Today I participated in a wonderful Bible Study group on Proverbs where we commented on the lack of wisdom in our government. One person responded with Romans 13:1-2 which says: "Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow." I responded I did not believe that God was an entity up above deciding what government should be placed in power even those that are evil. Another participant agreed with me and cited Bible passages where a follower of God disobeyed the authorities which was cited as godly. She said, we need to choose God’s law over human law when they differ. I pointed out if that was true, then the passages in the Bible were contradictory, and that you cannot read one without considering other verses. Therefore, the Bible cannot be taken literally. Literal is defined as “taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory and of a translation representing the exact words of the original text.” We need to read the entire Bible considering a deeper, spiritual meaning inspired by the Holy Spirit. This is illustrated from our study because we read multiple translations from the Bible during our study, often nuancing or emphasizing a different meaning. And each of us may draw a different perspective and interpretation during the group reading.
In Proverbs we are counseled to practice wisdom in our choices, because when we or tempted and act from the flesh without love or wisdom, we are drawn into situations we will regret, often spiraling out of control. Proverbs 7:16-18 “I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.” You can feel the “simple one” drawn emotionally into the sin blind to the eventual outcome. Proverbs 7: 26-27 “For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” This situation is an allegory where we can be tempted by many human sins which have physical, emotional and spiritual consequences in our life. Those consequences include the absence of the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control which makes everything so much better in our lives. They are the presence of the eternal and God.
Also, in our Bible Study we discussed the will of God. I find some Christians in my life attributing individual consequences or outcomes in their life as the will of God or that God choses to permit it because it is part of a larger plan. This brings to my mind a God that lives above us deciding what happens in everything and that we are not really exercising free will. But some outcomes are random, the result of biology and our environment, and a consequence of individual and collective choices in the physical plane we are conscious of as humans. The spiritual does interact with the physical because our existence is both spirit and body - energy (consciousness) and matter. That is why we must use first use prayer, guidance by the Holy Spirit, and intuition balanced by reason in choosing wisely as humans. But even when we choose unwisely or suffer consequences outside of our control, God is in the response. When we act from the spirit or love – the good, spirit, and energy expands our consciousness and the collective consciousness. And God (love), as the most powerful force in the Universe propels our very being and existence forward and prevails in the eternal. And I know that the eternal is beyond any comprehension or imagination by humans.
July 3, 2019 SacredSouls Post – Thoughts on Eternity
Everyone who should be here is here.
Every door opens another possibility.
All is as it should be.
Faith Hope and Love. The greatest of these is love.
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