Ask this question, "What does God know?", in Sunday School and you will receive a Sunday School answer: everything. Have you given much thought to what is included in the "everything" God knows? David writes in the 139th Psalm:
O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
God is closer to you than any other possible relationship. There are thoughts and activities you can hide even from your closest friend or your spouse! God knows every thought, every motive, and every action we take. We cannot attain such incredible knowledge, it is "too wonderful for me." God sees our wickedness. God sees how ugly we think of others, our true motives for doing any given task, and sinful deeds we commit in the dark.
There is good news. Grace is given by God that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-11). Although God knows everything you say, think, or do, even though God knows the massive amount of sin and your inability to atone for such wickedness, God's grace is that He sent His Son to make our payment and give us perfect righteousness instead.
A question for you, dear reader: do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? We hear our Savior preach how "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6). Do you truly desire all sin and evil to make a hurried exit from your thoughts and your feelings? Then, pray with David at the end of this Psalm:
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
This is a dangerous prayer! Oh, the trembling our flesh might experience if such prayer is answered! This is not a prayer for God to search you for something He is unaware of, for God knows everything. Beloved, this is a prayer for God to search you and find sin in places you have tried to hide it. This is a prayer for God to reveal sin you have given no thought to. This is a prayer to publish what you have tried to hide in private, either by will or by ignorance.
God's all-knowing attribute provides terror, not comfort, to those trying to make it on their own. Perhaps the very thought of an all-powerful deity gives nothing but dread and lament to some. Following Jesus from such a distance as to attend church services and scantily read their Bible, some might say, makes up for what is said in secret and done in nobody's presence. Be warned, God is an all-knowing God. Without the merit of Christ which produces the fruits of faithfulness, you stand in judgment on your own goodness. God sees all thoughts, all actions, and all words.
If the desire for your heart is being led in the way everlasting, the
way of Christ-likeness, then your heart rejoices in God's examination
and granting repentance. Confess your guilt and God is faithful to
forgive you (I John 1:9). This is not a one-time confession, but a life of continual confession and utter dependence upon our sovereign, all-knowing God.
Hiding sin or trading sins for other sins which are hidden more easily
will not disguise your guilt before our all-knowing God. Acknowledge
your guilt, pray for God to make public what sins are in private, and
repent by the power of God.
Showing posts with label Arthur W Pink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arthur W Pink. Show all posts
Monday, March 19, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
The Watchmaker
On Wednesday nights, we have been going chapter by chapter together through Arthur W. Pink's The Attributes of God. I thought that I would pen (or in this case, type) some thoughts together and share them with those of you who cannot attend.
When discussing God's solitariness, we must first understand that when our Triune God is alone, He has perfect relationship in Himself. Thus, He did not create the universe out of loneliness or an unfulfilled desire for praise. This would render our God imperfect considering that He is in need of something that He cannot provide for Himself. God is not in need of such things from His creatures because God has perfect praise and relationship within His three Persons. God created for His good pleasure, to display His magnificent glory. If perfection in relationship is found in God who is separate from His creation, what tremendous mercy is shown to sinners for whom Christ died to have reconciliation to God through Christ Jesus (Romans 5:10-11)! When we get away from the world and are "alone with God," we are indeed entering perfection. This perfection is alien to us (I Corinthians 1:30); in other words, entering into God's perfect relationship is not a substance or a work found in us, but given to us by Christ Jesus and His work.
How do we come to knowledge of this solitary, perfect, and Triune God? Pink describes the unhelpfulness of the illustration of the watchmaker. Consider a barbarian man in the amazon. He has never ventured further than two miles from his tribal village. He has never seen a photograph or an airplane. He has never known technology beyond that of a stick with a sharpened stone tied to its tip. Imagine this barbarian man walking along the beach and discovering a watch. He examines the watch and notices its fine details and inscriptions. He opens the watch and finds its intricate gear works. The complexity and fine detail would not bring even such a man as this to assume that the sands made this thing. He would not be so foolish as to believe erosion or time managed to form such fine and complex work (Psalm 14:1). This is what we observe with our universe. The complex design of this vast universe as well as the finer details of the human body such as the eye ball leaves humanity with no other understanding than that of intelligent design. The unhelpfulness Pink discusses in reference to this watchmaker is that studying the watch cannot tell us what the watchmaker is like. What are his characteristics? What brings him pleasure?
Studying the universe or sitting in a dark room thinking will not lead us to knowledge of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God. God is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3). Therefore, if we are to know God, He must reveal Himself to us, His creatures. God's glory must be revealed to us, and Christ Jesus reveals God's glory to whom He chooses (Matthew 11:27). The glory of God is observed in the face of Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 4:6). The Holy Spirit raises our dead hearts to a new life renewing our minds to witness the glory of God. Let us increase in the knowledge of God by reading, studying, and obeying the Word of God. The Scriptures tell us who God is, what He is like, and what pleases Him. The Scriptures tell us of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God.
