Freedom of God

We live in the age of democracy. Most of us are living in countries where all citizens are considered equal and are free. This freedom is limited to certain things which our government has given us as privilege, say for example right to freedom of speech, right to practice and profess any religion etc. But still we are not free in the fullest sense. For example, we are bound to the law of gravity even if I want to break from it, we cannot. We cannot stop time and go back to the past or future. We cannot control our aging process. We are not free from physical death. These are some of the things from which we are not free. There are so many things like that in our lives. So we are not free indeed in many things. But this is not the case with God.

God is free in absolute sense. He is not time bound. He is the one who created gravity and the laws of this universe. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is not bound to anything in this universe. He needs no councils and he is not under any other creation’s authority be it visible or invisible ones.

To reiterate that fact, let us look at two passages from scripture.

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? "Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'? (Job 38:2-11)”

Here God is asking a series of rhetoric questions to Job to make him understand His absolute power and His wisdom in how the entire creation has been created through His power. The above passage is just an example which I have quoted to state the point I am trying to convey. I will give another example from scripture to prove the absolute freedom God is having:

“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" (Dan 4:35)

Nebuchadnezzar was a king of Babylon. During his period, Babylon was the only superpower nation of the world and almost all other civilized nations were under its control either directly or through diplomatic supremacy, somewhat like our present day United States. As a ruler and king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was proud about his accomplishments. Immediately, God gave him some mental illness and he was so humiliated that he was put to stay along with animals. Then he realised his folly and understood that there is God who is so powerful and mighty with absolute freedom to do whatever He wants to in this universe, who is much greater than the greatest king in the world.

These are some of the examples given in Scripture to show us the absolute freedom God is having. He is free to do whatever He wants to do. There is nothing which God cannot do. God is not bound to any other authority.

There are some people who ask questions like this: If God is having absolute freedom, then why is there suffering in this world? Where is God when we suffer? Can God stop all sufferings in this world?

Before giving a straight forward answer, let us remember who God is in first place. God need not have to create this universe. Even if God didn’t create this universe, even if He didn’t create any of the creation in this universe, He would have been the same. He is in no way dependant on us. Even if He didn’t create any human beings, He will be the same and he could have might as well not created anyone or anything. So the question is not ‘Can God eradicate sufferings in this world?’ but rather ‘Should God eradicate sufferings in this world?’ In other words, is God under some higher authority, where He is bound to eradicate sufferings in this world? Bible’s answer to that question is no. God is the highest authority in this universe. He is answerable to no one.

Inspite of having such absolute power, God’s only son, Jesus Christ though He has the exact nature of God, yet He chose out of His absolute freedom to become humble and take the form of human flesh and took up the cross and died for us so that we can be free from our sins. How great our God is! The very God who has absolute freedom chose to take up the worst form of bondage so as to give us freedom! Now when we ask the question why we are suffering, we should also ask this question, why God who has absolute power and freedom, should also suffer in the worst way possible? This is the only answer: “He does all that he pleases.” (Psa 115:3)

What is the application of knowing about God’s absolute freedom for us? Firstly it gives us a sense of awe and wonder about how great our God is. We worship a God who has absolute power and authority. Also this gives us humility to know how inadequate and weak we are. Inspite of this contrast, God chose to love us so much so that He gave us His only son, the Lord God Jesus Christ for the sake of our redemption from our sins. How great is the love of God?

Second thing which we can learn from this attribute is that, there is nothing beyond God’s control. Even if we think our life is so messed up, God can change that and make it a God honouring one. The best example for that is the life of Samson. We know that Samson was not faithful to God fully when he was in his youth. But towards the end of his life, when he was blind and bounded, when his life was in absolute shambles, God used him mightily so much so that the final battle is one of the greatest battle ever he had fought against the Philistines.

This is the same God upon whom we have our faith in. Therefore let us bow down and worship such an awesome God with full reverence and honor and be hopeful that He would lead us to Shalom one day. May the Lord bless us all!

On Secret Sins - Excerpts from Puritan writer S.S. Smith

It has been a long time since I have written an article in this blog. Hopefully I would be able to be regularly update this blog in future, God willing. Today I would like to share some thoughts on 'secret sins' and ways to overcome them.

What is Secret Sin?

Secret sins are those which are committed either in our hearts or flesh which no one else who are close to us may know except God. These may appear benign but most of them have fallen into horrendous acts of evil because they have let the secret sins to dwell in their lives.  How can we identify and make ourselves pure from secret sins?

1) Fear of God:

The starting point of any sins in our lives would be because of the lack of fear of God. So to overcome this sin, we would have to have the holy reverence and honor for God both in our thoughts and actions.

