We have seen that God has revealed His truth in His Word: both in Jesus Christ (Jn 1:14) and through Scripture (2Tm 3:16). Our faith in what Christ has accomplished in our reconciliation to God is a volitional act on our part—the only part we play. The writer of Hebrews defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hb 11:1). Mankind accepts Christ’s act of redemption in this manner through the hearing of it (Ro 10:17): he has not observed the act, but trusts in it and the eternal hope it brings. Therefore, this is a volitional act by man himself. However, faith is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Ga 5:22-23) which the Holy Spirit matures into greater faith God can use in one’s life for even greater things and help one to stand firm (2Co 1:24). Therefore, the righteousness through faith that Paul describes in Romans 3:21-31 states what Christ did for us, but also infers what Christ will do for us in this present life and provides the secure hope of what He will do for us in the life to come. Righteousness is not just for now, but for all eternity.

In previous posts, I stated we need to understand God’s intent for time to know how to utilize (or redeem) our time effectively. We have seen how God has created time and has utilized it to bring about His will. He has used various prophecies to give us a glimpse of His intentions for the future and has allowed us to have a part in His plan if we accept it. As we have seen in other posts, acceptance is the first critical step. More is needed if we want to redeem the time we have (Ep 5:16). As we yield more of our life over to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, we gradually become more and more conformed to the moral image of God and Christ (Cl 3:5-10), and we begin to develop a perspective of life, meaning, and attitude as that of Christ (1Co 2:16; Pp 2:5). Paul was an example of this fact. Paul was very secure in his faith (Ro 8:31-39), but this made him have even more zeal for those who had not yet gained this faith (Ro 10:1). His heart for others was expressed in almost every letter he penned. He invested in the lives of others, like Timothy (Ac 16:1-5; 1Tm 1:2), Titus (Tt 1:4), and Onesimus (Pm 10-11; Cl 4:9), and others.

We do have to be cautious. The enemy (Satan) wants to “devour” us (1Pt 5:8) by making us ineffective, whether through deception of the truth (2Jn 7-8) or causing us to lose sight of our true purpose here (3Jn 9-10). Also, as Christ has taught us to be in the world but not of the world (Jn 17:14-15), Satan also has followers who are in the church (congregation) but not of the Church (true body of believers), and we are cautioned to be on guard for such (2Pt 2:1-2; Ju 4) and to not conform to the world’s standards (Ro 12:1-2; Ja 1:27). We are to be holy (1Pt 1:15-16), i.e., unique, set apart.  Christ’s indwelling of us via the Holy Spirit (1Co 3:16) is our present assurance of future glorification (Cl 1:27), i.e., a state of eternal glory (2Tm 2:10; 1Pt 5:10). Therefore, our perseverance now will lead to much reward for all eternity (Cl 3:24; 2Tm 4:8; Ja 1:12; 1Pt 5:4; 2Jn 8).

Although God’s expectations of us is quite high, he does not expect us to meet those standards on our own. He has given us the tools we need for this life (His word and the Holy Spirit) and has provided the hope we need for the next.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the last few posts we have talked about several different kinds of Biblical conundrums. The reason these conundrums (or paradoxes or antinomies) are there is because God is a part of them. We cannot fully understand God, how He works, or even why He works as He does. Therefore, He and His actions appear conundrum-like to us. I think this is one reason why so many people have trouble with the Gospel message. In one case it is quite simple and even a child can understand and accept it. However, the more deeply you think about it, the more complicated and anti-logical it seems and since people cannot rationalize it in their mind, they are skeptical of believing something that seems paradoxical.

So, how does one come to grips with all this? Well, first we need to understand how we think about God. What is your view of God? Do you want a God you can logically understand and figure out? Yes, it makes Him seem more rational, but is that how big a God you really want? If I can figure God out, how can I really expect Him to handle all the things I can’t figure out? I want a God who is bigger than what I can conceive, and who can do more than I can imagine—One who is totally mind-blowing! Isn’t that the kind of God you want? If that is the case then you want a God who is a conundrum, whose works are paradoxical, and who can make antinomies true. If that is the kind of God you want, then the next step is really not that big.

What step am I talking about? Faith. It is the glue that ties all these Godly conundrums together for us. If we want and believe in a God who is like we just described, then all we have to do is accept Him: who He is (a conundrum) as described in the Bible (Trinity), what He has done for us (a paradox) that we cannot do ourselves (salvation), and how he works and draws people to Himself (an antinomy) and makes us his (you can call it free will or predestination). This acceptance is by faith. It is what God requires. You can go only so far on human logic. It almost gets you there—but not quite. There is still a small gap. It is like Indiana Jones when he was seeking the Holy Grail to save his father. He was almost there. He could see where he needed to go but he couldn’t quite get there with his own efforts. He had to take that step of faith. It didn’t seem right. It didn’t seem logical. But he was desperate and so he took that step that in his mind would plummet him to his demise. However, the step was firm. It didn’t make sense—at first. But it was only after taking that step that it all made sense, and he was able to complete his mission and save his father. Are you at that place? You are almost there but the next step just does not seem logical. Trust me. Just take that step. Only after taking that step can the conundrum, the paradox, the antinomy of God begin to make sense. You will never fully understand Him, but you will know you can trust Him. That, my friend, makes all the difference.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

