The bible calls us to see life through two viewpoints.  These viewpoints are (1)God's and (2)ours.  

          It is one thing to know this concept, but it is quite another to actually have a comprehensive view of both God's and ours, and that at the same time.  Because Jesus Christ was crucified for us, God's Spirit and grace is with us to help us in this endeavor.  Now, what I mean by saying , at the same time, is that given any particularly view of life, (whether it be a particular moment or situation, or looking at your own life years into the future), that you consider both  God's perspective and yours.[1]  Remember, because the bible calls us to see life through both perspectives it is sin to only to see life through only one, whether it be God's or ours.  I find people are usually bent on only viewing life through one while neglecting the other, it is common so don't feel as if you're the only one.  Most of the time people see life too much through their perspective which is where you get liberalism, fear of man, paganism, crippling worries, heresies and many other problems.  Those who view too much from God's perspective while arrogantly forgetting they are in fact human usually become harsh and wacky fundamentalist.  Although you can never be to heavenly or spiritually minded (Colossians 3:2) what can happen is this.  If you willfully forget God's viewpoint from scripture and yours that you are a sinful human and try to see too much from God's perspective minus this then there is a tendency to proudly make yourself more than just a sinful human but a proud dictator over your family, church or friends.

(1.)  God:

           We are called and invited by God, by Jesus Christ[2], to view life through Their eyes.   A large part of that view is His Sovereignty.  God is sovereign and sees Himself being Sovereign over all things.  For example Romans 3:5 tells us of an example when it is particularly bad to only view life as a mere man or woman.  Romans chapter 9:19 is another example of a person who is only seeing life through their eyes and not including God's perspective in it.   In Romans 3 God's perspective is that He is a Sovereign Judge and needs to pragmatically be and establish Himself as so over the world He made.  Romans 9 God's perspective is that He is Creator and so has endless rights to do what He wants over His creation.  In Romans 11 God views Himself as a master planner so that the vessels of mercy both in Israel and the Gentiles come into the faith and receive the greatest degrees of His love in Christ.   In Jonah 4 we see God teaching Jonah to stop and consider His viewpoint.  God told Moses in Exodus 34:7 His Glory or His Divine Nature is full of mercies and compassion.   Through Jonah's human perspective Israel did not like Nineveh(and maybe for some good reasons) and so he did not care them.  God told Jonah His perspective is that He is merciful and desires to use His Sovereignty to show mercy to Nineveh.  Jonah knew this and willfully tried to ignore God's viewpoint (4:2).  Of course , the only way to know God's viewpoint is by Him telling us through His Divine Revelation or Scripture.  Human speculation is of no use in this.

(2.)  Our view:

          Although God calls us to view life through His perspective He does not call us to stop viewing life as a human.  By human I am not referring to the sinful or stupid aspect of our humanity; nor is am I saying the human perspective is capable of truth in and of itself, rather, what I am referring to is this.  God made us as physical beings, in a physical world, with eyes, ears (etc.) and in space and time so that we are suited to behold God's displayed glory in a public world. (To know more please see my article: The Public Jesus Christ is now Perfect.)  Although God is the metaphysical cause of all things, even over our own thoughts and although God must uphold our bodies and souls into being, yet, there is a distinct line which separates God from His creation.  We are not pantheist or pagans; we are not the religion of oneism.  There is Creator and creation.  The bible which tell us that God upholds our beings and moves our hearts also tells us that our hearts are indeed our "own" hearts and our "own desires." In the ultimate sense as Creator God "owns" us, but because we experience our lives as our lives, there is a sense that our lives are also ours.  James 1:14, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed."

           What this ultimately means is that as we live our "own" lives we experience this rightly and properly as own body, own desires and own choices.  That is how it feels to us and rightly so, because God sovereignly designed it that way.  We experience suffering and pleasure, we perceive beauty and vile so that we might evaluate and proclaim of the glory of object of God's love, His Son.  To minimize the human viewpoint is to minimize the glory of Jesus Christ, because the human viewpoint is God's greatest design for how the glory of Christ is seen and reflected or mirrored back in praises.  It is as we experience our desperate need for salvation in a world with consequences and with dangers that the glory of God's only Son coming in human flesh and dying in our place that God's glory in Christ is at its greatest display.  Jesus Christ, the infinite God, while in human flesh felt and experienced the human perspective so deeply that merely thinking about cross caused Him to sweet tears of blood!  Therefore, our perspective is a meaningful perspective because of its relation to the public glory of Jesus; it was designed by God to be so.  Consider that Jesus Christ claims to be sympathetic to us because He was clothed in our human flesh.  Also Jesus Christ claims that the Father has passed all Judgment to Him because He is the "Son of Man."  It is suitable and proper that after living in time and space, "experiencing" life through the human perspective, that Jesus is very sympathetic to us, and it is suitable and proper the "Son of Man" to be man's Judge.[3]

