God is Unloving?: "Judgment to the Canaanites" || John Pesebre || Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (October 5, 2017)

Ang argument na tutugunan natin ngayon ay “God is unloving because He did not give a chance to the Canaanites to repent before Joshua’s invasion.”

This arose out of an interview I had with a university professor na itatago na lang natin sa pangalang Zane. He is a Christian and he had this recurring struggle sa isip niya of how to reconcile a loving God with the unloving character of God in Old Testament violence. The topic of the “unloving God” is our month-long series of episodes for the October and I pray na samahan niyo po ako palagi as we struggle with these difficult questions.

We begin with explaining the relationship of giving to love.

Why do we give? Is it merely we want something in return? Na para siyang transactional na action? What about parents who get nothing in return yet labor for the future of their children? What about the blood donation? What about saving the life of a drowning person and therefore putting your life in danger? Even yung mga mass murderers tulad nila Hitler at Stalin are very tender sa kanilang pamilya lalo na sa mga bata. Why do we give?

Sa tingin ko dahil bahagi yan ng image of God sa atin. Last episode I discussed po sa inyo yung motion of the will ng love, yung idea na ang love ay giving na characteristic. We give because it is in the image of God. We give objects. We even give forgiveness na interestingly andudun yung word na give. When God gives long-suffering, patience toa people that is obedient, He does so out of His giving nature. Ang this nature of God is our anchor malimit ng confidence natin sa Kanya. Malimit pa nga siguro sa pagiging maksalanan din natin ginagamit natin yang love na yan ng Panginoon as a means ng ating self-entitlement. We convince ourselves arrogantly that we deserver certain things from God and that God is a rich, lonely grandfather who is there to give us what we want out of his pension money. We know God gives. God as giving means men are receiving. And we oftentimes abuse that as selfish human beings. Buti na lang si Lord hindi siya nagpapadala sa manipulation at meron siyang sariling time when to grant certain things and when to withdraw acts of mercy. Yes He is a God of love, but bahagi din na kanyang nature ang wrath sa sin, sa evil and this is the reason why nasa nature nya din ang mag withdraw or mag hold back o magbigay ng judgment. Yang dalawang idea na yan ng love and wrath ang lalagyan natin ng kaunting illustration sa kaso ng invasion ng Canaanites as we respond to the argument: “God is unloving because He did not give a chance to the Canaanites to repent before Joshua’s invasion.”

Before we get into the response directly let me just a few words concerning what we need to realize dito sa issue na ito. Ang accusation na hindi loving ang Diyos sa mga Canaanites fails to realize something. Andaming binigay sa kanila ng Diyos: buhay, lupain, pagkain, hangin, atbp. Historically they were even given the chance to rule Egypt. Ang Hyksos Dynasty ng Egypt nung 16th-15th century BC were Canaanites. Ang sabi ni Dr. David Neiman, isang Jewish scholar and archaeologist na napakganda ng series sa youtube on ancient near eastern civilizations,  sila pa yung mga Amorites. In fact when Joseph and Moses were in Egypt they were serving this Hyksos dynasty. They were pharaohs ruling over God’s people. For more than 150 years they lived as royalty sa Egypt until native Egyptians drove them out. Sa Joshua 24:13 we know that God allowed the Canaanites to rebuild fortress and plant vineyards. In short the rain fell down on both the Israelites and the Canaanites. So I guess it is not that God has not manifested his giving nature to the Canaanites, the Canaanites actually turned this favor into means to commit some of the worst unimaginable sins one could imagine like burning their own infants as sacrifice to Moloch. So given this favor given to the Canaanites, was God unloving by not giving them a chance to repent?

 The Canaanites were given by God 400+ years to reform themselves, just enough time for them to straighten their ways. Kaso imbes na magbago lalo pa silang lumala. Yung 400+ years na tinutukoy ko ay yun yung amount of time Israel spent in Egypt plus yung pag travel nila sa wilderness. Sa Genesis 6:1, ang aantay ang Dyos habang nasa Egypt ang Israel saying, “the sin of the Amorites [which is a leading Canaanite city] has not yet reached its limits.” Sabi ni Prof. Paul Copan,

In othe words in Abraham’s day, the time wasn’t ripe for judgment on the Canaanites; the moment wasn’t right for them to be driven out and for the land to “vomit them out” (Lev. 18:25) . . . But it was only after Israel’s lengthy enslavement in Egypt that the time was finally ripe for the Israelites to enter Canaan -- “because of the wickedness of these nations” (Deut. 9:4-5).*

