I’m going to do my best to take the swirling thoughts in my head and put them into somewhat of an order of thinking, to make sense outside of my head. I think there is a lot here, and I may still be organizing some of the thoughts through different scripture, so thanks in advance for your patience. I can already tell that this is going to be a long entry, because the topic has been on my mind for a couple of days and of course, with the way God works, He just keeps giving me more to read and study.
I had a scripture regarding Paul’s conversion that I came across, had some questions and began digging, just to satisfy my curious mind (I’m not sure what I would do without this information age—having it right at my fingertips, just a search away). I also switched up my book (again) and went back to The Pleasures of God by John Piper. Probably because I keep experiencing God’s intimate love for me in the presence of little ladybugs through out my days. They have a significance to me, because there was a time one landed on my finger and it was like His little note of His presence and encouragement to guide me on the right path. So now, it’s a bit of a reminder that I’m exactly where He wants me to be. The chapter title in the book is long, but the subscript summed up the chapter title quite well, in asking, “Does God delight in thinking or not?”
Another question within the chapter was,”How does the Word of God portray the life of the mind?” And to be completely transparent, I did not get through the entirety of the chapter, because my thoughts were still stuck with Paul and his conversion. Now that you have a little of the context, I suppose I can begin throwing my thoughts out.
The list of scriptures that I will reference are below. I will try my best to connect my thoughts through how I read through the scriptures, but I may be all over the place. I’ve included a brief synopsis phrase of my thinking, partially to remind me and guide me through the path of my thoughts and also, so you can follow along as I try to make my thoughts make the most sense to me, anyways. Feel free to read ahead of time/along, because some of the references are a bit lengthy and I won’t be including the entirety of them here. (All from NASB)
- Galatians 1:11-24 (Paul’s defense of his ministry)
- Luke 10:17-24 (Blessed are those who see)
- 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (“not in cleverness of speech”)
- Matthew 24:15-28 (perilous times-nature testifies)
- 2 Peter 3:3-8 (last days)
- Ezekiel 33:7-9 (Responsibility of warning/watchmen)
- Daniel 10:1-20 (2-9 fasting/Vision 10-21 strength/comfort provided)
- Daniel 11:32b-33a, 12:8-10 (what’s to come)
- Exodus 3:1-4:13 (Moses’ mission + OT/NT Parallel with Paul’s mission)
- Ephesians 6:10 (Strength in the Lord)
Paul was using his testimony of his past (vs. 13-15) to speak to the Galatians. He didn’t minimize his wrong doings, but instead emphasized his wrong actions to further promote his conversion. Why is this important, then? I then thought, “Why would God have taken the strongest persecutor of believers, to then preach the exact message for which he used to persecute such people?”
Yes, Paul essentially tells us so that others will glorify God, but I don’t think this is all there is to it. Clearly, what Paul was trying to promote was that because of who He used to be, there is no other way that his salvation could have been attained other than the revelation through God’s grace to him. Essentially, steering away from a works-based salvation, to a faith-based redemption.
If this was something that was revealed to Paul, then (much like Piper uses references from Luke 10) there is a mystery that needs revealing. God has (vs. 21) "hidden these things from the wise and have revealed them to infants.” He also admonishes his disciples by stating (vs. 23b, 24) “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
Now, as believers, we know the mystery of which Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” (Note: I bolded the text so I remember to refer back to it from later up-coming thoughts). It’s the gospel of Christ revealed to us which he explained when he defended his mission to the Galatians.
Although the scripture reference in Matthew is not exactly on point with what the rest is saying, what I gained from this is not only has the mystery of God’s salvation been revealed to us through Christ’s suffering on the cross (vs. 25) but we have assurance in his returning for the elect: “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corps is, there the vultures will gather.
Sounds horrible, you say—think with me on it a minute; weather is constantly changing and storms are always brewing, but we all can see lightning from miles away. Also, what do vultures do? They fly high above their target, summoning others to gather and feast. We can see these things even today—it hasn’t changed and we all know what these things are when they occur. These are examples of the certainty of Christs return.
We also know we can be certain through what is also mentioned in 2 Peter 3:3-8. He tells us that “all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” God, by His word formed the earth from and out of water to be destroyed with water (He signified it would not happen that way again, with His rainbow) and by His word, it’s currently being reserved for fire; for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men (paraphrased).
Since we not only know about the gospel and we have the assurance, we also have a responsibility described in Ezekiel 33:7-9. If we have this responsibility, then how to we warn others, or share of the outcomes? In Daniel, we have the example. In His humility, which he spoke of multiple times in asking how such a servant (himself) talk with the being in the vision? It’s not so much about the vision, but the approach of receiving that stood out to me. Daniel had his questions and while it was not all revealed to him, in his humility, he received what was revealed to him. He also asked for strength, as he did not have the ability himself. The strength came from an outside source. Daniel was such a great example of our need for humility to receive Christ and all that He has for us, and that we will be strengthened in our time of need.
Alright, so to now really tie this back to the original passage of Paul’s defense of his ministry, I think about parallels in the Bible between the OT and the NT. The OT is everything under the law, while the NT is the fulfillment of the law. I turned to Exodus and happened upon an old testament figure who happened to be unwilling to speak because he was not an eloquent speaker. However, Paul said he spoke not with eloquent words or speech, so that the cross would not be counted void, but spoke plainly about the gospel. I also see in Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
How often do we miss the opportunity God has for us because we do not trust in the strength of the Lord? We shouldn’t have reluctant confidence by looking at ourselves and our inabilities, but rather rely on the God of the universe who not only created it, He sustains it from the beginning of time.
So my conclusion: “God’s wisdom is designed that humans would not know God through their wisdom.” (Pleasures of God p. 277). We don’t have any reason to boast in anything/anyone other than God himself. What does this have to do with our thinking? I believe it’s in giving up our thinking, or transforming the way we think by humbling ourselves to receive God’s wisdom and strength, just as Paul testifies and Daniel exemplifies. Let’s not pull a Moses and allow someone else to speak for us, because if we do not speak or praise God with confidence in His might and strength to be all that He says He is and do all He says He will do, then the rocks surely will cry out in our place.
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