10 Sep 2003

Questioning God

Submitted by theshovel
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Romans 9 seems to say I shouldn't ask this question. Anonymous

What Paul wrote in Romans 9, "who art thou that repliest against God?", has nothing to do with your desire to want to know what this means! If you follow the context of Romans (all the way through) you will discover that Paul presented many such questions. He followed them up with "God forbid" (or "By no means" depending on the version you're reading). Paul presented the gospel of Christ in a logical format ... which causes the human heart to react against the grace of God in favor of human merit. You and I understand this well, don't we? Here's what Paul was so sharply rebuking: (this is the American Standard Version ... I downloaded it from the web ... I'm more familiar with the New American Standard and like it better, but I haven't found that one yet)

What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid ... Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstandeth his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? Romans 9:14, Romans 9:19-21

It is the reaction of the human heart in the attempt to say that God is wrong and I am right. Do you see it? My old mindset (which kicks in all the time) is not interested in discovering the real truth, but loves to mold facts in such a way as to make me look right. My "God-concept" was developed to appear kosher so that my views had the sense of being valid. The closer I could hold to a form of godliness the better. Accuracy becomes crucial in this mindset which is why we become so addicted to arguing our viewpoint; for if I'm wrong in ONE place then I could be wrong in everything. The alternative to this is to demand that no one really knows anything for sure. This way I could STILL hold to my viewpoint, but would (at least in my own mind) diffuse anyone's proof that my viewpoint was wrong. It's all bogus. Don't let it distract you from the obvious. The natural mindset will do ANYTHING to protect and defend itself. It's called JUSTIFICATION. When the reality of God's mercy is declared to the natural mindset it stands as a judgment against our own works and merit. Mercy is for losers. Grace is for those who can't make the grade. Here Paul was using the Jews' very history to declare the reality of God's mercy and it posed a threat to their whole system of self-justification. And so what is the natural reaction of the fallen human heart? BLAME GOD AND MAKE ME LOOK RIGHT. FOR IF ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH ME (according to the viewpoint that God controls who gets what) THEN IT MUST BE HIS FAULT AND NOT MINE. Pretty simple, huh? The natural mind doesn't believe this truth ...

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that hath mercy. Romans 9:15-16

... it only uses it as an excuse to let Him take the blame for anything that's proven against me, so that my choices and works and merit can stand. It is only because the grace of God has continuously shown you the fallacy of your former mindset that you can get past the arrogance of demanding that God is wrong and you are right. When your God was molded to fit your mindset you had no problem with THAT god. I remember my old thoughts going something like this: "Well, if God is that way then He is a monster" and "I won't believe in a god like that!" etc, etc. MY god was nice, he wasn't pushy, he didn't make a big deal over things that I saw as unimportant, he didn't create conflicts to my viewpoints. In my mind I held my God as PERFECT. Well, guess who MY god really was? ME ... MY mindset ... that's who. Yours was YOU. But you have been made new ... and have been given the mind of Christ. This mind NEVER makes the assumption that God is wrong ... and it knows that it's righteousness is the very righteousness of God. Now, there are lots of questions about what this means and what that means that keeps us from understanding the simple stuff that people knew at the time of the writing. Paul didn't write his letters in such a way that they wouldn't understand them. We have to do a lot of study just to figure what in the heck he was saying. That's why we have a problem with knowing what it MEANS 'cause half the time we don't know what it SAYS. :)

New Testament: 

Comments

Wow, After reading this tonight I was struck with the memory of something in my past. I can remember a time in which I had been asking God to ‘show me’ which way to believe. I said to Him “Is it law or is it grace Lord?’. Funny thing, God never answered that desperate prayer but, actually did something totally different in my life over the course of many years. See God heard my heart. He was not looking to my WORDS. Oh He heard them but, He also heard what I was holding onto in my heart. What He heard was this: “God I am justified by the choice I will make here. Just tell me the ‘right’ way and I will choose that and be justified by my choice.’ Yeah the outward appearance of my words was NOT what was actually IN my intention! Thank God He knows my heart and that I do NOT! What my TRUE SELF wanted to see was Christ, my justification. He heard THAT and He responded in a big way in my life. He continues to show it to me. He has done it slowly, as I can understand here and there. He has broken down the walls of the old mind and has shown Himself as my justification TO ME.
theshovel's picture

Adam,

Thanks for adding the response of your heart to this post. I have so often marveled at the wisdom of his grace in having shown how he truly heard the desire of my inner man when my words and confusion begged for something else.

Jim

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Random Shovelquote: No differences in Christ (view all shovelquotes)

... in Him there are no differences because His Spirit has truly made us one!! True understanding comes as my measuring sticks keep getting snapped and I once again have my eyes opened to the measureless life of Christ who is MY life.   source