Nature Versus Nurture 2?

"If God does not exist, all things are permissible." --Fyodor Dostoevsky 

This was a great debate a few years ago in the discipline of psychology, and even of sociology.  What if it's neither (i.e., nature nor nurture)?  They left out one important possibility or factor to insert into the equation as a constant and/or variable, a key player but ultimately sovereign, and a given:  God. Don't rule God out!  What if God says we are to blame?  But we are the clay and God is the Potter and guides the details of our lives.  Christianity is a type of psychology too and does offer real solutions, if taken seriously, to behavior issues, and offers counseling to help troubled individuals with unresolved personal problems and issues, or in some cases salvation, if they are lost.

Two people can react quite differently to the same stimuli or tragedy with divergent results: it's not what happens to you but in you that counts!  The same sun melts the butter, hardens the clay and the same hammer that forges steel and breaks the glass.  We all react according to our God-given nature and either become bitter or better for we are all mere clay in God's hands as our Potter.  Our worldview affects greatly how we interpret our world and react to it; it's not a matter of faith versus reason, but which set of presuppositions we accept as fact. Everyone has faith, even the secular person can have faith in science as the answer to problems.  God thus orchestrates our life to make us what we are.

No God means no sin as Albert Camus said, "The absurd is sin without God." We do well to heed the admonition of psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger's book Whatever Became of Sin?  This means we are responsible for our choices!   But guilt (from this sin) is real and cannot be denied--it can dog us all our lives, but it can be good to feel bad and it's therapeutic, forcing self-examination and soul-searching, though there is psychological guilt that is imagined and cruel, and this must be dealt with to bring healing to the soul, i.e., there's ultimate meaning in all suffering.  Note it was Freud who popularized the notion of a "guilt complex."  Perhaps we feel guilty because we are guilty!  We're fighting God!  We all make choices!  You simply cannot blame your genes for your bad behavior or weaknesses, they are sins--this is just inventing pretty names for them! You have no right to claim:  I was born this way!  It's a cop-out to blame the environment, family, upbringing, or society (the first sin was committed in the idyllic place known as the Garden of Eden), but we should never be in the blame game, period.

Sin is our fault and we are culpable!  We shall be judged if we do not find the mercy of God.  Sin is only a sign of the virus inherited from Adam and everyone has it.  Yes, no one is perfect nor can they put themselves on a pedestal.  We must assume individual responsibility and come clean.  Sir Francis Crick, co-discoverer of DNA, said we are "not pawns of our genes," and therefore we cannot play the blame game.  Scientists do say that some people are more vulnerable than others and it's only stressors that trigger illnesses, but that is the case with all sin--some may be more vulnerable to committing rape or murder, but they are still going to be judged and are responsible.

Why?  Because God's grace is sufficient and can change us from having hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26) and regenerate us into new creatures (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).  Christ is still in the resurrection business and changes lives!  The biggest miracle that cannot be denied is how He transforms sinners into saints!  We all have the opportunity to repent and believe in the gospel and if we turn our back on Christ and harden our hearts, it's our blame, not our genes nor our environment--there's no excuse, period!   Yes, we are worse off, but not too bad to be saved!  No one is too far gone.  Some people just need to come to an end of themselves to realize their need for grace in their lives, and that they aren't in control as the master of their fate and captain of their soul.  God can conquer anyone and is stronger than we are (cf. Jer. 20:7).

It's been postulated by John Locke, et al., that children are born with a tabula rasa (are blank slates), not prone to evil, but inherently or intrinsically good, merely spoiled or corrupted by the impure environment, which is to blame (favoring the nurture in the debate). This erroneous hypothesis arises from eliminating God from the equation and refusing to factor Him into consideration--it's a cop-out!  Where you start determines where you'll end up--this is a recipe for psychological chaos (for cosmos without Logos, the expression of God, the logic of God is chaos) and makes all scientific endeavor futile.  We must begin with God and explain our problem and not with the problem and explain away God!

