Who are we?

There are ¹two fundamental aspects of our being (nature) that define us. One is divine, the other is decidedly human and the opposite of divine.

1. We are like God,  the divine - in His image.

2. We are not God - not self-sufficient, infinite, without limits, but finite i.e. human.

Because we are like God and created to interact (commune) with God - who is ²infinite. Therefore only our union and relationship with this infinitely loving God can make us whole - complete us. 

Because we are not God, we are limited, dependent, finite, not infinite, we ³must be in union - connected - with the infinite to function properly, i.e. as designed.

What is the nature of our relationship with God? 

He is the source of all things and we are recipients of all things, i.e. All we are, have, and need to exist and function ⁴comes from God either directly (such as our breath-existence and our abilities) or indirectly through His creation - e.g. food, water, air, sun, other image bearers, etc.

Because we are finite yet designed for the infinite, we must go outside ourselves to find not just what we need for our physical existence but also lasting meaning, purpose, value, and fulfillment i.e. our non-physical - spiritual and emotional - existence as well. 

Since God is the Creator and the Source of our being (existence), and we are in his image, to understand ourselves correctly, we must ⁵know and understand God correctly.

How do we know God? God is a person. What can be known about him on a personal level must be revealed to us by Him; just as others only truly know us to the extent we reveal ourselves to them. 

His revelation to us of Himself comes in great part through his words (the bible) - What he tells us about himself specifically, as well as what he says in general. 

He also reveals Himself by His actions; through creation - which includes us and our being like Him.

God's fullest, most complete self-revelation occurred when God the Son took on human form as Immanuel (i.e. God with us) and came to live (abide) among us. 

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." ‭‭Heb 1:1-3

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth..." - John 1:1‭‭-‬5‭, ‬14 ESV

Yet we are not presently connected to God because we have rebelled and broken away from our dependence and need for Him. We act as if God is irrelevant or unimportant when it is just the opposite i.e. He is all important. 

If we wish to be reconnected with our Creator, Jesus tells us how in the following statement...

And this is eternal life: that people can know you, the only true God, and that they can know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. - John 17:3

To understand why we are disconnected and how to reconnect click here.

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¹theology - the study of the nature and essence of God

anthropology - the study of the nature and essence of humankind.

²God is infinite both in depth (qualitatively) and breadth - duration (quantitatively). There is no deeper love or a love that never ends except His. His love has always been before He created. And that love is infinitely broad and deep because it is among and between infinite persons i.e. GOD as Father and Son, in, by, and through the infinite Spirit. God is infinite love and infinite Spirit.

³yet we are not connected because we have willfully rebelled from our dependence on and need for God. We now live contrary to our design - disconnected from our Creator. The source of life, love,, and all things - which is clearly evidenced by the current chaotic state of humanity and the world.  

⁴Whether we function optimally, as He desires and designed or not, we still live, move, and have our very being (existence) in God. If there were no God, there would be no us i.e. We still exist because of God whether we willfully and consciously have a personal relationship with God or not.

⁵John Calvin's opening paragraphs of The Institutes. 

Italicized comments in (brackets) are my own to help clarity the authors intended meaning.

1.Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God

Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.

For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith (immediately) turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments (gifts) which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay (no), that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in (existence and maintenance by)  God alone.

In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distil (come) to us from heaven, are like streams conducting (pointing) us to the fountain.

Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence (thereby) ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, (see Calvin on John 4: 10,) that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things (ways/conduct) to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest (depend on) in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.

2.Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self

On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride that...) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also - He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance (appearance) of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems (estimates) an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white. Nay, the bodily sense may furnish a still stronger illustration of the extent to which we are deluded in estimating the powers of the mind. If, at mid-day, we either look down to the ground, or on the surrounding objects which lie open to our view, we think ourselves endued with a very strong and piercing eyesight; but when we look up to the sun, and gaze at it unveiled, the sight which did excellently well for the earth is instantly so dazzled and confounded by the refulgence (brightness), as to oblige (compel) us to confess that our acuteness (skill) in discerning terrestrial objects is mere dimness when applied to the sun. Thus too (in the same way), it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods (insignificant or lesser gods). But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly (previously) delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity (most wicked actions); what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom (what we mistakenly thought by our own estimation) will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy (right or good efforts) will be condemned as the most miserable impotence (totally inadequate). So far (so distant or removed) are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to (in relation to or compared to) the divine purity.

Why does God allow evil

The age old question is if God is good why does He ¹allow evil and suffering to continue?

But in the most important and ultimate sense He doesn't (and didn't). One day the scales of justice will be completely balanced. 

