As I was thinking about this one day, it struck me that if the nature of God is truly Trinity, we would expect to see reflections of His nature all around us. Of course these reflections would contain only partial information. What I mean, is that if He is Trinity and He is the creator, would He not leave clues as to who He is His in what He created? With this insight, I started to look for what I call trinities (lower case “t”). That is, to use the working definition I used last day, to look for examples of unity in diversity. I found them everywhere. I call these reflections of Trinity, trinity with a lower case “t”.
We are matter, and we live in space and in time. Furthermore each of the three components is itself a trinity. Matter comes as solid, liquid and gas. Time is past, present and future, space has three dimensions. Some have attempted to use these 'trinities' as illustration of Trinity. God has been compared to an egg because it has shell, yoke and white. The single substance we call water has three forms ice, vapour and liquid. But of course God is not an egg, not even a 'good egg'. Others have tried to explain Trinity in terms of functionality. I for example am father, teacher and friend to various groups of people. But I am certainly not God, and functionality does not explain why Jesus prayed to the Father. In the end then all models are inadequate, so that though they be reflections of Him, they are pale reflections. That is not to say that they have no use.
I need to be careful how I say this, but perhaps the closest we can get to a model of Trinity is mankind. We are in fact body, soul and spirit. Some would prefer body, mind and psyche. It is my sense that this model is closer than any of the others, because we are made in the image of the creator (thought the image to be complete seems to need both male and female parts – see below).
So then what I am saying is that in a real sense the nature of reality is trinitarian (lower case “t” - unity in diversity). But I need to say more about the implications of this. I have suggested that we can use unity in diversity is a working model, and I want to supplement this by talking about interdependence. We in the West tend to value rugged north American individualism very highly. Certainly we are born dependent, and as a necessary stage of growth we need to come out of dependence to become independent and self sufficient. But independence is not the highest level of maturity, nor of functionality to which we can attain. No interdependence is higher still. Interdependence is when we choose to surrender some of that independence for the benefit of the whole. So then we can think of both Trinity and trinity as three interdependent (for want of a better word) components.
Interdependence has to be an (if not the) essential component of a healthy marriage. But not all marriages are healthy (you knew that right?). I am convinced that a big part of the problem, is that we we tend to get stuck in independence and not move to the next stage of growth, to interdependence. This is where we choose to submit to one another in love (Ephesians 5:21), and allow what can too easily turn into those pesky irreconcilable differences, to mould us in mutual submission, into a harmony that God intends to be the highest model of who He is. Trinity and trinity then, is unity in diversity, it is harmony not cacophony, and marriage is a watershed where we choose to grow, or remain stuck. In fact, it is here then supremely in marriage, where in the end, we choose to allow the World to see His reflection in us, or not. I am not saying that it is easy, and it does take two. But please don't play the blame game. That's what Adam did (Genesis 3: 12). I suspect a 60/60 percent admission of blame by both sides works best!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
God is Trinity? Who can understand or believe that?
It may at first sight seem that I have completely changed tacks from my last post. In fact I have not. As a “heads up”, let me say that a subtitle for my book (see blog heading) is “A trinitarian approach to inner healing”. There are however a number of issues that I need to address before I can proceed. The heart of the matter is this, that while we are multidimensional creatures placed in a multidimensional habitat, we have this strong tendency to live one dimensionally. My point is not just that modern Western secular man tries to ignore the spiritual dimension of who we are (though he/she certainly does this). No even Christians have this strong tendency of being one dimensional. We see it even in the names of the denominations, or in the names of movements with which we identify. Too often our Christianity is a one note samba, when it is intended to be a rich and haunting harmony of all that God is. At some level it is inevitable since no matter how much we know, no matter how much we learn, no matter how wise we become, it will still be true that down here we “know in part and prophecy in part” (I Corinthians 13:9, see also 1 Corinthians 8:2).
So often the error that we perceive in another, is truth out of balance. And in our failure to see the other side of the coin, we ourselves become one sided. One person put it this way “In the inevitable swing of the pendulum, we pass through the point of rest (the bottom of the swing) at maximum speed. So Christians have for example, tended to emphasize the Spirt over the Word, or the Word over the Spirit, or the Free will of man vs. the Sovereignty of God. Or in the non-religious sphere logic over intuition. The truth more often than not, is not “either, or”, but “both, and”. May the Lord have mercy upon us when in our zeal, we do not see the need for balance, or when we fail to communicate in love.
The heart of the issue has to do with “Unity in diversity”, and I want to adopt this as a working definition of both “Trinity” and “trinity” (with lower case “t”). In the case of the Godhead, it describes the diversity of Father Son and Holy Spirit as a Unity, as being One. For a more formal definition of Trinity, I suggest that you Google “Trinity”, but this may well leave you non-the wiser, and that is okay.
There are two immediate things I want to say. The first is that the Church did not formulate the doctrine of the trinity because it thought it was the most logical and informative description of God. No it started as an attempt to make sense of the two diverse strands of Scripture. The first of these two strands is that in the context of mono theistic (one God) Judaism God is clearly One. The second strand is the teaching (also deduced from Scripture) that Jesus is also God. Here is not the place to debate this, though I can't resist saying that in the book of Isaiah, two of the names of the “the child born, the Son given” are “The Everlasting Father”, and “The Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).
The other thing that I want to say today concerns the part of the title “Who can understand or believe that?”. It seems to me that there is an (unreasonable) demand we make, in the religious sphere and only in the religious sphere, that we will not believe something we cannot fully understand. (See also future post “Mystery banished in the West”). But who can understand quarks and quasars, or black holes or even electricity? Yet we probably believe in electricity.
Concerning not being able to understand Trinity, I want to suggest that if we think we have fully understood God, then our god is too small, and is not really God at all, but an idol. One of the classical definitions of God is “That which is greater than we can conceive”. The Scripture puts it this way “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”. Compared even to the highest mountain, the heavens are way higher than anything on earth. The admonition to be childlike before God comes to mind, to have a little humility about the capacity of our tiny minds to grasp the wonder of the unity and complex diversity of creation, let alone of the Creator! More coming.
So often the error that we perceive in another, is truth out of balance. And in our failure to see the other side of the coin, we ourselves become one sided. One person put it this way “In the inevitable swing of the pendulum, we pass through the point of rest (the bottom of the swing) at maximum speed. So Christians have for example, tended to emphasize the Spirt over the Word, or the Word over the Spirit, or the Free will of man vs. the Sovereignty of God. Or in the non-religious sphere logic over intuition. The truth more often than not, is not “either, or”, but “both, and”. May the Lord have mercy upon us when in our zeal, we do not see the need for balance, or when we fail to communicate in love.
The heart of the issue has to do with “Unity in diversity”, and I want to adopt this as a working definition of both “Trinity” and “trinity” (with lower case “t”). In the case of the Godhead, it describes the diversity of Father Son and Holy Spirit as a Unity, as being One. For a more formal definition of Trinity, I suggest that you Google “Trinity”, but this may well leave you non-the wiser, and that is okay.
There are two immediate things I want to say. The first is that the Church did not formulate the doctrine of the trinity because it thought it was the most logical and informative description of God. No it started as an attempt to make sense of the two diverse strands of Scripture. The first of these two strands is that in the context of mono theistic (one God) Judaism God is clearly One. The second strand is the teaching (also deduced from Scripture) that Jesus is also God. Here is not the place to debate this, though I can't resist saying that in the book of Isaiah, two of the names of the “the child born, the Son given” are “The Everlasting Father”, and “The Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).
The other thing that I want to say today concerns the part of the title “Who can understand or believe that?”. It seems to me that there is an (unreasonable) demand we make, in the religious sphere and only in the religious sphere, that we will not believe something we cannot fully understand. (See also future post “Mystery banished in the West”). But who can understand quarks and quasars, or black holes or even electricity? Yet we probably believe in electricity.
Concerning not being able to understand Trinity, I want to suggest that if we think we have fully understood God, then our god is too small, and is not really God at all, but an idol. One of the classical definitions of God is “That which is greater than we can conceive”. The Scripture puts it this way “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts”. Compared even to the highest mountain, the heavens are way higher than anything on earth. The admonition to be childlike before God comes to mind, to have a little humility about the capacity of our tiny minds to grasp the wonder of the unity and complex diversity of creation, let alone of the Creator! More coming.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Do you want to be made whole?
He was a cripple lying by the pool of Bethesda, and he had been there for 38 years. Ever so often the waters were stirred miraculously (see future post “You believe in miracles?”) and the first one in got healed. But he was a cripple with no one to help him, so he was never first and he had been there as I say 38 years, 38 long, long years. And Jesus seeing him asks “Do you want to be made whole?”
The first time you read these words you want to say “Excuse me Jesus, I don’t mean to be sassy, but what kind of a question is that when, the man has been there for 38 years just waiting to be healed?” But the answer is far from obvious. You could imagine the man saying “Will I have to get a job? Will I have to leave here? The only people I have ever known are right here. Where will I go? What will I do?” Better the devil you know?
There is a recovery saying that rings true with me. It is this: “We will not change, until the pain of not changing becomes greater than the pain of change”. As I look at people who are stuck (and we all get stuck at times) I see that there are many things that keep us there. Fear is a biggie. Sometimes there are advantages that we don't want to give up, the respect the spouse of the alcoholic gets from friends for putting up with him. And then there is denial, denial that we even need it, but at some level we all need it.
And then there is the difficulty of change. In the last post I quoted Paul's words from Romans about doing what we know we should not, and not doing what we know we should. It only gets harder when you try. We don't even begin to know how entrenched our (often hidden) addictions are until we try to deal with them. Its not enough to just try and get rid of the pain. It just does not work that way. At some level the pain is a message telling us we need to deal with the stuff. But deep down we know if we start, we are opening a can of worms. There is a cost to recovery, and while it is always worth it, we don't always see that in the beginning.
