Monthly Archives: May 2019

LOVE

God is a God of love because God is love (II Cor. 13:11; I John 4:8). When John says that God is love we know, therefore, that it is an intrinsic part of His nature and that it is perfect in every respect. It’s expression is also perfect. When God stated that He loved Israel He says that He loved them with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). It is a love that does not end or fail.

In describing His relationship with Israel, the Lord presents Israel as a child, newly born from Egyptian bondage (Hos. 11:1). God said that though He loved Israel as a son and drew him with bands of love (Hos. 11:4), though He took them by the arm and led them, they did not know that He healed them (Hos. 11:3). THey were bent on backsliding and rejection of the Lord’s call. But even so, God’s love for them was such that He could not give them up (Hos. 11:8). His love tempered His anger against their rebellion (Hos. 1:9).

Because Israel is His people, formed and created by Hs power, called by name, there should be no fear (Is. 43:3,4). Through the most difficult of times, through high water and hot fire, God’s beloved will neither drown nor burn (Is. 43:2,3). God’s people are precious in His sight (Is. 43:4) and therefore should not fear for God will be with His people (Is. 43:5).

The fullest expression of God’s love toward man was manifested when the Saviour appeared (Tit. 3:3,4). Though we were “sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another, nevertheless, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Eric L. Padgett

WISDOM

Wisdom is inherent with God alone (Jude 25; Rom. 16:25). No man can claim to be wise who rejects the most basic facts of life or ignores reality. Instead of being called wise this person would be considered a fool. Those who reject God’s very existence are fools indeed, the exact opposite of wise (Psalm 1:1). If we would be wise, then, we must understand the fear of the Lord and seek after it as one might search for some hidden treasure (Prov. 2:1-5). How much better it is to get wisdom than gold or silver or rubies or anything else sought after in this world (Prov. 16:16; 8:11)! It is the Lord that gives wisdom because He alone possesses wisdom inherently (Prov. 2:6).

But if we lack wisdom and we sincerely seek it then we may apply to God for wisdom and He who gives liberally to all men will also give us wisdom (James 1:5). Of course, God limits His response to those who are His children (I Pet. 3:12). The world does possess a semblance of wisdom (I Cor. 1:19,20). Worldly wisdom, however, is earthly, sensual and devilish (James 3:15). But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (James 3:17). But none of the princes of this world really knew wisdom for if they had possessed true wisdom they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (I Cor. 2:8).

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out (Romans 11:33)! If we know that we lack wisdom, we can gain wisdom by asking God for it and we can gain wisdom by receiving God’s word. The Bible says a person wise in heart will receive commandments but a prating fool shall fall (Prov. 10:8). Wisdom is not acquired just by experience for there are many who experience life in greater quantity than others but never learn. But wisdom, true wisdom, comes from fearing the Lord and consequently departing from evil (Job 28:12-28).

The Lord presents to us an image of wisdom as crying with a loud voice from the roof tops and every public place seeking to be understood and used (Prov. 8:1-4). Those that honestly seek wisdom early in life shall find it (Prov. 8:17). Wisdom is found in hearing and obeying God’s word (Prov. 8:32-36). All of our earthly days should be spent in seeking wisdom from the Lord (Psalm 90:12).

Truly it is in Christ where wisdom finds it’s fullest expression (Eph. 1:8). When we know Christ we know wisdom for Christ is the wisdom of God (I Cor. 1:24, 30), for in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” ( Colossians 2:3). The Lord has revealed Himself unto us through His apostles in the wisdom of God’s perfect plan (I Cor. 2:6-13) “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Ephesians 3:10).

It is by the scriptures that we can be made wise unto salvation (II Tim. 3:15-17). Thus, we should let the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom (Col. 3:16). We should cease from our own wisdom and buy true wisdom and never sell it (Prov. 23:4; 23:23).

Having obtained unto wisdom, we should walk in wisdom toward those who are not members of the body of Christ (Col. 4:5). We should preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28). If we act according to His wisdom, no man would be able to resist the wisdom with which we speak His word (Acts 6:10). He that winneth souls is wise (Prov. 11:30).

