Providence–God’s Timing is Perfect

PROVIDENCE–God’s Timing is Perfect

In the last couple of weeks I have been stunned by God’s timing. It just fascinates me how God fulfills His plan for us with the perfect ordering of events. The traditional word for this is God’s providence. Providence is God’s planning and ordering of all things that happen. Not only does God plan everything, but He orders everything to “fall out in time” just as He decides. However, it is one thing to know about God’s providence, and it is another thing to experience it.

Aquinas fine tunes the definition of providence this way:

(Summa I, Q. 22, A. 1) “Reply to Objection 2. Two things pertain to the care of providence–namely, the “reason of order,” which is called providence and disposition; and the execution of order, which is termed government. Of these, the first is eternal, and the second is temporal.”

So, the planning of events is formally what is called “providence” and the execution of those events is termed “government.” God cares enough to plan how things should work out and, also, the proper timing and sequencing of things.

Two incredible examples of God’s government in our lives just recently happened. Due to my moral failure, I resigned with a six-month severance agreement. Needless to say, we were not prepared to deal with an impending loss of income. So, I have been very busy working to get my retirement income in place. This necessitates a significant reduction of our family expenses.

The big item, of course, is the sale of our large home. We purchased a smaller, second home for our daughter to rent with her husband and children. However, because of their unfortunate circumstances, my daughter and the girls have moved to an apartment. This meant we have been carrying two mortgages. So, we have been renovating this smaller house in hopes of relocating there. But, the big house wasn’t selling. Because it wasn’t selling we decided to get the smaller home on the rental market ASAP. Otherwise we faced a desperate financial situation. Our efforts went into overdrive.

While my wife and I were at the rental working, I got a seemingly random call from the Social Security Administration. Previously, I had spent hours on “hold” hoping to speak to a live person at Social Security. Needless to say, I was shocked by getting this call. The nice lady on the other end told me my application had been received and was in process. However, she wanted to inform me that I was eligible for retroactive pay. I was stunned. The bottom line is she offered me nearly a year’s worth of Social Security in a lump sum. Ginya and I did a “praise-the-Lord happy dance” in the front yard.

Not long after this, a friend contacted Ginya to tell her that she had been fervently praying for us and sensed God telling her that our house would sell “today.” And, yes, amazingly, that very day we got two offers for our house. But, get this. The buyer we chose asked for an escrow that will close the very day our severance pay runs out. Again, I was stunned.

One of the things I see is that God uses the timing of things as a way to enhance our faith. I think of the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan into the promised land.

Joshua 3:13 “And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

It wasn’t until the priests stepped into the Jordan that the raging waters were cut off. That certainly must have built their faith. Perhaps, more than any other single thing, the way that God has timed things has ministered to me. He has shown me His great love in the details of life. Oh, and it is often in the details that we need Him the most. Big picture, I know that “God so loved the world”, but does He love me when I have blown it and am facing dire consequences of my own making? I have discovered the answer to that question is, yes.

Stuff

STUFF

Quotable Quote: “By using my stuff to enhance my relationship with God and to help others, my stuff becomes a means to happiness in this life and the life to come.”

I have recently been thinking a lot about “stuff.” This is because I have been immersed in things like a major DIY house-renovation project, applying for Social Security, and setting up streams of retirement income. Fortunately, we have friends who are highly skilled in these areas, so they have really jump-started our learning curve. I literally dream about things like electrical outlets and wall texturing. I have learned a whole new set of handyman and financial skills. So, it is little wonder that I have been thinking about “stuff.”

It seems to me that the relationship of the average Christian to the “stuff” of life has been somewhat tense. The question has always been, how do you handle all the responsibilities and cares that come with “stuff” while still being a good Christian? Down through church history there have been three basic approaches to “stuff.” One is what I call “hair-shirt Christianity.” There have always been those who consider money and stuff as either evil or a huge distraction to godly living. Hair-shirt Christians often forswear earthly goods or, in the modern version, simplify their lives down to minimalist living.

Another approach is to compartmentalize. This group ends the tension between Christianity and “stuff” by putting Sunday worship and the rest of life into two separate compartments. Here, Sunday is for God and the rest of the week is for normal life. While hair-shirt Christianity is too extreme for most people, compartmentalizing life from religion doesn’t seem to be a good biblical response to the tension.

The third approach is where people try to find a balance between religious observation and caring for the practical needs that come with life. But, this is where the tension is usually most acute. What is the proper balance? Can Christianity actually be balanced with what Jesus called “mammon” (stuff)?

