My thinking as it currently stands
GOD: Everybody wants a miracle, Bruce. Want me to do everything for 'em. But what they don't understand is, they're the one's holding the power.
BRUCE: What if I have a question? What if I need you?
GOD: See Bruce, that's your problem. That's everybody's problem. You keep looking up. . .
Switchfoot Meant to Live
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
I currently have been trying to write down what I think about humans and God. Here is what my current thinking consists of, this is by no means comprehensive but this is where I currently stand.
I think that humans are a three part unity. Insomuchas we have a body, mind, and spirit (or soul if you prefer) but each of these are not separate but united to form a whole; the heart. Thus I am not my body, mind, or spirit but I am all of these. Therefore hedonism, intellectualism, and spiritualism are right in that they care about the health of one of these aspects but are wrong since they do not focus on the whole person. Possibly there is the need for a greater focus on spiritualism since that is the least "exercised", so to speak, of the human. But this should not be emphasised to the exculsion of the other time such as becoming ascetic. Each of these three should be exercised and cared for equally.
Secondly, my current thinking as to part of why Jesus came and God's principle desire for humanity revolves around John 10:10 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." I don't know what this fullness of life is or how it is achievable. This is where we need God because as he is our designer then I think he might have some idea of what the purpose (assuming that purpose implies fullness) of our lives are. By purpose I do not mean some individualistic plan that he has for each of us, making us just cogs in the machinations of God's plan as some want to interpret Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" as saying. Rather I think that these plans are a general guideline on how to live freely with the Lord. In addition to this I think that "sin" has caused us to fall from this fullness of life. To such an extent that, as I have asserted in the past, if God did not exist I would be a nihilist. I cannot see the point in maintaining my existence if when I died it ultimately meant nothing.
Furthermore, I think that "sin" is ultimately the destruction of relationships. God designed us as a relational being. I think we see humans at there best when they act relationally. When a fireman pulls a baby out of a burning building, when one lays down their life for another I think this is the ultimate expression of humanity at its highest. We were designed for three types of relationships; with God, with others, and with ourselves (as you may have heard ad nauseum before). "Sin" is when we act in a way that is harmful or hurtful to one of these relationships.
In addition to this, I think this relationship to God is misunderstood. I think the fullest expression of God's desire for us comes in John 15:15 "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends". God does not desire for us to be his servants but his friends. Friends in that he desires to work in partnership with us to bring about the fullness of life in the entire world and for the entire cosmos. For this reason I think that the marriage metaphor in scripture to be one of the strongest metaphors as to the way that God desires to be towards us. As I said in a previous post "I believe that a marriage should be a union which is egalitarian and complimentary. Equals yet performing distinct tasks." In a like manner I think that this could be the type of relationship that God desires from us. That while he is powerful enough to do things alone I think he desires us to help him in the task of the salvation of the cosmos. God desires for us to grow up out of childishness and childlike dependence upon Him into a partner to love and to work alongside Him. That we help Him achieve an ends that both desire, namely the salvation/redemption/restoration of the cosmos.
GOD: See Bruce, that's your problem. That's everybody's problem. You keep looking up. . .
Switchfoot Meant to Live
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
I currently have been trying to write down what I think about humans and God. Here is what my current thinking consists of, this is by no means comprehensive but this is where I currently stand.
I think that humans are a three part unity. Insomuchas we have a body, mind, and spirit (or soul if you prefer) but each of these are not separate but united to form a whole; the heart. Thus I am not my body, mind, or spirit but I am all of these. Therefore hedonism, intellectualism, and spiritualism are right in that they care about the health of one of these aspects but are wrong since they do not focus on the whole person. Possibly there is the need for a greater focus on spiritualism since that is the least "exercised", so to speak, of the human. But this should not be emphasised to the exculsion of the other time such as becoming ascetic. Each of these three should be exercised and cared for equally.
Secondly, my current thinking as to part of why Jesus came and God's principle desire for humanity revolves around John 10:10 "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." I don't know what this fullness of life is or how it is achievable. This is where we need God because as he is our designer then I think he might have some idea of what the purpose (assuming that purpose implies fullness) of our lives are. By purpose I do not mean some individualistic plan that he has for each of us, making us just cogs in the machinations of God's plan as some want to interpret Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope" as saying. Rather I think that these plans are a general guideline on how to live freely with the Lord. In addition to this I think that "sin" has caused us to fall from this fullness of life. To such an extent that, as I have asserted in the past, if God did not exist I would be a nihilist. I cannot see the point in maintaining my existence if when I died it ultimately meant nothing.
Furthermore, I think that "sin" is ultimately the destruction of relationships. God designed us as a relational being. I think we see humans at there best when they act relationally. When a fireman pulls a baby out of a burning building, when one lays down their life for another I think this is the ultimate expression of humanity at its highest. We were designed for three types of relationships; with God, with others, and with ourselves (as you may have heard ad nauseum before). "Sin" is when we act in a way that is harmful or hurtful to one of these relationships.
In addition to this, I think this relationship to God is misunderstood. I think the fullest expression of God's desire for us comes in John 15:15 "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends". God does not desire for us to be his servants but his friends. Friends in that he desires to work in partnership with us to bring about the fullness of life in the entire world and for the entire cosmos. For this reason I think that the marriage metaphor in scripture to be one of the strongest metaphors as to the way that God desires to be towards us. As I said in a previous post "I believe that a marriage should be a union which is egalitarian and complimentary. Equals yet performing distinct tasks." In a like manner I think that this could be the type of relationship that God desires from us. That while he is powerful enough to do things alone I think he desires us to help him in the task of the salvation of the cosmos. God desires for us to grow up out of childishness and childlike dependence upon Him into a partner to love and to work alongside Him. That we help Him achieve an ends that both desire, namely the salvation/redemption/restoration of the cosmos.
2 Comments:
Very cool my hard rockin amigo
mmm :)
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