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| I had a discussion with a man at church recently who insisted that the Bible teaches that "God can do anything except lie." This view of God's omnipotence is a common misunderstanding of Scripture, and is not very well thought-out. This quote, of course, is never found in the Bible. Passages that make similar references to God's omnipotence must e taken in context. This includes passages like Matthew 19:26 and Luke 1:37, which speak of God being able to do anything He plans, even if it is humanly impossible. These passages do not specify that God can do anything except lie. Rather, they say God can do all things (Mt 19:26) and "nothing is impossible with God." (Lk 1:37) These statements are made without qualification (any qualification must be understood from the context.) Only elsewhere in Scripture are we taught that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18).
So, if Mt. 19:26 and Lk. 1:37 are taken to mean God can do absolutely anything without condition, then Heb. 6:18 is wrong. So, these statements must be limited in some sense, and that limitation is understood from the context, since these passages do not specify that lying is the one and only exception.
The reason God cannot lie is that it is contrary to Hid nature, and an infinite God cannot be inconsistent with Himself. God is the infinite source of all truth (Jn. 14:6), so He cannot lie. Since God is love (1 Jn 3:8), He cannot stop loving. Moreover, it is impossible for God to be tempted by evil (Jas. 1:13), since He is the infinite source of all goodness. If God cannot do these things because of a moral law-code, does this mean God is subject to and beneath a principle outside Himself? No, because then He could not be God, since He would no longer be Supreme, above all. The moral law, rather, finds its source in the very nature of God, so that He is subject only to Himself.
Likewise, if God is rational, and in fact, omniscient, He cannot contradict Himself, and even God is subject to the law of non-contradiction. Why? Is He subject to something outside of Himself. No, but to His own nature. For God is the infinite source of all truth. The laws of logic are prescriptive and derive from the very nature of God. Otherwise, if there were no infinite source of truth, there would be no such thing as truth. But we instinctively know there is. In order to deny the know-ability of truth, we must affirm it.
Therefore, here is a partial list of things God cannot do:
God cannot stop loving because He is love.
God cannot die, since He is Life (Jn. 14:6).
God cannot sin because He is infinitely good.
God cannot lie or defy the law of non-contradiction because He is truth.
God cannot change (Jas. 1:17) because He is infinite.
In conclusion, God's omnipotence does not insure that He can do anything, but He can do what is humanly impossible, and does. Anything which is actually possible (not contradictory) is possible for God. | | |
| My brother recently asked me where the doctrine of the Trinity comes from. The concept is not anywhere mentioned in the Bible, but it is a fundamental truth of the Christian faith and ultimately derives from what Scripture reveals to us about God. Here is a helpful outline (Thanks to Professor Reed at SES). The Scripture references are only a small sample of the available passages. Do some more research in Scripture for a great Bible study. And be ready if the cults come knocking...
