Just a bug under His boot heel? - LOL
Or a statement that God owes us nothing more than what he has already given us…..so what is that?
What has God given us so that we might complain about our lot in life? Did he intend us to have grief or suffering? Were we designed for disability and pain? What about death? How do we handle that?
Are any of the woes we suffer in this life, God’s doing?
Once we figure out WHY we have to endure so much, and WHY God has
allowed it rather than
caused it, only then will we appreciate the wisdom of God in choosing to solve the problem of the abuse of free will by allowing it’s free expression. Was free will a mistake? Some seem to think so….but was it worth putting the human race through so much grief?
Does God know what he’s doing? How many opinions do people have about that?
This is another fatal mindset issue. (poison)
What does it boil down to?
- God is omnipotent. (which is true)
- That means he can do whatever he wants. (half truth)
- We have zero value in His economy. (wait a minute)
- We can't expect anything good from Him. (say what?)
I feel that it is more about our own interpretation of things that causes the
mindset that you present, (that many hold to be true.)
God is Omnipotent…creation itself shows us his power, but it also shows us his wisdom….the more we learn about the laws of nature, the more profound his wisdom becomes to us, even though it was always this profound….it is how he chooses to exert his power in his infinite wisdom that gets his will accomplished.
So what is his will for humankind?
Humans, by and large, have not come to know God as the Bible and Jesus present him…they have chosen instead to impose their own ideas about his personality and his actions…..and their errors in judgment have painted him in a poor light, so they have to reinvent him in their own image to make him and his actions more acceptable to them….as if that was necessary….?
Since God’s will is paramount, then he can do as he pleases….the fact is that humans in their short-sightedness do not see what he sees as the future result of his actions, which might not be in their lifetime. How many lifetimes have come and gone since man’s creation? And here we are still suffering the consequences of Adam’s sin 2000 years after Christs sacrifice. What is there about time itself that we have failed to consider?
So again people have to reinterpret his intentions and present different concepts in order to make his actions acceptable. When the idea of an immortal soul was adopted, that just complicated everything even further.
Where do you put souls who never die? The church was very inventive with that concept….none of it biblical however.
Who can really say that we have “zero value in his economy”? He sent his most precious son to suffer and die in our behalf, to pay for the sin we inherited from Adam. God’s justice would not allow for that situation to go on indefinitely, but for an allotted time, God permitted the devil to do his thing. But in the long range view, the end justifies the means….humans are told the long range view, but they don’t want to wait for it…so again they invent scenarios to fill in the blanks. Death cannot possibly be the end of life….so let’s invent places for the dead to go….The Bible tells us that there is only one place to go when we die….”the grave” (Sheol/hades). That’s it.
We sleep peacefully until God’s purpose is served…the devil was allowed to present his case, and to provide his witnesses (those he could deceive). The evidence for his accusations against God and humans are examined and a judgment is made. Satan is convicted, and sentenced, as are all who were persuaded to do his bidding….and he languishes in a deep prison with his cronies, until the rulership of God‘s Kingdom brings us all back to the beginning……all of the dead in Sheol are brought back to life in a resurrection during this 1000 year period, where Jesus calls them all from their graves. (John 5:28-29) Even the wicked.
All humans have then had an opportunity to learn the truth and to bring their lives into harmony with God’s will rather than their own. Each one of us will have made choices that will determine our eternal destiny, whether we know it or not. (Matt 7:21-23) Sadly, the majority will fail, but it will have been their choice. (Matt 7:13-24) Most will avoid the cramped and narrow road to life.
Try this on for size.
- We are of ultimate worth to God.
- He created us in His image, His likeness.
- He loved us enough to pay the ultimate price for our redemption.
- He cares for us deeply.
- He supplies all our needs. (and even many of our wants)
- He has been very good to us. (and will continue to do so)
- His track record shows us what we can expect from Him.
Yes to all of the above……BUT….he also tells us what he expects from us…..and what has he required of us humans since our creation that has never altered? Our OBEDIENCE. When have humans ever really embraced that command to just obey the voice of our Creator, who only has our best interests at heart.
When do we put aside our own will to do the will of the Father as Jesus did? Isn’t it human nature to be rebellious because we inherited sin and it’s propensity to do the wrong thing? Wasn’t the nation of Israel a perfect example of how
not to conduct yourself as worshippers of a God that they were under obligation from birth, to obey. No other nation on earth was obligated by birth to serve the Creator, but what a legacy they left us. We learn more about God’s love and forgiveness for their errors, than we do from their just punishments. They never learned from the lessons of the past, and were therefore doomed to repeat them.
“Christianity” was a whole different kettle of fish….no one is born a Christian…..we have to choose to become one, which involves learning about Christ and his teachings, and following through on all that he taught.…not cherry picking and pretending that what little we do is “good enough”.
Jesus set the standard and it has to be followed…..or the label “Christian” is just that.…a meaningless tag that often fails to spill over into real life. It’s something many do once a week in church….they pick up their label at the door and leave it there when they go home.
So much more I could say about this.
You’re not wrong….