This topic may be a little scary for some and one may wonder why I have brought up such a controversial subject. After all, this debate has actually split congregations into different denominations. The Bible does teach both (Ro 8:29, Jn 3:16) but they seem almost opposite in definition, so how could they both be true? Ah, is that not a true antinomy? So, how do we deal with such a topic? Some have divided into camps: one states that God sees what man is going to do and so a person is predestined to know him, another states that God foreordained some to finally know Him and others to not. Free will versus predestination: yes, it can make one’s head hurt if you think too long and try to reconcile the two with human logic. So what is one to do? Some say that this is not a crucial belief for one’s salvation, so we can just agree to disagree. Well, that is certainly true. But I had to ask myself, do I have to choose. Since the Bible supports that both are true and that all scripture comes from God (2Tm 3:16), can I rectify this in my mind without twisting my brain into knots?

After thinking further, I think the answer is that not only are both true, but they are the same thing. Preposterous you say? I think we have to know that human logic is not the same as God’s logic (Is 55:9).I also think God has provided us evidence of this in the natural world so we can apply it in the spiritual world. The picture at the beginning of this post is the first example. The picture is an ambigram where it can be read as either wave or particle. The electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, can be considered as a wave or as a particle. This is known as wave-particle duality where light can be viewed as a wave or as a particle but not both simultaneously. The same seems to be true with electrons and other subatomic particles as well. This would seem to imply that we don’t really understand these particles because they can’t be one or the other. And that is what has happened because along came string theory to try to better “interpret” these particles as being like a one-dimensional string that vibrates and the frequency of vibration will define what type of subatomic particle one is describing. Even this theory doesn’t explain everything, but I think you get the point. We have a particle but we don’t fully understand it, but we know you can look at it from different perspectives yet it is still describing the same particle.

Now, doesn’t that sound similar to this spiritual concept? You can view one’ acceptance of Christ as either free will or predestination but you can’t reconcile them together. This means that it is not really one or the other, we just have not been able to understand the true concept. So, this means you can look at this as predestination or free will and you will be describing the same concept—just not fully, because the true understanding is something in between. Perhaps that is why Paul did not try to explain the predestination concept because it really is not different from free will after all. It may appear different to us but not to God. God fully understands it. We just need to accept it.

Is that hard to swallow? Well, scientists no longer fight over an electron or other subatomic particle being a particle or a wave or a string. They have come to accept that these are all true, but inaccurate, descriptions of the same concept. They accept that. Is that faith? They may not say so, but if we accept something without fully understanding it, isn’t that faith? Isn’t that what God expects of us? We don’t have to understand Him to accept Him. It is all possible with faith.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Why would I say salvation is a paradox? Well, God states that salvation is something He provided for us, and there is nothing we can do ourselves to earn it. Therefore, if we work toward our salvation, we cannot attain it; but if we don’t work for it, we attain it. See, doesn’t that sound like a paradox? However, there is a logical answer to this mysterious statement.

Adam’s act of disobedience—actually, rebellion (read chapter 4 of my book, Why is a Gentile World Tied to a Jewish Timeline?) forever separated mankind from God. This is a chasm that mankind cannot bridge. Our best is still counted as equivalent to a filthy rag to God (Is 64:6). Therefore, we were forever destined to be separated from God. However, God loved us so much that He decided to bridge this gap for us. The second person of the Godhead, who became Jesus Christ, became known as the Son of God, came, and died on the cross for the payment of all of mankind’s sin: past, present, and future. All of the work needed to restore us to God was done by God. This neither means our salvation is cheap nor is it automatic. Jesus Christ paid a huge price. Although he was God, he came in human flesh and sacrificed his life for us. This was a payment God required for sin. The past sacrifices had been done, and were required to be done, on a repeated basis. These sacrifices were instituted to show that mankind cannot get to God on works alone, and pointed toward the one Messiah who was to come to be the ultimate sacrifice, and pay the universal debt these animal sacrifices could not pay. Also, God is spirit and, therefore, each personality of the Godhead was spirit. By Jesus Christ coming in human form, he forever remained human so he will always identify with us—in human form when he was present on earth, and in glorified form in our eternal future. Jesus Christ paid the necessary price to restore our relationship with God; however, each individual must accept that offering. It is not granted automatically. God is not going to force this gift on us if we are not willing to accept it. Although the price was great, it’s acceptance is available to all just by the act of acceptance, with humility.

Faith is the element that is need for our salvation’s acceptance. To accept what has been done for us, we have to accept, by faith, that this is our only way for being accepted by God: not on our own merit but on the merit of Jesus Christ alone. There is no work, no act, no moral goodness that we can rely on for God’s acceptance of us. It must be on Jesus Christ alone. There is no other name on which we can be saved (Ac 4:12).

Connected to this, and tied to this paradox, is the virgin birth of Christ. Without his virgin birth, there is no way Christ’s act of salvation could be possible for us. There is no human that can pay for the sin of even one person, much less that of all mankind. Without His virgin birth, there would be no salvation. Therefore, belief in Christ’s virgin birth is essential to our salvation. Just as faith is needed to trust in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for our right standing with God, faith is also needed to believe in Christ’s virgin birth. Both are essential. The latter cannot be achieved without the former being true.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens