“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” – Joshua 24:15 (NASB)
Joshua spoke those words to the Hebrew children. If He were here today he might tell those who profess Christ –
“…choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: the God of Scripture or the god of your vain imagination…”
The God of Scripture tells us that apart from His Son, we are DEAD in sin and the objects of His wrath.
The god of your imagination tells you that are basically OK, but are inclined to commit a sin now and then – after all, you are only human.
The God of Scripture tells us that He must pour out His holy wrath against all ALL sin because He is just and the wages of sin is death, by His own decree. We are all born on Death Row.
The god of your imagination says that God is not angry; He mostly sits around in Heaven all day dreaming up new ways to attract you to Jesus because He can’t imagine His Heaven without you in it.
The God of Scripture sent His own Son die in YOUR PLACE, to pour out His wrath against YOUR SIN upon HIS OWN SON, and it pleased Him to do so.
The God of your imagination tells you that Jesus died to bridge an impersonal gap called sin so you could be happy in Heaven with Him forever.
The God of Scripture tells us that everything in this world exists to bring Him glory and honor – EVERYTHING.
The god of your imagination tells you that God does everything He does with YOUR happiness in mind.
The God of Scripture tells us that He saves those that He does save as a precious love gift to His Son.
The god of your imagination tells you that God saved you because He wanted someone to love.
The God of Scripture tells us that He sent His son to seek and save the lost, and that he will seek, save, and keep them.
The god of your imagination tells you that Jesus is waiting longingly outside a door with no doorknob waiting for YOU to decide you want Him to come in.
The God of Scripture tells us that the reason he leaves us on earth after He saves us is to proclaim His Gospel to everyone around us.
The god of your imagination tells you He left you here to have your best life now.
The God of Scripture tells us the Gospel we are to share, and that is powerful to save a soul is that Christ died for our sins and was raised up again; according to Scripture.
The god of your imagination tells you that folks will get saved if you just love them. When they realize you love them they will just naturally love you and of course love Jesus when you tell them He loves them too.
The God of Scripture tells us His Son sits at His right in glory waiting for the command to return as the Righteous Judge.
The god of your imagination tells you that if you are lonely or depressed just imagine Jesus as your lover and dance partner; never mind that He sent His Holy Spirit specifically for that purpose.
The God of Scripture tells us that of first importance to our spiritual growth is what He has revealed in His inspired, written word.
The god of your imagination tells you that what you ‘feel’ about what He says is more important that what He says.
I could go on and on contrasting the God of Scripture and the god of your imagination, but I will stop now. Be angry at me, hate me for having said what I said. Then search the scripture for everything God tells you about Himself and show me FROM the scripture you have actually read, where I am wrong, so that I might repent of being a liar.
The Battle Cry 
Morning Dan. Great post…in reading Packers’ Fundamentalism and the Word of God, he says “people have critically thrown much light on the human features of Scripture, but it has not greatly furthered our knowledge of the Word of God. Indeed, it seem truer to say that its effect to date has been rather to foster ignorance of the Word of God; for by concentrating on the human side of Scripture it has blurred the Church’s awareness of the divine character of scriptural teaching….” Nuff said? Anyone who wishes to call you a liar, I would love to see it backed by scripture…that seems to be the hard part for people….
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That’s one I have not heard, and a ‘keeper’.
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I fear that you invite anger and hate from people because you harbor anger and hate in your heart. To that I would say “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar.” [1 John 4:20]
You seem to disagree with yourself in the above post. The first section you say we are born DEAD (your emphasis) and the second section you say we are born on Death Row (implying that we are alive but sentenced to die.) Which is true according to your understanding of God? I don’t think this makes you a liar – just careless.
I agree with Packer that there is an extreme ignorance in the U.S. regarding the Word of God. I’m not sure I’d attribute that entirely to the human features of Scripture; I think it has more to do with so many people getting their “Scripture” from a lecture – rather than delving into it themselves. That is, it seems like a lot of people don’t read/study Scripture for themselves, but that they listen to a sermon on Sunday and let someone else tell them what the Bible says – and what it means.
