by Rev. Joda Collins.
Is God controlling (manipulating?) everything and everyone? This is a valid question and a debate among many Christians that is as old as time. I do not believe God is controlling everything and everyone. We are not robots. We have the freedom to make our own decisions. I have done things for which I am ashamed and will not accidentally or purposefully in the mind of others implicate God. You may disagree. That is fine. You have a right to your opinion and your opinion may be correct. I think "God is in control" means different things to different people and each one might be right depending on how each interprets those words.
One basis of others attempting to justify homosexuality is that God made a person that way, so "Since God is in control, I am homosexual by God's design," says the homosexual, "therefore the matter is out of my control." Whether one agrees with this position or not is not the issue. The issue is that what gives strength and validity to this theory, at least in part in the minds of otherwise reasonable people is the teaching that God is controlling everything and everyone.
There are well-meaning Christians who sincerely believe God is controlling everything and everyone. Some who believe that might secretly wish God would do a better job.
"...if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" First Corinthians 14:8, KJV - If your expressed theology gives a confusing and distressing message to a sincere seeker to the point that the sincere seeker of God cannot be well-prepared or best-prepared to fight the good fight of living for Jesus, then your words are damaging to him. That is unkind and uncalled for.
Matthew 18:6, KJV - But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:6, ASV - But whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:6, KJV - But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:6, ASV - But whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Most theological positions can be expressed clearly enough that most well-intended and reasonably-informed Christians can agree. However, if educated, aware, God-called and God-loving Christians cannot agree on a secondary theological point that has been debated by godly scholars in excess of 4,000 consecutive years, for the sake of clarity keep your side of the debate off your church sign where some lost people and Christians of weak faith read it and get the impression your church must be full of stupid people. Neither "God is in Control" nor "God is Not in Control" belongs on your church sign regardless of what the person who puts the words on the church sign believes.
Romans 14:15 -- But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. (16) Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
(19) Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
(21) It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. (22) Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
The admonitions above provide not just a narrow direction about eating meat, but applies a broader Christian principle to a situation that involves eating meat. The broader Christian principle is that if a complicated but secondary concept exists
(such as what to eat or a catchy slogan) for which well-meaning (God-fearing and God-honoring) Christians cannot agree, then the admonition is to keep your opinion about the best faith position between you and God which is an act of Christian love (charity) rather than dogmatically expressing your controversial position on that secondary issue to a brother as if it is unquestionable biblical fact, if your brother is likely to find your uncompromising position hampering his attempt follow God to the best of his ability and causes him unnecessary and easily avoidable grief.
Rev . Joda Collins
www.jodacollins/spotlight/lulu.com
I make no claim that anyone else agrees with me.
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