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Who are We to Judge God?
Devotional Thought of the Day:
4 “I have been the LORD your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt. You must acknowledge no God but me, for there is no other savior. 5 I took care of you in the wilderness, in that dry and thirsty land. 6 But when you had eaten and were satisfied, you became proud and forgot me. Hosea 13:4-6 (NLT)
Being wise with someone else’s head … is, to be sure, inferior to being wise oneself, but it is infinitely superior to the sterile pride of one who does not achieve the independence of being wise himself, yet at the same time despises the dependence of one who believes on the word of another.” The same line of thought can be detected in Newman’s own comment on man’s basic relationship to truth. Men are all too inclined—the great philosopher of religion opines—to wait placidly for proofs of the reality of revelation, to seek them out as if they were in the position of judge, not suppliant. “They have decided to put the Almighty to the proof—with controlled passion, a total freedom from bias, and a clear head.” But the individual who thus makes himself lord of the truth deceives himself, for truth shuns the arrogant and reveals itself only to those who approach it in an attitude of reverence, of respectful humility. (1)
When we read something brilliant, and quickly begin to use ti to judge and condemn others, I pray we begin to first use the same standard to judge ourselves.
As I read Pope Benedict’s words this morning, (those are the ones in green) I immediately thought of those who dismiss scripture. Some of those are outside the church, who look at stories of miracles and cannot believe them. Others are those inside the church who examine scripture with a scientific mindset, looking to judge whether this passage is valid, or that passage is not really accurate historically. `Both place themselves as the final judge and jury over the word of God.
But that is a temptation for every person, conservative or liberal, confessional or missional. We see it when we apply the text to others, and not to ourselves. We see it when we treat the scriptures from a perspective that is academic, as if it is the greatest theological treatise. When we want to create a system out of the scriptures and use it to put God in a box.
I see this in myself all too often, as I approach the incredible wealth of the scriptures, mining it, being in awe of the words, and forgetting their purpose, that they are the means, not the end. For it is easy to focus on the study and not the prayer and times of intimacy with God that reflecting on them should create. We can, in the name of God, studying His word, become proud, and forget Him, even as we study His revelation to us.
It is when we forget that He is revealed, His love, His mercy, His desire for us to be His people that we end up being proud, that we see ourselves as the authority, not the supplicant.
Luther catches us when we get to this point and reminds us of what it means for God to be God. He tells us we can creep and cling to God, that we can approach Him in the sure knowledge of the hope He has given us, that He will respond, that He will love and cleanse, that He will heal us.
That’s the ends, for us to realize that He is our God, that we are His people. In Him we find rest, and that is what the scriptures are there to teach us, to reveal to us, to assure us of. That is what the covenants describe, it is what Law and Gospel drive us to, it is the reason for the cross. There is no other end of the discussion that is valid. For here is our hope:
We are His people. HE is our God. And as scripture tells us,
“But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. “ John 20:31 (NLT)
AMEN!
(1) Ratzinger, J. (1992). Co-Workers of the Truth: Meditations for Every Day of the Year. (I. Grassl, Ed., M. F. McCarthy & L. Krauth, Trans.) (pp. 166–167). San Francisco: Ignatius Press.
(2) Martin Luther, The Large Catechism of Martin Luther, (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: “Part First: The Ten Commandments”.
The Purpose of Theology
Devotional Thought of the Day:
8 In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable. 9 Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (TEV)
27 God’s plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God. 28 So we preach Christ to everyone. With all possible wisdom we warn and teach them in order to bring each one into God’s presence as a mature individual in union with Christ. 29 To get this done I toil and struggle, using the mighty strength which Christ supplies and which is at work in me. Colossians 1:27-29 (TEV)
654 Until now you had not understood the message that we Christians bring to the rest of men: the hidden marvel of the interior life. What a wonderful new world you are placing in front of them!
In the last few days, I have been asked a few times about theology, about what it iis, about what it isn’t. The questions were not precisely worded that way. Some questions asking me my thoughts on an article, some questions sent me about dialogues my friends had been involved in, which concerned them because they were “theological” yet seemed…. empty.troublesome, and the question was asked… is this theology worth my time?
As I consider these questions, I must ask the question, what is theology? What is its purpose?
For my answer, I must turn to the greatest theologian in the New Testament, to the Apostle Paul.
Where did he focus his thoughts of theology on? What took up his time, his thoughts, his efforts? Was it on high level discussions about semantics and how things are phrased? Is it about the discussion of miniscule differences in manuscripts copied by people a thousand years after the scriptures were written? Paul, who walked among the greatest of Rabbinical theologians, who was a master teacher himself, would toss it aside. For his thoughts and words to dwell on something that is the heart of theology, dare I say the only thing that is theological.
Christ, bringing people into God’s presence, revealing to them His love. Everything, the incarnation, His life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, all that scripture records which points to Him. That is the nature of theology – literally the logic, the reason of God. This is the treasure we have, this is the thing which we focus on, working with all that is in within us, even as Paul encourages us to do.
For it is Christ in you which St..Josemaria talks about as our “interior life” – that incredible blessing we have, as we realize the Spirit dwells in us, as God abides with us, as the we realize the message of Advent and Christmas – Immanuel – God is with us!
Theology drives us to treasure that life, to remember that it is the promise of our baptism, that it is found as we take and eat, take and drink the Body and Blood given and shed for us. This is the highest good, the reliance on God. This is that which Paul would have us keep our thoughts on, this Christ, this Savior, this plan to make us the people of God.
That is the purpose of theoogy…that should become the focus of our lives….
All else… is as worth it as the stuff Paul leaves behind.
Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 2744-2747). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
How Do You Read the Scripture? As the Authority, or as a Pilgrim?
Bible (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
Devotional Thought of the Day:
105 Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.Psalm 119:105 (TEV)
“You are badly disposed if you listen to the word of God with a critical spirit.” ( #943 -The Way, St. Josemaria Escriva)
The juxtapostion of the course I am taking andmy denomination’s convention(held every three years) is causing me much thought about how we view scripture and indeed what we believe and how we communicate it.
In both cases, what is being heard and read seems to indicate we think interpretation of scripture and communicating it gives us some authority over it. In the case of the textbooks, there is a not so subtle projection of doubt, and a definite attitude that we are the authority, not the text. I have experienced a similar thing as we begin this convention, where people speaking have locked in their mind what they think the scriptures mean – (as well as the Lutheran Confessions) And if you challenge their assumptions, well let’s just say there is a lot of loyalty to the assumptions.
Again, we find ourselves as the judge – and our interpretation ( or that handed to us) as being the final statement, the final judgment.
I would suggest instead, that we return to the point where God’s word is that which we use as the norm and standard.That we know it so well, and hold it in such esteem, that we do love this communique from our God – and we allow the Spirit to use it to stir up faith within us. For it is His revelation of His love, of His plan, of Himself to us, to bond us to Him.
May we read it, may we hear it and consume it, knowing that God has given the word to usas a precious gift.
For it shares with us the answer to our plea: Lord Have Mercy!
and His answer is…. I AM.
Related articles
- Meditating on God’s Love (justifiedandsinner.com)
- What Do We Choose to Invite into our Lives? (justifiedandsinner.com)
- The Problem with Leadership… (justifiedandsinner.com)
