Only by Love is Love Awakened

Only by love is love awakened. (Desire of Ages p.22)

What is more true than this proposition? What else can awaken love besides love itself? Love, by definition, cannot be forced. We have a word for this in English—rape (stemming from the Latin word rapiō, meaning to "seize by force"). But love must be a free act of the will, sparked by a man's desire for the best good of another man. In the Bible, Christ instructs us to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matt 5:44). While hate is the fuel for hate, love, indeed, is the fuel for love. Were we to abhor our enemies, we should only expect abhorrence in return, for it only would give them greater reason to hate us. But how forced and contrary to one's conscience it is to hate a man who has only acted in love. 

There are two ways to conquer an enemy: (1) to destroy him, and (2) to make him your friend. It is God's great desire and task to use the second method by showing illimitable and self-sacrificing love. He gave His enemies no more than He could give; He gave them Himself—crucified on the Cross for them. Let us all be awakened by this greatest act of love the world has ever seen! Surely, "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom 5:7-8)

The Humility of Christ

After partaking in the Communion (bread, wine, and foot washing) yesterday, it got me meditating upon Jesus' great condescension. That the sovereign and eternal Creator of the universe, in His absolute perfection and illimitable glory, took on the nature of a man to serve others and suffer an agonizing death for the sins of a world that hated Him, is something that I cannot wholly comprehend. If I could, I'm sure I would fall to my knees right now with such reverence, love, and unworthiness, that getting back up would prove to be nearly impossible.

"A Buddhist monk once asked a missionary to suggest a scene that would represent Christianity. Artists were to decorate a hall on the monastery grounds with murals and reliefs that depicted major world religions. After some reflection the missionary began to share the account in John 13. The monk 'said nothing as I read,' the missionary recounted, 'but I felt a strange, awesome quietness and power as the passage described Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet.' In that culture, discussing in public anything having to do with matters of the feet is considered very poor etiquette.

'When I finished reading, there was a moment of silence. He looked at me with incredulity and said, "Do you mean to say that the Founder of your religion washed His students' feet?"'

'Yes,' I replied. The usually placid moon face with shaved eyebrows and head wrinkled up in shock and amazement. He was speechless, and so was I. I swallowed very hard several times, and we were both caught up in the drama of the scene. As I gazed at him, the look of incredulity on his face changed to a reverent awe. Jesus, the Founder of Christianity, had touched and washed dirty fishermen's feet! After a few moments he gained control of himself and rose to his feet. "I see now the essence of Christianity."'" (John Dybdahi, Missions p. 28)

"But [He] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." (Phil 2:7) "  "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."(Matt 20:28)

Silly Inventions

Here is a list of what are perhaps the worst inventions that have ever come to my mind (not that I have ever had any good ones):

Ritz Cracker Bubble Gum Sandwiches
Strap-on Arm Rests
Toilet Paper Mittens
Edible Books (I have to credit my dad for this one)
A 2000 ft Telescope — that extends beyond San Francisco fog
Erasable Permanent Marker
The Anthrophone — A musical instrument that plays you
All-In-One Toast, Bread, and Fries Maker (Made in France)
Elevator Slinky
The I Soak — A  one-player water gun

The Stone Paradox

We have all heard the question, Can God create a stone so heavy that He can not lift it?. While many simply dismiss this question as unimportant and even silly, I feel that it is deserving of some kind of rational answer; and this is why: The question is meant to challenge the existence of God by attempting to show the logical incoherence of the concept of omnipotence. If omnipotence (i.e., the property of being all-powerful) is logically incoherent, then surely God cannot be omnipotent; and if God is not omnipotent then He is not God, for omnipotence is a necessary condition of deity.

The question, in a more syllogistic form, goes as such: If God has the ability to do everything, then God can create a situation where He cannot to do something (situation X). If God cannot create situation X, then He is not omnipotent—due to His inability to create situation X. However, if God can create situation X then again, He cannot be omnipotent—due to that which situation X implies. To put it simply, if God is omnipotent, then He has the power to be not-omnipotent. Either way, it seems we are trapped, and forced to admit that God cannot be omnipotent. Or are we?

It is of the utmost importance that we define biblical terms biblically. If we place secular definitions on biblical terms then we are setting ourselves up for trouble and confusion. What did the writers of the Bible mean by the word omnipotent? In Scripture, to many's surprise, we find that there are things that God cannot do. Here are three in particular:

God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Heb 6:18)

God cannot be tempted with evil (James 1:13)

God cannot deny Himself (2 Tim 2:13)

Omnipotence was never intended to mean the ability to do everything. It was meant to describe God's power to do anything according to His own eternal nature. Because God cannot deny Himself, that is, act contrary to His nature, He cannot do that which is logically contradictory, nor can He create logically contradictory scenarios. He cannot create square circles, He cannot make married bachelors, and He cannot not be God. Illogical feats are not feats at all.