When discussing God's solitariness, we must first understand that when our Triune God is alone, He has perfect relationship in Himself. Thus, He did not create the universe out of loneliness or an unfulfilled desire for praise. This would render our God imperfect considering that He is in need of something that He cannot provide for Himself. God is not in need of such things from His creatures because God has perfect praise and relationship within His three Persons. God created for His good pleasure, to display His magnificent glory. If perfection in relationship is found in God who is separate from His creation, what tremendous mercy is shown to sinners for whom Christ died to have reconciliation to God through Christ Jesus (Romans 5:10-11)! When we get away from the world and are "alone with God," we are indeed entering perfection. This perfection is alien to us (I Corinthians 1:30); in other words, entering into God's perfect relationship is not a substance or a work found in us, but given to us by Christ Jesus and His work.
How do we come to knowledge of this solitary, perfect, and Triune God? Pink describes the unhelpfulness of the illustration of the watchmaker. Consider a barbarian man in the amazon. He has never ventured further than two miles from his tribal village. He has never seen a photograph or an airplane. He has never known technology beyond that of a stick with a sharpened stone tied to its tip. Imagine this barbarian man walking along the beach and discovering a watch. He examines the watch and notices its fine details and inscriptions. He opens the watch and finds its intricate gear works. The complexity and fine detail would not bring even such a man as this to assume that the sands made this thing. He would not be so foolish as to believe erosion or time managed to form such fine and complex work (Psalm 14:1). This is what we observe with our universe. The complex design of this vast universe as well as the finer details of the human body such as the eye ball leaves humanity with no other understanding than that of intelligent design. The unhelpfulness Pink discusses in reference to this watchmaker is that studying the watch cannot tell us what the watchmaker is like. What are his characteristics? What brings him pleasure?
Studying the universe or sitting in a dark room thinking will not lead us to knowledge of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God. God is unsearchable (Psalm 145:3). Therefore, if we are to know God, He must reveal Himself to us, His creatures. God's glory must be revealed to us, and Christ Jesus reveals God's glory to whom He chooses (Matthew 11:27). The glory of God is observed in the face of Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 4:6). The Holy Spirit raises our dead hearts to a new life renewing our minds to witness the glory of God. Let us increase in the knowledge of God by reading, studying, and obeying the Word of God. The Scriptures tell us who God is, what He is like, and what pleases Him. The Scriptures tell us of our solitary, perfect, and Triune God.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Someone Greater than Shakespeare is Here
In I John 4:8, the Scripture reveals that "God is love." Greek does not have an indefinite article (Jehovah's Witnesses would do well to pay attention); thus, the verse is not read "God is a love," as if God is one form of many loves. There is no love that exists outside of God. In our modern secularized world, we have learned to compartmentalize "religious" love and the types of love in all other areas: marriage, children, peppered steak, etc. Valentine's Day stands as an example of the corruption sinful man has placed over this one word.
Movies and romance novels talk endlessly about finding "true love." This idea of love seems a mysterious force that, like the wind, is something that cannot be seen and is lost from our reaches. Love is reduced to a feeling, or primal sensation, which explodes in mutual pleasure when the mysterious "soul-mate" that this mysterious force fated for you is found. The world's view of love is utterly selfish in its nature and is founded on an idol god. True love, in this view, is an explosion of personal emotion and has its value solely upon personal pleasure. Have we any wonder, then, that people in the world "fall out of love" and never commit in marriage?
Instead of exhaustively displaying what love is not, allow me to suggest that the love of Christ is greater than the world's depiction of love. The world's love is prompted by something in someone outside of you: their attractiveness, their kindness, perfect characteristics, love poems, and the like. God loves us with a perfect and eternal love from His own perfect goodness (Psalm 25:6-7) and, therefore, His love is not dependent on any attribute of us (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). What marvelous good news! God's love remains on His chosen, not because we are great, wise, or sinless, but because God is good.
The world's love often fails to commit, and even if a commitment is made one can "fall out of love" and break that commitment Yet, because God's love is based solely on His goodness, God enters a covenant that we did not earn (Ephesians 2:8-9) and His commitment is eternal (Psalm 103:17). Follow Arthur W. Pink's logic:
(1) God's love is permanent.
(2) God's love is expressed in permanence and not gifts.
