Colossians 1:17-20
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
I have been captivated again by Colossians 1:19, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him . . . “ Wow! All God’s fullness? Really?
Really. When exploring the reality of the Incarnation, which is what we do each Christmas, we are confronted with the stark truth that God funneled himself into a little bag of flesh—all God. How can this be?
When someone outside of the Christian faith grapples with this, faith is impossible. Jesus was a good man, a great philosopher, a sage, a man of great influence. He couldn’t be more than that because we are not more than that, right?
For centuries the ideas surrounding and making up the philosophy of Gnosticism have pushed their way into popular thought. One stream of Gnosticism has taught that Jesus could not be the divine Christ (the Messiah) because he was not all God. It was impossible to have a god in a human body because human bodies had nothing to do with spirituality. Another stream of Gnosticism has taught that Jesus only appeared to be human because God would never be inside sinful human flesh.
This is precisely the confusion that was facing 1st century Christians. And the Apostle Paul had a very direct answer for them. This Jesus, who people were questioning, was not just full of God but he was all God. Not only was he the One who set the stars in place, but also every cell in his body was all God.
This is one aspect of the Christmas story that we need to embrace by faith. For if Jesus was not all God, nor was he all human his birth, death, resurrection and life today are just an entertaining story and not a profound theological truth. Jesus came as all God. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Thought for the Week: The fullness of God is clearly seen in the person of Jesus.
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Advent: God's Skin
John 1:11-14
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Each Christmas we celebrate the coming of our Lord. And how did he come? In the flesh. Flesh, human body, material body, physical body, physique, figure, build, anatomy, frame, shape, soma, form. This is how he came to us. In the womb he was a fetus, a pre-born. Out of the womb he was infant, child, adolescent, teenager, young adult and adult.
Sometimes it is easy to let Jesus Christ float three feet above the ground, missing all the small stones to stumble over, all the puddles to step in, all the thorns to prick the fingers and the brow, all the bone-tired weariness, all the dust in the nostrils. But he did not float above the earth during these days. He was truly and indeed human—the supreme human being, flawless and frail.
Somewhere between the spiritual reality of our personal relationship with him and the reading of the Christmas text we can leave off his flesh. This we must never do, particularly in light of John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
This is the Incarnation. This is the orthodox Christian doctrine that the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary and that Jesus is true God and true Man. The incarnation is God moving into our neighborhood, as Eugene Peterson has so wonderfully rendered the text.
This affirms so many things. This affirms that God is sovereign and can do anything he wills--including putting himself in skin. This affirms God’s creation of the human body. This affirms you and me as his creation. That the Spirit of God would descend and wrap himself in epidermis is a truth we cling to by faith. It is the truth we celebrate each Christmas.
Thought for the Week: When Christ put on our mantle of skin he repeated his words of creation, “It is good.”
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Each Christmas we celebrate the coming of our Lord. And how did he come? In the flesh. Flesh, human body, material body, physical body, physique, figure, build, anatomy, frame, shape, soma, form. This is how he came to us. In the womb he was a fetus, a pre-born. Out of the womb he was infant, child, adolescent, teenager, young adult and adult.
Sometimes it is easy to let Jesus Christ float three feet above the ground, missing all the small stones to stumble over, all the puddles to step in, all the thorns to prick the fingers and the brow, all the bone-tired weariness, all the dust in the nostrils. But he did not float above the earth during these days. He was truly and indeed human—the supreme human being, flawless and frail.
Somewhere between the spiritual reality of our personal relationship with him and the reading of the Christmas text we can leave off his flesh. This we must never do, particularly in light of John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
This is the Incarnation. This is the orthodox Christian doctrine that the Son of God was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary and that Jesus is true God and true Man. The incarnation is God moving into our neighborhood, as Eugene Peterson has so wonderfully rendered the text.
This affirms so many things. This affirms that God is sovereign and can do anything he wills--including putting himself in skin. This affirms God’s creation of the human body. This affirms you and me as his creation. That the Spirit of God would descend and wrap himself in epidermis is a truth we cling to by faith. It is the truth we celebrate each Christmas.
