Friday: Further Thought ~ Playing God
Further Study:
“Is it by conditions that we receive salvation?—Never by conditions that we come to Christ. And if we come to Christ, then what is the condition? The condition is that by living faith we lay hold wholly and entirely upon the merits of the blood of a crucified and risen Saviour. When we do that, then we work the works of righteousness.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
But when God is calling the sinner in our world, and inviting him, there is no condition there; he draws by the invitation of Christ, and it is not, Now you have got to respond in order to come to God. The sinner comes, and as he comes and views Christ elevated upon that cross of Calvary, which God impresses upon his mind, there is a love beyond anything that is imagined that he has taken hold of.” — Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 6, p. 32.
Discussion Questions:
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Summary:
Isaiah saw that following Assyria, Babylon would conquer Judah. But he also saw that in spite of superhuman rulers of the darkness of this world (Eph: 6:12) working through God’s human enemies and presuming to play God, the Lord would decisively prevail and bring eternal peace to our troubled planet.
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There are a couple of observations that can be made at the end of this weeks lesson.
Playing God doesn't work
If we look at those who have elevated self, either personal or organisational, above the role of God, they ultimately come to nought. They become a footnote in history. Ultimately Lucifer will pay the same price. At a personal spiritual level, we have been admonished many times to lead by loving service. That is something we tend to forget when we become good at our tasks and people start to flatter you.
The Persistence of God's Word
It is not mentioned in the lesson, but it is interesting to note that both Babylon and the Papacy played a role in preserving God's word. If Babylon had not taken the cream of the Hebrew scholarship captive, it is quite probable that the Torah and other scriptures would not have been preserved in the way that they are. Babylon provided the environment and technology to ensure that God's Word was preserved. Likewise, the fact that the monastic libraries held the manuscripts that now comprise the modern Bible should not be overlooked. While, often they ignored the message contained in these manuscripts they were preserved, sometimes even by neglect. God uses the circumstances and often even the enemy to accomplish his will.
Seventh-day Adventists could probably learn a lesson from history. We are often proud of our achievements in Biblical interpretation and take pride in the fact that we have a prophet who guided in the development of our church. We like to promote ourselves as the "people of the book", and the inheritors of the Reformation legacy. How much of that is pride and how much of that is a personal relationship with Jesus?
That keeps our feet on the ground and our nose pointing in the right direction!
Playing God - what an odd title for this week! Maybe it comes from children playing and pretending to be something they are not like a teacher or policeman.
"The author explained - this week, among other things, we’ll take a look at the origin of pride and self-exaltation."
I learned that it is about humans who exalt themselves to take the place of God and it is not playing but a very serious matter.
It happened in Isaiah's time and the Holy Spirit through Paul has warned us that at the end of the world, once more, the devil will, through his human agent pretend to be God, and order everyone to worship and obey him or suffer the consequences.
But the LORD has promised that this will be the last time and the devil will be exposed for who he really is and he and his followers will be destroyed.
Shirley - thank you for providing this important passage. It points out what opens man up to be deceived - v.10: "because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them."
The KJVersion of v.12 reads: "That they all might be damned wo believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Those who perish 'love' the 'unrighteousness of self' more than they love the 'Righteousness of the *Word of God* - Christ Jesus'.
The other thought coming to mind relates to the Temple of God. We are the Temple where God wants to reside. When those who perish give the lie access to them, the evil one resides in them.
I wish that the author could also explain the origins of the title. Thank you for a simplest explanation. Now lesson 6 is easy to understand from this point of view.
If I may ask? When that child assumes or plays the position or the role, would it be from the point of pride?
Is character playing a danger?
Runnin, in my opinion when children are pretending to be another character they know it is not real, and it is good away of learning about the world.
Saying people are playing god is really being sarcastic about people or even the devil who think they have power and authority like God when they are really fooling themselves.
How do we contemplate the cross? By meditating, studying the Word, praying (speaking and hearing God). Learning from Christ is to put on His mantle of Grace! Empathy! How can we develop Christ's character? We need a real experience! A real relationship with the Master!
Unreserved, unconditional, unqualified, unlimited – all these adjectives describe the breadth and depth of the Faith of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, Emanuel “God with us”.
For me, all learning taking place when reading and studying the Scriptures has become an exercise for my faith. Nothing can be accomplished to 'work out' my Salvation without applying faith in what I have learned and understood to be the Father’s Truth and live accordingly.
I see today’s wrap-up lesson in the context of the Christian's Salvation and asked myself: "What is the medium which contains our physical body’s life – is this not the blood"? – Lev.17:11KJV. Not yet having experienced the full extent of our faith, measured by the willingness to give up the right to ‘our’ blood(life) should it be required of us, can we truly, assuredly say that we will be able to remain *faithful* unto death? The Son of God, Christ in the body of man, chose to take faithfulness to its ultimate end as He gave up the right to protect and keep His blood - His Life!
