and longing for the opportunity to love and be loved in return.

I’ve mentioned before the multiple uses the English language has for the word love. Greek, on the other hand, has four distinct words for love, two of which are more frequently used in the New Testament; brotherly love and the special New Testament usage of agape love.  

How appropriate that the Bible should contain what is called the love chapter, I Corinthians 13. In this chapter God defines agape love, the particular kind of love He expects His children to manifest; a love which in the King James Version was translated charity.

In verses 4 – 7 of this chapter Paul lists the characteristics of this love; they are probably better described to contemporary readers by the word charity than the word love. Since I have previously pointed out the distinctive nature of this word I will only mention again the thought that this love is attitudinal rather than emotional. We manifest this love by displaying a charitable, benevolent attitude toward others rather than the hopeless effort of trying to generate a positive emotional response toward everyone else.

God Loves His Children

God loves His children and expects His children to love Him in return. In Matthew 22:37-38 Jesus tells a lawyer: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord, thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”

We, as God’s children, are granted the wondrous privilege of loving in return the one who loved us and gave himself for us. God’s love was manifested toward us by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross when we were lost in sin and very unlovely.

Jesus concluded by saying: “And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:39-40.

As We Love Ourselves

I suspect we have all had times when we didn’t even like ourselves; we have weighed ourselves in the balance and found ourselves wanting. Acts of omission or commission have haunted us like a specter and left us feeling very unworthy.

As God’s children we have the privilege of confessing our sins to God and receiving His forgiveness, I John 1:9, but it may be harder for us to forgive ourselves. It’s too easy to remember the mistakes we have made and feel flooded with disappointment that we could have ever been so foolish.

Even at times like this we put up with ourselves until the process of mental healing can take place; we allow ourselves some slack and realize that some things just take time to heal. We patiently endure with ourselves even though we may dislike what has happened; we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt and try to move on with our lives; we try and put on a brave front so others don’t realize the depth of our dismay. This is the way we love ourselves and the way we should love others, with a charitable, benevolent attitude as described in I Corinthians 13:4-7.

In Part 2 I will mention some ways in which life’s lessons in love can teach us about God’s love for us.

A Heavenly Future

There is probably no way we can realistically understand or relate to heaven; I suspect that heaven is so far beyond our understanding as to be essentially unknowable.

With that caveat in place I believe we are at liberty to speculate based on the revelation of God we have in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We know from Scripture that if we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father; the life of our Lord provides insight into both heaven and the nature of God.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

It is generally acknowledged that the Judgment Seat of Christ will take place in heaven during or slightly before the seven year period leading up to the Second Advent. The church will have been taken up at the Rapture and believers will have received their resurrection bodies which will be eternal bodies, free of sin.  

We are told in I Corinthians 3:11-15 and II Corinthians 5:10 that our works as mortal humans will be judged for the purpose of determining rewards; this is called the Bema, the judgment seat of Christ. The believer’s salvation is not in question, just the believers works, whether they were done for God’s glory or self glory.

I have heard the comparison made between the Bema and a judge’s stand at a sporting event; this is a better comparison than a court of law, the believer is not on trial, his works are being judged for the purpose of rewards. Just as athletes may appear before a judge’s stand to receive their awards so Christians will appear before Christ to receive rewards for what they have done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible does not reveal the exact nature of those rewards nor does the Bible reveal the exact nature of what we will be doing in eternity or where we will be doing it. We know from Scripture that the Lord Jesus Christ will create a new heaven and a new earth in which we shall live forever.

Eternity Will be a Busy Place

I believe we’ll all have work that is assigned to us in eternity. It seems to me the principle was established in Genesis when God placed man in the garden and told him to care for it and to also be responsible for all of the creatures He created; Adam’s life was never intended to be a life of indolent ease.

Keep in mind the church is a special creation of God and is given unique privileges and responsibilities; this too is a matter of God’s marvelous grace!

The members of the church are given some clues as to what our responsibilities will be; in I Peter 2:9 we are told we’ll be a royal priesthood which suggests both administrative and spiritual leadership responsibilities. Then in I Corinthians 6:3 we are told we will judge angels which would suggest judicial responsibilities.

I’m getting the impression there will be plenty of work to go around with absolutely no danger of unemployment. That does not explain the differences in rewards which, I think, will have to wait until we get to heaven and find out. It may be that some rewards will have to wait until the new heaven and the new earth are created.

A Sin Free Celebration

I suspect that most of us see ourselves more as observers rather than participants in this process of receiving rewards. While we may hope we receive some small reward we recognize that our lives in no way compare to the lives of those saints about whom we have heard so much. How then will we feel as we watch those well known saints receive their well deserved rewards?

One thing we can count on at that time is our resurrected bodies will be completely free of sin and the old sin nature. Another thing is the reality of our all being part of God’s family and seeing each other as children of God in that family.

When one imagines a contemporary sporting event, the conclusion of the event produces winners and losers; the winners joyous in victory and the losers agonizing over their defeat. I am convinced that this will not be the scene at the Bema of Christ!

A Grand Day of Thanksgiving in Heaven

I believe the Bema of Christ will be a day of happiness, rejoicing, and thanksgiving for all believers. One reason is the promise that in heaven there will be no more sorrow, crying, or pain. Another reason is this is a family affair and none of us will be burdened with a sin nature so we will be able to unreservedly love our family and celebrate their good fortune.

As mortal believers we are given the opportunity to walk by faith and enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit; I believe our normal perspective in heaven will always reflect the fruit of the Spirit as specified in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

It is these feelings that will dominate our reaction as the rewards in heaven are being given. It is these feelings that will cause us to rejoice with gratitude as our beloved brothers and sisters in Christ are given their rewards.

The Judgment Seat of Christ will be a time of great rejoicing, a time of thanksgiving for all of God’s children as members of the family are recognized; what a blessed way to start our eternity with God.

 Gap or Day Age

In Part 2 I mentioned two better known alternatives that attempt to reconcile the Biblical account of creation with the theory of evolution, the gap theory and the day age theory.

The gap theory proposes a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 which would account for the millions or billions of years required by evolutionary theory. The day age theory suggests that the reference to a day is equivalent to a geological age so one day could be millions or billions of years as required to accommodate the theory.

What puzzles me about adherents of both of those theories is their feeling that reconciliation is needed. Have they been so influenced by this secular humanist theory of evolution that they feel compelled to strive for reconciliation?

I believe the God of the Bible could have created the heavens and the earth in six seconds if He had so desired; He took six days simply because it pleased Him to take six days. There are a number of reasons I believe this completely and confidently but I will only mention two.

The main reason I believe it is because the Bible says it is so; this is stated in the same Bible that tells me if I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ I will be saved. To deliberately reject part of the Bible as the accurate revelation of God is to cast doubt on the rest of the Bible.

I do not recall any Christian saying that Adam and Eve were created as infants as it is evident from Scripture they were adults; although newly created, they had the appearance of age. I believe God would have no problem doing the same with any other part of His creation including the light emanating from the distant stars.

Can All the Bible be Trusted? 

I believe the entire Bible from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is “the word of God and is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” Hebrews 4:12.

The second reason I believe the Genesis account of creation is the fact that all of creation as it now exists is going to be destroyed, every galaxy, star, planet, asteroid, meteor, and comet is going to be destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ and replaced with a new heaven and earth.

I’m convinced that all it will take is for the Lord Jesus Christ to release His grip on creation, because “in him all things hold together” Colossians 1:17b, “and the elements shall melt with fervent heat” II Peter 3:10b. This will take place before the Great White Throne Judgment in my opinion.

We’re Getting a Brand New Universe

Part of my second reason is my confidence that the new heaven and the new earth will be created very quickly; I am sure we won’t be waiting around millions or billions of years for the Lord Jesus Christ to create the new heavens and the new earth by allowing the processes of evolution to run their course.

To me the notion of millions or billions of years in the creation process is ridiculous; as has often been pointed out the Genesis account of the flood better explains what is found on the ground today than the theory of evolution but we may get into that later.

If you have ever had any doubts about the accuracy of the Biblical account of creation, I invite you to join me in accepting the entire Bible as the word of God, both Old and New Testaments; the Biblical account of creation being as equally reliable as the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 What is so Scary About Genesis?

The Biblical account of creation demands a God who has the power and will to create; a God who exists outside of time and is capable of speaking creation into being. A God who can do this is a frightfully powerful God and someone with whom one must reckon.

Recognition of a God this powerful is frightening, intimidating, and very humbling; one is reduced to a small insignificant lump hardly worthy of notice. For all too many this notion is entirely unacceptable, it is too humiliating, too embarrassing to seriously consider.

The idea that there is a superior power under which we live out our lives requires a profound adjustment in one’s perspective on life and living. The Biblical teaching that we and all of creation are actually held together by an all powerful God is a reality altering thought.

The ramifications of this thought result in questions as to responsibility toward that all powerful God; is this God aware of us individually and does He have requirements we must satisfy and if so what are they? These are threatening thoughts and can lead to some very uncomfortable conclusions if we let them.