What is the solution then?  Only in genuine repentance and saving faith in Christ, acknowledging our guilt before a holy God, seeking reconciliation, as we are personally culpable before God, to deliver us from the power of sin over us--though we must live with the consequences they are neutralized and turned to our benefit and overall blessing.  Remember, God will discipline the wayward child who persists in living a life of sin without repentance and will not countenance it.  To just make excuses or shift the blame only compounds the problem and evades the issue.  The missing link in the equation is that we're created in God's image and there's something about us that is like God, and we need to find out what it means to be human.  All worldviews must contemplate what's wrong with man--some only learn by the school of hard knocks. Soli Deo Gloria!

Have Thine own way, Lord!
Have Thine own way!
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after will,
While I am waiting yielded and still.
--famous gospel hymn, public domain

The Way Up Is Down

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30, NASB).
"Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you" (James 4:10, ESV).
NB:  A non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms, for Christ came to serve (cf. Mark 10:45).  
"... [T]he straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie" (John 1:27, NIV).

In God's economy, the way up is down, so to speak, because humility comes before honor; God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (cf. 1 Pet. 5:5; James 4:6).  John was inclined to put this into action by demurring to baptize Jesus, saying he wasn't worthy to untie Jesus' sandals, and ultimately said, "He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30, NIV).  

Jesus humbled Himself ultimately to the point of death on a cross, but on the eve of the Passover celebration, the Seder, He took a towel to do some foot-washing--demonstrating that nothing should be beneath us if we have a servant's attitude and heart, i.e., menial chores. This can be called the order of the towel whereby we serve one another in the body, for there is no elite in the church but we are all members one of another and family. No one is indispensable in the sense of not being replaceable gift-wise in the body, and we are all necessary for the body to be healthy.

Jesus is the supreme exemplar of servanthood, for He emptied Himself (kenosis in Koine). He took on our infirmities and limitations as man and stood in the gap experiencing our pain in order to be able to sympathize and intercede for us as our High Priest in heaven.  We are exhorted to think of ourselves as Christ thought of Himself--to be of the same mind (cf. Phil. 2:5). Everyone wants to be Number One in the kingdom, but Jesus stated that the first shall be last (cf. Mark 9:35)!  

Greatness in God's economy is not measured by how many people serve you, but by how many you serve!  Real servanthood is when we forget ourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (cf. Phil. 2:4, MSG), and make a difference in the world for the good. No one serves in obscurity, for God sees in secret and will reward us in time.

John Wesley's motto was an example to emulate:  "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can."  Servants make themselves available and see open doors and opportunities to use whatever God has entrusted them to as stewards.  Don't ever say that you are a limited servant and cannot make yourself useful when there's a need: if you see a man in a ditch, pull him out--don't say you don't have the gift of "helps!"   Matt. 10:42 says that even offering a cup of cold water for the sake of the Name will not go unrewarded.  When we've done it to the least of His brethren, we've done it unto the Lord (cf. Matt. 25:40).

In God's economy, it's not how much we can exalt ourselves or play the fool, it's how low we can go, for the kingdom of God goes to the lowest bidders--we must realize our unworthiness.  "... He that humbles himself shall be exalted, "(cf. Matt 23:12).  We ought not to think of ourselves any more highly than we ought (cf. Rom. 12:3).  "Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited" (Rom. 12:16). 

Caveat:  Do not imitate Diotrephes (cf. 3 John), who loved to be first and lord it over the flock, but be examples of having the mindset of a servant, i.e., of Christ.   A final word to the wise:  He who humbles himself shall be exalted!      Soli Deo Gloria! 

Loving Darkness Or Light?

"I form light and create darkness..." (Isa. 45:7, ESV).
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5, ESV).
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV).
"The unfolding of your words gives light..." (Psa. 119:130, NIV).  
"For with you is the fountain of life; in your light, we see light" (Psa. 36:9, NIV).
"Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me" (Psa. 43:3, NIV).
"I selected and sent you to bring light and my promise of hope to the nations" (Isa. 42:6, CEV).

