Risks

Mar 14, 2007

Does God risk? If our view of God includes an understanding that he predetermines all things that will ever happen, that he not only has all power but that he chooses to excercise that power to control every event, then God does not risk.

If we understand that the future exists as reallity to God and that his knowledge of things includes that which does not yet exist and that he is never surprised, then God does not risk.

Yet, the narrative of scripture reveals God in relation to humanity in situations that seem to imply risk.

He trust humanity with a free will in the garden, giving them the power of choice. There was a risk that they would choose poorly and in opposition to his expressed will. And they did.

He entrusts the care of his own people to the hands of deeply flawed leaders (Moses and David et al) with the risk that they will fail. And they often do.

He sent his Son to be born in a stable. Enough said.

Jesus also calls his followers to risk their very lives and there seems to be a principle that God in Jesus will not call us to go where he has not already been.

Above all, the greatest risk is to love. There is always the risk that we will not get the ‘I-love-you-return’. God is love. And God so loved the world . . . and that love is often not returned.

It all seems very risky to me. Does God risk?

3 Comments. Leave new

Interesting thoughts . . .

Well Old Baldy I hope you don’t dispense your bears in my direction. Just one comment: The greatest risk God takes is to let the future be I cannot accept the premise that God does not know the future. He does and chooses not to interfere except in the most vulnerable way. Jesus is not a controlling person but he knows in consulting with his Father that he is going to Jerusalem to die and rise 3 days later. Eternity is beyond space and time. He knows past presnt and future. We are invited in prayer to enter into God’s thoughts. For me it is very important that God knows my past, present and future.

My 2 cents worth
John

Thanks John. What if we said that God knows all that can be known and all that he has determined to do?

Jesus knew he was going to die and rise again because the Father had determined to do it.

I am determined to speak at Southpoint on Sunday. My certainty of speaking is related to my ability to make it happen. Since my ability is limited, so then is my certainty.

But God’s ability is unlimited. So, if he determines to do something, it is as good as done. This does not require experiential knowledge of the future.

Just to stir it up more: if the future does not yet exist, then it cannot be known since we cannot know that which doesn’t exist. So, do we limit God’s knowledge to say that he has no experiential knowledge of the future? IE Does God’s knowledge extend to that which does not exist?

Scott (the bald one)

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