GOD'S KINGDOM: A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

A disclaimer: In no way do I consider myself equal to God. In no way do I consider that the following can come close to being a perfect scenario as to how God runs thing in His kingdom. However, I do believe that we are to use our minds to try and understand God. He uses allegories all the time in Scripture. Christ uses stories to explain His kingdom. All throughout history, stories, allegories, poetry, and other means of written literature have been used to help people understand or even inform them of current events. Thus, our ability to use our minds, write, and create a story to help in our understanding of God, as imperfect as it may be, can be used to open our eyes to more of the person of God. In this journey of seeking solid and complete answers to difficult questions, the following flowed from mind to pen as I read Edith Schaeffer's book Affliction. Please feel free to add thoughts on the matter. I invite the dialogue.

If I was able to set up my own kingdom, and many rebelled against my authority, there might be a battle. My enemy perhaps would try with all his power to turn people against me and all that my kingdom stood for. I could give my citizens a choice...they could choose to be subjects of the rebellion, or they could choose to be subjects of my kingdom. It would have been the leader of the rebellion that ultimately held the responsibility for bringing disruption to my kingdom. At first, the rebellious leader may have gained enough power to enslave all of the subjects belonging to my kingdom. The law stated in my kingdom said that any disobedience towards me would result in being banned from my kingdom forever. The only way to free my subjects would be to have a plan that would be strong enough to break the enslavement and provide a road back that was safe and trustworthy. I would need to bridge the gap of separation between myself and my subjects. The only way I could bridge this gap would be to step in and somehow save these people myself. No one can be good enough, or obedient enough to get back into this kingdom. Once they had disobeyed, the disobedience became part of their character. The result? They cannot save themselves or make it back into my kingdom on their own. Someone has to be good enough or perfect enough to help these lost people to be free from their enslavement to my enemy. I would have to offer up my life for everyone of my subjects. My enemy wanted to overtake my kingdom. I would offer up myself, take on all that my enemy might possibly use to torture my subjects, become chained to the same punishments. In return, the chains on each of my subjects would be broken, smashed, and they would be able to go free. My enemy may think he had won, that he had conquered my kingdom. Little would he know that I was stronger than any chain that might be put upon me. I would be strong enough to endure any punishment without breaking under it. In the end, I would actually conquer my enemy and he would realize who I truly was. I would have the chain broken, I would no longer need to submit myself to the torture, but rather I would win the battle. I would hurt my enemy, I would crush his head, I would injure him so that he no longer would have the strenth to hold people in bondage against their will.

I now could return to my kingdom. I could not pronounce the good news to all those who fell hostage to my enemy's powers. I could tell these former subjects that they now have the freedom to return to my kingdom. However, there would be a warning. I would need to let my people know that, even though I won the battle, the enemy craves revenge, using his power and strength to accomplish his mission. Anger and fury permeates his being and as a result, war will increase. The war is now not going to be just against me, but anyone who chooses to belong to my kingdom. I warn them that my enemy will try and find them; he might even try to bring death upon them, injure them, and hurt them deeply. I will not force them to return to me, I will give them a choice. Some choose to join the rebellion, many choose to live in my kingdom; for those however, who choose to join the rebellion, they will no longer be chained against their will. At any time they have the freedom to choose to live in my kingdom.

Due to the knowledge I have concerning the war that will be waged between myself and my sworn enemy, inclusive of subjects on both sides, it would seem that I might want to put a stop to all of it so that those I love would not be forced to suffer. I could completely wipe out my enemy and his army, keep the subjects I have and live with them in eternal glory. If I did that though, those whom I love, even though they have chosen to be my enemy, would never have another opportunity to return to my kingdom. They would forever be permanently separated from me. I love them; I want time to allow them to come back to me.

During this time, more life will be created. I allow this. I do not ban my people from bringing life into either my kingdom or the rebellion. I want my kingdom to grow, so I encourage life to continue. If I did not allow this, my kingdom would slowly disappear, and then who would be around to show and tell those on the enemy's side what a wonderful place my kingdom was and all the good that comes from living there? Who would tell others of the blessings I give them? Who would tell them of the happiness they receive?

