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Garden's Guest - part 6 |
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Garden's Guest - part 7 |
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Garden's Guest - part 6
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Is God to Blame?
A Scriptural Diagnosis Part 2
by George Pogue, Jr. and Lisa Pogue
In light of our ongoing study on God’s involvement in teaching us through the allowing or planning of painful events in our lives, we will examine two commonly quoted scriptures. It is our hope that with a careful inspection of God’s Word we will lay the foundation for the renewing of your mind, to firmly grab hold of the fact that Jesus has provided a new and better covenant for us. He truly is the Way Maker in our lives. The first scripture that we would like to take a look at is:
I Thessalonians 5:18 – NIV “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 – KJV “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Take the time to read over both of these translations for yourself. Read them slowly. Notice that in both the King James Version, as well as the New International Version, there is no place, where the words “for all circumstances” or “for every thing” are used. How often have we heard someone say to us, “Oh, the Bible says thank God “for” all circumstances, thank him “for everything”?
This scripture is one that we would define as often being misquoted. Many people interpret “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you” with the thought that somehow because the word “circumstances” is being used, that we are to thank God for the circumstance that we might be in; suggesting that He has somehow allowed, planned or caused the circumstance.
This misquote of “comfort”, is often used by a well meaning Christian, when we are going through a particularly difficult time in our lives as a way to ease our pain, and help us to draw strength from the notion, that God’s Blueprint detailed the need for this tragic event to keep us close to Him or to love Him. How messed up is that idea?
As we discussed previously, God gave us choice. We can choose to accept Him or reject Him. We are not His robots. He does not sit in heaven manipulating our lives like a carefully organized chess board, reaching down into the game to move this test, trial or circumstance into our lives to see how we will react to it.
Now if we look at the scriptures that precede verse 18 we can find a theme of final instructions that the author, Paul is giving to the people of Thessalonica. Keep in mind this are Paul’s closing words of exhortation. The things that he wants them to remember the most!
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – NIV “Be joyful always. Pray continually. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – KJV “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
If you haven’t noticed by now, the message is be joyful - always, pray - continually, and give thanks - no matter what is going on around you. These three exhortations or commands are what Paul is saying is “God’s will for us”; not the circumstance that we might find ourselves in. Did you get that? Paul is not saying, God caused us to be in a bad situation, nor is he saying that it is God’s will that we have difficult circumstances come into our lives. He is saying that if we do these three things: be joyful, pray and give thanks we will be in the perfect will of God. Now go read this paragraph again and really meditate on these points.
The second scripture that we would like to discuss is in another letter from Paul to the New Testament Church.
Romans 8:28 – NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 – KJV “And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
How many of you have ever heard of this scripture being quoted in the context of defending our God, as an all loving, all good, all merciful heavenly Father. We would venture to guess almost never! However, we can safely assume that you have heard it used to defend the sovereignty of God’s masterful “blueprint” for our lives (without, we might add, the choice, influence or consequences of our own free will).
As cited previously regarding I Thessalonians, it is not the “circumstance” that we find ourselves in that we are to be thanking God for; especially if the situation is a bad one. God can cause good to eventually come out of these situations, but this scripture in Romans, just as the one in I Thessalonians, never points us to the mistruth that God is the author of these events.
He is clearly defined throughout the scriptures as being the restorer of men’s lives, not the destroyer of them. Jesus was and is intended to be the Way Maker not the Way Layer (Way layer - Definition: to lie in wait in order to seize or attack, to wait for and accost a person). Remember His reading of the prophesy from Isaiah in the temple. He was sent to bring good news, deliver people and provide healing and release.
Therefore, it is wrong to proclaim that God has given someone cancer, depression, or injury because “all things work together for good to them that love God”, in light of what we know to be the comprehensive mission of God, revealed to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. The very thought of God’s involvement in the willing, allowing or planning of horrific, catastrophic or painful events to teach us; would mean that God Himself would be forced to allow His Word (Jesus – the Word made flesh and come to dwell among us) return to Him VOID!
