In response to my last blog post, beautiful Linda posted this comment:
“Good post. Excellent points. I agree. However, I would love to read more about what this means to you personally. What does that love and grace look like through Caleb’s eyes?”
I started to reply in my comments section… and it became LONG so I figured I’d post it here.
What does that love and grace of God look like through my eyes?
It’s amazing really, I first discovered God is Love… He is unchanging… and the biggest realization is EVERYTHING about Him is unilateral…
So what does it look like to me… what does it feel like? I don’t even have words to describe what I’m discovered each day about God and The Bible…
Here’s a start:
“It’s all lies!”
Almost everything I was taught as a child, growing up in a Christian home was a lie.
This isn’t to fault my parents — they were well intentioned and did the best they could, it’s just they were lied to as well (probably by other well intentioned Christians who were lied to, etc)…
You see, Christianity today is just “Augustianity” meaning it’s all based on Augustines view of scripture… not on what the Bible actually says.
We’re in the same situation today that Christ was facing during His earthly ministry…
The traditions of man accepted over what God actually says in His word…
Christ didn’t like that the religious teachers of His day were teaching man’s traditions over what the Bible actually says…
“he is not to ‘honor his father with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” — Mt 15:6, Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” — Mt. 15:3, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” — Mt. 15:9
Like in Jesus’ time, our traditions today aren’t questioned… and are accepted as “Christian” even though they have no Biblical foundation!
Are all these traditions bad?
No, and in fact, God obviously allowed them to come into being and continue until this day, so in God’s plan they are serving a purpose.
EVERYTHING serves God’s will (even something as horrible as a terrorist attack or a serial killer… in some way… serves God’s will)(This is a truth about who God is — we don’t have to understand it or even like it… we just need to have faith in God and His will).
But I discovered some amazing things I’ve always struggled with and it blows me away how each new discovery proves that much more how God is each of those three things — all emanating from His great, unconditional Love…
SEX is a great example!
Please forgive me here as I’m about to rant!
An example of all this, is the sex ethic that is preached as “Christian morals” isn’t from scripture — it’s from Augustine and early pagan influences.
A sex ethic basically proposing a “virgin ideal”… that all lust is bad… and sex is dirty and shameful.
This thinking is so engrained in our culture that even Christians who SAY “everything to do with sex is ok… as long as it is between two married Christians” can’t actually put those words into practice. They can’t get over their own hangups, emotional baggage, and feelings of shame and guilt to enjoy great sex lives in their marriages.
But this sexual ethic never squared with what I knew of scripture (even as a young child)… and now what I’m discovering of God…
Man’s traditions on sex VS what the Bible says about sex…
Here’s something interesting: I only feel guilty… or in conflict… or ashamed about what I want to do (because I think it’s in opposition to God) when I am approaching the Christian life by trying to satisfy a “tradition of man”.
In fact, I know a teaching is really from God because I know I’ll enjoy it!
(I suppose this is why David wrote many songs about how much He delighted in following God’s ways — He had the same understanding of God and how loving, merciful and awesome He is!)
Sex is a great example of this. The traditions I was taught and told were from the Bible about sex always seemed to be TOTALLY opposed to my own nature (even though the Bible also says I have the mind of Christ…)
Like the “virgin ideal” — that being a virgin is the most holy thing there is (unless you decide to get married to ONE person for the rest of your life, ie. multiple sexual partners is a sin as well)
“But the Bible says…”
I always wondered why I was taught a “virgin ideal” yet great men of God like David and Solomon had multiple wives (and scripture said God blessed them by giving them multiple wives, He would have given them more, etc)
Let’s take David as an example…
- David was a truly holy man. He taught “the fear of the Lord,” (PS. 19:9 etc.).
- David was a “a man after God’s own heart,” (Acts 13:22).
- David “did all thing right in God’s sight except the matter with Uriah the Hittite (Bathsheba’s husband),”(1 Kg. 15:5).
- He loved God’s law, Ps. 119.
- He prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart…. and see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way,” (Ps.139:23, 24).
- He was a repentant man, he truly sorrowed because of his sins, and he worked hard at honoring God’s law, (cf. Ps. 51,etc.)
- He is a great example of worship/praise/prayer. David wrote our prayer/worship manual, the Psalms.
- David was Israel’s greatest leader.
- Christ was “one like David.” “The Son of David,” (Matt. 21:9, etc.).
Such statements as the above place David in the very highest category of “holy men.” According to SCRIPTURE — According to GOD. I’m not just saying “David did it so it was alright”.
Scripture, GOD, said: “David “did all things right in God’s sight except the matter with Uriah the Hittite (Bathsheba’s husband),”(1 Kg. 15:5).
(Keep in mind David had 18 wives and many concubines)…
If his multiple sexual partners was wrong (as current church teaching would have you believe) then God would of said “… except for the matter with Uriah the Hittite AND being an avid polygamist and concubinist because I your God intended monogamous marriage to be the only right place for sex for Christians”
God blesses multiple sexual partners?
What do we find instead of that? God BLESSING David’s multiple sexual relationships!
Through the prophet Nathan, God affirmed that He was the actual source of all David’s women. God said He would have given more if David wanted them, (2 Sam. 12:8) (instead of stealing another man’s wife).
God was willing for David and other men to have sexual relationships with many women. Rather than viewing polygamy and concubinage as a sin or even relegating it to “least desirable” status, God’s blessing of David with many wives and concubines proves that God had no such view of monogamy as does the church and virtually all of Western culture today.
Why would I bring up such a “touchy” (pun intended!) subject?
Simply because it’s one of the strongest examples of how a “tradition of man” handed down from a man name Augustine who had serious mommy issues (and thus SERIOUS guilt, shame and feelings of sin over sex) has been so ingrained into our Christian culture…
… that it causes us to feel guilty, ashamed, sinful, bad, wretched… all over something that God created for us to enjoy to the fullest!
It’s discoveries like these that just blow my mind away — when I get a glimpse of just how LOVING and amazing my “Abba” is!
(And to be a bit crass: let’s face it — more people call out to God in the bedroom than anywhere else — so it’s a shame God isn’t fully praised, worshiped, and thanked for His many blessings there by Christians!)
My old view of God…
Before I had this idea of God (taught to me by my parents, church, etc which I just ASSUMED was right and never dug into scripture to discover for myself):
God is an angry old man in the sky who created the entire earth full of really fun and amazing things to do. He also created humans with a core desire to be happy and want to experience everything in the earth that was fun and amazing. Then for His own sick enjoyment, He created a set of laws that all his little humans have to live by… and the only way to make Him happy is for you to be unhappy, not have any fun, not enjoy any of His amazing creations, etc… Oh and He’s just waiting for you to screw up so He can say “Ha! I knew you’d fail!” and He wants you to always feel guilty and ashamed because you were born a sinner and you’ll never be anything but that!
To say, “life sucked as a Christian then” would be a gross understatement!
My new view of God…
Then I heard other viewpoints… dug into scriptures myself and considered “hey, maybe they were well intentioned but just wrong… they are just humans after all?”
So that’s what I did, and here’s how I view God now…
God IS Love. He created the earth out of love and filled it with the most fun and amazing things an infinite being who IS love could create. Sunsets, landscapes and creations that bring a tear to even a manly man’s heart because they’re so beautiful. Then He created me and the rest of us humans just so He could show His love to us… and love us daily… and gave us this whole earth to “be fruitful and multiply!” in. Set of rules? Nah. Love is enough. He decided He’d put His very life, His very love, into our hearts through Christ because He knew that’s all we would ever need to guide us in any circumstance. He even wants to do the hard things in life for us… take care of us… and love the lovable and unlovable through us in ways we could never do ourselves. When is life hard? Only when we resist this great love
I couldn’t help but put a smiley face on the end of that one because I can’t help but smile when I think of God There, I did it again!
Life is harmonious and full of love now!
Now, I’m in complete harmony with God, it’s a dance of love with me thanking Him every day for what He has done… is doing.. and will do.
Whenever I consciously realize I’m not in this harmony, this loving surrender, I step back and surrender whatever it is that’s getting in the way of this beautiful relationship…
Like when something happens that I would of viewed before as “bad” or a “mistake” I simply go… “Ok God, you must have needed it to happen this way — thanks!” and I move along.
I have NO regrets… no “coulda, shoulda, woulda”… all because I know my loving Abba is in control
It’s like there’s no attachment to my ego, flesh, etc… I have no fear of death… I just see His hand in every mundane detail in my life… and I can just talk with Him and bask in the greatness of who He is and be awed by it…
Occasionally, I am taken away from this awe state when I have to attend to the daily details of living, but I’m learning more and more each day how to remain in those states even as I live and do “normal life” stuff.