Thought for the Week: When Christ put on our mantle of skin he repeated his words of creation, “It is good.”
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
Advent Thoughts: The Perfect Christmas Plan
So, because this is a blog, I can change my mind. Let's focus the next few weeks on Advent--just because Christmas should be celebrated in any way possible. I recently uncovered some short Advent devotionals written in 2007. We will return to Genesis in the new year.
Luke 24:36-48
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
I love to plan. I’m a planner. I love strategy and laying out how I can get from A to B and then to Z. I’ve learned a few things about planning as a novice strategist. There are certain things that always must be factored into a good plan: hiccups, bumps and detours. Any good strategy will have alternate routes, extra time for adjustment, space and time to deal with the emotions, and room for new ideas.
So, when I read about God’s plan of salvation I not only get spiritually joyful, but I also get strategically happy. We can see that God is the superlative planner. He had a strategy in place for dealing with our sin. And God’s long-term plan of redemption had built-in adjustments. For our fear he had comfort. For our unrest he had peace. For our disobedience he had forgiveness. For our disbelief he had truth. And for our salvation he had Jesus!
In our unlikely Advent text cited above, we see God’s plan completely fulfilled. That tiny baby who slept in the hay fulfilled God’s promise by becoming the Incarnate Christ—salvation in the flesh. For the disciples on that post-resurrection day they came literally face-to-face with God’s final plan.
The disciples expressed all the hiccups, bumps and detours that God had factored in—alarm, fear, amazement, and doubt. It was the perfect plan. It was the Christmas plan that always ends up in the Easter celebration!
Jesus reminded the disciples that his body was a part of the salvation plan. It was his body that was birthed from Mary’s womb. It was his body that was nailed to the cross. And it was his body that was resurrected on the third day completing God’s perfect plan of salvation. Let’s celebrate God’s perfect Christmas plan!
Thought for the Week: If Jesus had not come in the flesh we would not know the resurrection is for real!
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
Luke 24:36-48
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
I love to plan. I’m a planner. I love strategy and laying out how I can get from A to B and then to Z. I’ve learned a few things about planning as a novice strategist. There are certain things that always must be factored into a good plan: hiccups, bumps and detours. Any good strategy will have alternate routes, extra time for adjustment, space and time to deal with the emotions, and room for new ideas.
So, when I read about God’s plan of salvation I not only get spiritually joyful, but I also get strategically happy. We can see that God is the superlative planner. He had a strategy in place for dealing with our sin. And God’s long-term plan of redemption had built-in adjustments. For our fear he had comfort. For our unrest he had peace. For our disobedience he had forgiveness. For our disbelief he had truth. And for our salvation he had Jesus!
In our unlikely Advent text cited above, we see God’s plan completely fulfilled. That tiny baby who slept in the hay fulfilled God’s promise by becoming the Incarnate Christ—salvation in the flesh. For the disciples on that post-resurrection day they came literally face-to-face with God’s final plan.
The disciples expressed all the hiccups, bumps and detours that God had factored in—alarm, fear, amazement, and doubt. It was the perfect plan. It was the Christmas plan that always ends up in the Easter celebration!
Jesus reminded the disciples that his body was a part of the salvation plan. It was his body that was birthed from Mary’s womb. It was his body that was nailed to the cross. And it was his body that was resurrected on the third day completing God’s perfect plan of salvation. Let’s celebrate God’s perfect Christmas plan!
Thought for the Week: If Jesus had not come in the flesh we would not know the resurrection is for real!
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Blessed are the Poor In Spirit
Let’s pause for a moment from our study of who God
is through the Old Testament and focus for this week on an issue close to my
heart. I am thinking during this holiday
season of all the unemployed, homeless, displaced workers, and under-employed. Not that long ago I was officially
unemployed. The Lord was gracious to
give me temporary jobs as I was looking for permanent work. My income was a
fraction of what I used to make and my ability to function as a “full-member of
society” was dramatically scaled back. I
faced some challenges which I hope I will never forget. These have permanently impacted how much I
trust the Lord, how deep my belief is in his provision and how truly generous
people can be.
