Old Erich Proverb - Cogs

People are not cogs in the machine to make our programs work.

A Voice from the Past - Lewis

It may be stated as follows: every preference of a small good to a great, or a partial good to a total good, involves the loss of the small or partial good for which the sacrifice was made.

C. S. Lewis, 1898-1963, God in the Dock, First and Second Things (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1970, p. 280)

Is this true? What are its implications?

Search for the Supernatural

One of the arguments against the supernatural is that over time, science has shown that more and more things in the world admit to a naturalistic explanation. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that all events will eventually admit to naturalistic explanation, and the supernatural is irrelevant. The challenge is then given to produce something in nature that requires a supernatural explanation. This is based on a complete misunderstanding of the issue. There may be some belief somewhere that holds that all events have a supernatural explanation. This is not Christianity. The Christian idea of a miracle presupposes a fixed natural order to which the miracle is an exception. It is this natural order that makes the miracle significant. If virgins normally had children, if people normally walked on water, if people normally rose from the dead, these events would lose all meaning. If there were not a fixed order of nature, if every event had a supernatural explanation, you would not be able to recognize a miracle. Therefore, that most events have a natural explanation and we can understand that explanation is presupposed by Christianity. Now we do believe that God created and maintains the natural laws and can intervene if He chooses. But that does not mean intellectually discernible physical laws do not exist. There is a claim that people in ancient times believed in miracles because they were ignorant of the natural laws. Now people did not know all the details we know today, but they knew enough to know dead men did not come back to life. If they had not, they would not have called it a miracle.

Now I do believe there are things in the natural world that resist naturalistic explanation. Where did everything come from? How could everything have come out of nothing by a coin toss, with no time and no space and no coins? And how could this have been a result of physical laws when there was nothing existing for the physical laws to be about? Also, how could something as complex as life have come into existence by chance, since we are only now beginning to understand its simplest forms? The single cell is by itself a complex factory whose parts and functions far exceed anything human ingenuity has yet built. And while I question evolutionary theory, the basic functions of the cell would have to be in place for evolution by genetic mutation to work. There is also the problem of how human thought could have any meaning if it were purely the result of a naturalistic process. If all my thinking is determined by physical processes, it is difficult to see how it can have any relation to truth or how I can know anything. But the bottom line is that if all the natural world apart from miracles could be explained naturalistically, this would not prove there was not a God who created the natural order and could intervene if He chose to. The conclusion does not follow.  

Calvinism and Stoicism (And Why They Are Not the Same Thing)

Re-Posted from "Meditations of a Charismatic Calvinist Who Does Not Speak in Tongues"

Calvinism and Stoicism are not the same, but they are often confused. Even by Calvinists.  Stoicism is the idea that all things are fated by God (not the Christian God, but a pantheistic sum of all things), and therefore we should face them with resignation.  The idea is that God wants His people to be tough and sends hard circumstances so they will be strong and self-contained and able to face hardship.  This is not the Calvinist position.

Quite the opposite.  Scripture teaches us that God sends adversity so we may learn we cannot handle it ourselves, but must trust God through it (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 46:1-11; Isaiah 40:29-31).  These two approaches can end up having the opposite effects.  The correct approach leads to humility, and the opposite can build pride, which is a real spiritual danger (Proverbs 16:18; Luke 14:7-11; 1 John 2:16).  Yet I know for myself how easy it can be to slip from trusting God to trusting in myself and my inner strength.  Let us watch ourselves in this regard.

It is easy to get two similar ideas confused, but in this case we need to be clear on the difference.  The difference is the fall and redemption. The Stoic believes the world is how God intended it to be and we need to be tough to fit in to it.  The Bible says the world is a fallen one in rebellion against God and we, as part of it, are sinners (Romans 8:19-23; 1 John 2:15-17; Isaiah 64:6) and God has rescued us from it (Romans 5:6-8; 1 Peter 2:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  So we must trust the One who has rescued us from sin and death to bring us through the difficulties of life (Philippians 4:6,7; Matthew 6:33; Romans 8:18). This makes a fundamental difference in how we look at the trials we face.

Avoiding the Fall

Humility is not a virtue highly rated in our current society. We are counseled to be assertive and stand up for ourselves. And humility has become subject to a number of different stereotypes. But what is true humility? Humility is not seeing ourselves as totally worthless and useless. Now it is true we are sinners who can only be saved by the pure gift of God (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:8,9). But once saved we are declared righteous before God and become His children (Romans 8:31-39; John 1;12,13; 1 John 3:1-3). Also, God sends His Spirit to work in us to change us (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 2:10). Further, He uses us to carry out His work in the world (2 Corinthians 3:5,6; Colossians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 3:6,7). But all these things originate from God, and we cannot take credit for them.

This is a thin line to walk. It is very easy to start being proud of the things God has given us and even start to believe we have earned them or deserve them. Often this can happen slowly, in the back of our mind, without our clearly thinking about it. This pride can be very destructive (Proverbs 16:18; 13:10; 1 John 2:16,17). It results in complacency if we convince ourselves we have really attained it or discouragement and even depression if something happens to show us we have not. But the solution is not to convince ourselves that we are worthless and have nothing to contribute, but to have confidence that God is at work in us to accomplish His purposes (Philippians 1:6; 3:12-16; 2 Corinthians 2:14). Also, we are an important part of something bigger than ourselves, not because of who we are, but because of what God has made us (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Ephesians 4:11-16). For the real issue in true humility is not how important we are or how worthless we are, but how we can love God and other people (Matthew 22:36-40; 1 Corinthians 13:1-7; Philippians 2:3-11). For the true goal of humility is not self-assertion or self-denigration, but self-forgetfulness. It is where we are no longer focusing on ourselves, but on the needs of others. And this can only happen when we understand the security of who we are in Christ (John 10:27-30; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Ephesians 1:3-12) and live our life based not on our ability, but on trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5,6; Psalms 127:1,2; Isaiah 40:31). I do not want in any way to claim that I have attained to this. But it is important to know the direction you are going if you want to arrive there.  

A Touch of Humor - Censorship

How should a Christian decide what type of reading or viewing is appropriate? What are the boundaries?

Old Erich Proverb - Life

This life is not a comfortable stay at a luxury hotel with all the amenities provided, but a long battle through enemy territory with the victory certain.