God’s culpability in using evil people

Posted on June 12, 2014 by christopher fisher

In Isaiah, God uses the wicked nation of Assyria to bring punishment to Israel.

Isa 7:17 The LORD will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.”
Isa 7:18 And it shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will whistle for the fly That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt, And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
Isa 7:19 They will come, and all of them will rest In the desolate valleys and in the clefts of the rocks, And on all thorns and in all pastures.

The text explains God’s methodology. God “whistles”, an obvious metaphor for God enticing the Assyrians and the Egyptians to come. The illustration is that a beacon is sent out and all the predatory and annoying creatures flock to the beacon. God lures the enemies of Israel against Israel. In chapter 5, God explains His motivation: because Israel had done evil and abandoned God:

Isa 5:4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
Isa 5:5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.

God later states that He will punish the Assyrians for the very act that He enticed them to take:

Isa 10:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.”
Isa 10:13 For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.

So God wants to punish Israel and lures Israel’s enemies into the land. God then punishes Israel’s enemies for their behavior that God enticed them to take. The question is often asked: How is God just for punishing someone for taking actions God wanted them to take?

Hypothetically: A husband has a wife who always leaves the car doors unlocked in the driveway. The wife also leaves cash inside her car. The husband wants to teach his wife a lesson, so advertises on social media that this is her standard practice. He knows that shady characters might read his posts and decide to break into the car. The husband waits for a thief to arrive and then calls the cops when it does happen. The cops arrest the thief and the husband presses charges. Is the man unjust for punishing the criminal?

I believe most people would say that the husband is justified in punishing the criminal, even if the husband’s intent was to use the evil person’s actions for his own purposes. This happens all the time, not only in criminal matters but in war. Using your enemy’s resources to your own ends is master manipulation, not endorsement of them as moral creatures. Manipulating them to act does not absolve them of personal guilt. In this way, God can accomplish His goals through the evil actions of others and still hold them morally accountable for those actions.

Posted in Bible, God, Morality, Theology | 3 Comments

king david – the open theist poet

Posted on June 8, 2014 by christopher fisher

Act 13:22 And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID THE SON OF JESSE, A MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART, WHO WILL DO ALL MY WILL.’

King David was beloved by God. King David was seen as having a clear connection to God and God had a special relationship with David. When King David speaks about God, it would behoove Christians to read and understand what King David is communicating.

King David wrote at least 73 of the 150 Psalms. In the pages of the Psalms are some of the most clearly stated Open Theist claims about how God operates in relation to man.

David praises God for God’s power.

David believed that God was both powerful and could overcome all obstacles. David’s prayers are filled with depictions of a God who can act to overcome adversaries. David does not assume God is a being that controls all things, but instead God is a being that uses His power to overcome competing forces in specific instances.

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Psa 20:6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.

David calls on God to act.

David calls on God to use God’s power. In David’s trials and tribulations, David prays earnestly to God for God to act, to intervene. David believed God would hear David’s prayers and be stirred to action. David did not believe the future was closed. David believed that his actions changed God’s actions and caused God to act in a way that God would not have otherwise acted. David also shows that he does not believe God is always proactive. God sometimes sits passive until called upon to act:

Psa 5:2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.

Psa 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies; Rise up for me to the judgment You have commanded!

Psa 22:11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

Psa 17:1 Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
Psa 17:2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

David moves God to action.

When God did act, David often attributes it to David’s own prayers. David believed not only that he could “move” God, but that also his prayers changed what would have happened without the prayers. David believed his prayers influenced God, spurred God’s mind and shaped His action.

Psa 66:17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.

Psa 66:19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psa 66:20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

Psa 3:4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

Psa 6:8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity; For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
Psa 6:9 The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer.

David believes that God abandons him at times.

At times in David’s life, David felt abandoned by God. David was not under the impression that God had no propensity to be anything other than active, faithful, and true. Abandonment was a real threat, a threat that David strives to avoid. David shapes his prayers to continually ask for God’s faithfulness. When David feels oppressed, he wonders where God is.

Psa 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
Psa 13:2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Psa 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Psa 22:1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
Psa 22:2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.

Psa 55:1 Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
Psa 55:2 Attend to me, and hear me; I am restless in my complaint, and moan noisily,

David bargains with God.

