I devote considerable time to sifting through common and divine grace. That is to say I cogitate on mankind, under God, but limited to nature’s ways – which is common grace. I am more interested in divine grace which is man in nature, but with primary citizenship in the Kingdom of God, and so under the government of the one who manages God’s kingdom. Although common grace is under God, it seems largely manipulated by mankind in pursuits guided by various motivations including the human mind, aggression, and conflict brought on by mankind’s competitions for life’s individual and corporate contexts. Even if one does not acknowledge God, God is his or her best friend in the natural world. That friendship is diluted in its applications as violations of righteousness appear in practice. Common grace includes pagan nations to cultivate the mortal system for good. As noted by historians, nations rise and fall. This last observation was strong with Arnold Toynbee, the leading western historian of the mid-twentieth century. Recently the perception has been published again – almost as if the idea is new. All of this and other concepts must begin with the mind and facts, and rely on the social mind to follow mortal truth. Mortal truth and immortal truth do not conflict unless immortal truth is treated as foreign interpolation for the atheist or agnostic, or even the interested neutralist/generalist. What do we make of it, this larger truth?
Among the many treatises related to the mind, is one by James W. Sire, a Christian author and lecturer who paid the dues of academia society in earning a doctorate – in this instance at the University of Missouri. The title of the book of interest to me is his Discipleship of the Mind. I choose it here because it addresses some concerns noted on these Pages, as appears in the Page of the same date in Volume 1 of this series. Sire addresses the matter of who is the intellectual and, in analysis, writes about true and false uses of intellectual pursuit. Sire is a firm Christian seeking truth. Admiring the scientific method and the orderly way provided in the pursuit of knowledge, he is troubled by the way conclusions miss the grace of God. To miss that grace is to miss a key to understanding truth and also miss some of its applications for the good of mankind. Mark Noll working at Notre Dame and others address the general context in history.
Change in the natural world is as certain as no change is certain for divine grace. We would not change perfection, if we found it. Perfection is a mark of God’s kingdom. It can erase violations of the holiness of God, even for milder issues in us, like boredom with the grace provisions of God. A fully righteous life will not tire of God’s perfection. Righteousness is little understood as a human context for all that relates to God’s holiness. There is perfect joy, perfect love, perfect relationship, and perfect performance. Without God we can’t achieve full improvement, or sustain high point even if we gained it for shining moments. In any event, even when dedicated to righteousness, we can’t, in nature, achieve the ideal for God. Scripture notes this in predicting the end of earth as it is, and the establishment of a new earth and environs. Even this prophetic note is treated as though it is imaginative, made into devastating predictions by scientists, or fabricators of future events for nature. Our destiny is entirely related to relationship with God on his terms, or there is no assured hope. Mankind has moved from contexts as food gatherer, to agricultural, to industrial, to technological worlds. In each, the changes have been monumental. Nations are wrestling with how to create jobs so fluctuating in the industrial context, and less needed in the technological. If we were to deal with ourselves, even to the level of possibility in common grace, we could solve most mortal problems. Will we? God makes it possible, but done best in the aid of divine grace. There is an underlying belief that mankind who makes problems could solve the problems created. That is likely true, but our nature refuses the processes of righteousness, values, service, and priorities. Even so, the process can be adopted by the individual, even if difficult – so to direct meaningful life. This will receive awards in that God collaborates with those seeking his plan for mankind. Serious Christians can find that which feels like miracle life in the application of Scripture. The time needed to invest in that education will be returned several fold, even in a short life. There is something strangely fulfilling in finding the Christian context for the living person – in body, society and spirit. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020