Not Quite as Bad?

"Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against." ~ 'Humiliation', The Valley of Vision

I think this is something that we all need to be reminded of from time to time. We are constantly comparing sins to other sins in an attempt to classify them as "not quite as bad" as others. I think this leads to us misunderstanding sin and, in turn, not appreciating grace as much as we can and should. Certainly some sins have more harmful consequences than others because of how they affect our relationship with God as a Father and our fellowship with Him, however, the eternality and atrociousness of sin comes not so much from the nature of the sin itself, but from the fact that it has been committed against an infinite, holy, and eternal Being. Fortunately, from Him Christians also receive "grace upon grace" (John 1:16) through the eternal sacrifice of Jesus, the theanthropos (God-man). An eternal sacrifice atones for our sin against an eternal Being. It was this beautiful balance of understanding that led Paul exclaim, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33). May we do the same.

By His Grace,
Taylor

A Matter of Faith IV

“Anybody who has been seriously engaged is scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: 'Ye must have faith.' It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with.” ~ Max Planck

Max Planck is one of the most important physicists in the last 200 years. He is considered to be the father of quantum theory. He has societies, institutes, and schools named after him. With the exception of Einstein, it would be difficult to find a scientist who has had more influence on modern science. I quote him here to reinforce a point I have attempted to make several times in the past. Since I have already talked about this subject quite a few times I am not going to repeat myself but rather direct you to my first, second, and third posts on this matter and hope that Planck's words reinforce what has already been said.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Racial Politics

"The idea of black politics now tilts away from leadership based on voicing grievance, and identity politics based on victimization and anger... The Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons and Rev. Jeremiah Wrights remain. But their influence and power fade to a form of nostalgia... The market has irrevocably shrunk for Sharpton-style tirades against 'the man' and 'the system.' The emphasis on racial threats and extortion-like demands -- all aimed at maximizing white guilt as leverage for getting government and corporate money -- has lost its moment. How does anyone waste time on racial fantasies like reparations for slavery when there is a black man who earned his way into the White House?" ~ Juan Williams, "What Obama's Victory Means for Racial Politics"

Juan Williams is news analyst for NPR, Fox, and writes for a several other news magazines. He is not one that I would often agree with politically, but I like this particular editorial. I am not one who really enjoys political arguments like some (I much prefer a theological or scientific debate) but this caught my eye because I hope what Mr. Williams is predicting pours over into reality. I agree that racial politics has often been one of attempting to maximize guilt and play the victim and it is something that has frustrated me. It is not as if all people one one side or another do this, however, the ones who talk the loudest seem to be the ones that play the victim card the most. I think that Mr. Williams' perspective on how racial politics can/should move forward is refreshing.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Sovereignty

"There are losses. We mourn. But not as those who have no hope. We vote and we lose, or we vote and we win. In either case, we win or lose as if we were not winning or losing. Our expectations and frustrations are modest. The best this world can offer is short and small. The worst it can offer has been predicted in the book of Revelation. And no vote will hold it back." ~ John Piper, "Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting"

As the voting comes to an end and the results are flowing in this statement by Piper comes to my mind. When we vote we do our civic duty as citizens of the city of the world, but as we vote we must also remember that we are citizens of the City of God (allusions from Augustine's The City of God). While the city of the world is important and we have a duty to it (Romans 13), it will pass away and the City of God will remain. We may feel we are losing in the short term, but in the long term we win--the City of God remains.

Piper's article is linked above. It is worth reading. I will leave you with this: "The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will." (Proverbs 21:1)

By His Grace,
Taylor

Pain and the Father

"Religion is for people who want to stay out of hell. Christianity is for people who have been there." ~ Steve Brown

I do not think that Steve is talking about hell in the eternal sense here, but in a metaphorical sense. I think his point in the above quote is that we only really understand God's grace and truth when we have been through hell or are going through hell and acknowledge that it was/is hell. How you ever heard someone say, "I never ask God why, I only ask why not?" I sometimes wonder about people who say things like that. I have said things similar before, just trying to be spiritual and that is not right. I am not saying all people who say similar things do it for that reason. Some may really be at that point, I suppose, or perhaps some do it because they are trying to build an attitude of complete trust and rejoicing in Him, and I can understand that, but does trust mean we never ask "why?" or say to God "it hurts!"?

God is our Father and Jesus makes it clear in His teaching that we are to be like children when it comes to relating to God. What parent would want their child to quietly tough it out when things hurt? What parent would rather their children say "I am fine" in times of turmoil than say "I am hurting"? When children know they are loved they do not deny pain but run to the parent that loves them and cry in their arms. I am not a parent, but I believe I am not wrong when I say that this reaction is what parents would want. Is God any different? No, He is the perfect Father and like a good father He wants us to come to Him when it hurts and tell Him that we are in pain. Then, when we acknowledge that before Him, He can pour out His grace on us and heal the wound. The Psalmists knew this for 38% of the time they cried out to God with broken hearts and their words are now part of God's inspired Word. How can we presume to think we should act any differently?

By His Grace,
Taylor