Tension and harmony
I'm finding that I try to make sense of scripture. I want to harmonize it. Jesus didn't come to bring peace, and yet he did. Jesus fulfills the law and yet doesn't abolish it. Jesus holds us accountable to feed, clothe, visit, and yet the needs are beyond us, so we do little of it. God establishes the Sabbath to separate the lives of his people from others and yet Jesus says that the Sabbath is really for the people. Jesus requires perfection and yet Paul speaks of the struggle of the flesh. Jesus speaks of forgiveness and turning the other cheek and yet is silent on social justice beyond one-on-one interactions.
So I say that "the principle" is to live a righteous life, but don't get too legalistic, or live a balanced life of no extremes, or give money to relief organizations but don't get hung up on not getting to visit someone in prison, or that successful Christianity is a matter of people's souls rather than their whole beings. Not that this is completely bad, but I wonder if verses like Psalm 51:18, "The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit..." are teaching us that staying in the tension is part of the believing life. I want to know the prescribed path for success and God offers dots that cannot naturally be connected. In which life will one honestly live?
So I say that "the principle" is to live a righteous life, but don't get too legalistic, or live a balanced life of no extremes, or give money to relief organizations but don't get hung up on not getting to visit someone in prison, or that successful Christianity is a matter of people's souls rather than their whole beings. Not that this is completely bad, but I wonder if verses like Psalm 51:18, "The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit..." are teaching us that staying in the tension is part of the believing life. I want to know the prescribed path for success and God offers dots that cannot naturally be connected. In which life will one honestly live?
posted by Learner at 7/10/2006 06:33:00 AM
6 Comments:
You could also look at it through different lens. RESPECT others convictions; live life by principles that are based on your conviction of Scripture. Why is it that Jesus saaid one thing, and Paul said another. Why did Jesus say to be perfect? What does that look like? Why did the early church live lifes of helping others, and today's church plans relief efforts? What does Jesus truly desire us to do?
ah the beauty of paradox - gotta love it.
I like "contrite," better than "troubled." Is troubled more accurate?
I think the fullest of what God means is always wrapped up in the complexity of the tensions.
I ate lunch with an atheist and an agnostic today - and the agnostic was going crazy with these seeming paradoxes, while I and the atheist - completely agreed on almost everything - my basis being God, and his logic - we seemed to come to the same complex endings about hipocrisy, abortion, lust, governments, stopping evil.
It was quite interesting.
ah the beauty of paradox - gotta love it.
I like "contrite," better than "troubled." Is troubled more accurate?
I think the fullest of what God means is always wrapped up in the complexity of the tensions.
I ate lunch with an atheist and an agnostic today - and the agnostic was going crazy with these seeming paradoxes, while I and the atheist - completely agreed on almost everything - my basis being God, and his logic - we seemed to come to the same complex endings about hipocrisy, abortion, lust, governments, stopping evil.
It was quite interesting.
I quoted the verse from a daily devotional (I don't remember the version the author uses, but I think it's more from the liturgical camp).
I have to admit that I like aspects of "troubled." I think I like that it reflects some out of control aspect where "contrite" seems to denote more of a spirit of humility. Perhaps humility in chaos is where it's at?
humility in chaos - or humility (contriteness) before a God who has it all under control - a sovereign and mighty God - who sees clearly all that we can not.
Troubled focuses on us and our doubts - contrite focuses on us in humility before a God who is worthy of aquiet and gentle spirit.
But if the word doesn't mean contrite, and means troubled - then that is a better word. Maybe one of these days I will actually look it up.
heh
In all the versions I looked at, the verse used "contrite." It means "to crush," "crushed," etc.
I have to admit that my theology is allowing room for God's sovereignty to be something other than full control. I wonder if the analogies we use for control such as a "well-oiled machine" lead to an untruthful understanding of God.
Not sure how deep the rabbit hole goes, but we have to come up with a lot of rationalizations to make the machanistic scenario work. We have to leave much reasoning to "God's ways are not our ways" - it's a mystery. Indeed this may be the case, but if giving credit for the good things, why isn't God held responsible for the evil? If you or I had complete control over a situation and allowed evil to go unchecked, we would be considered worst than the criminal. And using the rationale that love means freedom to choose good (or conversely evil) wouldn't hold much weight. Does this understanding of God as the control-maker hinder my loving him because I'm constantly expecting more of life that doesn't come about? Or if life is as I like it then do I misunderstand this as love?
This elicits much emotion in me. Are such thoughts from the Enemy or God bringing about truth? Does a sovereignty not based on full emperical control diminish the fullness of God or provide a more honest for relating to him and therefore a better means living? Does this allow for a way for us to understand injustice and disconnects that don't seem to be dealt with in the Bible? Or is it just time to get back to packing?
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