Let’s acknowledge right now, to get this argument
out of the way, that there are individuals who play the system, are chronically
lazy and who would rather live off of the dime earned or paid by others. These people, I believe, do not make up the
majority of the poor, unemployed, homeless, displaced workers and under-employed. These people, the lazy ones, behave
shamefully and cause all kinds of societal problems. The focus of today’s meditation is on the
disenfranchised, the profoundly poor, the workers who are willing to work for
minimum wage but no minimum wage jobs exist in their community, the mentally
ill who have no place to go and those who have suffered great losses through
corrupt systems, extensive health issues and the like.
In a consumer-oriented society it is easy to believe
that those who do not live up to advertised standards may be somewhat off,
lazy, stupid, weak or otherwise unfit to be survivors. Then the words of Jesus bring us up
short. The poor you will always have with you. (Matthew 26:11) The context for that verse is not long before
Jesus’ crucifixion and when a woman came and poured lovely oil for the dead on
his feet. She was weeping, for somehow
she knew he would soon be gone. The disciples, annoyed at such unlovely
behavior, were shredding her with their attitudes and expressing their
displeasure at such a waste of money. Jesus’
rebuke was intended to reset their priorities, as they still did not understand
the gravity of his sacrifice. And in
that rebuke he made a plain statement of fact.
There will always be poor people.
Poverty comes from all the things we have listed
above and it exists because we live in a fallen world. There will be some
people who will never pull out of a recession, never make the American dream
and never recover their health or their property. And there will always be people who prey on
the poor, destroy the lives of others through greed and determine to meet their
own needs above all others. We all wish,
at least I hope we do, that this would never be. But poverty is a simple fact
for this era of God’s history, one that requires neither a justification nor an
accusation. Poverty of body should never
be universally attributed to sin, rebellion or disobedience. Poverty of soul is a whole other matter.
Poverty of soul can be found in anyone anywhere at
any time. It’s the kind of poverty that leads to
depression, rage, reckless behavior, rebellion or sin. Poverty of the soul can lead to death. But Jesus Christ has a way out of poverty of soul,
even when material poverty is chronic, sudden or overwhelming.
When I was under-employed there were many things
that I was forced to deal with. Let me
mention just a few of those things. First
of all there was the nearly devastating lack of purpose. I discovered that much
of my sense being was coming from work rather than from being in Christ. Christ’s answer to this was to re-purpose my
life toward prayer. It took some months
for me to stop pacing the floor and pleading singularly for my needs. The Holy Spirit began to shape my prayer life
to focus on others. Honestly, there is
only so long one can look at oneself! I
began to pray with empathy for the millions out of work in our nation and in
our world. I began to pray that they
would find a new purpose and hope in the midst of their trouble. God’s words to
the Apostle Paul, and to everyone in need, came to me over and over again: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) God gave me prayers for them that drew me out
of myself and into their world and his world.
While I hunted for jobs—hunting is how it literally felt—I
not only prayed for God to provide for me, but for many, many others. I still pray this way when the unemployment
numbers come out on the news. I pause
and pray for those people standing in line, that their children would have
enough to eat, that they would have safe shelter, sufficient food, and kind and
caring people in their lives.
Another thing that the Lord had to deal with me on
was the sense of entitlement that I had acquired. I believed that in order to be human I needed
far more than what I really needed. The
Holy Spirit convicted me of many practices and expectations, both spiritual and
well as material, that were not of him.
Paring down my budget became a necessity not just a good idea. Going on a strict debt-reduction program was
difficult, but I began to see that many of the things that I had come to
believe I needed were really not needed at all.
I was particularly convicted of this when friends and loved ones gave to
me generously and without expectation of return. Not only was I deeply grateful for their
kindnesses, but I was driven to repentance for my previous selfishness. Their sacrificial giving was not only God’s
means of demonstrating compassion and love, but of also pruning off
entitlements. And the Gardner was
precise in his pruning and it has caused me to live against the grain of the
world.