Recovery is not for the faint of heart. Perhaps that is why so few are engaged in it, even Christians. In fact there are times I find that I have more in common with non-Christians in recovery, than Christians who are not. In the introduction to an influential book (Transformation of the inner man by John and Paula Sandford) they say “You may not be where the Church is when you start reading this book, you will certainly not be there when you finish reading it”.
But the Church is supposed to be the place where this works best, and in my opinion in the best Churches it is true. These are Churches (independent of denomination) that believe and teach and practice that one of the functions of the Church is that it is to be a hospital for the sin sick. Jesus emphasizes this when He said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
And this is why I am writing my book “Biblical self help and the healing power of God's love”. There are three interconnected components are work here, self help certainly, Bible help (truth that sets us free), and God's help. We need all three components if we are to move towards wholeness. More in the coming days. For the moment, let me ask “How about you, do you want to be made whole?”
The first time you read these words you want to say “Excuse me Jesus, I don’t mean to be sassy, but what kind of a question is that when, the man has been there for 38 years just waiting to be healed?” But the answer is far from obvious. You could imagine the man saying “Will I have to get a job? Will I have to leave here? The only people I have ever known are right here. Where will I go? What will I do?” Better the devil you know?
There is a recovery saying that rings true with me. It is this: “We will not change, until the pain of not changing becomes greater than the pain of change”. As I look at people who are stuck (and we all get stuck at times) I see that there are many things that keep us there. Fear is a biggie. Sometimes there are advantages that we don't want to give up, the respect the spouse of the alcoholic gets from friends for putting up with him. And then there is denial, denial that we even need it, but at some level we all need it.
And then there is the difficulty of change. In the last post I quoted Paul's words from Romans about doing what we know we should not, and not doing what we know we should. It only gets harder when you try. We don't even begin to know how entrenched our (often hidden) addictions are until we try to deal with them. Its not enough to just try and get rid of the pain. It just does not work that way. At some level the pain is a message telling us we need to deal with the stuff. But deep down we know if we start, we are opening a can of worms. There is a cost to recovery, and while it is always worth it, we don't always see that in the beginning.
Recovery is not for the faint of heart. Perhaps that is why so few are engaged in it, even Christians. In fact there are times I find that I have more in common with non-Christians in recovery, than Christians who are not. In the introduction to an influential book (Transformation of the inner man by John and Paula Sandford) they say “You may not be where the Church is when you start reading this book, you will certainly not be there when you finish reading it”.
But the Church is supposed to be the place where this works best, and in my opinion in the best Churches it is true. These are Churches (independent of denomination) that believe and teach and practice that one of the functions of the Church is that it is to be a hospital for the sin sick. Jesus emphasizes this when He said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
And this is why I am writing my book “Biblical self help and the healing power of God's love”. There are three interconnected components are work here, self help certainly, Bible help (truth that sets us free), and God's help. We need all three components if we are to move towards wholeness. More in the coming days. For the moment, let me ask “How about you, do you want to be made whole?”
Sunday, July 25, 2010
If anything can go right it will! Yeah right!
“Grandpa, are you being psychotic”? 'Do you mean am I being sarcastic sweetheart'? “Yes”. Riddle: When does a double positive make a negative? Answer: When you are being psychotic. :) Of course when you are being sarcastic, you mean the exact opposite of what you are actually saying. But It only works if the person you are speaking to knows you mean the exact opposite of what you are saying. So when I say “If any thing can go right, it will”. I am of course provoking you to think of Muphy's law “If anything can go wrong it will”. It is not an absolute rule but it seems to happen too often to be coincidence. There is something perverse about the universe. One thing going wrong spoils everything. One thing going right does not even begin to make up for it.
Or if you do ten things right and one thing wrong, what will people remember? Or have you ever noticed that good habits are easy to get into and hard to get out of. On the other hand, bad habits are easy to get into, and hard the get out of. The fly in the ointment, spoils the ointment, but the beauty in the dungheap spoils the beauty. Corruption is infectious, but purity is soon lost. It seems that the dice is loaded in favour of the negative. Have you ever had the thought “everything is against me”?
Success is hard work, the default is disaster. Paul in his letter to the Roman Church talks about our struggles. “The good things I want to do, I do not do, but the bad things I do not want to do these are the very things I do (Chapter 7)”. An alcoholic friend of mine told me one time, “there are a lot of things in the Bible that I don't understand, but I understand that one!” Not only is everything against me, I am even against myself. When I leave, I take my own worst enemy with me, or so it seems. Most of us don't even like ourselves very much. Many times the one who puts me down the most is me! Yes there is something perverse about the World, and I am part of the problem.
How does one account for all of this? The Bible explanation is that there are three things operating in this reality. The first is that we have a inherited a sin nature from our ancestors. We sin because we are sinners, rather than being a sinner because I have sinned (see “The S word – Who says its wrong?” - coming post). What the Bible is teaching is that it is our nature to go wrong. The default drive is downhill. And it is this way from birth. Nobody has to teach a child to throw temper tantrums, but he needs training (a lot of it) to be nice. Secondly, as already mentioned in an earlier post, the earth is actually cursed for our sake (see 'Is mankind kind, or cruel?'). It is logically impossible to have a world with consequence and without pain, its like trying to construct a square circle. Thirdly we are told that we have a powerful and influential invisible enemy who is committed to our destruction (see future post 'You believe in the Devil? Give me a break!').
What hope do we have if things are stacked against us in this way? Again the Bible, while it knows and understands us, always has the solution. At the end of the chapter quoted above Paul cries out “Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” He gives the solution immediately. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. And right on the heels of this we learn, when we receive Him as Lord, that “There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. So the first part of this very good news for those who will receive it, is that we are delivered from Penalty of sin (eternal separation from God and hence from all that is good Romans 6:23). Paul goes on to show us the path to be delivered from the Power of sin, and ultimately from its Presence. At the end of Chapter 8 Paul asks “If God be for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son will He not freely give us all things?”
Why would anyone not want this? You have to wonder if this is not part of our perversity. The Scripture tells us though that the wisdom of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (see future post 'How can a God of love send anyone to hell?').
Or if you do ten things right and one thing wrong, what will people remember? Or have you ever noticed that good habits are easy to get into and hard to get out of. On the other hand, bad habits are easy to get into, and hard the get out of. The fly in the ointment, spoils the ointment, but the beauty in the dungheap spoils the beauty. Corruption is infectious, but purity is soon lost. It seems that the dice is loaded in favour of the negative. Have you ever had the thought “everything is against me”?
Success is hard work, the default is disaster. Paul in his letter to the Roman Church talks about our struggles. “The good things I want to do, I do not do, but the bad things I do not want to do these are the very things I do (Chapter 7)”. An alcoholic friend of mine told me one time, “there are a lot of things in the Bible that I don't understand, but I understand that one!” Not only is everything against me, I am even against myself. When I leave, I take my own worst enemy with me, or so it seems. Most of us don't even like ourselves very much. Many times the one who puts me down the most is me! Yes there is something perverse about the World, and I am part of the problem.
How does one account for all of this? The Bible explanation is that there are three things operating in this reality. The first is that we have a inherited a sin nature from our ancestors. We sin because we are sinners, rather than being a sinner because I have sinned (see “The S word – Who says its wrong?” - coming post). What the Bible is teaching is that it is our nature to go wrong. The default drive is downhill. And it is this way from birth. Nobody has to teach a child to throw temper tantrums, but he needs training (a lot of it) to be nice. Secondly, as already mentioned in an earlier post, the earth is actually cursed for our sake (see 'Is mankind kind, or cruel?'). It is logically impossible to have a world with consequence and without pain, its like trying to construct a square circle. Thirdly we are told that we have a powerful and influential invisible enemy who is committed to our destruction (see future post 'You believe in the Devil? Give me a break!').
What hope do we have if things are stacked against us in this way? Again the Bible, while it knows and understands us, always has the solution. At the end of the chapter quoted above Paul cries out “Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death?” He gives the solution immediately. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. And right on the heels of this we learn, when we receive Him as Lord, that “There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. So the first part of this very good news for those who will receive it, is that we are delivered from Penalty of sin (eternal separation from God and hence from all that is good Romans 6:23). Paul goes on to show us the path to be delivered from the Power of sin, and ultimately from its Presence. At the end of Chapter 8 Paul asks “If God be for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son will He not freely give us all things?”
Why would anyone not want this? You have to wonder if this is not part of our perversity. The Scripture tells us though that the wisdom of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (see future post 'How can a God of love send anyone to hell?').
Friday, July 23, 2010
Is mankind kind, or cruel?
There is nothing I like more than a movie that portrays a true story of the nobility of man or woman, a teacher who helps her students rise out of the gutter, or one who takes on the greed of a multinational corporation and wins. And who is not inspired by athletes who train and train and break this or that world record. Surely there is something wonderful about man, but equally sure, is that there is something terrible about man. Look at Hitler or the Hutsi-Tutsi genocide, observe man's inhumanity to man.
Man is seems can rise to the highest of heights and sink to the lowest of lows. So is mankind kind or is he cruel? Surely the answer is yes, to use the mathematical 'or' which includes both. Is it A or B? Yes, because it is both. He (or she – I would not want to leave you out ladies) is both wonderful and terrible, noble and debased, tender and terrifying. But why is this? What is going on here? Can your World view explain it? Mine can.
The Biblical Word view is that mankind (literally adam) is noble because he is made in the image of God. We are talking of the God of the Hebrew Christian Scriptures of course. So God is love, God is just, God is moral, has integrity, character, is Faithful, and Holy and Just. Thus these things exist and are seen in mankind. Man was also created to have fellowship communion with the source of all nobility and love and integrity. So man is good and kind and noble and wonderful. He is made in the image of God, but he is not God. Just as your image in the mirror is not you, like you certainly in many many ways, but even so not you. So you and I are made in the image of God, but we are not God. Hurray (it means I don't have to have all the answers, and I am not responsible for the whole world)!
