To Know God, To Know Self

"Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts; the knowledge of God and of ourselves." This is the first line in Calvin's Institutes, Battles translation. How true Calvin's words still ring. There is no wisdom of real value that doesn't include these two aspects. To know God is the foremost, and to know God is to know ourselves better, more clearly. For we learn and see by comparison. To set ourselves alongside God is to set up a model of learning. How do we match up to God? How do we see God in comparison to ourselves? Are we thoroughly consistent to the way God made us and intended us to continue? That is what God's perfectness is all about. He never changes, not even slightly. He is perfectly sufficient in Himself and will continue to be. There is no reason for Him to change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He never changes. There is no variableness in Him nor shifting shadow. He cannot change. And because He is God, He is holy, that is, He is totally unlike us. We change. We violate our nature regarding the way God made us to be. We were made in His image. We were to reflect perfectly His moral being. Not to do so is what sin is, what it is to be unholy--not to be like God. He is holy, that is, He never violates His being, and so is unlike us. He both does not and cannot be unholy. I wish I could be like God. I wish I could be stable and perfectly trusting in Him, never doubting or second guessing. Never changing from what He made me to be.

The Temptation in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1-12, 13, and Luke 4:1-13 give the account of Jesus' temptation by Satan in the wilderness. Matthew and Luke give full accounts while  Mark merely mentions the occasion. I suppose I have never given much thought as to why Jesus was tempted previous to His ministry until this morning, at least not that I can remember (and I have forgotten much). We know the baptism of Jesus was previous to this event, that being the precursor to His ministry. One must first publicly confess His alignment with God on His terms, according to His truth before he can serve Him in any meaningful way. But such public confession is not enough. He must also be tested to see if his heart and mind are really sold out to God. Such was the reason for the temptation. Should one not pass such a simplistic test he has no cause to continue in the venue of public ministry, of representation of God. Unfaithful ambassadors are not ambassadors. Should one not be thoroughly consumed with that bulldogish, Jacobian "I'll not let you go" determination he cannot serve the Master of the universe. Failure in temptation is letting God go. One cannot hold on to Him and sin. One cannot fulfill an allegiance proclaimed and not continue in act, thought and deed in accord with that proclaimed allegiance. "You say it, now let me see it," says God. And how does He try and perfect His servant? By the allowance of direct solicitations to sin and heightened (sometimes greatly heightened) trials of normal life. When the devil comes or when life goes kaput, do you continue on or complain? Do you move on in God's work or move away from it? How quickly we are moved away from God by failure in our testings and temptations! Sins, complaints and cessations are nothing but "I quit"'s. Jesus was serious. Are you? He didn't quit or give in to the slightest, not even for a moment entertaining the thought. Do you? Hold fast. Be true.

"You are the light of the world."

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (NASB)

How could a lazy Christian be more convicted of sin than by this passage? One's selfishness and carnality are darkness itself. There is no light in any of it. What one is in private he is in public. One's influence to himself is his influence on others. What one is, one is. There is no division between the private and the public forums. When I am in sin, though that sin could never be known to another, my light is not shining. It has been hid under the basket of evil. My light is shining when I am being what I am supposed to be at any given time. I am as Christ to the public view if I live like Him in public and in private.

Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (NASB) We are to follow after Christ, meaning to be like Him, represent Him. How can we do this if we play games with it? Is it meaningless to be godly, to "be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect"? (Matthew 5:48) How can we be so if we play games with sin--sins that cannot be known let alone those done for all to see? Is Christ Himself meaningless? How can we say otherwise if we will not conduct our minds and actions and words at all times is such ways as He would? I am not speaking of perfectionism, but that we so want Him that we agonize tirelessly to be like Him. That we are so cognizant of His affect on others that we want that for them nearly above all else. That they might see Him as He is and desire Him also, and know eternal life, which is to "know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3, NASB)