This is the verdict:  men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, and refused to come to the light, lest their deeds are exposed (cf. John 3:19). Woe to those who put light for darkness and darkness for light (cf. Isa. 5:20).  Coming to the light is the same as coming to Jesus and coming clean.  There is just enough light to see if one wants to and enough darkness to keep those in the dark who wish to stray there and not come to the light (cf. John 7:17).

It's true that seeing isn't believing, but believing is seeing because we believe in order to understand according to Augustine.  No one is in total darkness (cf. Acts 14:17), but there is always a light to show the way for those who might repent.  We all experience darkness on occasion because we shouldn't "... doubt in the dark what God told [us] in the light (attributed, Raymond Edman).  Jesus came to bear witness of the light and enlightened every man.  When we see the light, our lives are transformed, on a mission, and we see Jesus in action.

The reason we can't see God, who is Light, and dwells in unapproachable light (cf. 1 Tim. 6:16), is because we cannot even bear to look into the sun, one of His creations, much less see His glory.  There is no darkness with God (cf. 1 John 1:5).  It has been told of a man who lived in a dark cave and when he went outside was afraid of the light and went back into the dark cave where he felt secure and unseen.  Newsflash:  God sees in the darkness and nothing is hidden from Him (cf. Psa. 90:8). When we get saved we see the light and our spiritual eyes are opened, especially in reading the Bible.

Christians are called to be lights and not to hide our light but to let it shine and change the world with it collectively.  We are the light of the world (cf. Matt 5:14).  We are to be children of light, putting off the works of darkness, and to act like it as God's ambassadors (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20), and witnesses to a dark, fallen world that doesn't see the way, doing works of light.  Our light is equated with truth (cf. John 3:21, "he that doeth truth cometh to the light"), and Amos accuses the people of "twisting the truth and stomping on justice"--the same thing is occurring today as we see Postmodern worldviews becoming predominate and people not even knowing what truth is, much less what a lie is--they seem to think that truth is what they prefer to believe or what works for them, and another person's truth has no power over them because it's all relevant.

It is unfortunate, as James Russell Lowell says:  "Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne."  There seem to be no truths anyone is willing to die for anymore. Hosea 5:6 says that when people refuse the light, it's withdrawn from them.  It is only by God's grace that we acknowledge the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 2:25) and the highest regard is to be well spoken of by the truth (cf. 3 John v. 12).  It is the truth that sets us free (cf. John 8:32), referring to knowing the Lord, for Augustine said "all truth is God's truth" and Aquinas added that "all truth meets at the top," to discover the truth is to discover the God of truth in some manner.

We are to walk in the truth, or in the light figuratively because the Word of Truth is what sanctifies us (cf. John 17:17).  God is light and in Him is no darkness, and therefore there is no fellowship between light and darkness and we are to come out from it and be separate or holy.  "Come, ... let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isa. 2:5, NIV). When we walk and abide in the light, even as Christ is in the light, we have sweet fellowship with one another (cf. 1 John 1:7).

The fool walks in darkness though (cf. Eccl. 2:14), so we must show the way and be lights in a dark world, putting on the armor of light (cf. Rom. 13:12).  If we say we are in the light, we ought to walk in the light (1 John 2:9ff).  "The LORD is my light and my salvation..." (Psa. 27:1, NIV):  everyone needs to see the light.  

In summation, let's fulfill the Word of God in Isa. 60:1, NIV, saying, "[A]rise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has come upon you."   It's a known, undisputed fact among believers that the closer you get to the light, the more imperfections are seen.   Soli Deo Gloria!

Where Is Boasting Then?