I fight for words to describe it
It’s really a blissed out feeling when it’s like this, not unlike the high point of an orgasm or the “sweet spot” of just enough alcohol to hit that feeling of “euphoria” (I hate to use such temporal states to describe it, but there’s nothing much else that fits!)
Every day is a new journey… a “mini-life” where I’m discovering God more and more… trusting and anticipating like a Child who KNOWS without a doubt his father loves him… knows what’s best for him… and has some awesome presents in store for him.
So yeah, that’s about the best I can do to describe what God looks like through my eyes right now, thank you for asking Linda, it feels good just to write this!
With Love
Caleb
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Linda 06.16.08 at 12:06 am
Wow, Caleb! There you are! I can finally see you. Great! Please continue…
Those of us who love to write… isn’t that why we do it? We can really frolick and dance without shame in this wonderful world of black and white words. We can be ourselves… show ourselves without fear. Yay!
calebo 06.16.08 at 1:52 pm
You’re so awesome Linda
With Love,
Caleb
Linda Bailey 07.02.08 at 6:31 am
Hello Caleb…I found your website when I logged onto Steve McVey’s Godtube site. It’s so refreshing to see someone as young as you who understands God’s unconditional love…and his wanting to live HIS life through us…so many today do not understand that it’s HIS righteousness…HIS life…that is given to us. I’m so happy that you understand this..and that you’re attempting (with a great website) to get that point across to others.
I read with delight your comments on the “more than one wife” topic with regard to David…Solomon, etc., and wanted to respond to what you said. I think that the Christian world didn’t just put their traditions into place with regard to a man having just one wife as you said…first of all, when David and Solomon did it, they lived under the OLD COVENANT….as you know, the new is not like the old at all. As Paul tells us in Romans…the law drove a man TO sin….it points out sin…etc.
In the NEW covenant…Paul tells Timothy that men who serve in the church must be the husband of ONE WIFE… he does not say “he can have more than one wife.” I believe that’s where the notion of just one wife has come from. You see many times on different websites where people are told to ask questions, as well as on radio shows…people calling and asking, “is it okay for so and so to be a pastor since he’s been married before?” They’re misunderstanding “grace”…and the fact that God accepts us “unconditionally”…and that the ONLY SIN that will keep a man from Heaven is the sin of “unbelief”…because that person will then just REMAIN DEAD SPIRITUALLY. He will not receive the LIFE OF CHRIST within. They’re always referring back to Paul’s writings about a man having only ONE WIFE to Timothy. I don’t have my bible open at this late hour, and just came across your site…but I believe he was speaking about a man being a “deacon” — you may already know the verse I’m speaking of…and it can be looked up easily enough.
Now…that’s on a spiritual plane….my question is….”who would want more than ONE WIFE OR HUSBAND in the physical life anyway?” Sheesh…put a man and a woman inside a box…and tell them to live together for life…not walking in the Spirit even 25% of the time….and you would lose your mind with more than one! (my opinion…) On a good day….eyes on Christ…trusting HIM to love through you….maybe you could handle more than one…but I still doubt it. And Paul DOES speak about not having sex outside of marriage in Corinthians…so that’s not even in the equation. In order to have sex, then, with multiple partners….you’d have to be married to each one…. not just out having multiple partners willy nilly…etc. Then there’s the children to think of….which may come out of each hook up. How about the insurance? The house?
If you re-read all that Paul says with regard to “relationships” in Corinthians (First book I believe) you will see FROM THE CONTEXT that he’s trying to save people from STRIFE…God is not only loving…He shows us “common sense”….such as, “hey….if you’re going to lust…it’s better to marry.” Wow…imagine that! That makes sense! Paul even says, “hey…if you’re able to stay single…like me….do it! You’ll be able to devote yourself 100% to God…and save yourself some trouble!” (paraphrased by me…off the top of my head at midnight!) It’s all there…in Paul’s wonderful writings, written by Christ…through Paul. Paul would say, “this Christ says….this is from my own opinion here…etc.” He went back and forth. But the fact that he said ONE WIFE FOR A PERSON SERVING IN THE CHURCH makes perfect sense…..how can any man serve in that manner….which is exhausting…and also serve more than one wife, and love her as Christ loved the church? They’d be making funeral plans in short measure I would think….heart attack…somehow keeps coming to mind…..stress…et al.
Well…it’s off to dreamland…with my ONE FIFTY YEAR OLD HUSBAND….whom I wouldn’t think of trading in for two 25 year olds….and one is just right! Sex lasts for, what? A minute? Okay…two….I’ll even give you three…but THE RIGHT MATE lasts a lifetime…and the right one can make it FEEL like Heaven down here… and get you ready for the real thing when you pass over.
God Bless, Caleb…and thank you for letting an old lady “rant” on your website. One can never tire of talking about God, His word….and truth. Goodnight. Linda in Arizona. tiamoaz58@mac.com
Linda Bailey 07.02.08 at 7:01 am
Caleb,
I’d also like to reply to this that you said if I may:
“God is an angry old man in the sky who created the entire earth full of really fun and amazing things to do. He also created humans with a core desire to be happy and want to experience everything in the earth that was fun and amazing. Then for His own sick enjoyment, He created a set of laws that all his little humans have to live by… and the only way to make Him happy is for you to be unhappy, not have any fun, not enjoy any of His amazing creations, etc… Oh and He’s just waiting for you to screw up so He can say “Ha! I knew you’d fail!” and He wants you to always feel guilty and ashamed because you were born a sinner and you’ll never be anything but that!”
Many times, what people forget is that man’s original sin is PRIDE (pride goeth before a fall)…. and Paul tells us all through each of his letters that those laws were given to LEAD MEN TO CHRIST. In Ephesians… it says that the Gentiles were FAR FROM GOD AND WITHOUT THE LAW. But the Jews thought they were made “right” with God through the Law. Paul had to tell them in Romans 3, and then 4….no! “Is God the God of the Jews only?” He asked that because the Gentiles didn’t have the law…and if righteousness came thru the law…then the Gentiles would be toast. He goes on to explain in the following chapter to the Jewish “listeners”….about Abraham. The Jews would understand all about Abraham. The Gentiles could give a rip about Abraham…just like today and the elitists. They have no clue about him. But Paul goes on to explain that Abraham was declared “right with God BEFORE there ever was a law given…400 years before!”
I say all this to tell you that you’re right about God not wanting to rain on our parade. The problem was that man’s problem was PRIDE…and God had to knock him down a few notches to show him his SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS….and the fact that he NEEDED a Savior. Look at what Jesus did constantly…he would have someone run up to him, “I did commit adultery!” And Jesus would respond, “no…but if you even lust after a woman, you’ve committed it…” (knocked down a notch)….another would run up to him and say, “I didn’t commit murder…” (law)….and Jesus would respond to this self-righteous person nit-picking a law to observe….and Jesus would say, “no…but God says if you’ve even hated your brother you’ve committed murder!” (knocked down a notch!) Then a man comes up to Jesus and says, “what must I do to get into Heaven?” and Jesus says, “you know what to do…go sell all that you have and follow me!” This man thought he’d kept the law…but the one thing he could not do is ‘NOT COVET WHAT HE OWNED’….and he went away sad. I bet Jesus was sadder…He’s not willing that any should perish.
So the law was given to point out sin….Paul says in Romans. Self-righteous Jews looked down upon the Gentiles…and in Ephesians Paul tells us that the LAW was what brought enmity between the two parties (Jews/Gentiles) and God was bringing them under ONE HEAD…Christ…through His body, the Church.
The truth is…and always has been since the foundation of the world (when Christ knew He would come to earth)….I Cor. 5:19-20…”God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…NOT COUNTING MEN’S SINS AGAINST THEM….” the ONLY SIN that must be repented of is the sin of UNBELIEF….to repent is to have a change of heart…of mind…to go from unbelief to belief…and RECEIVE LIFE…Christ’s very life within. Christ IN YOU…your hope of GLORY (glorification!) Col. 1:27.
Many of were (and still are) taught that we’re to keep the ten commandments to get God to smile upon us, when, in fact, the law brings us to our knees…and shows us we need a Savior…it’s our TUTOR to lead us to Christ….well, it was for the Jews at least…we Gentiles just adopted the law since the early church when the legalists seeped into the church to steal their joy Paul said. Galatians 3 comes to mind….they were bewitched by those wanting to bring them back under the law.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever read any of Major Ian Thomas who just died this year at the age of 93 I believe. He was a missionary from England for over 60 years. He wrote a book “The Saving Life of Christ” and another, “The Mystery of Godliness.” He also wrote the forward for “Classic Christianity,” by Bob George. A wonderful man who, like you, learned early in life to surrender to the Lord, and let Him live through him. I hope you will read his books one day…he can also be heard on sermon index site….just by putting in his name “Major Ian Thomas”….his entire life was as a servant…and it was Christ-centered….not self-centered.
I’m really glad you came to understand and bask in God’s UNCONDITIONAL love….as you said, “God IS love.”
God bless,
Linda….in “the dry heat” (yeah right!) of Arizona… it’s monsoon season…nothing’s dry!!!!!
Terence 07.07.08 at 3:29 pm
Dear Caleb, Thanks so much for sharing your view on what I call churchianity. I whole heartedly agree that the majority of the body of believers today have “by their traditions made the Word of God of none effect.” This is something that the present day church needs to seriously take a good hard look at. There are endless examples of “traditions” that we could discuss if I had the time but one that comes to mind is that you have to have a legal marriage license in order to have legitimate relationship in the eyes of God. Recently my wife’s sister was asked to stop attending a church with her boyfriend until they were legally married. I am personally legally married to a wonderful woman and we have 9 children together and I am in no way against having a marriage certificate as it affords you many important legal advantages especially when you have children (which they don’t). I would definitely encourage couples that are going to have children to have one, but I was taken back that the church made it a prerequisite for their being a member since there is nothing mentioned specifically in the Bible about having a marriage certificate at all. They had been living together as a monogamous couple for as many years as my wife and I have been married. I heard a radio talk show on the subject of people “shacking up” and decided to call in and propose that it wasn’t necessary in every circumstance to have a legal marriage certificate to have a loving, monogamous relationship. Whew! When I hung up the radio station was barraged with people calling in shouting me down as an adulterer, fornicator, and much worse. What is wrong in the eyes of God or the eyes of Love because God is love, with a couple living together, who love each other and are responsible, caring people. What difference does a piece of paper make? Does it make them any more loving? Does it make them any more faithful or caring? I think we can see by the present divorce rate that it doesn’t. Why would God turn them away because of a little piece of paper? Other topics that I consider traditions of churchianity are building church building, going to church on Sunday, the don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t have sex, mentality of righteousness. Jesus obviously drank wine, Paul obviously drank wine, what’s wrong with a little wine or even a couple of beers. Of course smoking causes cancer that is a “no brainer” it has a lot to do with health but very little to do with our relationship with Jesus and loving others. Jesus said all the Law and the Prophets could be summed up in this. Love the Lord thy God …. and love thy neighbor as thyself. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you love one another. I have traveled the globe with my family to tell people about Jesus for over thirty years. I lived in several countries in Latin America and even China for several years and one thing that stood out to me is that the problems in the world today are not rooted in their smoking, or drinking or even having sex. They are rooted in their lack of love for God and their fellowmen. Caleb, I was so impressed with your desire to read the Bible with fresh eyes. outside the traditions that have completely blinded well meaning Christians from truly understanding the heart of God. I may not agree with every specific minor point but very much with the over all spirit of what you were saying. It takes a great deal of faith to step out of the traditions of the present day church and take a good clear look at what the Bible really has to say.
Jesus said in Jn 10:10— that he came that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.” He came to bring us life. Not only eternal life but real spiritual life in our lives today. I believe that spiritual life is love. For God is love… IJn 4:8.
Terence
Mark Vilen 07.18.08 at 6:41 pm
Caleb,
I’ve agreed with everything you’ve wrote since I discovered your website a few months ago, EXCEPT, now . . . although, I’m not sure I understand your point when discussing sexual morality. For me as a single Christian, were you suggesting that there is no such thing as sexual sin? That sex outside of marriage is okay? I hope that’s not what you were saying, but to be honest I don’t really understand your point. Please explain.
Mark
calebo 07.18.08 at 7:10 pm
Linda Bailey and Mark Vilen,
The subject of Christian Sexuality is an in depth one… so I won’t go into it yet, but I promise you I’ll cover it fully soon!
With Love
Caleb