I want to propose a fourth approach. I call it integration. The key is to integrate Christianity into life as well as the cares that come with stuff. I am going to provide a quote from Aquinas that you may find intriguing. He makes several fascinating observations that I will comment on.

(Summa I-II, Q. 4, A. 7) “I answer that, For imperfect happiness, such as can be had in this life, external goods are necessary, not as belonging to the essence of happiness, but by serving as instruments to happiness, which consists in an operation of virtue, as stated in Ethic. i, 13. For man needs in this life, the necessaries of the body, both for the operation of contemplative virtue, and for the operation of active virtue, for which latter he needs also many other things by means of which to perform its operations.”

Aquinas is mostly writing about “imperfect happiness.” Perfect happiness cannot be attained in this life. Perfect happiness will come when we can contemplate God face-to-face. However, imperfect happiness can be attained by giving God priority and using wisdom in conducting practical affairs. I wrote about this in an earlier post.

He makes the point, that while the essence of happiness is not directly found in “external goods” (stuff), those goods are (1) necessary for life and (2) are to be used for achieving happiness. How are they used for this? How can goods help us achieve imperfect and, ultimately, perfect happiness?

Aquinas actually says that “stuff” (external goods) are necessary in order to achieve imperfect happiness in this life and perfect happiness in the next life. Wow, that is a very different view from that of most Christian authors. Okay, how? What he says is that they are inescapable because we need them to sustain life. Even the strictest hair-shirt Christian needs food and shelter. But, beyond this, Aquinas says that stuff is necessary as “instruments of happiness” because the proper use of them is virtuous. That sounds very religious, huh? Not really. Virtue is a word rooted in the concept of excellence. So, the virtuous use of goods simply means the “excellent” use of stuff.

External goods (stuff) are used virtuously when they provide opportunity to A) contemplate God and His wisdom, and B) to do good things for others. It is that simple. Yet, this is also very profound. When I use my car to take my family or friends to church, I am using stuff in a very excellent way that leads to true happiness.

So, instead of forswearing “stuff” or compartmentalizing my life or trying to find a balance between my faith and stuff, I integrate external goods into my pursuit of true happiness (God). By using my stuff to enhance my relationship with God and to help others, my stuff becomes a means to happiness in this life and the life to come. This requires no balancing act. But it does require thought. Oh, and by the way, your rational ability is the most excellent thing about you. Enjoy your stuff.

How I Found Rest in Jesus

HOW I FOUND REST IN JESUS

Quotable Quote: “When I focus on me, I become miserable, because I never measure up. But, praise God, that is the point! While I don’t measure up, He does!”

My wife and I went to another church yesterday in order to avoid an ugly situation with an individual related to us. We will return to our church. Yet, we had a good experience yesterday. It was a typical evangelical contemporary worship service with good music and fine preaching. We were blessed. But, I also had a powerful personal insight.

In my last post I shared that the unique thing John Calvin did was to advance the idea that the believer could know with assurance that he/she would persevere in the faith. The consensus view before the Reformation was that no one but God could know the future with assurance. My point is not to debate this issue; rather, it is to talk about the impact of Calvin’s idea.

After Calvin, increasingly Protestant Christians moved away from an outward sacramental religion toward greater inward self-examination. For the Catholic Christian, the question in regard to one’s salvation has to do with being in a state of grace as determined by the church’s mediation of the sacraments. For Protestants, the question of salvation became the examination of the one’s own belief–am I or am I not a true believer? If a Protestant can determine that they are a true believer, then he/she can be assured that they will persevere and go to heaven. The sacraments and the church only validate, but are not determinative in relation to one’s salvation.

The Pietistic movement within Protestantism is sort of self-examination on steroids. Pietism originated as a reform movement within Lutheranism but it has had a profound impact on most Protestants, particularly evangelicals and Pentecostals. It emphasized the importance of individual piety and living a vigorous Christian life. Again, the focus is primarily upon one’s self and not “externals”.

Much of this is good. But, like any good thing, it can be taken too far. With all the self examination of “how am I doing,” it is easy to lose sight of one incredibly important thing–Jesus. It is Jesus who is our salvation and not us.

Prof. Philippe Carey tells the story of what Luther often did to minister to people at their death bed. If the person was fearful and unsure of their salvation, Luther would hold a crucifix before the dying person and say something like, “Of course you are not worthy, but it is not about you, it is Christ who saves us, cling to Him and His cross–cling to Him!” I love that story.

