Thursday, June 16, 2011

My thoughts on Open Theism



 If your god doesn't hold the future in his hand, your god is too small.

If your god is not sovereign and in control, your god is too small.

If your god helplessly sits back and waits for humans to do what he wills, your god is too small.

The god of open theism is not the god of the Bible.

I can't embrace a god like that. I see nothing at all beautiful or awe inspiring about a quadraplegic god with no tongue.  He is no better and no different than the idols made with hands that cannot speak or act.  Rather than wood or metal, he is made from the skewed passions and ideas of men in an age where information is treasured like gold but truth is cast away to the dump.

No doubt this god angers me.  I wish he were a god made with hands that I could crush into powder the way Moses did the golden calf.  These teachings have a form of godliness but deny His sovereign power.  Those who teach such things are a plague to the Church and would be better of if they were as mute and limbless as their god.

Our God is the all-powerful, active and sovereign Creator of all things.  He speaks things into exististence and forms planets and stars with his fingertips.  Inexpressable joys are in store for those who know he is at work in spite of our failings.  He does not depend on us to perform his will according to our own wisdom and strength nor does he limit himself against violating our perceived free-will.  No, He is glorious and worthy of praise because he works out his will in spite of our evil, even through our evils and the works of the evil one.

Oh, the heights of gratitude that pour forth from my soul as I think on the grace of God towards his children and the glorious good news that Christ came in to an evil generation in order to save sinners who were the very reason he had to die.  These thoughts overwhelm me.  I am so thankful that our God is living, active and ever present even in our hour of greatest need when we are farthest from him in our thoughts.  His grace abounds.  His love covers.  His will is done and his kingdom advances.

We, like little children in our daddies shop, are invited to join him in his work.  His hands over our hands, our ears attentive to his instruction, each step guided and directed by his wisdom and skill.  He has the end product in mind and we follow his direction to make his vision a reality.  What a privilege!

If he left us on our own we would make a complete mess of things.  We would create something in our own image and pass it off as his which would bring shame to his name.  This is no good.  We have a great need to abide in his wisdom and direction if we desire to bring about his purpose.  We must see ourselves as the helpless little children that we are and trust our hands to our father's guidance.  He knows his plans for us and the world and he wants us to join with him in bringing it to pass.  Once complete, the glory belongs to him and the pleasure of our sins being covered by his grace and our being invited to work in his shop will overflow all the more in praise to him for his work.

God knows the future and is bringing it to pass exactly according to his plan.  We can trust in him to work all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.  We may not fully understand because we cannot see the future but we can trust.  He is worthy of our trust and humble adoration.

May we bask in the delight of being a part of His marvelous work of bringing all things into Christ.  All things were made by him, through him, and to him and all things will be brought and laid at his feet.  Let us go to him be the firstfruits of those who find pleasure at his feet and listen as he dictates our part of bringing about his purposes for the future.

1 comment:

  1. Bravo, Bobby! This resonates with truth! And I take it you probably have the same problem I have with Bette Midler's song "From a Distance". :)

    ReplyDelete

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