But the light of Christ in us is darkened by the basket of sin and shame when we are not what He is and would have us to be. We despise Him before others in such cases. We tell them He is not really worthy of our attention or worship, that His ways are not what we would have, though we claim to have them, to be in Him. Hypocrisy reigns then and the testimony of Christ diminishes by lack of our godliness in private, unnoticed. That is, unnoticed by eyes. But the ill impression is yet there and we are hardly a bright light in this dark world. We are hardly a witness for Christ. We are hardly an influence on others unto the sanctification unto salvation.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13; Hebrews 13:12; 1Peter 1:2)

Setting One's Heart in the Law of the LORD

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. (ESV)

Is this not what we all ought to do? To set or prepare our hearts to study the Law of the LORD and obey it and teach it to those around us in our sphere of influence? The Law of the LORD is obviously the Bible, in our time. We have the completed canon of Scripture and nothing will ever be added to it nor taken away from it. Those who wish to do so, do so against their own souls. (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18,19).

This setting of the heart is not a teeth-gritting determination out of a sense of duty, though such will be present. It is, rather, a determination naturally arising out of a sense of desire, love to God and man. And the object of this determination is the greatest work one could embark upon--to know God's word that one might obey it and teach it to others, that they might do the same out of the same love to God and man. Should enough people get such a burden and do so the Scriptures could be sown around the world and multitudes of hearts changed. What a new thing this would bring about; what a new world we would have!

When I Say God

Speaking to God I say, "You are God and there is no other god." But what does that mean, "You are God."? What am I saying when I say God referring to the God of the Bible? I am saying He is exactly as the Bible says He is--His attributes, His acts, His promises are exactly like the Bible says they are! He is eternal (Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.), self-existent and self-sufficient (Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’” ; Psalms 50:12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.) [Strongs, in his theology, says "God exists by the necessity of his own being. It is his nature to be. Hence the existence of God is not a contingent but a necessary existence. It is grounded, not in his volition, but in his nature.], merciful, kind and loving (Exodus 34:6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, . . . ” [NKJV], Psalms 103:17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.), just (Exodus 34:7 ". . . by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation." [NKJV]), faithful (1Thessalonians 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”  [NASB]). He is all of these things and very much more, infinitely so. There is no understanding God. He is too big to understand with our finite minds, yet He has giving us an understanding of Himself so that we can have a very real personal relationship with Him, that we may know Him as Jeremiah 9:23 speaks of. It is God's pleasure to reveal Himself to us--but the thing unrevealed are for Him alone, Deuteronomy 29:29.

Why Art Thou Cast Down

Psalm 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

Psalm 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. (NKJV)

Three times the psalmist asked himself why he was cast down, or discouraged or disquieted within himself. Three times he admonished himself to hope in God, for God shall surly raise him up and give him cause to praise and thank Him again. Three times he says this, twice in one psalm and once in the following. Three times the seraphim declared God to be holy(Is. 6). Three times the LORD called on the people of all the earth to hear the hear His word, saying, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD" (Jeremiah 22:29). Three times it is said God gave up or over those who will not repent of their sin and accept His truth (Rm. 1:24, 26, 28), meaning He would leave them to their own devices from then on. He would not visit them again or give them another opportunity to repent and be saved. They would be lost forever, having no more hope for redemption. They had made up their minds and He confirmed them in it. They cannot even want to repent now, for God will never again move on them with His Spirit.

But what I wanted to bring out by mentioning the times God said something three times is that when He does so He is demanding our attention to the fullest. He always means business, but at these times He is intensely trying to get our attention. We must hear and heed what He says, especially at these times. So here, in these Psalms, regarding this repetition of the psalmist, let us give heed. Though we should be cast down and depressed and disquieted within ourselves, God will yet make a way for us and we shall praise Him. There shall never be a time when He will not bring us back up from the doldrums of despair--even the worst sort. We shall ever praise Him for His goodness to us.

