God is described in Scripture as having all knowledge (Omniscient) (Psa 136:1-6, 16; Psa 147:4-5; Isa 46:9-10; 1 John 3:20; etc.), having all power (Omnipotent) (Matt 19:26; Rev 1:8; Rev 7:11-12; Rev 19:6; Psa 147:5; Jer 32:17, 27; Job 37:23; Dan 4:35; etc.), and having all authority (Sovereign) (Psa 115:3; Prov 16:9; 1 Chron 29:11-12; 2 Chron 20:6; Job 42:2; Psa 103:19; Psa 135:6; Eph 1:11; Rom 9:21; Lam 3:37; Prov 16:33; etc.). If you were paying attention to the texts I cited in each case here, you'll find that they often interconnect. Why? Because His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Sovereignty are all interlinked.
Does God know? We have to ask that question. Does He know? Or is His knowledge partial like ours? If it is in any way incomplete, there is margin for error. Does He know ... everything? When we say that He is Omniscient, we are saying He knows everything. No exceptions.
Can He act? Does have the ability to perform what He wills? Or is His power limited like ours? It is true that there are things that God cannot do -- lie, sin, die, that sort of thing -- but there is nothing that He wills to do that He lacks the power to accomplish. That's Omnipotence. He has all power for all things.
So, He knows perfectly. That's good to know. And He has all power. That's a relief. Still, having all knowledge and all power doesn't necessarily mean He has the authority to act on that perfect knowledge with His perfect power. He has to be authorized. Is He authorized? Does He have permission to act? Here we come up against His Sovereignty. Scripture says He is the "only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords." (1 Tim 6:15) Not only is He a Sovereign; He is the only Sovereign. He works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11). He is indeed the highest authority there is (Matt 28:18). No doubt about it.
God, then, has perfect knowledge, absolute power, and the highest authority on which to exercise Omniscience and Omnipotence. Where does that leave us? It means that your troubles today are in His hands. It means that, as a Good God, He wills to accomplish good and will accomplish good. It means that all that you are going through, enduring, or could suffer is limited by His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Sovereignty so that nothing other than what He wills for you can happen to you and that all that happens to you He wills and manages. Not too much; not too little. And always for good.
I recently spoke to a loved one in pain who asked, "What if God wants me to go through this for the next 40 years?" Reasonable question. You need to first establish the above. Does God know? Can He act? Does He have the authority to do so? If you answer "Yes" to these, you are left with only two questions. First, if God knows that enduring this "for the next 40 years" or the next 40 seconds is not in your best interests, will He allow it to continue? The second question is equally important. If He knows that what you are enduring is in your best interest, will you cooperate with Him?
It all boils down to which God you believe in -- one who submits to your ideas of good and bad or the one who is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Sovereign. I'm sure you know that only one of those is the real God.
4 comments:
Your post prompts the question: What is the best way to answer "Because" questions?
As an example, were babies born with limb defects BECAUSE their mothers took their prescription thalidomide pills? Most would answer "Yes," but would hold those women blameless since in 1960 it wasn't known to human minds that a danger lurked there.
A couple options available to our analysis are (i) the so-called defects were actually a good thing on balance for some reason that maybe doesn't jump out at us, or (ii) God faithfully worked one-on-one with pregnant women to warn them not to use thalidomide, but some of them in their cold-heartedness ignored Him, with the consequences we see.
I suppose it's a normal philosophy, just not a biblical one. "God only intends pleasant things for our lives and if they don't happen it's because ..." and we're back to your "because". It's God's fault. It's our fault. (Implied in the latter is "God couldn't stop it because ..." and we're back to "because", aren't we?)
Jesus said the man born blind was not born blind because of sin ("Our fault"), but "so that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:3) We don't always (often?) know why God is doing what He is doing, but we can be confident that He intends good (Gen 50:20). That "good" may not always seem like it to us, but that's the problem of the sinful nature, not God's failure. So your first option -- "the so-called defects were actually a good thing on balance for some reason that maybe doesn't jump out at us" -- is very likely the correct one most of the time.
Causality or correlation to cause, arguments really don't do much for the heart. yes you may find an answer to the 'why question' eventually, but the answer becomes just another empty set.
i believe the point of knowing the character of God, is to cease from all efforts at understanding the whys.. it's more about filling the heart with hope and joy. knowing that no matter the circumstances, God is in control. in-addition; because He is Good, He works all things for the Good to those that love him and are called according to his purposes.
I don't know that "cease from all efforts at understanding the whys" is necessary. Realizing that 1) it won't happen and 2) it isn't that important probably is.
Post a Comment