Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
Our new quarter’s lesson is titled “The Great Controversy” with Mark Findley as the principal contributor. And the first lesson of this new quarter is titled “The War Behind All Wars”. I am really looking forward to this quarter’s study. Mark Findley has been such a blessing to so many, and to our denomination. It will be thought-provoking to study this topic, once again, with Mark’s insights to stimulate us as we are guided by the Holy Spirit. That is always the key, is it not? The key is to be guided by the Holy Spirit and not our own intents and purposes. God can and will guide us, if we remain open and desirous of His leading. Each lesson is like a grand adventure, if we are willing to be led. “What will God show me? How will it increase my “horizon”? How will it reveal the Divine more and more? How can I walk even closer and know Him better and better? This is the point of our “Bible Study Guide” to show us our Father more and more… and enable us to reflect Him more and more.
With this thought in mind, I will close this brief weekly “thought” with a question. “What is the Great Controversy about?” What is the issue? Is it about good versus evil? Almost all religions in the world have a controversy between good and evil. Even in the pantheon of mythological gods, the good “gods” fought against the evil “gods”. Is it about Christ versus Satan? Almost all Christian religions have that controversy. But what is the controversy over? That is really the question. What is it that Christ is promoting versus what Satan is promoting? Satan is not so foolish as to promote “evil”. Few, if any, chase “evil” for evil’s sake. So, what is the controversy about?
Our denomination has known and promoted the real issue for some time. The real issue is about the character of God. For example, here is an EGW quote…
“(Satan) sought to cast his shadow across the earth, that men might lose the true views of God's character, and that the knowledge of God might become extinct in the earth… God was represented as severe, exacting, revengeful, and arbitrary… The very attributes that belonged to the character of Satan, the evil one represented as belonging to the character of God” (Signs of the Times 1/20/1890).
This is the real controversy. It is over the character of God Himself. Isn’t that the issue with the initial temptation of Eve? Satan claimed that God is a liar and cannot be trusted. And if God cannot be trusted, then you will become your own god. As God Himself said in the “garden” after Adam and Eve’s fall, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil” (Genesis 3:22). Meaning, to discern, to be the determiner of good and evil. Adam and Eve now did not trust God, so they trusted themselves to be the determiner of good and evil… not trusting God to be the determiner. Satan had misrepresented God’s character and led Adam and Eve to make themselves their own God. Precisely what Satan wanted for Himself… to be his own god.
So here is the last question for each of us… “Have you and I bought Satan’s misinterpretation of God’s character?” Is God;
SEVERE = strongly critical or condemnatory?
EXACTING = fault-finding and burdensome?
REVENGEFUL = cruel, hateful, determined to get even?
ARBITRARY = based on individual preference rather than the intrinsic nature of something?
EGW says those 4 character-traits are Satan’s, not God’s. I hope you do not have a god who is like those 4 traits. Is your God arbitrary (commanding something just because He says to? We have said the Sabbath is an arbitrary test of obedience. Oops. That is using Satan’s interpretation). Is your God exacting and fault-finding? Is it burdensome to follow Him? Is God’s justice retributive (revengeful)? You can see how these character traits can be revealed in subtle ways as we describe our loving Father. We may be guilty of misrepresenting God even as we seek to vindicate His character.
Some thoughts as we study this quarter. Keep in mind that the deceptions swirling around God are so subtle that almost ½ of God’s angels were deceived. And believed Lucifer’s interpretation of God’s character. Let us always lean-into God and His Holy Spirit. Let us not interpret anything with out His Spirit of love and truth. If we use anything else, we are not in our right mind.
What's all the fuss about? It's about our picture of God, which is everything. Afterall, you become like the one you worship and admire.
With brotherly love,
Jim