But what about now? 

At the very outset of our turning away from God, He reached out to us with an immediate - though temporary - solution. 

He also promised and eventually ²provided the permanent and ultimate solution to evil - along with all its fallout - in the most amazing and unexpected way. A way for anyone who receives it. Not necessarily the solution ³we would prefer but in a way that surfaces and exposes our core problem and why suffering remains - i.e. our distrust of the Creator. This is also the central truth the Book of Job seeks to reveal to us.

God is not indifferent to our pain nor has He abandoned us or lost control by allowing it to continue. Pain and suffering continue for good reason - but only for now. Our distrust of God must be ⁹fully exposed, with all its fallout, so we might recognize its true destructive nature and abandon it (the exact opposite of our abandoning God in Eden) and more fully enter into and participate in the glory of God - which is our greatest good and highest joy.

In short, God is using evil for good. If he wasn't, it would be ⁴removed. One day, when it has accomplished its intended purpose it will be. But not before then.  

So for now suffering remains for good reason and a good purpose. But we can only benefit fully from it when we trust Him. The greater our trust the greater our gain i.e. evil is always used for good if and when we trust His good and loving intentions in allowing it to remain. If we do not trust Him, suffering will only embitter and eventually destroy us. 

This may not be what we want or like to hear but that is because we don't see what God fully sees and knows is ultimately for the greatest good - our greatest good. 

In this life, God uses what was meant (by the destroyer - satan) for our harm and destruction (i.e. evil) and turns it on its head. He "redeems" evil if you will, and uses it to ultimately advance us not destroy or harm us. But only if we trust Him and this process.

Pain and suffering are now a primary (maybe the primary) means of turning us back to God when we aren't pursuing Him or drawing those who are pursuing Him even closer.

Our agenda and wisdom doesn't match God's, whose wisdom and intent are perfect. Ours is not. Again our distrust of God is our biggest issue (not our pain) and He addressed it - and is addressing it - perfectly through all He allows us to go through.

If and when we choose to remain in rebellious unbelief and defiance of God, suffering will overcome and embitter us (experiencing anger when we encounter pain is always a clue we do not trust Him and still may ultimately have a bone to pick with God. This is the real issue...not the "mystery" of why we suffer). 

Our biggest challenge is not suffering but remaining in our unbelief. This ultimately leads to our permanent ⁴separation from God (whereas our present separation, along with all the suffering it brings, is only temporary once we turn back to Him). But if and when we turn to Him we are told (and over time come to realize) that God uses suffering (evil) for the good of those who trust and love Him (if not in our immediate circumstances, in our ultimate circumstances i.e. in eternity). Otherwise, if we refuse to trust Him, pain will embitter and ultimately destroy us. It is the path to perpetual pain.

So in the most important and ultimate sense evil has been dismantled and can no longer destroy us in the way our adversary intended, as long as we trust our Creator. Why?

1. The day is coming - and has already been put into motion - when pain and death will be done away with completely. The resurrection of Christ is our proof. His resurrection was the first fruits of what is to come. Life ultimately wins over pain, suffering, and death. If we trust Him we too will ultimately rise one day and overcome death just as he did.

2. The presence of evil is (for now) a means to turn us back to God and draw us closer to Him.

3. The presence of evil provides a means and opportunity for us to advance spiritually. We actually gain when, ⁸by faith, we overcome evil and suffering - just as Christ did when He, on our behalf, overcame it. This is the exact opposite of what we are naturally inclined to believe and what our adversary intends. Because of our pain, we are given an opportunity to become more like Christ if we receive it by faith i.e. believe that God is accomplishing our ultimate good not harm, through our pain.

In the most significant and ultimate sense evil and suffering have not only been forever ⁵disarmed and more than defeated but are also being used for the very opposite of what we think i.e. good. He not only put into motion the eventual and complete removal of all pain one day but until that day arrives he "redeems" and uses it for the good of those who love and trust Him. 

How did God accomplish this?

When Christ became a man and fully embraced the harm, damage, and hurt (pain, evil) we cause each other - and let it kill him (instead of us) - He overcame death, evil, and suffering by 1st embracing it fully until it killed Him and then forever disarmed it when he ⁶came back to life. As a result, if we believe and accept all that Christ did, we too ⁷will overcome the pain, suffering, and death we bring (brought) into the world and raise to that very same life that Christ rose to - i.e. a life of bliss and glory with the Father of life, love, and all things. 

We are not only "victims" of pain but the perpetrators (cause) of pain. But Christ took care of all of it by submitting to it until it killed Him and then came back to life and declared victory over death and pain forever. 

Christ's ⁵resurrection changed how we look at and deal with pain and suffering. Evil and death did (does) not have the final word, life did (does) because of Christ! For this, He deserves (and will receive) our highest praise and gratitude forever and ever, amen!

We can no longer question whether God is good. In and by Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection God proved and established His goodness beyond question. In and through Christ good and evil met and good won.

Christ fully embraced all aspects of our pain - physical, emotional, and spiritual - by His obedience unto death. Now He offers victory over death via His resurrection, so we don't have to die but be ultimately will be delivered from it. The offer of complete and ultimate freedom from pain is available to all who receive it. 

All of this was done for us, as well as for the rest of creation. Evil, pain, and death were (and are) not only permanently defeated - at the very moment Christ came back to life - it is now being used to reverse our separation from God practically. He first did this legally and continues to do this in our day-to-day walk - as we put our trust in Him. Because of Christ, the pain will eventually be eliminated altogether.

⁸Christ completely disarmed evil and dismantled its ultimate destructive effect - death - forever. Now he offers a life of infinite bliss to any who will accept His offer of restoration to Him and eventually complete freedom from pain and death forever.

Does this answer the question of why God allows evil to continue? Maybe not for many. But it can give us a helpful glimpse into the answer if we let it. 

For a further discussion of how God uses evil for our good click here...and here.

The greater the evil the greater the opportunity for healing/grace click here.

For a discussion on the key lesson from the book of Job click here.

For a further discussion on the value of paradox click here.

For a further discussion of how big is God exactly click here

For a discussion of how pain can help us see Christ's love click here

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¹God did not cause us to rebel or cause our brokenness or the pain and all the suffering in the world that followed. The world is broken because we (like Adam and Eve, our original ancestors) continue to choose to distrust God - i.e. God didn't break us or the rest of creation, we disconnected and broke (short-circuited) that connection when we turned away from God. 

If God provides us a warm house filled with light - and tells us we are safe if we remain inside - yet we step outside into the cold dark night, guess who moved? A hint...it wasn't God.

God loves and values our ability to choose to such a great extent that he gave us the choice and freedom to rebel and reject Him - because choice is a key part of us being like God and partaking of Him to the greatest extent possible - ⁹without our actually being God (which we can never be by virtue of being created). The consequences of our choice are far less significant to God than our ability to freely make them.

Some deny the existence of evil but that is only because of how evil is commonly defined. To get an accurate definition we must go to the source, the Bible itself. How does it define evil (and good)?

The following definitions are found in the original Hebrew. 

Emphasis my own:

Evil - H7451b  רַע - ra  (948c); from the same as H7455; evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity: — adversity (7), calamity (4), disaster (2), evil (94), harm (2), harmful (1), hurt (1), ruin (3), surely (1), trouble (2), unpleasant (1), wickedly (1), wickedness (1).

H7455  רע - rôa‛BDB (Brown-Driver-Briggs') Definition:1) badness, evil 1a) badness, bad quality 1b) wilfulness 1c) evil, badness (ethical) 1d) sadness

Good - H2896b  טוֹב - tob  (375a); from H2895; a good thing, benefit, welfare: — enjoy *(1), good (66), good thing (3), good things (2), goodness (1), graciously (1), happiness (1), happy (1), pleasant (1), prosperity (8), richer (1), well (1), what is good (1), what is good (4).

H2895  טוֹב - tob (373b); a prim. root; to be pleasing or good: — any (1), did well (2), done well (1), fair (1), go well (1), good (1), good (5), high (1), merry (3), please (2), pleased *(2), pleases (4), pleases *(2), pleasing (1), well (8), well-off (1). 

We could sum these definitions up as follows:

Good - God himself and all the benefits, provision, and pleasure that come in knowing him and being in His loving presence, and being known and fully embraced by Him.

Evil - Injury or harm (e.g. death) that comes to us due to the absence of God (because of our turning away from Him in rebellious distrust) and all the good things he provides. 

Before man's rebellion, the Bible doesn't say they did not know good, it says they did not know good and evil i.e. good in contrast to or compared to evil. We can only fully understand and appreciate goodness when it is absent, just like we can only fully appreciate light and warmth when things are cold and dark.

Are we evil? For a discussion click here.

²The solution is only God can restore us, we can't restore (save) ourselves. And the way he does this requires us to trust Him and His provision. 

This was established at the very outset of mankind's rebellion when God provided Adam and Eve with animal skins to cover their shame, resulting in the death of another living creature (the consequences of our rebellion and God's warning of death). 

