God's first partnership with man

Gen 2:19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

This was the first collaborative effort between God and man. God partnered with man and invited him into the creative process. God created and then gave Adam the privilege of naming what He had just made. Though nothing on the scale, *or in the absolute sense of what God had done, it was nevertheless no small act. To name something or someone is to assign *identity/uniqueness and particular significance to that which is named. This was left solely up to Adam.

Though naming the animals seems small in comparison 
to creating physical/material **out of nonmaterial, man too was creating something out of nothing merely by speaking -- speaking something (a name) into existence that didn't exist beforehand. This was not only like what God had done but was in response to it. By this simple act God identified himself with man, illustrating how man was in His image. God was tying man's identity to Himself and His to man's. God partnered with man in creation by doing what He does, create; and man doing what he could do, naming the creatures. 

This is an indication of the sameness as well as the difference between God and man. Man could do this because he was in Gods image but also because of what God had  already done first, create. Naming the creatures was a kind of creative effort/process and not an insignificant one. Whatever Adam called them was how they be would be identifed from then on. Man was behaving like God, only on a finite level. 

So we see in this one act the contrast between the infinite God and finite man and at the same time the sameness of man and God; man being in his image. 
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* Just as God out of His heart and mind spoke everything into existence, so man, out of his heart and mind, spoke the identity of all creation into existence. Both spoke into existence something that was not previously there, so in this way it was the similar process with a different result i.e. creation is tangible, a name is not, though it has a material effect on the tangible. 


** ex nihilo



 

strength for self denial

To do things well for (1)others require we (2)deny ourselves.

Why? Our focus is not on our own needs and indulging in (3)self-affirming and self-comforting activities but on the (4)needs of another for their comfort and affirmation. Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and treating others as we would have them treat us requires self-denial.

But self-denial isn't natural or even possible on our own. How do we do this?

The strength or ability to deny (5)ourselves doesn't come from us -   (8)our willpower - but can only occur when we look to and draw strength from God through increasing trust and dependence on Him. He, by his commitment of infinite love to us, is the source of our affirmation and comfort, not our efforts to self-affirm and self-comfort. 

What is it exactly we are asked to believe/trust in and how does this give us strength?

We are to recognize/believe we are of value, worth, significance, and importance objectively and personally to God i.e., we know/believe this is true because God says he feels this way about us and backed it up by His actions. 

Do we believe this? Is God ever wrong? We must have the right answer if we are to ever participate in his love and benefit from how he sees us.

Regardless of what we are feeling or experiencing, God's infinite regard/love for us has already been demonstrated and proven by sending Christ for us. His love is forever ours because of Christ. Nothing can or will ever separate us from it. 

It is through God's disposition of relentless, perfect, and infinite love we find strength. Therefore, it is God himself, who He is for us and toward us, that is the source of that strength. Because he - the sovereign creator of all things - is for us, nothing can be against us.

When we really and truly (6)“buy-in” to this, we no longer need to prove our worth - “self affirm”- by doing things to gain affirmation. We know we are already affirmed and it has nothing to do with what we do or don't do. Now we do things out of the strength we derive from that affirmation...God's affirmation. And not just a limited and temporary affirmation but an affirmation that is infinite (and will be eternal) because the source is the almighty infinite, eternal God. He is the "I AM" the only self-existing, infinite, eternal, most valuable, and glorious -- highly affirmed -- being in the universe.

What exactly is the nature of the strength we derive from God? In a word, it is simply knowing I am valuable to this God. When we fully grasp and believe this, nothing else matters. Or as Paul says it, "...if God is for us, who can be against us."

We are called to abide -- firmly remain standing -- in the belief and awareness of God's love/value for us. We are told by Christ himself to never lose sight of our being cherished and precious to him and to hold fast to this.

"As -- in the same way -- the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide -- continually remain and stand -- in my love." John 15:9. The very same love the Father has for a Son, the Son has for us.  What greater love is there in the universe than the Father's love of his Son. It is this same love he has for us. Selah -- Pause, reflect, and let that sink in.

How can we be certain God feels this way about us? He not only tells us this -- and because he is trustworthy, this alone is enough -- but He demonstrated it by His actions. 

Not just any actions but actions of infinite proportions. Looking intently into and constantly reflecting on what He and His Son denied themself of and put themself through is our proof. The closer and harder we look the more of his love we discover. 

