Restless Wonderer

Readers of the Bible might be forgiven for thinking that Israel was at the centre of history in the centuries before Christ, but in reality for most of their history the people of Israel were under the dominance of other great powers.   Only in the time of David and Solomon (around 100 years before Christ) did Israel make its mark on the world stage.   Before that, Egypt was the mega-power and other local enemies, including the arch-enemy, the Philistines, continually threatened the tribes descended from Jacob.   After Solomon the united tribes fractured into two kingdoms and their power was gradually eroded in the face of the growing power of kingdoms to the northeast – first the Syrians (or Arameans), then the Assyrians and lastly the Chaldeans (or neo-Babylonians).   Eventually the two kingdoms of the people of Israel fell – the northern kingdom to Assyria in 722 BC and the southern kingdom of Judah to Babylon in 586BC.   From a purely historical persp...

So far in this series I have written about God’s ‘writing’ in creation (biologically through DNA and morally through the conscience) and in providence (His foreseeing of our lives).   We have seen that God created the cosmos and that He continues to be actively involved in its unfolding story.   The question this raises is how we can recognise where He is at work and how we can know what He is like.   The answer is that God has revealed Himself to us.   The great religions of the world can be broadly categorised into two types.   The religions of East and South Asia can be described as ‘mystical’ – they originated in the reflections of individuals on the nature of human existence and ultimate reality.   In China Confucius and Laozi and in India the Buddha and various Hindu sages developed theories about the basic problem with human existence and its solution through reason or meditation.   Their philosophies often display considerable uncertainty abo...

In our home group this week one of the younger members asked the question: “Does God decide everything that is going to happen to us?”   He had been wondering since a Christian friend had said that he didn’t need to worry about the future because God had it all planned out for him.   The question isn’t a new one, but it certainly is important.   Do we have real choices, is ‘free will’ a reality, or is everything already determined?   This question isn’t just one for Christian theology, within which there is a rich tradition of debate about how divine sovereignty and human responsibility can coexist.   It is also hotly debated in the realms of philosophy and neuroscience, with a significant number of neuroscientists suggesting that we live in a deterministic world – our actions are merely the result of chemical and electrical processes in our brains – and the majority of philosophers insisting that free will must exist.   This debate isn’t far removed from...

At the root of the mysteries of the human body lies an amazing chemical called DNA.   It is the stuff genes are made of, its sequence coding for the protein building blocks of our bodies.   DNA itself is composed of four molecules called nucleotides and the sequence these appear in determines which protein is built.   In other words, there is a sequence in the DNA which codes for a specific protein sequence.   This microscopic assembly line is truly amazing and it parallels our experience of human communication.   DNA is like a language, with nucleotides combining to code for proteins, which represent a pattern for complex organs and systems, just as letters combine in a written language to code for words, which represent ideas which can be realised in the physical world.   At the basis of life, then, is information which is intelligible and useful.   Of course, this information is only useful if the apparatus in the cell that is necessary for produc...

Writing is a distinctively human skill.   It has no equivalent in the behaviour of any animal species.   It allows ideas to be recorded and preserved in a way that crosses the generations.   In theory (notwithstanding the limited durability of physical materials), it allows a permanent record to be kept of what a person thinks.   It relates the world of the mind to the material world in a concrete way.   Writing also connects the mind of one individual with the minds of others in a powerful way – it sparks imagination and stirs the heart.   As with so many aspects of human nature, the capacity to write is a reflection of the nature of God. The Bible speaks in several places of things that are written by God.   This series of posts was inspired by the decision of a church I spoke in recently – Hillside Community Church in Ballymena – to run a four part series on occasions in the Bible when God’s handwriting is mentioned.   I spoke in the second p...

7.      The Christian mind exercises discernment in recognising false teaching “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.   For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve people.   Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” (Romans 16:17-19) As Paul reaches the conclusion of Romans, he reminds the Christians in Rome about the danger of division due to false teachings.   He warns them that naïve people have minds that are readily deceived by false ideas and encourages them to be wise about what is good.   Developing a Christian mind is necessary so that we can recognise false teachings.   This is the responsibil...

6.      The Christian mind learns in fellowship with other Christians “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6) The ultimate purpose of Paul’s teaching about unity among Christians despite differences of opinion over non-essential matters (see part 5 of this series) is that believers should glorify God with unity of mind and heart.   This principle teaches us three additional important truths about the Christian mind.     Firstly, unity in the core of the gospel is more important than our individual right to stand for our own principles.   We must prioritise the fundamental truths that unite all believers (the gospel) over all secondary issues.   The evangelical movement has historically done just this, allowing partnership in the g...