Thursday, January 26, 2023

 

Thursday, January 26, 2023


Psalms 65; 70

Genesis 16

Luke 1:39-56


Observance: Australia Day


My spirit rejoices in God my saviour!


One of the great arguments that occurred during the Reformation, a theological debate that had been raging since the early church and still continues today, surrounds the capacity of the human will. Luther wrote On the Bondage of the Will, and Calvin wrote The Bondage and Liberation of the Will, both explosive works that still upset Christians today. They were both asking the question of how we can reconcile God’s sovereign right and ability to choose whom He saves, and what role, if any, human autonomy has in God’s decision-making process.


Fundamentally, the question asks: does God need our help? When God does something that involves us, can we make a breakdown of how much we participated in God’s action? Do we participate 50%? 10%? 1%?


Abraham and Sarah were starting to get worried. God had promised that He would bring forth children from their marriage, and that those children would go on to become a chosen, loved and saved nation, even including specific details on the boundary lines; but they were getting old. Sarah decided, and Abraham agreed, that they would help God along with things.


Hagar the servant girl runs away, and understandably so. She had been through serious trauma. But God asks her to do the right thing nonetheless (even though her master didn’t), and she does what God asks.


Our journey through Luke has shown us two more stories of miraculous births. Zechariah questions God’s sovereignty and is made to “shut up”, literally. Finally, we meet Mary, who shows us how it’s meant to be done.


God can and does do what God wants to do. And what God wants to do is keep His promises. And God promises blessings, life, salvation, and all the good gifts as befits our Generous Master in His treatment of His servants. He doesn’t need our help, and doesn’t ask for it. (Thanks be to God for overriding our ability to fail with His ability to succeed.) All He asks us is that we trust Him, because He said so, and we love Him, and He loves us.

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