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| Supposedly, the future Red Skull and Kingpin @ Conwy, Wales. |
February 24 2008
The audio sermon above from Grace Baptist Church
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TEXT: Job 23 SUBJECT: Spiritual Depression #12: God's Absence
Previous sermons from Pastor Michael Phillips have dealt with spiritual depression connected to human and satanic causes. This sermon is focused on God as the cause and in my theology/philosophy, God as primary cause.
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What really tore him up was. God. Or, rather, God's Absence. This is what today's sermon is about: God's Absence as a Major Cause of Depression.
God's part in human problems of evil and suffering were the focus of my European, British, MPhil and PhD theses. God's part in evil and suffering, although God remains infinite, eternal, perfect, holy and good. Being almighty implies infinity and without finity and/or faults related to finity. If God was infinite and contrary to my biblical theology, both good and evil; in my view evil would not be evil at all.
Job 40 from the New American Standard Bible
40 Then the Lord said to Job, 2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said, 4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
MPhil, Bangor University, 2003: The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives
PhD, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, Lampeter, 2010: Theodicy and Practical Theology
From my MPhil
Simon Blackburn defines determinism as follows:
The doctrine that every event has a cause. The usual explanation of this is that for every event, there is some antecedent state, related in such a way that it would break a law of nature for this antecedent state to exist yet the event not to happen. Blackburn (1996: 102).
Calvin stated concerning free will:
If freedom is opposed to coercion, I both acknowledge and consistently maintain that choice is free and I hold anyone who thinks otherwise to be a heretic. If, I say, it were called free in this sense of not being coerced nor forcibly moved by an external impulse, but moving of its own accord, I have no objection. Calvin (1543)(1996: 68).
Human beings in Calvin’s thinking were not forced by God to sin, but God as an infinite being had and used the power to use their sin for the greater good. So to say that God willed evil for the greater good means that God could use sinful actions of others in order to accomplish his divine purpose. Calvin stated:
For we do not say that the wicked sin of necessity in such a way as to imply that they sin without wilful and deliberate evil intent. The necessity comes from the fact that God accomplishes his work, which is sure and steadfast, through them. At the same time, however, the will and purpose to do evil which dwells within them makes them liable to censure.
But, it is said, they are driven and forced to this by God. Indeed, but in such a way that in a single deed the action of God is one thing and their own action is another. For they gratify their evil and wicked desires, but God turns this wickedness so as to bring his judgements (judgments) to execution. Calvin (1543)(1996: 37).
God could set up events in such a way that someone would freely choose to sin, but this is not done in such a way that God is forcing one to do so. I believe in a human fall through sinful choice. God can still will, in a sense, that these sinful actions work for the greater good, but I do not believe in a Universe where God forces and coerces people to commit individual sin.
People are sinful in nature as they are descendants of Adam. This inherited and sinful nature means people will freely choose to sin and God does not coerce them into doing so. He may provide situations where he knows that certain individuals will sin, but his motives in this are for the greater good.
A PhD argument summarized:
God is the cause of all things.
A technical, philosophical use of the term 'cause' is used.
God can directly cause anything not contrary to his nature or contradictory.
God can indirectly cause and allow evil. via secondary causes.
God has the power to prohibit evil, and therefore what he does not prohibit he sanctions/causes.
God wills evil for the greater good.
God has perfect motives.
Persons are a secondary cause of significantly free human actions.
Therefore: Hard determinism is not used by God when persons sin.
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God as primary cause of human thoughts, acts and actions is compatible with human thoughts, acts and actions as secondary cause (and secondary agents). This is soft determinism or compatibilism.
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Why would the Lord do this to anyone?
Here it is: We don't know. Note carefully, I did not say God doesn't know! We don't know, and if the Lord wants to explain Himself to us, He can, but He is under no obligation to do so.
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The cure for this kind of depression is not in us. It is in God, who will come back to us when He wants to. And not before or after.
In my theological and philosophical reasoning, as God is infinite and interacts with his finite creation, he is not ontologically absent; rather God in the book of Job, causes and wills events indirectly, and it is possible, at some points, directly.
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Our sadness does not dethrone our Lord and Savior.
The gospel work of the triune God through Jesus Christ, his atoning and resurrection work, is still applied to those in Jesus Christ that believe and live in faith, by grace through faith.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CALVIN, JOHN (1543)(1996) The Bondage and Liberation of the Will, Translated by G.I. Davies, Grand Rapids, Baker Book House.
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