What God wants vs. What God does

The Bible is clear in stating that God does not want "anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). He "wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 3:4).

Yet, it is also clear that faith, by which salvation comes, is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8) and this gift has been given to some, but not all men and women. Jesus said that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to His disciples, but not to others in the crowd who heard the same parable from Him (Matthew 13:11). In His prayer, Jesus clearly spoke of those whom the Father has given Him and who belong to the Father, different from those who are of the world (John 17:9). When Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Pisidian Antioch, it was those who were "appointed for eternal life" that believed (Acts 13:48). Those who become God's children have been chosen before the creation of the world and "predestined" to be adopted to be His children (Ephesians 1:4-5, 11).

If God wants all men to be saved, why did He not choose and predestine all men to be saved? This has been a perplexing question for many students of the Bible.

I find my answer to this question in Lamentations 3:32-33: "Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love. For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men."

It is not God's will to bring affliction or grief to the children of men, but He does bring grief. It seems that God sometimes does, though not willingly, what He does not want to do -- like bringing grief. It seems that God does not always do what He wants to do in His compassion and love.

He has decreed that the price of sin is death: "And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam sinned and all men after him became sinners, all deserving of death. God is faithful to His words and must exact the price of sin from the sinners. It is not, however, that God predestined us to become sinners and to die of sin; we became sinners on our own.

God still shows compassion to sinners. He shines the sunlight and sends rain to all men, whether righteous or not (Matthew 5:45). And He has given a special gift to some men, whom He has chosen before the creation and predestined to be His adopted children.

Obviously it is not known to us as to who has been chosen and who has not been. We only know who has been chosen, once he or she believes -- even here, most of us would not know for sure, until we meet each other in heaven. It is not our responsibility to try to figure out what has not been given to us. What is our task is to rejoice in salvation and glorify the Lord's name.

Black, white, and other colors

I remember the discussion I had at Yale with one of the seminary students about Ludwig Wittgenstein. According to the seminary student, Wittgenstein would hold that the earth could be flat or round -- without there being an objective truth that it is one, but not the other. This same Wittgenstein has been labled as one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century and may have shaped many of the ideas held by the secular relativists of today. I certainly did not like Wittgenstein, as he was presented to me.

On the other hand, are we as Christians to hold an absolutist view on all matters? Is everything just black or white? Aren't there any colors in between? Does the Bible allow for any diversity of ideas?

Certainly there are absolute truths in the Bible. There is only one God who created heavens and earth (Deuteronomy 6:4, I Samuel 2:2, I Samuel 7:22, I Chronicles 17:20, Mark 12:29, Romans 3:30, I Corinthians 8:4, I Timothy 2:5). All men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There is only one Savior that God has given to man and that is Jesus Christ our Lord (I Timothy 2:5, Acts 4:12). By believing in Him, we are saved and reconciled with God (Romans 5:1-2). As believers, we are now a temple of God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and guiding us (I Corinthians 3:16, I Corinthians 6:19).

While these are absolute truths, the Bible does seem to allow for shades of ideas on certain other matters. In Romans 14, Pauls calls these "disputable matters" (Romans 14:1). One example of such disputable matters is what one does with food (Romans 14:2). Some people will eat everything, while others will avoid certain foods, such as meat that has been offered up to an idol. This was a question that vexed the Corinthian church. Meat sold in the marketplace was often/usually meat that had been offered as part of idol worship. If a Christian man was to visit a non-Christian, who served meat, should the Christian eat it? There wasn't anything inherently wrong about eating the meat, since all food was given by God. So, Paul's advice was to go ahead and eat it, but without asking where it came from (I Corinthians 10:27). But if he was then told that the meat had been offered as a sacrifice to an idol, he had better not eat it, for conscience' sake -- the conscience of the one who told him so (I Corinthinans 10:28).