Isa.26:9KJV – “…for when your judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”
We know that this world cannot achieve an all-mankind-including righteousness until the New World has been established. In the meantime, mankind is offered its own version to bring about righteousness – the ‘New World Order’.
What can the faithful believer do until that 'great and terrible day of the Lord' comes? Humbling ourselves and so acknowledge and accept that we are a creature entirely dependent on its Creator is the first step; walking in God's Will and Way - the Son of God - will follow through applied faith.
John6:50-58KJV – v.50:”I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” The Savior of man was willing to stay committed to His Faith, going all the way as He gave up the right to His Life when it was demanded of Him by the sinful acts of man.
Only the Father of mankind offers true life, the only life which can be called Life. It is not a better life for the flesh, but the Life given and maintained by the Spirit of God gives peace to the heart and mind as it is embodied in His Son, our Savior.
Christ Jesus says: v.56: “he that eateth(applies Faith) my flesh and drinketh my blood (applied faith), (true Life)dwelleth in me, and I in him. v.57: As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth(applies faith) me, even he shall live by me.
v.58: This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth(applies me by living faith) of this bread shall live for ever.”
We observe that some have taken this spiritual Truth and made it a focus point for ritualistic worship by diverting the heart and mind’s eye from 'seeing' the spiritual application of this Truth and placing it on the physical object – blood and bread. Both are but a metaphor to the real Truth which is, that the resurrected living Word of God, His Son, our Savior Christ Jesus, has provided access to the ability to change and does continue to change the essence/soul of man through His Faithfulness.
Assyria, the Arm of Flesh, and Babylon/Lucifer, the fallen angel’s life-destroying lies, have both lost the fight for the soul of man. Now, the time has come when man can understand that true Life is found only when faithfully living and experiencing the 'Word of God', the 'Son of God', the 'Savior', the 'Lord and Master' - Christ Jesus – Emanuel, “God with us”.
If we are the "people of the book" and the inheritors of the Reformation legacy, are we missing something in our understanding of the "book" and the heritage of the Reformers? Could we be "Playing God" in some unknown way or our own ungodly way? Repent, Revive and Reform until the coming of the Lord.
When we are truly converted we won't want to play God anymore. We will claim 1 John 4:4:
The power who makes all things, the universe too big to comprehend, the blazing sun too mighty to look at, who raises life up from the dead and hovers over the void and darkness to create beauty, THAT power lives in us!! Why do we strain and strain when all we have to do is ask?
Dear Lord, I lay everything that is "me" at Your feet. I am Yours, to do with as You want. Tenderly be reckless with all You have given me, to accomplish Your purposes. Please remove from me all pride, all wants that have nothing to do with You. The story and potential of "my" life I release and throw to You, catch me up into the whipping winds of Your Holy Spirit. Stir us, stir us ALL up. You are God and we are Your people. Have Your own way with us, Potter, says this little bit of Your earth and modeling clay. Mold us and make us, after Your will. We bow to You, we surrender everything to You, in Jesus' name, Amen.
If only we could grasp the totality of the gift God offers us. His Son, His righteousness, His love, His strength, instruction, correction, insight, wisdom and anything we need to accomplish great things in His name.
When pride rises up in the human heart and mind it’s ridiculous in the spiritual world. It’s like having a worm be part of a serious council meeting. It’s movement and actions revered and sought after as though power was within the worm to create intelligence or change time or reveal future events.
I thank God for His great love and long suffering patience with His people. With a desire and faith to let Him lead (which He will give us), we will overcome our weaknesses and do all things through Christ Who is ever willing to help and strengthen us.
How does one "play God"? A single departure from His will in order to "do our thing" is how we do this. We are fallen, and often prove it by words and actions, and these always preceded by making a choice. Our guilt comes from knowing God's will while still choosing to turn from it in unbelief. It may also be the result of not seeking to know God's will and thinking to plead ignorance, yet this will never get traction in the judgment. Paul urges the church to "be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is"(Eph 5:17). Those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" will be filled, according to Jesus' teaching.
So pride goes before destruction, but what allows pride to even exist? The best answer I can find is unbelief, which is the polar opposite of faith.
Playing God is a trap, and the great adversary will supply endless enticements to draw us into this deception which many follow willfully to their ruin, as examples from our study demonstrate, which is why we do well to take heed lest we deceive ourselves.
What a blessing, "the Truth of the Lord", which endures forever(Ps 117:2)!