"All through the Bible the difference between God's order and God's permissive will is brought out. God's permissive will is the things that are now, whether they are right or wrong. If you are looking for justice, you will come to the conclusion that God is the devil; and if the providential order of things today were God's order, then that conclusion would be right. But if the order of things today is God's permissive will, that is quite another matter. God's order is no sin, no Satan, no wrong, no suffering, no pain, no death, no sickness, and no limitation. God's providential will is every one of these things--sin, sickness, death, the devil, you and me, and things as they are. God's permissive will is the haphazard things that are on just now in which we have to fight and make character, or else be damned. We may kick and yell and say God is unjust, but we are all 'in the soup'...
"In personal life and in national life God's order is reached through pain, and never in any other way...
"We have to get hold of God's order in the midst of His permissive will. God is bring many 'sons' to glory. A son is one who has been through the fight and stood the test and come out sterlingly worthy. The Bible attitude to things is absolutely robust; there is not the tinest whine about it; there is no possibility of lying like a limp jellyfish on God's providence. It is never allowed for a second. There is always a sting and a kick all through the Bible."
Personal reflections:
We are made to be conduits of God's order. We are not to look for it, but be it by the power of God. Of course, it will involve pain; but that is because the way things are will always fight against the way things should be. That, however, is the beauty of it all. God's love is brought by sacrifice (John 15:13), so that even if the way things are unleashes pain and death, it is ironically allowing the order of God to be released.
1 comment:
any chance I could get the page numbers?
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