Back to the church service. I am a Protestant Evangelical with a strong Pietistic heritage. Yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice how much of that good service was oriented toward the individual. The music, the message, the lyrics, the whole orientation of the service pulled me toward myself. It pulled me to myself, except for one thing. That one thing was communion. Suddenly, during prayer at communion I had a profound experience. I stopped thinking about myself.

Corrie Ten Boom said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” During communion prayer, I became depressed looking within. Then I suddenly realized that communion isn’t about me, it is about Jesus. Jesus is my salvation. I stopped worrying about, “how am I doing?” I started pouring out gratitude to the Lord for all that He is and all that He has done. When I focus on me, I become miserable, because I never measure up. But, praise God, that is the point! While I don’t measure up, He does! In that moment I had a paradigm shift. For once, I really saw the bread and cup as something “given for me.” Suddenly, my miserable inadequacy didn’t matter. All that mattered was Jesus. I guess you might say I stopped being a good Pietist and started being a better Christian. I found myself at rest in Him.

Angels, Part VI, Odds and Ends

ANGELS, PART VI, Odds and Ends

As I prepared this series I came across interesting tidbits of information that I struggled to fit into a coherent post. So, I have decided to just share the information without trying to create a nice article or narrative. These are fascinating odds and ends of things I have learned about angels. Enjoy.

1.  With Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians there seems to be a strong interest in ascertaining the name of a person’s guardian angel. However, the clergy usually “officially” strongly recommend against this. They believe this is God’s business.
2. The belief in guardian angels is Jewish in origin, rooted in the Old Testament (see Job 33:22-26; Psalm 91:11).
3. Thomas Aquinas made the case that people with very high authority (kings, presidents, bishops, etc.) probably have more than one angel assigned to them. There is only one guardian angel per individual, but an auxiliary angel can be assigned to assist those who have great responsibility.  Aquinas also taught that the Holy Spirit, of course, assigns the gifts of the Spirit as He sees fit. However, Aquinas believed that angels minister those gifts to individual believers. This is based on Scripture and the understanding that God works in an orderly fashion through secondary causes and agencies. As a side note, Aquinas also believed that the various orders in the Catholic Church and each local diocese have specific giftings from the Holy Spirit as ministered by angels. Obviously, the different orders and diocese have various specific niches of ministry. This would also mean that orthodox Protestant churches have different giftings. This seems clear to me.
4. Angels do not have wings. They are pure spirits. However, wings represent their ability to appear anywhere in the universe and to quickly minister as directed by God.
5. Angels do not have to travel from one place to another. What they do is will themselves to appear or to be in a place. They travel–so to speak–at the speed of thought.
6. Our sinfulness does not sadden the angels because they always behold the face of God and, therefore, are full of delight. On the other hand, their joy is made more complete when sinners repent.
7. Though angels are neither male nor female, there is no biblical reference to any angel appearing as a woman. They are always spoken of in masculine terms–despite Hollywood’s view of angels. This is probably for two reasons: 1) they represent God’s power to defeat any human military; and also 2) to avoid any association with female, sexual fertility religions.
8. While the primary role of guardian angels is to guide us to God and eternal life, they also protect us from the onslaughts of the devil and from physical dangers. It is perfectly legitimate to ask God to protect us spiritually and physically through the agency of angels.
9. Evangelicals are very comfortable quoting Paul from Ephesians 6 where he tells us that we “war not with flesh and blood”, rather we wrestle with the “dark” demonic forces that stand behind the humans who oppose God and his church. Conversely, Evangelicals are less comfortable seeing that the opposite is also true; namely, that there is angelic agency behind the work of God’s people. In doing this, are Evangelicals inadvertently attributing greater involvement in human affairs to the fallen angels rather than to God’s Blessed Angels? If so, this seem regrettable.

Angels, Part V, Guardian Angels

ANGELS, PART V, Guardian Angels

Quotable Quote:  “So, the primary thing that guardian angels do is to assist each person to come to a saving knowledge of the Gospel.”

According to BeliefNet, both Protestants and Catholics believe in guardian angels. I think it is important to add that the Eastern Orthodox also share this belief. Yet, it is not just Christians who hold this belief. A 2008 survey by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion found that one in five people who say they are not religious also believe they have a guardian angel. Okay, I admit, that is a head-scratcher. So, you’re not religious but you have a guardian angel…hmmmm?