There are many other such "disputable matters." Should a woman wear a dress or pants? Should she put on a make-up and wear jewelry when going to the church? Should Christian children go to public or private schools or do home schooling? As a physician, should one work on Sundays or arrange for coverage by a non-Christian physician? Can I fill my car with gas on Sundays, when I know I could have prepared and filled it with gas ahead of time? Can a Christian drink alcohol -- beer, wine, etc.?

While there is not one clear answer to many of these disputable matters, it is not as if the Bible provides no guidance on them. It is not that one can do whatever one wants to do with regard to the disputable matters. Even on these disputable matters, the Bible does provide guidance on how one should approach them. The first rule of guidance is that whatever one does, he must do it with faith and clear conscience between God and him (Romans 14:22-23), so that with his choice, he may glorify God (I Corinthians 10:31). If I believe in my conscience that drinking beer is detrimental to my faith life, I should not drink it. I should not do something, while believing that it is contrary to my worshipping and serving of the Lord. If a lady wants to dress with modesty to show her humility before the Lord, she should not be wearing extravagantly with all kinds of make-up; but if she believes that she needs to be presentable to the Lord, she may use her make-up to her advantage. What I do on these disputable matters without faith is sin (Romans 14:23).

Second, whatever I believe about these disputable matters, I am to keep it between God and myself (Romans 14:22) and should not use my belief to pass judgment on others (Romans 14:13 ff). I should not put a stumbling block or an obstacle in my brother's way, but promote peace and mutual edification. If I believe that drinking wine is un-Christian-like, I should abstain for my clear conscience. But when I see someone else drinking it, I should not pass judgment on him and make it a stumbling block that hinders his salvation or spiritual growth. (But I may need to advise him on drinking on other grounds -- physical health, addiction, effect on family and others around him when he drinks, financial stability, etc.)

But this does not mean that I am to use this freedom to indulge and fall into debauchery. "Everything is permissible", but not everything is beneficial; "everything is permissible", but not everything is constructive (I Corinthians 10:23). I am to ask whether my action on a disputable matter is good to others and builds them up. I should seek what is good to others.

The world God created has white, black, and many other colors. The Bibilical view is neither just absolutistic nor relativistic. There are certain absolute truths that we must adhere to. But on other disputable matters, there is room for variations. Variations may be allowed as long as they don't impinge on and are not inconsistent with the absolute. We should choose in ways that show our love of the Lord and of our neighbors.

Jabez's territory

Jabez's prayer that appears in I Chronicles 4:10 has been made famous in a book by the same name by Bruce Wilkinson. The book sold more than 9 million copies and created a sensation among many people, including many Christians. In the prayer, Jabez cried out to the Lord, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." This prayer was in a way very appropriate because his mother had given birth to him in pain and that was why he was named Jabez, meaning 'pain.' So he prayed that he would be free from pain, probably both the pain that he may cause on other people and the pain that he may suffer himself.

The other part of his prayer was that the Lord would bless him and enlarge his territory. This prayer request was granted to him by the Lord (I Chronicles 4:10). So we know that Jabez's territory was enlarged in some way. But the Bible is not very specific on how that happened, except for a few hints here and there. Because Jabez is mentioned in the genealogy of the tribe of Judah, we can surmise that he was himself probably of the tribe of Judah, although his father's name is not mentioned. Furthermore, his name appears among the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the (grand)father of Bethlehem (I Chronicles 4:4). So it might be that Jabez's territory was in or near Bethlehem, which was, of course, the town of Jesse, of David, and later of our Lord Jesus Christ. In I Chronicles 2:54, there appears a place named (after) Jabez, where some of the descendants of Salma, son of Hur and father of Bethlehem, lived. These people were scribes and of the house of Recab. The Recabites may be the same clan that was singled out and complimented by the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 35), because they followed their forefather's commands. The Lord blessed the Recabites that they "will never fail to have a man to serve Me." (Jeremiah 35:19).