Eric L. Padgett

Morality

Evolutionary scientists have a difficult time explaining how morality, especially altruistic behavior, developed by means of mutation and natural selection. The “holiest” doctrine of evolution–survival of the fittest–is the very antithesis of altruism. “You would expect those who are best at cheating, and taking but not giving, to be coming out ahead. Their genes should be on the rise while altruistic genes would be going away.”1 But though this is what evolutionary scientists would expect, this is not what has happened or is happening.

In an attempted explanation of this problem, Richard Dawkins stated in his 2006 documentary The Root Of All Evil “Our true sense of right and wrong has nothing to do with religion. I believe there is kindness, charity and generosity in human nature. And I think there is a Darwinian explanation for this. Through much of our prehistory, humans lived under conditions that favored altruistic genes. Gene survival depended on nurturing our family and on doing deals with our peers.”2

Notice, first of all, that Dawkins stated he “believes” morals have nothing to do with religion. This use of “believe” is an odd way for someone who condemns faith to speak. But he must speak this way because there is no science for his position. Further notice that he says he believes “there is kindness, charity and generosity in human nature.” We all know this is true. What we want to hear is an explanation of how morality began without God. Furthermore, it is odd to hear the author of the Selfish Gene to speak of kindness, charity and generosity.

Finally, his attempted answer to the problem is not only based on many assumptions but it is counter-intuitive to the theory he espouses. If I sacrifice my life for you, is it not more likely that your genes will be passed on rather than mine? Why don’t we only help those who can confer some tangible benefit to our genetic pool? Why do we help the helpless and weak? What advantage can their genes confer to us? Furthermore, evolution is purposeless and not guided toward some end or goal. A group cannot know if an act will confer some benefit down the road or not. It would be a waste of energy and time to help the helpless if evolution was true. If nature selects for the kind and the good, then why is there so much evil in the world today?

Two final points on this. First, morality is real. The very fact that evolutionists have problems explaining morality via mutation and natural selection demonstrates the reality of morality and the problems it poses for materialists. If it was not real and experienced and understood by the evolutionists themselves, they would not go to so much trouble trying to explain it away. For example, “Charles Darwin was profoundly perplexed by the fact that young men voluntarily go off to war and die for their groups. This obviously didn’t fit with his general idea of natural selection as being individuals pursuing their self-interests.”1

Second, in order for morality to be real, there must be some objective standard by which to judge what is right and wrong. It will not do to say that morality is a cultural construct. If something is moral for you now but not moral for you tomorrow, or, in other words, the standard of right and wrong changes according to circumstances, then there is no real, objective morality, which we have already seen is not true. Murder is objectively wrong. Lying is objectively wrong. Stealing is objectively wrong. These practices must violate some real, objective law, not merely cultural agreements.

Evolution has to fall back on relative cultural agreements to explain morality but the Bible gives us a different answer and it begins and ends with God. God’s nature is to be holy. He is the high and lofty One Who inhabits eternity and Whose name is holy and dwells in a holy place (Is. 57:15). All the holy angels proclaim the inherent holiness of God. “Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah of Hosts” proclaimed the seraphim (Is. 63:3; Rev. 4:8). God is of purer eyes than to behold evil (Hab. 1:13). He is glorious in holiness (Ex. 15:11). He is simply holy (Ps. 99:5).

The Bible also says that we are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-28). Therefore, because God is inherently holy and we are created in His image, then we, too, must be holy. God’s nature and the revelation of that nature and His divine will are the standard by which we determine right from wrong, good and evil. Morality is not something which evolved; it is inherent in creation. In fact, God demands that we be holy as He is holy (Lev. 20:6-8; I Pet. 1:15,16).

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 14:1-3).

Eric L. Padgett

  1. Gambino, Megan, Smithonian.com, May 3, 2012, How Humans became Moral Beings https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-humans-became-moral-beings-80976434/#TjTbTc1GSZAudiHj.99
  2. Richard Dawkins, The Root Of All Evil (aka The God Delusion), Jan. 9, 2006 tv documentary