The ultimate provision was also promised at that time in the child (seed) of the women i.e. a living being after the image of man as well as God (i.e. the Son of God and man - Jesus) would be the ultimate sacrifice leading to the eventual end of all pain and destruction for any who trust in God's provision.

The sacrifice of a living being for the rebellion of another seems severe and barbaric but this only indicates our lack of understanding of the severe nature of that rebellion and the severe harm it causes. Our rebellion is destructive with very real and severe consequences. It causes harm, destruction, and death. God doesn't cause death (we do). He provided the solution for death i.e. the death of someone other than us who took the consequences for our destructive choices and their resulting conduct.

God warned the day we rebelled we would die. Death was simply the natural outcome of our disconnecting from life i.e. our Creator, who is the very cause and source of life, not death. The natural or organic (and reasonable) result of cutting ourselves off from the source of life is death. When God said the day we eat we would surely die was not a statement of judgment but the simple reality that to disconnect from life results in the opposite i.e. death.

Once we rebelled the damage had been done. The only option was for something else to die in our place for the consequences of our disconnecting from the Source of life if we were to be restored and avoid our own death. 

The harm and destruction caused by our rebellion matter and could not be ignored or pretended not to matter. Someone or something had to suffer the destructive consequences of our rebellious distrust of God if we were to escape those consequences ourselves. 

Sacrificing another for our benefit (so we wouldn't have to reap the consequences of our distrust) isn't barbaric it is an act of severe mercy. What is destructive, evil, and barbaric is our rebellion, not the sacrifice made to spare and rescue us from its consequences i.e. our distrust. The evil, pain, and suffering in the world are the consequence of our rebellion and a clear indication of how severe our rebellion is. 

³We'd prefer He simply removed evil altogether so we can go about our life uninterrupted as long as and only if it doesn't involve God i.e. require us to trust Him. We love and embrace the benefits of creation. We simply do not want to trust the Creator. Ironic when you think about it. How can we justly accept and love the good benefits that someone offers yet reject them?

We prefer being our own god, only without the consequences. We don't want God, we only want relief. We attempt to gain that by using the good gifts of creation without fully acknowledging the Creator - the loving Giver of those gifts. To use an old idiom and analogy, we want to have our cake and eat it too.

If God is good why does He allow evil, is the wrong question. Why? It is based on the following wrong assumptions.

1. God must be the ¹cause of evil (and is therefore evil himself).

2. He doesn't know what He is doing by allowing it to happen in the first place (and by giving us the ability to choose) or allowing it to continue (this assumes we are wiser than the Source of all knowledge and wisdom... a little arrogant on our part wouldn't you agree?).

3. We have no responsibility (or choice) for the ongoing evil, pain, and suffering in the world i.e. our rebellious distrust of God isn't the actual problem, God is i.e. evils existence is not our fault or problem to solve, it's His - or so we think. 

But He didn't provide the ultimate solution to our pain because He had to, but because He choose to i.e. out of love, not obligation.

These assumptions reveal the true condition of our heart i.e. an arrogant heart that does not trust or believe God is good, wise, and loving - as He claims (and proved through Christ) - in all he does or allows. We simply don't believe we need Him.

God is addressing evil but not in the way we prefer, expect, or demand. He's addressing evil not by removing it from our world (at least for now) but by removing it from our individual hearts - internally vs externally - one person and step at a time, so we will increasingly approach the world as we were originally designed to - full of love - His love. And this so the world might progressively be healed and become more whole again through us, to the glory of God, not just ours.

We play(ed) a primary role in the perpetuation of evil in the world so God intends for us to play a primary role in its resolution and elimination - to fix what we messed up by our distrust of God - who is all loving and worthy of total trust. Evil came into the world through us (our rebellious distrust) and God intends it to be addressed (resolved) in the same way i.e. us - by His indwelling and empowering love given to us by Christ and our total trust in this - His - perfect and infinite provision. 

The bottom line? A main reason evil exists is we, as Christ's followers have not done to others as we would have them do to us i.e. loved them sacrificially as Christ loved us. If we don't like the evil in the world, we don't need to look at or blame God, we need to look in the mirror.

However, God doesn't intend or expect us to do this (reverse evil) on our own i.e. in or by our own strength. Without God's love filling us, we couldn't if we wanted to. To love sacrificially requires being loved sacrificially.

What caused us to turn inward was our rejection of God's wise and loving direction (warning) and the subsequent loss of His love. This resulted in our no longer being in union with God which short-circuited our power to love others as we are designed to. As a result, our focus is on filling the void caused by God's absence, instead of on God and his infinite love. Our solution was and is now to pursue his creation for life and not the Creator. 

