I would be less than honest if I did not admit that there are things in the Bible that disturb me. Now, understand ... "disturbing" does not necessarily equate to "not true". In fact, it is the fact that I believe them to be true that makes them disturbing.
One of the big ones is hell. The idea that a large number of humans will refuse Christ, die in their sin, and spend eternity in torment is disturbing to me. It is painful to think about, especially when I know personally some of those people.
It is disturbing to me to know that there are those who actually believe that they are doing God's work without actually having a relationship with Christ. They are completely unaware, it seems. And they're not doing trivial things. They believe they're prophesying and casting out demons and doing miracles in God's name. They're just wrong.
It is disturbing to me that there are those who are quite sure they are people of faith, but their lives don't reflect it. They believe in God, sure, and they're fine with that, but without works, the faith they hold is dead. So they go on about their business comfortable in their dead faith, self-deceived, never realizing they're doomed.
It is disturbing to me that there are those who believe themselves to be born-again Christians who are quite happy to live in sin. I'm not talking about genuine, born-again Christians who are struggling with sin. That would be all of us. I'm talking about those who claim Christ but defend their sin. "God doesn't care if we live together without being married. Why would you?" Not realizing that those who are born of God cannot make a practice of sin, they demonstrate that they do not have the seed of God in them and move on with confidence to their demise.
It is disturbing to me that good people are going to hell. That is disturbing to me because I am disturbing to me. I look at these folks and see that they're not rapists or axe murderers (who would want to murder an axe anyway?) or child molesters. They're hard working folk who love their mothers and are good to their children and don't spend any time in jail. They're good ... right? And don't you tell me otherwise because these are people I know and love. This is disturbing to me because I'm wrong. I am comparing sinners to sinners and denying that God has the right and responsibility to set the standard ... the standard to which none of us measure up. I am more comfortable questioning God's justice in condemning people to hell than I am agreeing with God. I am more concerned about the comfort of people whom God calls "lawless" than I am about the glory of God. I am more enamored with the world than I am with my Savior. And, in being this flawed, I am losing my deep concern for the lost who appear by my faulty standards to be good folks.
Some day this will change. Today I'm disturbed. As time goes by I will agree more and more with God and less and less with the world that hates Him with their deeds and their lives and their words. Together, the Holy Spirit and I will be working on that.
6 comments:
I think a LOT of us are disturbed by these things.
Personally, and maybe like most people, I am really hoping for a LOT of understanding of us humans on God's part, but that may not work at all well for me, being as maybe HE is counting on a LOT of understanding of His holiness and other attributes on my part.
I don't want any surprises! Well, actually... I guess that isn't entirely true. I only want to be surprised by His great grace and love toward me, even though I am likely to feel so undeserving when I stand in sheer awe in HIS VERY PRESENCE.
If we die before we get a chance to mature to the point of understanding, will we be rewarded for our heart's DESIRE to understand or our efforts at it? We (meaning a lot of us) sure like to think so, don't we?! We HOPE we are right when we need to KNOW we are right. Right? No surprises?
I'm a Sunday school teacher. The "cute" little songs I sing out with the little kids often contain the most simple yet strong and profound truths. The lyrics of those songs and some others from my own childhood sometimes come to mind mid-week, such as "I am my beloved's and He is mine; His banner over me is love."
May those words be true of all of us whose hearts are seeking to well know and to love our Heavenly Father when these earth lives of ours are over.
BTW, because I have been around them a lot, unfortunately nearly every time I say "Heavenly Father", I can't help but think of the Mormons, because they usually refer to their god by that name. Also, on this site, it likely goes completely WITHOUT saying, but I am definitely not speaking of just another one of MANY "heavenly fathers" ~the good Mormonesque once-man-now-god who just happens to be the one for this planet~ but of THE ONE and ONLY God, OUR Heavenly Father. I take that name back from them! "It is MY Father's name," adamantly states the Sunday school teacher!
And, with that, I now think of you saying: "I am more enamored with the world than I am with my Savior. And, in being this flawed, I am losing my deep concern for the lost who appear by my faulty standards to be good folks."
These good Mormon folks of whom I just spoke, who often are very impressive in their efforts to do everything well and right, are just some of many people we should not lose our deep concern for. Good post, Stan. We need to stay disturbed over some things.
"Disturbed" ain't all bad.
Okay, it was a busy day, but I thought about it and I MIGHT actually consider becoming an axe murderer, IF an axe very badly hurt someone I love.
I might utilize another axe with which to do it (which sounds especially gruesome, doesn't it?), or a fire. But, really, when you think about it, which you probably should NOT, unless you are one of the few among us who is a welder or a blacksmith, an axe would be very HARD to do much more to than just disable. The handle might be gone but the head would live on. It just wouldn't be anywhere near as easy as it sounds! What a task axe murderers take on.
I can honestly say that this is something I had never before given ANY thought to. But you asked for it, and doesn't it fit in at least a little with the topic of disturbing things?
Okay, contemplating the "how to" of murdering an axe might fall in the arena of "disturbing", but I figured that my questioning it put me in the category of "disturbed" and your contemplations might just put you in the same category. Thanks for the laugh.
I too am disturbed about the things you mentioned. But then again, if things were done for the sake of me not being disturbed, I'm sure that would be even more disturbing. Kind of like when I'm disturbed that so many think they can run the world better than its creator.
Well, Danny, I know you. You're a lot like me. We're disturbed ... even without disturbing things. ;)
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