In praise we both glorify Him by telling of His goodness and greatness to others and even to ourselves and Him, and we give thanks to Him for His goodness to us. The same word (‏יָדָה‎ yadah) is translated both ways (praise and thanks) in the Psalms (here and Ps. 107, for instance). We never praise Him but what we give thanks, and we never give thanks to Him but what we praise. The two thoughts are ever together. We may be only intending the one, but the other is ever there. To praise God is to proclaim His worth. When we thank Him we declare His worth, for His kindness to us causes us to speak of what He did for us with a heart of rejoicing and gladness and appreciation.

We may be in the doldrums now, but we need not despair. We shall yet praise Him for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to us. Do not complain, but declare His praise!

A New Hope

There is a new hope on the horizon, one no one can take away nor hinder. This is what is pictured with the root out of a dry ground and the tender plant or sprig of Isaiah 53:2. Christ was predicted to come and did. So also shall He fulfill His work of redemption of the church, those who believe, and the consummation of the age--to judge the unbeliever and reward and perfect the believer. It shall come about and no one can stop it. All things shall be made new and without sin or the destruction caused by sin. All will be well forever. A new hope has come and its fruition will be had. God be glorified in all His work!

Christianity and Philosophy

The more I think of it, muse upon it, the more I see the vanity of trying to defend the truth of the Scriptures by philosophy. This is not to say good philosophy will not back up the Bible--it has no choice, for truth will always come forth--but it is not the better way to disperse it, or defend it. The Scriptures will defend themselves, as truth always does. It is self propagating and needs no help. And to disperse it abroad to create saving faith in man one needs only proclaim it itself. Attempts to cause men to believe it are in essence vain, though to argue it to unbelievers is right and the way it has been defended throughout the ages (consider Stephen, Acts 7; Paul, everywhere, esp. Acts 9:20-22; 20:31, etc.; Apollos, Acts 18:28; others throughout Scripture). Simply spoken, the best argument for the Bible and all it contains is the Bible itself. If one will not believe it, it is because he is not of the Father's sheep (John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.), nor of the truth (John 18:37 Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.). Those who will come will come, for they are given to Him by the Father (John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.). For the determined unbeliever nothing will convince him, even the most verifiable and impossible miracle. Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Jesus did and they in that time would not believe, or at least submit, in Him and they still will not, even though the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most verifiable and attested occurrences in ancient history.


I must presuppose the truth of the Scripture--meaning the Scriptures are true in all things it says and represents itself to be. One must presuppose some things no matter what one is dealing with. Why should it be any different with the Bible and what it proclaims? Do not the scoffers live by a double standard when they demand perfect and compete evidence for the Scriptures and God when they do not do so for the tenets they believe? They assume the falsity of miracles, God and determined morality. Of course, they do so because they do not want to be holden by them, for if they were it would interfere with their personal mores, which brings them to conclude such things are untenable. The true matter is not the Scriptures but personal desire. The reality of God and the truth of His word would not be questioned otherwise. There would be no reason to do so. For such reason, those of the 19th century vehemently ran to evolution for it is their only hope do dispose of God. Nevertheless, those who are true and walk with integrity will sincerely search the Bible to see if it is true, and will walk in its light the rest of their days. This is exactly what Jesus meant in John 18:37. Because of this reality I cannot be overmuch concerned by those who determine not to believe, or who seem to always find an excuse not to believe such and such at any given time. Were they of the Father's sheep they would believe. If they were of the truth they would believe. A fool is a fool whatever his IQ may be. Such is not a matter of intellect but of heart and integrity.

Redeeming The Time

I just read a sermon by John Wesley on Eph. 5:16, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. He dealt with the matter of staying in be too long, exhorting all to find out by experiment how much sleep is required for them and to sleep no more than that. There is too much to do to lay in bed, and it is harmful to the body and mind and spirit. And it is. But there are other considerations regarding this passage and all have to be dealt with equally.

