Distinguishing the rebellious, still-in-the-covenant Hagar from the exiled-from-home-and-from-the-covenant Hagar established the essential difference between God’s beneficence and sovereign will. As a few examples, in reference to all his creatures, he ordered Pharaoh to secure his animals from the imminent hailstorm Exodus 9:19-21. He berated Jonah for regretting the mercy shown to animal life in Nineveh Jonah 4:10-11.
As examples of his greater concern for humans, he provided a well of water for a desiccating Hagar and Ishmael Genesis 21:19. He used animal blood, not human sacrifice, to remit sin until Christ’s Perfect Sacrifice could remove it Genesis 3:21. Paul and Barnabas frantically reminded the Lystrans of God’s goodness to them in meeting their daily needs Acts 14:16-17. And the Master reminded his believers that God provides sustaining physical needs for all people, whatever their response to him Matthew 5:43-48. Such social consciousness is found throughout both Testaments: God is GOOD to ALL. To this point everyone agrees. And if Christian teaching stopped there it would be the delight of religious and political liberals, Hindus and Moslems. For Christ’s humanitarian concern elicits cheers from all points of the compass. Gandhi welcomed missionaries in India so long as they focused on improving daily life for those doomed under the Caste system to poverty and illiteracy. However, while the Christian MISSION raises cheers, its MESSAGE meets jeers. The former hurrahs and the latter hisses. Unbelievers can never understand that Christ’s MESSAGE prompts the MISSION of his benevolence. The Son of God, who loved and saved us because GOD is Love, ordered his disciples to preach his singularity as Lord and his forgiveness as Savior, buttressed by compassion for everyone in need. The spiritual insight energizing Christians prompts the compassion that cannot look on misfortune without wanting to help. The tandem cannot be divorced without destroying the genius of the Christian Faith. Its MESSAGE inspires its MISSON, empowering its disciples to translate their faith in the ALL-CONQUERING Lord’s forgiveness into acts of compassion for others. However, the dominating COIN of spiritual enlightenment from the Master’s MINT is hotly devalued by world religionists. Christ as one of the great religious leaders can be tolerated, but not Christ the ONLY ONE of his KIND in history. Just so we’ll know, Jewish listeners in Pisidian Antioch had no more use for Christ’s singular powers over the spiritual world than today’s religionists Acts 13:38-39. Moses and Jesus together they could understand. But never...never Jesus alone, with no help from Moses. Just so, should Jesus be satisfied with religious parity—he and Buddha, or Moses, or Mohammed, or Zeus, or the polytheism of Hinduism, etc.—he would be welcome in a world pantheon of great men. But at the very hint of him claiming such superiority they amount to nothing, they take offense, umbrage and arm themselves for battle. Too bad for them. God cares only for what he has revealed in Christ, and nothing at all for what others have speculated. And Christians had better arm themselves with God’s spiritual powers so they can stand with Jesus, whoever contests him and the spiritual pleasure Christians inherit. End Part III
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