Sure, I could force those who have become my enemy (ies) to return to my kingdom, but the will not want to stay. They would be angry at my forcefulness. I could put them in chains, and yes, I am strong enough to keep them there, but their desires would not be for my kingdom. My subjects all must be ready to fight for me and be prepared for war at all times. If I force people to be a part of my kingdom, they would or could be detrimental to winning the war. No, I must have subjects who have chosen to be a part of my kingdom.

The enemy also has warriors intentionally out to break down my kingdom. He knows he cannot take my kingdom from me, but he knows he can hurt the subjects in my kingdom. Just like any army, he has spies; spies that infiltrate enemy lines, eavesdrop on plans in hopes to thwart progress, steal valuables, equipment, or anything else necessary to try and win as many back. People are captured, tortured, even martyred. My subjects were warned, and I do try to help prepare them as best as I can. I have given them an instruction manual that provides all the ways in which they can win every battle. I may not always be physically present, but I assure them that anytime they call my name I will hear them and I will answer them and send help or answers. I have given them a list of equipment to wear that will protect them. I warn them that the battle might get so difficult that it brings about utter exhaustion. Doubt concerning the ability to gain victory creeps in to their minds. I warn them that temptations to jump ship will enter their minds. I understand my subjects are not as strong as I am and that I will find them in the enemy's camp more than once, but I plead with them to return back to me, and when the do, I love them and accept them with welcoming arms.

Just as my enemy may infiltrate my camps around my kingdom, I also have an army that infiltrated enemy lines, quietly seeking out those who are questioning their allegiance to the rebellion. I seek those who are doubtful, or those who have seen what my kingdom offers. I may strategically place my strongest fighters, or those whom I know have what is needed, in the enemy camps for the purpose of finding who is ready to cross over into my kingdom. When they are found, my warriors help these weakened souls to get across.

I have camps in which people can to renew their strength so they can continue to fight. I have camps in which teaching and training are given for new subjects. There are camps of encouragement, and there are those in which relationships can be built to that my army can become stronger.

Eventually I will get to the point at which no more people will be found who are in the least bit interested in joining my kingdom. I really am the only person who knows how to determine who is ready and who is not. When I find someone ready to move to my side, I use one of my subjects to help them so that I can be freed up to find the rest. You see, if I do everything on my own, as I could if I so desired, my subjects would begin to feel as if they have no contribution in my kingdom. There would be no reason to keep fighting. My subjects would get lazy and begin to just expect me to bless them for just existing in my kingdom. They need a purpose, the need work, they need things in their lives to keep them alert.

Can I prevent hardships from happening to my subjects? Sure I can! However, I allow them because if my subjects did not have hardships in their lives, they would not get to know me completely. They would just know me for the guy who just hands them the easy life. Difficulties allow my subjects to know the side of me that is comforting, faithful, gracious, forgiving, and strength in their weakness. In difficulties, my subjects find they need me; it takes longer, but in their need they allow themselves to be vulnerable to me, and then I am able to work miracles beyond their imaginations. They also find out how much they are capable of handling without breaking. The challenges in life are like building up callouses. I allow my subjects to be hurt; it builds pain tolerance; it builds strength. I do not allow any more pain or challenge than I know each subject is capable of withstanding. I may take them to the edge of their tolerance level, but I know their cut off point. This means I know everyone of my subjects individually better than they know themselves.

Another purpose for afflictions is for the purpose of those in the enemy's camp to see the difference between how my subjects respond to difficulties and hardships compared to their own comrades. My subjects may shed tears, may be lonely, and they may feel at times I am far away. But, when they know me well, they trust that I only want what is best and I am always there to help them fight. The enemies look on, maybe experience first hand, if one of my subjects is infiltrated into one of their camps, the love, support, encouragement, and strength given to help this wounded soldier. They might even see a smile on the wounded subjects face. Seeing the difference may be enough to help that enemy choose my kingdom. It may be enough to keep a fellow subject from joining the enemy's camp. It may even be used to once again open the eyes of a fellow subject, who gave into temptation, causing him to see what he is missing. I know each person so well that I know exactly what is needed in each person's life for their personal growth, the growth of my kingdom, and I know what is needed to draw others to myself.

