What is the thing that teenagers seem to want most, until they get it? They want independence. When they get it, they begin to wonder just why they wanted it. It means responsibility. It means working. It means being on their own for support. It means paying their own dentist and doctor bills. It means taking care of their own car if they can afford one. It means not having all the answers that they thought they had. It means many other things.
This is not to point fun at teenagers. It is to point out that independence isn’t the ultimate high that we all think it is. It has a tremendous amount of responsibility attached to it.
Independence in the context of God is again similar to our own human experience, yet is so much more than the independence that we have. God has the perfect independence which naturally carries the perfect amount of responsibility. He is responsible for all that goes on in the universe.
This by the way is a philosophical argument against the Deist that says that God is far off. God would not be far off allowing the creation to go its own way if He were responsible.
In comparing the human/deity independence, we need to consider that the human grows into his independence. As a baby learns to move about in the home there are immediate limitations placed upon the child. As they move toward the nick-nack shelf they are warned that it is a no-no. As the child learns to handle things safely and carefully, then the parent may allow the child to play with the nick-nacks.
We have a very nice organ that was given to us by my wife’s mother. Faith is very protective of it, yet we want the children that come to our home to enjoy those things. We had three grade schoolers that came some time back and they wanted to play the organ. I sat with them and gave them a brief introduction to how to use some of the options. Then I gave them a good warning that if they abused the organ that they would not be allowed to continue. I gave them complete independence to use the organ in light of not abusing it or our ears with volume. All Went Well. They operated independently and exercised great responsibility.
God on the other hand did not need to mature to gain His independence. He Is Independent by His very nature. He always has been, and He always will be independent. In fact the thought of always been, and always will be, are somewhat misleading in that they indicate the possibility of not being independent. This is not the case. He IS independent by nature and can be nothing else.
Let’s define a couple of terms before we move on. Freedom is “…..the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action…..” (By permission. (From Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.) Totally free to choose without pressure.
Independent is, “…..not dependent:….. (1): not subject to control by others:…..Not requiring or relying on something else:…..” (By permission. From Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.).
The difference between these two terms would be that INDEPENDENT is completely free from all encumbrances and the impossibility of encumbrance as well, FREEDOM indicates the possibility of encumbrance indeed, the term free indicates encumbrances may have been present in the past.
GOD’S INDEPENDENCE IS DETERMINED
BY HIS NATURE AND NOTHING THAT IS WITHOUT INDEPENDENCE INCLUDES ALL AREAS OF HIS BEING
1. His existence, which is underived and absolute John 5:26. He relied
upon nothing to exist. He exists because of His nature.
2. His knowledge, which is unlimited and true Hebrews 4:13.
3. His action, which is at His will and discretion Genesis 1:1. He did not have to go through fifteen government agencies to get the zoning changed for a universe. He just did it without needing to ask anyone. (also see Acts 17:24)
APPLICATION
1. He is free from all encumbrances and depends on nothing nor does He respond to outside pressures. We can also bend His ear anytime that we want and ask Him to do things for us and expect Him to respond to us.
At the same time we can bend His ear on one item that He says no to and keep bending His ear. He, however, is not encumbered by our petitions. He does not have to do as we ask Him to do.
On the light side, God is similar to a politician — free from outside pressures, doing what He wants. He is also free not to listen to those speaking to Him. (Politicians, once elected do little that the voters really want them to do. He votes on issues as he desires.)
2. There is no force outside His own being that can change his mind nor alter His character. He Will Bring All Things That He Has Promised, To Pass.[1]
[1] Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D. B.A. (n.d.). DERICKSON’S NOTES ON THEOLOGY: A STUDY BOOK IN THEOLOGY.
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