1. There is only One God. (Is. 43:10, 46:9)
2. The Father is God. (Galatians 1:1)
3. The Son is God. (John 8:58, Col.2:9)
4. The Holy Spirit is God. (Acts 5:3-4)
5. The Divine Persons are distinct. (Matthew 3:16-17)
6. Therefore, there is One divine essence and three distinct but equally divine Persons: One God in three Persons.
Explaining what this means takes a great deal more work. In fact, the concept, while not contradicting logic, is beyond the ability of mankind to reason to; we can only know it by revelation, then accept it by faith, which is not contrary to reason, but beyond it. | | |
| I recently spoke with someone who calls himself a Christian, yet claimed that there is no such thing as truth. I thought this was extremely peculiar, since the entire Christian worldview rests upon the foundation of the knowability of truth, and Jesus called himself truth personified. This fellow asserted that if God is infinite, His understanding must go far beyond the logic devised by humans by which we communicate. Our language fits only within our particular paradigm. When pressed with the laws of logic, he responded “Who's logic.” Therein lies his misunderstanding. For when Aristotle laid down the laws of logic, he did not propose to have devised something new, for people had worked within these laws from the beginning of creation. Aristotle merely discovered them, just as Newton discovered gravity. In order to argue with me, my opponent was forced to use logic, but claimed that we are simply working within a shared paradigm. Now, if this paradigm is only a language game with no correspondence to reality, what argument does he hope to make? His words are meaningless, literally nonsense. Yet when challenged that our conversation thus is pointless, he rebutted that it is rather meaningful because of the meaning we assign to it, and we can therefore enjoy it. Yet enjoyment is not at question. The question is “Can truth be known?” If there is no correspondence between the concepts of which we speak and reality, then we might as well be saying “Blah blah blah” so far as any argument is concerned. If there is no truth, how can anyone speak of anything, much less a God who should be believed in, especially a God who condemns liars (Rev. 21:8). If there is a lie, there must be truth, for if there is no truth, “lie” has no definition, and God is made a fool for His judgment. When Jesus claimed to be the truth, he most certainly did not claim to be some obscure hellenistic concept which was devised by men, nor did he claim to be nothing at all. He claimed to be God himself, for the very nature of God is the basis of truth, and logic flows from his character. For God is subject to nothing other than His own nature, and even God cannot make a square circle. Therefore, if He is subject to logic, it is because it is within His very nature, and logic is the aspect of His nature that Aristotle discovered. Just as St. Paul told us in Romans 1:20, even the pagans can understand something about God if only from His creation around them. | | |
| The Present by Spencer Johnson is a self-proclaimed life changing book for those who would incorporate its principles. For those who have not read it, the book is all about living in the present, and focusing on the positive aspects of every moment, never focusing on the negative. It presents these teachings by telling a story (typical of existential philosophy). The story is about an old man (read: guru) who shares the secret of meaningful living throughout the life of a man seeking answers. The old man never seems worried; he is always relaxed and appears to be at peace with life and the world. Through a series of cryptic messages, the old man teaches the other man that he can find meaning in the "present," which essentially consists of an existential experience that each person defines for themselves. By focusing on the good in the moment, we can find peace, meaning, and success. This book ascribes to a combination of existential philosophy and Zen Budhism, blurring the line of truth. Truth is not seen as an objective thing, but an existential experience. Experience, not propositional truth, is the key to unlocking the meaning of life. Salvation comes through the teachings of a human guru leading to spiritual enlightenment, which man can achieve on his own. By definition, this is a godless philosophy. The Present ignores the real problem of man: his depravity. I can be "in the moment," or practicing carpe diem while engaging in ungodly behavior. Of course, this is all up for interpretation. The existentialist is not interested in my definition of right and wrong, but only in his subjective experience. There is no authority to which one can appeal. So what if my carpe diem approach hurts others? It is up to the practicioner to decide if that is against his value system, which is determined by a kierkegaardian leap of faith, rather than any transcendent moral standard. There is truth in most errors, though. That is were the deception lies. The message of focusing on the positive can be helpful, but only in the biblical sense of giving thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:18), not in avoiding pain. What is right is more important than what makes me feel good. Jesus told his followers they would (and should) suffer, and exemplified it through the cross. While suffering, he cried out "My God, why have you foraken me" (Mark 15:34). This is the most poinent of the examples of partial truths, though there are others. Much more could be said. The point is this: "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col. 2:8) In the end, what the author tries to do will not work: his program cannot offer real hope to mankind, for it does not deal with human depravity. Rather than seeking to find meaning by focusing on my present, we truly find it in God's presence. The quest for ultimate meaning is found in a relationship with the God of infinity, and through developing intimacy with Him. For a much better alternative to The Present, read Practicing His Presence by Brother Lawrence and Frank Laubach. | | |
