The world wants to believe that the Bible is filled with contradiction. If that were proven true, there could be no omniscient God behind its penning.
The believer on the other hand, if he is being honest with himself, cannot accept contradiction within his doctrine, if he truly believes that the Bible is true. So here are a few observations with regard to the biblically described nature of God, effecting the doctrines of the church.
These are characteristics of God which span eternity. They do not change.
1. God is just. He is a just judge.
2. God is omniscient. He is all knowing. He knows the end from the beginning, and everything that goes on in between even from before the time of creation.
3. Additionally He is good, in Him there is no darkness.
4. He is omnipresent, He is present everywhere even in hell itself. He is all powerful.
5. God is no respecter of persons as opposed to the fact that He is a respecter of the actions of all men. He will judge all based upon the revelation of His word, and upon their deeds relative to His revelation to them.
6. God’s word is true and He cannot and will not lie. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.
7. All sin must be punished by Him. All are children of His wrath, until…
8. Jesus paid for all sin. But there does appear in scripture the unforgivable sin.
9. Men’s/Women’s names were recorded in the book of life before the foundation of the earth. He thus has predetermined who will be and are the elect sons of God, and He did this before man was ever born.
So our doctrine of election and salvation must take all of this into consideration without contradicting any of it.
Given the character and nature of God, I have some possible understanding of what He will do with the man who knows nothing of the Christ, but only because I know two things. His judgment of them will be just. And I also know that His judgment of us, who have heard the Gospel, must be more critical simply because God is just, and we have been given far more information in His word, than other generations. We possess His word. Because we have this word of God we are the ones who must understand what it means to “work out your salvation in fear and trembling”.
We are the ones responsible for believing the truth of the Word of God, and for presenting it to our generation.
Therefore, our doctrine exposes to man and to God what we believe about His word. If we have contradiction within our doctrine we confuse the hearer, and make ourselves subject to what The Word of God says of the man who engages in false witness or false teaching. If we lack wisdom, in other words if we are confused; then we are to ask of God for His wisdom (the ability to understand and present His truth).
James 3:1 Let not many [of you] become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. (NASB)
If you are called to teach, you must first be prepared, rightly dividing the word of truth. Our next post will deal with that right division.
This will be a three part series.
I don’t usually do this, but yesterday I received this e-mail in response to this post. I want you to read it because it is representative of all our questions at one time or another:
OK Jerry, you gotta help me with #2, #9, and #10 (that’s mine). Let’s take #9 first:
#9 – If God predetermined that I’m not one of the elect, am I not spinning my wheels as a believer?
#2 – I really struggle that God knows what will happen before it happens. We’ve discussed it in my men’s Bible study often, with me being the black sheep!! So let’s say there are a blue and red pen on the table. If God knows ahead of time that I’ll pick up the red pen, then I really don’t have any choice to pick up the blue one. Of course, it leads to the free will discussion.
More dramatically, if Johnny goes to rob a 7-11 and God knows ahead of time he’s going to kill the clerk, then Johnnie cannot choose to not kill the clerk.
# 10 – Everything in the Bible is true. Oh how many times have we heard the story of the vine and the branches? When preached, the source is given as John 15: 1-6. I fully subscribe to what Jesus was saying. But in about 2005, when our Daughter-in-law’s breast cancer had metastasized to her brain, I ran across verse 7. I thought surely I abide in Jesus and His word is in me, so I prayed fervently for Jesus to spare her life. When she died I came to the conclusion that either I wasn’t abiding in Jesus and His word not in me or that verse 7 must be a misprint..
Fred
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Great question. But I believe the answer is completely dependent on #2. There is much discussion on this, and you have also been involved in such; but my thoughts are something like this: God must exist outside of time.(This outside of time is not original with me) Why? – because He prophetically tells us what is going to happen before it happens. So, He either makes it happen, meaning there is no free will, and meaning that you are spinning His wheels. Not only that but He then has chosen men for Hell, whom He created for the specific purpose of sinning and He created them with no ability to repent. He just wanted them to go to hell?. That would defeat His dying for whosoever will. (or) On the other hand He just knows what you have done with the red pen, because He saw you do it of your own free will before you ever did it.
I remember you Daughter-in-law’s battle. We prayed with you for her. We have all been beaten up by this circumstance many times. It’s the toughest question going. I’m not going to be able to answer this, (and maybe I’ve not answered your other questions either) but I’ll just throw out a couple of thoughts. Jesus stated that He did and said nothing that the Father did not give Him. In His John 17 prayer He makes clear their oneness. You and I are in Christ. We being there have made a decision to abide by His will even when we don’t fully know it or always understand it. We like Peter may be led through life to places we don’t really want to go. James says that when we have been tested we will receive the crown of life. I’m convinced that these tests are for some greater eternal purpose that will effect us for all of eternity. We feel them and grieve in them for a time, and remember them, as you have done here, perhaps for a lifetime; but when you see her again all will be forgotten. And you will know The why of it. You see I don’t believe that Jesus ever prayed a prayer against His Fathers will, being in Him (His Father), just as we are in Christ. Some say that when He prayed for the removing of the cup in the garden that He was praying that the cross be removed. Not so. I wrote a blog about this. Too long to go into here, so in effect I’m saying I guess if we are so close to Jesus in the vine we won’t pray against His will. But we obviously are not as close in Him as He was to His Father. This is the best I can do. If you solve this let me in on it. One other quick thought. When John the Baptist was in prison about to have his head cut off, he sent to ask Jesus if He was the one. Part of Jesus answer was: Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me. Luke 7:23
An answer to really ponder when you consider what John was faced with in the very near future.
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