Being offended by God
The theme of being offended by God is present in various passages throughout the Bible. It often revolves around human reactions to God's actions, teachings, or plans, and the challenge of maintaining faith and trust in the midst of difficult circumstances. Here are a few examples and instances where this theme is explored:
- Job's Suffering: The book of Job addresses the theme of being offended by God extensively. Job, a righteous man, experiences immense suffering, losing his wealth, health, and family. He expresses his anguish and questions God's fairness. Job's friends also accuse him of wrongdoing. Job's experience reflects the struggle of being faithful while grappling with feelings of offense or injustice from God's actions.
- Israel's Wilderness Wanderings: The Israelites' journey through the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt is marked by moments of offense and complaint against God. They grumble about their circumstances, the lack of food, and other challenges they face. Their impatience and lack of trust in God's provision lead to conflicts and consequences.
- Jesus' Teachings: In the New Testament, Jesus' teachings sometimes challenge the expectations and sensibilities of his audience. For instance, in John 6, Jesus speaks of his flesh and blood as the source of eternal life, which offends some of his followers who find his words difficult to accept.
- Parable of the Prodigal Son: In Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son presents a situation where the older son becomes offended when his father welcomes back his wayward younger brother with open arms. The older son struggles with feelings of injustice and is reluctant to accept the father's grace.
- Disciples' Response to Hard Sayings: On several occasions, Jesus' disciples struggle with his teachings or actions. In John 6:60-66, some disciples find Jesus' words too hard to accept and choose to no longer follow him.
- Paul's Theology of the Cross: The apostle Paul's teachings often emphasize the paradox of the cross and the apparent foolishness of God's plan for salvation. He addresses the potential for offense in the message of Christ crucified.
In these instances, the theme of being offended by God highlights the tension between human understanding and God's ways, the challenge of trusting God in difficult situations, and the need to wrestle with our doubts and emotions while seeking deeper understanding. It also underscores the importance of cultivating a mature and steadfast faith that can navigate such challenges without losing trust in God's character and sovereignty.
在《聖經》中,被上帝冒犯的主題在各處都有體現。這通常涉及人類對上帝的行動、教導或計劃的反應,以及在困難情況下如何保持信仰和信任的挑戰。以下是一些探討這一主題的例子和情況:
- 約伯的苦難: 《約伯記》廣泛地涉及了被上帝冒犯的主題。約伯是一個義人,卻經曆了巨大的苦難,失去了財富、健康和家人。他表達了自己的痛苦,並質疑上帝的公平。約伯的朋友們也指責他有罪。約伯的經曆反映了在麵對上帝的行動時,保持信仰,同時又與上帝的行動產生衝突或感受到不公正的情感之間的掙紮。
- 以色列人的曠野漂泊: 以色列人從埃及被拯救出來後,在曠野中的旅程中,出現了被上帝冒犯的情況。他們抱怨自己的境遇,抱怨缺乏食物等種種挑戰。他們的不耐煩和對上帝供應的不信任導致了衝突和後果。
- 耶穌的教導: 在新約中,耶穌的教導有時會挑戰他的聽眾的期望和敏感性。例如,在約翰福音第6章中,耶穌談論他的肉體和血液是永生的源頭,這引起了一些追隨者的反感,他們難以接受他的話語。
- 浪子的比喻: 在路加福音第15章,浪子的比喻展示了一個情境,在這個情境中,年長的兒子因為父親熱情歡迎迷失的弟弟而感到冒犯。年長的兒子麵臨不公的情感,不願意接受父親的恩典。
- 門徒對艱深言辭的回應: 在幾個場合,耶穌的門徒在他的教導或行動麵前感到困難。在約翰福音6:60-66中,一些門徒認為耶穌的話太難以接受,選擇不再跟隨他。
- 保羅關於十字架的神學: 使徒保羅的教導經常強調十字架的悖論以及上帝救贖計劃的顯然愚蠢。他在基督被釘死的信息中解釋了被冒犯的潛力。
在這些情況下,被上帝冒犯的主題突顯了人的悟性與上帝做事的方式之間的緊張關係;在困難情況下信靠上帝的挑戰;以及在尋求更深層次理解的同時,需要與我們的疑慮和情感摔跤的重要性。它也強調了培養成熟和堅定的信仰的重要性,以能夠在不失去對上帝秉性和主權的信任的情況下應對這些挑戰。