| It has been a long time since I have posted. I have been up to my eyeballs in seminary classwork and my full time job. Here are some recent thoughts from my lovely wife that I want to share. I may not agree 100% with everything she says here, but I think it is worth looking at. Enjoy! American Christians have always been told to pray for the people overseas who are being threatened their lives for believing in Christianity/in Christ. I believe we should still pray for those, but now I am urging those overseas to begin praying for those in the United States, because the tables are beginning to turn against Christians in the US like I've not seen before. Last night on the news there was a big story presented on every news hour (local and national news) with a very clear attempt to make Christians look stupid and attack Christianity in general. Archeologists have found a tomb with Jesus' name on it and the name Mary and several children. They say that it is now believed this could be the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, and that he married Mary Magdeline, and had a family. It's even being labeled by the news as "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" as if it has been determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that is THE tomb of THE Jesus of Nazareth. Psychologically, this has a huge impact on the ignorant. The news presenters and "documentary" director who found this "evidence" say that since there are remains, that Jesus never really raised from the dead, and this may shatter the beliefs on which Christians have hinged their whole faith. This is what the news said. Now they did say in verbal small print that other archeologists have found many tombs with the names Jesus and Mary because those were popular names in that time. However, that was said as a passing comment, and what was emphasized was the "fact" that they have found some contradictions to the Bible and Christian beliefs. They were clearly attempting to demean Christian beliefs. This is how persecution begins. There is a gradual demeaning of a particular people group, the ignorant believe the false information presented, and then people begin to be mistreated, which leads to eventual volatile treatment of those who are seen as stupid. Another avenue by which Christians may experience mild persecution is that there is action on Capital Hill in which there is an effort to sneak in a section in a bill that makes it possible for certain types of grassroots organizations to be fined thousands of dollars or even receive prison sentences for speaking out about public issues in communication avenues (TV, radio, etc)--a censorship denying rights to free speech. Basically, the organizations like Focus On the Family and others that serve as our eyes and ears in Washington will be targeted, but labor unions, trade associations and foreign corporations will be exempted. I realize it will take a while for any action to be taken on the organizations that don't cooperate with this governmental mandate to silence our voices, but as the news and other organizations place emphasis on the studpidity of Christianity, it will make it more acceptable to place Christians in jail for speaking out. It may take years for it to happen, but this kind of bill will make it possible when the culture is ripe enough to carry out the consequences. It has only taken a little over 50 years for the country to totally sway from the conservative, Leave-it-to-Beaver type society, and where Christianity was accepted as Truth and part of the culture, to becoming almost the opposite. We've already seen students, teachers, and other school officals suspended, arrested. or fired for their Christian stance. I ask myself how I will stand, will I stand strong, under persecution. There are many steps being taken to slowly deny Christians freedom in this country. We need to be praying about the future. We also need to be praying for Christians to live out a Christlike life, because those who call themselves Christians, yet do not act or think like Christ (Spiritual leaders perpetrating children, liberal "Christians" promoting liberal theology, etc) are doing damage to Christianity, making it more likely that Christians will be persecuted.
On the other hand, it's not like Christianity is totally being squelched here. There is an equal amount of supportive media for Christianity, such as the new movie "Amazing Grace" about the Wilbur Wilburforce story (guy who wrote Amazing Grace), a movie created by Hollywood even. Also, "The Nativity Story", created by Hollywood, presented accurately, with reasonable artistic license to fill in the story. Also in government, an effort to overturn the controversial abortion bill is gaining some ground. There is certainly a division occuring, showing the obvious spiritual battle of Evil trying to squelch Christianity, but God's Truth being presented just as prominently. It seems to be foreshadowing a time of great persecution but also a time where the true Christianity will be more clearly presented and defended. Selfishly, I hope I'm wrong that there will be great persecution, even in my lifetime, but that seems to me to be the direction of spiritual forces in the US. No matter how people perceive this, we must pray for the protection of our rights and for Christians who are persecuted mildly or severely for standing up for their rights. Even my pastor reflected my concerns when he said that he's not concerned about terrorism and war from other countries, he's more afraid of what the United States is doing to itself and what people are doing in the Name of Jesus that is destructive to this nation and to Christianity.
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