Predestination, Freewill and the “God tense”

We live in the midst of time and so we have a clear past, present and future tense. But God is outside time and so has no past present or future. He is present in all time.

To give an example, an ant occupies a small area of space. When a boot comes down to crush him, he finds that changing his space to the adjoining space does not help as the boot is there also! So God is in all spaces and there is no place where He is not there. So also He is in all time.

So how does a person who is outside time communicate to a person who is within time? That is the challenge of scripture.

When God says “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” it also means you are saved and you were saved. Similarly when God says “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” it is referring to the present condemnation of the judgement of condemnation which will be at the judgement seat in the future.

We also need to realise that the fact that God knows the choices you will make in the future does not take away your responsibility for the choices you make.

So God knowing the choices you are going to make, begins to work in your life from before you are born to prepare you for the good work He has planned for you to do (Eph 2:10) in the present.

If we understand this concept we will find that many of the difficulties of interpreting the Bible lie predestination or freewill, once saved always saved versus you can lose your salvation, etc. disappear. Even the question what happens to you when you die if the judgement is in the future vanishes if we go to a place outside time.

Was God cruel to Egypt?

Was God cruel in inflicting the then plagues on Egypt to deliver Israel from slavery? This is a valid question to ask, especially when the narrative says "God hardened Pharaoh's heart".

In Gen 15:13-14, Ex 6:6, Ex 7:4 it says that Egypt was judged. That means that the plagues served a dual purpose - one of judging Egypt and the other of delivering Israel from slavery.

For what was Egypt judged? The Bible does not say, but one good guess would be their cruelty not only to the Israelites but to all the slaves from whichever nation. This is a character of God seen in the prophetic writings of Amos, Isaiah etc. for cruelty against the poor and in Obadiah for cruelty ro ones enemies.

In this sense God was not being cruel to Egypt in the plagues.

How do we then understand the phrase "God hardened Pharaoh's heart"? I want to make two obeservation on this.

1. A similar incident is seen in II Samual 24 where God was angry with Israel and so moved David to call for a census resulting in a judgement coming on Israel. Similalry, God hardens Pharaoh's heart so that a judgement comes on the Egytpians for their cruelty.

2. The second observation is that the passage 7 times records "Pharaoh hardens his heart" and 3 times "God hardens Pharaoh's heart." Both God and Pharaih were involved and Pharaoh was not just clay in God's hand. God took advantage of Pharaoh's pride and nature to make Egypt reject the signs and prophecies given through Moses. The few who believed escaped some of the plagues, Ex 9:20, but those who did not believe were judged.

Some of the innocent Egytpians would have suffered God's judgement because of the cruelty of their fellowmen, just as some of us suffer because of the cruelty of out neighbours and fellow human beings taking God's blessings away from our nation.

Loneliness

Introduction

The fairy tale of the Frog Prince carries an interesting teaching for us as Christians. In the fairy tale, a witch (Satan) turns a prince into a frog (a sin cursed man) and only the kiss of the princess (evangelist) can turn him back into a prince. The message for us is that in every person there is a hidden prince, however ugly he may appear at present. This prince is the image of God hidden in him. It is our role as the children of God to release this image of God in others by leading them to Christ and helping them to grow to maturity in Christ.

Some time we are the ones who are the frogs who need to be delivered. This feeling of frog-hood comes as one author puts it:-

“The Frog feeling comes when – you want to be bright, but feel dull. You want to share, but are selfish. You want to be thankful, but feel resentment. You want to be big, but are small. You want to care, but are indifferent. Yes, at one time or another each of us has found himself on a lily pad floating down the great river of life, frightened and disgusted, but too froggish to budge.”

This feeling of inadequacy results in our inability to accept ourselves as we are. Because we cannot accept ourselves, we look for acceptance from others. When we do not get this we feel rejected and lonely. This loneliness has become a major problem people are facing today.

The roots of Loneliness

Loneliness is not being alone, but not having relationships. So we can be in a crowded room and yet be lonely. We can be alone and yet not be lonely. We can be married and yet be lonely.

How do we reach this kind of a state in our lives? A lot of this comes from our childhood experiences. The pressures of life make us feel inadequate.

It has been proven that children when they are small have an instinctive desire to be cuddled by their mothers. Today with the pressure of financial needs often both parents are working and the children feel rejected and inadequate.

Similarly the pressure of competition in school makes it difficult to find acceptance here also. Parents are pressurizing children to do better and the children come away with the feeling that they are inadequate. We have had cases of children who have done very well obtaining a rank of 2^nd or 3^rd but have committed suicide because they did not come first. This happens because they feel unaccepted by their parents when they do not come first.

Also when I see my class mates as competitors in the race to come first, it becomes difficult to have a proper relationship with them. We do not see them as friends but as enemies.

Further, all cannot come first, but only those who win are recognized, while those who do not are ignored. It is even worse when we fail – there is no consolation for failures. We lose confidence and we fail even more and we become even lonelier as we do not get the recognition we are desperately seeking.

Children can be cruel, and ridiculing and making fun can be a sport. This destroys those who are exposed to this kind of torment. But what is worse when even your parents laugh and poke fun at your inadequacies. This shatters our confidence completely and we do not know where we can turn to for support. In India, where I come from, parents compare children unfavorably with others, especially on the color of their skin, in their presence, leading the children to have a strong sense of rejection amongst them. Similar things happen in other cultures also.

But the greatest reason for feeling inadequate is the presence of sin in our lives. As Paul says in Romans Chapter 7, we keep doing the things we do not want to do and do not do the things we want to do. This leads to a realization that within us is an evil we detest. This confirms to us that we are just evil and need deliverance. We ask with Paul, who can deliver us from this body of sin.

The troubles this leads to.

When we are lonely and unable to have proper relationship with others, as we are looking for approval and not a relationship, it leads to a lot of problems in our lives. We tend to immerse ourselves in activity as we cannot be alone and face the realities of our lives. This activity can be work, can be play and for believer it can be ministry – anything to help keep my mind of the realities of the demons within me. Sometimes these diversions can be destructive like alcohol and drugs or less destructive like music or more destructive like violent music.

Even greater problems come when we get drawn into improper relationships. As we look for approval, we fall for any person who appears to accept us leading to extra-marital or pre-marital relationships. We are afraid to deny the person the advantage he/she is taking of me as I do not want to lose the relationship. In the same we are drawn to cults like the Children of God and other extreme groups. Some gay behavior also have their roots here.

It is only when I have learnt to accept myself that I can begin to live with myself. Then I can lead a normal life where I do not have to run from myself into work and other activities or get into destructive relationships.

The Solution

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto our souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When I come to Jesus He accepts me and I can sense His presence with me. Jesus accepts us as we are. When I know that God has accepted me I do not need to have acceptance from man. I am freed from the desperate search for approval. I can then have a normal and quality relationship with people.

What the passage says is important for us to come to Christ. Jesus says that we have to take His yoke upon ourselves. This essentially means that we can no longer do what we want, but have to walk in the path that Jesus has laid out for us. This is what baptism is all about, when we die in Christ in baptism and now live with the yoke of Christ on us doing only what Christ is asking us to do.

Walking with Jesus we learn from Him and grow in knowledge and understanding. One of the things we learn is that we have been created by God exactly like He wants us to be and so I do not have to try and be someone else. As one speaker put it “God has made you a first class original, do not become a second rate copy.” I can be proud of being an original of God not looking for approval from man but seeking to fulfill the purposes of God in my life. This understanding of the purpose of God in my life makes my life meaningful and helps us to understand our importance in the economy of God.

However, we cannot experience these blessings if we do not forgive ourselves out past failures and sins. It is only when I put my past behind me and I accept myself as I am can I experience the great deliverance God wants to give me from my feelings of inferiority.

The promise of Jesus proves to be so real, that His yoke is easy and light. Life becomes a joyous freedom.

The challenge

John 17:18 says “Even as the Father has sent me, I am sending you into the world.” We are the representatives of Jesus in the world. Just as Jesus reaches out and heals people from their inferiorities we also need to reach out to people. Are you willing to accept people when you do not like their behavior? My wife accepted me even though I was drinking and smoking and that helped me understand the acceptance of Christ in my life. Jesus accepted the woman caught in adultery (improper relationships) and so I believe healed her. Do you accept people?

Our calling is to reach out to people and bring healing to them. Our calling is to bring out the beauty of Jesus in people. Can we continue to encourage and build each other up in the kingdom? Our calling is to kiss the frogs around us. May God be with you as you do so.

Which is the Ten Commandments?

The first occurrence of the phrase Ten Commandments or Ten Words is in Exodus 34:28. In this passage the covenant of Exodus 24:1-8 is renewed after the incident of the Golden Calves. If we read Exodus 34 it is fairly clear that the Ten Commandments here refer to the ritual laws given in this chapter and not to the Laws in Exodus 20 which are generally seen as THE Ten Commandments.

The phrase is agan seen in Deut. 4:13 and 10:4 where they appear to refer to the traditional Ten Commandments as we know it.

So, it would appear that there were other codes of ten commands apart from the moral code of Exodus 20 and Deut. 5, but as per Jewish tradition, these passages were seen as THE Ten Commandments.

But if we see Exodus 20:1-17 carefully we find 10 "Thou shalt not" statements and 2 "thou shall" statements. The 2 Thou shall is not worded like that but says - observe the swabbath, and honout your father and mother. So how do we group them to get 10 commands?

Usually 17a and 17b are combined to give you one command and vs 4 and 5 are combined to give you one command.