This is why we do communion regularly, to remember and reflect on the actions Christ took to restore us back to them in all their infinite love. We are encouraged to remind ourselves (7)repeatedly of this amazing gesture of love. 

To continually reflect on these realities is to be strengthened by them. That strength empowers us to focus on others and not ourselves. "As -- in the same way -- the Father has sent me (Jesus) so I send you" i.e. in the power of knowing God's infinite love is ours and with us no matter what do, where we go, or how challenging it is. 

For a discussion on why faith is hard work click here.

For a further discussion on how the most valuable values us click here. 

For a discussion on the difference between loving vs, valuing click here.
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(1)God, our neighbor, and other brothers and sisters in Christ.

(2)Denying our self and death to self are tied together. There is no death to self without denying our self and to deny our self results in the death of self.

Death to self is not literal or absolute however i.e. we – our self – don't die but we die to self-loving, self-comforting, and self-sustaining behavior/actions as the source of our affirmation.

Death to self doesn't occur by devaluing ourselves, it is knowing our true value in Christ and loving others out of the infinite fountain of God and overflow of His love.

(3)Self-affirming activities are endless. It’s simply any activity we engage in solely to make us feel good about ourselves. This can be done through drugs, sex, food, achievement, money, entertainment, recreation, being better or different than others to make ourselves stand out in order to gain praise and on we can go. Fill in the blank.

It’s important to understand none of these things in themselves are necessarily wrong or bad. All things are created by God for His glory and our joy when understood and used properly. It’s why we seek them that becomes the problem i.e. do we see them as our gods from which we derive value, worth, significance, importance or as gifts from God because He considers us valuable, significant, important.

(4)This does not mean we find no joy in helping others, but that joy is in the other persons joy, not in the joy itself. It is an inclusive, not an exclusive joy.

(5)we - self, still need to be nourished if you will, emotionally and spiritually. This is not through self-effort but in and through God.

(6)This is a lifelong process and the essence of our spiritual development and maturity, i.e. our day-to-day sanctification. 

(7) Have you ever wondered why there is no prescribed schedule for communion. I suspect the reason God does not want us to do it as a ritual but as "oft" as we remember his love i.e. it's not an activity to impress God but one that springs forth from the worship of God. If it does not, it becomes a hoop to jump through. The exact opposite of what it's intended to do for us.  

(8) It does involve choice, but our choice is to believe God is honored in our loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and He will reward us for our faithful obedience and sacrificial love. This differs from willing ourselves to act solely to prove we can or impress others. The former is looking to and depending on God for grace to love others, and the latter is looking to ourselves with no regard for God and His will. This is subtle and not outwardly obvious because it's a matter of the heart, not our actions. 
 

Is being offensive ever OK?

Is it legitimate to be aggressive in advancing Gods glory, good purposes, and truth to the point of appearing obnoxious? 

Did Christ ever present himself in an offensive way? Did Christ ever seem obnoxious to his adversaries? Was he actually ever obnoxious i.e. extremely unpleasant. Apparently so, enough that his opponents regularly sought to have him killed and eventually did.

Can we always determine substance by form i.e. does one's external actions/behavior/words always indicate one's true motive? 

Christ was accused of operating by the power of a demon. Was this actually what motivated him? If you agree with his claim to be the sinless Son of God, obviously not.  

The bottom line? Being offensive in itself is not necessarily wrong or an indication one is doing wrong. In fact, it can mean the exact opposite. Speaking what is true and doing what is right can be very offensive to ¹some. 

We see no indication that Christ ever asked the forgiveness of the self-righteous Pharisees he offended regularly. However, we do see Christ asking the Father to forgive those who crucified him. 

Matthew 5:9-11 

9 “Blessed are the ²peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

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¹it should be noted he was never found offensive by the humble but only by the proud.

²It is also worth pointing out that peacemaking proceeds persecution. If we are persecuted, it should not be because we are personally offensive, but that our faithfulness in honoring God is offensive, i.e. for righteousness' sake... 

perfect love anchors us

How can a child remain strong in the face of criticism, persecution, bullying or adverse circumstances? In the same way you and I can weather the storms of life - by anchoring into God. In this same way, a child can weather the criticism or rejection of their peers when they know they are loved and cherished by their parents.

