GroshLink

Below is an email from Miller on the Hebrews 11 and the Nature of Evil which I thought would be of value to share. A seminary friend of his commented:

I couldn’t improve on this. Remarks about evil are illuminating. Yes, the path of faith is to heed God’s word even when there is no evidence, or when the apparent evidence is on the other side. That’s the thrust of Eve’s temptation in Gen. 3, and basically all the decisions, good and bad, made by people through the biblical history.

So here's the comment, for your prayerful consideration as we celebrate the incarnation of the Logos, the appearance of the Light of Christ which illuminates (and dispels the darkness from) our hearts, minds, souls, and actions. Come, Lord Jesus come.  We long for the day when every knee will bow, tongue will confess that you are Lord over all of creation, and presence of evil will be banished to the outer darkness!

i think the contradiction (at least to us when we wonder about how much control God really has of situations we're facing) that would be in my mind if i were abraham being told to sacrifice isaac.."God, why are you asking me to do this?  it doesn't make sense...you said you were going to make me and my children a blessing to future generations...how can you ask me to do this...if i kill isaac, your promise can't come true...i'm confused...not sure i'm hearing what you're saying"....but abraham's faith was unusually strong, and he trusted that God could even raise isaac from the dead...that even though it must have hit him hard, he trusted despite the obvious thoughts that came to his mind...

i was talking on sunday with a friend, about how evil itself is a spiritual experience, and for some doing evil seems more helpful than doing nothing...these loners in high school get involved in black clothes and crimes because any attention is better than being a zero..."there's pleasure in sin, but just for a season"....we were discussing his father's depression, and its relationship to his extreme dutch calvinism...it's possible to become paralyzed in our misery, because we are afraid to give up what is so familiar, for the freedom God could give us (but then we say, what if i leave beyind my present life, and turn to God, and He doesn't help me...)...it seems people are often happier with the misery they know, than the unknown freedom God promises...that's scary to trust Him in things we can't see...a counsellor was talking to someone about the hell they were living in, and asked them why they don't want to escape...the response: "it's familiar territory...i know the names of all the streets in hell"

abraham at one point left his home town, and went out because of God's command...he had no visible proof that this was a good deal...just a stubborn obedience because God told him...he must have been scared....burning bridges behind...going into the uncharted and unknown....and then having his confidence in God strengthened as he discovered that God is actually able to do what He promises...