I once read a little piece intended to show irrefutably that if the God of the Bible is what the Bible actually portrays, then He cannot be just -- He cannot be good. The illustration goes something like this. Imagine a man laying out by the pool enjoying the sun and reading a book. A little two-year-old girl comes out from the house and toddles over to the pool ... and falls in. The man notices, but goes on reading his book. Is that man just? Is he a good man? Well, of course not! He's a monster! We can all see that. So if God is watching as people "toddle into the pool" of existence and are drowning and He has the ability to save us but does not, He, too, is that kind of monster.
Of course, the Bible is abundantly clear that 1) God has the capacity to save everyone (e.g., Matt 19:26) and 2) He does not (e.g., Matt 7:21-23). You who believe in the God of the Bible ... how do you reconcile that? Some don't. Some just ignore the question. Others believe in God, but not that God. "The Bible is simply wrong in that portrayal (at least) of God." Some reinterpret plain text to mean ... the opposite of what it says. Some argue that God saves (ultimately) all that want to be saved, but doesn't force anyone. (That sounds nice, but if a parent knows of a certain mortal danger and has the authority and capability of saving the life of his child by acting against the child's will to prevent that danger, but fails to do so, is that loving? Is that a good parent?) So we who believe that when Scripture says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17) it means it. So we have to figure out how our skeptic above is wrong, don't we?
Let me help. The illustration breaks down at one very critical point. God is not an "adult human" and we are not "toddlers." We bear a resemblance to God, but we are His creation and not "little gods." So, what if God "has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills" (Rom 9:18)? "Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" (Rom 9:20). God owes human beings nothing. The illustration would be a better picture if, instead of a 2-year-old, a swarm of angry, vindictive mosquitos were swarming toward the man, but fall short and crash into the pool. If the man does nothing, it's fine. If he actually pulls some out, it's amazing grace. Because, although His creation owes Him everything, God is not obligated to His creation. Any kindness, any mercy He might show is a gift from a holy God. When we miss that point, we miss God's nature and His grace entirely.
3 comments:
The first illustration is the common perception when we create God in our image. We're just younger, weaker versions of God. Your second example is much closer to the truth. We think so highly of ourselves, and so lowly of God, but we are less significant in importance than even the difference between us and insects. But the hostility is important also. We aren't simply flying around getting stuck in life, but we are hostile to God. The mosquito is at least coming after us for sustenance, without any regard for the cost to us. We are out to bite God for no other reason but to try to harm Him.
As you both suggest the conflict lies in our perception of ourselves and our perception of YHWH. Too many conclude that we are created "a little lower" than YHWH, when this is clearly not the case. We forget the "My ways and not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts." thing and instead pretend that our thoughts are really His thoughts. It's shouldn't be unexpected as the Bible is full of this sort of thing, but somehow is is.
I am glad that I didn’t read today’s post while lounging at the pool during mosquito season :) (though angry bees is more like it, where I live). All joking aside, that was a helpful illustration of God’s grace in the face of our general distain for Him. As you rightly point out, we are not innocent children but adults intentionally choosing to disobey God (albeit some more blatantly than others). Many insist they are not being rebellious but are basically “good people” who don’t deserve God’s wrath, but the Lord knows every intention and motive of our hearts--no matter how well we hide them from others--and He is therefore not misjudging our depravity even one tiny bit. Once again, it comes down to not comparing ourselves to other equally sinful humans but to God’s perfect standard and seeing our clear need for His forgiveness.
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