An odd thing happens when you live against the grain
of the world. There are small measures
of disenfranchisement. Friends no longer
invite you to out to dinner because they know you can’t afford it. Family
members don’t understand when you can’t make it to events because you have to
reserve enough gas to get to that temporary job. “Oh, it’s just $20!” becomes painful when
that is nearly your entire electric bill that must be paid. At each point of misunderstanding, needs
being overlooked and pressure applied, the feeling of being out of sync with
the world becomes that much deeper. And
that is an absolute blessing.
Being in sync with God becomes all the more
important and all the more lovely. Values
can change when you are poor. Suddenly
it becomes more important to be with others than to give them things. Radically, your thoughts turn away from acquisition
and to relationship. Being sequestered
in your home while you search for jobs day after day, your thoughts can turn to
how sweet God’s presence is, how thankful you are for the daily bread you had
prayed for in the morning, how the Lord really never does leave you or forsake
you. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
These are some of the most profound and treasured
lessons during lean times. I hope that I
will never forget them, and I have determined never to do so. When we look at the Incarnation—how Christ
came to us in a humble stable, surrounded by hay and animals instead of jewels
and palaces, we can become determined to live in the ways of Jesus. When we see his lifestyle—simple, humble,
full of relationship and truth, demonstrating love to everyone everywhere all
the time—we can believe that it is possible and learn to live this way as well.
Perhaps the Holy Spirit will lead you into
fundamental shifts in values and a re-working of your purpose. If you become or are materially poor, my
prayer is that you would learn about God’s great provisions for each day and
that you could turn your focus to prayer for our world. If you remain materially well-off I pray the
same for you as well. May each one of us
become spiritually prosperous during this holiday season!
Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
—Jesus
Matthew 5:3
Copyright M.R. Hyde 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Who is God? God of the Dumb Things We Do
We
do dumb things, don't we? I mean, let's be honest. Sometimes we just do dumb,
dumb things. An elderly friend of my sister told her a story once. His name was
Bob and he said that all his life long he always did dumb things—things he
didn't think through. He would just jump in without a thought to what the
consequences would be.
Bob
had traveled quite a bit. On one of his
journeys he came across a rather large monkey in a cage at the home of one of
his friends. He was intrigued by this, so he drew closer to the monkey and was
just fascinated to see a monkey up so close. Then for some strange
reason—unbeknownst to Bob or anyone else—Bob stuck his hand through the bars
and inside the cage, wanting to touch the creature. Within seconds Bob knew he
had done something really dumb. That big old ape took a hold of Bob's arm. This
wasn't any kind of light touch or hold. This was a firm, strong, frightening
grip on Bob's arm. And that monkey would not let go.
Bob
knew that he was stuck and had no way of knowing how to get out of this pickle.
He began to pull back but the monkey would not let go. The longer the monkey
held on the more frightened Bob became. He got so desperate that he put his
foot up against the cage and try to pry his arm out through sheer force. It was
only the will of the monkey that gave Bob his resolution. After what seemed an
eternity in sheer panic the monkey simply let go.
We
all do dumb things. And we do dumb things for a variety of reasons. Sometimes
we do dumb stuff that has the funniest consequences—once they are over. And
sometimes we do really dumb stuff that takes years or maybe a lifetime to
recover from. Sometimes that dumb stuff is just plain sinful. But we did it
anyway.
Abram
and Sarai did some pretty dumb stuff.
Do you want to see some of the dumb stuff they did? Look with me at
Genesis 12. If we remember from our last Scripture we discovered the incredible
lop-sided love and covenant promise God made to Abram. That promise included
land that would belong to him, a family and generations that would prosper
despite great trouble and hardship, and eventually they would grow so big that
they would be numbered like the stars in the sky. On top of that Abram and his
family/nation would the conduit through which the whole world could be blessed.
These are pretty amazing promises!