In order to convince God to remain faithful, David often bargains with God. David offers to God positive arguments as to why God should preserve him. David’s offer is that if God will protect him, then David will live, praise God, and proselytize for God.

Psa 9:13 Have mercy on me, O LORD! Consider my trouble from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,
Psa 9:14 That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation.

Psa 22:21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.
Psa 22:22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

[An unattributed Psalm] Psa 119:17 Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

David praises God for remaining faithful.

Because God did act in a manner to save David, David often praises God for remaining faithful. David does not assume that God has no choice but to remain faithful. David believes that God could have abandoned him. Part of the praise for “faithfulness” is to show gratitude, fulfill David’s side of the bargains, and to encourage future faithfulness in God.

Psa 13:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

Psa 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psa 56:12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You,
Psa 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling, That I may walk before God In the light of the living?

Psa 57:8 Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.
Psa 57:9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.
Psa 57:10 For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds.

David believes God tests individuals.

But God may not remain faithful, especially if David or Israel fails God’s tests. Throughout the Psalms and the Bible, God’s blessings are intricately tied to people remaining righteous. If people forsake God, God will, in turn, forsake them. God tests people to learn if they will continue to follow him.

Psa 17:3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

Psa 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart.

Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
Psa 139:24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psa 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

David portrays God as rewarding those who choose to love Him.

David is clear that God blesses those who choose God and curses those who hate God. That is God’s criteria. If someone wants to be a part of God’s people, all the person needs to do is follow God. God does not have a master plan of everyone ever to be His chosen people. People choose God and God chooses those people back.

Psa 15:1 Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
Psa 15:2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;
Psa 15:3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
Psa 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
Psa 15:5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Psa 18:24 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

David portrays God in Heaven.

To David, God watched the world from heaven. God watched and tested man so that God can learn about their actions. David was not under the impression that God had inherent knowledge of all future events. David believed God gathered knowledge through perception.

Psa 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple, The LORD’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.

David explains how God is always with him.

David believed that God had a special relationship with him. This makes sense because God anointed David and worked saving works throughout his life. David praises God for always being faithful and always staying by his side. The purpose of pointing this out was because it was special. If David’s point was that God is physically located everywhere always, it ruins the special meaning for what David is trying to praise God. God is with David (as opposed to others), and this shows David that David has a special relationship with God.

Psa 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Psa 139:7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?
Psa 139:8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

God has deep emotions

Additionally, a consistent theme in the writings of David is God’s strong emotions. God shows strong hate, strong love, pleasure. God is stirred to these emotions due to the actions of man. God reacts in real time.

Psa 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

Psa 51:19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Psa 5:5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.

David points out that God gloried in man and gave man power.

God has these strong emotions over man, because man was created by God as a special creature, gloried above even the angels. God gave man power over everything. As such, it truly matters to God what happens to human beings and how they act.

Psa 8:4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
Psa 8:5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
Psa 8:6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,

Conclusion

These are not isolated verses. The themes are strong and constant throughout all the writings of King David and the rest of the Psalms. The Psalms are devastating towards the classical depiction of God. The Psalms portray the living God of the Bible.

King David was not a Closed Theist, but an Open Theist. David believed God was capable, could be influenced to act, and could choose otherwise. David believed God responded to prayers and genuinely changed His thoughts and actions based on those prayers.

To King David: God was not in an eternal now. God was not immutable. God did not have a set future.

To King David: God was present and active. God was emotional and responsive. God was dynamic in history.

King David, a man after God’s own heart, should not have his witness degenerated with Greek philosophy. Christians should not assume King David did not know or describe God as God really is. Christians should use King David as great illustration of a healthy outlook on God coupled with a healthy prayer life.

Posted in Bible, Calvinism, God, Immutablility, Morality, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience, Open Theism, Theology | 3 Comments

God sings for us

Posted on June 1, 2014 by christopher fisher

Usually, when Christians think of singing and praise, it is a one way street. People sing to God. People praise God. People exult God. But the Bible tells us of God’s strong emotion towards those who love God. God’s zeal moves God into songs about us.

Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

In Zephaniah, God is speaking to Israel. In the first part of chapter 3, God talks about His vengeance on those who have rejected Him. In Israel, only a faithful remnant would be left. They would continue to remain faithful. Over these people God would pour blessings. God states that He will be so enamored with them that God would sing (exult) them.

There is no real reason to take this as some sort of idiom. The text is doubly redundant. God both rejoices and exults over the remnant. This is all in the context of God pouring blessings of this people.

Scattered throughout the Bible are many more descriptions of strong emotion in God. In human beings, our emotions often lead us to song. There is no reason to think God’s strong emotions leave Him stoic.

God writes and sings songs for us.

Posted in Bible, Figures of Speech, God, Immutablility, Open Theism, Theology | 2 Comments

God explains how He operates

Posted on June 1, 2014 by christopher fisher

God is a person. As a person, God is relational. God reacts based on the actions of individuals and changes as they do. God is very clear this is how He operates. It is simple and common sense:

Exo 20:5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Exo 20:6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

The message is: If you love me, I will return your love. If you hate me, I will return your hate.

Not only is this normal behavior for a vast majority of all relationships, but God emphasizes these principles throughout the Bible:

Jer 18:7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it,
Jer 18:8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
Jer 18:9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it,
Jer 18:10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

Here again God stresses that He changes in relation to others. Even if God was going to destroy a people, if that people repents then God will also repent. We see a clear example of that in Jonah. God prophecies destruction, the people repent, and the text states that God repents:

Jon 3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented [repented] from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

God not only operates this way on a national level, but also on a personal level:

Eze 18:25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
Eze 18:26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.
Eze 18:27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive.
Eze 18:28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.
Eze 18:29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair?

God stresses His fairness. If a righteous man becomes evil, God may kill him. If an evil man becomes righteous, the evil man will be spared.

When God explains to people how He operates, it is: common sense, fair, and very responsive. Theologies which minimize God responding to human beings demean what God says about Himself.

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paul was not a classical theist

Posted on May 28, 2014 by christopher fisher

Classical theists often turn to Romans 8:28 to “prove” God’s negative attributes, primarily omniscience and omnipotence:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

The claim is made that all things that happen in life are some sort of grand scheme that fits in God’s grand plan that spans all ages and incorporates all events that will ever happen. But that is not the context of the verse. The context expressly is Open Theism. God learns information and descides what to do by petitions made to Him:

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

In verse 26, Paul seems to be addressing people who do not know what ask in their prayers. He offers them hope: Do not worry, the spirit is making personal intercessions to God on our behalf.

Rom 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Paul then says God gets this information from the spirit. God searches the hearts and knows the mind of the spirit BECAUSE the spirit talks to God. Paul is explaining the mechanism by which God gets the information. God might not get it directly from man’s hearts because men might not know for what to pray. God instead gets information from the spirit who actively prays on our behalf! It is in this context that “God works all things”:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So the context of God working all things is God learning what we need from our prayers and from the spirit. Paul was not under some pagan idea that God magically had the attribute of “all knowledge”. Paul also thought that people could influence God, offering things for God to do that God would not have done otherwise. Paul was not a classical theist. Paul was an Open Theist.

Posted in Bible, Calvinism, God, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Open Theism, Theology | Leave a comment

honest Bible quoting

Posted on May 28, 2014 by christopher fisher

The goal of quoting the Bible in any context should be transparency. Here are some general rules of good etiquette for quoting the Bible in published writings:

1. Even if a verse is merely alluded to by the text, the verse reference should be posted.

Good:
As Jesus said in Matthew 7:1 “Judge not…”

Good:
As Jesus said “Judge not…” (Mat 7:1)

Bad:
As Jesus said: “Judge not”.

This allows for both casual readers and critics to be able to quickly cross reference the quote to know the context or to ensure the verse is being used accurately. Absence of a citation usually indicates the author is trying to change the meaning of a verse. Allusions without references should be discounted based on the trustworthiness of the author.

Additionally, some readers may just plain miss the allusion in the first place. Not too many people have the Bible memorized to the extent that they will pick up fleeting allusions. Points can be made more powerfully to these individuals if a reference is given.

2. When quoting verses, use Book / Chapter / Verse citations.

Good:
Mat 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Good:
1.”Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Matthew 7:1-2)

Bad:
Jesus said:
7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

The reader might get lost trying to figure out exactly from where the references are coming. Several pages might have to be backtracked in some cases.

3. Do not cut out parts of a verse without some sort of visual indication.

Good:
Mat 7:1 “Judge not…

Bad:
Mat 7:1 “Judge not”

One indicates that the thought is not complete, that the verse contains additional information, and the author is aware that they are chopping off parts of the verse. The second hides the possibility of a continuous thought, represents the statement as a standalone concept, and will show the author to be fraudulently representing the verse if the verse is referenced.