VOID – (Definition) having no legal force, not legally valid, empty, vacant, lacking, devoid, ineffective, useless. Does this sound like the God you serve? Does this fit together with the purpose and prophesy of why Jesus came? It clearly does not collaborate with the “warfare worldview” that Jesus meticulously portrayed in His three years of ministry. Where He Himself had to face direct assaults from the enemy, whose mission statement, according to John 10:10 is to steal kill and destroy.
Even Jesus, while He was in the wilderness, witnessed The Father of Lies attempts to skew God’s character as satan repeatedly tried to tempt Jesus. Satan’s ploy this time was quite similar to the successful trap used in the Garden of Eden, where he established the groundwork for the “foundational lie” and introduced sin to God’s creation. The “foundational lie” being that God was somehow withholding His very best from His creation; causing a breach in their complete trust that God is good and would hold nothing back from them. Sin’s introduction into Adam and Eve’s hearts and minds made them begin to question God’s provision of “all things working together for good to them that love God”. They were tricked by satan to believe that God’s one act of “Prohibition” for them regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil somehow negatively defined the whole picture of God’s character.
The trickery that Satan used with Adam and Eve continues to pervade the Church today and convinces many that God causes bad circumstances, difficult situations, trials and tests to come into our lives because He is holding back His goodness to us until we have proved ourselves worthy. For heaven’s sake, we will never be worthy. That’s why He sent Jesus and why we are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is the Way Maker. Right after Adam and Eve sinned; God reaffirmed His pledge of “Provision” and established a promise that the seed of Woman (Jesus) would one day bruise the head of the serpent (the devil).
He immediately went into role of Rescuer/Redeemer and even though the Old Testament is full of God’s disappointment with man’s disobedience, God never stopped loving us, waiting on us and working through the lives of the men and women who chose to serve Him. He was able to take their own bad situations and turn them around preserving the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
Now Jesus sits at His right hand of God the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession on our behalf. He is our Righteousness. He is the Mediator and Intercessor between us and our heavenly Father. He provides the covering and the only way for the Father to see us now, for we are hid in Christ. He provides for us the all access pathway to God’s goodness and it was confirmed and finalized, when Jesus said, “It is finished.”
A Scriptural Diagnosis Part 2
by George Pogue, Jr. and Lisa Pogue
In light of our ongoing study on God’s involvement in teaching us through the allowing or planning of painful events in our lives, we will examine two commonly quoted scriptures. It is our hope that with a careful inspection of God’s Word we will lay the foundation for the renewing of your mind, to firmly grab hold of the fact that Jesus has provided a new and better covenant for us. He truly is the Way Maker in our lives. The first scripture that we would like to take a look at is:
I Thessalonians 5:18 – NIV “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:18 – KJV “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Take the time to read over both of these translations for yourself. Read them slowly. Notice that in both the King James Version, as well as the New International Version, there is no place, where the words “for all circumstances” or “for every thing” are used. How often have we heard someone say to us, “Oh, the Bible says thank God “for” all circumstances, thank him “for everything”?
This scripture is one that we would define as often being misquoted. Many people interpret “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you” with the thought that somehow because the word “circumstances” is being used, that we are to thank God for the circumstance that we might be in; suggesting that He has somehow allowed, planned or caused the circumstance.
This misquote of “comfort”, is often used by a well meaning Christian, when we are going through a particularly difficult time in our lives as a way to ease our pain, and help us to draw strength from the notion, that God’s Blueprint detailed the need for this tragic event to keep us close to Him or to love Him. How messed up is that idea?
As we discussed previously, God gave us choice. We can choose to accept Him or reject Him. We are not His robots. He does not sit in heaven manipulating our lives like a carefully organized chess board, reaching down into the game to move this test, trial or circumstance into our lives to see how we will react to it.
Now if we look at the scriptures that precede verse 18 we can find a theme of final instructions that the author, Paul is giving to the people of Thessalonica. Keep in mind this are Paul’s closing words of exhortation. The things that he wants them to remember the most!
