Rotten in Denmark A Fallen Theology A BLOG BOOK BY DAN DEWITT
COPYRIGHT DAN DEWITT 2010
Table of Contents 1 EXPLORING ROTTEN 2 ROTTEN EFFECTS 3 THE ROAD OUT OF ROTTEN 4 TO ROT OR NOT TO ROT
Exploring Rotten
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The famous line from Hamlet is true of the entire world. Something is terribly wrong: earthquakes create orphans, cancer claims lives, divorce splits families, and ultimately death comes for everyone. But why aren t more people asking why? The Bible is clear on the issue of human suffering. Please note that I did not say that the Bible gives an easy answer. I am simply saying that its answers are clear clearer than we often recognize. The first two chapters of Genesis provide complimentary parallel accounts of the creation of the world. The third chapter of Genesis summarizes the fall of humanity. Together these three chapters provide the basis for framing a biblical understanding of pain and evil in the world. The starting point to understanding human suffering is actually not the fall, however, but the character of God. God is our reference point for good (See Genesis 1&2) If God were all-powerful and all loving there would not be suffering in the world. Because there is suffering there cannot be an all-powerful and all-loving God. So goes the classical argument used to deny God s existence based on human suffering.
While this progression has a sort of common sense logic to it, I believe it is fundamentally flawed. It is self-refuting. If God does not exist then we do not have an objective basis for calling anything morally evil. If we do not have an objective basis for discerning between good and evil then the argument is negated based on its own logic. We cannot deem something evil apart from an absolute good. Ergo, if you want to build an argument against the existence of God based on the existence of evil, you will necessarily need the existence of God to determine something as morally evil. But the human experience is marked by a constant recognition of moral standards. While some claim that morality is a social construct or a genetic adaptation, such explanations seem to fall short of explaining its universality. The question then, for the naturalist, is where did this moral law come from? Such questions find answers in the genesis. The Bible is unambiguous in its claims that God made the world. God called his creation good. At the completion of creation God said that it was all good. This small clue should inform our understanding of the universal moral law. There is an absolute and objective standard of good that all of humanity recognizes, yet few ever consider its source. It s source is the character of the Creator. Disclaimer: Searching for an answer to the universal sense of goodness can be dangerous to one s worldview. Former atheists like C.S. Lewis and Francis Collins were drawn to Christianity due to its clear and compelling answers regarding the source of the moral law. These men, and many others, have found the biblical explanation of the moral law to be the most persuasive.
The argument of evil and suffering requires the concept of goodness that God alone can provide. As Francis Schaeffer has said, others often use borrowed capital from a Christian worldview in order to frame an argument against it. Without God we have no reference point to deem anything as morally evil. Those like Greg Epstein, secular humanist chaplain at Harvard University and author of Good Without God, fit perfectly into Schaeffer s description. Epstein constantly refers to teachers and teachings from Christianity in order to illustrate his belief in goodness and purpose. His writings are filled with Christian capital because he has no basis within his own worldview to support his claims. As Schaeffer said, Humanists have their feet firmly planted in midair.
Thus, the beginning of the Bible reveals Adam and Eve created in the image of God placed as king and queen of God s good creation. Unfortunately, all of this would be distorted due to the rebellion explained in Genesis 3. Interestingly, their plight was a result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even the name of the tree provides an explanation for our inability to determine good from evil apart from the existence of God. Adam and Eve s decision to eat from this tree in disobedience to God changed everything. Before the fall, all man knew was good. After the fall, the world was introduced to evil. Something was awefully different. Something was rotten in the state of Denmark.
Rotten Effects
The utopian culture of the Garden of Eden spans a mere two chapters in the biblical record. Paradise appears to be rather shortlived. In contrast to the rest of Scripture, it is barely a speed bump on the road to redemption. Man s rebellion, however, and the consequences thereof are magnified throughout the Bible.