There are of course many many aspects to our being made in the image of God. Part of this is that we are created a free moral being, and so are free to make choices. And here is the rub. In order for us to be truly free to make choices, we must be given the possibility of making choices that are not in accord with the source. We are free to choose to love or not. God did not make us robots saying “I love you God, I really do!”
Has Adam (mankind) made, and do we make choices that are shall we say, are not in accord with the source as described above? Well you tell me. And would paradise be paradise if those who inhabit it were making such choices (see Pulled over for speeding... 30th June)? So yes man is wonderful and beautiful, but man is also fallen. According to the scriptures mankind has shown himself incapable of obeying even just one single rule. So then, because of our choices, we have of necessity been cut off from the source of everything that is good. So God (and we too) have a problem. We cannot inhabit paradise as we are, we need to be redeemed and changed, and reconnected with the source. As just part of this, we need to learn to choose the good and reject the bad. In order for this to happen, it seems to be necessary that choices have consequences. So God curses the earth “for your sakes” as the King James translation of Genesis 3:17 puts it. In different words “Because I love you, it is necessary that the earth be cursed”. I do not pretend to fully understand this, and I don't always like it, but I do know that it was my own pain that He used to bring me back to Himself. It does seem to work this way.
The question to ask then is “Does the Biblical World view reflect reality?” As I have said before and will say again “This book knows us, knows our problem”. I know of no other World view that even comes close to explaining this fundamental reality. The Biblical world view knows our problem, and offers the solution. There is only one way, His way! If all else fails read the instructions!
Man is seems can rise to the highest of heights and sink to the lowest of lows. So is mankind kind or is he cruel? Surely the answer is yes, to use the mathematical 'or' which includes both. Is it A or B? Yes, because it is both. He (or she – I would not want to leave you out ladies) is both wonderful and terrible, noble and debased, tender and terrifying. But why is this? What is going on here? Can your World view explain it? Mine can.
The Biblical Word view is that mankind (literally adam) is noble because he is made in the image of God. We are talking of the God of the Hebrew Christian Scriptures of course. So God is love, God is just, God is moral, has integrity, character, is Faithful, and Holy and Just. Thus these things exist and are seen in mankind. Man was also created to have fellowship communion with the source of all nobility and love and integrity. So man is good and kind and noble and wonderful. He is made in the image of God, but he is not God. Just as your image in the mirror is not you, like you certainly in many many ways, but even so not you. So you and I are made in the image of God, but we are not God. Hurray (it means I don't have to have all the answers, and I am not responsible for the whole world)!
There are of course many many aspects to our being made in the image of God. Part of this is that we are created a free moral being, and so are free to make choices. And here is the rub. In order for us to be truly free to make choices, we must be given the possibility of making choices that are not in accord with the source. We are free to choose to love or not. God did not make us robots saying “I love you God, I really do!”
Has Adam (mankind) made, and do we make choices that are shall we say, are not in accord with the source as described above? Well you tell me. And would paradise be paradise if those who inhabit it were making such choices (see Pulled over for speeding... 30th June)? So yes man is wonderful and beautiful, but man is also fallen. According to the scriptures mankind has shown himself incapable of obeying even just one single rule. So then, because of our choices, we have of necessity been cut off from the source of everything that is good. So God (and we too) have a problem. We cannot inhabit paradise as we are, we need to be redeemed and changed, and reconnected with the source. As just part of this, we need to learn to choose the good and reject the bad. In order for this to happen, it seems to be necessary that choices have consequences. So God curses the earth “for your sakes” as the King James translation of Genesis 3:17 puts it. In different words “Because I love you, it is necessary that the earth be cursed”. I do not pretend to fully understand this, and I don't always like it, but I do know that it was my own pain that He used to bring me back to Himself. It does seem to work this way.
The question to ask then is “Does the Biblical World view reflect reality?” As I have said before and will say again “This book knows us, knows our problem”. I know of no other World view that even comes close to explaining this fundamental reality. The Biblical world view knows our problem, and offers the solution. There is only one way, His way! If all else fails read the instructions!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Force be with you. Is God personal?
There are really only two possible choices for origins. Either the universe created itself or it didn't. Now you have every right to believe that the Universe created itself, that kind of thing is what freedom of choice is all about. But if you do so believe, please don't ridicule me for believing that it didn't. The point is, as I pointed out in my early blog entries, your position is every bit as much a faith position as is mine. It is of course a different faith position.
If you choose (and in the end it is a choice) to believe that the universe did not create itself, then you are in fact positing some form of god. But at this point, the god you choose, could still be a long way from the God of the Hebrew Christian Scriptures. But lets take one step closer. Once we have come to the place where we choose to believe that there is some form of creator, the next question is surly is "Is he/she/it personal or impersonal"? Francis Schaeffer has an illustration that I want to share with you.
Suppose that you were asked to determine the source of two lakes in adjacent valleys, and you saw that the level was dropping in one, and rising in the other. If the level of the that was dropping was higher than the one that was rising, it would make sense to ask if the one in which the level was dropping was draining into the other one. However if the level of the water continued to rise after they had reached the same level, you would surely dismiss this theory.
So the question to ask next is “Is mankind personal?” Modern man (and woman) without a Bible is is inclined to answer no. I believe this is because he/she knows (but will not admit) that this is a loaded question. I have to ask myself if this is not simply denial. The point is that if we are personal, then surely the source of who we are is personal too. We may intellectually say (and many do) that we are nothing more than a collection of molecules, but we cannot live meaningful lives that way. And this is one of the problems of our modern society, we no longer know who we are. And because we no longer know who we are, we try to find ourselves in what we do, in success, in the abundance of our possessions, in sex, in drugs and the like. Does it work? You tell me!
I remember years ago now, taking to a young man who was studding Nietzsche, and finding himself lost in the process. I suggested we went to my office to pray. “Its come to this God”, he prayed, “You are my last hope”. 'But what a hope' I interjected, and the Lord used that thought to turn him round. So often God is our last resource, but what a resource! Is Christianity a crutch? My own experience is that He is far more like a brand new pair of legs! I see a lot of limpers out there!
If you choose (and in the end it is a choice) to believe that the universe did not create itself, then you are in fact positing some form of god. But at this point, the god you choose, could still be a long way from the God of the Hebrew Christian Scriptures. But lets take one step closer. Once we have come to the place where we choose to believe that there is some form of creator, the next question is surly is "Is he/she/it personal or impersonal"? Francis Schaeffer has an illustration that I want to share with you.
Suppose that you were asked to determine the source of two lakes in adjacent valleys, and you saw that the level was dropping in one, and rising in the other. If the level of the that was dropping was higher than the one that was rising, it would make sense to ask if the one in which the level was dropping was draining into the other one. However if the level of the water continued to rise after they had reached the same level, you would surely dismiss this theory.
So the question to ask next is “Is mankind personal?” Modern man (and woman) without a Bible is is inclined to answer no. I believe this is because he/she knows (but will not admit) that this is a loaded question. I have to ask myself if this is not simply denial. The point is that if we are personal, then surely the source of who we are is personal too. We may intellectually say (and many do) that we are nothing more than a collection of molecules, but we cannot live meaningful lives that way. And this is one of the problems of our modern society, we no longer know who we are. And because we no longer know who we are, we try to find ourselves in what we do, in success, in the abundance of our possessions, in sex, in drugs and the like. Does it work? You tell me!
I remember years ago now, taking to a young man who was studding Nietzsche, and finding himself lost in the process. I suggested we went to my office to pray. “Its come to this God”, he prayed, “You are my last hope”. 'But what a hope' I interjected, and the Lord used that thought to turn him round. So often God is our last resource, but what a resource! Is Christianity a crutch? My own experience is that He is far more like a brand new pair of legs! I see a lot of limpers out there!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
I have done too much bad for God to forgive me.
If and when we do wake up to the fact that we have done things that are very very wrong, forgiving ourselves can be one of the hardest things we need to do. I have two things to say to those who feel this way. There is nothing that you have done that is so bad that God cannot (or will not) forgive, and sometime the hardest person to forgive is ourselves. It is one of the things we need to do to heal, and so be able to get on with our lives.
When Jesus tells the crippled man “Son your sins are forgiven you”, the Pharisees are muttering in their hearts “Who can forgive sins but God”? Well its a good question and the answer is of course is nobody”. Quite apart from the fact that Jesus' response to this (Mark 2) implies that He is indeed God, the God man (more later), His response also implies that God really does have the right and the authority to forgive. Forgiveness is an important subject and we will eventually need to consider all three aspects of it, God's forgiveness of us, our forgiveness of others (sometimes we need to forgive God – even though He has done no wrong), and our forgiveness of ourselves.
All three aspect have their costly side. It cost God to forgive us, it cost Him the death of His Son. Because of this He is just to require that we forgive others. I do not even begin to pretend that that can not also be a very costly and difficult thing. But there are also times when it is very hard to forgive ourselves. I helps me to know that when I withholding forgiveness from myself, it is sin. The reason for this is that when I do not forgive myself I am withhold forgiveness from one who God loves very much (me, in your case, you). When I acknowledge that it is sin, I am also acknowledging that I need to change, that I need to repent, to turn from it. When I do this, and know His forgiveness, then I can then get on with my life.
As an illustration that God can and does forgive no matter what we have done, consider Psalm 51. King David taking to God says “Against You and You only have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight”. What had he done? Well he had essentially committed murder to try and hide the adultery that he had committed with Bathsheba. Is what you have done worse than this? I am not suggesting that we should start to grade sins, nevertheless it should be clear that if God can forgive that He can forgive anything that you have done. And He did forgive. He tells us in His Word that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). As the hymn writer wrote “His blood can make the foulest clean, His Blood availed for me!” The sacrifice of the spotless son of God is enough to satisfy a Holy and righteous God, and allow Him even to be just in forgiving.