In
order for Abram and Sarai to receive the blessings of this covenant promise
they had to take a trip. They ended up
in what we know today as Israel. But things didn't go so well there. A famine happened in the land. Everyone was
hungry, the crops had all died out, the animals were all perishing. There was
only one alternative. They had to move to a place that could sustain them. So
they went to Egypt. And on their way to
Egypt they did a dumb thing.
Read
Genesis 12:10-20
To
be completely truthful, Abram did not really tell Sarai to lie. She was his half
sister (See Genesis 20:12). In those days, marrying your half sister was not considered
wrong because "it was a way of insuring that female children from second
marriages were cared for by a household.”[1] But, what is a lie? '"A lie is an
attempt to deceive," according to one definition, and by that standard Abram
was lying when he claimed Sarai was his sister. Abram wanted to save his neck.
At
first glance this seems really selfish. And admittedly it is. But, remember Abram
had a promise from God to have many descendents with this woman. So, he really
needed to protect her by lying, right? What a dumb thing!
Didn't
Abraham know that when God promises something he will see that it gets done?!
In our ignorance and frustration, we do dumb things, because we really don't
know God's character. But rest assured, God's will is to make sure that we know
who he is and that he can be trusted with the promises he makes. Just so that
Abram and Sarai got the message (she didn't resist too much, did she?) God let
the door of consequences open and great trouble ensued.
Read
Genesis 12:17-19
We
don't know if Pharaoh knew the God of Abram or not, but we do know he had a
healthy respect for the will and the power of gods. When no logical reason was
found for the disease running rampant through his home, he went to the most
recent addition to his community. Upon the discovery of the truth he was
appalled, as he should have been.
Sometimes
we don't see the consequences of the really dumb, sinful things we do, and then
sometimes we do—and it is just frightening. The ripples seem to go for miles
after we've thrown that stone in the lake.
I can only imagine the fear that then ran through Abraham's veins. "Oh
man, that was a dumb thing to do!” But that
wasn't the last time Abram and Sarai did something dumb. They were humans just
like you and me.
Read
Genesis 16:1-16
One
of the dumbest things we can do is to be impatient. Don't you agree? How many
times have we gotten into trouble because we just couldn't wait long enough?
How many people have people been hurt and their lives overshadowed by our
mistakes and selfishness? Didn't Sarai
and Abram know by then that when God promises something he would see that it
gets done?! In our impatience and need to be gratified, we do really dumb,
sinful things. We determine to make things happen because we really don't
comprehend God's character or his will. But rest assured God's will is to make
certain that we know who he is and that he can be trusted with the promises He
makes.
Do
you think that after those two big snafus that Abram and Sarai wouldn't do dumb
things anymore? Well, we could only hope. Our next Scripture is twelve long
years since God first made his covenant with Abram. In the between these times God confirmed his
promise to this couple again and changed their names to Abraham (“father of
many”) and Sarah (“princess”). (See
Genesis 17)
Read
Genesis 18:1-15.
The
dumb things we do! By the time the three visitors sat down for a meal it was
clear to Abraham that they were very special visitors. Who else would assure
Abraham that inside of year the promised child would be sitting on his knee?
But
there was Sarah, listening in on the conversation. Sometimes the dumb things we
do are not so obvious to others. We scoff, or give way to depression or just
simply laugh in mockery to ourselves. "As if..." we might say. What
was Sarah thinking?! Twelve years she had waited. She was old. She knew she
couldn't have children. It just seemed ridiculous.
One
of the dumbest things we do is to hold unbelief in our hearts. Don't you agree?
How many times have we gotten into trouble because we just didn't believe? How
many people around us have encouraged us and we just would not accept the hope
or the possibility? And how many times have we seen promises beautifully
fulfilled, prayers answered, relief has come, help has arrived?! Unbelief can block the reality of answered
prayers.