"[Y]ou who rejoice in the conquest of Lo Debar [nothing] and say, Did we not take Karnaim by our own strength?" (Amos 6:13, NIV).
"... [A]ll we have accomplished is really from you" (Isa. 26:12, NIV).
"But, the one who brags, should brag in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17, CEB).
"For who makes you different from anyone else?  What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Cor. 4:7, NIV).
"My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name." --Edward Mote

We must come to the eventual realization that we have nothing to boast of in God's eyes--our righteousness is not our gift to God, but His gift to us (cf Isaiah 45:24)!  If we choose to boast, Jeremiah makes the point:  Let it be done in the Lord, that we know Him.  Israel had a problem with pride in their conquering of lands in Amos 6:13; however, God said it was nothing they had done at all.  Paul stresses that he would boast of nothing but of what Christ had done through him as a vessel of honor (cf. Rom. 15:18):  "I will not venture to speak of anything but of what Christ has accomplished through me..." (NIV).

It would've been a temptation for Paul to boast since he had nearly single-handedly converted the Roman empire through his missionary journeys, and he didn't even brag of his visit to the third heaven (cf. 2 Cor. 12:2). But Paul was forced to be braggadocio (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1) because he was defending the integrity of his credentials and ministry.  But the difference with his boast is that he knew it was all grace from beginning to end, grace was not only sufficient but necessary!  Just as Jesus said in John 15:5 that we can do nothing apart from Him.  Paul seized the day (carpe diem in Latin) and foretold of his weaknesses, not his strengths or accomplishments--for God is not interested in our achievements as much as our faithfulness and obedience! 

What we have accomplished must be done for the sake of the Name and in the power of the Holy Spirit or anointed by God to be worthy of reward.  Paul wasn't against good works at all, even his own, just those done in the energy of the flesh (cf. Rom. 8:7-8).  No matter how great, they are not good enough to boast of. Our righteousness is as filthy rags (cf. Isa. 64:6).  Paul was ready to embrace the grace that was his and that God always met his needs and when he had God, Paul had the confidence that he had all he needed.  God reminded Paul after he had prayed to have the thorn in his flesh removed that God's grace is sufficient for him--God knows our limits and strengths too (this evidently kept him from getting a big head!). 

Why boast of our weaknesses, as Paul suggested?  Because God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and not many mighty are called by God for this reason--God's power can use anyone and empower him to His glory. God likes to use ordinary men like the twelve were.  The lesson goes that the weaker we are, the greater the grace that is manifest and thus the greater glory for God.  We are never to play one-upmanship and try to compare ourselves with each other by some common, invented scale. 

The more we learn to lean on Jesus the more we credit Him for our deeds and realize that it is by the grace of God that we are what we are, as Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:10.  George Whitefield was asked about a criminal going to the gallows and remarked:  "There but for the grace of God go I!"  This is the right attitude: that we are no more worthy than anyone else and cannot merit our salvation or even being used by God as a vessel of honor. 

It is so important that we become grace-oriented and realize that we don't deserve our relationship with God (we have no claim on His friendship), we cannot earn salvation, and will never be able to pay it back.  Christ is the one who paid the penalty He didn't owe for a people who couldn't pay.  When we realize that the price is of infinite value we will awaken to the value of the grace of God on our behalf:  IT IS FINISHED! or PAID IN FULL!   It is done!   Praising God and worship are a form of boasting in the Lord and giving Him the glory He deserves, although we share in it and will be glorified in eternity (cf. 1 Pet. 5:10; Psa. 84:11; Rom. 8:30) just as Christ is in us for the hope of glory (cf. Col. 1:27).

Worship, though, belongs to Him alone, for He is worthy and has paid the price by His blood, obedience, submission, and humiliation for our salvation.  God will get all the credit for our salvation (to God alone be the glory, Soli Deo Gloria!), from beginning to end, start to finish, as the author and finisher of our faith (cf. Heb. 12:2), because it's a work of God in us, not of cooperation, or a joint adventure, but of the grace of regeneration to convert us from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (cf. Ezek. 36:26). 

Note that even our faith is the gift of God, it's not merit-based work, for we have "believed through grace," according to Acts 18:27.  At judgment hopefully, we will gleefully sing the hymn, "Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling."   Soli Deo Gloria!