From the days of Adam and Eve to the present a battle has been raging in the hearts, souls and minds of every human being (including you) concerning the Epistemology of theology. How do we know what we know about God? Although numerous specific answers have been supplied to this question, each of these answers falls into only two categories. These categories are as follows: A. Our own natural reason aided by our experience and empirical observations as well as the observed experience, observations and reason of other human beings and B. what God has chosen to reveal concerning Himself. From these two sources flow everything we think, know and believe concerning A. who God is, B. who we are and C. the nature of the relationship between God and people.

How do we know what we know about God? This question is of the absolute, utmost importance. It is my contention, the earliest contention of the church and the clear teaching of scripture that the one and only true source of our knowledge of God lies solely in what God has chosen to reveal concerning Himself. It is from God’s revelation alone that we learn and understand that in the beginning God created, that He has created us, and that we are created to be His. It is from God’s revelation alone that we learn and understand that their is but one way to be saved – namely through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for us. Some articles of faith such as the justification by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ are revealed to us only in the Bible while others are revealed to us through natural law/creation. For example a non Christian who has never read the Bible before might very well know that he or she is guilty of wrong doing because God has placed his law in the hearts of every person. Further, a person might come to understand that their is a creator by observing the intricacies of the natural world. Nevertheless, what we do know about God, ourselves and our relationship to God is solely what God has chosen to reveal.

Why is this so important? Why does it matter? It matters because from the time Eve bit the fruit in the Garden of Eden to the present our fallen, sinful nature has rebelled against what God has said. God said, “Do not eat” but “She saw that it was desirable.” Our reason suggests, “If I am guilty of sin, then I will make up for it.” God says, “You are guilty of sin but I have chosen to forgive you through the death and resurrection of my son.” Human reason desires to enthrone itself, to make itself the judge and arbitrator of truth. But all in its kingdom live in condemnation, deception and death.

That is why Christ and His apostles continually point us God’s Word. That is why Christ, when preaching to his disciples points them repeatedly to the scriptures. That is why Peter, Paul and all the evangelists continually say, “It is written.” God’s Word tells us that we have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our consciences confirm that – if they don’t our spouse or parents can! But the wonderful news that we know only from God’s Word (and which runs contrary to all human reason and all the wisdom of this world) is that God has chosen to forgive our sin through the suffering and death of His Son Jesus Christ. 

As I was grilling the other night, I looked upon my grill and recounted the day I put it together…

The directions weren’t incredibly clear and the pictures looked as though they were rubbings from the inside of an Egyptian tomb, so I was very deliberate in how things went together.  I diligently made sure that every piece found its proper place.  Nothing was forced into position, but patiently coerced into the place for which that piece was designed.

Afterwards, I felt like I knew the thing inside and out. I have a very intimate working knowledge of that grill. It was like I was there in its beginning… or at least its assembly.  After all, I connected the wires between starter and ignition mechanism. I wore on my hands the blisters from tightening each and every screw.  And when all was said and done, I supplied it with breathe (propane.)

But as much as I know my grill, how much more does God know me? The level of God’s intimate knowledge of my physical and spiritual being should astound us, humble us, and comfort us.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he  ate.” Genesis 3:6. “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden… and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD.” Genesis 3:8.

When we study the creation account and the story of the fall (Where Adam and Eve listened to the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit), we come away with several important and fundamental truths. First, we are not independent creatures. We are not self created. We are created by God and are sustained by His hand. Second, we are not free agents. We never have been. We do not “decide” whether to be God’s people or not. Adam and Eve were never asked by God if they wanted to be created or if they wanted to be His. No, we are created beings – created by a loving, powerful, passionate, and wise God. We are made to be God’s people. Just as newborn babies enter the world and are rightfully claimed by their parents, so we enter the world as God’s. We are made to be God’s people.

But in the Garden Satan offers to Adam and Eve something they were never given. He gives them a choice. He turns a prohibition into a possibility.“You will not die” the serpent says, “But when you eat of it you will be like God knowing good and evil.”

Now, to be clear God had given Adam and Eve freedom. They were free to be God’s people. They could worship freely. They could pray freely. They could freely come into God’s presence. They could freely enjoy all that God had given them. And consider what God had given. God has given them each other. He had given them the joy of His presence. He had given them every fruit bearing tree and stewardship over all of the earth. And God had set in their midst the tree of life from which they were free to eat.

