Healing Incompatible with the Blueprint!
As long as we carry the misconception that sickness and evil is part and parcel of God's sovereignty, we haven't meditated deeply enough on the Incarnation and the Crucifixion. Nor will we join Christ in destroying the works of the devil.
Greg Boyd writes,
In my view, every other understanding of divine providence [read: the models where God determines everything] to some extent diminishes the sovereignty and glory of God. It brings God's wisdom and power down to the level of finite human thinking. We would need to control or possess a blueprint of all that is to occur ahead of time to steer world history effectively. But the true God is far wiser, far more powerful, and far more secure than we could ever imagine. Remember whom we are speaking about. This is the omnipotent Creator who "flexes His omnipotent muscle, "as it were, by being born in a stable, growing up with the stigma of being an illegitimate child, hanging out with sinners. . . and [dying] on the cross! To the natural understanding this is foolishness, but to the apostle Paul, it is the wisdom and power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). This demonstrates that the normal human way of thinking about sovereignty only as control is misguided (see Matt. 20:25-28). God is so sovereign, he chooses to save the world by allowing himself to become weak. Since Jesus is for believers the very definition of God (John 1:18, 14:7-10; Heb. 1:3), we must not think of the cross as an exception to the way God really is. Rather, the cross constitutes the supreme example of the way God is. God rules by love, not control. God's unchanging gracious character leads him to change in response to us. God's glory is displayed in his allowing himself to be affected by us. And God's sovereignty partly consists in his openness to us and the future we help create.
Greg Boyd writes,
In my view, every other understanding of divine providence [read: the models where God determines everything] to some extent diminishes the sovereignty and glory of God. It brings God's wisdom and power down to the level of finite human thinking. We would need to control or possess a blueprint of all that is to occur ahead of time to steer world history effectively. But the true God is far wiser, far more powerful, and far more secure than we could ever imagine. Remember whom we are speaking about. This is the omnipotent Creator who "flexes His omnipotent muscle, "as it were, by being born in a stable, growing up with the stigma of being an illegitimate child, hanging out with sinners. . . and [dying] on the cross! To the natural understanding this is foolishness, but to the apostle Paul, it is the wisdom and power of God (1 Cor. 1:18). This demonstrates that the normal human way of thinking about sovereignty only as control is misguided (see Matt. 20:25-28). God is so sovereign, he chooses to save the world by allowing himself to become weak. Since Jesus is for believers the very definition of God (John 1:18, 14:7-10; Heb. 1:3), we must not think of the cross as an exception to the way God really is. Rather, the cross constitutes the supreme example of the way God is. God rules by love, not control. God's unchanging gracious character leads him to change in response to us. God's glory is displayed in his allowing himself to be affected by us. And God's sovereignty partly consists in his openness to us and the future we help create.
Boyd, Greg. God of the Possible, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2000, pp. 68-9.
Let us help Him create a future where it is on earth as it is in heaven.
Isaac:
ReplyDeleteBoyd's comments seem right on here, especially in light of Jesus' clear teaching to us to pray that his kingdom would come, on the earth, just as it is in heaven . . . the effective range of God's will is extended to all areas of human existence, through our efforts with His help.
Thanks for this nice reminder.
--Abu Yaqub.