God: Model Teacher
When I was in eighth grade, we started learning algebra. The teacher told us that variables stand for numbers, and we either solve for the specific number the variable represents, or treat the letter as if could be any number.
When a particularly astute student noticed that x, y, and z were always used as variables, he asked if any other letters could be used.
The teacher said any letter would work, but told us to avoid i. We asked why, and he replied that it could be too easily confused with 1.
But, math wizards, that’s not really why we don’t use i, is it? It’s actually a mathematical constant, defined as the square root of -1.
Like a good teacher, my math teacher gave us what we could handle. Later, those of us that either read the sidebars in our algebra books (because we’re extra geeky) or took calculus learned the real reason why we don’t use i as a variable. Clearly, eighth grade students learning the basics of algebra wouldn’t have been ready to learn about imaginary numbers.
My eighth grade math teacher didn’t lie. He just didn’t give us information that we weren’t ready to have. Later, a fuller revelation of the facts would be realized.
This is the reason that God gave the Law. Not because he was lying or misleading us. And he didn’t “edit” things or change his mind later. He gave us the system that our feeble brains could handle, and now he has fully revealed the purpose and meaning of the Law, freeing us from its tyranny to live by grace in Christ Jesus.
The Law was but a shadow of the perfect reality to come (Heb 10:1). Now that the perfect reality is here, we may rejoice in him (Jesus Christ) rather than having to follow the Law.
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Posted on July 30, 2011, in Apologetics, God, Religion and tagged divine grace, divine justice, Mosaic Law. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Josiah Concept Ministries 
Héhéhé…I’d say your teacher DID lie, though…he could have said: ” “i” is used for something else, you’ll find out one day”, instead of saying it could be confused with “1”…yes, he satisfied the students (they probably wouldn’t be satisfied with the answer I just gave), but to do so he lied…héhé, it’s like parents telling their kids babies come from kisses, just appear or whatever they say, when their children get curious…though justifiable, those ARE lies…
As for God, just like the teacher, he could tell us, somehow, when things are beyond our understanding instead of inserting evidence that would push us to “false” conclusions…and I’d say that one can validate any belief system with a statement like “what I’m saying is true; you see evidence for the contrary because my deity wanted you to have an answer, to be satisfied, even if that answer would be a lie”– especially when that deity wants you to have faith…I mean, I think something like that is said in the Bible or something, that false prophets would also perform signs and such, héhé…it’s easy to have someone believe in something first, then tell him/her that all evidence contradicting it is the work of the devil, or that it’s God trying to satisfy our curiosity, or testing us, etc…why couldn’t a Muslim, a Hindu say the same about Christianity? Or non-Calvinist Christian to say the same about biblical passages (=evidence in their world) that would seemingly support Calvinism?…