4. Do not skip verses without some sort of visual indication. Continuous numbering is good. Ellipses are good. Both, used in conjunction, are better.

Good:
Mat 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
…
Mat 7:5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Bad:
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

5. Unless using an obvious translation (like the KJV, NKJV, or ESV), list out the version being quoted.

Good:
Mat 7:1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. (NLT)

Bad:
Mat 7:1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

Certain Bibles have a reputation for being particularly bad translations. The New Living Translation comes to mind. If someone is forced to wonder “what Bible translation is that?”, then is forced to search the text, and then finds a particularly bad translation, this will not help the author. Especially bad is when the quoted translation significantly differs from the most scholarly used translations.

6. Do not mix and match Bible Translations within the same work unless specifically noted. This also may call for a specific explanation of why the different translations were used.

This is confusing to the reader and could indicate fraud if not explained.

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revelation not fulfilled

Posted on May 26, 2014 by christopher fisher

The author of Revelation thought that very soon the end would come. The writing stresses this throughout. The author even alludes to Daniel to show the nearness:

Rev 22:10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.

This was written just under 2000 years ago. This sentence alludes to Daniel, which was written when the end was far off:

Dan 12:4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

This was written 600 years before the Revelation verse was written. Here is the problem: If greater than a 600 year lapse between Daniel and Revelation is not near the “end” then when Revelation says the end is near that should not exceed the 600 years when the end was not near.

Daniel – “the end is not near”
Revelation (600 years later) – “the end is near”
Modern times (2000 years later) – the end has not come

The face value reading of Revelation shows the author believed the end was near:

Rev 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Note that this part is written to the church of Sardis, a church that no longer exists in a city that no longer exists.

Revelation has not been fulfilled in the timeframe envisioned by the author. Either the prophecy was modified, postponed, or cancelled.

Posted in Prophecy | 1 Comment

william lane craig explains the ad hominem fallacy

Posted on May 17, 2014 by christopher fisher

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the context of john 3:16

Posted on May 14, 2014 by christopher fisher

John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible. It is simple and beautiful:

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The Calvinists have a problem with the reading of this verse. In the Calvinist mindset God chooses some for eternal life and some for eternal damnation independent of their actions. Jesus died only for the “elect”. They will jump through verbal hoops to make John 3:16 fit their theology. In short, the claim is that “whoever” is limited only to “the elect”.

As with any interpretation of a verse, it must make sense in context. If John 3:16 is about Jesus dying for only the elect then the question must be asked: is that interpretation consistent and does it make sense for the overall point that the author is trying to make? The context is important. A religious leader, Nicodemus, approaches Jesus as asks how people can be “born again”. Jesus responds:

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

The parallel here is found in Numbers 21. God had sent serpents to plague Israel. Israel repents. And God instructs Moses to build a brass serpent. Anyone who looked upon the serpent was saved. The idea is that people choose to be saved and perform actions to become part of the saved. In the same way, those who choose to look to Jesus will also be saved.

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

God loved the “world”. So God sends his Son into the world. Does the next sentence make sense if limited to the elect? For God so loved the world that He gave His son so that chosen people would be saved? The next verse clarifies even further: God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it (implying part of the world would be condemned), but to save it. God wanted to save the world, although part of them are condemned. This fits the illustration from Numbers: those who choose to look on the serpent are those who are saved. Everyone is given the opportunity, although some may reject it. The text would not fit the context if it read:

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that when the elect believes in Him they should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

What is Jesus saying to Nicodemus? That Jesus only came for a chosen few? Or is this a call for the masses to repent and turn to God? How does that fit with “whoever looked to the serpent was saved”? Why would the author talk about “condemning the world” although coming to save the world? What point is the author communicating to the reader?

The following verses also do not fit this Calvinist interpretation:

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Who is saved and who is not? Well, it depends on what the person choses to believe, take the serpent illustration. Rejection of the “Son of God” leads to being condemned. This is in context of the statement of “condemning the world”. It is readily apparent that those to whom the Son came include individuals who are condemned, the very concept that Calvinists try to reinterpret out of existence.

