I have lately had a lot of discussions with Christians, and eventually we get to an impasse because we do not share a similar epistomology. This is to be expected, I guess, because if you don't think reason is capable of understanding the Bible, than it is unlikely that a rational argument will persuade you when it differs from Biblical teaching. On the other hand, if the Bible is not necessarily completely true, than often the interpretations of the passages of the Bible can be interpreted to fit what one considers a rational argument. After all, anyone who takes an honest reading of Romans 8:28-30 will assume Paul is telling us that God has predestined the human race into a section of people who go to heaven, and by implication the others are by default in a section of people predestined for Hell. However, if one will take an honest approach to the rational arguments, one arrives at a contradiction, or a paradox, if you will. If God creates some people for the express purpose of punishing them in hell, then how can we call Him loving?
Now, this led to a very interesting discussion. I thought (and think) that this is a great point. There are obviously many layers to this discussion, but ultimately this is what it boils down to. And an answer I hear over and over again is this: who are we to say what "love" is for God? This thought had never occurred to me. I never thought love is different for God than it is for us. Of course, this basic idea makes sense on the surface. Of course God will have a different relationship with us than He calls us to have with each other. Is it this radically different though, that He'd actually doom someone to Hell? Whether eternal or not, which is a different issue, Hell is bad. God is not looking out for this person's best interests in any sense of the word. Then, can we know anything about the "love" God shows us? How does this "love" match up with what we see in Christ?
This got me wondering: how many other terms do Christians often take for granted, but never clearly define? Are there more terms that even amongst Christians the definitions are vague? Here are some terms I think every Christian should struggle to define in a way consistent with his belief system, which should ideally be grounded in the Bible, and especially Christ.
Love: For all the predestination argument, I think we can find a fairly good definition in 1 Corinthians 13. The love described in this chapter underscores the entire ministry of Christ and every verse on love in the Bible I can recall off the top of my head, which is admittedly not many, but I'd be willing to wager that love does not differ from this standard.
Sovereign: Everyone agrees that God is sovereign, but does this mean every minute detail is planned and executed by God, or does this mean His ultimate plan will be eventually fulfilled? Does this mean nothing happens apart from His will?
God's Will: This itself is not usually well defined. Does God's will refer to anything that is good and consistent with His nature? Can God's will refer to His will for us to have free will? Or is God's will something else, such as the will to bring glory to Himself, or to create a beautiful piece of art with this universe, and life is merely the medium in which He wishes to express Himself?
Inerrant: In reference to the Bible, does this mean everything word in the Bible is literally true? Does this mean genres should be considered, but within these genres the Bible is completely, and literally where applicable, true? Does this mean the Bible does its "purpose", whatever that is? And whatever the definition, is the Bible inerrant?
Other words and phrases I find to have sometimes ambiguous meanings are justice, free will, natural revelation, prophecy, plan, timelessness, omniscience, spiritual gifts, holy, morality, good, and evil. No doubt, there are many more. I think when defining these terms, we should pick Biblical references. If two or more Biblical references seem to contradict each other, we should pick the one which Christ best exemplifies. Of course, we should be careful when we suggest they contradict. Perhaps they don't. But at the same time, we shouldn't completely redefine our terms in speculation of God's character.
God says He is love, and love is defined throughout the Bible. That is our standard of love. To compromise that is one of the most dangerous things we can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment