Detour, Part 2 - The Nature and Limits of God... and why this is important
I've expressed the following idea several times before in various forms and locations. It's not new to me, but it surprises me how few people seem to have grasped it. To say that this is one of the greatest truths in the bible would be reaching, because the greatest truth of the bible is that God loved man so very much that he willingly took on mortal flesh to pay our debt of sin -- a debt we are wholly incapable of paying ourselves -- that we might be restored to fellowship with Him, our Creator.
God has spent almost an entire week working to bring His redemptive plan for mankind to an end. That's not a long time for God, but it's been in the neighborhood of six thousand years for us 1/2. God has made a lot of pronouncements, and quite a few promises, and the only real proofs of His faithfulness are His Word, His grace in our lives, and the physical universe itself and all it contains 3. God says this alone should be enough evidence to prove his love toward us, but man’s heart is, because of sin, hardened to these evidences.
So man asks, "Who is God? And why should we believe in Him?"
As to the first, God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, and Lord over all. The Universe is His creation: every light-year of real estate between here and the boundaries of the universe (if there is in fact a boundary), every galaxy, star, black hole, quasar, and pulsar... "Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Psalm 50:10 KJV
As to 'why should we believe in Him,' the question implies much more than a simple "why," it asks, "what makes You worthy of our praise and worship?" Very bold words! But then man is rebellious by nature, and we have Adam to thank for that... not Eve 4.
So what is it man needs to know about God? Let's consider a rhetorical question posed by an Urban Myth. The story goes... A philosophy professor of my sister's, brother's, cousin's, best friend, posed a question to the class last week... "Can God create a rock so large that even He cannot move it?" On the surface, this paradoxical question is framed to smash any pre-conceived stereotypical sentiments the class may have about God, and/or create doubt in the hearts of any would-be believers. If God is omnipotent, shouldn’t He be able to create a rock so huge even He couldn’t move it? But then, if it’s so huge He can’t move it, how can God then be omnipotent?
What a crafty question! But a question with one fatal flaw. It does not consider God's nature: God is Holy... The epitome of Holiness... The personification of Holiness... In fact, there is none more Holy than God. But what does this imply? What is the consequence of existing eternally in a state of perpetual Holiness?
Answer: There is absolutely no stain of sin in God.
Which means, despite His omnipotence, there are things even God cannot do. And for the purpose of this stop along the detour, perhaps the most important thing God cannot do is Lie.
So. Can God create a rock so large even He cannot move it? The answer is Yes. God, in reference to the throne of David says in 1 Kings 2:45, "...and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever." In Isaiah 9:7 God says, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." The Lord God has said it. The Lord God cannot lie.
Proof of this is found in three places:
Numbers 23:19
Titus 1:2
Hebrews 6:18
Numbers 23:19 says:
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
The bible says, "Let God be true, but every man a liar"5, and, "There is none righteous, no, not one..."6. God is not like man; He does not lie. He has no need, and feels no need, to lie. Only man feels it necessary to lie, because man is sinful, and every lie he tells finds its root in either fear or malice... Fear of hurting another’s feelings; Fear of punishment, however slight; or maliciously, with the intent to hurt. God is neither fearful nor malicious. He is Holy and as such, without sin.
Titus 1:2 goes one step further:
"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began…"
So, not only does God not have reason to lie, he simply cannot do it. Again, because He is Holy, and as such, without sin.
But Hebrews 6:18 seals the deal:
"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us…"
Let's get this straight: God has no need to lie. He cannot lie. And, in point of fact, it is impossible for God to lie. This is very strong language, and extremely important if any of us are to have any measure of assurance that God will keep His word and save us from eternal damnation. To put it another way, it is as possible that God will ever tell a lie as it is for us to witness a goldfish leap out of it's bowl, place a sombrero on its head, pick up and strum a Spanish guitar, while belting out in perfect tenor Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro..." It's simply never going to happen. It is simply not in this imaginary goldfish's nature to do these things—the whimsical imagination of Dr. Seuss notwithstanding. The same is true of God. It is simply not in the nature of a Holy God to tell a lie... He simply cannot do it.
There are a number of things God cannot do, or be made to feel, but they're irrelevant to this discussion. The point is, it is very important to understand that despite being limited in what He can do, He does not suffer because of it. In fact, we are assured that we can rely on God to always tell us the truth.
If we're going to rely on the blood of Christ to wash us clean from all unrighteousness, thereby restoring us to fellowship with the Father, we have to know we can trust Him to keep His word. But let me make one thing clear. God, despite the title of this post, is not limited in any way, by His inability. He is limited by His promise, Which-- for anyone wishing to debate the semantics of 'limited' --is very different
"...hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
Next:
Detour, Part 3 - Manuscripts, Translations, and "Why the KJV?"
