Conditional Life

“There are no sacred and unsacred places; there are only sacred and desecrated places. My belief is that the world and our life in it are conditional gifts.” ~ Wendell Berry

“We are our choices” ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

“You are fettered," said Scrooge, trembling. "Tell me why?"
"I wear the chain I forged in life," replied the Ghost.
"I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it.” ~ Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

“I don't know that I believe that God is in control of everything that happens. As a Jew, I believe that we have free will and we are responsible for our actions. But I guess it's something I'm still probing.” - David Gregory

“True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure – the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character’s essential nature.” ~ Robert McKee

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

1. Unconditional Aspects of the Human Experience

   1. Image-Bearing
      Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. - Genesis 1:26-27

      1. Humans are, from the outset, image-bearers of God. This is done without their permission/collaboration/existence.

      2. Humans are, from the outset, in a position of delegated authority. Whatever it means to “rule... over all the earth”, that power & authority has been placed upon them as a collective whole.

   2. Delighted in by God.
      "From everlasting I was consecrated, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth... Then I was beside Him, as a Master Craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having My delight in the sons of men.” - Proverbs 8:23, 30-31

      1. Humans are, from before their creation, the delight/bubbling-over-with-love/favorite thing in the Heart of Jesus.

      2. This desire and delight is placed upon humanity before they’ve existed, much less done good or evil. This is not a delight based upon performance, but based upon attachment/intention in the Heart of God.

   3. Loved Unrequitedly
      "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? "Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” - Matthew 5:43-48

      1. Jesus ties the completion/perfection/maturity of humanity to their original design as representatives of God who demonstrate the Likeness of God: loving everyone, especially their enemies.

      2. Jesus draws attention to God’s practical demonstration of love: giving life and blessing to the righteous and the wicked.

      3. This theme is continued throughout the parables, teaching, and ministry of Jesus.

         "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” - John 3:16-17

         1. God loved the kosmos = universe.

            1. Sidenote: apparently the dominion of men extends further than earth… for the Cosmos is in need of a human in “Full Likeness”.

            2. This means that salvation is extending not only to every human, but to all of creation.

         2. Whoever believes in Him – the conditional phrase within the statement, indicating a contingency upon another party – in this case, “whoever believes” – to achieve the result of “eternal life”.

         3. God is not judging the world, but saving a world that is already judged.

            1. Indicating that the judgment is either:

               1. A preexisting judgment by God

                  1. in which case God need only change God’s mind, which God has demonstrated the ability to do.

               2. A judgment that is not entirely under the control of God.

                  1. Which would necessitate a saving action by God if God wants to remedy the situation.

                  2. Which would also require collaboration with whatever party has “operational authority” over the judgment.

                     • Essentially: whose on the other side of the judgment equation?

            "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. - John 3:18-19

            1. The judgment is an attachment bond: loved/believed

2. Conditional Aspects of the Human Experience

   1. Life and Death

      1. The Garden
         "Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."" - Genesis 2:15-17

         1. First instance of “commanded” – צָוָה – to give order or charge to another; to appoint or ordain.

         2. Initiation of the Spider-Man principle.

            1. With great power comes great responsibility.

         3. Deep depth to the mythological significance, but the conditional element is simple: one restriction with ultimate consequence.

      2. The Law
         ""See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. "But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."" - Deuteronomy 30:15-20

         1. If...

            1. you accept the charge to govern

            2. love the LORD your God

            3. Walk in His ways

            4. keep His commandments, statutes, & judgments

         2. Then…

            1. you may live and multiply

            2. the LORD your God may bless you

         3. If…

            1. your heart turns away

            2. you will not obey

            3. worship and serve other gods

         4. Then…

            1. you shall surely perish

            2. you will not prolong your days in the land of promise.

      3. The Conscience
         "There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." - Romans 2:9-16

      4. Judgment is a Mirror
         ""Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5

      5. Wish You Hadn’t
         ""Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!"" - Acts 2:36-40

         1. Jesus endured the worst we had, so that we wouldn’t have to live under it any more, all He wants is for us to wish we hadn’t and come home.