There is no doubt that the Orthodox and Catholics have a more defined belief in guardian angels. Protestants shy away from going too far beyond direct statements in Scripture, so they tend to have a more generalized recognition that there are probably guardian angels assigned to humans, but they leave it at that. I am a devotee of “faith informed by reason” so I am willing to entertain theological inquiry informed by faith. Plus, let’s face it, it is a fascinating topic and it is certainly a more uplifting subject than a lot of the sludge pumped out by our culture.

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?

The answer is Jesus.

Matthew 18:10. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”

WHEN DO WE GET A GUARDIAN ANGEL?

Thomas Aquinas, Jerome and Anselm represent the three different opinions as to when we are assigned an angel. Jerome taught (along with others) that we are assigned an angel at our baptism. This, of course, excludes non-believers from angelic protection. Aquinas put the assignment at birth because he believed it was fitting that all humans are worthy of angelic protection. He provided stellar arguments for this position and seems to have convinced most Christians that even non-believers have guardians. The brilliant Anselm put the assignment of an angel at conception because that is the moment that a human is created (the human soul being a miraculous creation by God). I tend to go with Anselm.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

The simple answer to the question as to what guardian angels do is that they do God’s will in regard to us. What is God’s will for us? Paul stated it clearly and simply.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

God’s will is that all people are saved. His love includes all of us. So, the primary thing that guardian angels do is to assist each person to come to a saving knowledge of the Gospel. Because God wants all people to be saved, reinforces Anselm’s and Aquinas’ view that each person is worthy of angelic protection and guidance because of God’s immense love and, also, because of the dignity of humanity.

I might add, Jerome’s view that only baptized Christians have guardian angels, in my mind, tends toward the “We four and no more” brand of Christianity. Some Christians limit God’s love to the predestined “elect.” A scriptural position can probably be built to back this exclusivist position; however, I think it takes a lot of tortured “scriptural semantics” and, in my opinion, it violates the obvious spirit of the New Testament. It certainly doesn’t match well with the words and deeds of Jesus.

So, guardian angels are charged with guiding the individual toward God and His truth. Anecdotally, you may have heard that many Muslims are encountering Christ through dreams and visions. This probably represents the work of angels assigned to individuals. I think this is wonderful.

HOW DO ANGELS COMMUNICATE WITH US?

There are two ways that angels communicate with us. The rare way is seen at the “tipping point” moments in Scripture and church history. In those decisive moments an angel makes himself visibly present to someone and may actually speak to them in a human language. This, though, is rare.

The more common way that angels communicate to us is by putting thoughts in our minds, images into our imaginations, or feelings into our emotions. We probably have all had the experience of suddenly having a godly thought come to us. Another common experience that many have had is a strong impression that “this is for you” while listening to a sermon. Something jumps out of a sermon, a devotional, or a teaching that seems to be just for us. Angels are known for doing this sort of thing.

They also can work on our emotions. We may get a strong emotional sense that we have to do something, or go somewhere, or help someone, or pray for something. Many of us have experienced a feeling that came out of nowhere, urging us to do something decisive or to pray for someone who we sensed was in danger. Our responses to these feelings can produce wonderful results. I once suddenly felt the need to give a sum money to a person. I really felt this was God-driven. This gesture led to a spiritual impact on a whole family. Was this by angelic influence? I think so.

WHAT’S THE BIG PICTURE?

The big picture “take away” about guardian angels is that they are a gift of divine providence. Divine providence is God’s plan for and oversight of all events in the universe. So, the fact that God would specifically assign an angel, as a gift to you, in order to do everything He can to draw you to Himself shouts, “I love you.” He loves us, He assigns angels to care for us; yet, He respects our free choices. Wow! I hope you are blessed by these insights.

Angels, Part IV, The Fallen Angels

ANGELS, PART IV, The Fallen Angels

Quotable Quote:  “None of us will ever get to the point that we can let our guard down and coast on the assumption that we are too mature or too smart to fall.”

So far in this series on the angels we have only looked at the Blessed Angels. There is, though, that other third of the angels that are fallen. They are the devil and his minions called the demons. Frankly, I am not the type of Christian who is inclined to be fascinated with the demonic. Nor do I think it is wise to scare ourselves by giving too much attention to this subject. On the other hand, Paul taught that we should be aware of the “devil’s schemes.” So, we need to find a balance between fear mongering and foolish ignorance. Therefore, I am going to seek to provide some helpful information about the fallen angels that, hopefully, will equip the reader.