Forgiving ourselves (and others) is an important step to inner healing (and sometimes to physical healing too). I have seen physical healing unblocked after the person repeated the prayer “I give myself a gift that I don't deserve, I choose to forgive myself”. We can't earn forgiveness, either from God or from each other. If it comes, it has to come by grace (undeserved favour). It is one more reason the cross of Christ was needed. The God who loves us more than we will ever know provided it. For this reason alone He is worthy of all praise and honour and Glory.
When Jesus tells the crippled man “Son your sins are forgiven you”, the Pharisees are muttering in their hearts “Who can forgive sins but God”? Well its a good question and the answer is of course is nobody”. Quite apart from the fact that Jesus' response to this (Mark 2) implies that He is indeed God, the God man (more later), His response also implies that God really does have the right and the authority to forgive. Forgiveness is an important subject and we will eventually need to consider all three aspects of it, God's forgiveness of us, our forgiveness of others (sometimes we need to forgive God – even though He has done no wrong), and our forgiveness of ourselves.
All three aspect have their costly side. It cost God to forgive us, it cost Him the death of His Son. Because of this He is just to require that we forgive others. I do not even begin to pretend that that can not also be a very costly and difficult thing. But there are also times when it is very hard to forgive ourselves. I helps me to know that when I withholding forgiveness from myself, it is sin. The reason for this is that when I do not forgive myself I am withhold forgiveness from one who God loves very much (me, in your case, you). When I acknowledge that it is sin, I am also acknowledging that I need to change, that I need to repent, to turn from it. When I do this, and know His forgiveness, then I can then get on with my life.
As an illustration that God can and does forgive no matter what we have done, consider Psalm 51. King David taking to God says “Against You and You only have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight”. What had he done? Well he had essentially committed murder to try and hide the adultery that he had committed with Bathsheba. Is what you have done worse than this? I am not suggesting that we should start to grade sins, nevertheless it should be clear that if God can forgive that He can forgive anything that you have done. And He did forgive. He tells us in His Word that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). As the hymn writer wrote “His blood can make the foulest clean, His Blood availed for me!” The sacrifice of the spotless son of God is enough to satisfy a Holy and righteous God, and allow Him even to be just in forgiving.
Forgiving ourselves (and others) is an important step to inner healing (and sometimes to physical healing too). I have seen physical healing unblocked after the person repeated the prayer “I give myself a gift that I don't deserve, I choose to forgive myself”. We can't earn forgiveness, either from God or from each other. If it comes, it has to come by grace (undeserved favour). It is one more reason the cross of Christ was needed. The God who loves us more than we will ever know provided it. For this reason alone He is worthy of all praise and honour and Glory.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Its all so clear...., all so confusing (more journey).
For the first few weeks after my conversion, my new life was in many ways like a honeymoon. Everything was so fresh and new. I saw things with new eyes, and my new best friend Jesus was so close. My situation had not changed. I was still separated from my daughter in England (see post “You will search for Me and find Me...”), but somehow I was now able to bear it. I am not saying it was easy, but it had become possible. On top of this my thoughts and understanding about God were so straightforward. “Its all so very clear”, I thought, “I don't see why everybody can't see it”. But a few weeks later I was thinking “This is so complex, I can't see how anyone can find it”.
It is we who make it complex, and big part of it is our double mindedness. We want it and we don't want it. The mind's ability to rationalize knows no bounds, and it leads to confusion. I wanted the new life, but the old life still had a hold on me. I needed to take up my cross daily (daily surrender). The simple fact of the matter was that when I was in surrender mode and so close to Him, I could bear my pain, but when I was in rebellion, I could not. The depth of my pain made me very teachable. It was as if He had His arms around me, but was willing to release me as I stated to wander away from Him. This was not like any of earthly relationships which tended to be either possessive or dismissive. “You can choose that Phil, but if you do, we cannot be close”. To the extent I wandered away, the loneliness the emptiness and the pain would return, when I turned back to Him, the pain would diminish. I came running back many many times.
Trying to figure it all out it felt as though, in coming to the initial surrender, that I had been lead through a very complex maze in my thinking, a maze of unbelief, of secular thinking, of false presuppositions and the like. Before He began to draw me to Himself, I had been very far from Him both in my behaviour and in my thinking. It seemed in spite of being pulled in two directions, that I had been shown the way through the maze. But it soon became clear that in order to more fully understand, I need to go through it again. This time I made a whole bunch of false turns (I seem to learn best when I learn the hard way). Then after each such false turn I would find my way back, but only after I wandered too far from the correct path, usually through the deceitfulness of my desires. I think that I could find my way only because He helped me, because of the experience of the tangible comfort of His presence (when I was walking with Him), and finally because I knew there was a way through it (I had been shown). Knowing the solution exists helps you to find it. I was learning to love the Lord with all my mind.
I came to realize that part of the difficulty is smartness related. It seems that the smarter you are, the more work you need to do to find your way though the mind maze (and so love Him with all your mind). There were those who did not even understand some of the questions I was asking, let alone why they were causing me such grief.
It is also humility related. We need to come to God as a little, child (or we don't ask for help). This can be extremely humbling. A child like humility thought, is the only reasonable posture to take before the one who by a Word flung starts into space. Can you pray, and sincerely mean “God if You are really there, please show Yourself to me?” It is the place to start if you don't know Him and you want to, or if you want to know Him more. You do need to be willing to pay the price though (see “You will seek Me..” and “Unless you hate mother and father …”). The combination of being too smart for our own good, and too proud and stubborn to realize how little we know, is a powerful combination that can keep us from Him.
It is we who make it complex, and big part of it is our double mindedness. We want it and we don't want it. The mind's ability to rationalize knows no bounds, and it leads to confusion. I wanted the new life, but the old life still had a hold on me. I needed to take up my cross daily (daily surrender). The simple fact of the matter was that when I was in surrender mode and so close to Him, I could bear my pain, but when I was in rebellion, I could not. The depth of my pain made me very teachable. It was as if He had His arms around me, but was willing to release me as I stated to wander away from Him. This was not like any of earthly relationships which tended to be either possessive or dismissive. “You can choose that Phil, but if you do, we cannot be close”. To the extent I wandered away, the loneliness the emptiness and the pain would return, when I turned back to Him, the pain would diminish. I came running back many many times.
Trying to figure it all out it felt as though, in coming to the initial surrender, that I had been lead through a very complex maze in my thinking, a maze of unbelief, of secular thinking, of false presuppositions and the like. Before He began to draw me to Himself, I had been very far from Him both in my behaviour and in my thinking. It seemed in spite of being pulled in two directions, that I had been shown the way through the maze. But it soon became clear that in order to more fully understand, I need to go through it again. This time I made a whole bunch of false turns (I seem to learn best when I learn the hard way). Then after each such false turn I would find my way back, but only after I wandered too far from the correct path, usually through the deceitfulness of my desires. I think that I could find my way only because He helped me, because of the experience of the tangible comfort of His presence (when I was walking with Him), and finally because I knew there was a way through it (I had been shown). Knowing the solution exists helps you to find it. I was learning to love the Lord with all my mind.
I came to realize that part of the difficulty is smartness related. It seems that the smarter you are, the more work you need to do to find your way though the mind maze (and so love Him with all your mind). There were those who did not even understand some of the questions I was asking, let alone why they were causing me such grief.
It is also humility related. We need to come to God as a little, child (or we don't ask for help). This can be extremely humbling. A child like humility thought, is the only reasonable posture to take before the one who by a Word flung starts into space. Can you pray, and sincerely mean “God if You are really there, please show Yourself to me?” It is the place to start if you don't know Him and you want to, or if you want to know Him more. You do need to be willing to pay the price though (see “You will seek Me..” and “Unless you hate mother and father …”). The combination of being too smart for our own good, and too proud and stubborn to realize how little we know, is a powerful combination that can keep us from Him.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Unless you hate mother and father, wife, ... and your own self also ... you cannot be my disciple (Journey Continued)
I had a major breakdown in 1995. I knew that if the therapist I went to was going to help me, then I had to trust him. Some of the things he was saying made sense, so I made a decision that I would trust him, and I would leave it to the Lord to sort out later anywhere he may lead me wrong. With Jesus, you don't need to worry that He will lead you wrong. There is nobody smarter or wiser or more loving or more interested in your welfare.
So what on earth does Jesus mean in the verses in the title of this post (taken from Luke 14)? They say that scripture is its own best interpreter. You know that you cannot take these verses literally, since that would contradict the vast number of scriptures that tell you to do otherwise. The best clue to the correct interpretation of these verses comes in context. In verse 33 He says “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Jesus knew well that relationships play a major role in keeping us from Him. In the case of my own conversion it was my relationship with my “own self also” that was holding me back. In light of it all, it seems best to understand these verses to meant that in comparison to our love for Him, our love of father, mother, wife, ... and our own self also – needs to be so far down the scale that it is almost as if it is hate. So it is not that we hate, but that our love and commitment to Him is to be radical. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!
You see unless we trust Him completely (no matter what the outcome) He will not be able to help us. Imagine going to the doctor and deciding not to take the medicine, or not to take all of it (just enough to allow the bad bugs to develop immunity)? Perhaps your earthly Doctor cannot be trusted, but you can trust Dr. Jesus.
Well all this to say that I had a decision to make, and I knew that He required absolute surrender. I understand now, that when He puts His finger on something in my life that He does not like, He does so for my provision and protection. It can seem to be radical at times, but that is because the things that hinder are like cancer and need to be dealt with radically. If they open you up to remove cancer how much of it do you want them to leave inside you?
Many times, even now, when He puts His finger on something in my life I struggle and wrestle and struggle. But when I finally surrender it all, I have found without exception that I can look back and not only see it was for the good, but in retrospect wonder why I had to struggle so hard to surrender.