With all of this being said and in the attempt to understand, as imperfect in my humanity as I am, a question arises here, perhaps with a different twist: Why, if I had the power to do so from the beginning, would I not crush the enemy right from the start? If I loved the two people I first created so much, why would I even allow Satan to get close to them, knowing his intention would be to hurt them? In my humanity, do I allow people, who have intentions to hurt my children get even within a 100 yards of them? The answer is no. Why? Because I love them and I want to protect them. So, it may not even be a question of why does a loving God allow (and I make the differentiation between allow and cause here) suffering and affliction, but rather, why did a loving God not protect his people from the beginning? Does this suggest a crack in God's character? Is he perhaps, not as perfect as Christians claim him to be?

These are hard questions, and they deserve careful thought and much attention. Tackling such issues is no easy task, but nothing worthwhile ever came easily. I challenge you to dialogue and arrive at some solid conclusions so that you may be ready to provide answers.

IS IT MY BATTLE TO FIGHT?

In search of solid answers for the questions that arise about how a good and loving God can allow evil and afflictions to occur when He could stop so much of the pain in this world, I write the following thoughts as I made my way through Edith Schaeffer's book "Afflictions." These thoughts in no way, reflect the strength or non-strength of my personal beliefs. However, they are questions that arose as I read this book, and over the years, I have been approached by both non-Christians and Christians who ask these same questions. What are concrete answers to these issues? Are there any concrete answers? I invite your comments below and dialogue.

In chapter two the issue of a battle between Satan and God is addressed in reference to our sufferings here on earth. Some thoughts on the matter follows:

Mankind is in the middle of a battle between Satan and God as the avenue through which Satan can hurt God directly because mankind is so closely tied to God Himself, in that God breathed into man His own breath, giving Him life, creating man in His own image.

Edith Schaeffer, in her book Afflictions, refers to only Christians in this battle. Are non-Christians then exempt from this engaging warfare? If all mankind have been created in God's image, this means each person has been given life, God-breathed.

God, as Creator, with foreknowledge, purposefully created mankind, placing them purposefully in the middle of a battle without giving them a choice. The only choice we find is in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve made the choice to bring sin into the world. God continues to purposefully create life knowing they will be placed in the middle of a battle for which they did not request or even wish. I do not know about anyone else, but if I had the choice to join a war or remain anonymous, I think I would choose the latter. I do not know anyone who is willing to be created for the sole purpose of being used as a means for one being to directly hurt another. I was not humanly planned or thought of all throughout the history of the world, until I made my appearance. I was nothing. God created me out of nothing. Yes, the natural elements are used to create life by other living beings, but my existence was not conceived in the plans of others until my arrival. God, however knew from before the beginning of time that my life would be created and that He would create it, knowing full well I would not be given a choice to engage in the middle of a battle that appears to not be mine to fight. And yet, God holds me responsible for choices I make in the middle of this battle.

