Both Christians, both believers in God, Jesus, Ten Commandments, Paul and Justine shared the same rules of God’s law. Paul, the writer of most of the book in the New Testament, wrote in the Bible what God wanted the Romans, Ephesians, Thessalonians, Galatians, Corinthians, Colossians, Philippians, Hebrews, and Philemon, Timothy, Titus, and, finally, more importantly, us to know. Justin, likewise, wrote his own book, First Apology, confirming what we should do that God wants us to do. Now, let’s compare two similar parts from the Bible and First Apology.
In Romans 9:1-23, Paul talks about the sovereignty of God. He talks about how not all people who are born in Israel are Israelites. God made the twins Esau and Jacob; He loved Jacob, but He hated Esau. (I don’t think God hated Esau as we may picture it. God is a loving God. I think that God was showing whom He would use: Jacob.) Later, God used Jacob to continue the promise God had made with Abraham, but not Esau. We may think, then, that God is unjust. Paul says that God is not unjust and that God will have mercy and compassion on those whom He wants to have mercy and compassion on. We may question God about how He is using us, how it seems that God is blaming us, or that our life seems so unfair. Paul says to us in Romans 9:20 that who are we to question God about how we look, or why He made us like this? God made you the way He wanted perfectly. Therefore consider that our sovereign Lord made us perfect in His eyes. You are perfect.
Likewise, Justin talks about the sovereign God. Justin Martyr said that people often question God, and even about how they look. Again, he replied that God has made everyone perfectly in His image. Isn’t that enough, that even your Creator says, “It is good,” and thinks of you as the loveliest person He knows? Also, why question God for all the bad and good things that happen to you? Justin says that this is not God’s fault, in fact, it’s ours. We have the choice to pick between what is right and what is wrong. If we choose right, good for us, because that’s what God wants. However, if we choose the wrong path, ouch because a lot of bad stuff is just waiting around the corner. Therefore, it’s our fault if we choose the wrong path, and it’s not God’s fault. And, yes, I know when we choose the good path, sometimes bad stuff still happens to us, but that is not God, that’s Satan. That’s a good sign that you angered Satan, because you just helped God. So are you going to accept the way you look, and no longer blame God for the bad things that happen in your life?
~Perrissa
~Perrissa
Perrissa's 10th Grade School Blog 