¹This strength is not based on circumstances or conditions being perfect -- having perfect friends, resources, abilities or perfect appearance, etc. -- but on godly love given to them by loving godly parents. This love sustains them in the face of adversity.

Knowing within we are loved inoculates us from the insults, emotional attacks, and blows of life without.

This is what also makes great ²leaders. It is not just their skills and abilities, or commitment to principle - though both of these are certainly significant and beneficial - but a clear sense of their own value due to being rooted and grounded in love i.e. being valued by someone significant.

When we have a strong sense of value - initially due to being valued by those closest and most valuable to us, such as our parents, and ultimately God Himself - we are impervious to outside ³assaults. The greater our awareness of our value to God the more impervious we become to attacks and insults. 

What others think, does not carry as much weight because we know we are accepted, embraced and loved by those we value most and are closest to us; those who see and know us best (warts and all) yet still love us most. 

When we know there is someone who knows us best - with all our flaws as well as strengths - and still loves us, we are less impacted when others point out those flaws. The more grounded we are in love the more oblivious we are to the criticism of others and the less influence their opinion has on us. 

The only parent that loves perfectly is our heavenly Father.

However human parents soundly grounded in God's love are the first and primary means of conveying God's love for and to their child. The better they convey this love as the child matures, the easier it is for a child to transfer their trust in their earthly parents - a community of two - to their heavenly parent - a community of Father, Son, and Spirit - when they launch out on their own.

If a child grows up knowing that God is the source of life, love, and all things, by how their parents spoke and lived, the parents have done their job well.

What about those of us who grew up with less than perfect parents or possibly no parents at all?

We are told in Psalm 27:10 

Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.

The most perfect parents are those who've learned to draw their sense of value from the perfect love of God and by that love are empowered to love their child with God's love in a way all of us are designed to experience. If our parents did not live this way because they never received and knew God's love themselves, we can go directly to God for love because He is the Source.

For a discussion on whether loving ourselves comes into play above click here. ______________________________________________________________

¹To draw strength from God simply means we have a strong sense/awareness/ recognition of our value, worth, significance, importance etc. because God recognizes and acknowledges these about us i.e. we feel this way about ourselves because we know this is how God sees and feels about us. 

Whose opinion can be more significant?! If God is for us, who can be against us? Answer? No one! Nobody is greater or more important than God!

²Because of this, all followers and lovers of Jesus can be leaders i.e. they can be fearless in the face of opposition. The more grounded they are in God's love the stronger and more impervious they are to any criticism, attacks, or mistreatment. Leadership is not just a personality trait or a certain skill set but also a character quality i.e. a deeply rooted sense of their worth because they know they are valued by their Creator. 

Though we all have different skills and personalities - some greater and stronger than others - character can be developed within all personality types, for strength of character comes from God not us. All who are in Christ have complete access to God, the source of our strength and all things needed to flourish. 

³A strong sense of our worth in and through God is also the foundation for courage -- along with all other positive character qualities. When we truly and deeply know God is for us, we also know no one or nothing can ultimately (eternally) be against us. For we know our current troubles are "...preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison..."

Are we actually rebels toward God?

Do you love God with all your ¹heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself? If we are honest I think we can agree, none of us do this consistently, much less perfectly, and maybe only rarely; most not at all. 

Why does this matter?

If God is the all-loving, all-wise, all-powerful Giver and Sustainer of life, love, and all things - as demonstrated in sending Christ - should we not love and honor Him with all we are and have i.e. according to who He is? Would this not be central and vital to the reality of who we are as well as who God is? 

To love God is not only the most important thing we can do - along with the 2nd greatest commandment - it is who we are designed to be, i.e. it fits who we are (and who God is, in whose image we are made) and how we are designed to operate at our highest level and capacity. And because it fits, we can never be complete and flourish as God intends, without aligning our lives accordingly. In short, to not love God with all we have and are, and our neighbors as ourself violates our design.

So it's important we love God not only because He tells us to, but also because it fits ³who we are and how we were created to be. 

If so, why do we not love God with all we have and are?

Because we don't know him; or what he's really like. Our understanding of Him is distorted because of our distrust (the core part of "unrighteous"). If we truly believed He was who He demonstrates himself to be - perfect honor and love for Him would be the organic response.

Why don't we know him?