AFFLICTIONS

Everyone goes through times of struggles, trials, tribulations. They all mean pretty much the same thing, tough times. Some lives seem to be plagued by affliction while others suffer such events infrequently throughout the span of their lifetime. Some people suffer quietly, unbeknownst to those around them. Others tend to be overly expressive and open concerning their afflictions. On a personal level, my life seems to be one of those that knows afflictions well. This past summer I took advantage of perusing through a box of books heading to the Goodwill or library and found Edith Schaeffer’s book Affliction. It caught my attention and I decided to read through it. After the first chapter, it took everything inside of me to complete the book. It did not sit well with me. A lot of what I read I had heard many times in prior years, and a reality became clear, the topic pinched a nerve in my heart, stirred emotions I vowed would never surface again. When tears spilled onto the pages of that first chapter I set the book back on the shelf, never wishing to open it again. However, part of my character includes the very old lesson, once I begin something it must be completed. Thus, I knew I had to complete this book. Finishing all of twelve chapters took me over three months of outright disciplined effort, but I did complete it. Reading it on an intellectual rather than a personal level allowed me to perhaps use it in attempt to find insight into the reasons or purpose for afflictions and probe a well-known and respected person’s thoughts on an issue that acts as a plague in Christianity for those who may not yet be believers as well as some doubting Christians, all whom pose the question: Why, if God is loving, good, and kind, does he allow afflictions and tribulations into people’s lives, and how can this same God continue to create people, knowing full well that many will not be in heaven with him, rather be subjected to eternal damnation and torture? The answers do not and cannot be found readily. Evangelical leaders attempt to provide pat answers from the Bible, which when filtered down to the root of their answers, only one remains: God is God. His purposes reach beyond human understanding and we may never know the purpose for specific afflictions in people’s lives until we reach eternity. To receive any assurance there is a purpose for these afflictions, one must put their trust in Christ and be assured of their eternal security and trust God for what He deems best. I do not belittle evangelicals answers or make light of them, but at times, as Christians, we find ourselves giving band-aid answers, as one former pastor recently called it. I liked that phrase. How many times do we find ourselves giving band-aid answers to those around us. I did not find Edith Schaeffer providing such trite answers, rather she attempts to dig a bit deeper, offering support from Scripture and her own personal testimonies. The book permeates with personal stories, something I tired of easily and found I skimmed these sections to get to the meat of her material. Throughout the twelve chapters, she uses three points, woven tightly together, to provide substance for her convictions regarding afflictions: the purpose or reasons for afflictions, a personal responsibility amidst afflictions, and a responsibility towards others during their times of afflictions. Did I find what I was searching for? Not completely. Many questions still arise and leave me continuing to search. With this said, I did find myself gaining a clearer picture of our purpose on earth, and it is evident that without afflictions in our lives, whether God is real or not, they either make us or break us in our character. I am not completely satisfied with answers or lack of to the question about God’s character being good, kind, and loving still creating life knowing full well some of those he creates will be damned for eternity. Will mankind ever reach a satisfactory conclusion on this issue? The Bible does tell us to seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened. We are also told that if we search for answers, we will find them. On the other hand, it tells us that God is mysterious, his ways are mysterious, and we will never understand completely the nature of God. So where does this leave those seeking for answers to such a difficult issue? Evangelicals will say, only faith. But, spiritual faith is a concept foreign to those outside Christianity, so to provide solid answers for non-believers seems almost an impossibility. And yet, does any other religion provide an adequate answer to this question? I continue to wrestle with the reasons why a God, who could prevent afflictions, allows for such events, allows for horrific events such as the current situation in Haiti to occur. Why would a good and loving God allow for something so tragic to take place? The Bible says to always be prepared with an answer. If you were over there at this time, what answers would you provide to such a question to those in pain and suffering? Would you throw out Biblically pat answers, or would you really have something substantial these people could cling to? It’s easy when Christians are ministering to Christians, but what solid answers would you provide to those not in the Christian arena? What reasons would you give them for believing in a God that seems to have done nothing but allowed something horrific to happen?

Many of you will consider that I have fell off the deep end of a pier for addressing such an issue. Many or you will consider that wrestling with God on such grounds suggests I am losing my faith. I beg to argue the point. Even Jacob wrestled with God. Job questioned God. Neither of these men experienced God’s wrath for wrestling with him. We, as Christians must wrestle to arrive at strong conclusions and answers that we can give to those who do not believe, or who doubt their faith. C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, and other great men and women of the faith have wrestled and ended up being pillars for Christianity. Are we not called to become the same? I challenge you to dig deep into your souls, wrestle with answers you might provide on this issue, and be ready with those answers, but refrain from giving the pat band-aid answers that permeate evangelical circles. If someone came to you today and asked: Give me good, logical reasons to believe in your God, a God that is supposed to be loving, kind, and good and yet allows people to go to hell, allows for a whole country like Haiti to be destroyed, allows for his people to suffer unjustly. Give me good reasons that your God is any better than those of other religions, what would you say?

I’d be interested in hearing from you as to your thoughts on the subject. What books have you read concerning afflictions, tribulations, and trials? As we watch the events unfold and the stories unfold with the events in Haiti, if people know we are Christians, we might be prepared to embrace such questions. Are you ready for them?

Until next time,

Have a great week,

Brenda