Re-Thinking God: How God's Will Relates to Man

The real question is: What is God's will? I mean what does God want?

The assumption in traditional theology is that what God wants is to control everything so He has every molecule doing exactly what He wants. If you haven't figured it out yet, I passionately reject this idea as being too much like our own definitions of will and power - control is not the highest use of power.

In many real ways God expresses that the highest use of power is stewardship over what one is responsible for with an eye on development of that person or thing into something better and higher. I believe God defines his power and will in this way. His will then is to develop, grow and make better the people and things under his care.

That has some implications. God is not trying to control everything because he does not have to control everything to get his will accomplished. In fact, letting a person grow and stand on their own may be part of His will and objective.

You can also throw anything revolving around FATE right out the window. What then matters is our wilfully lining our wills up with God's stewardship of us. It means an interaction of God's will and our own.

That of course leaves one last question.

Next: Does God Always Get What He Wants?

The Book of Revelation - Part 21 - Doom and Reapers

OK, now a third angel appears and pronounces doom on those who receive the mark of The Beast (back in revelation 13) and worship his name. People start to talk about eternal torment in this passage but there are two problems with this idea. 1) The torment is connected to a specific group of people, not universal punishment for all sinners and 2) It does not say they will be tormented but that THE SMOKE of their torment goes up forever and ever. I am simply saying there is enough doubt to raise an eyebrow or two.

Going back to how the seven churches would have looked at this, I see specifically verses 12 and 13 where the emphasis is on perseverance, obedience and faith. All things that Christ stressed back in chapters 2 and 3.

The next section chronicles two harvests 1) the first is the earth and 2) the second is the grapes of God's wrath. In each case, both are commanded to reap but the results are different. One thing is for sure, nothing good is about to happen, God is about to let loose with something terrible. Terrible to the point of bridle high blood for 200 miles.

Next: Back to the Throne of God

Marriage and the Bible - Part 30 - Malachi and Marriage Treachery

Malachi introduces a new concept in a sense to the issue of marriage. That of the relationship between intimacy with God and intimacy in the marriage. That is, that God regards sacrifice and prayer through the filter of how a man treats his wife in marriage. Malachi chapter 2 verses 13 through 16 express that God isn't listening to the prayers of his people because the men have dealt treacherously with the wife of their youth. In what way? Two issues:

1. The passage continues that divorce is that form of treachery. In short, men were using the Law's provision for divorce to set aside wives for whatever reason. But God through Malachi reminds the people that marriage is supposed to be a covenant, but they have reduced it to a contract.

2. What is striking is God bold faced statement that he hates divorce. Now, there is no statement that God is forbidding divorce but from this passages perspective there is nothing that God likes about it. It is treachery to a person becasue it is done for reasons that God finds unrighteous. It seems to be an attempt to get people to return an understanding of one flesh as marriage not contract.

Next: Looking Back at the Old Testament Marriage Issues

Theology for Dummies - Process Theology

Process theology is a school of thought that is connected to two men -- Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne although others are still developing the concepts involved. Basically, process theology is the product of metaphysical concepts developed by the above two men and using those concepts to look at theology.

The big thing in process theology is that process theologians do not look at God's power in terms of God being coercive, that is dominating others. Instead God's power is persuasive. God uses his power in a way that brings people about wilfully not forcing anyone to do anything. God is not about control.

Other key concepts are that reality is more about experiences that material substance, self-determination of all persons, and God is changeable because he interacts with a changing universe.

If there is a distinct difference between this and other theologies is their view of the Bible. Because revelation is an ongoing process and a changeable one that means the Bible while helpful to understanding God is not authoritative as much as other Christians would see it.

For myself, I have found reading process theologians to be helpful in looking at things another way, however their view of Scripture turns me off. This is actually probably the dividing line between open theism and process theology. The open theist (such as myself) is going to hold Scripture dear because they believe their case is biblical, but the process theologian will go against Scripture if they feel that God has changed in his relationship to the universe from where the Bible was in the process of revelation.

Next: Christology

Re-Thinking God: God is Just

Justice - the quality of being just, impartial and fair.

God's justice comes into play because of the other two qualities of God's character - love and holiness. Justice balances the two factors of both - mercy (a product on his love) and righteousness (a product of his holiness).

When God looks at a person through love He stretches his hand of mercy, but His holiness demands righteous action and violation of the Law of God (sin) means that He must punish the sinner. God's justice is what balances the two and allows him to act in both simultaneously.

Probably the greatest thing I learned from my chronological journey through Scripture is that God wrestles with justice. That He too, struggles with how to act so that action is both holy and loving. This is greatly seen the best in Hosea where God, in conversation with himself, wrestles with what to do with his unfaithful wife Israel. He on the one hand feels that he has every right to divorce her and throw her to the wolves (Holiness), but on the other hand He loves her and wants to extend his hand of mercy (Love). It is this wrestling that God must do to achieve a just decision -- he will punish her but then extend his hand of restoration to her afterwards.

What troubles most people is by God wrestling with these decisions, it makes him seem all to human. I say it has nothing to do with with humanity or divinity, but is simply a matter of person hood and relationships. It is simply necessary in the relationship God has with his creatures that he has created with the power of choice. Because of this the God to Mankind relationship is a messy affair that means God must balance his holiness and love in the context of what is right for both. It is not easy for anyone, even God to do this. Even God struggles with what is 'fair'.

Next: How God's Will Relates to Man.

Marriage and the Bible - Part 29 - Hosea's Marriages

Now here is where marriage and God's message to his people really get intertwined. I want you to put yourself in Hosea's shoes for a minute. In today's terms God is asking Hosea to go down to the red light district and find a prostitute who is herself a product of prostitution and then marry her. Why? So God can use Hosea's marriage as an illustration of what God's relationship is to his people. Hosea playing the role of God and Gomer playing the part of Israel. Hosea is further instructed to have children with this woman and each of them is given interesting names to illustrate the situation completely.

In chapter three, the situation gets even more interesting when Hosea is asked to enter into a second marriage with a woman who is loved by her husband and yet an adulteress herself.

Both marriages are symbolic of how a covenant relationship can go completely wrong. How faithfulness in marriage and the relationship God people have with Him is so very important. God loves his people but they play the harlot and commit adultery with other gods.

What follows is God yearning for Israel's return much like Hosea will for his wife. Love that is unconditional is illustrated here because both God and Hosea have every reason to divorce their wives, but both refuse to do so. There is a powerful image of sadness, longing and love that refuses to look at the situation but transcends it.

Next: Malachi and Marriage Treachery

The Book of Revelation - Part 20 - 144,000 Again

When we get to chapter 14 we see another reference to the 144000 that were originally seen in chapter 7. The vision shifts back to heaven and the throne area. I made the comment that in chapter 7 that these men are clearly identified as Jewish men: 12,000 from each tribe. But in this passage they are remarked on, not because of who they are, but how righteous they are. They are chaste, blameless and lie free.

I also want to remark at this time about the two angels. One spreading the gospel in verses 6-7 and the other talking about the woe that will befall those who follow after Babylon who is fallen in verse eight. The whore of Babylon does not appear until later and it seems odd to place a reference to it here unless we concede that some visions are not in chronological order at all. It also means that it also could be that the whole thing is possibly not in chronological order either.

What gets interesting is that themes appear, disappear and reappear and if we are honest there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to it at times. The effect is that the message of Revelation may simply be one of hope, correction, encouragement and faith to the seven churches. If so how much still has to do with the future and what has been already fulfilled may not be known. We may as interpreters be left only to speculate.

Next: Doom and Reapers