There Must Always Be Something To Learn

I was having a bath this morning when it occurred to me that the term "morning showers" could be read as a triple-entendre. And then, as if to satisfy the thought by some way of divine humour, a light drizzle was immediately commissioned to descend upon my estate as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. Thankfully, it left as quick as it came, otherwise it'd have probably made me later than I already was for discipleship class.

But my precipitation of thought didn't stop with that of the clouds. Two things came to mind.

First, I recalled that some months ago, I was entertaining the idea of 'coincidence or consequence?', and I was looking for a biblical answer. This was the bone of contention:

Arbitrarily, is it possible that because you didn't do your nightly devotions consistently this week, God has decided to punish you by inducing some measure of insomnia for the next few days ahead?

I was trying to be cautious with such a question because it did have a sense of credibility. It seemed to be a logically deserving punishment.

Providentially (and that's saying another thing about coincidence), I had Muscle Mentor clarify my misconceptions a few weeks ago. I say providentially because I was really asking him an entirely different question. In passing, he said that with regard to children of God, the Father does not act or react punitively or punishingly toward them, if they truly believe in Christ. As the propitiatory sacrifice, Christ has paid the price for all our sins; past, present and future. The verse that supports this can be found in Hebrews 10:10, where it says "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all."[Italics added]

Therefore, all events in our lives that produce joy, angst, sorrow or misery, are never penal consequences but relational chastisements, like how a father would discipline his child. The verse for this is found in Hebrews 12:6, where Paul quotes Job 3:12, "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives."

In addition, by the phrase 'all events', I really mean all events. This form of discipline is the essence of sanctification, and pervades all aspects of christian living. It is a process propelled by the Holy Spirit, who sovereignly conforms all who are justified to the image of Christ. This doctrine is clearly stated in Romans 8:28, where it says "And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." [Italics added] The 'good' in verse 28 refers to the conformation to the image of Christ, which is propounded subsequently in verse 29.

In a nutshell, the nature of occurrences in christian living is neither a matter of mere coincidence nor penal consequence.

The second thing the raindrops brought to mind is considerably shorter. It is a point, or rather a quote that Marvin Olasky raised during his lecture on The Secular Script in the Theater of God: Calvin wrote, "If God does nothing random, there must always be something to learn."

So I guess that makes this post pretty much self-authenticating. A glorious truth, I say.