I will, again, rely on ancient and Medieval sources. However, I am going to throw in some insights I have gathered from pastoral experience and as a person.

THEIR FALL

Most Christians are aware that the bible teaches that 1/3rd of the angels fell from their lofty position in heaven and now oppose God’s plan and God’s people (Revelation 12:3-9). But, why and how? The why and how questions are typically what people want to know. The why-question can be answered from the picture provided in Isaiah 14, which has been typologically applied to Satan. The simple answer is pride. Here is a quote from Augustine.

“On the contrary, Augustine says (De Civ. Dei xiv, 3) that the devil ‘is not a fornicator nor a drunkard, nor anything of the like sort; yet he is proud and envious.'”

Spring-boarding off Augustine we can surmise that the angels are not capable of the “sins of the flesh” because they do not have bodies. Yet, they are capable of both pride and envy. So, Augustine adds, that the devil being “inflated with pride, he wished to be called God.” What does this mean, though? How exactly did the devil think he could be God? Was he that deluded? The answer is, no, he wasn’t so deluded that he thought he could be the Creator of the universe. Angels are a lot smarter than that.

Both Aquinas and Anselm–using sanctified reasoning–taught that the devil wanted to be like God in two ways. First, in his pride he thought he could be fully actualized as an angel in the “power of his own nature” (Aquinas, ST, 63, 3) without God’s grace. This is the classic “bootstrap” sin of “I can do it myself.” Only God can be fully actualized in Himself. All the rest of creation is dependent on Him. Secondly, the devil desired to “have dominion over others” (Ibid.). We can experience this ourselves when the devil tries to dominate our lives through temptation, sin, and deception.

So, out of pride and an envious desire to be self-reliant like God, the devil fell from heaven and led a third of the angels in rebellious opposition to God.

THEIR INFLUENCE

As we have already learned the Blessed Angels are used by God to enlighten our minds about Divine Truth. On the other hand, only God has the power to directly move the human will. What this leads us to is the insight that fallen angels are able to influence (but not direct) our decisions by stirring up images in our imagination or arousing sensual desires. Let’s face it–be real–we have all faced this sort of powerful satanic influence. Who of us has not awakened in the “midnight hour” and had all kinds of fearful images race across our minds? Who hasn’t had all manner of sensual desires stirred up to the point of tempting us to give in to their sway?

I have learned through life and the pastorate that the assaults of the devil will not cease in this life. None of us will ever get to the point that we can let our guard down and coast on the assumption that we are too mature or too smart to fall. In fact, Scripture teaches us that such an attitude is a set-up for failure.

1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Remember, though the devil is a fallen angel, he is a created spiritual being of a very high order. What he knows, he knows with complete clarity. This is one of the reasons why he is so good at deception. He knows the truth, so he can bend it. He is a master of making evil choices look good. Let me remind you, the devil never proposes evil directly. He always proposes something sinful as a “good” (review satan and Eve in Genesis 3). He never suggests, “Hey, do such-and-such because it is wrong and it will destroy your life.” The devil is not that stupid.

The devil also has a lot of clarity about the fragility of human nature and about our weaknesses. He is able to attack us at our most vulnerable point. So, that is why Scripture admonishes personal humility for ourselves and gentleness toward the frailty of others. We need to be humble enough to know that we are–except by God’s grace–easily tempted to sin and, therefore, ought to be gentle toward those who fall. We read about this in Galatians 6.

Galatians 6:1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

It is very easy to do the opposite of these two things. It is easy to start thinking that we are beyond doing really bad things. This is not true. Peter, the chief apostle, was adamant that he would never betray Jesus. He stands as Exhibit A for all Christians that “pride goes before a fall.” Pride leads us to easily believe in our own “spin.” We really aren’t as strong or good as we think. Humility of mind and constant reliance upon God is the antidote to this trap of pride.

Secondly, we can easily find ourselves subtly propping ourselves up by looking down on our fallen brothers and sisters. This, again, is merely pride rearing its ugly head. When we fall, we usually don’t need others piling-on by clucking their tongues, acting like they are invincible, or pretending they are part of the God-Squad “holding people accountable.” The Jesus approach actually heals and restores. Check out John 8:1-11. If I am reading the bible correctly, it is humility before God and gentleness toward others that opens the door for God’s grace. God’s grace is our greatest protection against the evil one.

Angels, Part III

ANGELS, PART III

Quotable Quote:  “The angelic mediation of Divine Truth is another way that God demonstrates His love and care for you.”

