God's obligation
Miroslav Volf contends that we are incapable of giving anything that obliges God to reciprocate. For what do we have that we did not receive? Obligation? God's or ours? Here's a thought from Volf: 'But rather than receiving something God needs but doesn't have, what God receives is delight - the lover's delight at the sight of the beloved whose very existence is that lover's gift. What God also receives is pain - the lover's pain when love has been betrayed.' The point is that we are incapable of offering God a gift in such a way that will move him to be other than he is already... totally towards us in grace.
4 Comments:
This is true: all we can offer God is obedience, which we can assume causes him delight. However, there are some aspects of the order that God has built into creation that we can depend on.
For example, God has given us the ability to choose humility rather than pride, and in doing so we can assume from the Bible that God opposes the proud (and by inference, does not oppose the humble??). Certianly the beattitudes offer a range of actions followed by reactions (eg blessed are ... , for they shall receive ... ).
I think the right perspective to take is to never expect that our actions somehow "force" God's hand ... clearly He is sovereign and is not forced by anyone. But we can temper that by an awareness of some of the orders that God has built into creation. It's the difference between giving a tithe in order to expect financial returns - vs - being generous in all areas of our life because it will please God, benefit others and ourselves in ways that we might not be able to anticipate.
Well said Rollsy ... as ususal.
Hi,
In song of songs, the beloved hears the lover knocking on the door, but says, "must I get up?"
The lover does not abandon the beloved, but leaves his scent on the door handle.. its a wierd connotation, I know.. am I stretching the interpretation?
the lynx effect!
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