One may not lay in bed but still not use his time wisely. He may waste his waking hours being idle or doing things that are not best. The things that are of eternal value must take priority. To know God and maintain a close fellowship with Him is of crucial importance. One cannot do anything outside of abiding in Christ, which means having a close, very personal relationship and fellowship with Him. John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Not only knowing Him in salvation but also in ordinary, everyday conversation. For nothing of eternal value can be done except one have such fellowship with Him. To do that we must spend much time with Him and in every way possible submit to Him. Prayer, meditation--on His word and on Him personally--and worship are the commodities that make rich our storehouse of abiding in Him. But to do so out of duty is to take away the value of the exercise. God does not want our sacrifices, He wants our personal, willing and heartfelt companionship. He apparently walked with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before the fall, and He wants to walk with us today in the same manner, or at least as much the same manner as is possible. He wants personal fellowship which stems from a close relationship. We are His children, His dear and close family. And being so we know we are desired by Him above all else, For the LORD’S portion is his people (Deut. 32:9). How much time, therefore, ought we to spend with Him, getting to know Him better by becoming more and more like Him? We are commanded to be so--1Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. How does this happen except one spend time with Him in prayer and in His word? 2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. I take the phrase "with open face" to mean "in sincerity, with desire and determinedly ." It means we are not holding anything back and we want God to change us. We are willing to do and change anything that needs to be so we can be what He is. No Compromise! No Hypocrisy! Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, and, Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. "I am busy about this business of becoming like Christ. I have no time for the frivolous things of this world, whatever they may be. I MUST BE LIKE HIM!" If truly we do, we must redeem the time, take every opportunity to get to know Him and use such time as wisely and profitable as possible, always looking to do so better.

Not only must we become more and more like Him by getting to know Him better and better, but also by doing what He has told us to do. Ephesians 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. We do not need to spend time wondering what God wants us to do. He has already told us. We need only find out by His word what it is and then learn how to accomplish the task. Ephesians 5:10 Proving (learning or trying to understand) what is acceptable unto the Lord. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove (approve by testing--come to a true knowledge of and appreciation for) what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. There are a multiplicity of commands to consider and we are responsible for them all. No picking and choosing allowed! Neither ought we feel we must go out of our way to do them for they are but the natural outworking of the redeemed heart in close fellowship with God. It is not that we do not have to work at it and continually assess and correct ourselves. We do. But one in love with God is in love with His desires, which are His commands. The will of God and the word of God are the same thing. And, 1John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). That is, they are not burdensome to the one who truly loves God, and the greater the love the less the difficulty of keeping His commandments.

Contextually, the primary thing we are to be about is to be holy, separate from the sinfulness of this world. That is what is being dealt with. Mostly one would think of this as a command to do a lot of things, and indeed we ought and need to to really fulfill the intent of the command, but that is not the case. Redeeming the time here means be godly. Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. This brings us back to the first thing mentioned--be like God by spending time with Him in prayer and in His word, letting His word manifest itself in and through us. Ephesians 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 ¶ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. To sum these verses up, we are to be: submitted to the control of the Spirit (not doing our own thing our own way, or even His things our own way, but His things His way), meditating on His word, having a cheerful heart rejoicing in Him, not demanding our own way--preferring others to ourselves. Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 1Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth. (John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.)

It is essential to remember, or know, as the case may be, that in order to redeem the time we must expose the unfruitful/wicked works of this dark, evil world. Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Colossians 4:5 ¶ Walk in wisdom toward them that are without (non-Christians), redeeming (making the most of) the time. This is done by living out and preaching the Gospel of Christ. So we must get out of bed, not only morally, but also physically. We are to get to work for the Kingdom of God. There is much to do in every realm and we must get at it today. John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Our Presence in His Kingdom Will Never End

It's funny, isn't it, how a man who is devoted to Christ can write something about the Kingdom without specifically mentioning it? C. S. Lewis did that in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Aspects of Biblical truth abound in his works. Christ was all to him. That is, the things of God. How could it be otherwise--he was a Christian, wasn't he? One will express that which consumes his life. I suppose that is one of the best ways to judge oneself--what really consumes you. Does not a man act and speak in accordance to what is in his heart, the abundance thereof?

