Backwards Theology

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BACKWARDS THEOLOGY

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11Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. (Isa 56:)

Man tries to understand God. But not really.

Man has two basic reasons to try and understand God. The first reason is that he wants to find out what it takes to get all he can out of God without having to do what God demands.

The second reason is similar to the first; he wants to learn all he can in order to impress his friends and associates with the great knowledge (usually mystical) he has acquired.

Very few people want to learn about God for the only acceptable reason in God's eyes, that is to learn what He wants us to do and how to accomplish it.

So, since we are looking for understanding of God through our own eyes, we do not see God, but only ourselves.

In order to see God, we have to turn three principle theologies upside-down. These three doctrines not only keep us from seeing God, but they have become a fundamental part of the established churches who supposedly "know" God and are following Him.

If you are rather shocked by the naming of these three, hold on; it gets worse.

BACKWARDS THEOLOGY #1: GOD IS LOVE AND THEREFORE HE WANTS TO DO ALL HE CAN FOR US.

"I want children so I can spoil them rotten and do everything I can for them, love them, nurse then, bail their sorry butts out of jail. Just be there for all their selfish, ungrateful demands they choose to demand of me."

Is that how you see yourself as a parent? Is that how you see God and His desire for His children? If it is, you are right in line with most of the Protestant churches, and even the Catholic as well, though not so blatantly.

I would assume you have children with the hope and desire to do all you can for them, and to make them just as happy and successful as you are able. Of course some people have children by mistake, or out of habit. But these people are not reading this piece.

God also wants the very best for His children. He wants what is ultimately best for them, not just what seems best to them during their formative years. During the children of God's formative years (our earthly adventure) we experience chastisement, direction, instruction and guidance. We are trained and conditioned similar to the way children used to be educated in school; that is physically (P.E.), culturally (life skills), and spiritually (morality lessons and even prayer). Of course younger people most likely have no idea what I am talking about since these no longer (essentially) exist in the schools during this age of "enlightenment."

God wants His children to be obedient and thankful. Not only thankful with lip service, but from the heart. He also wants His children to be giving and appreciative. And part of that appreciation is the willingness to share with others our good fortune, especially with those less fortunate, just as you, a parent, are happy to give to your children their needs and desires.

God wants His children to be successful. Success to God is not measured by how many degrees His children earn, or how many merit badges they acquire, or how far up the corporate ladder they climb. Success in God's eyes is seen as the amount of attention His children give to His will for them (commandments), and how well they obey, and how happy they are to be with Him and to make Him pleased with them. Is this any different than what you would desire from your own children?

And finally, God wants His children to love Him from their heart. This love is displayed by wanting to be with Him all the time (and yes, through the Holly Spirit this can actually happen!), and along with this, to have a strong desire to do all they can to make their brothers and sisters happy and safe, even if sacrifice (like Jesus, even to death) is required.

If you had children like the ones described above, would you feel like a successful parent? Would you be glad you chose to keep them rather than abort them as did God who aborted His children with the flood, and will again with the tribulation that is to come?

From the child's perspective, that is a child who is spoiled and unlike the blessed children described above, the parent should give him all he demand whether he deserve it or not. And this attitude is fully supported by society at large. But would you, as a parent, willingly approve and support such an attitude?

Yet that is exactly what we expect of God.

Man was created from the earth. That is, we are nothing but a walking ball of clay that will one day return to earth. We think we are spiritual beings, and therefore eternal and special, especially Christians. But we are not spiritual beings until we have received the Holy Spirit which completes us, or at least is the beginning of that completeness (foretaste, seal). Those without the Holy Spirit are still chunks of dirt, no matter how many people look up to them, or how highly they look upon themselves. And dirt, no matter how many times you wash it, is still just dirt.

And dirt looks to itself, and not to God. Dirt serves itself, and does not serve God.
Spirit on the other hand is not dirt, but rather just uses the dirt vessel to move from one place to another. Spirit does not serve itself. Spirit does not even look to itself or point to itself. Spirit points to Jesus, and serves Jesus, and is dedicated to following the directions of the Lord. Spirit is driven toward helping others find Jesus, and thereby receiving the Holy Spirit.