His absence (due to us rejecting Him, not Him rejecting us) resulted in us becoming takers instead of givers, hurting others instead of properly caring for them and the rest of creation. Only God and His love can heal the brokenness of the world but that is done in and through us by healing our brokenness first.

Of course, perfect restoration will not occur until Christ returns (though our legal standing has been fully restored). But the question remains... what role do we as followers of Christ play in ushering in that return. Maybe the primary role?

⁴and one day, when Christ returns and sets up His perfect - completed - rule (Kingdom) of love, it will be.

⁵God respects and honors our choice and will not force us to be with Him. To be in His presence against our will would be a greater hell than being separated from Him in eternity. 

⁶Through His resurrection, Jesus reclaimed all rule and authority over heaven and earth. The deceiver's (satan's) power is disarmed. He only has power over those who go along with him (a few willingly but many - maybe most - unknowingly).

⁷evil and the suffering that comes from it is a primary means of drawing us closer to God in this life. How? By revealing to us how our rebellious independence and distrust of God bring harm and destruction to others as well as ourselves. This dishonors God as well - in whose image we are created.

We are so inclined and quick to default to rebellious independence that suffering (the natural result of rebellion) becomes a necessary and useful tool to remind us of our true dependence on God for wisdom and guidance. Pain is the natural outcome of our rebellion, not unlike sticking our hand in the fire when we were told not to. Every time we do, we are reminded by the pain to remove our hands.

⁸By faith now but ultimately by experience in eternity.

Until we are permanently delivered from the presence of evil, pain, suffering, and death, how do we address it in this life? By faith. Unlike Adam and Eve (and us) - who sought (seek) to determine good and evil without God - Solomon sought God's direction in determining good and evil. This was the fruit of Solomon's humility and dependence on (trust in) God for wisdom. If we humble ourselves God will exalt us as well.

"Give your servant (Solomon) therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” - 1 Kings 3:9 ESV

⁹We are as much like God as possible without actually being God and Christ it is as much like us as possible while still being God. He is the God-man and the only one who is 

and forever will be. To Him be glory and praise forever! He earned it.

Being in awe...we are incurably religious

What is awe? Why do we all experience it and seek it? When do we experience it most? 

Let's take a closer look.

We are like God; in his image and were created to participate in and experience God's majesty, ¹glory, beauty, greatness, etc. To do so, there had to be a corresponding quality within us - i.e. the capacity to behold and experience ¹glory - that would enable us to partake of and enjoy his infinite worth, majesty, i.e. His ¹glory.

This is why we are so drawn to, fascinated by, and in awe of things that are bigger, greater, or more powerful than us. 

Such as a vast mountain range or a brilliant sunset, a raging volcano, a powerful storm, or a magnificent waterfall. The common word we use when experiencing these things is "awesome." 

We are drawn also to things that are simply beautiful, creative, and excellent. The more so, the stronger the pull and drawn to them.

But Why?

Our sense of worth is tied directly to our ability to be in awe of and enjoy God's beauty, excellence, greatness, power, and worth...in a word His glory. In short, we are created to worship - to acknowledge and praise that which is of great value-worth; the greatest and most worthy being the Creator of ²all things.

This is so much a part of our makeup that if we do not acknowledge God, we turn our desire and need to praise toward other persons or things such as celebrities or a successful sports

team or a highly successful athlete, a great (effective) leader, a vast array of stars, anything beautiful such as a beautiful woman, flowers, colorful birds or other majestic creatures, as well as nature in general...and we could go on. All of these display and express qualities within God Himself who created all these things. They are glorious because they display something of the glory of their Creator who is all glorious.

If our worship and praise are not directed to God it will be directed somewhere else. We are incurably religious and must worship (ascribe worth or value to) something or someone. We are created to praise and worship that which is greatest, most beautiful, and glorious.

Why are we irresistibly ³drawn to these things? Because they resonate with our desire for beauty and express something about God's beauty and creativity. But that is only because we are like Him, in his image, with the capacity to enjoy these things. We experience our greatest worth when we partake of His.

We experience awe very early in life. It is not something we are taught. Contrary to what the atheist says, we did not create God, God created us with the desire - and capacity - to enjoy Him who is awesome. 

We also enjoy receiving praise because we were designed (as God's image bearers) for praise; not only to praise (God or others) but to be praised (valued, feel significant). 

