Tag: beneficial

Beauty

Gary Pollard

This week’s question is a new one for me: What is beauty? A follow-up question some of you may ask is, “What does that have to do with Christianity?” More than we might think! Beauty is a powerful evidence of intelligent design, an aspect of reality that inspires both fear and wonder. 

God shows us what he’s like through what he created. As Paul puts it, “There are things about God that people can’t see — his eternal power and all that makes him God. But since the beginning of the world, those things have been easy for people to understand. They are made clear in what God has made, so people have no excuse for the evil they do” (Rom 1.20). 

Inquisitive minds have marveled at the beauty/symmetry of nature for millennia. A pattern is obvious in so many seemingly-unrelated things! The “Golden Ratio” under various names has been important to our study of reality for thousands of years. It can be seen in the number of leaves on a stem, in the pattern of a nautilus shell, and even the proportions of our faces.1 Not all of us are remotely mathematically minded (at least I’m not), but I don’t need to understand the properties of Φ to appreciate its role in nature’s beauty! I have eyeballs and some level of consciousness, so it’s self-evident. 

The question wasn’t, “Why is beauty important to a believer?” Some consider this topic irrelevant or unimportant or even repulsive, but beauty plays such a powerful role in showcasing God’s unlimited power and love!

So what is beauty? In nature, it is symmetry and something that inspires awe. Snowcapped mountains and roaring seas each have their own beauty (see I Cor 15.40-41 for other examples). Awe is fear with beauty, the goosebumps we might get when we see something truly incredible or terrifying.2 God made nature and people beautiful as an expression of himself! From almost the very beginning, humanity’s enemies hijacked beauty to interact with it in ways God never intended. There’s nothing new under the sun — beauty is just one of a few things God created for good that have potential for abuse. 

In the abstract, beauty is (at least in part) whatever we might call “good” or “beneficial”. When someone helps another person we call that “beautiful”. When a person’s actions and disposition align with what is good, we call that “beautiful”. It is difficult to describe, but God has written a moral code in each person’s heart. Some listen to it, many do not. But we don’t have to delineate this code to know when something is beautiful! Anything done by that ethic is beautiful. 

So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. … God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good” (Gen 1.27-28, 31). 

 1 Examples of the golden ratio you can find in nature. (n.d.) Sacramento State University. https://www.csus.edu/indiv/m/mirzaagham/math1/SQ5.pdf
2 See also Mcphetres, J. & Zickfield, J. (09.2022). The physiological study of emotional piloerection: A systematic review and guide for future research. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 179 (pp. 6-20). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.06.010

An Inspired Appeal To Assemble

Neal Pollard

I’m writing this during one of the best gospel meetings I’ve ever attended. Robert Hatfield is doing an incredible job! He has a way of telling even challenging truths with kindness while reaching the heart and the mind. He has been prepared and has presented each sermon masterfully. I’m also grateful our elders had the wisdom to invite him to come.

Have you thought about why special events like gospel meetings, like our “regular services,” are so beneficial? Why should they draw our interest and be important to us? The writer of Hebrews gives us at least three reasons in an exhortation in Hebrews 10:24. He writes, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds…” The context of this passage is assembling together. He contrasts “neglecting to meet together” with “encouraging one another” in verse 25, but the why is in verse 24.

COOPERATION–“Let Us…One Another”

You will find the exhortation “let us” three consecutive times in Hebrews 10, in verses 22-24. The first is about our relationship with God (22), the second is about our relationship with the world (23), and the third is about our relationship with each other (24). The writer identifies it as “one another.” It requires each of us to do our part, to decide to act. The more who embrace this encouragement, the more effective we will be at obeying this command. “Us” can be a small number of people or a large number of people, but truly “the more, the merrier.” 

CONSIDERATION–“Consider”

This literally means “think carefully about.” It pictures sitting down and being intentional. Perhaps visualize specific faces of brothers and sisters, those who are friends, new Christians, visitors, newcomers, family members, and the like. Visualize that great High Priest who is also there (19-21). We will hop in our cars after a long day (or week) of work and school and rally together when we have taken the time to reflect on who we are going to meet with. 

CAUSATION–“Stimulate…To Love And Good Deeds”

It never fails! When you think about how the reason for assembling is to praise and glorify our Lord and Savior, there is already ample motivation. But then there is what our mutual presence and participation does for one another. It causes us to think and feel and to do right. We constantly need that prompting and urging. The world is all too ready to be unloving and to either do wrong or neglect right actions. Every opportunity to assemble holds stimulating possibilities.

There have been non-Christian visitors at each service of our gospel meeting. That’s exciting! But just as exciting, you and I get to be together in a time of worship and study. We’ll come with buckets emptied by the day and week, then leave with them filled to overflowing. God knew that’s how life is! It’s why he urges us, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” He gives us assembling together as a powerful outlet. “Let us” take advantage!  

The Real Thing

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

“Let love be genuine.” This phrase from Romans 12.9 is familiar and deceptively simple. It sounds good and feels good! But what does it mean? 

It means we can’t pretend to love people. Ανυποκριτος means “not pretending” or “acting” something. In other words, don’t pretend to love people with the goal of getting something out of it. Don’t pretend to love people when we don’t. 

We don’t usually show our real selves to other people. Aside from our close friends and family, we show other people who we want them to see. There’s nothing wrong with this; all cultures adopt levels of social scripting and behaviors based on how close we are with another person. The church is a family, and it’s hard to remember that sometimes. We’d rather keep people at arm’s length (I’m guilty of this) than get into the messiness of close relationships. 

Once we get past the formal, arm’s length level of closeness, things get complicated and messy. But they’re also rewarding and uplifting! Whatever we see in our Christian family, God expects us to love like we mean it. There’s no room for fake in this family! Since our lifestyle can be challenging, we need to know that we can rely on each other.

God showed us genuine love by proving it. He proves it every day by keeping us “good to go” if we’re walking in light (I Jn 1). Showing real love has personal benefits, sure, but it mainly benefits others. We may never know how much showing genuine love impacts another person, but it could be the pivotal point of their relationship with God! How cool is it that, just by being genuine, we potentially change people’s eternity?!