That’s awesome Jason. I love the comparisons. Although, I’m not sure how I feel about being equated as being the Creator. Hmm. Anyway, I enjoyed your thoughts. It’s amazing how the world sees the processes of photosynthesis in a purely cause and effect way and we see it as the sovereign hand of the Almighty mercifully allowing us oxygen. They see 6H20 + 6CO2 àC6H12O2 + 6O2 (which is the process of photosynthesis…yep, I’m a biology major… make fun of me) without drawing the distinction between science and the our God (not merely an idea of the divine). Sir Arthur Keith (Physical Anthropologist and Anatomist) once said, “"…believe it (evolution) only because the only alternative is special creation which is unthinkable.” He realizes the possibility of the divine but will not accept it. So, how do we come to a realization of our need for a Savior? How do we get to the point where we can say “I am a great sinner and Christ is a Great Savior” (Isaac Newton)?
Renee Descartes, the great French philosopher once said, “I think; therefore, I am.” That mentality, the idea that you can possibility come to a full knowledge of the divine through reason, logic, science, history, or whatever other means is downright arrogance. If a person says they are brought to the point of realizing the need salvation based on logic or any other means than the Bible itself is in essence placing logic or whatever means above the Bible. Now don’t take me wrong, God can work through logic, reason, science, or whatever means to cause you to realize your need for a Savior, but to say that you figured it out on your own is folly.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 21 the following: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” What is this saying? For those who are not saved, they cannot become saved by simply reading and understand the texts in the Bible for they are foolishness to the non-believer. The non-believer will not read them with an open heart. Their heart needs to be opened for them. But how? As shown above, it is not from intellect. I'll argue it is the Holy Spirit that prompts some to open their heart to the things of God.
Where does that leave us? If we cannot become saved through reason, logic, science, history, or even reading the Bible….how the heck do you become saved?
We are told in Ephesians 2:5 that God “made us alive together with Christ.” On our own, we can do NOTHING to be brought it right relationship with our Creator. Period. We are fallen, sinful, wretched parasites….but for the work done on the cross we were washed, we were sanctified, and we were justified (1 Corinthians 6:11). I love the passage from Ezekiel 36:26-27..go read it!
I would like to share a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I really enjoy and that I have been thinking of as I write this: "But it is the grace of the Gospel, which is so hard for the pious to understand, that it confronts us with the truth and says: You are a sinner, a great desperate sinner; now come, as the sinner you are, to God who loves you. He wants you as you are; he does not want anything from you, a sacrifice, a work; He wants you alone. 'My son, give me thine heart' (prov. 23:26). God has come to you to save the sinner. Be glad!"
Only by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the opening of our eyes and hearts can we come to a knowledge of our need for a Savior and be able to accept what He did for us, lowly sinners.
After thinking about the title of this blog that Jason and I are writing in, I thought it appropriate to use the verse from Hebrews where the author tells us to “spur one another on to love and good deeds.” In light of that, if there is anything that you feel is wrong (BIBLICALLY), please bring that to my attention. It would be doing me a disservice to withhold your thoughts from me, especially if you deem my theology to be inaccurate. I realize I have said some controversial things and could use some feedback.
I would like to leave you with an old hymn. The title of it is “I Sought the Lord, and Afterward I knew.” Here it is:
I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me;
it was not I that found, O Savior true;
no, I was found of thee.
Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea;
'twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
as thou, dear Lord, on me.
I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee;
for thou wert long beforehand with my soul,
always thou lovedst me.
Because of Him,
J. Hylander
When you say, "It says that if you aren’t saved, you cannot become saved by simply reading and understand the texts in the Bible for they are foolishness to the non-believer," do you mean that reading the Bible in and of itself won't save you? Or that you can't come to know Jesus Christ, Salvation, through reading the Bible unless you already know Him? I think you mean the former, but the wording is throwing me off.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I modified it a bit. You were right.
ReplyDeleteThat's more agreeable. :) John 5:37-40 reads, "'And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has tesitifed of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.'"
ReplyDeleteJesus' whole point is that these Jews have been reading God's Word all along and completely missed that Jesus, the incarnation of God's love, is the focal point. And in their deepest hearts, the Jews hadn't truly believed the Scriptures to be of God, and consequently did not trust either His voice nor His messenger. Again Jesus says in John 5:46-47, "'For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?'"
We must believe in the Father when He walks onto stage if we are to trust anything we hear while He's at the podium.