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – NIV “Be joyful always. Pray continually. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – KJV “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
If you haven’t noticed by now, the message is be joyful - always, pray - continually, and give thanks - no matter what is going on around you. These three exhortations or commands are what Paul is saying is “God’s will for us”; not the circumstance that we might find ourselves in. Did you get that? Paul is not saying, God caused us to be in a bad situation, nor is he saying that it is God’s will that we have difficult circumstances come into our lives. He is saying that if we do these three things: be joyful, pray and give thanks we will be in the perfect will of God. Now go read this paragraph again and really meditate on these points.
The second scripture that we would like to discuss is in another letter from Paul to the New Testament Church.
Romans 8:28 – NIV “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 – KJV “And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”
How many of you have ever heard of this scripture being quoted in the context of defending our God, as an all loving, all good, all merciful heavenly Father. We would venture to guess almost never! However, we can safely assume that you have heard it used to defend the sovereignty of God’s masterful “blueprint” for our lives (without, we might add, the choice, influence or consequences of our own free will).
As cited previously regarding I Thessalonians, it is not the “circumstance” that we find ourselves in that we are to be thanking God for; especially if the situation is a bad one. God can cause good to eventually come out of these situations, but this scripture in Romans, just as the one in I Thessalonians, never points us to the mistruth that God is the author of these events.
He is clearly defined throughout the scriptures as being the restorer of men’s lives, not the destroyer of them. Jesus was and is intended to be the Way Maker not the Way Layer (Way layer - Definition: to lie in wait in order to seize or attack, to wait for and accost a person). Remember His reading of the prophesy from Isaiah in the temple. He was sent to bring good news, deliver people and provide healing and release.
Therefore, it is wrong to proclaim that God has given someone cancer, depression, or injury because “all things work together for good to them that love God”, in light of what we know to be the comprehensive mission of God, revealed to us through his Son, Jesus Christ. The very thought of God’s involvement in the willing, allowing or planning of horrific, catastrophic or painful events to teach us; would mean that God Himself would be forced to allow His Word (Jesus – the Word made flesh and come to dwell among us) return to Him VOID!
VOID – (Definition) having no legal force, not legally valid, empty, vacant, lacking, devoid, ineffective, useless. Does this sound like the God you serve? Does this fit together with the purpose and prophesy of why Jesus came? It clearly does not collaborate with the “warfare worldview” that Jesus meticulously portrayed in His three years of ministry. Where He Himself had to face direct assaults from the enemy, whose mission statement, according to John 10:10 is to steal kill and destroy.
Even Jesus, while He was in the wilderness, witnessed The Father of Lies attempts to skew God’s character as satan repeatedly tried to tempt Jesus. Satan’s ploy this time was quite similar to the successful trap used in the Garden of Eden, where he established the groundwork for the “foundational lie” and introduced sin to God’s creation. The “foundational lie” being that God was somehow withholding His very best from His creation; causing a breach in their complete trust that God is good and would hold nothing back from them. Sin’s introduction into Adam and Eve’s hearts and minds made them begin to question God’s provision of “all things working together for good to them that love God”. They were tricked by satan to believe that God’s one act of “Prohibition” for them regarding the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil somehow negatively defined the whole picture of God’s character.
The trickery that Satan used with Adam and Eve continues to pervade the Church today and convinces many that God causes bad circumstances, difficult situations, trials and tests to come into our lives because He is holding back His goodness to us until we have proved ourselves worthy. For heaven’s sake, we will never be worthy. That’s why He sent Jesus and why we are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is the Way Maker. Right after Adam and Eve sinned; God reaffirmed His pledge of “Provision” and established a promise that the seed of Woman (Jesus) would one day bruise the head of the serpent (the devil).
He immediately went into role of Rescuer/Redeemer and even though the Old Testament is full of God’s disappointment with man’s disobedience, God never stopped loving us, waiting on us and working through the lives of the men and women who chose to serve Him. He was able to take their own bad situations and turn them around preserving the bloodline of Jesus Christ.
Now Jesus sits at His right hand of God the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession on our behalf. He is our Righteousness. He is the Mediator and Intercessor between us and our heavenly Father. He provides the covering and the only way for the Father to see us now, for we are hid in Christ. He provides for us the all access pathway to God’s goodness and it was confirmed and finalized, when Jesus said, “It is finished.”
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