Recently online, a heated discussion about Calvinism vs. Arminianism ensued. One that really surprised me was a thread about a flat earth according to the bible. Such hogwash. I’m reminded of Paul:

Titus 3:9 (KJV)
But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

The devil loves putting things as black and white and stuffing it into a controllable box.  That way we don’t have to think about God, or what He wants, if He’s telling you to be responsible for your own actions. Also, with such rigidity instead of learning to love and trust God, you start to despise His “unyielding law” and hating Him. So you end up creating theology to deal with it. “I’m a sinner so I can’t stop sinning so why try!” or “I’m not as bad as my neighbor.” When someone wants to slap a label on something, rip it off. If they want to stick you into a box, break out of it. With every heresy there’s a grain of truth. Some quick proofs:

• “Meditation is Hindu guru junk”

Yet, God says to meditate on His word day and night, Joshua 1:8.

• “Money is the root of all evil”

Money isn’t the problem, the love of money is the root of all evil, 1 Tim 6:10.

Deu 28 shows we have free will. When someone throws in the definition “without external influences” they’re lying to themselves. We’re influenced by things we don’t even know exist. Just because we can’t feel or sense x-rays doesn’t mean they don’t have an effect on us. Everyday we’re bombarded by cell phone signals and WiFi yet we can’t sense it physically, but is it doing us harm? Only God knows for now.

I was reading about some football player that had died and when they did an autopsy of his brain they saw it filled with dead cells that had died long before he did. They now believe that his violent actions off the field might have been because of his unknown condition. By everyone’s account, he was an evil dude, but internally, he was influenced by not having a healthy brain.

The point is, these labeling exercises only help put people back into a box or allow for the dismissal of a truth because it’s lumped in with other junk. Paul say he doesn’t judge his own self because he knows he doesn’t have all the facts about what influences him.

1 Corinthians 4:3-5 (KJV)
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Yet, every single day, if not every single moment, we judge one another and ourselves. To say “I’m right” is judging yourself. Stick to the word of God, all of it, not “man-ology” as someone so rightly stated, otherwise, we fall under the spell of silver-tongued devils.

Throughout the scriptures, legal words and titles are used over and over again. “Satan” comes from the Hebrew hasatan – “the accuser” or “the adversary” or in today’s legalese “plaintiff” – and some of Jesus’ title are Advocate, 1 John 2:1, Counsellor, Isaiah 9:6 and of course Judge, John 5:22. We’re to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, Psalms 100:4, and boldly come to the throne of grace, Hebrews 4:16.

Deuteronomy 28 spells it out really. As I see it, and the word of God shows that the devil is the enforcer, the bringer of death and destruction and loss. But instead of being sent to enforce, God simply removes His protection thereby allowing the devil to destroy. This is exactly what happened with Job. Job sinned not with his mouth, but his actions were one of fear for his children, trying to atone for their possible sins. It was a prison of his own making. This allowed for God’s protection to be removed to a point because Job didn’t trust God. In fact, Job called for the Advocate!

Job 16:21 (KJV)
O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!

It’s all very legal if you see it for what it is. Think of it this way, you speed, you get stopped by a cop, and you have to go before a judge. But if before all that you speed and hit a tree and die, whose fault is it? There are tons of degrees. Another, which we can’t fathom, is when others sin and the innocent pay like the miscarriages and diseases from the Flint water contamination or Three-Mile Island or war. Why would God allow this? To fill up the cup of wrath on those responsible. You see it throughout the scriptures. Besides, if God stepped in for every sin we commit immediately, we wouldn’t even exist because Adm and Eve would have died instantly and we wouldn’t even exist. Free will is a powerful gift from the Lord and as such, comes with great responsibilities. Which brings us back to Deuteronomy 28.

Choice.

A thought: The Father knows not only the end from the beginning but all the possible choices we all make and all the possible outcomes. This is how we get to the “many are called, few are chosen”. He chooses those that would accept His calling, just like God knew Pharaoh would do evil, so God chose him to fulfill God’s will, then hardened Pharaoh’s heart to expedite the desired outcome – to give God the glory. Sort of like the police using already bad people to do their bidding for a greater good – catch the bigger criminal. Everyone still has the choice to choose. If the little criminal or Pharaoh had repented and said “I’m done with that life” there’s nothing the police or God could do. The police and God would find someone else to do their bidding. This also gives us the understanding why it takes an Omniscient and Omnipotent God time to get things done when we pray – He’s waiting for an obedient servant. Think about all the supernatural events recorded in the scriptures and notice how many are through the hands of simple obedient humans, all using God’s power He instructed them to use in the first place.