It was like that in the beginning. I am not recommending this, but for me the moment of surrender came when I was spaced out from my addictions. I remember looking at myself in the mirror, being intensely dissatisfied with myself, weary and worn out and saying to Him “Jesus I can't fight you any more”. 'I am not fighting you Phil'. I was however, fighting Him. So then I finally surrendered, “just as I am”. The rest is history.
So what on earth does Jesus mean in the verses in the title of this post (taken from Luke 14)? They say that scripture is its own best interpreter. You know that you cannot take these verses literally, since that would contradict the vast number of scriptures that tell you to do otherwise. The best clue to the correct interpretation of these verses comes in context. In verse 33 He says “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Jesus knew well that relationships play a major role in keeping us from Him. In the case of my own conversion it was my relationship with my “own self also” that was holding me back. In light of it all, it seems best to understand these verses to meant that in comparison to our love for Him, our love of father, mother, wife, ... and our own self also – needs to be so far down the scale that it is almost as if it is hate. So it is not that we hate, but that our love and commitment to Him is to be radical. If He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!
You see unless we trust Him completely (no matter what the outcome) He will not be able to help us. Imagine going to the doctor and deciding not to take the medicine, or not to take all of it (just enough to allow the bad bugs to develop immunity)? Perhaps your earthly Doctor cannot be trusted, but you can trust Dr. Jesus.
Well all this to say that I had a decision to make, and I knew that He required absolute surrender. I understand now, that when He puts His finger on something in my life that He does not like, He does so for my provision and protection. It can seem to be radical at times, but that is because the things that hinder are like cancer and need to be dealt with radically. If they open you up to remove cancer how much of it do you want them to leave inside you?
Many times, even now, when He puts His finger on something in my life I struggle and wrestle and struggle. But when I finally surrender it all, I have found without exception that I can look back and not only see it was for the good, but in retrospect wonder why I had to struggle so hard to surrender.
It was like that in the beginning. I am not recommending this, but for me the moment of surrender came when I was spaced out from my addictions. I remember looking at myself in the mirror, being intensely dissatisfied with myself, weary and worn out and saying to Him “Jesus I can't fight you any more”. 'I am not fighting you Phil'. I was however, fighting Him. So then I finally surrendered, “just as I am”. The rest is history.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The bottom of my weakness (Journey continued)
When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, .... he roams and comes back and finds the house clean and swept and empty .... he returns with seven devils ... and the last state of the man is worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45).
They say that nature abhors vacuum. The best way to take the air out of a glass is to fill it with something else. You can't take the bad out of our souls without putting something else there. Holy Spirit is the one that fills the void best of all, but you have to ask Him in.
I am a living illustration of the verses at the top of the post. After coming to the end of my goodness, my house was clean and swept, but empty. As part of coming to the end of my goodness, I was learning that many of the good things I had done previously was to gain the approval of others, and many of the bad things I did not do was because I was not willing to suffer the consequences of doing them. It was not because I was inherently good. In the breakup of my first marriage I had had murder in my heart. Who knows what I was capable of, had I thought I could have gotten away with it. I was staring to see that the I was capable of rationalizing just about anything.
At one stage I wrote down that I should ask myself would this or that (of what I wanted to do) hurt others. When I read later what I had written, I knew by then that if I wanted to do something badly enough I didn't really care if it hurt others or not. I had returned to my selfishness with a vengeance, the latter state was indeed worse than the first.
A Scripture that has impacted me greatly is in Jeremiah 17:9. “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked who can know it?” I had had murder in my heart, and intuiting the truth of this verse helped me to realize that each and every one of us is capable of every heinous sin in the Book. Well I knew it about you before :). But now I was learning this truth about me. My heart is deceitful, and I hadn't even known it. How deceitful is that? But I was beginning to know it, and it scared me. Just what was I capable of, and if I did not turn what would I finish up doing and being? All pretense of goodness was gone, and the badness within me was like a bottomless pit. I was not liking what I saw, and I was liking even less where I was headed. I had not yet come to the end of my weaknesses, but I did not want to go there. No sir. Thanks very much, but no thanks.
They say that nature abhors vacuum. The best way to take the air out of a glass is to fill it with something else. You can't take the bad out of our souls without putting something else there. Holy Spirit is the one that fills the void best of all, but you have to ask Him in.
I am a living illustration of the verses at the top of the post. After coming to the end of my goodness, my house was clean and swept, but empty. As part of coming to the end of my goodness, I was learning that many of the good things I had done previously was to gain the approval of others, and many of the bad things I did not do was because I was not willing to suffer the consequences of doing them. It was not because I was inherently good. In the breakup of my first marriage I had had murder in my heart. Who knows what I was capable of, had I thought I could have gotten away with it. I was staring to see that the I was capable of rationalizing just about anything.
At one stage I wrote down that I should ask myself would this or that (of what I wanted to do) hurt others. When I read later what I had written, I knew by then that if I wanted to do something badly enough I didn't really care if it hurt others or not. I had returned to my selfishness with a vengeance, the latter state was indeed worse than the first.
A Scripture that has impacted me greatly is in Jeremiah 17:9. “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked who can know it?” I had had murder in my heart, and intuiting the truth of this verse helped me to realize that each and every one of us is capable of every heinous sin in the Book. Well I knew it about you before :). But now I was learning this truth about me. My heart is deceitful, and I hadn't even known it. How deceitful is that? But I was beginning to know it, and it scared me. Just what was I capable of, and if I did not turn what would I finish up doing and being? All pretense of goodness was gone, and the badness within me was like a bottomless pit. I was not liking what I saw, and I was liking even less where I was headed. I had not yet come to the end of my weaknesses, but I did not want to go there. No sir. Thanks very much, but no thanks.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The end of my goodness (Journey continued)
I said in yesterday's post that I knew that I needed to change, to turn over a new leaf, and that you don't realize how hard it is until you try it. I wanted to be good, I wanted to make up for the wrong I had done. I was going to do this, and I was going to do that. There were letters I was going to write to the news paper, that would be heard and cause others to change. There were good things I was going to do that would impact the world. There was starvation and abuse to be addressed, but how much can you give away to a starving world and it be enough to atone for your sins, and how do you become righteous (if only in your own eyes) without becoming self righteous and obnoxious?
Jesus said that if you lust after a woman in your heart you have already committed adultery with her in your heart, and that hating is committing murder in the very same place. Pornography and lustful thoughts for others degrades them in the eyes of luster. It turns them into objects of gratification, depersonalizes them and leads to attitudes of disrespect, the very opposite of love. The scriptures teach that “He who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”. For me after (perhaps) starting well, I found out that before too long I was lacking energy and compassion. In fact I was beginning to become resentful about it all. I was learning that all my righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
I no longer wanted to be “super Phil”. I remember saying to the Lord “I just want to be ordinary”. I no longer wanted to change the world. It was just too hard and too fruitless, and besides the conviction of my sin was fading, and the desire for my former (self centred and selfish) life returning with a vengeance.
The Scriptures teach us that the Law is our schoolteacher to bring us to Christ. It is right to give to the poor, it is good and right and proper to love our neighbours as ourselves, it is right to fight for justice for the oppressed, it is good to honour our fellow man. I remember hearing one man tell me, that he always gives to charity when asked. “Really” I answered him skeptically (he grinned and admitted "Well no, not really"). The first time I went to India, I determined to give something to every beggar I encountered, but I was not able. I ran out of compassion way before I ran out of coins. I was overwhelmed. I remember running across a street to get away from some children begging, and later realizing that in so doing, I might easily have lead them to their death. Some were hungry, others were just good at begging. Which was which? I suspected that some were just good actors. But even they may have been hungry that day.
I was learning the truth of the scripture when it teaches that there is none righteous, no not one, there are none who seek after God. I was beginning to know and to understand deep in my soul that “By the works of the law shall no man be Justified in His sight”. I needed to be saved because not only I am not good, I am incapable of being good. I was coming to "the end of my goodness".
Jesus said that if you lust after a woman in your heart you have already committed adultery with her in your heart, and that hating is committing murder in the very same place. Pornography and lustful thoughts for others degrades them in the eyes of luster. It turns them into objects of gratification, depersonalizes them and leads to attitudes of disrespect, the very opposite of love. The scriptures teach that “He who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”. For me after (perhaps) starting well, I found out that before too long I was lacking energy and compassion. In fact I was beginning to become resentful about it all. I was learning that all my righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
I no longer wanted to be “super Phil”. I remember saying to the Lord “I just want to be ordinary”. I no longer wanted to change the world. It was just too hard and too fruitless, and besides the conviction of my sin was fading, and the desire for my former (self centred and selfish) life returning with a vengeance.
The Scriptures teach us that the Law is our schoolteacher to bring us to Christ. It is right to give to the poor, it is good and right and proper to love our neighbours as ourselves, it is right to fight for justice for the oppressed, it is good to honour our fellow man. I remember hearing one man tell me, that he always gives to charity when asked. “Really” I answered him skeptically (he grinned and admitted "Well no, not really"). The first time I went to India, I determined to give something to every beggar I encountered, but I was not able. I ran out of compassion way before I ran out of coins. I was overwhelmed. I remember running across a street to get away from some children begging, and later realizing that in so doing, I might easily have lead them to their death. Some were hungry, others were just good at begging. Which was which? I suspected that some were just good actors. But even they may have been hungry that day.
I was learning the truth of the scripture when it teaches that there is none righteous, no not one, there are none who seek after God. I was beginning to know and to understand deep in my soul that “By the works of the law shall no man be Justified in His sight”. I needed to be saved because not only I am not good, I am incapable of being good. I was coming to "the end of my goodness".
