Coming Soon

Originally posted on another blog on August 2006 (but written by moi). It is a letter I wrote in response to a "seekers" questions back when I was part of some Church activities in school. It went as follows:

Hello again:)

I apologize for the late reply. I was caught up in deadlines for certain class projects. So here was your question which I will try my best to address in this letter.

Are our lives planned by God?
If so, then what's the purpose of trying to do what we want?
(when we are aware we are not in control)
If not, then what purpose does He serve us?

The nature of your first question seems to acknowledge that God has power over our lives and pretty much the world. After all, he is the creator right? With this power, it wouldn't be difficult for us to imagine Him moving us like pieces of a chessboard. The notion that everything that happens in this world (the good or the bad) are all part of God's plan is not uncommon. However that notion is flawed and most possibly dangerous to understanding who God really is. God is righteous and good (Psalms 19:9), and God is eternal- meaning his nature is unchanging (Malachi 3:6). He doesn't wish evil to exist, and neither does he condone it...much less plan out evil in the world. So why then does evil exist? Wouldn't it mean that He did since He created everything? And that's the tricky part in trying to understand this particular dilemma. The answer is not merely found in the fact that He created all things, but in the nature of which he created them.

It is written that mankind was created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). And part of that likeness is our ability to make free choices. In short, we we're designed to have free will. We were given responsibility over our own choices and actions.

To answer your first question, I would have to rephrase it. God has a plan for our lives.And this plan is a good one (clearly an understatement). However, much to our disadvantage, we aren't so quick to trust Him that He is indeed looking out for our best interests. So what do we usually do? With the free will He gave us, we make plans for ourselves...and that's when things started hitting the fan in the first place.

Evil and sin was/is a direct result of a person's freewill going against God's will. To find life and happiness outside of the one who created it is simply not possible.

People are free to do whatever they want. But not everything they want is actually good for them or even beneficial. We are all limited or finite beings and definitely flawed in one way or another. So depending on our own or any other person's judgment of things isn't exactly the wisest thing to do. So that means we do need to have a relationship with someone who is perfect, untainted with sin, and infinitely wise. If there is such a person, it would most certainly be God.

God's will is indeed sovereign though. All the heavens and the earth obey Him. Whatever we do with our freedom, he is not mocked, but grieved. For those who fail to align their will to His, it would mean certain death (death meaning separation from God and all that is). And He doesn't want that. God doesn't want anyone to die.

From the NIV bible:
"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" -Ezekiel 18:23

"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live"-Ezekiel 18:32

Anyway, I want to go back to the topic of freewill. So then, why do we have this freedom? If evil and suffering was a result of our choices unaligned to His will, then maybe the choice to give us freedom wasn't very wise at all.

Suppose then we take away free will. It may take away all possibility of evil to exist, but it would in turn take away the ability of His creations to love. And I think it would seem so horrible to God that people would not have a chance to experience love. So great is love that even at the risk of us choosing against it and making evil possible, He thought it would be well worth it. You see, any act of kindness, charity, or love that we do, if not done out of a free choice...cannot really be kindness, cannot really be charity, and cannot ever be love. It is the choice that makes it real. He wants you to choose Him, to choose life...freely.

God has a plan and purpose for all of us. He has a plan for our salvation, since we have all strayed from Him(Romans 3:23). And it comes through the person of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for us in payment for our sins(Romans 6:23). He has a plan for your happiness and contentment, a life to have a personal relationship Him who is the author of life and love itself(John 17:3).

It is only by His infinite grace that the choice is even made possible, but you do have a choice. I pray and I hope you make the right one.

I wish I was able to answer your question (or at least made some sense). Although there may have been more I would have wanted to say, hopefully this was adequate for the time being. However, please take note that the ideas I've written in this letter are my personal beliefs on the matter as a Christian and are not necessarily shared by all the members of the (name ommitted) Church community.

...*other stuff ommitted

....

For quite some time now, I have been feeling an urge to somehow keep track of my walk (although it's really more of a crawl really...and some may even argue in the wrong direction). If anything else, it should at least keep me from the temptation of drifting too far away into just the realm of worldly thoughts and endeavors, especially since I have considered for the time-being not to pursue an active "church" life. So pretty soon I'll be posting the link here to another blog I've been working on though I haven't come up with a name for it yet. Mostly it would contain items like the letter I have posted above, past messages/sermons I made (both used and unused), thoughts on God, scripture reflections, musings on faith and humanity and such. Like this blog, it will try to be an honest reflection of the thoughts and conditions of its very human creator while he attempts to map out the little portion of infinity he can fathom (or believes to have fathomed).

I just felt like making the announcement just so I don't get lazy about it, that's all.

....

"The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature." - Anne Frank