Some interesting things from JV’s blog here….
The subject matter for this post came from a comment made by a visitor to JV’s post. I have been thinking about it and thinking again about the comment. It nags at me to some degree. Not that there is anything wrong with questioning nor making remarks. I do it all the time, duh! It was more of the unfinished words. What’s the conclusion?
Disclamer: This is something that I wanted to write a long time ago, but had no occasion. Since there is now, I just write. Not ‘hantam’ing anyone.
We are in the age of relativism and one of the side effects of being born into this sort of age is this: we dont expect an ending. We just dont expect to find a last say on something. We tend to leave it open. Food for thought (as my old English tutor would put it).
The Context
Kingdom of Heaven
I so hate the movie. Yes, my rant can be found a few posts back. But the context of “How far is going too far [out?] for God?” comes from the depiction of the Medieval Christian (Pre-Reformation) Soldiers who would dutifully follow the cries of the Roman church (not only from the Pope, mind you). Like it or not, the cries echoes closely to the Muslim terrorists and suicide bombers of the Middle East. “We do it for God/Allah” (Incidently, I have no qualms using the word Allah interchangeably for God in reference to the Middle East context, as it is the Arabic word for God).
The extreme picture painted of Christian soldiers going full-geared in armour and sword at hand, charging towards infidels of the faith shouting God’s name IS a strong imagery that provokes us. Strong enough to repulse us. Shocking to see people with so much zeal, doing so much evil. In the name of God.
Getting things down to the core issue:
Extreme scenarios usually seeks a response. And the response is usually to swing to the other extreme of the topic spectrum. If such is the capacity to do sin for extreme zealots, therefore there is no need to expose ourselves to such a situation where sin might befall our efforts. This logic is purely acceptable, as one would want to ‘not’ fall under the same category as ‘extreme war-mongering-hatred-filled zealots’. Naturally, the question emerges in our hearts: to what then should my commitment be to God? How can I measure what is right or wrong? Will I ever fall into such a blinding predicament as the Crusaders?
Apples with Apples
The first stark error which leads us into that conclusion is the fact that we equate those Crusaders as real Christians. No matter what is potrayed in the film and in popular history books, the Christians who made up the Crusades were not true Christians. They were the Medieval Christians, under the authority of the Roman Empire. Remember that this was around the year 1000AD, another 500 years before the revival of true Christianity in the form of the Reformation.
Therefore, for one thing, our ties with them were different. It is like equating the way Mormons act with how we should act. Or equating the standard set by the Pharisees to those of Christians. No. The only way in which we can equate ourselves with them is only on a moral basis. But as we know from the bible, moral basis can only extend so far as God’s law allows it, as God’s law transcends the imperfect moral standards of human beings.
What I am trying to do is to get rid the pictures of extremist/zealots that we have in our minds because that creates a bias based on our moral standards and will not have us as Christians to fully comprehend what God wants in relation to the subject matter. Non-believers will act that way because of so many reasons (both simplistic and complex) and none of it are biblical.
“How Far is Going Too Far for God?” can ONLY be understood from what God says in the Bible.
How Far God Wants?
The rule is this (and it is consistent throughout the Bible): What God Wants, We Give. No questions asked. Full Obedience Required. Full Submission and Hope.
Case in point: If we were to allow the nagging doubts from the unbiblical Christian Crusaders to infiltrate our minds, Abraham would never had taken up the knife to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. And that would imply that Jacob would not have been born, the promise would not have been given etc. God says sacrifice… kill your son. The human moral would pacify and say: That is TOO FAR! But we Christians know that, it is NOT TOO FAR! Yes, even without hindsight or foreknowledge, we should emulate Abraham’s action of obedience (Hebrew 11 is a good justification of this in the NT)
Case in point: Hosea marrying the harlot. The society screams a “NO!” Unclean. But God says “Go, take yourself a wife of harlotry!” and Hosea went and took Gomer.
Case in point: God said “Kill every male among the little ones…” (Numbers 31). Outrageous! Impossible! I wont do it! But, what happened? Israel did it.
And you will see that there is no too far for God. Extreme things God asks from you? You think? Does God ask you to do it to everyone now? No. Of course not. But the lesson is this… if ever God ever asks you to do ANYTHING… you better do it. Hypothetically, if God were to appear to me in His Glory and asks me to do the acts as He revealed in the OT… I would do it… like it or not. On what grounds? Is there any basis for such a thing? Sure. On the basis that our God is a God of Glory and Purpose. All acts (especially those that were described above) served as a purpose in God’s Divine plan.
HIS COMMAND
Our response
We are fortunate God does not seek out prophets to reveal His Divine plans anymore. No new revelations. But nevertheless His command is still clearly stated in the Bible. And yet, we take this for granted by coming up with the same excuses as we did for the examples given in the OT above: IT IS TOO FAR!
Go preach and make disciples! Submit your lives fully to God!
“No, no, no… that is TOO far Lord! Too radical”
Go use your talents… lose your job…
“No, that is TOO far… what about the economy? my family? my wife? my husband?”
It’s the same issue as “are you willing to marry a harlot? sacrifice your son?”
Will He not [take care] of you, O you of little faith?
And this is what nags at me every single day since I came back from Melbourne.
If we allow ourselves to ever think that there is such a thing as going too far (fanatical) for our one true God, I assure you that we will never live our lives to the fullest.
CONCLUSION
No. There is no such thing as going too far for our one true God.
Am I myself going too far for Him? No. But I do want to by His Grace.
I am heading there if He so allows it.
I believe that this response is thoroughly biblical and irrefutable.
Do not let my weakness or human frailty hinder you from doing what is right.
Amen.