"The Story Again"
We so quickly forget the story of creation and the fall of humankind. This is the reason I began with these (in this series) and presented them in considerable detail. Let us review them again now that we can more clearly see the application of these truths for our lives.
God desired a people who would voluntarily love Him and be happy in a relationship with Him, a people who would bring Him glory. Notice the word “voluntarily.” Love requires a choice. Love requires a free will. Love cannot be “love” if someone is pre-programmed to love or forced to love.
Likewise obedience requires the possibility of disobedience. If humans were created in a way so they could not do anything else but follow and serve God, then it would not truly be obedience at all. Obedience to God requires an option to also disobey.
In addition, recall how God granted humans “authority” or “dominion” to reign over creation. Of course, this “authority” was similar to an Ambassador of a country. We were granted authority under the “umbrella” of the Creator. God freely bestowed us with this honor and power to rule as living beings “in the image of God.” In other words, we were given God’s nature (as we have previously described) to reign justly and fairly as one with God.
When we sinned and rebelled against God, our “imago Dei” or “image of God” was marred by our sin. We are no longer capable of reigning over the earth with holiness and love and justice. Take for evidence the children of Adam and Eve, namely Cain and Abel. To summarize, Cain was jealous over God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice, so he murdered his brother. This horrendous crime was not very far removed (time wise) from the perfect paradise of the Garden of Eden. We see how quickly the evil of our sin disease spread to the very next generation.
FUTURE JUDGMENT
Again, let me emphasize, this type of immediate judgment is rare in the New Testament. Much more prevalent is the abundance of references to future judgment. This is clear. One day on the Day of Judgment the Lord Himself will sort everything out. The righteous will receive their reward, and the wicked will receive their just sentence.
Also, on a similar note, those who fail to live for God are ALREADY in dire straits. They do not know God. They are lost. They are in bondage to sin. They are guilty. They have no peace or joy…and on an on we could go. Therefore, we should never, ever, ever be jealous or envious of anyone without Christ no matter how much fame or success or wealth they accumulate.
Instantaneous judgment by God appears to be rare. However, it is possible that God can occasionally be the cause of something so-called “bad” due to His loving correction as a heavenly Father upon His children or to render judgment upon the wicked. These two instances obviously do not begin to cover the cause of the infinite amount of suffering that takes place in our world. So where do we go next?
We so quickly forget the story of creation and the fall of humankind. This is the reason I began with these (in this series) and presented them in considerable detail. Let us review them again now that we can more clearly see the application of these truths for our lives.
God desired a people who would voluntarily love Him and be happy in a relationship with Him, a people who would bring Him glory. Notice the word “voluntarily.” Love requires a choice. Love requires a free will. Love cannot be “love” if someone is pre-programmed to love or forced to love.
Likewise obedience requires the possibility of disobedience. If humans were created in a way so they could not do anything else but follow and serve God, then it would not truly be obedience at all. Obedience to God requires an option to also disobey.
In addition, recall how God granted humans “authority” or “dominion” to reign over creation. Of course, this “authority” was similar to an Ambassador of a country. We were granted authority under the “umbrella” of the Creator. God freely bestowed us with this honor and power to rule as living beings “in the image of God.” In other words, we were given God’s nature (as we have previously described) to reign justly and fairly as one with God.
When we sinned and rebelled against God, our “imago Dei” or “image of God” was marred by our sin. We are no longer capable of reigning over the earth with holiness and love and justice. Take for evidence the children of Adam and Eve, namely Cain and Abel. To summarize, Cain was jealous over God’s acceptance of Abel’s sacrifice, so he murdered his brother. This horrendous crime was not very far removed (time wise) from the perfect paradise of the Garden of Eden. We see how quickly the evil of our sin disease spread to the very next generation.
FUTURE JUDGMENT
Again, let me emphasize, this type of immediate judgment is rare in the New Testament. Much more prevalent is the abundance of references to future judgment. This is clear. One day on the Day of Judgment the Lord Himself will sort everything out. The righteous will receive their reward, and the wicked will receive their just sentence.
Also, on a similar note, those who fail to live for God are ALREADY in dire straits. They do not know God. They are lost. They are in bondage to sin. They are guilty. They have no peace or joy…and on an on we could go. Therefore, we should never, ever, ever be jealous or envious of anyone without Christ no matter how much fame or success or wealth they accumulate.
Instantaneous judgment by God appears to be rare. However, it is possible that God can occasionally be the cause of something so-called “bad” due to His loving correction as a heavenly Father upon His children or to render judgment upon the wicked. These two instances obviously do not begin to cover the cause of the infinite amount of suffering that takes place in our world. So where do we go next?