Virtually every time there is an angelic appearance recorded in Scripture, the angel(s) informs someone about some important divine insight or initiative. The two classic examples of this are Moses and Mary. We all know about the Annunciation when the Virgin Mary was informed by Gabriel that she would give birth to Immanuel. Less well known is the fact that the Law was given to Moses by angels. “What,” you ask, “did you say Moses got the Law from angels?” Yes, that is exactly what the New Testament says. Read these verses.

Acts 7:53 “you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

Hebrews 2:2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,

Galatians 3:19 Why, …The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.

The point I am drawing out is that God uses the Blessed Angels to inform humans regarding the higher divine things. This appears to be their primary role in relation to us. Of course, they do other things including intervening in historical events (e.g. The destruction of the Assyrian army in 2Kings 18-19) and the strengthening of God’s people. Yet, it appears that their primary function is as instructors of divine truth.

Along this line, you may be surprised to learn the “How does that work?” How does God inform the angels so they can instruct us about key things? Well, great theologians have thought about this. So, let’s explore it.

Here is Aquinas referencing Augustine.

“I answer that, As Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. lit. ii), such things as pre-existed from eternity in the Word of God, came forth from Him in two ways: first, into the angelic mind; and secondly, so as to subsist in their own natures. They proceeded into the angelic mind in such a way, that God impressed upon the angelic mind the images of the things which He produced in their own natural being.”

Augustine and Aquinas are proposing that the Divine Word (the Son of God), before He created anything, implanted the knowledge of those things in the minds of angels. What we see here are two important things. First, God acts in a specific and orderly fashion. For instance, the Divine Word is the Person within the Trinity that informs creation. He is the Father’s Word made manifest to us. So, God’s will and actions are made know to creation by the Word, but first to the Blessed Angels. Do you see the orderliness of this? God does not act arbitrarily or capriciously.

The second thing we see from Augustine and Aquinas is that what the Angels know has been “impressed upon” their minds. This means that what they know is part of their own being and doesn’t come to them via sense experience. Angels, of course, don’t have senses because they don’t have material bodies. They are spirits. Humans have to struggle to know things piecemeal by gathering information through our senses. Did you ever doze off in a class and suddenly wake up at the end of the session? Of course, when you woke up you were wondering what the teacher said, so you had to scramble and ask a classmate. Angels, though, just know what they know. Their teacher is the Divine Word and what He taught them is literally part of the angelic being.

So, what is the “take away” from this seemingly obscure insight about angels? I think it is a big deal that God uses His angels to inform us. Certainly, this can happen when an angel suddenly appears to tell one of God’s people about something. But that is rare. On the other hand, evangelicals commonly say things like, “God impressed such-and-such on my heart” or “I sensed the Holy Spirit telling me…”, etc. What you may want to realize is that what God the Holy Spirit is doing is using an angel to instruct your mind.

I believe one of my gifted areas is theological insight. In seminary I gradually became aware that my gifted-ness was different than most of my fellow students. Others had tremendous facility with biblical languages or great exegetical skills. I, though, seemed to be able to look at a bible passage (or a section of Aquinas) and get a broad sense of its deeper meaning. I was struck by how others often appeared to get “lost in the weeds” and miss the point of a passage. These insights just seemed to come to me naturally and without struggle. This gifted-ness is probably a combination of a natural “bent of mind” and a supernatural gift. I say all of this because I believe there have been times when an angel has directed my thinking. I also believe this sort of thing has happened to you.

The angelic mediation of Divine Truth is another way that God demonstrates His love and care for you. Be encouraged today. Angels are watching over God’s beloved children.

Angels, Part II

ANGELS, PART II

Quotable Quote: “He (God) reaches down to meet us where we are at and doesn’t demand that we climb the ‘stairway to heaven’ in order to grovel before Him.”

 

I had a wonderful seminary experience. In fact, I spent years getting a Masters in Theology and doing course work toward a doctorate. At one time, I jokingly called myself the oldest living seminarian. I loved the challenge of learning and writing. However, as with many academic pursuits, seminary course work can often be very rarefied and unrelated to a pastor’s day-to-day experience. For instance, I found that congregants often have bible questions that are glossed over in seminary. The average “Joe” or “Jane” wants to know about angels and demons because they appear so often in the New Testament. Yet, I cannot recall one seminary lecture or discussion about these things.

The good news is that Angelology (the study of Angels) was a popular pursuit in Christian antiquity and during the Medieval era. So, we have sources to rely on. While I am not an expert, I know where to find expert input about angels and demons.