Previously:
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Detour, Part 1 - "Preamble"
Warning: Detour Ahead
God has spent almost an entire week working to bring His redemptive plan for mankind to an end. That's not a long time for God, but it's been in the neighborhood of six thousand years for us 1/2. God has made a lot of pronouncements, and quite a few promises, and the only real proofs of His faithfulness are His Word, His grace in our lives, and the physical universe itself and all it contains 3. God says this alone should be enough evidence to prove his love toward us, but man’s heart is, because of sin, hardened to these evidences.
So man asks, "Who is God? And why should we believe in Him?"
As to the first, God is the creator of the heavens and the earth, and Lord over all. The Universe is His creation: every light-year of real estate between here and the boundaries of the universe (if there is in fact a boundary), every galaxy, star, black hole, quasar, and pulsar... "Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Psalm 50:10 KJV
As to 'why should we believe in Him,' the question implies much more than a simple "why," it asks, "what makes You worthy of our praise and worship?" Very bold words! But then man is rebellious by nature, and we have Adam to thank for that... not Eve 4.
So what is it man needs to know about God? Let's consider a rhetorical question posed by an Urban Myth. The story goes... A philosophy professor of my sister's, brother's, cousin's, best friend, posed a question to the class last week... "Can God create a rock so large that even He cannot move it?" On the surface, this paradoxical question is framed to smash any pre-conceived stereotypical sentiments the class may have about God, and/or create doubt in the hearts of any would-be believers. If God is omnipotent, shouldn’t He be able to create a rock so huge even He couldn’t move it? But then, if it’s so huge He can’t move it, how can God then be omnipotent?
What a crafty question! But a question with one fatal flaw. It does not consider God's nature: God is Holy... The epitome of Holiness... The personification of Holiness... In fact, there is none more Holy than God. But what does this imply? What is the consequence of existing eternally in a state of perpetual Holiness?
Answer: There is absolutely no stain of sin in God.
Which means, despite His omnipotence, there are things even God cannot do. And for the purpose of this stop along the detour, perhaps the most important thing God cannot do is Lie.
So. Can God create a rock so large even He cannot move it? The answer is Yes. God, in reference to the throne of David says in 1 Kings 2:45, "...and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever." In Isaiah 9:7 God says, "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this." The Lord God has said it. The Lord God cannot lie.
Proof of this is found in three places:
Numbers 23:19
Titus 1:2
Hebrews 6:18
Numbers 23:19 says:
"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
The bible says, "Let God be true, but every man a liar"5, and, "There is none righteous, no, not one..."6. God is not like man; He does not lie. He has no need, and feels no need, to lie. Only man feels it necessary to lie, because man is sinful, and every lie he tells finds its root in either fear or malice... Fear of hurting another’s feelings; Fear of punishment, however slight; or maliciously, with the intent to hurt. God is neither fearful nor malicious. He is Holy and as such, without sin.
Titus 1:2 goes one step further:
"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began…"
So, not only does God not have reason to lie, he simply cannot do it. Again, because He is Holy, and as such, without sin.
But Hebrews 6:18 seals the deal:
"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us…"
Let's get this straight: God has no need to lie. He cannot lie. And, in point of fact, it is impossible for God to lie. This is very strong language, and extremely important if any of us are to have any measure of assurance that God will keep His word and save us from eternal damnation. To put it another way, it is as possible that God will ever tell a lie as it is for us to witness a goldfish leap out of it's bowl, place a sombrero on its head, pick up and strum a Spanish guitar, while belting out in perfect tenor Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro..." It's simply never going to happen. It is simply not in this imaginary goldfish's nature to do these things—the whimsical imagination of Dr. Seuss notwithstanding. The same is true of God. It is simply not in the nature of a Holy God to tell a lie... He simply cannot do it.
There are a number of things God cannot do, or be made to feel, but they're irrelevant to this discussion. The point is, it is very important to understand that despite being limited in what He can do, He does not suffer because of it. In fact, we are assured that we can rely on God to always tell us the truth.
If we're going to rely on the blood of Christ to wash us clean from all unrighteousness, thereby restoring us to fellowship with the Father, we have to know we can trust Him to keep His word. But let me make one thing clear. God, despite the title of this post, is not limited in any way, by His inability. He is limited by His promise, Which-- for anyone wishing to debate the semantics of 'limited' --is very different
"...hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
Next:
Detour, Part 3 - Manuscripts, Translations, and "Why the KJV?"
Previously:
Detour, Parenthetical - "What Will Shortly Follow"
Detour, Part 1 - "Preamble"
Warning: Detour Ahead
from the mind of... Eric | 12:06 AM
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