Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

Rainy morning. Becki and I did a walk/jog earlier. It was the third time we’ve had this new dog out for such an excursion. He did OK. I even let him off the leash for a time. He was reasonably responsive to come to me for re-leashing. I’m particularly happy that he’s over there right now where he’s tied up, laying inside the dog house…rather than all worked up with incessant barking. I can see him from this window.

Becki is off to her Bible Study session in Woodburn. Then she needs to do an errand to Salem to renew our CCB registration.

If you discern anything of major flaw in my reasoning as presented in the composition below, please do not hesitate to straighten me out…at least try. I, like you, want to do my utmost to get it as close to right as possible…”rightly diving the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Please agree.

The day is on the march. May yours be blessed.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Life on earth would sure be a lot easier if God were satisfied with robots. He could have programmed people to love and serve Him by automated instinct. But He has clearly chosen NOT to do things that way. Instead He has embedded into the human CPU (central processing unit) the freedom of moral volition—the main quality that parallels God’s “image and likeness”—the ability to choose between GOOD and EVIL, between RIGHT and WRONG, between living to seek, love, and please God or living to seek, love, and please sin, self, and Satan. Is it not true that this very freedom is at the center of nearly all the problems we face in this world?

Chapter 13 presents stern warnings and instructions for drastic punishment against anyone emerging in Israel who would claim prophet status with a message that diverts worship away from “the LORD your God.” Moses puts forth an idea that could revolutionize how we typically regard temptation. It implies that, although God is not wanting His people to fall to temptation, He actually allows and even orchestrates it as a screening mechanism—“testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Temptation, therefore, does not come only from your sinful self, or only from corrupt people, or only from Satan, or only from God. It comes as combined influences from any or all of the above. The point is this: God wants you to be tempted.

Let’s review and understand that loving God “with all your heart and with all your soul” requires decision—it’s a learned disposition (14:23)—definitely not robotic or automated. Not loving God, however, is the default setting of our dirty hearts—the NATURAL SIN NATURE actually makes it automated. So, do we have a problem here, or what? I figure this could be the reason for Jesus putting forth the question, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).

So here’s the basis for Biblical victory over sin, self, and Satan as I’m seeing it right now: It requires choosing to seek, love, and serve the LORD “with all your heart and with all your soul” 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And it is this constant choosing that puts one in the flow of the wonderful supportive ministry of God’s Holy Spirit, without Whom there is no hope for success.