Monday, July 12, 2010
Guilt, shame, acceptance, journey
Words are so inadequate. The problem is that many times, there is no universal agreement on what a particular word means. Guilt and shame are two such confusing words and they are loaded. I want (perhaps a little over simplistically) to say that we feel guilt when we have done something wrong. When we feel shame we are somehow believing that we are fatally flawed. So when somebody says “You aught to be ashamed of yourself”, it is a guilt trip, in the normal use of the phrase, but perhaps we should call it a “shame trip”.
Jesus speaking of Holy Spirit said that “When He comes, He will convict the world of sin of righteousness and of judgement”. In my journey to becoming a Christian I came to the place where I felt that conviction, and felt it deeply. It wasn't Christians laying guilt trips on me, it came directly from the Lord. In the end it was a gift. Oh I knew before that, that I was not perfect (not by a long shot), but this was different. I was in crisis (see "You will search ...") , and part of what I felt was a godly sorrow for my sin. I suddenly understood how deeply my poor choices, and my selfishness had impacted others. I desperately (at least for a while) wanted to change, and I needed release from condemnation.
There is a Vineyard song that says well what happened next. “I long for freedom to live in the truth, I long to be more like you. But every time I try to bring about change I only touch the visible me”. They tell me its a bit like giving up smoking, you don't realize just how hard it is, until you try it. Well actually I can say its easy, because I never smoked. But when I tried to change my life for the better, I fell flat on my face (or perhaps it was some other part of my anatomy). Well I was going to change the World! Talk about egg on my face.
So this important step on my journey, was the realization that I could not change me the way I wanted and needed to change. It is like trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I needed outside help! Self help yes, but Bible help and God's help too (echos of my book!).
So what has this got to do with guilt and shame? I felt both. I felt shame, I felt fatally flawed. I did not realize until much later, how dependent I was on what other people thought of me, and how that influenced me (both good and bad, with bad the default). I had an orphaned spirit. You see the cure for guilt is to be forgiven not denial, as most of the World deals with it. The cure for shame is to know that you are loved and valued by Almighty God. Now if you know (and can at times feel) that are loved by Him, if you know that you are a precious, precious son or daughter, then it does not matter what others might think about you. I am a child of the living God, accepted by Him and secure in Jesus Christ. That acceptance is known and felt in relationship to which He invites all who will come (John 1:12).
Jesus speaking of Holy Spirit said that “When He comes, He will convict the world of sin of righteousness and of judgement”. In my journey to becoming a Christian I came to the place where I felt that conviction, and felt it deeply. It wasn't Christians laying guilt trips on me, it came directly from the Lord. In the end it was a gift. Oh I knew before that, that I was not perfect (not by a long shot), but this was different. I was in crisis (see "You will search ...") , and part of what I felt was a godly sorrow for my sin. I suddenly understood how deeply my poor choices, and my selfishness had impacted others. I desperately (at least for a while) wanted to change, and I needed release from condemnation.
There is a Vineyard song that says well what happened next. “I long for freedom to live in the truth, I long to be more like you. But every time I try to bring about change I only touch the visible me”. They tell me its a bit like giving up smoking, you don't realize just how hard it is, until you try it. Well actually I can say its easy, because I never smoked. But when I tried to change my life for the better, I fell flat on my face (or perhaps it was some other part of my anatomy). Well I was going to change the World! Talk about egg on my face.
So this important step on my journey, was the realization that I could not change me the way I wanted and needed to change. It is like trying to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. I needed outside help! Self help yes, but Bible help and God's help too (echos of my book!).
So what has this got to do with guilt and shame? I felt both. I felt shame, I felt fatally flawed. I did not realize until much later, how dependent I was on what other people thought of me, and how that influenced me (both good and bad, with bad the default). I had an orphaned spirit. You see the cure for guilt is to be forgiven not denial, as most of the World deals with it. The cure for shame is to know that you are loved and valued by Almighty God. Now if you know (and can at times feel) that are loved by Him, if you know that you are a precious, precious son or daughter, then it does not matter what others might think about you. I am a child of the living God, accepted by Him and secure in Jesus Christ. That acceptance is known and felt in relationship to which He invites all who will come (John 1:12).
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Hopefully God will weigh my good and my bad deeds
One of the things I used to tell my students in preparing for exams was “Know thy Prof! What does he or she think is important, what does he or she require of you?” Well its good advice if you want to get through the exam. I think it is also relevant to the “final exam”.
There is another modern saying that I want to twist slightly. “It is not what you know, but who you know". Speaking of that day when we will all be called to account, He tells that He will hear “Did we not prophesied in Your name ... drive out daemons, ... do many mighty works... ”. His answer is telling “Depart from me ...., I never knew you”. His main requirement then, is that we entered into relationship with Him by accepting His forgiveness for our bad deeds and turning from them. He is the Judged, He is the one with all authority. Would it not make sense to “Know thy Judge” . On the other hand, He wants to show mercy, and offers it freely to those who will turn to Him. He paid an incredible price for you and for me on the cross so that “Justice and Mercy could kiss”.
There are a couple of things the Bible makes clear, the first is that we all fall short. Jesus is the standard. He was at all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. So the standard is perfection (see Mercy or Judgement post), and so it cannot be of good works (Ephesians 2:8). Surly in many things we all fail.
The other scary thing, if you think about it, it that our ability to rationalize knows no bounds. Can you imagine standing before Him on that day and saying “Isn't it all relative? There are no absolutes!” I can imagine His answer “You believed a lie”. The good news, is that He has provided a way, the only way actually. He paid for our sin, so that He might be just and the Justifier of those who trust in Him (Romans 3:26) . If there had been any other way, would He have sent His Son to die a horrible death in place of you and me (John 3:16)? And how shall we escape of we neglect such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3)?
There is another modern saying that I want to twist slightly. “It is not what you know, but who you know". Speaking of that day when we will all be called to account, He tells that He will hear “Did we not prophesied in Your name ... drive out daemons, ... do many mighty works... ”. His answer is telling “Depart from me ...., I never knew you”. His main requirement then, is that we entered into relationship with Him by accepting His forgiveness for our bad deeds and turning from them. He is the Judged, He is the one with all authority. Would it not make sense to “Know thy Judge” . On the other hand, He wants to show mercy, and offers it freely to those who will turn to Him. He paid an incredible price for you and for me on the cross so that “Justice and Mercy could kiss”.
There are a couple of things the Bible makes clear, the first is that we all fall short. Jesus is the standard. He was at all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. So the standard is perfection (see Mercy or Judgement post), and so it cannot be of good works (Ephesians 2:8). Surly in many things we all fail.
The other scary thing, if you think about it, it that our ability to rationalize knows no bounds. Can you imagine standing before Him on that day and saying “Isn't it all relative? There are no absolutes!” I can imagine His answer “You believed a lie”. The good news, is that He has provided a way, the only way actually. He paid for our sin, so that He might be just and the Justifier of those who trust in Him (Romans 3:26) . If there had been any other way, would He have sent His Son to die a horrible death in place of you and me (John 3:16)? And how shall we escape of we neglect such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3)?
Friday, July 9, 2010
“I don't believe that adultery is wrong!”
Don't ask me how I got into that conversation, I don't remember. I looked the young woman in the eye, and without condemnation (John 8:11) gently said to her 'That's because you want to do it'. She lifted her hand not quite quick enough to hide her “guilty as charged” smile.
I heard it said one time that if a man (not the ladies of course) wants to do something he will find a 1,000 reasons to do it. If on the other hand, he does not want to do the very same thing, he will find 1,000 reasons not to do it. Its called rationalization.
We live in a society that denies that there are absolutes, no real right and wrong, no certainties. We are told “All truth is relative, there is nothing that is always true at all times and in all places, there are no absolutes.” Well if there is even one absolute, then the statement is false. Largo commenting on an earlier post put it this way “There are no absolutes. Are you sure? yes. Are you absolutely sure?”. The point is that if this statement is true, it would be an absolute. So if it were true, it would be false! So it can't be true ( Reductio ad absurdum).
On top of this, from a practical point of view, we cannot live consistently with this “truth” (all truth is relative). The wife of the man with whom the young woman wanted to commit adultery, would likely affirm unequivocally that adultery is wrong. If someone breaks into you house and steals your treasure, you will likely not want the judge to let him off because “Stealing is not wrong at all times and in all places”. What about murder or rape or child abuse? Are these okay sometimes?
I heard it said one time that if a man (not the ladies of course) wants to do something he will find a 1,000 reasons to do it. If on the other hand, he does not want to do the very same thing, he will find 1,000 reasons not to do it. Its called rationalization.
We live in a society that denies that there are absolutes, no real right and wrong, no certainties. We are told “All truth is relative, there is nothing that is always true at all times and in all places, there are no absolutes.” Well if there is even one absolute, then the statement is false. Largo commenting on an earlier post put it this way “There are no absolutes. Are you sure? yes. Are you absolutely sure?”. The point is that if this statement is true, it would be an absolute. So if it were true, it would be false! So it can't be true ( Reductio ad absurdum).
On top of this, from a practical point of view, we cannot live consistently with this “truth” (all truth is relative). The wife of the man with whom the young woman wanted to commit adultery, would likely affirm unequivocally that adultery is wrong. If someone breaks into you house and steals your treasure, you will likely not want the judge to let him off because “Stealing is not wrong at all times and in all places”. What about murder or rape or child abuse? Are these okay sometimes?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I will never be like my dad. Never!
Many who have made vows such as the above, have later discovered to their horror, that in spite of the vow, they have become the very thing they determined they would not become. Actually if the truth be known, it is not so much in spite of the vow, but because of it. What such inner vows do, is to tie our spirit to the very person against who we have made the vow. Its the same with bitterness, bitterness imprisons of us to the memories of what that person has done. In both cases the negative becomes the focus, and is usually destructive. One of the teachings that come out of the principles of Biblical recovery, is that in order to be free, we need to break these ungodly soul ties, things that “knot” us to the other person in unhelpful ways (July 7th's post).