The subject of evolution versus creationism is, therefore, a highly emotional topic; supporters of evolution will often strike out with vitriolic language as they attack any defense of the Biblical account of creation. The basic issue is not creation, it is God; is there or is there not a God? Atheistic attacks on Genesis 1 – 11 were going on long before Darwin published his “On the Origin of Species” theory.

It is interesting that atheists see the critical nature of Genesis 1 – 11 whereas many Christians do not.

Can We Choose an Alternative? 

Evolution is Darwin’s 19th century effort to provide a Godless alternative to the Biblical account that can possibly explain reality as we know it. The fact that evolution requires greater faith than the Biblical account is not considered as it accomplishes the primary goal of eliminating the need for God.

The further fact that the theory of evolution is like a bucket with many holes in it, it has a very difficult time holding any water, is also conveniently overlooked or explained away; any leap of faith required is approved if only the need for a God of infinite power can be eliminated.

The most straight forward approach is to deny the existence of God; it can be postulated that creation came into being without a cause, it simply happened as a random cosmic event, something from nothing, and then gradually evolved into what we have today by a very slow process of natural selection, the survival of the fittest.

Although this line of thought requires astounding assumptions and monumental leaps of faith even these are acceptable if they eliminate the need for a divine creator.

In his book in Chapter VI Darwin wrote: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find out no such case.”

At that time the technology did not exist that would later permit discovery of the complex interelated nature of the human cell which alone demonstrates a complexity that could not have evolved; the human cell completely discredits Darwin’s theory.

Can Evolution be Reconciled with Christianity?

Others, claiming to be Christian, attempt to reconcile the Biblical account of creation with the theory of evolution by trying to explain how the Biblical account doesn’t contradict evolution but explains it in different terms.

The biggest challenge is the time frame for creation; whereas the Bible tells us God took six days, the evolutionary theory requires millions or billions of years. There are two popular approaches to explaining the difference; the gap theory, and the day age theory.

Sadly both of these views are held by Christians who have the mistaken notion that reconciliation is required and possible; I believe it to be neither required nor possible.

We will consider these two theories in Part 3

Is the Biblical Story of Creation Relevant Today?

When thinking of Christianity one’s thoughts usually turn to the books of the New Testament; it is there the life and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ are most fully explained. It is there we discover what kind of a man the Lord was and what kind of life He lived here on earth; it is there we discover His plan for the church and the future of mankind.

Although it is usually understood that Christianity has its roots in Judaism and most agree that some knowledge of the promised Messiah is revealed before the giving of the Law, few may realize the vital importance of the very beginning of the Bible, the first eleven chapters of Genesis, to the validity of Christianity.

To some, these first chapters are sort of “throw away” parts of the Bible; they can be accepted or rejected or allegorized either in whole or in part with no further consequence to the balance of Scripture; such a cavalier approach is unwarranted and extremely dangerous.

The Biblical account of creation provides the foundation for the ministry and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and helps explain the reason why Christ had to die on the cross. To dismiss the creation account is to dismiss the need for a saviour, the need for a kinsman-redeemer.

The New Testament makes it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ came to provide a solution for mankind’s spiritual death which resulted from the fall of Adam as described in Genesis. If there was no Adam there was no sin of Adam, if there was no sin of Adam there is no need for a redeemer, if there is no need for a redeemer then Christ died in vain. Romans 5:12ff

God is the Beginning and the End of Creation

The first and most important factor in the Biblical account of creation is God; God is the one who created in the beginning. In the New Testament we later learn that creation was the work of the Lord Jesus Christ who created all things and continues to hold all things together; the one who will ultimately destroy all of creation as it now exists.

If all things, including us, have a creator then is it possible this creator may have some expectations regarding us and the rest of his creation? The inescapable answer to that question must be yes, he probably does.

How then can one eliminate that potential; by eliminating the need for a creator perhaps? Perhaps it can be theorized that all things just happened to come into being by some sort of random cosmic event and after that things just sort of evolved over millions or billions of years until we have the universe the way we have it today.

Following that line of reasoning one can completely eliminate any need for a creator with its very uncomfortable consequences of creature responsibility to that creator; one becomes then the masters of their own fate and need not answer to any higher power.

An Evolutionary Leap of Faith

Unfortunately for those who choose this alternative, this line of reasoning demands a series of massive assumptions and extraordinary leaps of faith in order to cobble together a plan that supposedly provides answers to the puzzles of existence.

One of the key assumptions involves the idea that a huge amount of time must have elapsed for the evolutionary process to gradually introduce the changes needed for life to evolve. The Bible, on the other hand, clearly states that creation of the heavens and the earth took six days, not millions or billions of years.