In this reflection I am going to pick up where I left off. However, if you have any questions about angels, please let me know and I will do my best to provide an answer in this series.

In Angels, Part I, I made the point that angels do not have bodies but they can appear to us in a bodily form so that we can relate with them. Thomas Aquinas stated it this way, “…by divine power sensible bodies are so fashioned by angels as to fittingly represent the intelligible properties of an angel” (Summa Ia, Q. 51, A. 2 ad 2). Notice that Aquinas says that “by divine power” an angel can fashion a body that humans can sense. So, it is God’s power working through the angel that actually produces the apparition (a supernatural appearance of a person or thing). We see that the bodily appearance of an angel is temporary and for our benefit. This, again, demonstrates the immense love that God has for us. He reaches down to meet us where we are at and doesn’t demand that we climb the “stairway to heaven” in order to grovel before Him.

By the way, angels do not engage in sex while they assume a bodily form. This would be impossible, unnatural, and unholy. Many Christians and, even, bible teachers have believed that “fallen angels” had sex with human women based on Genesis 6:4. Both Augustine and Aquinas taught strongly against this notion based on two things. First, the angelic being would have to be a real human to assume all the bodily functions of a human. There is only one heavenly being who has done this, and that is the Holy Son of God. This was accomplished by divine power. Angels–especially fallen angels–do not have the power to create a true miraculous incarnation. Secondly, an angelic incarnation would be derogatory of and diminish the uniqueness of Christ’s Incarnation. He is the only Mediator between God and man.

Both Augustine and Aquinas agreed that if Genesis 6:4 refers to demonic activity (and that is debatable), then it is referring to demons entering into humans spiritually to possess them. It cannot mean that angelic beings can create real human bodies and assume them.

What have we learned? For one thing, we have learned that the study of angels is an important topic because angels appear all over the place in the Bible. We have learned they are spiritual beings with their own will and intelligence. While they do not have bodies, by God’s power, they can appear to us in a bodily form. Most importantly, the Blessed Angels express God’s care and love for us. Think about it, God has created a whole category of being for the purpose of serving Him and ministering to us. What more do we need to convince us that God is inherently loving.

Angels, Part I

ANGELS, PART I

Quotable Quote: “In other words, in order for the majesty of God to be fully manifest, there needed to be a hierarchy of creatures ranging from the lowly slug to the powerful archangels.”

I have decided to do some reflecting on angels. I think a lot of people find this subject very fascinating as is witnessed by the popular TV show, “Touched by An Angel.” However, there are a lot of misconceptions about angels. I will deal with the major misconceptions as we move along.

I have noticed that the evangelical author Randy Alcorn has become quite popular by writing on topics that were major areas of inquiry in the Medieval era. This indicates the thirst for knowledge about these topics. He has written a large volume on heaven and now one on happiness. He is also a “go-to-guy” for evangelicals about angels. I haven’t read all his stuff, but I have a suspicion what I present may not perfectly dovetail with Alcorn.

I am basing my thoughts on theological developments from Dionysius the Areopagite (probably a pseudonym for a Syrian monk from the end of 5th-beginning of 6th centuries) and Thomas Aquinas (the “Angelic Doctor). These two unite the Eastern and Western Christian traditions on the subject of angels. They represent the best thinking on the subject. Oh, and Medieval theologians never argued about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. That idiotic notion was created by Enlightenment thinkers like, Isaac D’Israeli (1766-1848), in an attempt to discredit the Christian tradition.

First off, angels are not the souls of people who have passed into the afterlife and “graduated” to become heavenly messengers. Angels are actually a separate created order of being. The reason they were created is so that God’s majesty could be more fully manifested. Aquinas says it this way, “Hence the perfection of the universe requires the existence of an incorporeal creature.”(ST Ia, Q. 50, A. 1). In other words, in order for the majesty of God to be fully manifest, there needed to be a hierarchy of creatures ranging from the lowly slug to the powerful archangels. The universe needed to be full of a vast array of creatures from top to bottom. You see, the universe is the effect and God is the cause. Because God is such an awesome “cause”, it was absolutely necessary for the “effect” (the universe) to be loaded with a vast quantity of creatures as well as a vast quality of creatures. Angels are above us on the quality scale. They are more like God than us.