Didn't
Sarah know by then that her husband's faith was legitimate and deep? Didn't she
know that when God promises something he will see that it gets done? In our
inward despair and hopelessness, or in our cynicism and skepticism, we do dumb
things. We decide to let go of God’s promise because we really don't comprehend
God's character. But rest assured God's
will is to make sure that we know who he is and that he can be trusted with the
promises he makes.
After
all the times that Abraham and Sarah lied, laughed, and did not believe you
would imagine that God might walk away. But we are trying to learn about God's here,
aren't we? What is God's response to those who lie, lack faith and laugh?
Read
Genesis 21:1-7. 21
It
is God's will that we stay truthful enough and open enough that we cling to
that tiny bit of faith we have. God
longs for us to see that he wants good and right and pure and lovely things for
us, even if in the past we have lied, lacked faith and laughed at him. God loves us enough to see us through every
really dumb and sinful thing we've ever done, just so that we can enjoy the
fulfillment of his promises. As long as we keep following him, looking to him
and renewing our belief in him, we can know the God of the dumb things we
do.
Perhaps
there is something that you have lied about.
Maybe there is something God has said that you have not believed or something
that you have laughed at. Or maybe there
is something that needs to be surrendered to the God who loves us enough to
send his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for all the really dumb sinful things
we have done. Perhaps we need to repent
and rise again with Jesus Christ, the God whose character of compassion, love
and patience overrides all the dumb things we do.
Copyright
M.R. Hyde 2012
March 31, 2015
The remainder of this series in Hebrews can be found in book form at most e-book retailers and www.Smashwords.com. Paperbacks available at www.Lulu.com.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Who is God? Creator of Free Will
How
did we get into such a pickle? Whose fault is this anyway? Two questions, and many more like these, lead
us to wonder at the state of the world.
If God is such a good Creator, why in the world are we in such a
mess? Free will—plain and simple.
His
will, which is absolutely free, was employed to create us in his image. His will, which is always good, demonstrated
goodness through the creation of the natural world in all of its intricacies
and wonder. His will, which is always
perfect, set humanity up for success. If
human will is a tiny, tiny reflection of God’s will it must be somewhat
powerful. Many around us will tell us
that our will-power is easily overcome.
But if we buy into that we buy into the same argument that was posed to
Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
For
some reason, God created humanity with a free will. Adam and Eve could freely choose to follow
God’s plan and purpose outlined in Genesis 1 and 2. It is here that we read that God purposed
humanity to rule over the animals (1:26), to be fruitful, to fill the earth and
subdue it (1:28), to care for the garden (2:15) and for man and woman to be
suitable helpers for each other (2:20b-24).
There is also an implied freedom throughout the creation story. This is the freedom of the human will to
interact with, love and obey God. After
all the goodness that God created Adam and Eve could have settled in for ages
of pleasant and purposeful living with God.
And yet . . .
Read
Genesis 3:1-6
In
this passage we see the reason we are in such a pickle. And we also see whose fault it is that we are
in such a mess. When we stop and think
about God giving us free will it really is astonishing. He created a creature that had the capacity
to choose to love him and be in a living, loving relationship with him, and who
could tragically turn against him.
One
of the things that we as Christians believe about God is that he is all-knowing
(omniscient). Psalm 139 speaks of God
knowing us even before we were in our mother’s womb and seeing us when we sleep
and when we are awake. So when God created us he knew that we could fall, and
more tragically that we would fall
away from him. And yet that did not keep him from breathing his breath into us
(2:7) making us living creatures. While
parts of God’s creation are all the good and wonderful animals of the earth,
none of them has his breath breathed
into them. None of them will turn against
our Creator. This is what separates us
from the animal kingdom. We have a
spiritual dimension that they do not have.
We are made in God’s image—full of choice and will.
Apparently
the angels also have free will. Satan,
who in this passage is represented by a serpent or is a representative of
Satan, uses his will against his Creator.