Sadly, many well intentioned Christians have chosen a compromise position wherein efforts are made to reconcile the Biblical account with the evolutionary account when, in fact, no compromise is possible.

In Part 2 we will consider creation alternatives that either deny the existence of God or attempt to reconcile evolution and Biblical creationism.

The Northern Lights in Texas?

There was considerable interest recently when, on October 24, 2011, the Northern Lights were dimly visible as far south as Del Rio, Texas and were vividly visible from places such as Moodys, Oklahoma as shown in photos taken by Peter Henshaw and others.

Views of the Northern Lights, generally referred to as the Aurora Borealis, are normally restricted to areas of the Arctic and Antarctic regions; it is only on occasions of extraordinary solar activity that they may be seen beyond those areas. The event of October 24th was one of those occasions.

We are beginning to experience a period of increasing solar activity which, according to NASA and NOAA, will peak around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. The homepage for Spaceweather.com provides a wealth of information on solar activity.

It appears we have been in a period of remarkably low solar activity for the last few years but that is starting to change. No one really knows how severe this upcoming solar maximum will be but there is concern that our highly technological society may experience serious difficulties should it get too severe.

A 500 Year Monster

I mentioned the Carrington Event of 1859 in my blog on 2012; this event, which is thought to be the most powerful solar activity in 500 years, resulted in widespread damage to the only electrical system in operation at that point, the telegraph system and displayed the lights as far south as Havana, Cuba, El Salvador, and Hawaii.

The solar flare was noted on September 1, 1859 and the auroral display was noticed early in the morning of September 2nd. The battery powered telegraph was only 15 years old at that time and the only example of an electrical grid in existence. The surge of electromagnetism caused fires to break out in telegraph offices and permitted the sending of telegrams with the batteries disconnected.

It is easy to imagine the disruption today if an event of similar intensity should occur; it has been projected that a similar event could cause between 1 and 2 trillion dollars of damage and take between 4 and 10 years to repair.  

A more complete account of this event can be found by typing Carrington Event 1859 into your search engine. To me the story of this event is completely fascinating but also rather intimidating when one considers the consequences to the highly technological infrastructure we have today.

It may well be the solar maximum that is expected to occur around the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 may be much less severe than the Carrington Event; one can surely hope that will be the case.

It is difficult for me to imagine a really dramatic change to life as I have always known it; I suspect that you share in that difficulty as well. The Bible tells us major changes will come as the end times draw near and many believe that the first step took place in 1948 when Israel became a nation again.

In Luke 21:29-33 the Lord is telling the disciples the parable of the fig tree and in verse 32 says “this generation shall not pass away, till all this be fulfilled.” This is generally believed to be a reference to the restoration of Israel as a nation which took place in 1948. This makes me think unimaginable change could be in the wind.

It doesn’t appear we have long to wait to find out.

ALL CREATION SPEAKS OF GOD

We, as believers, have been given the ability to see the hand of God in everything, if we choose to use it. That means we can see the hand of God in all things animate and inanimate and in all events; that means we can believe God when He says He “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” Ephesians 1:11b

All of us have marveled at the majesty and glory of God’s creation; we have gazed in wonder at pictures of galaxies provided by the Hubble telescope and personally watched beautiful sunsets and sunrises paint pictures of surpassing beauty on nature’s canvas.

What amaze me are God’s creative diversity and the uniqueness of each of His creations. Take for example cats, the ordinary house cat (although there is nothing ordinary about any cat or dog for that matter); each one is a unique creation with its own special personality.

If you have loved and cared for more than one cat or dog, you will probably have discovered that each one is unique, no two of them are the same; each are as distinctive from the other as are people.

GOD’S INFINITE CAPACITY

What this says to me is our God has the infinite capacity to create individually unique beings even at the level of dog and cat. I have even speculated to my wife that if we had some system of measurement that we would discover that each earthworm is as distinctive as each snowflake.

I have been charmed by the desire of God’s creatures, especially the young ones, untainted by the sorrows of the world, to play and have fun. One can observe this trait in youngsters both animal and human. They seem to be born with a desire to play, have fun, romp around and express their joy whether by barking, purring, laughing or whatever.

I’m convinced that God is giving us important information about Himself as He has designed this desire into His creation. I believe our God is a happy, joyous God who has a sense of humor and enjoys laughing just as much as His innocent young creations would suggest.

There is a time of celebration and joy coming; I most ardently look forward to that time when I can hear the Lord Jesus Christ laughing; I can hardly wait, it makes me smile just to think about it.

We serve a fantastically glorious God.