Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Universal Human Condition

This post nicely describes how God sees the universal human condition.

Actually, it describes key aspects of C. S. Lewis' ideas, on how God sees the universal human condition. But I think its what the Bible teaches too...

In summary:

1) There is a sense in which God can completely agree with and encourage the fundamental desires of ALL men everywhere. This is because He WANTS the greatest good, the deepest joy, and the eternal satisfaction of His people. Which is, fundamentally, what every single human wants and pursues - even those who self-harm or commit murder. In fact this is essential for true faith - this satisfaction can ONLY be truly realized in God, and part of faith is recognizing this and subsequently pursuing it with the heart.

2) Because God is absolutely committed to this (encouraging and pursuing our fundamental desires with us), there is a real sense in which He MUST oppose most of our own personal attempts. This is because they are usually self-destructive (for us and often for others), and certainly do not succeed in attaining our fundamental desires. Worse, they discourage any real progress towards God's goals and our goals by making light of the satisfying value of Christ.

Read the post and see what you think :)

4 comments:

  1. I recon it is brilliant. I like the analogy of the dog and the lamp post :) The end bit however I am not quite sure of:

    Whatever we desire is either what God is trying to give us as quickly as He can, or else a false picture of what He is trying to give us--a false picture which would not attract us for a moment if we saw the real thing.

    I would agree on specific situations like in relation to a christian or people who will find Christ; but I don't think this sentence applies necessarily to all people. For example If everyone's real desire was God then no one would be in hell as I am sure God would reveal to us and correct us like the dog.

    2 pence

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  2. Yeah I see what you're saying.

    Maybe what he was saying is: You either desire satisfaction through Christ (great!) or you desire satisfaction through 'false pictures' like money/power/drugs (and God is still trying to bring you this satisfaction, but through Christ instead).

    The question I have is this: Sure, we know God works all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What about those who DON'T love God, who AREN'T called?

    Can we truthfully say that God is constantly trying His hardest to bring them ultimate satisfaction? Could it be He either 1) makes no effort (i.e. due to foresight/predestination to the contrary) AND/OR 2) makes effort up to a point, then stops (when their heart becomes hardened)?

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  3. Maybe what he was saying is: You either desire satisfaction through Christ (great!) or you desire satisfaction through 'false pictures' like money/power/drugs (and God is still trying to bring you this satisfaction, but through Christ instead).

    Yeah good point.

    1) makes no effort (i.e. due to foresight/predestination to the contrary) AND/OR 2) makes effort up to a point, then stops (when their heart becomes hardened)?

    or even a mixture of both.

    Can we truthfully say that God is constantly trying His hardest to bring them ultimate satisfaction?

    When considering the verse that states that God desires that none should perish, it implies that He does desire at LEAST some satisfaction for everyone... I would have thought.

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  4. Yeah I know that's a tricky one. I agree that God DESIRES at least some satisfaction for everyone.

    We humans can have multiple conflicting desires. But this doesn't mean we are split personalities. And it doesn't mean we have no clear, unifying vision, or no 'overarching' desire. It means we are complex personal beings - for example, we can sympathize with our children as we discipline them and DESIRE that they are free from suffering, even though we have a clear unifying vision and an overarching desire for their good through the discipline.

    What if God is like us (in this sense)? He may desire none to perish, and desire that all find ultimate satisfaction in Him. But His actions may be directed toward a more foundational, unifying, overarching vision and desire (for the ultimate good of His chosen ones, and for the perfect expression of His beauty and glory). So sometimes these desires may not ever get onto the road which leads to action... they're just signs that God is a complex person.

    Just a thought.

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