Exodus 20:20 "“Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 

2) Lack of knowledge of Word of God:

We sin in our lives because we don't know what exactly sin is. In order to know that we have to go back to scripture and meditate upon it to identify what are all the areas which are not pleasing to God so that we don't do it.

Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;

Listen to the words of the puritan on this:

"Those who are least informed, indeed, cannot be wholly ignorant of the evil of these vices, but, unacquainted with the holiness and extent of the divine law, the high degree of their criminality is, in a great measure, unknown to them. They are covered with the guilt of secret faults, and are sinking into perdition, unconscious of the load that is pressing them down." 

3) Love of self:

Our Lord Jesus has given a call to all of us deny our self.  

"Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mat 16:24

The reason for such call of Jesus is because we are all totally evil in our being. Our minds are totally corrupt and our natural tendency is to do evil. No man born in this world is innocent. Who has taught a child to steal chocolates from the jar? It just come naturally for all men. So the reason why we entertain secret sins is because we love our self and follow what our hearts desire rather than doing the will of God.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?"

"Of all the principles of self-deceit pleasure is the most powerful, and opens the widest field for those impositions which men are daily passing upon themselves. They are easily deceived where they already wish to be deceived. Whatever yields them pleasure they are studious to justify. All the fallacies of reason are mustered up to defend the favorite indulgence, and to overcome those scruples that fill the mind, and oppose themselves to the first approaches of vice. "

3)Culture and society around us:

We are the products of our culture. We tend to take things for granted because everyone around us does those things. Many of our habitual sins are because of this kind of reasoning. Some sins are so specific for a particular culture. This has been repeatedly seen in history. For example, abortion is so common in our society and many people don't even consider it as sin. Even 30 years ago, homosexuality was considered an 'abomination' in west, but now it's just a 'lifestyle' because of the influence of the culture. We may also entertain may sins in our lives because others around us are doing it. Smith calls this 'general influence'. 

"In consequence of that mysterious sympathy by which men are drawn together, and formed on each other's character and model, they slide insensibly into manners that are continually presented to view in the public example. Custom they confound in their ideas with propriety. And, in a thousand instances, we daily see folly lose its impertinence, and frivolity, deformity, and even vice cease to disgust when recommended and justified by fashion. The best of men frequently perceive their zeal for the glory of God, and the highest interests of human nature, languish through the lukewarmness and formality that have invaded the great body of their fellow Christians. They contract some taint in their own manners from the general license in the midst of which they live. "Because iniquity abounds the love of many waxes cold."

4) Our Secular Education:

One of the most important reason Smith gives for secret sins is the influence of education. What we learn in our classroom, the underlying philosophies, drive the culture of the society. For that, I can show from the culture of my country. Indian culture of the 80s is different from the present culture because of education. The early indian culture considered traditional family morality, virtue, honesty and love for others more important than money and hedonism. Entered the education of 90s which taught us, the children of that time, that money and hedonism are the centre of everything in life. The society taught us, to become a doctor or an engineer and grow in our career, as the greatest achievement of the life. This effect is seen in the present age. Both husband and wife goes for work leaving their children to day care from the age of 1 for earning more money. This has resulted in broken marriages, broken children, increased violence against women, increased corruption in the society, abortion, etc. This is just an example. Historians attribute the fall of roman empire to the influence of education during that time, which destroyed that society to barbarianism. 

This will affect our churches too. Who is called a good Christian according to our culture? Anyone who is not offending others by telling them anything that offends them. Many students fellowship don't talk about worship because it can offend people. This kind of reasoning is because of the predominant worldview of our society 'New age thinking'. The term 'agree to disagree' has come because of this faulty reasoning.

Much more are they liable to errors in their conduct of inferior moment from the false principles which the frailty of reason and the prejudices of education frequently mingle with the religious systems of the best of men. -- They maintain, perhaps, the basis of divine truth; but they erect upon it a superstructure, in many instances, incorporated with errors of greater or less magnitude. In whatever degree such errors exist, in the same proportion is the spirit of their piety impaired, and the system of their virtues rendered imperfect. According to the figure of the apostle, if they build on the solid foundation of the gospel, wood, hay, stubble, that is, any erroneous principles that lead to an unholy practice, their works shall be burnt, but themselves shall be saved yet so as by fire -- the fire shall consume all the false additions that have been made to this rock of ages which supports the faith and hope of every real believer. Yet, till the day when the fire shall try them, the mistaken professors of the gospel may not only remain blind to the imperfections of their own character, but even flatter themselves with the idea of their innocence or their merit.

With this in mind, let us seek to glorify God by repenting of our secret sins and asking God to mercifully deliver us from them.