Opus 2026-294: OCD Theology

I make no claim to being a pyschologist or understanding all of the categories of human behavior they have developed to sell books and impress laymen.  My understanding of OCD comes from applying it to my daughter and her compulsive use of sticky notes to organize her life and the life of those around her.  To be fair she has made wonderful progress but the omnipresent sticky note was once part of our family tradition.  

My sense of OCD is someone who has to have everything in its proper place.  Variation is sin.  If the wind blows your note across the room and attaches it somewhere else it is immediately noted and dealt with.  Sometimes that dealing is with a smile, sometimes a frown, but it is dealt with.  

Too much of our historic theology falls into this type of mental condition.  I am not against organization.  I am all in favor of reason and logic.  The issue comes from the first sticky note.  Where do you place it?  Are you willing to move it if it becomes clear it doesn’t work as a foundation?  In this I am much more aware of the mistakes of others than I am of my own suppositions.  I am sure that mine are clear to you.  The biggest difference is, of course, that my foundations are solid and yours are rocky at best.  Maybe I should say “rocking”.

I am at a time in life where the words of Socrates in his Apology are digging in and not letting go.  He said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”  Of course he did not really say that.  He spoke Greek and it probably had nuances that the English misses but we can get the idea and benefit from it.  

I am reflecting on a passage that was quoted on Sunday.

(Rom 9:15 KJV)  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Of course this was understood in the standard Calvinistic way.  It was supposed to emphasize the omnipotence of God and our total lack of input into salvation.  Understood correctly that is a foundation we need.  Understood in the standard way it is a blatant attempt to control the God who is claimed to be uncontrollable.  

What is the problem?  Take a look at the preceding verse,

(Rom 9:14 KJV)  What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

Calvinists love the KJV because of the way it is translated.  Look at another translation to get a bit of a different angle,

(Rom 9:14 NAS77) What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

I don’t know about you but I tend to connect righteousness with morality.  By definition God cannot be unrighteous since He is the one who sets the standards.  Actually that is a big philosophical/theological question that we don’t have energy for today.  Is murder wrong because God says so or does God say so because it is wrong?  

Justice is about making judgments.  It is about following the principles and apply a response.  To me that means that God is going to be a being of reason and use logic in His decisions.  He has a reason for whom He extends His grace to.  There is a basis for His choice.  It is clear that we do not earn it by banking enough merit.  Nothing we could do can atone for our sin.  Only Jesus could do that.  But I have a hard time accepting that a righteous or just God is going to decide to ignore blantant, in-your-face rebellion and just say, “Oh, well.”

Yes, God will extend Mercy to whom He wants.  He will not accept the limitations you put on Him.  He will not let you, or me, put Him in our own prepared box just because it fits our system of theology.  He is the great I AM.  As such He has the final say.

Eternity is going to be a glorious time of learning.

homo unius libri