Understanding God's Program
While it is clear that we, as Christians, are all essentially free to do as we please, we are nevertheless very much susceptible to many influences that attempt to either steer or control our lives. For the purpose of this message today, I would like to label those influences "programs", as in computer programs. I am by no means a computer expert, but I definitely see many similarities in how God's Creation functions and how computers operate.
A computer program is simply a written set of instructions, that when executed, performs an intended function. I see God as the ultimate master programmer of the physical universe, with everything operating and interacting according to the amazing laws (programs) of physics that modern scientists have been steadily discovering and making use of. In the field of chemistry, there are exact mathematical formulas for how all the different elements interact with one another. Each element is unique, and the atoms that comprise it actually have a built-in characteristic or "program" that tells it how to react or respond to atoms of other elements that surround it, and this activity is observable, repeatable, and predictable.
For example, water is actually made up of two elements, gases, two atoms of Hydrogen (H) and one atom of oxygen (O), or H2O. While oxygen and hydrogen are flammable on their own, together they form water which ironically puts out fires. Strange stuff, indeed. Somehow, God has programmed these and all of the other various elements to act in certain ways under certain conditions, and by years of study and experimentation, chemists have been able to use these discovered "programs" to mass produce the thousands of chemicals and compounds we all use in our daily lives, from plastics to exotic metal alloys. Every inanimate thing around us exists and acts according to whatever it has been programmed to do.
Now I'd like to look at another section of the Creation that is infinitely more complex and amazing, namely living cells. While made up of thousands of individual chemicals that operate predictably according to fixed laws, there is something else at work in living cells that oversees the timing and control of the myriad processes and functions that occur within them. Scientists have discovered a complex code of instructions within each kind of cell that orders the construction, maintenance, and exact reproduction of itself. It's called DNA. No cell can exist or replicate without this incredible program being present, so if you think about it, this fact alone proves that life did not begin by some random accident billions of years ago. But that's another story...
Beyond single-celled organisms, however, there exists even vastly more complex forms of life which includes the plants, animals, and yes, especially us. While I have no clue how a plant controls all of its multicellular functions, scientists tell us that brains are behind all of the functions that go on inside the animal kingdom creatures. The brain somehow has all kinds of programs running inside it that communicate messages to all the various organs that keeps everything coordinated and running smoothly. Amazingly, and fortunately for us, most of these functions operate totally unconsciously. We don't have to think or do anything to make our hearts beat, lungs pump, kidneys filter blood, intestines digest food, etc. It's all preprogrammed and on auto-pilot.
OK, now that I've laid some groundwork showing that all things are "programmed" in some way, I want to talk about what this means to us human beings, especially those who call ourselves Christians. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that not only are our unconscious bodily functions programmed, but that everything they say and do has also been programmed, even predestined, so that every single little thing that they and all that mankind has ever done has actually been meticulously controlled by a sovereign God. They say that the future has already been set in stone as well, and that all of this somehow brings glory to God, and they are highly impressed with this "God" they've imagined for themselves. Well, I'm not impressed, and hopefully you'll see why as we continue on from here.
While I actually believe that all of us have indeed been programmed, it's important to understand what being programmed means. God is the absolute master programmer, yes, but that doesn't automatically mean He's also the absolute, meticulous controller. Our entire universe is kind of like a giant computer, and God, its designer, has written or spoken programs that caused things to appear and enabled them to function in certain ways, under certain conditions. I said "spoken", because if you study the Scriptures, you'll notice that often when God speaks, things happen. Genesis 1:3-26 almost looks like simple computer programming code. God said "Let there be light" and there was. Then He said "Let there be an expanse" to separate the waters and create the sky, and there was. Then He said "Let the waters be gathered" into seas, "Let dry ground appear", and so on. Like lines of computer code, each spoken command is obeyed by His Creation, and step by step His program is taking action and performing His desired result.
God's program seemed to be running along quite well up until He put the finishing touches on the garden of Eden, creating plants, fish, birds, all other animals, and finally man and woman, after which He declared it all to be very good. Everything was programmed to live without dying, with the animal kingdom feeding on the fruits and veggies of the plant kingdom. So far so good.
At this point I want you to think about how God programmed us in the beginning. I want to emphasize again that "programmed" does not necessarily mean "absolutely controlled", and I hope to show you how this can and does really work. Imagine for a few minutes what's involved in the programming of modern video games that many young people play today, in particular the complex role-playing games. In case you are not familiar with them, brilliant programmers have created vast "virtual worlds", in which you become a character and get personally involved as you live out your life in this other world. While there are certain constraints and limitations on your character as it was created by the programmer, the program itself does not make you do anything, in fact the programmer has no interest in controlling you. The programmer simply gives you an assortment of talents and abilities, as well as some needs, and has created a world for you to explore and interact with. The programmer gets joy and satisfaction out of watching you play, enjoy, and succeed in his game. You just follow some simple directions to get you started, choose where to go, what to do, and how to do it. Different games have different purposes, goals, or missions, but they all operate basically the same. The main thing I want you to notice, is that while everything done within this "virtual world" is "programmed", your free will is left quite intact. Characters and situations in the game can influence you, but you are not "controlled". It's really quite amazing.
So then, let's get back to the garden of Eden and see how God's program is moving along. Adam and Eve were set up in a beautiful paradise where all there needs were met. They knew God personally and so far He has only told them a few things they needed to know. The only prohibition they had was to stay away from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die. Since they had no reason to doubt God, they probably would have lived happily ever after if they just stuck with God's program. Unfortunately for them, another program was about to intrude upon their lives, produced by an evil programmer...Satan!
You see, mankind was created in such a way that he could be influenced or "programmed" chiefly by words, and he is not immune to being affected by these words or "programs". Satan's words that tempted Eve were a lot like when we first began surfing the internet, happily enjoying the miracle of email, when suddenly we saw a strange email appear in our inbox. We were warned not to open email from strangers, and especially warned not to open any program attachments inside them, but because of inexperience, foolishness, and a very enticing subject line, we succumbed to the temptation and opened it. The email then promised all the riches of the world if only we'd open the attachment and run the program...and so we did...then BOOM! A virus program was suddenly let loose in the heart of our computer, often unnoticed, until the next day when we found our computer completely dead as we tried in vain to start it up.
Well, I'm afraid that is exactly what happened to Adam & Eve in the garden. They were infected by the sin virus and it was a deadly mistake. You see, just like virally infected computers continue to spread that virus to every other computer it comes in contact with, the sin virus has been transmitted to all mankind down to the present day. God would have to do something fast, and He did. He made some changes to the original program, updates if you will, to change the way we would live from then on, and from time to time He has continued to make even more changes, as likewise Satan has continued time and time again to mess with God's plan. In fact, Satan had mankind so screwed up in Noah's time that God had to destroy everyone but Noah's family and completely start over...kind of like when your Windows operating system gets so screwed up that the only solution is to re-format the hard-drive and re-install Windows, and then re-install all the good programs over again.
Anyway, I stated earlier that I wasn't impressed by a so-called God who meticulously controls everything that ever happens forever and ever. That would be too easy for God to do. But to create a world where its creatures have truly free wills, and where God has to continually react to all our decisions moment by moment, and respond to the attacks of Satan and millions of demons, and yet somehow ensure that those of us who've come to love and trust in Him will eventually be resurrected into glorious new bodies, and be ushered into a wonderful new kingdom, where we will then live sin-free forever and ever. Now that's what I call impressive!
Revelation 21:1-8
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
- nOFuTuRe
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