But if we read vs 3, 4 and 5 as three separate commands they read very differently from our normal understanding.

vs 3 - no other gods.
vs 4 - no images - i.e. no art of any kind
vs 5 - no bowing down to "them"

If we combine 4 and 5 it means no making images that you bow down to.

If we combine verses 3,4 and 5 it means no making of other gods and bowing down to them - which is the interpretation of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Personally I find the traditional combination of the Protestant church the most satisfying, and this I believe is the Jewish tradition.

Ex 12:1-13:16 How was the Penteteuch composed?

Most critical commentators do not accept the Mosaic authorship of the first five books of the Bible and this passage in Exodus 12:1-13:6 is one of the passages which is seen as having been compiled by putting together different sources at a later date.

If we read the narrative, we find that 12:1-20 reads like a prescription of how to observe the Passover in the future. Then from verse 21-42 the tone changes and it becomes active voice narrating how the first passover took place and does not contain some of the prescriptions given earlier. From verse 43-50 there are some sundry regulations on the observance of the Passover in the future. From 13:1-16 the Feast of Unleavened Bread is described as the festival to celebrate their departure from Egypt.

If Moses wrote the narrative, it is asked, why there is a lack of consistency and coherence in the narrative.

My thesis is that, while the text was composed by Moses, it was done ar different times. We need to remember that Moses was with the Israelites for forty years in the jourbey from Egypt. The core of the narrative would be from his travel diary recording the events as they happened Ex 12:20-42. At the time when he assembled the Penteteuch, near the end of his life, he would have written Ex 12:1-20 on how to observe the Passover and there would have been some practices develioped over the 38 odd years.

Exodus 12:43-50 may have been additions by Moses to the observance of the Passover to deal with questions that arose during the time in the wilderness on who could observe the Passover.

Exodus 13:1-16 is less clear. The recognition that the first-born belong to God seems to have gained in importance and is shown to be an integral part of the remembrance of the Exodus in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was probably written during the wilderness wanderings to emphasize this teaching. It is probably inserted here, rather than Exodus 12:1-20 so as not to spoil that comprehensive detailing of the Passover. So instead is added at the end of the narrative.

Instead of seeing different sources used by a later author, I prefer to think that it was written by Moses but at different times.

What role can a woman have in the church?

This is another question raised by Peter Wiig and the context is the well know verse in I Corinthians 14:34-35. Many churches based on these verses have denied any leadership role in the church for women. They cannot teach men, only children. They cannot preach or even pray but be silent.

In I Corinthians 11:5 it says "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven." This shows that women did pray and prophesy in the church, and the covering of their head showed they were married.

Prophesying as defined by Paul in I Corinthians 14:3 "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort." This is more preaching and forth saying than foretelling and therefore it means that women did preach in the early church.

Mind you that all these references are from I Corinthians, the same epistle which has the controversial passage that silences women!! So what does I Cor 14:34f mean?

This passage needs to be understood in the cotext in which it is written. Chapter 14 is dealing with the confusion in the church caused by the speaking in tongues of people. Paul is maintaining that God is a God of order and does not like disorder. So our worship needs to be orderly. In this context Paul says that women need to keep quiet. We really do not know what was happening with the women in Corinth that made Paul make this suggestion that they be quiet and discuss with their husbands at home instead of arguing in the church. This was more in this context and I take it as not being an universal principle since if it is, it contradicts the rest of the epistle.

We see Priscilla's ministry described in Acts of the apostles and I would say that there were a few women who ministered in the leadership of the church.

I Cor 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

Peter Wiig asked the question "Why is it shameful for a man to have long hair?" There are two verses that deal with this issue in I Corinthians.

I Cor 11:7 “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.”

I Cor 11:14 “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?”

Paul gives two arguments – one theological in vs 7 and one from nature in vs 14. But what does “cover his head” mean? Hair? Apparently not, since Paul did not advocate shaving ones hair off but rather not having long hair.

Theological

“Cover his head” means to “show a symbol of authority over him on earth” through having his hair uncut. The woman on the other hand is to show a symbol of authority over her since she comes under man’s authority. Hence in vs 6 he says if she is not showing the symbol of authority on her, then she should show that she is a widow by shaving her head.

I Cor 11:6 "For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered."
Since man is the theological head of the house he must nor wear a symbol of submission to anyone apart from God.

Nature

Peacocks have fancy tails, peahens don’t. Paul says that by nature women keep long hair and men don’t. It is therefore a shame for a man to have long hair since he is making himself a woman. In today’s term it would read it is shameful for a man to wear a skirt.

To a large extent this is cultural and depends on the culture of the people. Nature here is the culture of the people.

Today’s application

Christians do not have a message apart from Christ. Hence in all things cultural we conform except where the values of Christ are being trampled on. The idea is to avoid needless confrontation since the gospel is enough of a confrontation as it is. Man does not submit to women and so do not carry any symbol of submission on him.