Rom 1:19-20 tells us..."For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been ²clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

The creation -- which includes us (with our insatiable desire and need for infinite love) as well as all the rest of creation -- ³tells us something very significant about our Creator. Through what we see in creation (internally in how we are wired and externally in how things operate), we are given more than enough information about God to know he is infinitely powerful and divine as the above passage says. So no one can say they know nothing significant about God. 

This passage tells us we know enough that we should honor and pursue him; surely more than enough to spur us to seek Him out to find out more about Him so we can know him better. This is why the passage says we are without excuse.

So what's the real problem?

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who ⁴suppress the truth in unrighteousness...

Something called "unrighteousness" causes us to tenaciously ²push down and ignore the truth within and all around us about who God is as well as who we are; be that truth about why we are the way we are e.g. why we long for love, meaning, purpose, etc. As bearers of God's image, this is an internal witness, if you will, to what God is like. 

And why the world displays amazing beauty and design even amidst all the brokenness, evil, pain, destruction, death, and decay - i.e. life persists even in the midst of constant death. This is an external witness to what God is like. 

When we stop to consider these things we recognize we truly are without excuse.

Since we are told unrighteousness is our primary problem it behooves us to understand it. What is the nature of it so we might address it? How do we display it?

Rom 1:21  For although they knew God, they ⁵did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

·        We did not, and still do not respect (honor) God as God i.e. we did not (and do not) recognize him for who he truly is -- the Creator and Sustainer of life and all things, worthy of a complete love, honor, and trust. 

 

·       We did not - and still do not - give Him thanks as the Giver of life and all things. Our lack of gratitude for all the good gifts of life is the greatest indicator of our rebellious distrust i.e. unbelief.

·       We value the things God gives more than Him who is the giver of those things.

What is at the heart of these denials and misdirections?

We don't believe God is who he claims to be; the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things who offers us infinite life and love. In a word, we are calling God a liar by seeking from created things only what God can give.

And what is at the heart of unbelief?

Rebellion. We choose not to believe God is who He claims to be and has clearly demonstrated himself to be and therefore we refuse to trust Him. He's revealed himself via the creation first but most importantly, in sending Christ. Christ said "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father" - i.e. God himself. That is no small claim but one that deserves serious study. We refuse to recognize who God has already revealed himself to be through creation and His Son. We willfully suppress what has been clearly revealed. 

We are saying two things when we do not respond appropriately to the truth that we are given - no matter how little or much truth that is. We are saying God is a liar and we know more - and better - than he does. 

If God is infinite, loving, all-wise, and all-powerful - as He claims and demonstrated in Christ - and we are finite, we are denying a very important reality about us and him. Yes, we are rebels. Unbelief is at the heart of our rebellion. 

For a further discussion on the solution to our rebellion click here. 

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¹what does it mean to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength?

• heart -- the core of our being, our central motive for action
• soul -- our feelings/emotions
• mind -- our reasoning and what we believe i.e. commitment/trust/faith in that belief
• strength -- our actions, efforts, exertion 

²clearly perceived - καθοράω  kathoraō

Thayer Definition:

1) to look down, see from above, view from on high

2) to see thoroughly, perceive clearly, understand

Strong's Definition:

From G2596 and G3708; to behold fully, that is, (figuratively) distinctly apprehend: - clearly see.

³Our insatiable need for infinite love tells us we were designed for infinite love - i.e. Our Creator - because he is infinite love.

⁴suppress - κατέχω - katechō - kat-ekh'-o

From G2596 and G2192; to hold down (fast), in various applications (literally or figuratively): - have, hold (fast), keep (in memory), let, X make toward, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.

⁵For a further discussion on the basis of morality click here.

in this world, you will have tribulation

Christ said, "...in this world, you will have tribulation..." Struggle and pain are inevitable in a broken world made up of broken people - which includes you and I. 

To say it another way, we should not be surprised by struggle or think God has abandoned us when struggles happen. If we do not understand this we will be inclined to have a pity party or even fall into despair when things go wrong, thinking something's ¹uniquely wrong with us and God has painted a target on our back or worse yet, that God is not good or doesn't exist at all. 

We will also be tempted to position our lives so that avoidance of pain is our primary focus i.e. we will seek comfort and make ²pleasure our greatest pursuit. 

This of course, would be a mistake since struggle is not without a ³good purpose.

