God Is Exciting, God Is Holy
I never thought God could be discussed with such detachment, with such...literary insignificance. It started out this way:
We're reading Milton's Paradise Lost (PL) in British literature. It's really an amazing work. Its Biblical accuracy is, for what I've read, pretty straightforward; and what imagery and depth it brings to the story! Indeed, what better epic than that of God's plan of the Fall and ultimate redemption through His Son? And to be discussing that plan and everything in between in a public school classroom...well, I get excited.
At one point, we were discussing the concept of Satan's argument against God and serving God. One of his points was that it was "servitude inglorious" from which he "freed / ... well nigh half / The angelic name" (9.140-142). Dr. Portnoy pointed out that Satan is telling us that, essentially, life serving God and singing His praises is boring--and that Adam and Eve's life of bliss and worship in the Garden was not exciting compared to the thrill of a world like today's. Well, most everyone in the class agreed. I had to say something--and it went like, "Well, I don't know about you, but what's more exciting than walking with Christ in the cool of the day?" That point was then discussed variously, but it stuck in my mind--God is not enough for most people. They want excitement, they want thrills...but what's more exciting and thrilling that walking with the Creator of the universe, and the redeemer of mankind?
Also, the question was raised, when discussing the Fall in Book 9, whether there was good before there was evil. Different answers came out: the tree was named the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so both had to be concepts already; evil existed because of Lucifer's fall; there was no good before there was evil. Well, we took it back before Lucifer's rebellion, even: before anyone had disobeyed God, was there good? Today, we understand good in terms of evil. We can easily witness evil, and contrast it with good. The absence of evil, though, is hard to conceptualize, and proved so to my classmates. My answer to the question ran thusly: There is no evil, and you're trying to define good. What is good? Well, God, by nature, is infinitely holy. So, if you want to know if something's good, hold it up to God. If it lines up with His character, then it's good. You don't need evil with which to define good if you're already got the Alpha and the Omega there as your standard.
God is exciting. God is holy. Agreed?
posted by Jeffrey J. Stables at 1:05 AM
2 Comments:
Sounds like the classroom scenario going around email years ago where a student pins a prof to the wall by exposing the profs concept of duality, i.e. hot and cold, light and the absence of light, good and evil, etc... The truth is you have heat and the absence of heat, light and the absence of light, and you have goodness and the absence of goodness.
God is infinite and infinitely He has been good, righteous and holy.
oops! I meant "i.e. hot and cold, light and dark..."
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