It is the same sort of thing that happens when the rebellious teen leaves home, only to find that though they left physically, they are still very much (one way or the other) emotionally tied there. “I can't get mum and dad off my mind” - and its not thoughts of love!
The title of yesterday’s post included the phrase “lovingly untangled”. There is a right way and a wrong way to untangle a knot. The knife should be the absolute last resort. In this throw away society, it is so often the first. You see when we use the knife, it cuts into both of us, and cuts deeply. In the break up of a marriage it cuts the children too, and leaves them scarred for life. In the end not one of us does it completely right. In this respect, some of us fall shorter than others do, but all fall short. When I think of these things, I thank God for His extravagant forgiveness and restoration.
Two thousand years and more later, modern Psychology is beginning to rediscover, and to see the need for, these things. “These things” include other Biblical principles, such as forgiveness of each other, respect, gentleness, listening, being willing, as much as is possible within us, to live at peace with all. This stuff is not only right, it is smart. “If the son shall set you free, you will be free indeed”.
It is the same sort of thing that happens when the rebellious teen leaves home, only to find that though they left physically, they are still very much (one way or the other) emotionally tied there. “I can't get mum and dad off my mind” - and its not thoughts of love!
The title of yesterday’s post included the phrase “lovingly untangled”. There is a right way and a wrong way to untangle a knot. The knife should be the absolute last resort. In this throw away society, it is so often the first. You see when we use the knife, it cuts into both of us, and cuts deeply. In the break up of a marriage it cuts the children too, and leaves them scarred for life. In the end not one of us does it completely right. In this respect, some of us fall shorter than others do, but all fall short. When I think of these things, I thank God for His extravagant forgiveness and restoration.
Two thousand years and more later, modern Psychology is beginning to rediscover, and to see the need for, these things. “These things” include other Biblical principles, such as forgiveness of each other, respect, gentleness, listening, being willing, as much as is possible within us, to live at peace with all. This stuff is not only right, it is smart. “If the son shall set you free, you will be free indeed”.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The relationship between the "systems" of the world is “knot” ...... to be lovingly untangled.
The above comment from Largo on an earlier post caught my attention. We all have this tendency to think that we are right (our system is right), and everyone else his wrong. In the breakup of a marriage for example, it is common for both sides to lay 100% of the blame the other one. A counsellor once told me in situations like that, we both know 10% of the truth, so that 80% of the truth is unknown.
But is it even more complicated than that. The 10% that we do know (if indeed it is that high) is not all truth. Miss-communications, misunderstandings, false conclusions jumped to, lies we tell ourselves in order to survive etc. etc., all form part of this 10%. I said in an earlier post, none of us has all the truth. Now I am saying that not all that we know (or think we know) is true. In fact it is (often) a (highly tangled) mess. So “knot” describes it well. How to untangle it? It not easy. But if we are to draw closer to the truth we will need to learn to listen to each other, and to listen well (its a skill most of us don't have, but need to learn). We will also need to share our feelings (are you listening men?), and be willing to admit that we are wrong. We need to learn to disagree agreeably!
“Lovingly untangled” says it well for me, treating each other with respect, affording each other dignity, allowing each other to speak, listening to each other. And we can and should afford each other dignity because, although in many things we all fail, we are all made in the image of God. This being the case we are all infinitely valuable. Yes you too. Its not just me saying that (John 3:16). We are not just the by-product of some faceless cosmic accident. Each one of us is unique and special, and each one of us has a meaningful destiny (Jeremiah 29:11).
But is it even more complicated than that. The 10% that we do know (if indeed it is that high) is not all truth. Miss-communications, misunderstandings, false conclusions jumped to, lies we tell ourselves in order to survive etc. etc., all form part of this 10%. I said in an earlier post, none of us has all the truth. Now I am saying that not all that we know (or think we know) is true. In fact it is (often) a (highly tangled) mess. So “knot” describes it well. How to untangle it? It not easy. But if we are to draw closer to the truth we will need to learn to listen to each other, and to listen well (its a skill most of us don't have, but need to learn). We will also need to share our feelings (are you listening men?), and be willing to admit that we are wrong. We need to learn to disagree agreeably!
“Lovingly untangled” says it well for me, treating each other with respect, affording each other dignity, allowing each other to speak, listening to each other. And we can and should afford each other dignity because, although in many things we all fail, we are all made in the image of God. This being the case we are all infinitely valuable. Yes you too. Its not just me saying that (John 3:16). We are not just the by-product of some faceless cosmic accident. Each one of us is unique and special, and each one of us has a meaningful destiny (Jeremiah 29:11).
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
"You will search for Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all of your heart".
I said in a previous post that we cannot find God by reason. Well you do not find your significant other by reason, you encountered him or her. And they become your significant other by allowing you (and you allowing them) to come to know you. You do it by opening your heart to them and they to you.
And these relationships work best, when they are exclusive. Its not that you cannot, and should not have other friends, but one man one woman seems to be the way that best satisfies the heart. Shall we say the more significant others you have, the less significant each one is. In fact, as we are told in the fifth chapter of the book of Ephesians, the marriage relationship of the Christian is meant to be a picture of our relationship with God. So then the first commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, or as the Decalog has it, the first commandments is to have no other gods.
Western gods are different from the gods of Bible times. I heard a sermon one time which outlined four prison guards that keep us from God (four idols if you like). They are:- People, Possessions, Power (control) and Procrastination (putting it off)
It amazed me how negative some of my friends were to my conversion (going on 40 years ago), materialism is well known to be where we put our hearts, given our rugged north American individualism control is also a biggie, and then which one of us does not put things off?
My own conversion came only when I became desperate enough to try anything. I was devastated over the separation from my daughter, she in England and I here in Canada. It came to me over and over 'You don't have to love her'. “Yes I do, she is my daughter and if I don't love her in this God forsaken world (which is how I thought of it), who will?” So over and over I would choose to love her. It was like hitting my head against a brick wall. In the end it took the good right out of me, and I became desperate enough to try even God.
We are invited to “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. I was desperate enough to try anything for sure, but if it had not been real it would never have held me. He is real, and He is good, but both before and after conversion, we can allow things to come in and crowd Him out (or keep him out ). Or as the Bible puts it, “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful”.
He wants us to love Him and to seek Him with all of our heart. We seek Him with our reason too, that is what loving Him with our mind is all about. We may discover things about Him with our mind, but it is in the heart that we find Him. He is not interested in limp (unresponsive) lovers, neither probably are you.
And these relationships work best, when they are exclusive. Its not that you cannot, and should not have other friends, but one man one woman seems to be the way that best satisfies the heart. Shall we say the more significant others you have, the less significant each one is. In fact, as we are told in the fifth chapter of the book of Ephesians, the marriage relationship of the Christian is meant to be a picture of our relationship with God. So then the first commandment is to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength, or as the Decalog has it, the first commandments is to have no other gods.
Western gods are different from the gods of Bible times. I heard a sermon one time which outlined four prison guards that keep us from God (four idols if you like). They are:- People, Possessions, Power (control) and Procrastination (putting it off)
It amazed me how negative some of my friends were to my conversion (going on 40 years ago), materialism is well known to be where we put our hearts, given our rugged north American individualism control is also a biggie, and then which one of us does not put things off?
My own conversion came only when I became desperate enough to try anything. I was devastated over the separation from my daughter, she in England and I here in Canada. It came to me over and over 'You don't have to love her'. “Yes I do, she is my daughter and if I don't love her in this God forsaken world (which is how I thought of it), who will?” So over and over I would choose to love her. It was like hitting my head against a brick wall. In the end it took the good right out of me, and I became desperate enough to try even God.
We are invited to “Taste and see that the Lord is good”. I was desperate enough to try anything for sure, but if it had not been real it would never have held me. He is real, and He is good, but both before and after conversion, we can allow things to come in and crowd Him out (or keep him out ). Or as the Bible puts it, “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful”.
He wants us to love Him and to seek Him with all of our heart. We seek Him with our reason too, that is what loving Him with our mind is all about. We may discover things about Him with our mind, but it is in the heart that we find Him. He is not interested in limp (unresponsive) lovers, neither probably are you.
Monday, July 5, 2010
The faith of the atheist
We were sitting in the Faculty club, discussing his atheism. 'I believe there is no god'. “What would it take to change your mind?” I asked him. 'Well if the sun went down 10 degrees I would believe', he said. “Would you” I asked him, “would you really?”. He thought for a minute and then said 'No, I would find some other explanation for it'. “You have a lot of faith”, I told him, “and you said it yourself 'I believe there is no God' ”. His faith of course is not the same as mine. His faith, his belief, is in “not God”. That is after all what the word 'atheist' means.
Certainly not all atheists are as unyielding as my friend, but this (true) story does illustrate how easily, on both sides of the fence, we tend to (a) argue from our presuppositions and (b) to dig in. I think we need to be aware of our presuppositions and, if our faith is not to be blind, to be willing to reexamine them. Admittedly this is hard, again on both sides of the fence. It would be less confusing if there were just two positions, but there are many voices all claiming to be truth!
Now while I am not saying that my friend is representative of all atheists, I am saying that in the end, all atheists hold to their position by faith. But it is not just the atheist whose world views are held by faith. In fact we all have world views, and each and every one of them (including mine) are positions of faith. A world view of course is a subset of all the things we have come to believe about reality. A helpful list some of the things I am taking about can be found at
http://www.gregcaughill.com/theology-wiki/christian-apologetics/53-worldviews.html.
It seems however as though most people are unaware they possess a World view, but most arguments have their roots in conflicting worldviews, for example abortion, the secular verses the religious etc. To say it again, many are not aware of their presuppositions. The famous Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins for example, is a man of great faith, though I believe that he would adamantly deny it. He is quoted as saying “I believe that eventually we will be able to explain everything in terms of the natural”. When asked what evidence he had for this belief, he had to admit that he had none.
