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RE: Obedience: The Ultimate Test of God
@blockurator thank you for the truly refreshing post! 🌼
I have a related question. Sometimes people say certain activities are not good or pleasing to God, e.g. like reading/writing fantasy/science fiction etc, but you are personally convicted that's not true. What's your take on this?
Thanks once again! 🌼
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Thanks @joeylim. I think what is displeasing to God is explicitly spelled out in scripture, in most cases. In those cases where it is not spelled out clearly, one can derive what is displeasing based on what is clearly spelled out. For instance, nowhere is pornography as we define it in the West explicitly condemned, but I think we can ascertain that God does not like it because it objectifies another human being and there are good reasons to believe God finds that displeasing. The whole "love others as you love yourself" theme wraps it up.
On matters of literature, art, and such, it's a bit murkier what is pleasing or displeasing to God. One could say that anything that doesn't explicitly glorify God misses the mark. That would be just about anything that doesn't intentionally honor God in the way He wants to be honored. In that case, we're talking about 99% of all produced art in all media. That's a pretty narrow window.
On the other hand, in Matthew, Jesus told his disciples to consider the lilies of the field and how they grow into beauty without any effort. Just before that, he was talking about serving two masters. You can't say you love God and hold up some other masterpiece as more valuable. I think God appreciates the natural beauty of the world, and art--literature, sculptures, painting, etc.--is naturally produced by man, who was created in the image of God. So this is a natural outgrowth of God's own creation. Where it displeases God is when it becomes a perversion of the senses, or an idol.
Thanks @blockurator for your detailed response! (:
Yeah, I totally agree with what you say about it being a very narrow window (sticking to only what explicitly honours God).
I've been thinking about the fact that God was the one that imbued us with the aesthetic sense in the first place - created us to respond to His glory and beauty in the world - and as well as it's placed under our overarching aim of pleasing Him it's fine.
Really enjoying your series, btw!
Thanks. The series is almost over. But there will be more!