We are like little gods but to an infinitely lesser degree than our infinite, all-wise and powerful Creator; but like Him nevertheless. We are creatures who, like God, can create from things God has made and given us, though on a far lesser scale. We are not the Almighty Creator who can simply speak things into existence. 

There is only one eternal and infinite God. We are not Him. He alone is infinite.

God is most praiseworthy of all beings and we are like him but to an infinitely lesser degree, yet still like him nevertheless.

To be like God is to desire, to be able to enjoy, and to be in awe of God.

For a discussion on the need and desire for excellence click here.

For a discussion on our desire for beauty click here, here and here.

For a discussion on how we are created for glory click here.

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¹What would be the equivalent to the word glory today? If you look at the word in the original languages of the Bible (OT-Hebrew and NT-Greek), it gives us an interesting picture. 

Glory

Hebrew 

H3519   כּבד    כּבוד        kâbôd  kâbôd   kaw-bode', kaw-bode'

Definition:

From H3513; properly weight; but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness: - glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).

Greek 

G1392  δοξάζω  doxazō

Thayer Greek 

Definition:

1) to think, suppose, be of opinion

2) to praise, extol, magnify, celebrate

3) to honour, do honour to, hold in honour

4) to make glorious, adorn with lustre, clothe with splendour

4a) to impart glory to something, render it excellent

4b) to make renowned, render illustrious

4b1) to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged

From G1391

From the base of G1380  δοκέω

dokeō; from δόκος dokos (opinion); to have an opinion, to seem: - deem (1), expect (1), has a mind (1), inclined (1), recognized (1), regarded (1), reputation (3), reputed (1), seem (3), seemed best (1), seemed fitting (1), seemed good (4), seems (3), suppose (5), supposed (2), supposes (1), supposing (4), think (18), thinking (1), thinks (6), thought (4).

At first, it is not apparent how glory, as defined in the Old and New Testament, are connected. They seem to be very different. Is there a connection? If so, what is it?

During the Old Testament times, Israel was predominately agricultural, so the more weighty something was (or the greater the number, such as 1000 camels verses 100) the more valuable like 10 bushels are heavier and therefore of greater value than one bushel or several talents of gold weighed more than one. The greater or more "copious" the amount, the heavier its weight and the greater its value. 

To show forth or manifest the dignity and worth of something in the NT was to put it on display - show it off, if you will - such as shining a light on a copious pile of gold coins. This would reveal the greatness of its value. Or as the definition indicates "...to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged..."

Inherent in both these definitions is the central idea of great value or worth. By the simple fact that we are in God's image and therefore have the capacity to partake of, experience and display God's great worth/glory, makes us significant and of great worth. Nothing else in all creation - including angels -  can partake of God like we can. We can behold his infinite worth and display it to others unlike anything else. This is the essence of worship i.e. worth-ship...the state of being valuable, important etc. In displaying His great worth we bring Him greater honor but also experience our greatest worth and glory i.e. purpose and meaning in doing so.

²those very things we experience awe in when we encounter them. If temporary created things cause us to feel awe, how much more so their infinite Creator?!

³And we are also able to express these qualities in various ways.

What is an evil heart?

When we consider evil we usually think in terms of horrendous acts such as torture, sexual abuse, sex trafficking, genocide, and the like. 

But what about an evil heart? Is this something different than evil actions? It is - though they are connected. But unlike evil acts, an evil heart is far more common than we may think. 

This involves the why of our actions i.e. what is our motive for acting? Are we acting for the

¹glory of God or glory of self i.e. are we acting to advance God's rule (kingdom) or ²our own? We either do one or the other. These are opposite as well as opposed to each other. There is no middle ground. There can't be since seeking God's glory and ours, independent of God, are ³contrary to each other.

One of these two is the ultimate end we seek in every action - from the most grand of actions to the least significant - e.g. eating and drinking. 

What is at the heart of this difference and what enables us to live for God's glory?

We must behold God's glory (His infinite worth, importance, significance, beauty etc.) and partake of it in order to display it. If we do not, we will not experience it or be able to extend it to others. We are left to act only for inferior self-glory (self-exaltation), for we must experience ¹glory.  

Because we are created to know and partake of God - who is all glorious (most significant, important, and valuable) - but are absent this due to our rebellious distrust of God, we must experience ¹glory in some other way to function (even if it is inferior to the way we were designed to operate - i.e. in, by, and through God). 

To use an analogy, drinking from a toilet is better than dying of thirst...(at least initially, for we could die from disease if we continued doing so). Just like we must have food, air, and water, we must also know we have value-significance (glory) to exist much less function well - if not physically, at least spiritually and emotionally. 

