All persons own their own presuppositions. Presuppositions emerge from several directions, and are interpreted in the light of experience, experience to verify or change to other emerging presuppositions. In future experience, our presuppositions commonly change. Some presuppositions certainly will change. For example, if my presupposition is that God created mankind in Adam and Eve, in a gesture of marriage for one man and one woman, I will have a greater motivation to expect and make an effective marriage than would attend if I had some other presupposition about marriage. I also have the presupposition that anything Jesus would approve, I would approve. When Jesus supports the solidarity of marriage, in the context he lays out in Matthew 19:3-12, I accept it without challenge. Even in this test, he acknowledges that his teaching will not be accepted by those who hold different presuppositions to the ones he has espoused: Not everyone can accept this word, but only to those to whom it has been given. (v.11) God accommodates for human presuppositions, holding out for order in the process. God expounds righteous order. We must remember that God has nothing to prove, but does proclaim his offering to us.
Scripture states that God is God of order, that anything bringing effective order to mankind, to a life, must have something of God in it, even if only common grace. With that belief, I work for order in all that I do. This pattern of reasoning gains tendency. For non-faith persons, there may be a need for experiment to proof. I may go beyond that excellent process, so to give my time to matters of primary importance to me that are out of those natural boundaries. Whatever can be done, in order, to communicate the story of the redemption of Christ is my first occupation. Personally I do that best in living out a life outlined by the Lord of my life. God hates hypocrisy. So I presume he is right in outlines of righteousness that reflect his holiness. I begin with myself, then with my family and onward to others. At an age well above the averages of any culture of peoples, I am grateful for the teacher of life who has guided me in the college of all my experiences to the belief that has made graduation (death transition) an expectation experience.
As a student of life, now near the end of the term of natural life, I presume that what God had in mind at the beginning, in mankind’s introduction relating to earth’s planet, provides strong clue what he wants from human beings in the courses of history – for themselves and nature. Adam, appearing first, was given Eve, his equal, in a context made sacred – so to be kept in fidelity. They were to dress the garden, and know it – so were made students and workers. They were given love, labor and learning as gifts to be used in the magnificent order of God, guided by righteousness. They violated that righteous (right) order.
Nations are trying to green the earth. What is that? They say society would like to gain some of the pristine quality of nature as it was in the best of times for the earth. It is presumed that this attempt at conservation regains the best of times for us in context. It may mean giving up some of the processes and human habits to achieve, but the changes are presumed to be right and proper in a win-win situation for world future. It is not likely that we will do enough before some tragedy, but that is not our concern here.
Our concern is that we live, function, and work for God’s kingdom, which we are told will ultimately represent the nations of the world, in peace and righteousness, with every person a neighbor, a brother/sister showing love, meaning, learning, relationships, and utilize what is needed without excesses which might tilt away from order. It is possible to move in those magnificent directions now, even in mankind’s current violations. We can cultivate a model for right things to come. To do so, the Christian begins with a commitment to God, which includes worship (love/devotion). In this is the place of humility in the truth of God. It is carried by faith, because we have no other avenue to access God whom we serve to make his processes effective. We need his help to do what we are supposed to do. To avoid nonsense common to mankind, we follow Scripture, rely on prayer for relief and direction, the Holy Spirit for divine participation, and then press on to do what we can in the contexts God permits. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020