The author explains this condemnation further:

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Notice the adherence to personal values. Those who are condemned are those who hate the light. The text attributes their beliefs to their personal value sets, and not some divine preordination. Jesus was not explaining to Nicodemus that only a select few were “saved” based on divine choosing. Jesus was attempting to explain that people who chose to reject him were in turn condemned based on their own actions, while salvation had been made available to them. They are without excuse.

This is the context of John 3. Jesus is saying, just as the verse reads, that God wanted to save the entire world, although He is rejected by the individuals He attempts to save.

Posted in Bible, Calvinism, Jesus, Theology | 3 Comments

God’s faithfulness

Posted on May 12, 2014 by christopher fisher

A characteristic trait of God throughout the Bible is God’s faithfulness. In Psalms 136, the author ties events throughout history to God’s faithfulness (specifically to God’s faithfulness to Israel). The entire book is about this one theme. The author was not just conjuring a new theme in the written testimony about God; God’s faithfulness is consistent and repeated throughout the Bible.

What is particularly interesting is that throughout Psalms, the authors do not take God’s faithfulness for granted. Many of the Psalms are written from the perspective of entreating God to show faithfulness and some even question why faithfulness is not shown:

Psa 6:4 Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!

Psa 17:7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.

Psa 40:11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

Psa 44:26 Arise for our help, And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.

Psa 85:7 Show us Your mercy, LORD, And grant us Your salvation.

Psa 89:49 Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses, Which You swore to David in Your truth?

The authors of the Psalms were under no illusions. God’s mercy (faithfulness) was not a given. God could withhold his mercy, sometimes to the intense confusion of God’s people. Sometimes the authors felt abandoned, sometimes they pleaded for God’s intercession, sometimes they prayed intensely for God to remain true. In modern Christianity, the thought that God has no propensity or ability to be otherwise than faithful is not a concept drawn from the Bible.

Instead, the context of claims about God’s faithfulness are the list of events which show God is faithful. God is faithful because God’s past or present actions attest to His faithfulness. It is due to these historical acts that Israel could place their trust to believe God would continue to be faithful into the future. This is the context of Psalms 136:

Psa 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psa 136:2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever.
Psa 136:3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever:
Psa 136:4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His mercy endures forever;

The text starts out saying God is the ultimate god. The text attributes all great works to God alone. This fits Israel’s narrative that other gods were powerless and fake (Deu 4:28 is an early witness of this concept). God is faithful because He is powerful.

The text then attributes to God the creation of the universe:

Psa 136:5 To Him who by wisdom made the heavens, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:7 To Him who made great lights, For His mercy endures forever—
Psa 136:8 The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endures forever.

Notice that the author does not condense the creation into one line. The author is showing his literal understanding of Genesis. The author also ties this creation to God’s power and faithfulness. Only one God created the universe. The idea seems to be that God is real and alone has power. When the author next appeals to God’s relationship with Israel, the reader can then understand that Israel has the one true God as an advocate.

The author, having begun the narrative of God in the Bible skips forward in history to Israel’s defining events:

Psa 136:10 To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:11 And brought out Israel from among them, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:12 With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:13 To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever;

Israel’s defining event was the Exodus. Authors throughout the Bible appeal to this event to shows God’s basic characteristics: power, faithfulness, longsuffering, and intimate relationship with His people. The author of Psalms 136 is no different. God is faithful because of the Exodus.

Psa 136:17 To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:18 And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever—
Psa 136:19 Sihon king of the Amorites, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:20 And Og king of Bashan, For His mercy endures forever—
Psa 136:21 And gave their land as a heritage, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:22 A heritage to Israel His servant, For His mercy endures forever.

The author is writing specifically about God’s faithfulness to Israel (as opposed to people in general). How is God faithful? God kills enemy nations and gives those lands to Israel. Sihon and Og were kings who opposed Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land. When the author is writing it is important to remember that he is writing to corporate Israel. Although God acts in faithfulness to Israel, those same actions may not extend to other people groups.

The author continues:

Psa 136:23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:24 And rescued us from our enemies, For His mercy endures forever;
Psa 136:25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His mercy endures forever.
Psa 136:26 Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever.

God “remembered” Israel in their lowly state. This is the author thanking God for not abandoning them. The author thanks God for actively rescuing Israel from enemies. The thought behind this statement is: God could have forsaken us, but didn’t; therefore we praise Him.

The author ends this Psalm with a general statement that God blesses the entire world (through food) and a general statement of thanks.

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