There are five clear effects of man s decision to rebel against God illustrated in the first three chapters of Genesis. Rotten Effect #1: Physical Death (See Genesis 2:16,17) God was not ambiguous about what would happen if Adam and Eve chose to disobey. He told them plainly that if they ate the forbidden fruit they would die. Granted, it seems that God did not go into great detail about what this death would entail. However, they should have understood that it wouldn t be good. In fact, it was the opposite of good as God s absolute standard. Their rebellion was by definition bad or evil. While they didn t die on the spot, their decision set off a process of dying. Slowly but surely their bodies would fail until they would one day breathe their last breath. They would be dying as long as they lived. This was, not to be over simplistic, a very sad day. Rotten Effect #2: Spiritual Disharmony (See Genesis 3:7-10) After eating the fruit they realized they were naked (that must have been some news flash). Now they both knew shame and guilt. They had once walked in the garden with their Creator God. They would now live out the rest of their days as spiritual fugitives in a foreign land. The story of humanity is that of a morally marred people in exile. We long for a better life and a better land. The entire Bible weaves together
the story of God s plan to reverse the curse brought on by this revolt. Yet, the prophetic promises contained in Genesis would be a long time coming. To make matters worse, the serpent would continue to accuse and deceive the human race. Effect #3: Satanic Opposition (See Genesis 3:14-15) There is a weighty principle embedded within this passage. God placed enmity between the serpent and the woman. The subtle deception of the malevolent reptile was not confined to this singular event. The picture painted by Genesis 3 is both prophetic and profound. There would be a life long battle between Satan and humanity. The promise to Eve that her seed would crush the serpent is interesting to say the least. Because women carry the egg and men carry the seed, this could create a problem for biblical interpreters. However, the notion of a miraculous conception is confirmed throughout the pages of Scripture. This simple verse points to the virgin birth of a chosen child who would defeat the accusing snake. For now Adam and Eve were not only living in a fallen world, they were residing in enemy occupied territory. Effect #4: Relational Strife (See Genesis 3:16) While Adam and Eve were on the outside of the garden looking in, they could at least find comfort in each another. However, they would quickly encounter the corruption of the curse creeping into their marriage. The relational result would be a power struggle centered on a desire to obtain an improper role and rule over one another. Their God-given responsibilities would be difficult to fulfill in a fallen world.
Effect #5: Environmental Turmoil (See Genesis 3:17-19) God told Adam that he would work by the sweat of his brow to provide for his family. The earth would no longer be compliant. Thorns would encumber his mission. He would literally be fighting against nature. The subsequent years would prove that the cursed land would be prone to disasters and devastation. Years later scientists like Albert Einstein would affirm that the earth has a shelf life. The Bible tells us why. We are living in a world that is under a curse. It is enemy occupied. We are spiritually separated from the Creator. Our relationships with each other are tainted by jealousy and power struggles. The earth is unstable and unpredictable. In all of this, God is not to blame for suffering. He alone is good. Without him we have no standard for deeming any moral or natural event as evil. The corruption of the cosmos is due to the representative head of humanity rebelling against his Maker. And we are not off the hook. We too are a sinful people in need of a Savior. Something is rotten indeed. There are two routes that humanity has sought to cure this disease throughout history, self-improvement or divine interntion.
The Road out of Rotten
If man had only sinned against himself, or against other humans, there would be no need for divine intervention. But if his sin was more profound, against the Creator, then he would be helpless to solve his problems on his own.
The Road of Self-Improvement: If man s faults only involved himself, or even other selves, then he could find a cure in house, so to speak. But, if his crimes were against a higher court, he would need another defense. He would need a higher advocate than himself. Thus, the human self-improvement project is doomed to fail. This is not to say that persons seeking to deal with their anger, lust, or greed cannot make progress. It is simply to say that they cannot obtain ultimate success. In this way, self-improvement is like rearranging the furniture on the deck of the Titanic. There is a deeper problem than mere behavior that needs a remedy. The Bible of course referse to this condition as sin. The Bible states that all have sinned and fall short of God s standard of goodness. The history of sin finds its origin in the partriarchal couple Adam and Eve. The story only begins with them, however. Sin is not only the condition into which each person is born, but also the lifestyle each person embraces. We are a rotten race. Even the best among us is guilty of evil. At our best we are still fallen. Self-improvement, while noble, should never be the ultimate goal to which Christians aspire. The Road of Divine Intervention: Because man s sins are against the Creator, only God can provide forgiveness. In fact, if there was no God - as discussed earlier - there would be no standard to even categorize what we deem as good or evil. While we might not fully understand all of the implications of the storyline of the Bible, it is clear that God did for us what we could not do for ourselves. As the Apostle Paul said, Christ died for us while were still sinners.
It is in the person of Jesus that we see God s moral law perfectly observed. Jesus, as the second Adam, obeyed the Creator completely. He did exactly what the first Adam should have done, but was unable to do. He did exactly what we should do - live in complete obedience to the moral law we sense in the universe - but are unable to do. In his life we see moral perfection. However, his life was not enough to rescue us from our moral disease. It is in his death and resurrection that we find peace with God. While this is difficult, perhaps impossible, for many to understand - it is the storyline of the Bible. This IS the gospel: that God sent his son into the world, who lived a perfect life, died in our place, rose again defeating death and the grave, and now serves as advocate before the Father for all who believe in him. This IS the cure for a rotten world. The reality is that you are on one of these two paths. You are either seeking to stabilize your moral disequilibrium through self-improvement or you recognize your need for divine intervention. Unfortunately, much of the preaching popularized through television programs and book sales today is merely baptized secular humanism. When preachers are afraid to properly label the spiritual condition of a fallen world, they opt for self-improvement homilies. They take on the role of a lifecoach at the expense of offering their audiences true hope through the cross of Christ. In order to find the road out of rotten it is essential to first recognize one s absolute need for divine intervention, and to trust Christ alone for forgiveness and salvation. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Thankfully, there is a road out.
To Rot Or Not To Rot (that is the question)
Surely GOD IS GOOD to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked. -Psalm 73:1-3
The psalmist knew God s goodness. Unfortunately, he also knew - perhaps too well - humanity s limitations. A cursory reading of the psalms reveals that man is far from perfect. Herein, the psalmist recognizes a purity that comes from God alone. The one who has faith in God receives a positional rightness - a purity of heart - before God. Martin Luther called this a passive righteousness, that can only be received and not earned. Thus, it is the person who has saving faith in God s redemptive work who knows God s goodness. Because God is our source for good, the closer we get to him the more we will know true joy, peace, and fulfillment. The further we get from him, the less we will experience these things. Yet, the psalmist recognized the pull of living in a fallen world. He was envious of sinners. In this world we have to fight for joy. We have to actively oppose the offer of lesser pleasures so that we might delight in the ultimate pleasure of God alone. This is not to say the material world is entirely bad, or that pleasure is evil. God is the source of goodness in the world. Anything beutiful, morally praiseworthy, or excellent comes from him. The closer we get to him the more we can fully appreciate these things. But, if we seek fulfillment in these things as an end to themselves, we will be a miserable race. There is a higher source of goodness to which we must aspire. As Blaise Pascal has said: What else does this longing and helplessness proclaim, but that there was once in each person a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? We try to fill this in vain with everything around us, seeking in things that are not there the help we cannot find in those that are there. Yet none can change things, because this infinite abyss can only be filled with something that is infinite and unchanging -- in other words, by God himself. God alone is our true good.
This might seem odd, but hedonism and moralism are really two sides of the same coin. They are both seeking satisfaction apart from God. One form attempts moral perfection, while the other casts off moral restraint. Both groups desire the same thing, and both find the same end. Man cannot find peace, joy, forgiveness, and fulfillment in himself. He is in dire need of a divine intervention. Psalm 73 summarizes humanity s self-improvement project. The psalmist was envious of the wicked until he considered their end: When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight. Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! -Psalm 73:16-19 Those who dismiss God as the source of goodness will in the end be swept away by sudden terrors. They will find that the foundations they have built their lives upon are sinking sand. It will all be washed away. And so it is for us. We will know nothing of lasting joy apart from God. As a Christian, are you struggling with a desire to find satisfaction apart from God? Are you envious of the wicked? I would encourage you to draw near to God and renew your commitment to him. In him alone will you find fulfillment. If you are not a believer, how do you explain the existence of morality, concepts of beauty, or even human longing apart from the existence of God? I would encourage you to doubt your doubts, as Pastor Tim Keller likes to say. Have you truly considered the possibility of the existence of God? Would you?
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. It hasn t always been this way though. There was a time when we knew true happiness. The fall has tarnished and tainted everything, yet there is still a residue of goodness that points us to God. For those who are searching & questioning, for those who are wandering & wondering, I would encourage you to consider the closing words of Psalm 73: Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. God is good. In him we find answers for our most basic questions, and from him we receive peace for our troubled souls. He alone is the hope for a rotten world.
Rotten in Denmark: A fallen theology... This booklet is taken from several blog entries that I posted at theolatte.com. The content is based on a sermon series that I preached at the campus church. If you have questions or comments about the content please email me at: ddewitt@sbts.edu.... thecampuschurch.info We exist to generate a movement of the gospel on the campus of the University of Louisville which transforms lives, builds community and advances the Kingdom of God.