Sa aking palagay hindi totoo na hindi nagbigay ng chance to repent ang Diyos sa mga Canaanites. Moroeover, dagdag pa,

 It was merciful for God to allow individual Canaanites to repent and join the people of God. The classic example is Rahab, the prostitute who helped the Israelite spies in Jericho and swore allegiance to the Lord (Jos. 2). Rahab was later held up as an example of faithful obedience in the New Testament (Heb. 11:31; Jas. 2:25) and even included in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).†

We are also told by Rahab that the news of the Israelites brought fear sa mga Canaanites. So alam natin na may warning na sa kanila. Sabi ni Rahab,

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.[c] 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you

So did God give them a chance for almost 500 years and for letting them hear of the judgment of God upon them? Yes. Because it is in the nature of God to give but that this giving also is within the jurisprudence ng Diyos, at kanyang self-determination, He then gave a good enough of time, a startling news to the Canaanites and enough time for them to flee, God is not unmerciful to the Canaanites and unloving to His people Israel who at that time had suffered slavery and without residence. Because nakapaloob ang notion ng giving sa love ng Diyos, we cannot accuse Him of not being unloving sa invasion sa Canaan. They were granted life, liberty, property at ang ginawa nila dinakila pa nilang lubusan ang pagsalansang sa kabanalan ng Panginoon.

So ngayon the only thing remains to be asked is, “Was God fair in giving judgment to the Canaanites?” Yan naman po ang tatalakayin natin next episode touching on the doctrine of the wrath of God and its relation to his loving nature.

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*  Is God a Moral Monster?, 159.

†  Kyle Dillon, "God’s Justice in the Land of Canaan," in The Gospel Coalition (websitea), 2014; accessed at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-justice-in-the-land-of-canaan

God is Unloving?: "God 's Love and Its Motions" || John Pesebre || Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo (October 3, 2017)

Simula na naman po ng buwan para sa Kaliwanagan Kay Kristo at magsisimula na naman tayo ng mga montly topic series. Ang napili kong topic this month ay galing sa isang tanong ng isang university professor na itatago na lang natin sa pangalan na Zane. Malimit daw bumabalik-balik sa kanya na hindi niya ma-reconcile ang loving God na sinasabi ng mga Christians at ang evidence of being unloving Niya  sa Bible most especially sa mga judgments Niya sa Old Testament. So this month we will revolve around this claim of the ‘unloving God” at magbibigay tayo ng support kada episode na ating tutugunan with an apologetics response.

In this episode, hindi muna tayo magdi discuss ng support sa claim bagkus we will deal muna with this claim that God is unloving. I-analyze muna natin yang claim na yan bago tayo pumunta sa support na gagawin natin next episode.

Reminder ko lang na ang isang argument ay may dalawang parts: claim at ang support. Ang claim ay isang claim sa reality o kung paano ang takbo ng realidad; samantalang ang support ay pagbibigay ng pruweba na totoo nga itong claim mo na ito. Malimit ang pinagtutuunan natin ng matagal na pansin dito is yung support. Pero for this first blog let’s discuss muna this claim that God is actually unloving by discussing a very important notion sa divine love.

Love is nasa nature ng Diyos. Just as breathing is part of our life, love is with God. God is love (1 John 4:8) -- yang ang nature Niya. Pag sinabing nature o kalikasan, ang katangiang ito ay inseparable sa Kanya. Napakalawak ng meaning ng divine love pero sa interes ng topic natin ngayon let’s focus sa isang key characteristic netong divine love. Mag focus tayo sa motion of the will. This motion is one of giving. We understand love also as a giving attribute and reaching-out motivation from God. If He is not loving wala ang idea ng blessing, grace at favor. (Hindi natin dito pag uusapan ang divine emotion to love and we will not go into the doctrine of impassibility that I affirm. Dun lang tayo sa motion of the will.)

Kung wala pong motion of the will to give ang Diyos, wala pong meaning ang divine grace at mercy. Wala tayong kaligtasan kung hindi bahagi ng kalikasan ng Diyos ang mag-gawad, magbigay. Ang grace, if you look sa verses like, Ephesians  2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” may motion ang will ng Diyos from Himself giving a gift to someone. Again, kung walang love ang Diyos hindi mago-occur sa isipan niya to grant something. Ika nga ng isang kilalang Baptist theologian na is D.A. Carson, “[God’s] love wells up amidst His perfections and is not generated by the loveliness of the loved.”* Grace amplifies our understanding of what divine love is. Imaginine niyo na lang na imbes love, God would be like the Canaanite god na Moloch na may lust for blood. Imbes na magbigay siya, kukuha siya ng mga child sacrifice.

