Here is a description of the book:Deep within God's Word lies a wondrous story like no other. A drama that originated before time began. An epic saga that resonates with the heartbeat of God. A story that reveals nothing less than the meaning of life and God's great mission in the earth. From Here to Eternity presents three remarkable stories spanning from Genesis to Revelation. Each story traces a divine theme that is woven throughout scripture. Seen together, they offer an extraordinary glimpse into God's highest passion and grand mission. What you discover will forever change your view of life, the church, and our magnificent God.
Here was my question for Frank concerning his new book:
You seem to make the case if the first part of your book that God's greatest desire is for the redemption of his bride. Jonathan Edwards made the case that God's greatest desire was for his own glory to be known and cherished. How would you interact with Edwards' claim? It also seemed to me (I could be mistaken) that you were implying that God the Son somehow felt deficient without having an object of his affection when you use the words, "the frustrated passion of a love-filled God" (p. 39). Are we to believe that God was actually frustrated or discontent without having an object to pour his love upon? If we believe Edwards, I think we might come to the conclusion that God chose to love, not because he would be left lacking without having people to love, but rather, the echoes of his great glory would resound all throughout the universe if he created those who could love him and cherish what he cherishes first of all, namely, his own glory. Have I misunderstood you? How would you interact with Edwards on this?
Here is Frank's response:
Yes, I think you have misunderstood. First, on the deficiency in God, here’s a quote from the book that answers your question:
“Truthfully, God is perfectly adequate within Himself. But because God is love, He is not content to be adequate in Himself. For this reason, God the Son wanted someone upon whom to pour out the love that coursed within His being, which is the very same love that the Father poured out upon Him. Thus the superabundance of God’s love required a receptacle that was not within the Trinity. Again, the Son’s desire for a counterpart was not rooted in any deficiency within Himself. It was instead rooted in the overflowing excess of divine love.”
Second, I’m not speaking of “the redemption” of God’s Bride only, but the formation of her which was pre-fall and a thought and desire that God had in His heart in eternity past. I explain this by presenting Eve as a type of the church (a la, Ephesians 5). Note that the rest of the book doesn’t deal with the Bride, but the House of God, the Family of God, and the Body of Christ. If we only stress one image, we’ll miss the entire picture of God’s ultimate intention.
Third, on the word “frustration,” here’s another quote from the book that answers your question:
“To say that the Lord experiences frustration in no way dilutes His power nor violates His sovereignty. The Lord is in complete control of the future, and He will eventually get what He is after. But in the moment, He can feel frustration. Here’s an example of how the Lord tasted the anguish of suppressed love while He was on earth: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! (Luke 13:34) Note the words “I have longed to … but you were not willing.” Such is the divine frustration.”
The real issue here, I think, is what is God’s glory? My book seeks to answer this by unfolding the grand narrative of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. On that score, I’ve had a number of Reformed scholars tell me that Jonathan Edwards would have loved this book … ;-)
Here are the other blogs that are participating in this blog tour:
Out of Ur
Shapevine (June newsletter)
Brian Eberly
DashHouse.com
Greg Boyd
Vision Advance
David Flowers
kingdom grace
Captain’s Blog
Christine Sine
Darin Hufford – The Free Believers Network
Zoecarnate
Church Planting Novice
Staying Focused
Take Your Vitamin Z
Jeff Goins
Bunny Trails
Matt Cleaver
Jason T. Berggren
Simple Church
Emerging from Montana
Parable Life
Oikos Australia
West Coast Witness
Keith Giles
Consuming Worship
Tasha Via
Andrew Courtright
ShowMeTheMooneys!
Leaving Salem, Blog of Ronnie McBrayer
Jason Coker
From Knowledge to Wisdom
Home Brewed Christianity
Dispossessed
Dandelion Seeds
David Brodsky’s Blog- “Flip the tape Deck”
Chaordic Journey
Renee Martin
Bob Kuhn
Living with Freaks
Real Worship
Fervent Worship
Julie Ferwerda
What’s With Christina?!
On Now to the Third Level
Irreligious Canuck
This day on the journey
Live and Move: Thoughts on Authentic Christianity
Spiritual Journey With God
echurch
The Jesus Feed
Book Disciple
My Journey – With Others
On Now to the Third Level
Christine Moers
Breaking Point
Hand to the Plough
Jon Reid
Weblight
D.L. Webster
Searching for the Whole-Hearted Life
2 comments:
QUOTE__“Truthfully, God is perfectly adequate within Himself. But because God is love, He is not content to be adequate in Himself. For this reason, God the Son wanted someone upon whom to pour out the love that coursed within His being, which is the very same love that the Father poured out upon Him. Thus the superabundance of God’s love required a receptacle that was not within the Trinity. Again, the Son’s desire for a counterpart was not rooted in any deficiency within Himself. It was instead rooted in the overflowing excess of divine love.”__endQUOTE
Ummm...a receptacle? His Name is the Holy Spirit. Sorry I don't buy the God was "not Content" idea.
I realize this is not a popular thought in some quarters, but I think Jonathan Edwards (and his definitions of God's 'glory') are overrated. For a brief thought on this, see God Does Not Magnify Himself.
For a take on how this limits God's glory by diminishing this life and humanity, read On Being Too God-Centered.
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