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Matthew 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Matthew 12:34 . . . for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

What fills one's heart is what he will live for and speak of.

That is what got my attention this evening (9/2/2009). I watched again the second of the Chronicles of Narnia movies--the modern one. As the four children were to return to their world in the end, and as the ending song started, proclaiming that they--Lucy and Edmund--would be back when they--the Narnians, I suppose--call them, "no need to say goodbye", I thought how different it is, or at least should be, with us and the Kingdom of Heaven, or God, if you wish. In the story they always left the "other world" kingdom of Narnia, only for someone who had been there before to return. If you know the series you know that the people who return become progressively different, and in some cases the main character doesn't return at all but dwells near to the land he eventually enters, such as in The Horse and His Boy, if I remember right--and I think I do. Nevertheless, it is the idea of entering and leaving and returning that I wish to discuss.

When we enter the Kingdom of Heaven we need never leave and return in intervals. We do not actually ever leave, if we truly have entered God's domain, but we may do so in heart, or attention. I speak of one's conscientiousness or desire to be there. It seems there are times when we want to be closely related to His kingdom and at other times we don't. It is not a matter of reality but of view and desire. In reality we are always in His Kingdom after we once enter, just as we are always in the Spirit once in-dwelt by Him, though we may not act like we are.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The obvious thought here is that we are to live what we are. And if we are in His Kingdom we ought to act like it. But I think when we are down or spiritually weak we tend to not realize who we are and where we reside in Him. We are in His Kingdom and we will never be out of it. We are kings and priests before our God even when we don't feel like it, or even don't want to be so at any particular time. That's good. Were it not so we would ever be trying to find our way back. As it is we at times do think we have left and must find our way back, only to find in the end we never left. We only got lost in the woods of our own land. Sure, we may have to find our way back to the castle, or should I say throne room, but never back to the Kingdom. We may have to find our way back to the presence of the King, but we were all the time His co-regent. "Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen in Narnia." A truth well worth realizing.

It is, for the true believer in Christ, a calming reality that we will never be out of His sight or rule or care; we will never be out of His Kingdom. There truly is "no need to say goodbye."

A Concern With Lewis on the Suffering of Christ

There is a concern I have with what C. S. Lewis says in an analogy of the passion of Christ and common human suffering in chapter 8 of Letters to Malcolm. Much of the analogy (pp. 43-44) is quite good. But he tends to go too far in his query of God's forsaking the Son on the cross. Lewis questions why the Father would forsake the Son in His greatest need. This is what I believe he is pondering, at least. It seems clear to me after three readings of it. Lewis doesn't even hint at the fact the Father's forsaking the Son was an essential part of the vicarious atonement for man's sin. Man's sin separated him from God and must have separated him from God forever should Christ not have paid our penalty in our place. The essential meaning of death is separation. Physical death means separation from this life and the things of this life. Spiritual death means, in the end, separation from God, since He is life and the giver of it, and, by default, the things of God which give life meaning and pleasure. The penalty of sin is not said to be being beaten or even to die physically, though the latter is at least a part of it. The penalty for sin was to be and is death, and that to the uttermost. Were physical death the full extent it would hardly be a penalty at all. To die in this life and yet live in the next is hardly a matter to fear. The Christian will, excepting those raptured while living--should the interpretation be accurate--do this very thing. The only fear in it all is the fact we have not yet experienced it or something much like it, and it is something unknown to us. Those who will fear death most are those who are weak in faith and have doubts regarding their salvation, or those who have good reason to doubt their salvation by reason of a continuity in sin or some compromise of purity and godly behavior. Most Christians, I conjecture, are not so much terrified of death, yet somewhat anxious. The fear, if one might actually call it fear, is by reason of not knowing for sure what it will be like, especially the meeting of Christ face to face. One's own sinful disposition--the awareness of indwelling sin--is enough to unsettle the stoutest soul in light of having to meet face to face the Perfect One who knows every man, and that thoroughly. Hardly does a sinner want another sinner to know his innermost sinfulness, let alone Him!