Ang mercy halos tulad din ng grace pero may key distinction. While sa grace, the receiver is undeserving of gifts because he is not qualified, mercy on the other hand the receiver deserves punishment sa ginawa niya laban doon sa magga-grant ng mercy sa kanya. Parang yung sa Prodigal Son. Siya na nga yung lumapastangan sa Ama niya ang Ama pa ang tumakbo palapit sa kanya nang siya ay manumbalik. Imbes parusahan siya, mercy ang natanggap niya. Sa madaling salita, ikaw na nga yung binigyan ng Diyos ng buhay ikaw pa ang gumawa ng sala sa kanya, subalit in His mercy He bestowed salvation pa. Hightlighted ang love diyan kasi kung wala sa bokabolaryo ng Diyos na magbigay, then you won’t receive any. Mercy amplifies our understanding of that giving nature of God.

The love of God is an act of His will din to grant something, give favor etc. It is this best depicted in the act of giving a gift.
God did that in creation at ibinigay pa ang pamamahala nito sa mga tao. Kung wala sa nature ng Diyos ang love, He wouldn’t even think of granting somebody something. He wouldn’t create a world that obviously He does not need but is needed by the people He created and loved.

Ang attribute na ito na love ay nakikita natin sa relational dynamics ng Trinity. If you will study yung mga passages that talk about the relationship of the Trinity you will encounter a lot of giving. Tulad na lang ng pagbibigay ng honor ng Ama sa anak sa Jordan River ng bautismuhan si Kristo (Matthew 3:13-17). Tulad na rin ng pagbibigay ng honor ni Kristo sa Ama (John 6:38; 14:31; Matthew 26:36-46). Ang Holy Spirit if you remember was the One na nagbigay ng buhay sa incarnate Son sa sinapupunan ni Maria (Matthew 1:18).

Ganyan pong notion ng love ang nais kong makita natin as we discuss this issue ng objection na “God is actually unloving” na claim. To me this claim is nonsensical.

Idagdag ko lang etong sinabi ng Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology on God’s love,

That seeking and bridging reaches its pinnacle when God sends his Son into the world to rescue sinners and to provide them with eternal life ( John 3:16 ; Rom 5:7-8 ; Eph 2:1-5 ). John declares, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" ( 1 John 3:16 ). God's love is not based on the merit of the recipient ( Deut 7:7-8 ; Rom 5:7-8 ). Because he is love, God is not willing that any person should perish, but wills that everyone repent and live ( Ezek 18:32 ; 2 Peter 3:9 ).†

The very fact na yung nag-oobject ay humihinga ng hangin, may vocal chords siya to speak, may ability siya to write, may pinanggalingan siyang sinapupunan ng ina niya at pagkadami-daming bagay para siya ay mabuhay ay mga proof that God has given something. He loves. He extends. Why would God do that? The motivation we can think of is that it is in His giving nature. To say that God is unloving is to deny our very own existence kasi you exist dahil nasa nature ng Diyos ang magbigay. Siya ang nagbigay ng buhay sa'yo.

Ngayon kasama sa pagbibigay na nature na yan, nasa nature din ng Diyos ang wrath -- hindi yung wrath na nag aamok -- but wrath against evil and the evil actions of men who deny the acts of God. So next episode we will talk about this development sa ating discussion and try to explain the relationship ng love ng Diyos dun sa wrath niya sa mga Canaanites. Mababalikan natin diyan ngayon yung concern ni Prof. Zane.

Let me end this idea of a giving God with a verse from 1 John 3:16 to highlight to us the idea of a giving God as a powerful notion para natin maintindihan ang meaning ng love ng Diyos -- “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
I pray that as we learn more about God that our nature din will lean towards giving ourselves most especially to God because Jesus said that as the Father has sent Him, so is He sending us.

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* D.A. Carson, "How Do God's Love and Wrath Relate," in The Gospel Coalition (website), 2011; accessed at https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2011/03/07/how-do-gods-love-and-gods-wrath-relate/.

† Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, sv "Love"; accessed at http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/love.html.