When Jesus Manned Up

Lake Wendouree, Ballarat at evening.

There is something beautiful in the picture of God walking in the garden in the cool of the evening painted in Genesis 3. After all it is something many of us enjoy. The tranquility of that moment, surrounded by nature’s beauty can be quite therapeutic. It can be calming uplifting while at the same time giving my spirit a much needed lift. How different is that garden from the world around me, full of turmoil, anger, hatred, sorrow and ugliness.

On that evening God came looking, calling to Adam ‘Where are you?’ Didn’t God know? Isn’t He the all-seeing One? If God knew what Adam and Eve had done and knew where they were why the pretense?

As our children grow we slowly allow them greater freedom, giving them the opportunity to understand that their decisions, good or bad, come with consequences. If we don’t we are setting them up to fail as adults for our community expects adults to be responsible for what they do, or what they should do but don’t.

Adam and Eve failed on this point. In response to God Adam said ‘I hid because I was naked and afraid.’ It so reminds me of my own childhood. ‘Kenneth, come here.’ One day I heard the dreaded call and I bolted. When hunger finally got the better of me I tried to sneak home only to feel the switch from the peach tree on the back of my legs before I saw Mum.

Yes, God came to confront. Was it because He is vindictive, just waiting for us to step out of line? No. When confronted with the fact of their wrong-doing, of eating the forbidden fruit, they attempted to excuse their own action by passing blame. Said Adam, ‘You gave me the woman and she gave me the fruit’. Which interpreted means ‘If you had not given me Eve then I would not be in this pickle. It’s your fault.’

And Eve? ‘Blame the snake. He deceived me.’

There is always the ‘what might have been’. They could have said ‘God, we blew it. We understood what you said and we chose to disobey’. Does our idea of a perfect world mean we will never fail? Or is it a place where we are free to learn by trial and error, accepting responsibility for our failings and seeking to learn from them?

God could have turned a blind eye, pretending it didn’t happen. Can you imagine a society where no one was held accountable for what they did? Just look at the world around us and you will see that society.

Perhaps Genesis three is best understood in that light. God treated Adam and Eve as adults. He knew it was important that they, and us, learn the law of consequences no matter how much pain it may have caused Him and us.

But what of God’s part in this. Could He not foresee that humanity would fail? Did He not create the Serpent, the tempter? What of the Serpent itself? Was it created to tempt, or was it created with free will, the freedom to chose to obey or rebel and in doing so lead others into rebellion?

Our society expects us as citizens to give thought to what we do or fail to do. That means we should have an insight into the potential consequences of the choices we make. There are many lawyers making a living out of proving that the negligence of one party has resulted in injury or loss to their clients.

Should we expect any less of this all knowing God who is able to see the end from the beginning? If He could not foresee the potential consequences of His act of creating He is hardly the God He claims to be. He cannot claim to be just and fair if He holds us accountable for our actions but applies a different standard to Himself. Consider this.

Through Jesus God created everything (Col. 1:16). He was chosen before the Earth was made to rescue us from the mess resulting from our poor choices (1 Peter 1:20). So Jesus came and lived the perfect life of obedience but the Church of the day didn’t want Him. So they crucified Him.

God was not caught napping. He had a plan to respond to the possibility that free will could lead to a disaster. In contrast to Adam and Eve who tried to pass the buck, Jesus manned up and took responsibility for His part. He stepped into the Creation as a helpless baby. He grew to maturity in perfect harmony with the will of God, demonstrating faithfulness was possible.

Read the Gospels. He knew shame as the bastard child of Mary. He was rejected by the Jewish leaders, betrayed by one of his closest followers, and deserted by all in His hour of need. Falsely accused, he was flogged, had a crown of thorns thrust on His head and forced to carry the instrument of His crucifixion to the place of execution. There He hung naked, exposed to the world, an innocent man dying the death of the vilest of criminals.Just before He died He cried out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mat. 27:46)

Why would Jesus put Himself through all this?

The answer is found in three words: confession, repentance and forgiveness. Confession is the ‘manning up’ bit, accepting responsibility for what we have done. Repentance shows we are not simply going through the motions. Rather, it shows we properly recognise our failures and aim not to repeat them. And forgiveness?

Let me suggest three things. First, we accept the forgiveness of God. We believe Him when He says our past is behind us, that He is fully committed to helping us become the people we meant to be. If we are to accept that we must learn to forgive ourselves. Like Jesus we must recognise our past is behind us and live for the future. Once we accept our own forgiveness, we can accept that we are no better or worse than anyone else. As God has forgiven us, so we are to forgive others.

Can you imagine a community that lives this out? What I said in the previous paragraph is not a one of. In this life - and might I suggest the life to come - we will be continually failing, continually learning, continually growing. So the cycle will be continually repeated. But as the cycle repeats, community bonds will grow and our love for one another increase.

That is the community Jesus invites us to enter - a community that understands communal cohesion revolves around responsibility and accountability.

Quotes from the New Living Translation.

Under Orders - a Soldier's Faith

I was 16 when I joined the Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF. One medal in particular gives me great satisfaction, the Defence Force Service Medal with clasp. One qualified for the DFSM after 15 years service with the clasp recognising an additional 5 years, or 20 years service. Probably less than 25% of those enlisting in the Australian Defence Force achieve the 20 year milestone. Yes, I am proud of my service.

Back in the days of Jesus Roman soldiers typically did 20 years service. There were some differences though. Officially they were meant to remain single although their commanders normally looked the other way when they formed relationships with local women, and these relationships tended to be recognised as marriages when their service ceased. It was also normal for them to remain in a particular place rather than experiencing the regular posting cycle I experienced.

It may come as a surprise but in the New Testament soldiers are generally seen in a positive light. Maybe it is only those of us who have had military experience who can begin to appreciate fully what the Bible is saying with its references to soldiers.

An example is found in Luke chapter 7. The much valued slave of a Roman Centurion is at death’s door. He is highly regarded by the Jewish leaders and at his request they seek Jesus and ask Him to come and heal the servant. The story continues in verse 6:

So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

It seems that as he waited he had time to think and as he did so reflected on his experience as a soldier and what he knew of Jesus. In Jesus he saw someone who had great authority, the type of authority he could well relate to.

Doubtless the Roman Army of the first Century operated differently to that of modern military forces. That aside there are no doubt close parallels. Members of the Australian military forces are required to obey the laws of the land but they are also bound by Military Law. Unlike their civilian contemporaries they cannot strike, withdraw labour, resign at will or disobey a lawful command regardless of the threat to their safety. A command is a command is a command. It must be obeyed and, if circumstances so dictate, without question.

It is this that the Centurion saw in Jesus, one who had the authority to command with the expectation of instant compliance. Not however over subordinate soldiers but over nature and those forces, however understood back then, that caused illness and death. He saw in Jesus one who had authority over sickness and health, life and death.

So his friends went and conveyed his message to Jesus. ‘Just say the word … and my servant will be healed.’ And the Scripture says in verse 9: ‘When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’

The Centurion was a Roman soldier, not a Jew. It was generally not the done thing for a good Jew to enter the home of a Gentile, although an exemption could be made if there was certainty the home was ceremonially clean, which in effect meant free of idols. Maybe this was something the Centurion considered before he sent the instruction for Jesus not to come.

The Jews came seeking an exemption, extolling the virtues of this Roman who had been so generous to them. We read in verses 4 and 5: ‘So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”

I am certain Jesus did not head for the Centurion’s home because of his ‘worthiness’. Throughout His ministry He demonstrated compassion and acceptance to society’s outcasts, the unworthy. Jesus was motivated by compassion.

Jesus makes no comment on the Centurion’s deservedness and expresses no surprise that a Roman could be so generous to the Jews. Rather Jesus extols the man’s great faith - faith that exceeds anything He has seen in the Jewish community, among the good Church people. The whole point of His mission was to bring people to the point in their lives where they would put their faith in God. And in this man He found someone with the type of faith He was looking for. Someone who was obviously attracted to the Church, but not part of it.

Is there a lesson in that for those of us who are members of the Church of the 21st Century?

Bible quoted: New Living Translation

Acknowledgement: NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

What Implications Does the Law of Decay Have for Creationists?

Recently I picked up what I took to be a local paper in a Coles Supermarket in Ballarat. It turned out to be a publication produced by a Christian Creationist group featuring the story of an engineer who, during his university days, was challenged to think about the implications of the second law of thermodynamics and the origins of the universe. This lead to his conversion and belief in the Biblical account of Creation in six literal days.

The second law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of decay, are accepted by many in the Christian community as evidence for the existence of God and His role as creator. Simple observation tells us things decay or  breakdown. Science predicts that over time the Universe will expend its finite amount of potential energy. Long before this happens life as we know it will cease to exist. A brief explanation of the concept is presented in the attached link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0bSnL131zQ

While I find the argument compelling it also raises questions about my understanding of God. At the end of sixth day of Creation week it is said that ‘...  God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!’ (Gen. 1:31). It did not however remain that way for long, for we read in Chapter 3 how Adam and Eve disobeyed God and as a result were denied access to the Tree of Life. Consequently they would return to the dust from which they were formed.

On this basis some argue that death, and therefore decay, entered the Creation. Commenting on Genesis 3 Paul says in Romans 5:12 ‘Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned’. Paul is cleary dealing with the lot of humanity. Does it therefore follow that all other living organisms at this point in time also began to decay? I wonder.

As we observe the world around us we see that decay is essential to life. When living things die they start to decay, helped by insects, worms and other things that break them down, releasing nutrients back into the environment to support the continuation of life. Some birds, for example, require trees of a certain age so they can nest in hollows provided by the tree.

It has been observed that life as we know it requires a set of conditions to exist. One of these is the age of the Universe, our Galaxy and our place in it. Too young or too old we could not exist. That age is measured by decay. This being so, how old is the Universe? Is it a recent creation with all the appearance of the necessary age to allow our existence, or was life created on this planet after the Universe had sufficiently matured?

What of the decay inherent in our planet? Was it there from the beginning? Did God create trees of the right age to allow birds to be ‘fruitful and multiply’ and so fulfill the Divine command? (Gen.1:22) According the Genesis 3 the ground was cursed because of human disobedience to God. Consequently it would produce thorns and thistles, and humanity would die (v.17-19). Do we assume a fundamental change occurred in the natural world at this time, including the universe as a whole? Remember, if Adam and Eve had remained faithful they would have lived forever which means our decaying universe would have had to sustain them forever.

We should also remember the Bible talks of the Heavenly Hosts the number of which is too vast to count. We are not told a great deal about them other that they are there and appear before God’s throne. God, we believe, transcends time and space, but what of these created beings? Either we assume God created the Universe just for humanity, or we allow that He created it for all His created beings. Possibly they live in other galaxies, other solar systems, and God meets with them as He met with Adam and Eve in the beginning. If so, do they also see the laws of thermodynamics in action, the Universe in a state of decay? How could it be any different if they inhabit our Universe and our understanding of this law is correct?

Scripture looks forward to the time when all things will be made new (Rev. 21:5). How do we understand this? Earth, our home, is clearly in need of restoration. But if the damage done by sin is contained to our part of the Universe why the necessity of recreating everything? While He could, I don’t see God putting on a grand display of His creative power just to impress the Heavenly Hosts, having to evacuate them to a safe place outside the Universe while He does so. If He alone dwells outside time and space this universe is as much their home as ours and they have done nothing to deserve having their home destroyed and replaced.

There is another possibility. The universe as we see it remains as God intended it to be, and it will maintain that appearance throughout eternity. Remember, the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to a closed system. We see it at work in our mobile devices. When disconnected from the power point their electrical system is a closed one with a limited life. When we plug them into the recharger they become part of the greater energy system and draw energy from that.

The first law of thermodynamics says that energy in a closed system remains constant, it can never be increased or decreased. God, as we understand Him, is outside time and space. It is from Him that the energy present in the Universe comes. So if the Eternal God does exist there is no reason why He cannot ‘plug into’ our closed system to resupply energy so as to sustain it forever.

Which raises the question: If decay is part of the original design of the universe and it is to remain part of its makeup forever, why did God make it such?

Paul affirms in 1 Timothy 6:16 that God ‘alone can never die’. Only God, by nature, is immortal. Everything else, including angels, the heavenly hosts - if they be different to angels, and humanity is mortal. Our continued existence is wholly dependent on Him.

Could there be a better way to demonstrate this to intelligent created beings throughout eternity that the universe in which they live should have ceased to exist eons ago?

Quotes from the New Living Translation.

The Flower and The Refugee

As Christians we should be concerned at the plight of the homeless, displaced, asylum seekers and refugees in the world. Does this mean we should all agree on the way we respond to the matter?

I took this photo recently. The camera was so focused on the flower that other than one leaf everything else is out of focus. This may be good if you want a picture of the flower, but it tells you nothing about it - where it is, what grows next to it, the time of day it was taken and so much more. There is a bigger picture.

I hear a lot about refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants or whatever else you want to call them. But labels don't matter. They are after all human beings. The problem I have with all that is said and done about these human beings is that most of it is about a few people on Manus and Nauru and the inhumanity of the Australian Government. But, like the flower, there is a bigger picture.

Latest available figures from the UNHCR show there are 65.6 million forcibly displaced people around the world. Of these, 22.5 million are classified as refugees, more than half being children under the age of 18. A little over 89,300 of these were resettled in 2016. In that same year Australia's population was just over 24 million.

As I understand it most, if not all, those boat people who are now held on Manus or Nauru are recent refugees, fleeing from recent conflicts. They, their families or friends, have been able to raise the money to pay people smugglers and they come here demanding resettlement. They have a vocal support base only too ready to tell the media every atrocity committed against them.

According to Wikki there are something like 400,000 Karen people homeless, with 128,000 living in camps on the Thai-Burma border. These have little opportunity to earn anything, let alone save for a people smuggler.

Palestinians form the largest refugee group in the world. These people lost their homes and incomes with the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948. Many of the survivors continue to live in refugee camps with their children, grandchildren and later generations.

Australia has historically been one of the most generous hosts to resettled people on a per captia basis, a record we can be proud of. We are also the fastest growing nation in the developed world and that is stretching our resources if we are to believe some of the voices in the media of late.

So what is our response? Or, what should it be?

If we continue to resettle refugees who should get priority? Those from recent conflicts who have the means to pay people smugglers? Elderly Palestinians who because of their age would be unable to contribute to our economic growth? Poor Karens? Or should we give priority to those younger refugees who are in greater danger of harm? By this I mean those who live closer to conflict or in more hazardous situations than Manus or Nauru?

And what of those 'horror' stories from these near islands? Without all the facts it is hard to comment. However I find it difficult to believe they live in conditions that are anywhere near as difficult as Palestinians, Karens or many other refugees and asylum seekers around the world.

That I may not be as passionate about a particular group of people who tried to make the journey to Australia by boat does not mean I lack compassion. It may simply be that I see beyond the media hype, that I believe we need to have a limit, and that there are others who may be in greater need of assistance.

http://www.unhcr.org/en-au/figures-at-a-glance.html