So, physical death itself is not the extent of the promised result of sin, only a part of it. The final and full result, the penalty to its full, is separation from God for eternity. Inherent in this separation from God is separation from all things good. This was hinted at above in the mention of separation from the things of God which give life meaning and pleasure. God is perfectly good and all good things emanate from Him. One separated from God is not only separated from His person but from His blessings of gifts of pleasure as well. Those things which give us pleasure will cease immediately when this final separation is made. If one does not want God, he by default does not want what He provides. And by His provisions only does life have meaning and pleasure.

Consider what it is that gives pleasure. Existence itself does not necessarily do so. But light does. Air does. Water and food do. Comfort and good health do. Good friends do, and in the absence of good friends, acquaintances do to a real degree. Just to be in the company of others, even if not directly interacting with them, does. Beautiful scenery does. Good music does. Animals do. Moderate temperature and weather do. Could one not go on for quite some time naming things, both generally and specifically--like chocolate ice-cream--which give pleasure, both physically and aesthetically?

Having listed several things that might have relieved Christ from the difficulty of the cross, as He prayed--all to no avail-- Lewis finalizes the list with,

"There is, then, nothing left but God. And to God, God's last words are 'Why hast thou forsaken me?'

"You see how characteristic, how representative, it all is. The human situation writ large. These are among the things it means to be a man. Every rope breaks when you seize it. Every door is slammed shut as you reach it. To be like that fox at the end of her run; the earths all staked. [I don't understand this last sentence.]

"As for the last dereliction of all [referring to the last thing in the listing--God's forsaking Christ on the cross], how can we either understand or endure it? Is it that God Himself cannot be Man unless God seems to vanish at His greatest need? And if so, why?" (pp, 43-44).

Lewis does not mention here, or even to the end of the chapter, that the forsaking of the Son by the Father was necessitated by His dying for sin. He did not only receive the penalty for sin, He became sin, the very object of God's wrath.

2Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NASB)

He was made a curse.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE." (NASB)

God is too holy to look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The Father forsook the Son when the Son was made sin for us. Such was necessary. It was not something that did not have to take place for Him to be more human or enter full into the common human suffering. The wages of sin is death, and Christ had to receive the penalty in full, both the physical and spiritual sides. For a time, maybe three hours, considering the time of the darkness and His death, God turned away from God. And in this was fulfilled the threat, "You shall surely die." I wish I could tell this to Lewis, though, if he didn't know it in this life (he could have even if he doesn't reflect it in this portion of his writings) he certainly does know it now. One look at the Lord Jesus would, I'm sure, have dispelled any fogginess or doubts about the matter.

Truth: Realized--Spirit and Emotion

We have taken the reality of God's presence and made it an emotional experience. We think if we can get our emotions worked up we can enter the presence of God. Or we think emotional feeling is the presence of God. God is not there. He is in the man. Such is not emotion. The spirit is not emotion. It is the man himself. When the spirit gets connected with God there is very little emotion involved. It is just a reality. In our spirits we realize God and truth. We don't feel it. Feelings may emit because of the realization, but it is not a part of that realization. Neither does it give credence to that realization. There is nothing of truth value in feelings. They are simply there as a result of realizing truth, or what we think is true, and they help move us into action. Otherwise, feelings have nothing to do with truth. One may feel a certain way about something and the opposite be true. One simply cannot base truth evaluations on feelings.

