On Distorting the Love of God — D.A. Carson

“If people believe in god at all today, the overwhelming majority hold that this “god,” however he, she, or it may be understood, is a loving being. But that is what makes the task of the Christian witness so daunting. For this widely disseminated belief in “the love of God” is set with increasing frequency in some matrix other than biblical theology. The result is that when informed Christians talk about “the love of God” they mean something very different from what is meant in the surrounding culture. Worse, neither side may perceive that this is the case… to put this another way, in present-day Western culture many other and complementary truths about God are widely disbelieved. I do not think that what the Bible says about the love of God can long survive at the forefront of our thinking if it is abstracted from the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, the wrath of God, the providence of God, the personhood of God, to mention only a few nonnegotiable elements of basic Christianity.” (http://www.dts.edu/media/play/on-distorting-the-love-of-god-d-a-carson/.)

 

 

Jonah: Belief Contradicted by Behavior (Part 33)

“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong . . .”  Jonah is morally outraged that God would forgive the Ninevites!  Jonah is elevating his sense of morality above God Himself!  He is the one doing the judging — and he’s judging GOD!  And Jonah’s certainty that God has made a huge mistake leads Jonah to become furious with the Lord.

What do you do when you are furious?  Maybe throw a temper tantrum (as we saw in our last post).  Maybe go and sulk in the corner somewhere. Not Jonah.  He prays!  He speaks to the Lord and he voices his disgust at God’s decision not to judge the Ninevites.

What is the content of Jonah’s prayer?  “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home?”  So, Jonah apparently talked to the Lord when he first got his assignment to go to Nineveh.  Jonah chapter 1 doesn’t give us details of that conversation, and maybe Jonah means something like “that is exactly what I thought when I was still at home.”

He then explains why he fled to Tarshish — Jonah knew something of God’s character.  And Jonah knew God would be true to His own character.  And Jonah hated that.  (to be continued)

 

 

 

 

(to be continued)

 

Psalms of My Life (Psalm 138)

Psalm 138

Of David.

¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
² I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.
³ When I called, you answered me;
    you greatly emboldened me.

⁴ May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,
    when they hear what you have decreed.
⁵ May they sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for the glory of the Lord is great.

⁶ Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
⁸ The Lord will vindicate me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever—
    do not abandon the works of your hands.

 

Psalms of My Life (Psalm 118)

Psalm 118

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Let Israel say:
    “His love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron say:
    “His love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord say:
    “His love endures forever.”

⁵ When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place.
⁶ The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
⁷ The Lord is with me; he is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.
¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹¹ They surrounded me on every side,
    but in the name of the Lord I cut them down.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
    but they were consumed as quickly as

Christian meditation is not emptying the mind, but filling it with thoughts of the Lord!

burning thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them down.

¹³ I was pushed back and about to fall,
    but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my defense^[a];
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ Shouts of joy and victory
    resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
¹⁶     The Lord’s right hand is lifted high;
    the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
¹⁷ I will not die but live,
    and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
¹⁸ The Lord has chastened me severely,
    but he has not given me over to death.
¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²² The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
²³ the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.^[b]
27 The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up^[c] to the horns of the altar.

²⁸ You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

²⁹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

 

Psalms of My Life (Psalm 111)

Psalm 111

¹ Praise the Lord.

I will extol the Lord with all my heart
    in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

² Great are the works of the Lord;
    they are pondered by all who delight in them.
³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
⁵ He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.

⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works,
    giving them the lands of other nations.
⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.
⁸ They are established for ever and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
⁹ He provided redemption for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome is his name.

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise.