God Started All This, So Why Does He Blame Me? - Michael J. S. Austin, Ph.D.
'Look you Christians, it's all very well for you to tell me, I've broken God's commandments and that I'm now guilty, but hang on. If God made all this in the first place, how come he can then blame me, when it goes wrong?' A lot of people use this sort of argument against their being guilty in God's sight, as it seems to give them a large loophole. How could they ever be accused of being guilty, when they never asked to be born and the whole show has been staged anyway? I need to look at this protest. You might even be thinking this way yourself!
1. WHO MADE THE MESS?
My aim is to clarify the issues in the light of Scripture, my final authority. I realise it may not be yours and that in our contemporary Western society a lot of the heritage of Christianity has been swept away. Now secular beliefs tend to control and shape people's thinking and lifestyles. And if there is any belief in God at all, instead of God being the sovereign Creator and Judge, people have the idea that all the world's wrong can be laid at God's door.
We are not in the dock; the tables are turned and now it is God's turn to answer for the mess the world is in - the famines, earthquakes, tsunamis and all that. After all, if God is supreme, and if he set the ball rolling and the ball goes off course, it's hardly the fault of the ball!
2. SUBTLE OBJECTION
The Bible anticipates this sort of protest when it puts this question from a typical objector, 'But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?' (Romans 3:7). What this objector is getting at is this - if I have missed God's way, so what? - God gains from this. If my moral crookedness shows up God's wonderful perfection and makes it seem even more glorious, why does he still pick on me and accuse me of failure? He was set to gain from this. He ought to exploit that and not bother to accuse me of moral wrong.
There are several of these subtle, insinuating objections in Romans 3:3-8, which the apostle Paul describes and exposes. He is doing this in the context of explaining the gospel, the good news of Christ. Paul does this clearly and cogently, so as not to give people any wriggle room. In effect he is saying if you dare to challenge or call into question God's verdict on your own rebellious heart attitude, that only confirms you are by nature a moral rebel (because you like calling God's judgement of you into question). Thus you stand condemned.
3. REBELS WANT TO WIN - BUT
At root this objector wants to wrong foot God and get the upper hand. He wants to reverse roles and give God a piece of moral advice, which if only God were to accept (what audacity!), his own prestige would be even more enhanced, as moral rebellion would have a positive purpose. If only God would see the value in letting the rebels serve him in this clever way. God gains enhanced prestige and the rebels are free to continue their rebellion. Subtle isn't it?
And if you now think you are in the driving seat, in the place of authority and free to blame and condemn God, you only impugn yourself! You think as a natural rebel, free to give your clever 'good' advice to your Creator! This is all a part of the argument of Paul's letter to the Romans, which (in chapter 3) shows that 'all have sinned' (v. 23), and are guilty rebels in God's sight. God is the just, moral governor of his universe, and he will by no means continue to give rebels a free rein, and does not need to learn from their subtle insinuating suggestions, but will call then to account.
4. WE REBELS ARE BORN LOSERS!
We are not cardboard models on a meaningless stage, but persons, made in the moral and rational likeness of the Creator of all things! This is the awesome reality we occupy. We were made for real communication with God and to love, obey and glorify him for ever - and that is some goal! What this means is that in the depths of our personal being, we are not automatons. Our first parents intentionally wrecked the true freedom to love and obey God and became authentic rebels, responsible for their actions and accountable to God for their disobedience. And we have all inherited their rebel, sinful natures.
5. THE GREAT SUBSTITUTION
That means our moral guilt is real guilt in God's sight, because we practice sin and God in perfect justice holds us responsible. Sin and guilt are real and terrible and here God reveals his master stroke. God is not playing games with puppets or automatons, because eternal judgement is for real. In view of this God even sent his own beloved Son, as the sinless, truly human Jesus Christ, who came in love to take the place of the guilty ones and endure their condemnation. Jesus made the great substitution, when on the cross, he was made 'an offering for sin' (Isaiah 53:10) - the word there is the same as used for a guilt offering. He, the sinless God-Man endured the penalty due to the guilty ones - and he paid in full, once for all.
God has provided an amazing way that satisfied both his perfect justice and his great compassion, in the death of his own beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask him with due urgency to give you repentance and faith, to turn from hostile enmity and to be welcomed as a forgiven child into his family. Jesus' death swallowed up guilt so finally, he was raised in triumph, vindicated - not guilty of any of the sins for which he so freely suffered.
That's the best good news rebels could ever hear!
Michael J. S. Austin, Ph.D. Hello, my big goal is to show that biblical Christianity appeals to serious reason and careful thinking, and is powerfully relevant today. So, I aim to share the good news of Christ crucified, risen and ascended - a Saviour who is worthy of your full confidence. And I write to help you find faith or to strengthen your faith, so that you may be SURE. Use this link to my very latest Amazon Kindle e-book - (very modestly priced): 'FOR SURE! - Assurance and Evangelicalism' http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AG0WK84 Read and enjoy, and please recommend to others - Thank you! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_J._S._Austin,_Ph.D. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7406565