Posts Tagged ‘Accountability’

DailyTheocentrism: It’s not ‘ok’ to be mad at God. (Job 40:1-5)

I have heard more than a few say that it is ok to be mad at God – both from the pulpit and from the pen. They contend that God appreciates our honesty and candor – That He “gets it” and would never turn away the  honesty of one of His children.

Honestly, we are rotten, deranged sinners. Honestly, we faced God in the Garden and at Galilee and we honestly suppressed the truth and honestly hated Him. Honestly, apart from Him we have no being, or movement, or minds, or existence. Honestly, I have no good in me, save Christ, who is the only honesty in me.

So, to depart from Him, so as to accuse Him at whatever level is ridiculous at best and blasphemous at  . . . well, that’s what it is. From where would we draw an ethic or morality by which to bring God to account? He expresses truth and reality and righteous is what He IS. not just what He is like. There is no other pool from which to dip to fill a cup of judgment to pour on Him – He alone is Just and the Justifier.

Honestly, it’s not ‘ok’ to ever be mad at God.

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A Little Help with some lyrics . . .

I have already posted this, but here are the lyrics for those (like me) who couldn’t quite keep up.

Don’t Waste Your Life

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Don’t Waste Your Life – Week 2

At the “Blazing Center” of a life lived for God’s glory is the Cross of Christ. This is not only the means of coming to life, but also the means for living it.

DWYL Week 2

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DailyTheocentrism: The Divine Will of God and the providential will of God

(I am reposting this to prepare for our Sunday School lessons upcoming)

It must be said that there is an attribute, both eternal and uniquely divine, about God’s will so as to say that it is immovable, immutable and the only reality there will ever be. (Job 42:2)

This is coupled with the fact that He provides some freedom to those who have been reborn and can thus be alive and make choices. It CANNOT be said that man ever has freewill, as a “free-will” would be able to do anything it wants to do anytime it wants to do it – only God can do that. Rather, we live within the realm of responsibility and Divine Sovereignty, as D.A. Carson writes. Yet, how if God’s WILL is sovereign over all can we ever make a choice. Well . . . we can and we cannot.

This is where the principle of complexity needs to replace ideas of contradiction. Two items may only seem to contradict, unless they are elementally opposed – then they contradict. Otherwise, they may be two corollary attributes of a thoroughly complex system. Here that applies to the reality that the tension between say, the imperatives (commands) in Scripture and the fact that God has no thing outside of His WILL, is no tension at all – it only seems to be. This applies to sin and the Sovereignty of God as well. His Will is complex enough to contain His will (providence with man) and it is neither a contradiction, nor a diluting of the integrity of God.

See the illustration below:

God’s providential will (the filial application of God’s Sovereign WILL to His relationship with mankind) lies always within His Sovereign will, namely because it is born out of it – as all things are. Yet, it is within the complexity of His will a real realm of [limited] choice – namely to please or not to please Father. These two categories are essential to even begin a dialog on the Will/will of God. For truly, no thing can ever thwart the WILL of God.

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A great point from my Greek brother

The comments that I receive, I think, could be missed and this is sad. The dialog that many choose to have with me is such a joy to my life.

My brother, Dimitrios responded to my post about the Sacrifice for Sins in the future Millennial Kingdom with an excursus on the Blood of Christ. Here is a quote:

In the NT, Pilate “took water and washed his hands saying ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood.” (Matt. 27:24) But he wasn’t. That is a prime example of man-made religion. It is external for others to see; it has “the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion…but are of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Col. 2:23); it does nothing to “cleanse your conscience from dead works” (Heb. 9:14) Ironically, ALL the people answered Pilate and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (Matt. 27:25) Wow, what irony! The blood that they were demanding was the saving precious gift of God’s only Son. It was supposed to forgive them of all their sins, “for without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. (Heb. 9:22) Yet, they and all their offspring, and their offspring until this day are guilty of killing God. They have Blood on them, on their hands. The evidence is in. The weapons have been tested and its His Blood on them. They are guilty of sin against God. However, the redeemed, the reconciled, the atoned for (=made one with!!!) are wearing His Blood unto salvation. How can it be? The Blood both judges and saves? Yes!

You need to read the entire post here.

Thanks, Dim, for another scrape of the iron.

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