“The LORD said to Moses, ‘When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.’” Exo 4:21
Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Seems rather unloving, doesn’t it? I mean if God directly intervened that would mean He created evil in Pharaoh’s heart. Is God the author of sin? Yet it is written, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.” (James 1:13-14). So what gives? God did not actively harden Pharaoh’s heart; He hardened his heart passively.
How can God do so passively? He gave Pharaoh over to his sin, the sin that was already there in his heart. In regards to mankind, it is written, “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts…They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised…Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done” (Rom 1:24-28).
God gave Pharaoh over to his sin and removed His hand of restraint. Have you ever heard the saying “Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”? Think of the men in history who have had absolute power - Hitler, Stalin, etc - and think of how corrupted they became. In a way, you could argue the sin in their hearts had already been there, having absolute power merely allowed for the expression of it.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
H-E-Double Hockey Sticks
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done…The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” Rev 20:12-15
I would like to attempt to explain something that is I know many find very difficult to understand: why a good and loving God sends people to hell. This post will not make sense unless you’ve read my previous post. Therefore, you should prolly read that before proceeding. Ultimately, God cares for us and values our affection, therefore He is Jealous. He wants our heart, and He is not willing to share first place. First, we must recognize that God does go to extremes to show His love for us. His love goes against nature - when someone betrays you, do you die for them? Do you go to them to attempt reconciliation without them coming to you first? Well, God did. He went to extremes in His love and wants reconciliation, it is His heart.
I would like to attempt to explain something that is I know many find very difficult to understand: why a good and loving God sends people to hell. This post will not make sense unless you’ve read my previous post. Therefore, you should prolly read that before proceeding. Ultimately, God cares for us and values our affection, therefore He is Jealous. He wants our heart, and He is not willing to share first place. First, we must recognize that God does go to extremes to show His love for us. His love goes against nature - when someone betrays you, do you die for them? Do you go to them to attempt reconciliation without them coming to you first? Well, God did. He went to extremes in His love and wants reconciliation, it is His heart.
Jealous Love
“Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exo 34:14
Is God a selfish God? Is His love for us self-interested and self-motivated? The answer to that question is both yes and no. Confusing? Let me explain. Have you ever been in love? If so, then you would know that when you love someone you want to do selfless things for them and make that person happy. But you also want that person to love you back and enjoy you. You want them to be devoted to you. You want them to love you back.
Yet, love opens you up to do more selfless things for that person that you don’t normally do. You love them for their own benefit, but let’s not lie, when you love you do it also for your own benefit. We like how love makes us feel and we like feeling good about ourselves when someone loves us back. Made in God’s image and understanding that, is it so surprising at that we do crazy things to have love? We need to be honest. When we chase after love we are not doing it for a hundred percent sefless reasons; we want love for our own benefit. We can’t live without it. We’ve got to have it.
Is God a selfish God? Is His love for us self-interested and self-motivated? The answer to that question is both yes and no. Confusing? Let me explain. Have you ever been in love? If so, then you would know that when you love someone you want to do selfless things for them and make that person happy. But you also want that person to love you back and enjoy you. You want them to be devoted to you. You want them to love you back.
Yet, love opens you up to do more selfless things for that person that you don’t normally do. You love them for their own benefit, but let’s not lie, when you love you do it also for your own benefit. We like how love makes us feel and we like feeling good about ourselves when someone loves us back. Made in God’s image and understanding that, is it so surprising at that we do crazy things to have love? We need to be honest. When we chase after love we are not doing it for a hundred percent sefless reasons; we want love for our own benefit. We can’t live without it. We’ve got to have it.
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