Three examples:

            As I wrote I prayed to God for help to write only what is scripturally true and what would be a means of grace to you- my readers.  See, as I prayed, I prayed viewing reality, in both perspectives as I often do.  From God's perspective He causes everything, even my own daily thoughts and eternal destiny.  Also through Christ's gospel, I am told God's causality to me is working all for my good!  Therefore, I asked God in my prayer to "cause" me to only write what is biblical and a glory to Jesus Christ's fame.  I told God "even down to the crossing of the "t's" and dotting of the "i's" that I need Him to cause and strengthen me to write only what is true to His Name and edification to His children.  Secondly, from my perspective I constantly experience how much of a failure I am.  I constantly mess up the little things of life.  Therefore, how much more do I need God to strengthen me when I write about weighty doctrines?  As I thought about my own daily failures I felt fear raise up in my own heart, for I know how little strength and wisdom I have.  Yet also, in my own life I have experienced God's truth, in the power of His Spirit setting me free.  I have experienced Jesus Christ in my own life, just as scriptures instructs me, that He is my wisdom.  Therefore, from my perspective I cried out to my Father through His Son Jesus for help to write only what is true and pleasing to Him.  Seeing life through both perspectives gave me two opportunities to humbly recognize my absolute dependence upon God through His Son Jesus Christ.  Seeing both perspectives gave me two opportunities to joyfully recognize how in Jesus Christ I am God's child sitting securely upon my Father's everlasting knee.

            Furthermore, take for example King David in Psalm 51.  Here David recognizes both perspectives.  He says in verse 4, "Against You, You only, have I sinned.  That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge."  This verse is about God's viewpoint because it is quoted in Romans 3:4 and commentated as such.  God's viewpoint is that He wants to be Judge over all, so that He can demonstrate His righteousness through our unrighteous, so that when God judges through His Son Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans 3:26) the glory of His justice and mercy radiant forth in brilliance  for all to see and enjoy.  David did not know Jesus Christ by Name but he knew of the God's Messiah(Psalm 2:7, 101) and knew of God's Divine Nature and passion for His public Glory (Exodus 34:8). Thus, the basic direction of Romans 3 was known to King David and so much so that he prayed it and sang it in this Psalm.  But David did not stop with seeing own God's Sovereign viewpoint, but saw his.  David knew it was his "own" evil heart which was drawn away into evil.  David experienced life as seeing two choices, obeying God or going after his evil desires and he chose the latter. When David chose the latter he wanted to!  He had also experienced God's Spirit comfort him, as in times past: that God has revealed He is full of mercies and compassions.  He therefore, says, "Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities." 

         Lastly, consider the two perspectives found in, Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."   In the first half of this passage we have the human perspective: work out your "own" salvation.   In the second half we see God's perspective: He is the one causing us to "will" (make choices that is) and do, which is according to His pleasure.   

           By seeing from our perspective that our bodies and souls are "ours" (in part) we are encouraged by this passage, to therefore, take heart and make sure you reach and grab hold of salvation, because we will all face an Almighty Judge one great Day.  We are encouraged to "work" our "own" salvation.  This means because we experience life from our own desires and knowledge having a limited sense of ownership over ourselves that, in God's eyes, it is right and proper we are responsible and "work" our desires, knowledge, minds, and bodies in the direction He commands us to.  The result of this is that we rightly feel the hopelessness and dreadfulness for our "own" sins we committed against God.  Thus, we are to work by groping and reaching out to the salvation God has given us in His Son, who by the way has already reached out and grabbed[4] hold of us!  

            Next, by seeing God's perspective it causes both godly fear and pleasurable security to arise in the hearts of true believers, being worked out in prayers and praises.  Our passage tells us to fear and tremble because it is God who causes us to make choices!  It is fearful to realize God is in full and active control over our own willing (choosing) and thus doing.  This is why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  See, because God's sovereignty is the highest reality, then not to be begin here is to have a grossly distorted view of reality in everything!  But if you do begin here, being overwhelmed with God's sovereignty and if you are indeed one of Jesus' sheep, you will be humbled and bowing in the dust will cry out for His salvation and love.  Only the humbled cry out for salvation in sincerity, but the proud cry out praises to themselves and to creation.  In this light, seeing it from God's perspective encourages humility to cry out in constant prayer to Jesus Christ.  This Godly fear and humility is also to be worked out in our love to one another, Philippians 2:14, "Do all things without complaining and disputing...holding fast the word of life."  Seeing from God's perspective according to this verse also should bring not only godly fear but confidence in His love.  Philippians 2:13 tells us God causes us to will and do, but Philippians does not stop here but in chapter 1 verse 6 tells us what He will cause us to will and do: "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  This good work on earth includes the context of sanctification and its end result perfection in heaven standing under the marvelous sun beams of Christ's love.  See, because God is in control over our willing and doing and has promised "good" we have a pleasurable security resting in the arms of Christ! 

           This is similar to God telling Joshua and the Israelites that He will cause and destine them to defeat their enemies.  Did Joshua say: God because you predestined us to win it takes all the fun and realness out of it?  No, of course he did not.  Instead, because Joshua "loved" and sincerely "longed"[5]  for a homeland God's predestination made the victory sweeter and the fighting of his enemies more passionate.   See, if being married to Jesus Christ is truly your hearts greatest desire and passion then God's Sovereignty over your willing and doing is the greatest news to hear for God's promises to those who love Him is that He will work and cause us to keep walking on the narrow road that leads to life, which leads to Christ!  To Christ!  But for those who really do not love Jesus Christ then upon hearing they have been predestined to be with Jesus forever causes great anger and horror to pound in their breasts.  To be caused and predestined to be with someone who is not your greatest love is a nightmare.  But if Christ is your true soul-mate, your completion, your radiant sun of pleasure, then to hear He is causing you to be with Him FOREVER is the greatest news to your ears.  It inflames the hearts, it clarifies the mind, it refreshes the bones to not only to walk but run, to gallop on the narrow road leading to the God's Son, their love, the fulfillment of their hearts! 

           I have come to find out that seeing in right proportion the two perspectives makes since of both scripture and life.  Also I have come to find the doctrine of God's total sovereignty is one of the most profound ways to know if Jesus Christ is the true love of your life. If Jesus Christ is, then the total sovereignty of God arises more passion, more ambition, more humility and more love in your practical life.  If it seems to depress you, make you angry or the like then your greatest problem right now is not the attempt to understand a certain doctrine, but instead, your greatest priority lies in this question.  Who do you love the most: Christ, yourself, or this world? 

       To be predestined forever and ever to what your heart beats for, your true soul-mate, your greatest pleasure is the best news ever; but if the object you are being predestined to live forever and ever with is not your greatest love then it is utter horror!  This is where much of the horror of God's sovereignty arise, whether people wish to admit to it or not.  The real horror is not toward God's sovereignty but toward the Person of Jesus Christ Himself.  They simply do not love Christ Jesus and so being predestined to be with Him forever is a horror; they have never been converted and are still under the dominion of sin.  Still, others are babes in Christ and or have immaturity issues in their profession of love to their God and Savior.  They intellectually know Jesus is the greatest beauty and at times experience this in their minds and hearts, but because of such things as worldliness their love for Christ is rather weak and pathetic.  The total causality and sovereignty of God is one doctrine, among others, which is a constant sword in the heart which exposes if Jesus is really our greatest love or not.   If He is, then in light of Him causing you to will and do, should arise in you doxology not questions, praises not outburst of anger, pleasurable security not horror, passion and not lethargy.

         Dear reader, really, who is the greatest desire of your heart?  If the doctrine of God's sovereignty causes you to painfully see areas of your life where you indeed do not love Jesus as first and greatest, then may I encourage you to "work" out your "own" salvation and humbly repent!  As Christians our center is the Christ and Him crucified for our "own" sins which we committed, but He took upon Himself as His "own."  Therefore, look up you weary and heavy headed; look to the Son of Righteousness shinning in all His glory; as you do you will see He is shinning out in brilliant radiance.  Every warm bean of His light shimmers with mercy for sinners, forgiveness for the repentant and endless love for all who He died for!  If you are to weary to even lift up your head then stick out your tongue and catch the rain of His grace falling softy for all and any who are bowed in the dust ready to repent!   Do you love God's only Son; then cry out to Him in repentance, cry out for a new heart, cry out in praises that He gladly hears your prayers, cry out in worship for He has never left you and never will, cry out in thanksgiving that He will cause you to do and will for His good pleasure leading you into His everlasting arms.   

         Dear saints, like Joshua longing for the promise land, take up the sword of truth in your right hand and the shield of faith in your left. Wipe the sweat of false logic and sin from your eyes.  Charge oh courageous Christian!  Your destiny is sure!  Christ is your reward!  Let love and truth rule once again!  By God's grace your suffering fight will be your sanctification and for others their salvation!  Charge and watch the Sun grow closer and the water sweeter!  For Aslan!  Charge!

Sincerely: Oshea

[1] I am not referring to the aspect of epistemology.  For this, only God's viewpoint given to us in His Revelation is to be stood upon as our first principle.   Human observation is not capable of truth (John 12:29).   Rather what I am referring to is recognizing how to view reality from personal perspectives.  Truth is only known by what God reveals to us.

[2] John 15:15, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

[3] This does not mean God gained new knowledge by become man, for that would be impossible; God is immutable.  To gain new knowledge is to be mutable.  But it is "suitable" and "proper" for Christ to be sympathetic after living in our shoes in space and time.

[4] NIV Philippians 3:12, "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

[5] Hebrews 11:16, "They desire a heavenly country."