Thursday, December 31, 2009

Personal Appendix

Motive
Led to write this series and put it into the public domain. The motive is not money (if one man’s opinion is worth anything) or credits, just obedience. Hopefully it can help someone. If not, the obedience is not wasted.
Method
Led to state rational conclusions based on the evidence. The Bible itself is in virtual obscurity to most of the culture and has no authority to influence life decisions. Regrettably, this often is true in the church. An attempt has been made not to proof text every rational point because this is almost always abused. The attempt has been difficult because the Word is so fundamental to life.
Madness
Led to express personal perceived biblical priorities without apology. To a large extent the endeavor has been selfish therapy. Corroborative opinions have been ignored, not for egotistical reasons but to shield others. This writer really doesn’t care if anyone may agree or whose toes may become painful. At least that is the hope, no pain no gain. I am uniquely stationed to speak frankly, however every opinion I believe is within the scope of biblical church doctrine.

If anyone cares to point out any error, this writer is willing to listen. For now, this is where I stand. Tomorrow it may be different for the shaping of a personal biblical theology is a life long endeavor. Please have a safe New Year and an exciting 2010. May God bless you and yours.

ggoslaw@gmail.com

G. Goslaw
7983 SVL Box
Victorville, CA 92395

God's Love is a Winner.

Psalms 103:19
The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens;
And his kingdom ruleth over all. (KJV)
God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over all. (Message)

The Psalmist concludes this exercise in theology with the majestic statement, “ God has set his throne in the heavens”. The God of loving loyal concern is the first cause and the last cause. He is the ultimate winner in the universe. This God brings form and function to the universe. “He rules over all”. The Psalmist (Bible) could not have said it more clearly, especially to his listeners three millennia ago. Why don’t we get it?

Could it be that to assign such ultimate authority beyond our miniscule existence is very uncomfortable? We would much prefer to have the universe at our beck and call. There are, however, no human or scientific explanations for the ultimate time and space question. In the last ten years, new discoveries and possible rational descriptions have been presented to us. Taken together they are scientific progress but all such scenarios, at best, are merely detailing how the ultimate authority rules over all.

At this point a footnote is warranted. A choice is always presented to us, to have faith in God or to have faith in nothing. Each of us must decide this question. There seems to be rational grounds for a scientific description and exploration of the workings of the universe that does not preclude a vibrant faith in God the creator. Our reality need not be either or, unless we so choose. When we choose to explore the strings of the universe and the throne God, are we not exploring one and the same?

There is ample circumstantial evidence to assist us in this choice, if we choose to explore it. The Psalmist chose the biblical God of love who knew Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We have the added reports of 2500 years of God and man’s interaction as detailed in secular history books and the bible after the Psalmist. The interactions must be sifted for truth but they are recorded for us to explore. This is the good news that such an option is available to us.

Now the bad news, being on the winning team means that one will become a loser. This is not routine pulpit fare but it is at the center of the relationship between God and man, as well as the biblical record. When we claim to know the God of the universe, losing this worldly priorities is a predictable pattern for the believer. Jesus so instructed his disciples in Matthew, Chapter 10, just before sending them on a mission. Verse 39 is pivotal, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” A connection to the throne of God potentially liberates the individual from a desire to conform to this worldly priorities. To be in the world but not of the world, there is no greater challenge.

How are we doing, we believers that is? Are we promoting the winner model of the Christian life or the loser model? Divinely generated loving loyal concern for others is the byproduct of the loser model. It is no wonder that the mega church with it’s social and economic networking possibilities has become the rage. The pastor and his staff can be paid to do that messy love stuff while we the chosen are free to exploit the would be community. In which model would the corporate model of ministry be a good fit?

Each of us should inspect our lives and our choices, some of each are not really Christian. Our sixteenth president is sitting on his throne in Washington D.C. From the outside of the Lincoln memorial , one has to peek around those huge pillars blocking the view of the majestic figure. So it is with God on His throne, to see Him one needs to peek around the earthly stuff and give credit where credit is due. By such an alignment of our destiny with that of the Psalmist’s God, we choose the winning team.

G.Goslaw

Sunday, December 13, 2009

God's Love is Visible

Psalms 103 : 18 December 10, 2009
To those who keep his covenant.
And who remember his precepts to do them. (NASB)
As they follow his covenant ways
And remember to do whatever he said. (Message)

At first glance this verse is upsetting. If separated from the rest of this chapter, the Book of Psalms as a whole, or the entire Old testament, a legalist definition of faith in God would seem unavoidable. Indeed, much of historical Judaism has at times focused on this simplistic rule keeping definition of faith. Certain strains of Christianity have also inadvertently reduced faith to a list of do’s and don’ts. The true believer is one who keeps the rules. This is a perversion of biblical faith.

What boggles our understanding is the assumption that this rule keeping would somehow please the God of the universe. Are we as His creation to so belittle our God? Let’s hope that he is more than a celestial schoolmarm. Webster uses qualities like old-fashioned, prudish and pedantic to describe the character of this type of woman schoolteacher. These are human characteristics not divine character. We don’t assimilate god like character, holiness, by keeping the rules.

A slave owner, arm twisting God is not the biblical picture. Throughout time we were and are given choices by God. When we stumble upon the right one, faith, divine change happens and happens and happens. This change is visible. Cultures, people, things and the calendar are all pliable and subject to the bending forces of the God of the universe. Look around, if you have any doubt, reread the history books. Most large scale change seems to happen in a moment in time and divine love becomes visible.