Putting these all together, I think that enlarging Jabez's territory amounted to expanding the domain of the Lord's reign, where people follow His commands and serve Him. In New Testament terms, it amounts to the kingdom of heaven "forcefully advancing" (Matthew 11:12). At the individual level, the kingdom of heaven is upon a person, when the Holy Spirit comes into him (Matthew 12:28)

In many ways, it is most appropriate that the name Jabez is associated with expanding the kingdom of heaven. To establish His church, our Lord endured the pain of the cross. Similarly, Paul wrote to the Galatians that he is "in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19). To find a lost soul and restore him to peace with God may take the painstaking efforts of childbirth, but just as a woman forgets the pain of childbirth because of the joy that follows it (John 16:21), the pain in gaining a lost soul is incomparable to the joy of welcoming a new member to God's household, His kingdom of heaven. Jabez's life and prayer is an embodiment of pain turning to joy because of God's redemption and blessing.

Lord, thank you for forbearing the pain and shame of the cross to give me a new birth and a new life. Enlarge your territory and may Your kingdom come into my life and may You be my King and my Master. Let me share in Your joy and be free from pain. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Going to the deep end

In Luke 5, there is a story of how Jesus called Peter to be a fisher of men. Peter had toiled all night long without catching any fish. As was customary, he had been working in the shallow waters, where there are schools of fish teeming. Then Jesus told him, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." This was something that did not make any sense to a long-time fisherman that Peter was. Yet, Peter said, "because you say so, I will let down the nets." When he did that, such a large number of fish was caught that the nets began to break. Partners in the other boat had to come over and help.

Jesus is calling to me to put out to the deep end as well. It is time for me to step out of the ankle-deep water (Ezekiel 47:3). I need to get into water that is knee-deep, up to the waist, and then deep enough to swim in. I need to be totally immersed in the grace of the Holy Spirit.

This will happen, when my response to Jesus' calling is "even though I tried everything and failed, because you say so, I will do whatever you tell me."

Lord, whatever you tell me to do, because you say so, I want to do it. Take me to the deep end and plunge me into the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Soak me in your grace. I am no longer afraid. I trust you will lead me to what is best. I seek the best gift, the Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

If and when hearing God

A few weeks ago, I wrote about hearing God. It was mostly about how I may discern whether it is indeed God who is speaking to me. But suppose He actually speaks to me and I hear Him. How should I respond to that? How should I react to that?

One night, as the boy Samuel was lying down in the temple of God, God called him (I Samuel 3). Samuel did not initially recognize that it was God calling him. After Eli recognized what was happening, he told the boy that if God calls him again, he should say, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening." And indeed that is how Samuel responded the next time God called him.

If God speaks to me, then what else is there to do, besides listening to Him as His servant? Listening to Him as His servant means that I am ready to spring to action of obedience -- to do whatever the Master tells me to do.

When Jesus called on Peter, Peter had been fishing all night long without catching any fish (Luke 5). Jesus then told Peter to go to the deep end and let down the nets. Peter responded, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." The important phrase here is, I think, "because you say so." Jesus is the master and whatever He tells me to do, whether it makes sense to me or not, I must obey and do.

In my prayer last night, I recalled a prayer I had as a junior high school boy. I said something like, "I offer myself. Receive and use me." In my prayer last night, I said, "Lord, tell me what to do and I will do it." The moment I said this, I felt as if the Lord said to me, "정말 그렇게 할래? (Really? Is that what you will do)?". I got scared at the enormity of implications and I hesitated. I knew that once I spoke a commitment ("Lord, tell me what to do and I will do it."), I could not retract it. I asked the Lord that if He is speaking to me, He would speak to me clearly; I could not be satisfied with a vague feeling that He might have spoken to me. I wanted a confirmation. Asking for confirmation was, however, a hedge on my part, probably because I was not ready to fully obey. I was not ready to go to the deep end and be immersed in the grace of the Holy Spirit.

I need to be able to say what the boy Samuel said, "Speak, your servant is listening." I need to be able to say what Simon Peter said, "But because you say so, I will." Lord, speak to me clearly and in no uncertain terms and help me obey You. Amen.