Truth is only and absolutely objective. Even metaphysical truth. Metaphysical truth is that truth which cannot be evaluated by the senses. It is not tangible. It belongs to the non-physical world. To know such truth is not an emotional determination. Metaphysical truth is known in the spirit of a man. He hears truth and there is an agreement in his spirit without the necessity of physical examination. For one to say this is not credible is to debunk his own words. What he just said, then, is not credible, for his speech, the meaning of the words he just spoke, cannot be tested by the senses. As Bahnsen says, the laws of logic are true, yet they are untestable by the senses. Still, we realize and experience their worth by everyday living. One cannot live in an illogical, irrational manner and get on very well for any length of time. The laws of nature, as we may call them, those laws that are simply there and govern all we do, whether we will be successful or fail in the end, cannot be ignored and the one ignoring them get on well. He will run into invisible walls that refuse to move. The result of his running into them will be his fall. One, or a nation, cannot forge ahead in violation of reality--the laws of nature or the laws of logic and reason--without finding defeat at last. One may not admit to defeat or that any laws had anything to do with it. But his denial does not change a thing. They are still there and he cannot get by with violating them. No one ever has or will.

Truth: What Is--Windows and Birds

Why does truth matter? Because truth is what is. To deny truth, itself or any particular element of truth, is to set oneself up to run into barriers, unseen barriers that one will not be able to comprehend. The picture is of a bird trying to move past a window. Why is it not able to do so? It doesn't know, for it can't see it. Yea, it can see past the glass, or at least the reflection of the sky in the glass, but not the glass. So confusion ensues, and it continues to try to get past the glass without accomplishment, but doing harm to itself. If only it knew the glass was there! It is to the bird an unseen hindrance, a force outside of itself it cannot overcome. So the denier of truth finds himself bumping into unseen barriers, barriers he denies exists. Why will his ideas and agendas not work? Why the constant confusion of his attempts? He seems to see his way clear enough, but he is blind to the laws of truth he is violating. These laws are the unseen and denied barriers he cannot get past. They are barriers that will never move or change, even in the slightest way. And they govern the lives of all men, be they aware of it or not. There are no exceptions. To follow the laws of truth is to find the pleasure and fulfillment one is trying to find by violating them, and to find truth itself.

Truth: Ignored--Denial and Apathy

I am quite alarmed by society's response to truth, the notion of it. That truth exists, especially as an authority, is either dismissed or lackadaisically ignored by many, if not most. I listened to an apologetics lecture with a Q&A section on this concern. It made me realize again how people are taught that truth either does not exist or is not important. The second proposition is the most divisive. When one concludes truth is not important there is no standard for moral or logical/rational decision making and acting. Once apathy sets in it is nearly impossible to awaken the sleeper. Of course both propositions are false and easily disproved, but those who wish to contend for them have come to a place that tends to dowse any interest or enthusiasm of rethinking their position.

The real problem is that when truth does not matter anything can happen. Our world is living that out in our time. But such was lived out to a greater degree long before now. The Bible records such an attitude in Rom. 1:18ff. Mankind grew tired of God and suppressed His truth, Himself being in reality the whole of it. The result of suppressing the truth was the world wide flood which covered the entire earth, without geographical exception. When God gives one up for refusing truth and demanding falsehood (done always for convenience's sake) there is no more hope. Though He may give one many years, even a lifetime to repent, His judgment will certainly come. And when judgment comes the irony of it all is realized--the very thing the suppressor aspired to, namely pleasure in whatever form it comes, is lost, and the realization of its futility is gained in full. I wouldn't wonder if the greatest torment for the eternally damned shall be the realization of their folly and hypocrisy against themselves. Such an example is Bertrand Russell. It is reported that when asked what he will say when he stands before God, and God asks him why he did not believe in Him, he will respond that He did not give him enough evidence to believe in Him. But in eternity, when all foolishness is put aside and reality in its fullness descends upon such a one, there will be no more ability to play games, for one will be known to himself as he is known to God. All, in that day, will be naked and void of any possible duplicity. Self-deception will be ended forever. Reality alone will stand. And the greatest reality is that it will be too late to make any changes.