Friday, March 29, 2013

Theologians Go Bankrupt

A well known conservative TV personality recently made the statement that the Bible is allegorical.  He further explained that it wasn't scientific to believe that Jonah was a real man that was swallowed by a real fish.  I do not judge that man, but I must ask a couple of  questions:

·         "Does your theology begin with God or with science?"

·         "Is your God of this world or did your God make this world?"

·         "If you cannot  believe God can keep a man alive in the belly of a fish, then how can you believe in a virgin giving birth, in a man being raised from the dead, or in a literal heaven?" 

Although it is obvious that some portions of the Bible where clearly meant to be poetical or  allegorical, Jonah was not one of those portions.  Jesus himself said that He would be in the belly of the earth just as was Jonah.  Jesus' faith was not bankrupt.  He routinely demonstrated a faith that was inexplicable.  He healed the sick and raised the dead.  Eventually Jesus literally died, was buried and rose again.  Easter stands an historical testament to a rich Faith; It was not an allegorical resurrection.  Jesus defied science, his religious enemies and the most powerful government on the face of the earth. The great Creator became our Savior and proved that He, as Creator, can supersede the laws of nature. He is God -- the real God.  Sadly, many theologians have invested in the limited understanding and reasoning of mankind rather than the unlimited resources of heaven.  Hence they are bankrupt.  They got nothin'!  All they can offer is another conglomeration of philosophies, rituals and myths. 

Mankind has always invented religions and gods because He is instinctively conscious that there is a God.  Gods of man's own making are easier to deal with because he can craft them according to his own preferences. Unfortunately, those who relegate God to a manageable being that they can define, understand and predict do not have a God at all.  A God one can completely define and understand is no bigger than their brain - what good is a God like that?  I am thankful that I can't figure God out.  I'm glad He is so much wiser than I am that I am often lost in mystery and wonder.  I am glad that you and I can't tell God what to do. I serve a God who has proven His love and His faithfulness.  We can rest in Him as the sovereign ruler of the universe- we can be rich in faith.

Real faith is anything but bankrupt;  real believers are rich.  Those who take the Bible at face value have a God who can heal the sick, raise the dead and prepare an eternal home for them.  Genuine faith allows a person to let go of their sin and guilt through repentance, have those sins washed away in baptism.  True faith leads a believer to a genuine empowerment by a real God who fills them with His Spirit.  Real believers pray for the sick and see them healed. They do not dictate what God should do but they pray to a God who is real and responds to their rich faith.  We serve a God who not only saved a man who was thrown overboard years ago, but who has prepared a place called Heaven -- a real place where there is no sorrow and no one ever dies!  God is way too big to understand and true believers like it that way. His riches will blow your mind -- you can bank on it.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009