More Questions
Here are some questions that have been shuffling around in my brain since my last question post. I am going to quote some of the responses I received so that I can then explain the questions that arose from those answers.....confusing isn't it.
"You said yourself that God is omniscient. If that's so, then isn't it possible that God knows already those who will never turn to Him and those who will?"
If it can be assumed that God knows who will and will not choose Him, thus it is alright that He would harden the heart of some, then I pose two additional questions:
1) If God knows the person could never choose Him, for what reason must He harden their hearts, aren't they already hard?
2) How does this mesh with the character of a loving God? If it is assumed that He only hardens the hearts of those who would never choose Him, then He knowingly created those people, put them on this earth to suffer life with the "chosen" ones, only to die and suffer eternal hell. Where is there any love in that scenario? That is not only unloving, unmerciful and ungracious, I would go so far as to call it sadistic.
As I write this, even more questions flood my mind. For instance, if it is known before you are born whether or not you are one of God's "chosen," how is it that you have a choice? Granted, in the finite human mind it seems like we are making choices, but aren't we really just fulfilling the "destiny" set out for us before the beginning of time? Am I just a puppet who can't see my own strings? If God knew me before I was born, if all of my days were written in His book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139) then how do I have any actual choice in anything at all? Do I just think that I decided to go to work today, when really that decision was made a billion years ago and "ordained" for me by God?
Moving right along..........
"God did forsake His own Son which, I agree, is unsettling. But, it seems necessary so that God stayed separate from sin."
If God had to forsake Jesus because of the sin that He took upon Himself on the cross, then doesn't it stand to reason that He must forsake me when I sin?
I have been told that I can never have answers to many of my questions. That I just have to have faith that God is God and that He is beyond my comprehension. I get that, however, I can not worship a God that I can't know. How can I not want to know the character of the God I would serve? How could I possibly believe that "God is love" if so much of what I see of Him is contradictory of that very thing? Can it be called a relationship if one does not know the Other?
I understand not needing to know how tall Jesus was, if Judas went to Heaven or Hell (which, by the way, is a whole other topic I'd like to know more about) what type of wood the ark was made from, if the bread they had at the last supper looked like the crackers we have for communion today or any of the other questions you can think of that really aren't going to make much of a difference in your life. None-the-less, if a question is central to the heart of who God is, or who I am, or how to know God or if He could love me.........I don't see how those questions can go unanswered and me still desire to pursue a relationship with God.
Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am being proud to think that I have any right to ask such questions. I don't know. I do know that if I am expected to shelve the questions and just walk blindly into the unknown, then I am not up for the challenge. I don't think it is a doubt thing. I know God is God, and I know He is the only One. I believe the Bible to be the inerrant word of God. I believe in Jesus and I believe that He died on the cross and then was raised from the dead. My questions don't stem from the root 'Is there a God.' Instead, at the core of me, I NEED to know what is at the core of Him.
"You said yourself that God is omniscient. If that's so, then isn't it possible that God knows already those who will never turn to Him and those who will?"
If it can be assumed that God knows who will and will not choose Him, thus it is alright that He would harden the heart of some, then I pose two additional questions:
1) If God knows the person could never choose Him, for what reason must He harden their hearts, aren't they already hard?
2) How does this mesh with the character of a loving God? If it is assumed that He only hardens the hearts of those who would never choose Him, then He knowingly created those people, put them on this earth to suffer life with the "chosen" ones, only to die and suffer eternal hell. Where is there any love in that scenario? That is not only unloving, unmerciful and ungracious, I would go so far as to call it sadistic.
As I write this, even more questions flood my mind. For instance, if it is known before you are born whether or not you are one of God's "chosen," how is it that you have a choice? Granted, in the finite human mind it seems like we are making choices, but aren't we really just fulfilling the "destiny" set out for us before the beginning of time? Am I just a puppet who can't see my own strings? If God knew me before I was born, if all of my days were written in His book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139) then how do I have any actual choice in anything at all? Do I just think that I decided to go to work today, when really that decision was made a billion years ago and "ordained" for me by God?
Moving right along..........
"God did forsake His own Son which, I agree, is unsettling. But, it seems necessary so that God stayed separate from sin."
If God had to forsake Jesus because of the sin that He took upon Himself on the cross, then doesn't it stand to reason that He must forsake me when I sin?
I have been told that I can never have answers to many of my questions. That I just have to have faith that God is God and that He is beyond my comprehension. I get that, however, I can not worship a God that I can't know. How can I not want to know the character of the God I would serve? How could I possibly believe that "God is love" if so much of what I see of Him is contradictory of that very thing? Can it be called a relationship if one does not know the Other?
I understand not needing to know how tall Jesus was, if Judas went to Heaven or Hell (which, by the way, is a whole other topic I'd like to know more about) what type of wood the ark was made from, if the bread they had at the last supper looked like the crackers we have for communion today or any of the other questions you can think of that really aren't going to make much of a difference in your life. None-the-less, if a question is central to the heart of who God is, or who I am, or how to know God or if He could love me.........I don't see how those questions can go unanswered and me still desire to pursue a relationship with God.
Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am being proud to think that I have any right to ask such questions. I don't know. I do know that if I am expected to shelve the questions and just walk blindly into the unknown, then I am not up for the challenge. I don't think it is a doubt thing. I know God is God, and I know He is the only One. I believe the Bible to be the inerrant word of God. I believe in Jesus and I believe that He died on the cross and then was raised from the dead. My questions don't stem from the root 'Is there a God.' Instead, at the core of me, I NEED to know what is at the core of Him.
posted by Bttrfly1976 at 7:33 PM
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6 Comments:
"Instead, at the core of me, I NEED to know what is at the core of Him."
Beautifully put. I long to know that too. You have so many wonderful questions. I want to converse more about them but I can't stay on the computer right now. So, in the words of Arnold, "I'll be back!"
I want to talk more to you as well, but I want to study this out a little further. I'll get back to you.
I think that the core of you...your spirit...has been shattered, and needs to be healed. I certainly hope that my earlier comment has not confused you more, or hurt you in any way. As I said before, everyone has to work this out for themselves. There is no formula. I can only tell you what I found out, and what gives me peace.
I'm so sorry, we are getting ready for our vacation so I won't be able to write for awhile. It's crazy around here and we're leaving for a week on Wednesday. Check back with ya later!
Check out this article, and let me know what you think.
http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/bible/pharaoh.html
It might shed some light on the whole "hardening" thing.
Literaturelover, No problem. Have a great vacation!!
Shayne, You have neither hurt me nor added to my confusion. I very much appreciate your insight and your sincerity. I read that document and it does make an interesting point. I of course am going to have to read it several more times before I completely understand it. I want to look at the contexts on the scriptures he uses to see exactly where he is coming from. It definitely opens up more questions on the realm of "free will" if you will. Seems as though I can find a question in anything sometimes. I just want to know the truth though, what really is instead of what I've always been told.
Hi, I'm Steve. I believe in God, and naturally I have my own convictions about the answers to the questions you mentioned in this blog entry--and I really do believe there are good answers to them! If you'd like to, I'd enjoy having a nice conversation with you about it. Though I do believe there is a God and one correct way to follow Him (I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [The Mormons] myself), I believe that way includes the divine instruction to respect those who choose to believe differently. So though I like to share what the spirit has moved me to believe, I avoid arguing (that is, with a spirit of anger or intolerance) about it. Let me know if you'd like to talk.
-Steve
sts28@byu.net
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