Perhaps then, since we all hold our positions by faith we should be a little more tolerant of each other's views. In fact one more implication of the work of Kurt Godel (see yesterday's post), is that there is no system that has all the answers be it Philosophical, Psychological or Theological. Yes not even, or perhaps for emphasis especially not even Christians, have all the answers. What does the Scripture say? “Let him who thinks that he knows something, acknowledged that he knows nothing yet as he aught to know” (more later on this).
Certainly not all atheists are as unyielding as my friend, but this (true) story does illustrate how easily, on both sides of the fence, we tend to (a) argue from our presuppositions and (b) to dig in. I think we need to be aware of our presuppositions and, if our faith is not to be blind, to be willing to reexamine them. Admittedly this is hard, again on both sides of the fence. It would be less confusing if there were just two positions, but there are many voices all claiming to be truth!
Now while I am not saying that my friend is representative of all atheists, I am saying that in the end, all atheists hold to their position by faith. But it is not just the atheist whose world views are held by faith. In fact we all have world views, and each and every one of them (including mine) are positions of faith. A world view of course is a subset of all the things we have come to believe about reality. A helpful list some of the things I am taking about can be found at
http://www.gregcaughill.com/theology-wiki/christian-apologetics/53-worldviews.html.
It seems however as though most people are unaware they possess a World view, but most arguments have their roots in conflicting worldviews, for example abortion, the secular verses the religious etc. To say it again, many are not aware of their presuppositions. The famous Oxford Professor Richard Dawkins for example, is a man of great faith, though I believe that he would adamantly deny it. He is quoted as saying “I believe that eventually we will be able to explain everything in terms of the natural”. When asked what evidence he had for this belief, he had to admit that he had none.
Perhaps then, since we all hold our positions by faith we should be a little more tolerant of each other's views. In fact one more implication of the work of Kurt Godel (see yesterday's post), is that there is no system that has all the answers be it Philosophical, Psychological or Theological. Yes not even, or perhaps for emphasis especially not even Christians, have all the answers. What does the Scripture say? “Let him who thinks that he knows something, acknowledged that he knows nothing yet as he aught to know” (more later on this).
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I will not believe in, or accept anything that cannot be verified by one of the five senses!
Since most would affirm that you cannot verify God by any of the fives senses, this of course excludes Him.
Suppose you were to ask one who sought to live their lives by the above philosophy, on what rational basis do they do this. You can be sure that any valid reason they may give you, will not be based on the fives senses. In other words, it would eventually become clear that they do, in the end, accept something other than the five senses. In a similar way those who believe that “reason is the unique pathway to knowledge” will not, by reason, be able to give you a valid reason why he or she does this. It would be circular reasoning.
You might ask how can I be so sure. Have I for example heard all possible arguments? Well no, of course not, but what I do know, is that it would violate a theorem of the Austrian Mathematician Kurt Godel. Without going into this in detail, his theorem implies that no system of any sophistication is closed. What this means is that you cannot prove the validity of the system from within. In mathematics we have systems based on axioms, such as Euclidean geometry. You use the axioms as presuppositions and based on the assumption that these things hold true, you prove things. But you cannot prove the axioms. This is not to say that the axioms could not be proved from outside the system. But to prove them from within the system would be circular reasoning.
On the other hand Godel's theorem has implications for just about all the systems we would normally consider. This includes the various philosophical systems, science, the systematic theologies, etc etc. Godel's theorem tells us, that if we want to know if our system is valid, we need to go outside the system to validate it. In other words all these systems are based on, often hidden, presuppositions. These, if we are to arrive at the truth, need to be sussed out and discussed.
I hear many such “disproofs” of God.
Suppose you were to ask one who sought to live their lives by the above philosophy, on what rational basis do they do this. You can be sure that any valid reason they may give you, will not be based on the fives senses. In other words, it would eventually become clear that they do, in the end, accept something other than the five senses. In a similar way those who believe that “reason is the unique pathway to knowledge” will not, by reason, be able to give you a valid reason why he or she does this. It would be circular reasoning.
You might ask how can I be so sure. Have I for example heard all possible arguments? Well no, of course not, but what I do know, is that it would violate a theorem of the Austrian Mathematician Kurt Godel. Without going into this in detail, his theorem implies that no system of any sophistication is closed. What this means is that you cannot prove the validity of the system from within. In mathematics we have systems based on axioms, such as Euclidean geometry. You use the axioms as presuppositions and based on the assumption that these things hold true, you prove things. But you cannot prove the axioms. This is not to say that the axioms could not be proved from outside the system. But to prove them from within the system would be circular reasoning.
On the other hand Godel's theorem has implications for just about all the systems we would normally consider. This includes the various philosophical systems, science, the systematic theologies, etc etc. Godel's theorem tells us, that if we want to know if our system is valid, we need to go outside the system to validate it. In other words all these systems are based on, often hidden, presuppositions. These, if we are to arrive at the truth, need to be sussed out and discussed.
I hear many such “disproofs” of God.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Is Reason is the unique pathway to knowledge?
I will say more about this in the coming days, but for now, I want to make a bold statement that modern man (mankind, womankind) is a multidimensional creature living in a multidimensional environment but more often than not operating out of but a single dimension. Western man's emphasis on the rational is just one such path.
There are actually three components to how we know. I give them below, but I want to refer to this as an example of a trinity, which I need to explain. By trinity (lower case “t”), I mean a (pale) reflection of Trinity (uppercase T, referring to orthodox Christian doctrine of the Godhead - more later).
The word trinity is useful, if we define it to imply unity in diversity. Thus my “trinities” will have three interconnected components that make the trinity incomplete (or even nonsense) if we omit even one of the components. I think a trinity as a three legged stool, if we take away one leg we no longer have a stool.
The three components to how we know are reason, intuition and experience. Western thought, especially academia is dominated by rationality, as are certain Church groupings. But many are dominated by experience. In terms of the inner healing which is my passion, it is especially negative experiences that dominate. Finally, still others are dominated by intuition. Then there are the pairings, i.e. dominated by experience and intuition, but excluding reason etc. I am claiming that in order to have balance, we need all three.
A neutral (nonthreatening) example of how the three ways of knowing are interrelated is mathematical. I teach (point set) Topology – in many ways an extension (generalization) of calculus. What I find though, is that the student's experience of calculus, often gets in the way. It is too narrow, and often leads them down the wrong path. I tell them in addition to reason, you need to re-educate your too narrow intuition.
Einstein on the other hand, had amazing intuition. He tells the story of how he discovered the theory of relativity. He tell that he was laying on a grassy bank gazing at a sunbeam through half closed eyes and wondering what it would be like to ride on a beam of light, when the theory of relativity came to him intuitively. He then went to his lavatory and proved it. Notice the relationship here. On the one hand, it was not by a series of logical steps that he arrived at his conclusion, on the other he needed the logical steps to prove his theory. Another example of intuition is the way that mathematicians (my limited experience) arrive at theorems. We so often have conjectures (intuitive ideas of what is true), which may or may not be true. We use reason and experience (discovering examples that contradict our guesses of what is true) to arrive at what can be known.
To address the title of this post, I want to say that we will not find God by reason alone. Reason alone is insufficient to find Him. We can use reason to discover things about Him (admittedly from our presuppositions), but in the end to use a dirty word in some Christian circles, if we are to find Him, then we need to experience Him. I say more on the subject of this post in the next one “I will not believe in, or accept anything that cannot be verified by one of the five senses!”
By the way here is a question with theological implications. 'Do we discover or invent mathematics?'
There are actually three components to how we know. I give them below, but I want to refer to this as an example of a trinity, which I need to explain. By trinity (lower case “t”), I mean a (pale) reflection of Trinity (uppercase T, referring to orthodox Christian doctrine of the Godhead - more later).
The word trinity is useful, if we define it to imply unity in diversity. Thus my “trinities” will have three interconnected components that make the trinity incomplete (or even nonsense) if we omit even one of the components. I think a trinity as a three legged stool, if we take away one leg we no longer have a stool.
The three components to how we know are reason, intuition and experience. Western thought, especially academia is dominated by rationality, as are certain Church groupings. But many are dominated by experience. In terms of the inner healing which is my passion, it is especially negative experiences that dominate. Finally, still others are dominated by intuition. Then there are the pairings, i.e. dominated by experience and intuition, but excluding reason etc. I am claiming that in order to have balance, we need all three.
A neutral (nonthreatening) example of how the three ways of knowing are interrelated is mathematical. I teach (point set) Topology – in many ways an extension (generalization) of calculus. What I find though, is that the student's experience of calculus, often gets in the way. It is too narrow, and often leads them down the wrong path. I tell them in addition to reason, you need to re-educate your too narrow intuition.
Einstein on the other hand, had amazing intuition. He tells the story of how he discovered the theory of relativity. He tell that he was laying on a grassy bank gazing at a sunbeam through half closed eyes and wondering what it would be like to ride on a beam of light, when the theory of relativity came to him intuitively. He then went to his lavatory and proved it. Notice the relationship here. On the one hand, it was not by a series of logical steps that he arrived at his conclusion, on the other he needed the logical steps to prove his theory. Another example of intuition is the way that mathematicians (my limited experience) arrive at theorems. We so often have conjectures (intuitive ideas of what is true), which may or may not be true. We use reason and experience (discovering examples that contradict our guesses of what is true) to arrive at what can be known.
To address the title of this post, I want to say that we will not find God by reason alone. Reason alone is insufficient to find Him. We can use reason to discover things about Him (admittedly from our presuppositions), but in the end to use a dirty word in some Christian circles, if we are to find Him, then we need to experience Him. I say more on the subject of this post in the next one “I will not believe in, or accept anything that cannot be verified by one of the five senses!”
By the way here is a question with theological implications. 'Do we discover or invent mathematics?'
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