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36 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX “To will one thing”: Section 18 (continued)

 Exploring challenging passages and ideas (continued)

One reasonable question is “Why does God need to be praised all of the time?” For me, the answer is, he doesn’t. Elsewhere in my life I’ve experienced many situations in which the “giver” of something actually benefited as much or more than the “receiver”—in fact, I’ve seen situations in which, despite best intentions, the “receiver” didn’t end up benefitting at all, but the “giver” was transformed by the experience. As discussed in the chapter on Gratitude, giving thanks is a prime example. I believe that God seeks our praise not for his benefit, but for ours. There are hints of this when Jesus said that what he was saying or praying for was not just between him and God but for the benefit of those hearing the prayer. It often seems that a request or commandment by God isn’t at all about accomplishing the thing itself but about what doing the thing does for and to the doer (like the work being done by the trainee in Karate Kid). In James, is the emphasis on works as much for the benefit of the worker as for the those for whom the work is being done? James’s discussion of controlling speech seems in fact mostly directed at the refinement of the speaker though clearly the words spoken have impact on the receivers. The Hillsong Worship song, King of Kings is full both of praise and of many elements of the creeds. It’s hard for me not to be transformed and drawn closer to God when I hear or sing that song—and other songs like Who You Are To Me by Chris Tomlin. As I mention elsewhere, to me, hymns and Christian songs are prayers and those focused on praise both do that and inspire the hearers and singers.

An example of apparent contradiction from the Old Testament is the consecutive verses, Proverbs 26:4 “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” and 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.” But the key to resolving the apparent contradiction lies in the interpretation of the repeated phrase, “according to his folly.” The first statement cautions us against getting drawn into a foolish conversation based on inaccuracies, illogic, false premises, etc. in a way that accepts those (“according to his folly”=by adopting his folly) and therefore makes us part of the foolishness, while the second challenges us to expose the inaccuracies, illogic, false premises, etc. (“according to his folly”=by alerting him to his folly) so that the folly if perceived and the truth found.

These ideas are echoed in II Timothy 2:

14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen.

And then,

23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

There can be confusion in comparing the idea that salvation is not by your own deeds (but by faith), to Jesus saying “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.” This is directly related to the faith and works discussion above—we are not saved by our works, but works are expected of us as evidence of our faith.

Jesus didn’t seem offended by the sinners at all but seemed solely interested in engaging and saving them. His wrath seemed only to be aimed at those who were leading them astray.

(to be continued in subsequent posts)

Sections in this chapter:

  • The heart of faith
  • The core message and goal for your life
  • Seeking to trust God and become more like Jesus
  • Knowing your role—and God’s
  • Fruit of the Spirit
  • Managing our priorities and our praise
  • Identity, the creeds, and unity
  • The struggle of finding and holding faith
  • Faith must be our own
  • Levels and types of faith
  • Faith vs. knowledge
  • Faith and the Law and Works
  • Free Will and The Fall
  • Seeking to understand the Bible and life through discernment
  • The challenge of discernment
  • Handling different discernments
  • "Our own words"
  • Exploring challenging passages and ideas (which includes many posts)
  • The importance of prayer
  • Personal reflections
  • The importance of living the life
  • It’s not too late

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