No parts, separations or divisions

I’m reading a book in which one of the characters is mentally ill. She has two egos. One is sweet and kind and the other is destructive. Some might say she was possessed. Today this malady is given a label and treated with drugs. Is it the same problem as those people whom Jesus encountered and called out of them evil spirits? I don’t know. In the book, she was held accountable for both extremes. Whether she did it in her name or in the name of her alter-ego, the law said she did it.

In a different sense, the Bible speaks of Christians as having two natures; the old self and the new. We are told to “walk in the Spirit” and “not fulfill the desires of the flesh” which makes us accountable. Even though walking in the Spirit means doing God’s work God’s way, we have a choice, at least most of the time. Sometimes, when I pray words come out that startle me — where did that come from? Sometimes I do things that seem natural at the time, yet when I think about them, I know that they were prompted by God, not by my sinful flesh.

Can any person be separated into parts? Can a saved person be separated into parts? The Bible does say:

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

This sounds like three parts, yet Bible language scholars cannot make a strong case that this is a three-part division. We are entire creations, one even with a spirit, soul, and body.

It is something like but not the same with the three persons of the trinity. The Bible speaks of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet sometimes speaks of the Son as the Father and the Spirit who lives in His people as the Spirit of Christ. God is one, yet there is a mysterious three in one that His people know is true but cannot explain. This is a mystery beyond our comprehension.

Another mystery — the Calvinists say God alone saves; we have no part in it. The Armenians put the emphasis on human will and say things like ‘no one will go to heaven against their will.’ The Bible speaks of God as our fortress, the One who saves, yet also says that we must turn to Him:

“The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” (Psalm 37:39–40)

The Bible also speaks of God’s choices and work that depends on nothing we do, yet at the same times tells us to do things His way. In other words, as a sinner I had no options but to sin, but as a saved person, I can now choose God’s way or my old sinful ways:

“Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” (2 Timothy 2:20–23)

I don’t know how all of this works together. I know that God is the Savior and Redeemer. However, I also know that He holds me accountable to be saved and live as a redeemed person. Even more pertinent is that He tells me to stay away from controversial issues (as in all of the above) for it breeds quarrels.

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Jesus, today I can put this to practice by praising You for saving me, and by acting like a saved person who lives under the dominion of the Holy Spirit rather than walking in the choices of sinful flesh. You have taught me to know the difference and given me the power of choice. Before You saved me, I could not do that. After I go to heaven, it will not me an issue. Sometimes I wish that were true here, but if it was, I would be sinless like Jesus and no doubt hated enough that others would want to string me up on a cross. So I am content with the mystery of carrying about this treasure in an often clueless earthen vessel and doing what You ask so I am living for You.

God’s mysterious ways

I love reading mystery stories. In many of them, the solution comes to me long before the author reveals it, yet the stories I love the most are those that end in a surprise because the plot completely baffled me. I love a good mystery!

God saves us by grace, yet tells us to turn to Him. God grants repentance, yet tells us to turn from our sin. God calls us by name, yet tells us to call upon Him. God gives faith as a gift, yet He tells us to believe in Him. The Bible says that no one seeks Him, yet God tells us to seek Him with all our heart. God is the author of salvation, yet we are told to save ourselves. God chooses His own, yet tells us to choose who we will serve. These are mysteries.

One of the greatest is He says His saving work does not dependent on what I do, yet God makes clear that what I do is vital — and that He will judge me accordingly:

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:17–21)

Some try to explain this by saying God gives us all the power and our lives fully depend on Him. Others say God gives the ability and it is up to us to follow through. Still others say our choices make the difference. Yet with all the ‘proofs’ offered for each opinion, ‘all those proofs’ exist. This makes a cut and dried answer impossible and the working of God remains mysterious. How does what God does and what I do join so that my choices depend on Him but are also judged as if they are mine? I have no idea — except to say that when God speaks, reveals, makes Himself known, I’m to respond to whatever He has made known to me.

While this blending of His will and my choices remains a mystery, the best understanding comes through taking a good look at Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully man. How does that work?

Some say things like, “He could only do what He did because He is God.” Others say His manhood and deity were in balance while He was here on earth. Still others say that He laid aside His divine nature and lived here as a human being who relied on God just as we are to rely on God. While all three perspectives could be points of contention, the Bible indicates that all three are correct. How does that work?

I’ve no idea, except to say that regardless of how this can be, I am charged by God to trust Him and obey what He says, realizing that the ways of God are higher than my ways.

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Jesus, not understanding You or how salvation works does not mean I’m to walk about in a fog, nor does it mean that I’m to ‘pick a view’ and argue or insist about it. What this lack of complete knowledge means is that I am to be in awe of You, fully aware that You are God and I am not — and my ‘ignorance’ should never stop me from totally trusting You. You will give me whatever I need for each moment of life so that I can be and do whatever You have ordained for me. Until You choose to reveal them, it does not matter that these mysteries remain unsolved.

God’s Unsearchable Ways

The Bible is clear that no one will seek God. As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10–12) Yet in some mysterious way, God elects some for salvation and not others.

Today’s devotional tries to reconcile this mystery by saying that God will reveal the gospel to those He chooses with irresistible power causing them to believe in Christ, but “all others will be left to perish in their chosen ignorance.”

However, this reasoning does not work for me. If all are unrighteous and will not seek God, then this is also true of those who eventually believe. That is, I lived in ‘chosen ignorance’ too, so why then would God save me and not leave me that way like others who are the same?

The Bible says that God told Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” This means my salvation is not about my will (or my won’t) nor on my efforts (or lack thereof), but on God, who has mercy." (Romans 9:15–16) Why me and not some others?

I cannot say God picks some and not others because of what we can do, but I also cannot say that God is capricious, selecting this and not that because of whatever mood strikes Him. He is not like that. The basis of His selection is grace and mercy, but it is also a mystery.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!" (Romans 11:33)

It seems to me that faith is trusting God even when His workings do not have answers. It also seems to me that when I simply trust Him, He sometimes may show me the answers, not because I am smart or wise, but because I am content to trust Him without trying to figure it out, content to let His ways remain beyond me. As I write this, I’m reading today’s verses and am humbled . . .

“At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’” (Matthew 11:25–30)

For most of my life, knowing things has been an important value, but lately I’m learning that academia and IQ are not nearly so important as trusting Jesus, whether it is with the knowns or the unknowns. His knowledge is incredible and I trust Him. Knowing Him is sufficient.

“The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.” (Psalm 147:2–6)

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Jesus, I still tense up a bit when someone treats me as if I don’t know anything, or if my understanding is challenged, but more and more I am content to be like a child holding the hand of my Father. You know the way I am going, and that is enough for me. Besides, that path proves to have far more revealed treasures than anything I could find or figure out for myself.