Universal Search for God

[Caedmon]

I'm looking for a Reformed perspective on this...

How does a Reformed Christian reconcile the universality of mankind's desire to seek out "god" with a Sovereign God that predestines only a "remnant" that will seek Him out and serve Him? As an example, how would you reconcile the Scriptural story of the people that were sacrificing to all the gods they could think of, and yet saw no results, so they sacrificed to the "unknown god"? Wasn't the "unknown god" revealed later to be the Christian God? How do you explain this?

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by humblejoe
I'm looking for a Reformed perspective on this...

How does a Reformed Christian reconcile the universality of mankind's desire to seek out "god" with a Sovereign God that predestines only a "remnant" that will seek Him out and serve Him? As an example, how would you reconcile the Scriptural story of the people that were sacrificing to all the gods they could think of, and yet saw no results, so they sacrificed to the "unknown god"? Wasn't the "unknown god" revealed later to be the Christian God? How do you explain this?

First off, seeking god as those people did was their humanly attempt at having their desires delivered to them for sinful reasons.  It was always about them.  It was never to glorify God, or even to glorify the false idols they did make sacrifices to.  The transactual practices of appeasement that pagans engaged in were attempts to serve their lusts not God.  I am not aware of a "universality of mankind" to seek out god.  What there does seem to be is a wordly desire to have each and every whim, some of which we have not even entertained, fulfilled.  Look at billboards.  Look at the commercials on television.  It's all about feeding your lusts by making you believe that whatever they're advertising will "make your life better."  The reformed view of God's sovereignty electing some to a regenerated desire to "seek God" must be viewed from the position that the "remnant" only seek His Will because He has given them a new desire to please Him (Phil 2:13).

As to the "unknown" God, they were, again, not sacrificing to the "unknown" God in an attempt to glorify Him.  Though their actions were religous, their motivation was carnal and was of no benefit to them.  Paul told them that the "unknown" God to whom they worship without knowing is the only God, who made the world and everything in it.

God bless

 

[Caedmon]

Is it possible for someone to be regenerated, and not know it? Can a man be "saved", and not know about God, Christ, or the Gospel?

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by humblejoe
Is it possible for someone to be regenerated, and not know it? Can a man be "saved", and not know about God, Christ, or the Gospel?

I'd say it's not only possible but a certainty for most people.  I don't know when God regenerated me.  I do, however, know that it was before I realized it.

God bless

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by Reformationist
I'd say it's not only possible but a certainty for most people.  I don't know when God regenerated me.  I do, however, know that it was before I realized it.

God bless

So, theoretically... could a person be regenerated and be serving a God he never knows the name or story of?

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by humblejoe
So, theoretically... could a person be regenerated and be serving a God he never knows the name or story of?

Hmmm...what do you mean by serving?

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by Reformationist
Hmmm...what do you mean by serving?

I mean doing the things that would indicate that that person is regenerated.

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by humblejoe
I mean doing the things that would indicate that that person is regenerated.

Well, there are signs that could lead us to believe someone is regenerate.  However, these outwardly signs could, and are, just as easily done by the heathen.  Motive is often hard to recognize.  But remember, it's the motive that makes our actions sinful regardless of their outward appearance.  I know many unsaved people who can be nice to each other.  I do not know any unsaved people who do anything for selfless reasons.  Of course, their salvitic disposition is never a basis for my actions towards them.

God bless

 

[Caedmon]

Originally posted by Reformationist
Well, there are signs that could lead us to believe someone is regenerate.  However, these outwardly signs could, and are, just as easily done by the heathen.  Motive is often hard to recognize.  But remember, it's the motive that makes our actions sinful regardless of their outward appearance.  I know many unsaved people who can be nice to each other.  I do not know any unsaved people who do anything for selfless reasons.  Of course, their salvitic disposition is never a basis for my actions towards them.

God bless

So, say someone is living in a remote African village where the Gospel, God, and Christ are never spoken about. Could God regenerate this person, without her knowing that she was regenerate, and not knowing that God had done this?

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by humblejoe
So, say someone is living in a remote African village where the Gospel, God, and Christ are never spoken about. Could God regenerate this person, without her knowing that she was regenerate, and not knowing that God had done this?

I imagine that that has happened.  But, remember, God is does not limit our adoption to making us part of His family and then just leaving us to it.  We can be confident of this very thing that He who begun this good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).

God bless

 

[seebs]

Originally posted by Reformationist
Well, there are signs that could lead us to believe someone is regenerate.  However, these outwardly signs could, and are, just as easily done by the heathen.  Motive is often hard to recognize.  But remember, it's the motive that makes our actions sinful regardless of their outward appearance.  I know many unsaved people who can be nice to each other.  I do not know any unsaved people who do anything for selfless reasons.  Of course, their salvitic disposition is never a basis for my actions towards them.

I know a number of people who do things for selfless reasons and who do not proclaim Christianity, or even theism. So... does that mean they're saved, and don't know it?

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by seebs
I know a number of people who do things for selfless reasons and who do not proclaim Christianity, or even theism. So... does that mean they're saved, and don't know it?

God's grace rains on the just and the unjust alike (Matt 5:45).  The ability to do things that outwardly seem "nice" is not something that is exclusive to the saved.  Oftentimes, it seems that many unregenerate people have a greater capacity to do good.  The righteousness of an action is defined by the motivation that spawns the action.  If someone does something for any reason other than their faith in the truth of God's Word then it is a sinful action.  If the reason that someone does something is as simple as that it makes them feel good to do the action, then it's sinful because it's not motivated solely by a desire to do the best for the recipient with no regard for oneself.  If you have children this point become very clear.  Imagine coming home after a hard day of work and your child starts acting rebellious.  Now you are faced with the opportunity to deal with your child in a biblically correct manner.  However, you are tired.  If you initiate the proper response to your child's behavior, that of rebuking their actions, because you are aggravated, even though the response was correct, your motive was incorrect and therefore sinful.  To assume that an unsaved person is doing something for a selfless reason is as unjustified as to assume the a saved person is doing something for a selfless reason.  We cannot know a person's motive.

I don't know if you'd agree with this but to fully understand this you must understand that our actions are neither the basis for which we are saved nor are they the basis for why we are unsaved.  My contention is that an unsaved person, by the very disposition of their nature have not been given the ability, by God, to be able to perform a selfless act.  There is always a sinful motive for their actions, despite how it may outwardly look.

God bless