The challenges against the righteousness of God are
numerous. They come from the outside and even from those within the Church. My
own mind has even been challenged when I’d read verses like these:
·
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity
of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked
deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth
and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may
believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe
the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 ESV)
These verses raise many difficult questions:
·
Why did God create Satan, and why does He allow
him to persist?
·
Why does God even participate in the work of
Satan by sending those who are perishing a “strong delusion?” Shouldn’t He instead
send them the truth of the Gospel?”
These are difficult questions along with others, which
overshadows all other such questions: If God saved unworthy me, why doesn’t He
regenerate the hearts of all so that they’d believe? How do we answer such questions?
Should we?
I began to wonder if these questions have plagued many other
Christians. Some admit that they aren’t particularly concerned. They just know
what they have seen and experienced. Therefore, they can easily set these
questions aside.
However, I have tried to do this, but it never worked for
me. Although I would attempt to banish these questions away into my darkest
mental crevasses, they would creep out like mosquitoes at night to torment me,
forcing me to confront them head on.
Therefore, I wondered whether writing on this subject would
be of help to many others. Over the course of my many years posting my essays
on social media, I’ve noticed that few have the time or inclination to read
essays.
Why then should I continue? Am I able to provide my brethren
with answers to live their lives in Christ with more confidence and zeal? Well,
answering these perplexing questions, at least tentatively, has enabled me to
stand and to approach my Savior with confidence and joy:
·
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to
enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he
opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we
have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart
in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:19-23)
The Lord didn’t simply snap His fingers, and puff, I had
assurance. Instead, He led me to meditate on His Word, day and night (Psalm
1:1-3; Joshua 1:8) until the answers I was seeking came together through His
Spirit to comfort me with His peace and assurance.
It is not that I have obtained comprehensive answers. In
many cases, I don’t think we are presently capable of such understanding.
Instead, we are cautioned that we can only partially understand God’s
Revelation to us (1 Corinthians 13). However, I have found that even a partial
understanding has proved to be the delight of enduring riches. Paul had labored
for this very purpose:
·
that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit
together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding
and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3)
Perhaps this is the weakness of our Church today. We are
vulnerable and lack confidence because we do not meditate on the Word as we should
and lack intensive Biblical discipleship programs. Consequently, we cannot
stand against the challenges to our faith, and often, are not even aware of
them. Therefore, in the next verse, Paul expressed this very concern:
·
I say this in order that no one may delude you
with plausible arguments. (Colossians 2:4)
This is happening on a global scale. The Church has been
withering before the assaults of Biblical criticism, multiculturalism,
Darwinism, and moral relativism. Consequently, the majority of Churchgoers now
believe that there are many roads to salvation.
If we believe this, what will happen to evangelism and our
zeal for the Bible? They become endangered species, and we become fair-game for
the deceptive messages encircling us.
If I proceed to write this book, I will have to address the
really tough issues like eternal judgment and God’s annihilation of the
Canaanites. To leave out the toughest questions would betray the purpose of
this book - to leave my brethren with the confidence that our Lord is righteous
and just even if we cannot comprehensively answer all our questions.
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