One day, an obscure fragile plain nun, serving in an Indian convent, ventures into the streets. One day, an obscure teacher and healer in an obscure land sets out for Jerusalem. One day, an obscure German monk nails a document of protest against his church to the church door. One day, an obscure, would be lay missionary, sets out to bring God to China. One day, a murderous enemy of the believers in Jesus expands “the way” to the Gentile world. One day, an English preacher climbs on his horse and took the message of God’s love out the church doors to the people. These few examples are only cases on point. Even the adversarial change events, like the cross of Jesus Christ, will not inhibit the divine forces.

When the Psalmist speaks of visible change, like remembering precepts and keeping the covenant relationship alive, it is not slavish but intuitive to the faith relationship itself. The chemist notes that a chemical reaction can have a by product. So it is with all believers, the change by product is a desire to please the divine reality experienced. A giving relationship is established that is mutually shared but God does most of the giving. The give and take of that relationship pleases God, not specific rule keeping.

This understanding is not rocket science in the church world, it is in general agreement. However, we often forget and reduce the visible signs of God’s leadership to a specialized list. Our leaders avoid the call to unity and liberty. We preach cultural and societal norms that coddle the laity. One of Elvis Presley’s early hits was, “Don’t Step on My Blue Suede Shoes”. We are prone to start singing when the brother’s have different rules, differing worship, theological quirks, or varying ethical life priorities. Again, these are human preferences not necessarily divine.

Issues of a supposed a standard of purity are not fundamental to the faith. There is only one by product of our relationship with God that is fundamental. Irrational, expressive, visible, self abandoning love, gifted to the believer from our interaction with the divine. It cannot be standardized. Only this love reality fundamentally defines us as Christian. When the church busies itself with internal conflicts and inspecting the brethren, we betray the God who has created us to be visible reflections of His love.

G.Goslaw

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

God's Love is a Constant

Psalms 103
17. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children, (NASB)
17. God’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear Him,
Making everything right for them and their children, (Message)

Whatever else one says about God, His love is as dependable as a mathematical constant. Einstein’s equation of E=mc2 startled our world into the twentieth century. The “c” is the constant in the equation and is always the speed of light, 186,000 mph, squared. This fantastically large number remains the same and doesn’t vary. So it is with the character of God, it is and forever will be love. Again, the Psalmist uses the term as everlasting loyal love or concern.

Some theologians will claim that God has a love-hate entanglement warring within His character. However, the entanglement is our problem, not God’s, we prove it century after century. Does God judge the affairs of humankind? Yes, He allows negative circumstances into our lives but the negatives are always to encourage us to love as God loves. God acts first and foremost for our whole wellbeing. We are hunter-gatherers and then God “pokes us” into full humanity. That is preached to us in the beginning parables.

Hell is not a place for eternal damnation but another divine “poking” intended to wake us up to our heavenly potential. If we waste our earthly choices, if the meandering continues unabated here on earth, or we had no choices, expect the poking to continue after death. The hottest U.S. environment is Mc Allen, Texas, in the good old summertime. As the sun peaks above the horizon, the heat and humidity hits like a sledgehammer. It’s an attention grabber. Within the first few steps out the door, one is swimming in their own sweat. For someone who works outdoors, that day is a test of our motivational center. Likewise, God wills (His motivational center) for us a passing grade (He loves us), as he prods us all into accepting our divine destiny, fully human and united around Him.

About now your getting steamed, right. That doesn’t sound like any concept of hell I ever heard preached! Hell is to punish the bad guy’s, they deserve the eternal fire. If that were so, why did Jesus never dump condemnation on people? He prodded the Pharisees, the rich young ruler, Peter, the religious and ethnic authorities, the adulterous woman, the one who betrayed him, etc., etc. His mere presence seemed enough. His actions were based on what was right as God see's rightness.

In the Eastwood film, “The Forgiven”, the young gunman is lamenting about his first kill and attempts to excuse the murder by saying the man deserved it. Will Munny responds dryly with the biblical truth, “we all deserve it kid”. We as human beings know who we are. The issue is not what we deserve for we all have earned hell, the only real issue is the next choice.

At this point there would be the temptation to congratulate ourselves upon making the right choice. The choice to open our lives up to the Almighty. Anyone who has been there is quick to concede that this was not a human choice, it is a God induced choice. The prodding process has attracted our attention, cleared our vision, and He has given us the courage to choose. The Calvinistic tradition called it God’s predestination, while John Wesley called the prodding process, prevenient grace. Could both theological traditions be expounding the same truth? That question will be left for bigger minds. For now, we can all agree that salvation is a gift of God through Jesus Christ.

What about the Bible? Hell is one of those issues that is almost ignored in Scripture, it is rarely mentioned. Often, when mentioned, the terms are inserted as punctuation, an exclamation point. It is described in ethereal terms. This reader can find no developed theology of hell, so give me the freedom to speculate. Could it be that we have assumed that there is no need for such a
theology post death? That assumption is not loyal love and concern. What has happened to the billions of our fellow human beings who had no real choice to make? Are we so self centered to assume that God’s love can be this myopic?

God acts toward all of us according to His character, loyal love and concern.

Glen Goslaw
Victorville, Ca