He perverts and twists, questions and leads to doubt, tricks and trips
those who are human. Frankly, it is
difficult to trace the origins of angels and demons in Scripture and such verses
are few and far between. But that they do exist is replete throughout
Scripture. The preeminent passage about
the how evil fell to earth is the one Jesus spoke in Luke 10:18 which describes
that he saw Satan fall from heaven. These are certainly weighty theological
particulars, for which more in depth study may be called. However, one simply needs to think back on
their life and look at the world order to recognize the presence of evil. The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-18
that we are to employ all the weapons of righteousness to stand against the
devil and his schemes. Oh, that Adam and
Eve had had these words to read! But they did not need them. They had the will
that God provided for them—a will that is powerful and effective when brought
in full submission to the love of God.
Out
of all the trees that were available to Adam and Eve, there was only one they
were not to touch—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why did God put that tree there? Why could he have not left that one out of
the garden? Why wouldn’t he?! God is
intent upon our free will being exercised toward him—to worship him. His is the good Creator and he is worthy of
our worship and worthy of our relationship.
If we choose him freely, is that not the greater love?
Adam
and Eve were innocent—dead center of the bull’s eye for God’s enemy. The enemy’s arguments are meant to twist and
fold God’s actions and purposes for humanity.
He came to Eve casually. A tiny,
potent conversation, a few well-placed questions and Eve’s head spun. There had never been any one to question the
Creator up to that point. Then as subtle
as a shallow breeze on a hot summer’s day, the Creator was questioned. The relationship, founded on love and purpose,
was subject to doubt. The serpent really
did very little. The fresh and open mind
of God’s creatures, the ones with his breath in them, permitted the doubts to
shift their focus from the thousands of fruit trees they could have to the one they could not. That shift in focus proved to
be deadly in the most devastating and soulful sense. The will was tormented at not being a
god. The will was spurred on to question
why they should have to follow the command of the Creator. This is perplexing. This is mind-boggling. This is unnerving because just prior to the
Fall of humankind their wills had been one with God’s. They were trustful, obedient, delighted with
God and his presence. In that tiny
moment, as Adam and Eve held the fruit in their hands and its smell wafted
toward them, the physical desires for goodness became the avenue of the spiritual
desires for autonomy from the Creator. And
the results were devastating.
Read
Genesis 3:7-13
Matthew
Henry poignantly describes the terrible devastation brought on by the misuse of
the God-given will. This is “[t]he
falsehood of the tempter, and the frauds and fallacies of his temptations. He
promised them they should be safe, but now they cannot so much as think
themselves so; he said they should not die, and yet now they are forced to fly
for their lives; he promised them they should be advanced, but they see
themselves abased – never did they seem so little as now; he promised them they
should be knowing, but they see themselves at a loss, and know not so much as
where to hide themselves; he promised them they should be as gods, great, and
bold, and daring, but they are as criminals discovered, trembling, pale, and
anxious to escape: they would not be subjects, and so they are prisoners.”[1] Oh, the tragedy of the misused human will—the
will so freely given! All the shame and
torment we experience comes from our abject separation from God.
But
this is not the end of the matter. God’s
will is so far above ours! He is not
like us—praise his Name forever! When
they ran away, he walked toward them. And then he called for them and entered
into dialog with them by asking the question—“Where are you?” The Stone Edition of the Tanach notates
this brilliantly. “The question was
meant to initiate a dialogue so Adam would not be too terrified to repent [or: reply].”[2]
Even though God knows that we have sinned, even though he knows that we will
sin, he employs his will to draw our will back to him. His question of where they were in the Garden
was not for his sake, it was for theirs.
But
the matter was not finished. The human
will, now corrupted, was bent and broken.
Pointing fingers and shifting blame have been the modus operandi ever since. We
got ourselves into this pickle. It is our fault. As strong as Satan is, he is not as strong as
the God-given will breathed into us. Oh,
that we knew the power of God’s will within us!
Then when the forbidden fruit is offered, we could simply say, “No,
thank you. I have plenty of what I need
in the rest of God.”
Who
is God? Thankfully, he is the Creator of
Free Will—a will so free that we do not have to be subject to doubt or
sin.
Amen
Copyright
M.R. Hyde 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
