Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
GOD & ABRAHAM & ISAAC: HONEST QUESTIONS — 3rd OF 4
Proposition 3: Killing your child because God told you to, violates common sense.
The prologue
This post addresses the third proposition of the four listed in GOD & ABRAHAM & ISAAC: HONEST QUESTIONS — 1st OF 4. A précis of that list being:-
1. The idea of sacrificing Isaac was not God’s idea but Abraham’s.
2. The episode was NOT a literal event that Abraham experienced, but a dream that he had.
3. The very idea violates common sense.
4. God was contradicting the common cultural understanding, at the time, of a real God. He was showing Abraham His (God’s) true nature.
The honest question being, “If you have or had a son and you believe God asked you to kill him for the sake of testing your dedication, would you automatically do it without hesitation as the story indicates?”
Proposition 3: The short supply of common sense
Perhaps you’ve noticed that it has been a long time between drinks for me. The reason is that I stumbled into a study that was deeper than anticipated. It ended up being concerned with God’s Logic.
The intended audience of this post
This article is aimed only at those who profess Jesus as their Saviour because it is written in 1 Corinthians 2:12–14 that Things of the Spirit are not received by Natural Logic.
Those who rely only on human wisdom always conclude, “It makes no sense.”
God has a logic?
The post has been lightened up as much as possible but is still not a light read. If you lean toward Christian Light, best you skip it.
Sir Thomas More, of Henry VIII fame, is credited with the quote,[1]
“God made the angels to show Him splendour, as He made animals for innocence and plants for their simplicity. But Man He made to serve Him wittily, in the tangle of his mind.”
“Tangle” was a good choice of word. As I kept reading what I had written, it was so confused that even I couldn’t decide if it was nonsense. Perhaps you’ll come to the same opinion.
Thinking about God is always heavy for me.
Thinking about God’s Thinking makes my brain hurt.
I’ve always associated logic with Greek thinking patterns — common sense, as it were. The ancient Greeks were good but, comparatively speaking, the Bible puts them in the shade.
I won’t try to explain. Let the Bible speak for itself
It is written in John 1:12–13 || But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And what is His Name?
It is written in Revelation 19:11–13 || Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name (G3686) is called The Word (G3056) of God.
+ G3686 — onoma (ὄνομα) = name. Modern Western Culture has lost the depth of meaning for name.
There is only one Name for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He states, “I AM the God you need when you need Me”. It shows the reputation, fame, glory, authority, ability, and willingness (read ‘eagerness’) of the Name to do what the Name has revealed.
• It is always the correct Name for the situation.
• It is always singular.
• It always shows His person.
• It always shows His qualities.
• It always shows His doctrine.
• It always shows His ethical and moral standards.
• It is not always the Name we would expect for that situation.
THE NAME OF GOD IS HIS PROMISE.
WHEN WE PRAY IN HIS NAME WE REMEMBER HIS PROMISE.
THEREIN LIES THE POWER OF PRAYER.
+ G3056 — logos (λόγος) = word. Modern application being the Greek root of the English word “logic”. That is:-
The Written Word of the Living Word is God declaring His Own Logic to us.
Time to pay attention!
Common Sense: definition
The Dons of Oxford define Common Sense as, “The basic level of practical knowledge and judgement that we all need to help us live in a reasonable and safe way.” An applicable American synonym is horse sense.
Yehovah is so concerned about this that, through King Solomon, He provides two Books of Wisdom.
• Proverbs — thinking using God’s Common Sense. Under Heaven, as it were.
• Ecclesiastes — thinking using Natural Common Sense. Under the sun, as it were.
Solomon, the wisest mere mortal to ever live, sums it all up at the end of Ecclesiastes
12:13–14 ||
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgement,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
In more modern vernacular, “Think using God’s Logic for best results.” (aka God’s Common Sense)
WHAT DOES YEHOVAH THINK OF HUMANITY’S ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN A HEALTHY FEAR OF GOD?
Not much.
God’s view of the Natural Person
It is written in Psalm 94:11 || The Lord knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile.
Why are they futile?
It is written in Job 7:17 || “What is man (H582), that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him.”
H582 — ‘ĕnôš = noun form of the verb H605 — ‘ānaš = to be incurable, to be sick, desperate, desperately wicked, woeful, very sick.
God’s view of Philosophy — the Natural Person’s horse sense
Not much.
It is like trying to lift yourself out of the cesspit by your own hair.
The word is derived from philo- “loving” + sophia “knowledge, wisdom”
Sophist = a person who reasons with clever but false arguments. ‘Lies so clever that they sound like the truth.’
A succinct description is given in Colossians 2:8 || Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy (G5385 — philosophia) and empty ( G2756 — kenos = soap bubble) deceit (G539 — apatē noun form to cheat, beguile, deceive, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.)
Futility on the hoof
Acts 17:21 || For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
INFORMATION IS NOT KNOWLEDGE UNTIL IT AFFECTS YOUR LIFE
How many times have you pointed out some profundity in God’s Book of Logic to the response of, “That’s interesting, I’ll pray about it,” never to have the subject broached again? Then you know it was Christian-speak for, “I’m not interested but I don’t want you to think I’m not interested.”