So, unlike many in the world where love is solely expressed in gift giving (like flowers and chocolate on Valentine's Day), God's love is displayed in how He changed our status before Him (from sinners to righteous) and His love's permanence rather than simply giving us stuff (such as fulfilling felt needs or speaking in tongues). The beloved of God cannot even begin to comprehend the joyous pleasure of receiving God's eternal love; however, our love is shown as worship to our loving God by faithful obedience to His commands (John 14:23-24).
The world's love parasitically feeds pleasure from others like leeches. God loves in such a way to include many who deserve His wrath. Jesus came and died for us to show us the greatest love by dying for His chosen. Before creation, He chose some of us freely out of His love that is founded solely upon His goodness and for His praise and not our characteristics (Ephesians 1:4-6). This praise we give by our faithful obedience to His commands because God lovingly gave us the gift of faith which enables our once dead hearts to have a desire to lovingly worship our God. So, the world may have Shakespearean love and extravagant princess-style weddings for selfish pleasure that is temporary. Someone greater than Shakespeare is here. "Love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:12-13). Thus, husbands love Christ by teaching Scripture to His wife and loving her as God loves him, not when she is nice to him or by anything she has or does, but because the man loves Christ. Likewise, wives love their husbands as Christ loves her, not for the gifts he brings or being "Mr. Right," but because of her love for Christ. Marital love is not an emotional sensation that explodes in carnal pleasure, but a mutual submission to and worship of the God who is love. The perfect gift to your spouse for today's celebration is having faith in Christ and "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge"...every day.
Suggested Reading:
The Attributes of God Chapter 15 entitled "The Love of God" by A.W. Pink
Movies and romance novels talk endlessly about finding "true love." This idea of love seems a mysterious force that, like the wind, is something that cannot be seen and is lost from our reaches. Love is reduced to a feeling, or primal sensation, which explodes in mutual pleasure when the mysterious "soul-mate" that this mysterious force fated for you is found. The world's view of love is utterly selfish in its nature and is founded on an idol god. True love, in this view, is an explosion of personal emotion and has its value solely upon personal pleasure. Have we any wonder, then, that people in the world "fall out of love" and never commit in marriage?
Instead of exhaustively displaying what love is not, allow me to suggest that the love of Christ is greater than the world's depiction of love. The world's love is prompted by something in someone outside of you: their attractiveness, their kindness, perfect characteristics, love poems, and the like. God loves us with a perfect and eternal love from His own perfect goodness (Psalm 25:6-7) and, therefore, His love is not dependent on any attribute of us (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). What marvelous good news! God's love remains on His chosen, not because we are great, wise, or sinless, but because God is good.
The world's love often fails to commit, and even if a commitment is made one can "fall out of love" and break that commitment Yet, because God's love is based solely on His goodness, God enters a covenant that we did not earn (Ephesians 2:8-9) and His commitment is eternal (Psalm 103:17). Follow Arthur W. Pink's logic:
God Himself is eternal, and God is love; therefore, as God Himself had no beginning, His love had none.God will never fall out of love with His people. In I Corinthians 13:8-10, Paul describes how God's love is permanent against God's gifts. Two things we might infer from this passage about God's love:
(1) God's love is permanent.
(2) God's love is expressed in permanence and not gifts.
So, unlike many in the world where love is solely expressed in gift giving (like flowers and chocolate on Valentine's Day), God's love is displayed in how He changed our status before Him (from sinners to righteous) and His love's permanence rather than simply giving us stuff (such as fulfilling felt needs or speaking in tongues). The beloved of God cannot even begin to comprehend the joyous pleasure of receiving God's eternal love; however, our love is shown as worship to our loving God by faithful obedience to His commands (John 14:23-24).
The world's love parasitically feeds pleasure from others like leeches. God loves in such a way to include many who deserve His wrath. Jesus came and died for us to show us the greatest love by dying for His chosen. Before creation, He chose some of us freely out of His love that is founded solely upon His goodness and for His praise and not our characteristics (Ephesians 1:4-6). This praise we give by our faithful obedience to His commands because God lovingly gave us the gift of faith which enables our once dead hearts to have a desire to lovingly worship our God. So, the world may have Shakespearean love and extravagant princess-style weddings for selfish pleasure that is temporary. Someone greater than Shakespeare is here. "Love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:12-13). Thus, husbands love Christ by teaching Scripture to His wife and loving her as God loves him, not when she is nice to him or by anything she has or does, but because the man loves Christ. Likewise, wives love their husbands as Christ loves her, not for the gifts he brings or being "Mr. Right," but because of her love for Christ. Marital love is not an emotional sensation that explodes in carnal pleasure, but a mutual submission to and worship of the God who is love. The perfect gift to your spouse for today's celebration is having faith in Christ and "to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge"...every day.
Suggested Reading:
The Attributes of God Chapter 15 entitled "The Love of God" by A.W. Pink
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