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| Volume 21 Number 3 March 2019 | Page 14 |
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| Volume 21 Number 3 March 2019 | Page 14 |
Editor's NoteTam Raynor
“Doing wickedness is like a sport to a fool; and so is wisdom to a man of understanding” (Proverbs 10:23). We each are famous athletes, playing in one of two international sports, either wickedness or wisdom! Every day, we choose which game we play, and some of us cross back and forth often, hopping between the two, but the sport to which we’re loyal the majority of the time is what counts in the final score.
Wickedness and wisdom are totally opposite, have nothing in common and have extremely different results. The athletes in the sport of wickedness are called fools, and those in the sport of wisdom are called understanders, much like car racing has racers and football has football players.
The sport of wickedness is played using a variety of equipment called polluted living, physical or sexual pleasure that is against God’s sense of morality, worship of manmade gods or of people, sorcery, hostilities, jealousy, outbursts of anger, quarrels, divisions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, coarse joking, murdering, stealing, lying and all sexual perversions (Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 5:4-5; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Timothy 1:8-10; Revelation 21:8; 22:15). The sport of wickedness is what the majority of people love to practice, and those athletes always win destruction (Matthew 7:13). Whenever the ancient people turned into professional fools, God killed off the majority of them. Those who died in the flood of Noah’s day practiced all wickedness until they became like our Olympic gold medal professionals. God destroyed them at their peak of foolish success.
On the other hand, wisdom is an understanding person’s sport. Wisdom uses a variety of cool equipment, such as being gracious to the poor, slow to anger, gentle, peaceful, accepting correction, seekers and teachers of knowledge, prayerful, joyful, humble, those who walk with wise men, who speak truth, are hardworking, those who exhibit good behavior, pure, reasonable, merciful, not hypocritical, helpers of the needy, hospitable, and those who are faithful to God’s ways (Proverbs 12-15; James 1-3; Matthew 25:35-36; Revelation 2-3).
Whenever people became professionals in the sport of wisdom, God rewarded them in just about every good way. It’s in history and in the Bible. Wisdom’s athletes win happy lives, riches, honor, pleasant and peaceful ways, and eternal life in Heaven (Proverbs 3:14-18; John 14:1-3).
Which of these two professional sports do you enjoy playing? The sport of wisdom is God’s way, and it will reward its players in this life and in the eternity to come.
What Is the Relationship
between
Scholarly Research
and the Supernal God?
Stacey L. Carter
God and Research
The God of the Bible is the manufacturer of all things. John, the beloved disciple wrote, “Through [Jesus] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). When the world and the things that inhabit the world are studied, the findings reflect the mind of the Creator. As scholars stare into the face of evidence with scrutiny in one hand and a pen in the other, forthright research declares the irrefutable existence and dominion of a supernatural force operating from outside the terrestrial, closed system. However, not all people regard the earth as the work of God’s hands. In this case, aspirant scholars seek to understand the intricate mysteries woven into the universe in attempts to unveil glimpses or hints at potential cosmic origins. The embarrassing reality is that the most advanced research consistently points to an outside force imparting life to the earth in a singular episode. Maintaining a firm comprehension and acceptance of the biblical account of the confirmed beginning relieves Christians of engaging in a directionless search for a genesis and, by subsequent implication, a purpose. For the Christian, embarking on academic investigation presents the opportunity to divulge the unmissable truth that the God of the Bible deliberately designed the earth and everything in it to bring about His divine purpose.
Spiritual Impact of Research
Questioning observable processes and conducting measurable research affords limitless opportunities to grow in faith. However, the researcher and the reader must decide on the meaning of the data. Two men may gaze upon a breathtaking mountain and come to vastly different realizations. One considers the magnitude of God’s creativity and power while the other quietly reflects on the enigma of evolutionary processes that gave life to the awe-inspiring view. Personally, research acts as a spiritual prompt to ponder the great works of the Great God. Just as art students study the sculptor to understand the sculpture, the sculpture also depicts a dimension of its designer. In the same way, people study the Creator to understand the creation, and the creation portrays aspects of the Creator. Hence, research pulls back layers of materials—physical, social, psychological, economical, mental and emotional—to reveal precious certitudes pertaining to the multi-faceted operations of the One True God. Truly, questioning and conducting research can bring people closer to God.
Explaining God
The New King James Version of the Bible contains roughly 783,137 words; within it there are many phrases that work to explain who God is. For example, God is love; God is faithful; God is holy; God is the Alpha and Omega; God is righteous; God is eternal (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Leviticus 19:2; Revelation 1:8; Psalm 111:3; Deuteronomy 33:27). This list of attributes is far from complete. If God Himself breathed over 700,000 words, and those words described a myriad of features attributed to Him, how probable is it that mankind can explain the entity of the Creator through research? Surely, research has the ability to uncover, whether in part or in whole, God’s processes; however, explaining God is another exploit altogether. Knowing this, researchers who hold fast to the Faith should proceed with reasonable expectations. While God’s beauty and intricacy may be observed, measured, analyzed and interpreted, there will always be “secret things [that] belong to the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy 29:29).