Quotes Archive, 2025
"God's first and foremost attribute is uniqueness. In all of Genesis 1, God never once reveals His holiness or His mercy, and His relational attribute is only implied in 1:26-28. He does, however, emphatically and explicitly reveal Himself as unique--unique in position, unique in power, unique in creativity.
It is not until 2:3 that God's holiness is first indicated, then again directly in 2:15-17. His other attributes also begin to be revealed directly only from 2:3 onward, i.e., mercy, relationalness, etc. Why the phased revelation? Why emphasize and establish uniqueness first, above all other attributes? Because nothing else can be entirely right until we are firmly and deeply bonded to God's uniqueness at ever-increasing levels.
To His unique supremacy over all reality, and specifically, our personal reality. In practical terms, this means recognizing and flowing with His serendipity and providential activity in our daily life.
To His unique position over all things desired. In practical terms, this means personal idolatry comes from not being maturely bonded to God's uniqueness. The idol is nothing more than a placeholder giving us a low-dose experience with something unique-ish.
To His unique creativity and ongoing creative acts. In practical terms, this means God does not always do things according to a formula, expectation, or tradition in your head. He wants to do things authentically original in your personhood and personal world. You will have to be in peace and trust, however, as His creativity is working imperceptibly to a tangible outcome.
What other applications of God's uniqueness can you think of and pray about? If we do not get His uniqueness right (Genesis 1), how can we ever get His holiness, mercy, and relationalness right (Genesis 2:3 onward)? We can't. This is why we stay stuck at the tree of good and evil, trying unnecessarily hard to be good and unnecessarily hard to not be evil." (2/21)
"Dictators and dictators in-utero depend heavily on linguistic trickery, chief among them is the double entendre with plausible deniability. These can also be called polysemic messages.
A statement is said, usually in the flow of a speech or fast-moving interview, that could be understood more than one way. The dictator's enablers and signal-boosters play the watered-down entendre, claiming hyperbole, edgy wordplay, showmanship, or simply poor word choice. The dictator's enemies and resisters zero in on the sinister entendre, claiming the normal understanding of radioactive words, tropes, and dog-whistles, and the dictator's track record of behavior.
In the Judeo-Christian worldview, words are never merely words. Jesus said the mouth speaks only what is overflowing from the heart. Solomon said the very powers of living or dying are in words. James said massive entities are controlled by tiny powers, like a bit controlling a horse or a rudder steering a ship or a small spark setting a great forest ablaze. The tongue, James said, is that small spark. Proverbs speaks often about the "mischievous tongue" and "crooked tongue" and "deceitful tongue" and "froward tongue". Paul told Timothy congregational officials could not be "double-tongued". Paul told Titus to only use sound speech beyond reproach that cannot be condemned.
While the world can debate just about anything endlessly, there is no debate in what the born-again, Bible-believing community is supposed to be in character and linguistics. We are not the puppies, enablers, signal-boosters, narcissistic supply, drooling fans, or power base of anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ. Hosea 5:13 has become true of many American Christians, and the coming seasons will prove it true (NIV): When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah his sores, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and sent to the great king for help. But he is not able to cure you, not able to heal your sores." (7/27/24)