jar writes:
Okay, so far God is not stupid and not vainglorious.
If those are true, why would a God set the bar for salvation beyond human capabilities or require folk to worship Her as a prerequisite for salvation?
That appear logical in and of itself. You could have asked a few more questions to make it appear even more so. But I get the point to whit: it makes no sense that God would set the bar at too high a standard to be hopped over. But only in the context of the assumption that hopping over the bar was the way it worked(I haven't said that worship is a prequisite to salvation either. It isn't.)
But the height of the bar is only one half of a two half game - both of which are amply covered in the Bible. Lets look at what would happen if the bar was deliberately set too high. Look at it with a view to the process applied to a person who is going to be saved
A man sins.
A man realises his sin. he may feel guilt, shame etc. he will try
not to repeat the behaviour. He fails again, and again, and again. He buries the guilt, he makes excuses for himself. He may rid the deed from his mind. But not from his heart.
All the while God is pressing his standard: perfect adherence to the law.
The man, under the action of the Holy Spirit, feels more and more guilty, more and more shame. More condemned by this standard he knows he is falling short of. It piles up within him. He can't escape from it
Eventually he arrives at the point of the man at the end of Roman 7. "Oh wretched man that I am - who will deliver me from this body of death" He realised what he is. A filthy sinner before a totally righteous God. He's even got Jesus as a standard to compare himself to. Jesus who never ever sinned.
It's at this point that the perfect, unattainable law has done it's work. It's very existance and perfection has proved an insurmountable barrier to the man. He had tried but he realises he may as well be throwing ball bearings at an ocean liner as fulfill the law. His own, self-achieved rightstanding with God, his own righteousness..."are as filthy rags". He is bankrupt before God. Sinners go to Hell. He is going to Hell. And he knows it...and he agrees that that is all he is fit for. He had no right to meet a righteous God. Filth and righteous cannot live together.
When a man reaches this point God steps in. The man needs righteousness, but can't obtain it himself. "But now a righteousness FROM GOD is revealed...which is by faith". God has enough righteousness to give to all. But he can only give it to someone who recognised their need of it. The horse has been broken. It has broken itself. Against the perfect law. Only then can the proper, as-designed relationship begin. Man needing God, Man son to God, Man off the throne, God in his rightful place in mans life - on the throne.
Any other form of salvation: going to church, doing deeds, giving money to the poor, praying, reading the bible, joining a religion, denying self, attempting to live up to the law....puts salvation in mans hands. It keeps man dependant on himself.
Man is helpless. The perfectness of the Law is designed to show him that.
(p.s. for interested lurkers, if any. The process whereby this occurs will vary from person to person. It will occur without them being aware of it being God-connected. But at some point they need to need God, realise it and ask him, as the only one who can, to help. And he will. As God is my witness...)
This message has been edited by iano, 13-Oct-2005 06:29 PM
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