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NASB | Psalm 2:11 Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Psalm 2:11 Worship the LORD and serve Him with reverence [with awe-inspired fear and submissive wonder]; Rejoice [yet do so] with trembling. |
Bible Question:
Brian, In asking this question, I am seeking to know how other Christians view God's fundamental right to govern men. For example, some see that the mere fact that God is Creator gives him that right. It seems to suggest the phrase I have heard in a movie, "I brought you into the world and I can take you out of the world." If something like this phrase is intended in understanding God's right to govern humankind (something, it seems, StJohn seems to suggest), it makes God's rule seem rather harsh. Is the mere fact that God created man the only reason why God has a right to rule over men or is there another more legitimate basis for understanding this divine right? |
Bible Answer: LockN Before we go any further, asking this type of academic-style of question in order to understand the fullness of Christ’s message is fine and acceptable and I have no problem with you asking it. However, to ask the same question as a challenge to the First Commandment is to put ourselves into the role of judging God. We would be judging whether God should be allowed to make this demand of us; whether the demand is fair and just; and we would be challenging God’s wisdom. Regardless of the final outcome of our judgment, we are saying that our intellect, our fairness and our ability to judge, is greater than God’s. And that would be wrong. • In your response you said “Is the mere fact that God created man the only reason why God has a right to rule over men or is there another more legitimate basis for understanding this divine right?” My response that there is a more complete answer to Divine Right. In addition to creating man, God created not just man, but everything including Divine Rights. Who has a greater wisdom for granting and deciding rights and privileges, than God? Nobody. It is God’s right to make any demand He chooses of man and man does not share in that Divine Right to challenge God. • Towards what end or purpose was God’s reason for creating man? My response is for unity with God. This is an important question, because our relationship with God is predicated on His purpose of creating us. In John 17, Jesus prayed for our unity with God and with Jesus. This was God’s reason for creating us. • What compelled God to create man – what was the driving force which caused God to act? o Was it an external force or urge driving God to create man? No, because prior to creation, there was nothing outside of God. After creation, there is nothing outside of God powerful enough to compel or force God to act. o Was it an internal force; some thing or some need within God; driving God to create man? No, because that would imply that God created man in order to fulfill some form of deficiency, incompleteness or void within God. God is whole and complete. o The only reason remaining as to why God created man is compassion. – love. • We have love as God’s driving force for creating man; with the end purpose of God’s act of creation being our unity with God. • With love being God’s reason for creating man, it is safe to say that God would follow through, after the act of creation, in a manner which would be for our continued best interest, including protecting and nurturing man. God would not create man with the purpose of unity with God and then abandon man to the evil one. Ours is a jealous and protective God. • Should our unity with God be on our terms, God’s terms, or someone else’s terms? When comparing God’s terms to our terms for the purpose of union with God, God’s wisdom is infinitely greater than ours. As such, man will experience far greater enjoyment and good from our union with God by following God. As far as someone else defining the terms of our relationship with God, the evil one does not work to accomplish God’s purpose. Brian |