My thinking recently has been about the deeper truths. In particular, I have been pondering the question of how God is often portrayed as an angry punishing God by the prophets, when it seems to me that much of what is being described and ascribed as punishment is actually the consequence of sin, and sin nature, and the result of free-will. This morning I am reading through Paul's letter to the Romans with this thought in mind.
Here are a couple of interesting verses from Paul, as he lays the foundation of the need for the Gospel - Romans 1:20-26,28-32 NIV:
[20] "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities---his eternal power and divine nature---have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
[21] "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22] Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles."
[24] "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. [25] They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator---who is forever praised. Amen.
[26] Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones.
[28] Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. [29] They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, [30] slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; [31] they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. [32] Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."
The phrase that needs a bit more study is "God gave them over" as this speaks of free-will, at least in my opinion. The Greek word used by Paul is paradídōmi, and it means to give into the hands of another, or to give over to one's power. It is often translated betrayal, or delivered and usually translated with a negative connotation. Here Paul indicates that God "gives them into the hands" of sexual impurity and later shameful lusts. It is important to note that a decision was being made by the subjects of Paul's commentary, in verses 20-23 - They knew God, or observed God, but instead chose a different path.
This is effectively the story found in Genesis, that although they knew God and His will, they chose differently. In time this caused an overall darkening of their hearts and increased futility of thinking, a regression away from God's ways and purposes, if you will. Paul describes exactly that in verse 28, where he says God gave them over to a depraved mind. The Greek word Paul uses is adókimos, and it means unapproved, not standing the test, and is often associated with counterfeit or almost like an illegal copy. Thus, we can see how God allowed or gave them over to their choices of how to think, an unapproved path, which resulted in them becoming "filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice."
If we take this thought to its logical conclusion, the world would be filled with people who are following this path that brings about an overall darkening of hearts and increased futility of thinking, we would find a world where people were disconnected from God's ways, and treat each other terribly! We would likely find that people would come up with new ways to take advantage of each other, powerful and evil men would take power and crush those they deemed weak or enemies. We would find a world much like we have!
However, we find that God doesn't just give them over to this way of thinking and leave them to their own evil ways, instead He constantly reached out to them via His prophets and others who chose His path instead, for it is always an option, and constantly called His people back to Him, and warned them of the dangers and consequences of the path they were on! His love for all people compelled Him to continue to intervene, continue to call to them! Jesus tells us that this love was the root cause and motivation for His actions (see John 3:16-17).
In a very similar theme, God in revealing Himself to Moses was quite clear about those attributes that He considered key. We find this in Exodus 34:6-7 NASB:
"Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; [7] who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations." I find it interesting in the NIV the last sentence is translated as punishment, but in the NASB we have it described as allowing the iniquity of the Fathers to affect their children and grandchildren. The Hebrew word used here is avon and it is defined as "perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity". Without digging too deep into the definitions of the Greek and Hebrew definitions, we are clearly back to Paul's description of how God gave the people over to their sin nature, and free-will, where they chose an unapproved path.
In general, it seems that Paul and the Lord (through Moses) is describing the same thing, the consequences of choices made through free-will, affecting people negatively when they choose a path that the Lord recommends against. These choices made consistently from generation through generation, caused a regression away from Godliness, and resulted in a world seemingly adrift from God. However, God never gives up, and is constantly laying the invitation to know Him, whether through the written Word of the Law or scripture, the example of lives of those who do have relationship with Him, or through the evidence found in the world around us. His invitation is to return to His plans and purposes, and a life that is filled with knowledge of Him, and an affective relationship with Him. He warns us of the consequences of following a different path, but is always willing to forgive us when we stray away from His ways.
I believe this idea of God's interaction with us could be described as a loving father, and that is exactly how Jesus describes the Father in the story we title "The Prodigal Son", found in Luke 15:11-32. I won't quote the whole of the story, but it definitely worthy of much reflection. Essentially we find the exact same description of the Father allowing the son to choose a path that was not recommended, and the son experiences the consequences of his choices, and ends up starving and penniless in a distant country, having lost all the Father gave him.
The Father didn't force this situation, but rather allowed the son to choose freely, and while He clearly knew the possible consequences, and probably even warned him, enabled the son to walk away from the life He had hoped he would embrace. The Father is clearly not punishing the son, however, if one was describing the warnings about the terrible consequences, it could almost be misinterpreted that way. I am sure the younger son, in his immaturity and selfishness, felt constricted, even judged by the Father's guidance and warnings. He might have thought that the Father was threatening him, or trying to steal his freedom. It was only later that he is described as coming to His senses (Luke 15:17) and it is at this point that He recognizes he is experiencing the consequences of his own choices, and he vows to return to his father's household.
Jesus, in telling this story, is providing us a clear perspective on the heart and motivation of the Father, as well as a prime diagnosis of our sinful state. The young man, in choosing to leave His fathers house, was given over to the world by the Father, and bore the consequences of his choice. He gave himself into the power of evil and depraved people, and powerful took advantage of him. The Father allowed him to walk away, but true to His loving and compassionate heart, welcomed the son back gladly, restoring him to right relationship and his true identity. The son bore the scars (if you will) of his years away from the Father, but in embracing relationship with Him once again, the consequences of his choices were no longer affecting him.
This really is the heart of the Gospel! God so loved us that He (Jesus as the second member of the Trinity) came to earth and made a way for us to step out of our wrong choices, and be reunited with Him! He allows us to choose, but when we choose Him, welcomes us with open arms, and runs to us! He isn't about punishing us, but is rather about saving us! He loves us even when we are separated from Him, even when we choose paths that He doesn't recommend, and never stops waiting for our return! He truly is "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth!"
What a wonderful God we have!
Amen!
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