The Mind of God (Warning: REALLY long one)

25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[or: and so] all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[or: will be] my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”[Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jeremiah 31:33,34]

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now[some manuscripts do not have now] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

 Romans - Chapter 11:Verses 25-32

First let me say that Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible. Second, let me emphasize my love of this book by qualifying it with the statement that I struggle very much with Paul's contributions to the new testament and still I love this book...but that is a blog for another day.

So, on my own advice from the previous blog, I decided to select a passage about acceptance and then try to understand God's intent as set forth by that passage.

In my younger years, I struggled greatly with the idea that a person's blood could make God "love them more" as the "chosen" people. While you could convert to the religion, you couldn't become one of the chosen blood...but, if you were lucky, your children might be able to. Let's also state, for the record, that such a perspective was NOT set forth by God, but rather by the patriarchs of the Israelites; for God, all mortal blood is equal, but the intentions of the heart through which such blood flows, those could set you apart in the eyes of God (another topic for another blog).

According to this passage, God allowed, even "bound [us] over to," become disobedient, "so that He may have mercy on [us] all." So wait, let me get this straight: God allowed, even caused, mankind to become disobedient to His will in order that it should be made apparent to all mankind that we need God's mercy. Well, yeah, actually, that's about it - at least according to Paul. Did I mention that God's nature can become complex the more you try to examine and explain it?

Paul's passage here assumes a few things that, as readers, if you do not also assume, or do not qualify under, then this passage won't apply to you or won't seem logical.
1) The reader understands that there is one true God and that to refuse/disobey His will is to sin
2) We as humans, creations of God, require His mercy and forgiveness of our disobedience in order to be able to draw near to Him
3) Drawing near to God is the purpose of our existence

If you can accept the above premises, then Paul's explanation seems logical. In order to realize how much God loves us, He had to allow us to arrive at a place where we could not fulfill our purpose for existing without the aid of His love. It's sort of like the dating catch 22: you wouldn't know a good guy when you meet him unless you've known a few really awful guys first.

More than explaining those premises and Paul's logic though, if we are to believe Paul's explanation to come even remotely close to the truth, what I would like to focus on is the possibility that the rebellion of mortals is actually a part of the master plan. For whatever reason, humans learn best through misery, tragedy, and suffering. (You think I'm wrong? Look at history or any other socio-religious philosophy. There's a reason initiation into schools of knowledge was/is often accompanied by physical rigors - again, another topic for another blog)

So, did God risk the souls of the rebellious to save the souls of the more timidly doubtful? I don't know. I have no idea why God set up our world and our faith the way He did, or why they have both arrived at their somewhat lamentable states. As a Christian, the single most difficult tenant of my faith is the idea that those who refuse the mercy offered by God through Jesus Christ will perish eternally and never fulfill their purpose for existing: to draw near to God. In the same book that holds this agonizing tenant, I find some semblance of relief:

1) I am not seated at the right hand of God in pure, irreproachable victory...I am therefore (thank God above) never going to be called to judge the soul of another creature. For some who call themselves Christians, the idea that they have been given permission, or have even been tasked, to proclaim the judgment of God against the actions of others, is as natural as breathing; completely obvious. I don't know, maybe I am supposed to warn people against acting on sinful motivations or turning away from God...maybe I'm failing as a Christian because I don't share that most important warning with others...but, I just, I can't believe that I truly know the will of God for another person (geez, isn't it difficult enough to figure out what the will of God is for just me?)

2) God obviously loves all humans, Israelite or not. Our faith posits the stories and trials and triumphs that depict all the ways God has tried to show His love for us. And the above passage does state "so that he may have mercy on them all." But you know, love, in order to be true love, must be returned, and returned freely and happily.

3) Those who find themselves rebelling against God, whether by their own choice or because God "prompted" them to rebel and they failed to recognize their rebellion and seek a way out of it, don't actually care whether they draw closer to God as we know Him as Christians (we will discuss those who never have the opportunity to know about God and Christ in yet another blog post - this is a VERY misunderstood aspect of Christianity). Most non-Christians I have discussed the idea of redemption and damnation with simply don't care whether they are "damned" or if they ever draw closer to the Christian God. They are aware of the Christian faith, they are aware of the God who is at the heart of that faith, they have, in most cases, been asked at some point to embrace our faith and our God...but they made a conscious decision to reject both. While the consequences of that decision may be known or unknown, they were weighed in that person's consideration before choosing to ignore them. And I have to respect that choice. Whether it causes me anguish as a Christian or not, it simply is not my place to dissuade them through cajoling or fear-mongering or empty promises. I can, however, express my contentment with my life, my faith, and my God and offer the opportunity to find out more about any of those to someone who may, one day, wake up in their rebellion and turn to seek God.

One final note about judgment and understanding what is sin: accepting and loving the PERSON, doesn't mean I ignore or accept their ACTIONS; I can love another and still not approve of their choices - in so far as that person doesn't define themselves by their actions, this is a working theory for both parties. But I wasn't told to judge the actions of an unbeliever, I was told to love all men and to chastise my brothers and sisters in the faith when necessary...if they aren't within the faith, I may make them aware of how my faith views their actions, but I cannot, in good conscience, chastise someone who didn't consent to the Christian family values.