But Satan suggests to Eve that it is not enough. – “Eat the fruit – Satan hissed, “when you do you will be like God knowing God and evil.” In the Garden Satan encourages Eve to do what she wants, to make her own decisions, to do things her own way. And the disastrous results were sin, death, and severed relationships. Eve leads Adam into sin. Adam accuses Eve of sin. He blames God for His sin by stating “the woman you gave me gave me the fruit.” When God took his daily stroll in the Garden that evening He did not find His loving, trusting children – no, he found Adam and Eve hiding in fear, guilt and shame.

Yet God has not abandoned the people He has made. When God found Adam and Eve, He promised in their presence that one day a child of the women would bruise the head of the serpent and that the serpent would bruise the heel of this Savior. Adam and Eve were sent out of the Garden away from the tree of life – but not before they were given the promise of one who would defeat the serpent who had deceived them.

This child who would crush the head of the serpent is none other than Jesus Christ who in our stead would unswervingly trust His Heavenly Father. It is Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, who was crucified, who died and was buried. Adam and Eve plunged all of humanity into sin and death by doing things their own way, but Jesus has come to redeem all of humanity raising us out of death and into eternal life through His own death and resurrection in accordance with the plan and promise of God the Father. Whereas our will, believing the lies of the devil, has led our whole race into death and decay, God’s will, revealed to us in Holy Scripture, leads to eternal life to all those who trust in Christ Jesus. The choice of Adam results only in death. The person and work of Jesus Christ means freedom and life for you.

This summer, at Park River Bible Camp, and at many other places, God has continued to walk into the lives of His people. He has continued to find those who were lost in sin. He has continued to speak His promise of salvation through His Son. He has continued to create faith in the hearts of His people and to increase the faith of those whose trust is in Him. He has done this through His Word, His Holy Spirit and His people like you who pray for and support the work that God is doing.

This is the fourth in a four part series on Jonah.

The fourth chapter of Jonah is an odd one.  The story would have wrapped up nicely with the end of chapter three, but Jonah just couldn’t let go of his vendetta against Nineveh.  So he became angry at the LORD’s mercy.

“This is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning,” said Jonah, “for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.”  What a jerk!  Jonah knew the character of God and that God would likely relent upon whatever the Lord had in store for Nineveh, so what did he do?  He tried his hardest to prevent God’s mercy from ever reaching Nineveh!

The book of Jonah ends with God giving Jonah an illustration.  The purpose in the illustration is to expose Jonah’s lack of mercy to the people of Nineveh.  In the end, God asks Jonah, “Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

God will not allow his will and compassion for Nineveh to be thwarted by Jonah’s contempt or narrow-hearted lack of compassion.  Whether in the end Jonah understood God’s feelings towards the people of Nineveh or not, we don’t know.  What we do know is that God was compassionate and slow to anger, with both the Ninevites and with Jonah.

May God be as patient with us as he was with Jonah and as merciful with us as he was with Nineveh.

This is the third in a four part series on Jonah.

In chapter two, God’s greater purpose of sending a message to the people of Nineveh was put on hold.  The story focused on the individual needs and rescue of Jonah.  Finally in chapter three Jonah does what he was supposed to do back in chapter one.

The LORD came to Jonah a second time and again told him to rise up (“qum”) and go to Nineveh and proclaim (“qara”) the message God had for Nineveh.  This time instead of fleeing, Jonah did what God commanded of him.  He rose up and went.

When Jonah traveled a day’s worth into Nineveh he proclaimed, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  Quite the message, wasn’t it?  No mention of why they would be overthrown.  No mention of a need for repentance.  Even the LORD’s name was left unattached to the message.

Though Jonah didn’t include language that implies the work of the Holy Spirit, there was obviously a “Spirited” response on behalf of the residents of Nineveh.  The people turned from their wicked and violent ways and fasted and cried out mightily to God hoping that God would relent upon his judgment.  In verse 10, God did just that.  Nineveh was not overthrown and the calamity was not brought on by God.

Lutheran theology upholds the idea that God has foreknowledge of events.  In other words, God knew that the people of Nineveh would repent.  But God’s desire was to accomplish his purposes through Jonah no matter what.  In this sense, Jonah was saved from Sheol not only for his own good, but for the good of the people of Nineveh.

This notion that we (Christians) are saved to serve is reflected in Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.”

And again in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”