Dirt Man sees himself as the center of the universe and expects God to be at his disposal, doing whatever he wants Him to do. To Man, "love," therefore God, means "Do for me."

God's love is just the opposite of Man's conception. God tells us that love means doing for God, and for others (Mat 22:37-39; John 14:15; 1John 4:20).

Upside-Down. The churches are pointing God toward Man for Man's sake; instead of pointing Man to God for God's sake.

BACKWARDS THEOLOGY #2: MAN WAS MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE.

God has two hands and two feet, a pot belly and a curved spine. God has to cut His hair and trim His nails and beard. God has to brush His teeth after eating that big steak dinner. Is that right? Is that the image you have of God? Is that why we have the features and the limitations we do, because God Himself has them?

Of course not.

God is Spirit. We have been told that many times in His Word (John 4:24; 1Cor 3:16; 2Cor 3:17).
Then if God doesn't have a body like we have, why does the Bible say we are created in God's image?

"Let us make man in our image." If I was to say; "Let us make clay into our image," wouldn't you assume that the clay already existed? You wouldn't assume I was going to make clay would you? By this the assumption would be that man already existed as one of the beasts of the field, as was Satan, and God chose that creature to make like Himself. Now if God had of said: "Let us make a creature and call it man, and make that man in our image," it would be clear that such a creature didn't exist. But that is not what God said.

I know, my reasoning sounds like grasping at straws as do so many of the cults and oddball doctrines. So forget I said it and let's press on.

It is pretty well established that the first two chapters of Geneses sounds like two separate creations. And there are many doctrines and beliefs based on just such a supposition. And in a sense, I agree. But it is not that there have been two creations, but rather there are two accounts of the same creation. The first account covers the creation from beginning to end, that is, to the end of the Millennium. The second account begins at the beginning of the creation process as it relates to man and gives a detailed account, day by day. Those who have studied news reporting understand this principal very well. The structure goes like this: first you tell them what you are going to tell them; then you tell them; then you tell them what you told them.

The first chapter of Genesis tells you what God's purpose for mankind is, that is, to be in the image of God Himself (which is Spirit) and to have dominion over the entire creation. It is obvious that man does not have dominion over the animals and the sea and everything else created. In fact man doesn't even have dominion over himself, leastwise anything else. And it is just as obvious that God hasn't rested. In fact God must be working harder now to keep man from blowing himself up, and using more effort than it took for Him to create all creation to begin with.

But there will be a day when God can rest. And we find that day, the seventh day called the Millennium, at the end of John's Revelation as well as in many of the O.T. prophets. At that time man will have dominion, just as there is One who had, and exemplified that dominion over sickness, death and nature 2,000 years ago; the one Jesus Christ.

And there will be others who will be in the same form as He is, but not everyone who ever lived as some say it will be, nor the sluggards as many say, nor the ones who say the right words and perform the right rituals as even more say. It will be those who have been indwelt by and led into the identity of Christ who will be the Overcomers. Jesus, the First fruit of such people, demonstrated what a "Man in God's image" is like. Jesus, the "Beginning of the creation of God" (Rev 3:14, 21; John 16:33).

Chapter one of Geneses takes us from the beginning of creation all the way into the eighth day of creation. Then at the very end of the Bible we are given a wrap up of all the important points God wants us to have learned in the thousand pages between the intro and the conclusion (Rev 22:6-21).

We are in the image of dirt. Jesus is in the image of God. And so will be those who have chosen to obey Jesus (who is our Commander), be in the image of God, when they come into the completeness and the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13)

[ This is not to dispute that God created Man in His image in the beginning or that He rested on the seventh day. My effort is not to detract from God's Word, but to expound on it. Like most (if not all) of the O.T., the Creation story has a past, future and present application. My purpose here is to broaden our view of the story and show that it has a strong meaning to us in this day and age beyond its informational value.]

BACKWARDS THEOLOGY #3: SATAN IS AT WAR WITH GOD AND TRYING TO DRAG EVERYONE INTO THE PIT.

