Joel

Scratch a little deeper, dear sister, and I think you’ll find yourself “scratching” the Joshua reference from the argument (24:15). Look close and you’ll see that Joshua was saying (pardon my paraphrase, if you see that it fits) something like: “If you don’t want to serve Yahweh, then figure out (or choose) whom you WILL serve—the gods from back in Egypt, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” And quite naturally he alludes to a third choice, HIS choice—“But as for me and my house…” Something else you might want to play with, not biblical, nor theological, but conceptual. But because concepts are sometimes hard to convey, sketches can help visual learners like me. So, if you had a sheet of notebook paper, and you drew two large circles, and you labelled one Sovereignty (of God), and you labelled the other Responsibility (of man), you will have before you the juxtaposition of the ages. But what we do is draw these circles on the battlefield, opposing one another. Like any war, one must win and one must lose, right? Well, try this one simple move, and see if the remaining visual concept fits in your theos + logos view of the God of Scripture…leave the label, but erase the sovereignty circle. In case you don’t wish to do all that, let me just say that since I have come to see that “Sovereignty” is not at war with “Responsibility,” then the latter must be a part of the former, by definition. We’ve had folks in our Bible studies that “get messages” from God, or have a secret “word” for you or me, or get awakened in the night by “the spirit” telling them to get up and read from Second David. (I think that’s found after Second Opinions, or somewhere in there…maybe Galoshians…) They’re babies, but they don’t want you to know it. And you don’t, until they ask, “What is the sovereignty of God?” Since you can’t go to a chapter and verse for a definition like you can with Faith (Heb 11.1) we offer the “Sidewalk English” version of the definition of the sovereignty of God: He does WHAT He wants, WHEN He wants, TO WHOEVER He wants, for WHATEVER REASON He wants, in WHATEVER WAY He wants, and frequently does not even ask my opinion…Ha! I’d like to suggest that until we understand his sovereignty, we will remain fairly lame in our understanding of His mercy. Such a one likes to gripe about God not being fair. He’s always JUST, but he’s not always FAIR. What’s fair about a youngster being thrown in a pit and sold into slavery, or a God-fearing man that shuns evil, a just and upright man, none like him in all the world, but “YOU [satan] moved Me [God] against him, to destroy him without cause…” The Scripture is full of unfairness. Why? Because life is unfair. Why? Because God is unfair. But He is righteous. You want to scream “unfair?” Oh, so you want what you deserve? That’s justice. I want justice for you, but mercy for me, because I was a son of Adam. Mercy? That’s NOT GETTING what you deserve. And let’s not leave Grace alone at home—getting what you DON’T DESERVE. Again, plug it into your theos + logos. If these definitions don’t suit scripture any better than the backstage papist machinations of Rome, then toss ‘em. Keep up the good work. Joel

“Honey, I want so much to follow you as my leader. God calls me to do that, and I would love to do that. It would be sweet to me if I could enjoy your leadership.”

As a single man, this bit was disgusting to read. Who actually wants to spend their life with a pathetic doormat with no opinions or personality of her own?