So in answer to the question, Can God create a stone so heavy that He can not lift it? No! He cannot.

Never Thirst Again

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

Bible commentator, Albert Barnes, in observing the above passage, remarked that the soul by nature is "... like a traveler wandering through ... a desert. It is thirsting for happiness, and seeking it everywhere, and finds it not. It looks in all directions and tries all objects, but in vain. Nothing meets its desires. Though a sinner seeks for joy in wealth and pleasures, yet he is not satisfied. He still thirsts for more, and seeks still for happiness in some new enjoyment. To such a weary and unsatisfied sinner the grace of Christ is as cold waters to a thirsty soul."

Christ promises us satisfaction that no other object can offer. People spend their entire lives searching for such satisfaction, but never find it. Many things in this world can offer a temporary fix—whether it be traveling, relationships, drugs, or meditation—but once the trip is over, the relationship has settled down, the high has worn off, and the mantras have ceased, they find their feet back in the sand and their throats once again parched. After all, why should a finite experience offer anything more than a finite fulfillment? The human heart desires something more, something greater, something eternal.

The body is ever in need of hydration; consequently it must be replenished with water from some external source. The soul alike is in need of spiritual water, and this too must come from some external Source. This Source is Christ; and He offers us what nothing else can. He offers to satisfy the eternal longing of the heart and bring to an end the wearisome search for everlasting fulfilment. "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Rev 22:17)

No Veils in France

A couple months ago—I know, I know, this is old news; but I didn't have a blog then—the President of France, Nicolas Sarcozy, announced that a ban on veils, worn by Muslim women, would soon be enforced. Here's an image of a full-veiled Muslim woman—

The reason for this ban? —Sarcozy states, "The full veil is contrary to the dignity of women. ... The response is to ban it. The government will table a draft law prohibiting it."

What strange reasoning! He seems to think that while these veils are contrary to the dignity of women, prohibiting their choice to dress how they'd like is not contrary to the dignity of women. So what if a Muslim woman wants to wear a veil over her face. Sure, it's a shame that their religion and culture require them to do such a thing, but nonetheless, it ought to be their right to do it. If a woman wants to wear a grocery bag over her head with holes cut out for the eyes, then by all means, let her carry on. Is the French government also going to enforce the prohibition of ghost costumes on Halloween? Or the use of veils for skin cancer victims?

This is nothing less than a hammer blow to religious freedom. French Muslims are thus not at liberty to practice their religion according to the dictates of their own conscience. But is this ban surprising? Not at all. The Islamic population in Europe is growing at an alarming and unstoppable rate. By year 2050 the Islamic population will be 25-30% of the Euro population.The secularism of Europe cannot win this war. The only option? —pass laws. It is a shame that France is willing to sacrifice virtuous principles to save an inevitably dying breed.

Salvation Lies Without

As Eastern spirituality is exponentially permeating Western culture, many of its teachings are becoming commonplace. We are so bombarded with the maxim, Salvation lies within, that many people have not even entertained the possibility of an extrinsic salvation. But one thing we do all seem to affirm—we need salvation. The nature and definition of salvation may differ from religion to religion, however we can all agree that something ain't right, and this something needs changing.

I am often baffled as to how this whole salvation lies within doctrine has gained so much territory. When one looks into his own heart, into the depths of his soul, he will not find the solution; he will find the problem. It is the self that needs to be saved, not the self that does the saving. The English writer, G.K. Chesterton once received an invitation to respond to a question sent out by The Times, asking, "What's Wrong with the World?". Chesterton delightfully responded in the form of a letter which read: "Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton". How such simple words express such a great truth!

In Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he states that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." (Rom 8:7). Take notice that the mind is not at enmity against God, but is enmity against God. The mind does not have a problem that needs correction; the mind is the problem, and it needs transformation. This transformation, of course, cannot be conducted by the self when it is the self that needs to be transformed. A laptop with a dead battery cannot reboot without any help from outside; it has no power, and thus no ability to reboot.

Salvation can come from no other place than the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is to Calvary where we must fix our eyes. For it was there that Christ has redeemed mankind and gave us the gift of eternal life. It is by His blood, that was shed for the sins of the world, that the self may be transformed into the creature that God intended it to be. Through Christ, and Him alone, can the darkest and most wretched of souls come out a saint on the other side. The answer indeed is not found from within, but from without. "Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah." (Psalms 3:8).