Satan is by no means at war with God. Satan was created for one purpose, and that is to be a purifying fire for those who follow God and seek afer Him. This is exemplified not only by Job, but by Jesus (His temptation in the wilderness), by Paul (Arabia Gal 1:17-18), and by the blasphemer who was put out of the church so Satan could do his purifying work on him (1Cor 5:5; 15:50; 1Tim 1:20; Mark 1:13; Mat 4:1; Luke 4:1-2: John 17:1-3; Mark 14:38; John 6:51 ).

If there was any chance at all that Satan had any power against God, do you think God wouldn't have grabbed him when Satan stood before Him asking for Job? Would God be telling us thousands of years in advance that He is going to throw Satan into a pit, then release him again. Do you think Paul would have advised the Corinthian church to put sinning Christians out thereby turning them over to the power of Satan?

Man is already destined for the pit. Satan doesn't have to do a thing to get us there. Satan's job is not to pull those who are already at the bottom even lower. Satan's job is to keep those who are reaching ever higher toward God from reaching Him. And the purpose of keeping them from reaching God is not to hinder them as it seems, but rather to strengthen their faith and resolve. Those who fail to reach God were not truly sincere to begin with ("Weak, cowardly, fearful, unbelieving," etc.) and/or hadn't counted the cost (Luke 12:46; Rev 21:8; Luke 14:28). It's much like pilling more and more rocks, little by little, into the backpack of a soldier who is learning to climb a wall. Or it's like a baseball player who picks up several bats at once, swinging them around in order that the single bat he uses feels much lighter and therefore he is able to swing much faster.

Also, like the woman in Luke 7; the more we work, the harder we try, the more we discover how wretchedly inadequate we truly are and how much in need of God's help and Grace we have become. Jesus said of the woman: "Those who are forgiven much, will love much" (paraphrased). And conversely, those who are forgiven little, love little. In other words, as I see it, if we still have an ego, are full of our self (or have any "self" in us at all), we have not been low enough in our experience to learn of our need and are still self-reliant. We haven't been challenged beyond our own abilities, like a baby who finds trying to walk too much of an effort, so he decides that crawling through life is the proper way to travel.

God wants us to love; to love both Him and one another. Until we have been in the pits where others are, we can not appreciate them or their position. This is not just an intellectual affirmation God is making. He came down to the lowest of our level, that of a social outcast and criminal to learn what it's like, and to demonstrate how to accept that position.

When God says to be forgiving; to love the unlovable; to forsake our family (which does not mean to abandon them or ignore our responsibilities), to take up our cross and die for others, He is not telling us to do that which He is unwilling to do, or has not done to the full Himself.

If we love ourselves, we can neither love God nor our brothers and sisters.

Why do the churches continue to preach that Satan is so powerful and a dreadful opponent of God when there is so much overwhelming evidence that he is just a vicious dog on a short leash? For one thing such a belief gives all us miserable humans someone to blame when we fail to live up to those standards God has set for us, rather than feeling like we have to take the responsibilities for them ourselves.

There are many, many more backward and distorted theologies, all just as strongly embroidered into the doctrinal fabric of the churches as these. Most of these distorted views I have already covered in other sections, or in studies I have begun for a later time. In the interim these three will probably cause you to doubt my sanity and give you reason to feel that much more secure in believing as your church has instructed you to.

References

36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:)

15If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:)

17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us. 20If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. (1John 4:)

23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:)

18Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. (1Cor 3:)

14But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. 15But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. 16Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. 17Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2Cor 3:)

14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (Rev 3:)

21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Rev 3:)

33These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:)

12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Eph 4:)

4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (1Cor 5:)

19Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: 20Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1Tim 1:)

9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. 10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:)

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (Mat 4:)

1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. (Luke 4:)

1These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:)

38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (Mark 14:)
48I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:)

47The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. (1Cor 15:)

46The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. (Luke 12:)

7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:)

26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? (Luke 14:)

9All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. 10His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 12Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (Isa 56:)

9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. 13But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isa 6:)