God's in Charge
Puritan Board Freshman
I have a good-hearted soul wanting to join me in my reformed theology. One question I haven't answered to his satisfaction is...
If God dispenses all power and Satan can only do as he is allowed. What sense does "Spiritual Warfare" make? Especially Jesus' exorcisms . Why refer to ANYTHING as spiritual "warfare" if actually there's only one side?
Showing God's rule over Satan from Job doesn't seem to scratch the itch, and I doubt all the other scriptures that establish our doctrine of absolute sovereignty will either. He comprehends our own war with our sin nature as a part of God's plan...but he's trying to read Jesus' exorcisms with God's rule in mind and it creates an odd scene. Here's his mind as he reads the following scripture. So this evil spirit is doing only what he's "sent" to do. It appears as Jesus dialogs with the father and his disciples he's coaching faith and prayer as part of the equation. Why give ANY answer to the disciples ? other than... "God ordained this case for me alone, nothing you do could change that" if the fathers faith and the disciples prayer life ARENT a factor?
Mark 9:17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried outd and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
PS
I don't need this particular exorcism picked apart. I doubt this one varies enough from all the others to make a difference. Help me with "big picture" concepts of why God ordains such evil activity, and why Jesus "battled" with it.
Thanks for ANY help you can be.
Brian
If God dispenses all power and Satan can only do as he is allowed. What sense does "Spiritual Warfare" make? Especially Jesus' exorcisms . Why refer to ANYTHING as spiritual "warfare" if actually there's only one side?
Showing God's rule over Satan from Job doesn't seem to scratch the itch, and I doubt all the other scriptures that establish our doctrine of absolute sovereignty will either. He comprehends our own war with our sin nature as a part of God's plan...but he's trying to read Jesus' exorcisms with God's rule in mind and it creates an odd scene. Here's his mind as he reads the following scripture. So this evil spirit is doing only what he's "sent" to do. It appears as Jesus dialogs with the father and his disciples he's coaching faith and prayer as part of the equation. Why give ANY answer to the disciples ? other than... "God ordained this case for me alone, nothing you do could change that" if the fathers faith and the disciples prayer life ARENT a factor?
Mark 9:17And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24Immediately the father of the child cried outd and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
PS
I don't need this particular exorcism picked apart. I doubt this one varies enough from all the others to make a difference. Help me with "big picture" concepts of why God ordains such evil activity, and why Jesus "battled" with it.
Thanks for ANY help you can be.
Brian
