Story by: Scotty Gray
I was just thinking… about a video I recently saw online. It was two men – one most likely in his 60s, the other probably in his late 20s, debating God before a small crowd in an outdoor amphitheater.
The younger of the 2 men was claiming that God was mean because he gave cancer to children. He spoke of hanging out with the likes of Aristotle in a hot tub in hell. In the words of comedian Daren Streblow, “that doesn’t show a lot of research – they don’t call it the lake of fire because it tickles.”
Although the specific statement was not in the segment I watched, the older man did lean his comments to the fact that God does not give anyone cancer but, as his protective hand was rejected in Eden, and ever since, the result is suffering and death.
What amazes me is that so many people create a theology of justification based upon a snippet from, or concept of a book they’ve never read. The entire “concept”, if you will, of hell and the devil comes from the bible. Ignorant, and then, self-justified individuals, get a basic concept of the spirit world and then create a theology based on their desires and justification of their actions here on earth. Author, Mark Twain once said, “it ain’t those parts of the bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.”
While on a trip last summer, my sister-in-law accidentally put gasoline in the fuel tank of her diesel car. She immediately realized her mistake and took the car straight to a mechanic to have the tainted fuel, purged from the system and had the proper fuel put in the tank. Now, she could have easily justified her actions, driven the vehicle until it broke down, and then cursed the manufacturer for not aligning with her desires to use gasoline – oh, there is, by the way, a manual in the car, which explains which fuel it must have to operate properly. And the little gas pump symbol on the instrument cluster says, “Diesel Fuel Only.”
Sadly, too many humans do that, filling their life with wrong, justifying their actions and then cursing the creator they claim doesn’t even exist because he doesn’t do things their way.
It goes something like this…
Me: I want to do “X.”
God: You are free to do it.
Me: But you think that “X” is wrong.
God: Yes.
Me: Because you want to control me.
God: No, you are free to do what you want.
Me: But you think “X” is wrong.
God: Yes, but only because I want the best things for you.
Me: I want to do “X.”
God: You are free to do it.
Me: But I want you to tell me that “X” is ok.
God: I cannot say that.
Me: why do you hate me?!?
Now, I get it that, for many, the bible has way too much for them to understand at a glance. That’s why God gives most of us decades to study his word, lean on and learn from his Holy Spirit, rest in his care and delight in his promise for our eternal future.
The simple truth you can hold on to is this. God Loves you. Jesus died for you. The Holy Spirit lives in you. (He’s the one you were arguing with. Your conscience.)
Oh, and once you think you’ve got it all figured out, better go back to Genesis, and start again – you probably missed a few things along the way.
My real-life brother, Scotty, is a DJ at the Q90 FM a Christian radio station in Green Bay WI.
He started a new segment for his afternoon show called “I was Just Thinking.” This was his first thought.
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