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So Bad, you know my heart? Wow! I thought that the only one who knows the human heart is God Himself. I know you said that ‘you fear’ I am full of hate and anger, but why would you say it at all if you had not made up your mind?
Did it occur to you that if I harbor hatred and anger it might be because ‘we’ dishonor God on a regular basis by perceiving Him as something less than He is? Did that even occur to you? None of the above was directed at any particular individual, but addressed to all who profess Christ – including me! With your great attention to detail (DEAD in sin v. Born on Death Row)I would have thought you would have caught that. If I did not care about my brothers and sisters in Christ, I would just go away.
I’ve been there. I learned the great doctrines of the faith in my youth. I left the church, but God would not let go of me. I came back and then spent ten years or so years in fellowship/churcues that taught no doctrine, believed in ‘new’ revelations and the supremacy of our ‘feelings’ about scripture and God over what He has already revealed in Scripture.
I do not say these things lightly. The central issue is the ‘me’ centered Christianity with it’s ‘dumbded down’ God and Savior that is in reality rank idolatry – the idolatry of ‘self’.
I have actually thought a lot about those two phrases and their possible contradictory nature. Ephesians tells us that apart from Christ, we are all DEAD in sin. In the sense that we are born headed for Hell, you could also say that we are born on death row, while we are in fact already spiritually DEAD while we live and breathe. It’s a matter of perspective – both can be true. Therefore I am not careless – I left it in intentionally.
Have I made myself clear, or is there something else about my ‘heart’ that would like to reveal to me?
Dan
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I no more know your heart than you know anyone’s imagination, I suppose. What I do know is that people tend to focus on sin issues with which they have particular problems themselves (as in remove the plank from your own eye…).
Let me put it in the form of a question, why do you think that anyone that disagrees with you might even consider getting mad at you or hating you?
The churches that you used to attend; did they reflect all of your statements about the god of the imagination? I imagine that this is more of a compilation based on your various experiences?
“Both can be true” – mighty post modern of you! 🙂
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We all have a very human tendency to shoot the messenger when there is a poccibility that we might just be ‘wrong-headed’. Please note that this is a generalizaton about the ‘human’ condition. It’s not important whether or not the statements concerning the God of the imagination are based on specific churches or are based on personal observations (mine or anyone else’s). That’s not the issue. This post contrasts the God of Scripture and the god of our imagination and I invited anyone to prove those contrasts false – FROM scripture.
I will not allow it to be derailed.
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Okay, but I don’t think you’ll get much discussion.
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That’s OK too…..although I would welcome discussion that is ‘on point’.
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😦
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So Robert, How are the colors out there coming along? Have they reached their Fall peak yet?
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Past peak now….
…heading into the burnt orange phase.
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Bad wrote:
“rather than delving into it themselves. That is, it seems like a lot of people don’t read/study Scripture for themselves, but that they listen to a sermon on Sunday and let someone else tell them what the Bible says – and what it means”
The banality and muddleheadedness of this free-form stream of consciousness mess called a “blogging bible study” testifies in opposition with your own opinion on the matter.
Lots of people propogating a lot of irresponsible, self-centered teaching.
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Amen!
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I’m not sure if that is a let it be done on behalf of muddleheadedness or not.
Knowing the bear, I don’t think it matters to him, it’s all in how we each interpret him that’s important to the bear.
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I was sort of hoping it was an agreement to the notion that there is the God of Scripture and the god of our imagination, followed by a proclamation the God of Scripture rules and the god of our imaginations is an idol.
Thanks for the additional notes concerning the peace that God gives and the peace the world offers!
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Nothing I can see there to disagree with Dan… Very nicely written…
His Truth is the only Truth, the parts that make us feel good (Hope, Joy, Love, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Self Control) and the parts that make us heave with emotion as we understand the sacrifice of God’s son(Sin, Idolatry, Evil, Wrath, Judgment). In this life time we will never fully comprehend the love and sacrifice for us who are unworthy.
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How is asking about fall foliage “on point”?
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I love a Bad whine with lunch.
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CK, thanks for stopping by and the truth of your comment that “we will never fully comprehend the love and sacrifice for us who are unworthy.”
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