If our experience of glory comes from the Source of glory - i.e. God - we function optimally and are most fulfilled and effective, as we were designed to be. If our sense of glory (worth) is ⁶self generated or achieved, we operate contrary to our design, break down, and eventually crash and burn at all levels, i.e. spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If we are not receivers of God's glory (as we are designed to be) we become only takers or grabbers of glory from somewhere other than God, the one true Source of life, love, and all things. 

To take glory is to dishonor and harm others. God first - the Source of glory - then our fellow image bearers. For we must take from others what they also ⁷need - i.e. their sense of dignity, importance, and worth - in order to do so.

This is the essence of an evil heart. It is the strategy we all engage in when not captivated by God's glorious love and beauty.

For a further discussion on how we are created for glory click here.

Are we actually rebels against God? For a further discussion click here.

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¹Glory - value, significance, importance etc., and a sense of these. God is most glorious and the source of all glory, we are designed to partake and participate in it.

2 Pet 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Some may wonder why or how not glorifying God is evil. Good question! 

If God is the Creator and sustainer of all good things, to deny this by living contrary to it (as if something other than God is the source of life) is a lie that results in actions with far-reaching and harmful consequences; actions that point to anything other than God as the source of true happiness (glory). To point people away from God by our seeking things other than God as the Source of life, love, and all things is to misleads them (whether intentionally or not). To mislead someone causes them harm. Causing others harm is the essence of evil. 

For a further discussion, click here.

²Some may wonder what is wrong with building our own kingdom? Isnt this a noble and worthwhile effort? 

Stated simply, we were created for much greater, more meaningful things. Building our own kingdom does not fit who we are (we only think it is because outside of God this is all we know and the best we can do). We are created to build kingdoms - grand ones at that -  but not exclusively for ourselves but for the King of kings. We are creatures in the image of God designed to  participate in Him. In doing so we find our greatest sense of meaning, purpose, and joy. 

But we must choose this. God does not force us to pursue Him, He lets us choose. 

Nevertheless enjoying Him above everything else is what we are designed for and where we find our greatest joy, meaning, and purpose. We are still a major part of the equation, but not the focus of it.

³They may be opposite but they are not separate. They are connected. How? When we glorify God we experience our greatest glory. But we do not honor-glorify God for this reason - i.e. our glory is not our focus but the result of focusing on God. We do so simply because God is all glorious and deserves all praise and all our praise. It is when we discover him as all glorious that we experience our greatest glory i.e. when we humble ourselves we are exalted...to find our life we must lose it...to live we must die etc. (This is a reoccurring theme throughout scripture, - and the essence of Christ's main teachings - sometimes referred to as the upside-down kingdom).

 

Experiencing our greatest glory (worth) is the fruit of recognizing God's infinite worth (glory). To see His glory, we must first die to efforts to try to obtain glory independent of Him. Obtaining our own glory independent of God's not only doesn't work, it is in opposition to God as well as to us.

⁴Because we were created for glory if we do not receive it from God we will seek it elsewhere. Otherwise, we give up and die.

⁵Seeking glory illegitimately is wrong for two reasons. 

1. It is contrary to our design and therefore what is best for us (i.e. it doesn't work long term). 

2. It is also contrary to who God is, who alone is all glorious (most valuable, significant, and worthy of all our affection and loyalty) and therefore, most worthy of our trust. 

To not recognize Him as He truly is dishonors Him. He alone deserves our worship (our highest regard for His infinite worth) and faithfulness.

⁶By using creation to get a sense of glory - value (both internally through the talents/abilities He's given us and externally through the natural resources all around us).

⁷except God, who is the cause and source of all dignity, worth, and greatness.

strengthening our trust through self denial

We usually think of fasting as a 24 hour or multiple-day event.

However, why can't there be many kinds of decisions/events throughout the day? Decisions to consciously, willfully, and deliberately deny ourselves something that may actually be neutral or normally OK. 

Denying ourselves food is only one form of self denial. There can also be denial of catching up on the latest news, or participating in a temporary recreational diversion such as a movie, game or sporting event, in order to use that time to pursue God more deliberately. These are also types of self-denial. Is this not the heart and intent of fasting?

Luk 9:23  And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Anything that aids and increases our appetite,  trust, and dependence on God is a good thing. 

Why?

Because God is the best "thing" we can pursue, receive, partake of, and experience. By denying ourselves things we normally find comforting, we focus instead on the God of all comfort. 

Our increasing union and full restoration to God (not legally -which is already taken care of by Christ - but practically on a daily basis) is his primary aim in all things he allows and directs us to pursue. Whether that involves "good" things or "bad" (as the world defines them) such as denying ourselves what may otherwise be legitimate activities. 