You may have noticed that Aquinas called angels “incorporeal” creatures. That simply means they do not have bodies. As Scripture says, they are spirits. Jesus told his disciples after his resurrection, spirits don’t have “flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39). Consequently, the Medieval terminology for angels is “intellectual beings.” What this means is that they have will and intellect (like God) without needing a body. We, on the other hand, need our bodies as the source for sense input. Without sight, hearing, touch, etc., we can’t know much–if anything. Angels know without sensory input because they don’t have material bodies. What they know, they know instantly and intuitively. We are part of the earth’s natural ecosystem (“dust of the earth”); Angels are not.

Okay, but you may be wondering, why then do angels so often appear in Scripture like “young men” as they did at Jesus’ tomb? Well, we need to put on our thinking caps. If Jesus said they don’t have bodies, then they don’t. Therefore, we surmise that they have the power to appear to us in a way we can understand; namely, in a form that seems bodily. However, they only do this when directed to do so by God. Most of the time they remain incorporeal and unseen. That doesn’t mean they aren’t with us. According to Scripture, they are ministering to the faithful all around us. I love that!

It is heartening to know that we may be surrounded by and ministered to by angels (Hebrews 1:14). I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that there are ministering angels. I am very grateful that–according to Jesus–there are angels watching over my granddaughters (Matthew 18:10).

I will continue on this fascinating topic.

Everything You Need to Know About Happiness

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HAPPINESS

Quotable Quote: “To be happy we must use our best to contemplate the Best.”

Literally, everyone wants to be happy. All the philosophers and theologians of antiquity agreed that everything that everyone does is for the purpose of seeking happiness. This belief was so pervasive that it even made it into the American Declaration of Independence; namely, that each human has a self-evident and God-given right to pursue happiness. This right, the Founders believed, is “inalienable”–meaning it is inherent in human nature and cannot be taken from humans by governments. Wow, think about that!

The only disagreement over this consensus on happiness has been about its nature. In short, people disagree as to what brings real happiness. So, here is my input on what it is, why it is pursued in a specific way, and when and how to achieve it. I, of course, am merely standing on the shoulders of the greatest experts on happiness; Aristotle, Augustine, and particularly Aquinas.

Aquinas’ ultimate answer is that perfect happiness (beatitudo) is not possible on earth, but an imperfect happiness (felicitas) is. This puts Aquinas somewhere between Aristotle, who believed you could attain real happiness in this life, and Augustine, who thought it impossible to attain happiness in this life. Rather, Augustine taught that our main pleasure consists merely in looking forward to the heavenly afterlife.

So, for Aquinas, there is an imperfect happiness for this life. We will look at that shortly. In order to understand it better let’s look first at perfect happiness in the afterlife. Don’t be thrown by the jargon in this quote, I will explain it.

(Summa I-II, Q. 3, A. 5) “Now man’s highest operation is that of his highest power in respect of its highest object: and his highest power is the intellect, whose highest object is the Divine Good, which is the object, not of the practical but of the speculative intellect. Consequently happiness consists principally in such an operation, viz. in the contemplation of Divine things.”

The first thing Aquinas shows us is that happiness consists in the use of our “highest operation” which is our intellectual ability to contemplate (think deeply about) things. However, that contemplative ability must be focused on the “highest object”, which is God. To be happy we must use our best to contemplate the Best. This brings ultimate delight. So, our happiness in the afterlife will consist of contemplating the unfathomable depth and beauty of God Himself. God alone can delight and fulfill our thirsty souls.

The Apostle John put it this way, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

St. Paul said, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

Okay, but what about now? What do we need to do to have optimum happiness in this life? Read on.

(Ibid) “Therefore the last and perfect happiness, which we await in the life to come, consists entirely in contemplation. But imperfect happiness, such as can be had here, consists first and principally in contemplation, but secondarily, in an operation of the practical intellect directing human actions and passions, as stated in Ethic. x, 7,8.”

In two sentences, Aquinas quotes Aristotle and says more than a multitude of Christian authors can say in a ton of their books. What is he saying? He is saying two things. First, perfect happiness is reserved for the afterlife when we can directly contemplate God. Okay, we got that.

The second thing Aquinas is saying is that an imperfect happiness can be achieved in this life. But, how is it achieved? We can achieve imperfect happiness by doing two things. First, we need to spend time using our best to contemplate the Best. Then we need to use our practical smarts to make wise life-choices and to direct our passions. As I am sure you realize, unbridled passions are a prescription for personal disaster. So, in summary, here is what you do:

Spend quality time thinking about and encountering God
Use your mind to make wise choices
Control and direct your passions