So? What does Elohim do with Natural Humanity to improve thinking ability?
If you call yourself by His Name, what has happened to you — whether you are aware of it or not — is written in 2 Corinthians 5:17 || Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new (G2537) creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (G2537).
G2537 — kainos = brand new model, fresh from the factory. Not a rusty old tank given a new paint job.
This new model has a Divine GPS, as is written in 1 Corinthians 2:16 || For “who has known the mind (G3563) of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind (G3563) of Christ.
G3563 — nous; νοῦς, (Inflexion νοῦν): noun = The mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining.
HOWEVER, YOU MUST CHOOSE TO USE IT.
TOO MANY BRAIN-FARTS ARE MASQUERADING AS DOCTRINE.
TOO MUCH THINKING ABOUT CHRIST RATHER THAN THINKING WITH THE LOGOS OF GOD HE HAS DEPOSITED.
So? What is the Mind of Christ? Is it for doing hard sums?
No. It is much deeper than that. The Word of God explains.
Following the Greek word, nous, back through the Septuagint, it is written in Isaiah 40:13 || Who has directed the Spirit (G3563) of the Lord, Or as His counsellor has taught Him?
The LXX shows that G3563 — nous is translated, “Spirit.”
So this is yet another confirmation that each of the NT Saints have the indwelling Holy Spirit.
What is the Spirit of God?
It is written in Isaiah 11:1–2 ||
There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 2, particularly verses 1–5, mirrors the same list. It would be surprising if you were unaware that the Menorah, filled with the Oil of the Spirit and casting Light that dissipates the Darkness is the Word of God. . . But, just in case. . .
A little bit more about the Spirit of God
Read this tract very, very slowly. 1 Corinthians 2:10–11 || … For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
In case you just skimmed over it…
THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST YOU HAVE DWELLING IN YOU KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT GOD IS THINKING!!!!
Which Spirit is that?
THE SAME SPIRIT THAT RAISED THE CHRIST FROM THE DEAD!!!
Yet more about the Spirit of God
It is written in John 14:16, when Yeshua is explaining about the coming Holy Spirit after His impending departure, || And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another (G243) Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
Another: G243 — allos = another the same as Me, i.e. Jesus. [G2087 — heteros = another which is different.]
Bringing all these bits together
The Holy Spirit knows the Mind of God.
Messiah says the Holy Spirit is the same as Him.
Simplest of algebra:-
A=B, C=B, therefore A=C, so A=B=C.
Which complies with the Fundamental Laws of Logic[3]
(1) the law of contradiction; for all propositions, p, it is impossible for both p and not p to be true at the same time.
(2) the law of excluded middle (or third); either p or not p must be true, there being no third or middle ‘true’ proposition between them.
(3) the principle of identity; a thing is identical with itself, or simply that x is x.
WHO SAYS THAT THE TRINITY IS NOT MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE?
THEY ARE NOT EXERCISING RIGOUR IN THEIR THINKING.
IT IS OBVIOUS WHAT GOD SEES IN HUMANITY’S ABILITIES. HOW DOES HE SEE HIMSELF?
God’s Job-Description for Himself
It is written in Exodus 34: 6–7 that God declares, “This is who I Am”…
I am compassionate,
I am gracious,
I am slow to anger,
I am abounding in love,
I am faithful,
I am forgiving…
God’s description of some of His abilities
It is written in Isaiah 44:24–27 ||
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens by Myself,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,
And drives diviners mad;
Who turns wise men backward,
And makes their knowledge foolishness;
Who confirms the word of His servant,
And performs the counsel of His messengers;
Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’
To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’
And I will raise up her waste places;
Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!
And I will dry up your rivers’
Does anyone want to argue with Him?
SO WHICH COMMON SENSE SHOULD THE NT SAINT PRACTICE?
[Hint: God is out of our league.]
It is written in Isaiah 55:8–9 || “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Based on this, anyone who thinks that the Akedah defies common sense is not using the Divine nous provided.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not IKEA — you must read the instructions no matter how intuitive it seems. The Holy Spirit is ALWAYS more than a step ahead.
Follow His advice.
Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.|| Written in Jeremiah 9:23–24
If you need any help, He even leaves His phone number, Jeremiah 33:3 || ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and inaccessible things, which you do not know.’
But, having no theological qualifications. I’m open to correction.
The honest question, “If you have or had a son and you believe God asked you to kill him for the sake of testing your dedication, would you automatically do it without hesitation as the story indicates?” will finally be addressed in the next post.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
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[1]Thomas More http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/708310-god-made-the-angels-to-show-him-splendor-as-he
[2]Figure source https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/bible-study-holy-spirit-7-spirits-god
[3]Laws of Logic https://www.britannica.com/topic/realism-philosophy/Metaphysical-realism-and-objective-truth#ref990153