This is opposite of the world's message of indulging ourselves in whatever our heart desires. Instead of our desires ruling us, God calls us to be "ruled" by His love.

Our redemption and reconciliation to God is the foundation on which this occurs. Because we are already fully restored to God legally - by Christ's efforts, not ours - we are now freed to focus on being fully in harmony with God practically in our daily lives/walk.

What aids and increases our dependence on God depends on us, our attitude, and disposition towards God. 

That attitude is strengthened through our trust in God's love for us demonstrated to us in and through Christ's work on our behalf. 

That trust is strengthened by looking to God for comfort instead of other activities and diversions.

Pursuing God through prayer, fasting, fellowship, worship, and the various other means of grace He provides (and empowers us by), are vital in realizing this. 

Whatever it is God calls us to or allows us to go through, we must trust God knows best and receive and participate in all things accordingly.

2 Cor 12:9 ...he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

Intent is key...

For a further discussion in doing things for the glory of God click here.

 

Pain - normal or common?

Because ¹pain is such a ¹constant part of our lives (from the first time we left our ²mother's womb and cried) it feels normal i.e. it has been a common part of our life from the first moment we came into this world.

On one level we have become so acclimated to pain we even buy into the notion that death is a normal part of life e.g. it's simply part of the "circle of life" as portrayed in the popular animated movie "The Lion King." Ironically this is actually a denial of death i.e. an attempt to make it less than it really is. In reality, death is a travesty we weren't originally designed for.

Suffering as well is ²not normal, it's simply common - and commonly shared. ³Everyone is in pain to various degrees, from the least privileged to the most. This is comforting in an odd way because we know we are not alone in our suffering. As the saying goes, misery loves company. But it also allows us to brush it aside as a normal part of life, when it's not. We tell ourselves to stop whining and having a pity party (or questioning struggles) because everyone goes through pain.

Even those who experience the best circumstances - and least trauma in life - are in pain at some level. The difference is some are able to arrange their world/circumstances well enough to dull the pain better than others. And those that do should be the happiest among us, but usually are not - outside those who know God and His infinite love.

The truth is those blessed enough to be sorounded with enough gifts ("toys" - creature comforts) to distract themselves from ⁴internal pain, is not that common. It is the exception, not the rule. Few of us are wealthy enough or gifted with enough natural talents to arrange our circumstances so we can completely avoid pain. Plus those that have the most creature comforts are privately still in ⁴pain. The high rate of substance abuse, other addictions and even suicide among the wealthiest and mosted gifted are all indications. No matter how good or challenging our circumstances ⁵no one is pain free.

The good news is Christ understands pain better than any of us and embraced our pain so that we might not have to.

For a further discussion of why God allows evil to continue click here.

For a further discussion of how God uses pain for our good click here...and here.

The greater the evil the greater the opportunity for healing/grace click here.

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¹If our mom's environment or even her emotional state was sufficiently troubled before we were born we no doubt picked up and experienced some of her pain and it transfered to us.

²We were not designed for pain but for infinite love and joy because we were created like God who is infinite love and joy. To participate in who He is we must be like him. Our problem is we reject him and therefore are absent what we were created for and need most, causing us on-going pain. Those of us who accept God's offer to be restored to him will one day be completely free of pain. That offer is extended to any who will receive it.

³I'm referring primarily to emotional pain -  though we all experience various physical ailments, discomforts, disease and eventually death - the ultimate physical pain.

⁴What is the essence of this emotional pain? It is feeling worthless, unimportant, insignificant etc. We were created for glory, not insignificance.

There is much talk about trauma in modern psychology but little talk of our critically compromised spiritual condition that allows trauma to take root and effect us in the first place. 

Trauma is not just from painful events we experience but the overall state we are in e.g. we are all inclined to go about life with little to no thought about God. As a result we are not in the close relationship with Him we were created for i.e. we are alienated from Him. To be alienated from the Source of life and love - i.e. our Creator - is to be in a traumatized and vulnerable state. 

When we are connected to the Source of life - as we were meant to be - painful events (invasive violations of our being and sense of worth) do not traumatize us. To use an analogy, a pathogen cannot take hold in us when our immune system is strong. What makes up a strong spiritual immune system? When we have a strong sense of value, meaning, purpose etc. because of our union with the Infinite Source of love and value. The stronger our union, the stronger our spiritual immune system and the less trauma (pathogens) take root and effect us. 

⁵Yet we still attempt to derive comfort (reduce pain) in having it better than others.