I have an issue with the business of "God is Love" sometimes. I'm not the only one either - my old Protestant pastor, a very wise and prophetic man, once said to me "I sometimes wonder if it's true. He (God) seems to write people off pretty easily".
I once asked him "What the heck did God make the devil for?". He thought for a minute, shrugged, and said "Oh, he's got a job to do I suppose".
I've said this a million times, but on the night my father died way back in January 1979, he appeared in my room. At one point in our conversation (before he disappeared again into eternity with a blood curdling scream) he said with some feeling "I always was doomed! I didn't really have any choice!"
I argued back, even though I was an atheist at the time, saying "That can't be right!" It seemed quite unfair to me. it still does, even though by his own admission that night he said "I've been an absolute mongrel to you!"
He answered, "Oh, it's right, all right. You can see that from here!" It was obvious he could see things (literally) that I couldn't. Most of the time he was either looking over my head at something behind me with a look of awe, or he was trying to hide his face behind his hands (I presume at those times he was seeing immoral episodes in his life under the divine gaze, and he couldn't stand it). But when I turned around to see what he was looking at, all I could see was the bedroom wall.
What he could see was hidden from me, like the two disciples walking to Emmaus. They weren't allowed to recognise Christ till He decided it was the right time. Until then they could walk for miles with him and not realise who he was, even though he was right next them. And it must have been a while since He apparently went
right through the Scriptures with them and explained how the Messiah must suffer and die.
There's the business of divine exclusion as I see it. It was Christ Himself who said "No one can come to me unless the Father draws him." Obviously He doesn't draw everyone. Why not? It's all right for St. Paul to say that the pot shouldn't argue with the potter, but if the pot's got a valid complaint or is being treated unfairly, then why not??
I remember a testimony years ago by a former homosexual from Sydney (in our Presbyterian church for a weekend workshop mainly featuring Rev. Fred Nile).
(
Fred Nile - Wikipedia - Note that altough he is anti-homosexual (in the moral sense), he also set up organisations to help those who had become Christian, or to encourage them to become Christian. It was one of these groups that came with him to the workshop).
He claimed that at his second suicide attempt (after he'd become Christian but fallen into his old habits) that Christ materialised in the far corner of the room where he was about to kill himself. He said Christ moved towards him and then merged with him. He'd just about been ready to pull the pin on whatever method he was using for suicide, but was saved by Christ's miraculous presence.
He said from that moment on he never even had to struggle with homosexual tempation. He'd met a woman who accepted his past and they had a couple of young sons, who were in the church (proof if you like).
So my question is if God loves everyone, why doesn't He rescue every suicidal attempt, whether they were homosexual or not. Note that He'd already "drawn" the young homosexual who had become Christian but fallen. What about all the rest of them?
I suppose I'll find out the answers in full the other side of death, but I've got a few questions I'd like to ask God.
Let's put it this way - I'm a bit averse to some of our catch phrases.