Is life only tribulation, struggle, suffering? No. We can legitimately enjoy and be genuinely grateful for the good gifts God provides, and are called to be. But, obtaining and enjoying His gifts is not our focus; God’s glory is. And not simply because glorifying God is asked of us but it is also desired by us. 

The irony and surprise is when we experience God's glory we also find ⁴our greatest joy and pleasure. This is our experience now when we trust Him and will be our uninterrupted state once we enter into eternity.

Once we understand that struggle is inevitable, the question then becomes whether we engage tribulation passively or actively; willingly or unwillingly.

There is active and passive suffering. Though they both ⁵can result in our conformity to Christ they're not the same in how we engage them.

Passive suffering occurs when we experience loss through circumstances we do not choose i.e. outside our control e.g. someone unjustly mistreating us, sickness -- our own or loved ones -- loss of some gift, job or material possession, or even a loved one etc. If we live any length of time we all will encounter these challenges.

Active suffering is to willingly -- actively -- become a living sacrifice. It is choosing daily to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ.

If we do not willfully (actively) participate in suffering, we will still experience passive suffering simply because the world is broken but most importantly because God ⁶is always working to make us like his Son no matter how much we intentionally or unintentionally, willfully or unwillingly participate.

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¹And of course something is wrong with us. I'm referring to something being uniquely wrong, when in fact we all experience the same plight i.e. that verse is not just for us alone. The “you” referred to is a universal you.

²And in fact many within the church do exactly that. The result is what is sometimes called the "prosperity" gospel or the "health and wealth" gospel.

³For a fuller discussion of that good purpose click here.

⁴For a fuller discussion of Gods glory being our greatest joy click here.

⁵In both active and passive suffering, trust is central. We must trust God is working for our good -- i.e. to make us Christlike -- if we are to fully gain the benefit He intends from struggles. In active suffering we step our in faith knowing we honor God in our obedience. In passage suffering we look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Heb 12:2

⁶"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

Fully loved, completely broken

We are fully loved and completely broken at the same time. How do we function when these both exist within the same person - i.e. us? 

This can only happen if we are in Christ and recognize:

• God fully knows us as we are, warts and all -- there are no secrets or surprises for him about us even if and when there are for us. 
• Because of Christ, He completely receives and embraces us with full knowledge of all our brokenness. 
• Our brokenness always produces broken actions and outcomes. 
• God ¹usually does not spare us from the consequences of our broken choices but uses them to humble, instruct and advance us i.e. make us more like Jesus.
• He always hurts when we are hurting i.e. ²he feels pain when we go through pain from our broken choices, he does not condemn us for them. 
• God redeems and uses everything for his glory; both the actions and the consequences.
• God always sees and focuses on us as his image bearers, with the potential he has created us for, not on our weaknesses and failures. He addresses our shortcomings only in so far as they hinder our potential to better glorify him and enjoy him forever.
• He is always sad for us -- vs mad at us -- when we fail and always rejoices when we succeed. 

God always loves us, is always with us, always applauds our successes, always offers comfort in our failures and always uses all things --  good, bad and ugly -- to advance us so we might bring him greater honor and enjoy him more fully.

How can all these be true when we are such a mess? God's ³love, wisdom, power, and commitment to our advancement are not based on what we do but on who we are as His image bearers and who he is as demonstrated in what he already did in and through Christ. Now He simply works with us to increase our capacity to experience, enjoy, honor and display Him more fully. We are 

For a discussion on suffering at the hands of others choices click here.

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¹In God's mercy, he sometimes spares us from suffering the full consequences of our poor choices because he, in his infinite and perfect wisdom knows (not us) what will best advance our relationship with him.  Most of the time that means we will suffer the full consequences, but not always or automatically. Unlike our imperfect earthly fathers, God is our perfect heavenly father and always knows and does best when it comes to our discipline. 

²When it was appropriate for me to receive a spanking -- outdated and frowned upon today though not from ancient wisdom -- my dad would occasionally say, "this is going to hurt me more than it is you..." At the time I always use to think "sure it is Dad, sure..."  If you are a father you will understand the mixed emotions of disciplining your child. The difference with our heavenly father is there is never any uncertainty on the best way  to correct us.  He knows perfectly what we need most.

³I'm referring only to God's attitude of love and commitment to us not our experience of that love. Our experience of his love has everything to do with us. For further discussion on this click here.