If you have not yet read John Piper’s moving response to the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, please do so. The link is below. Bethlehem Baptist Church and DesiringGod Ministries are within a mile of the I-35 bridge spanning the Mississippi.
Piper has the uncanny ability to use words to bring God to bear in tragedy. His words stopped me in my tracks:
The word “bridge” does not occur in the Bible. There may be two reasons. One is that God doesn’t build bridges, he divides seas. The other is that usually his people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:2). They may drown you. But I will be with you in life and death.
Read the full post here: Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed
Nicely put, Paul!
D. Sell,
If not God, then who? If Satan, then Satan is stronger than God. If chance and happenstance, then we trust our luck rather than our God. Jesus wasn’t crucified by Satan, by accident, or by an angry mob. Jesus was crucifed by His own Father who PREDETERMINED and FOREORDAINED when it would happen, how it would happen, and those who would carry out the deed (Acts 2:22,23).
Don is right: this is the issue that separates those who believe that God is totally 100% in control from those who believe puny humans can somehow thrawt or direct by their supposed free will the will of God. My God is bigger than your God. Your God is too small.
God willed the bridged to collapse. He caused the bridge to collapse. And he determined who would be on the bridge at the exact moment of its collapse. If that is “determinism,” then “determinism” is a biblical doctrine. “Our God is in the heavens, he has done whatsoever has pleased Him” (Psalm 115:3).
Given the choice between my will and God’s will: “Not my will, but Thine be done.” Your view is that of the Diests: God got the whole world in motion but now it’s out of His hands and in ours. That is NOT a biblical doctrine and obviously diminishes the glory, sovereignty, and power of God.
D. Sell
Here in, you have nailed the differences between the theological camps.
In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus taught that life is uncertain, death is unpredictable, and judgment is inevitable. Jesus does not answer the question, “Did God let Pilate kill the Galileans?” He does not answer the question, “Did God let the tower of Siloam fall on eighteen people?” He simply used these occurrences to illustrate the point that unless we repent, we too will perish –not only physically but eternally (see Rev. 20:14).
When John Piper talks about God letting the bridge fall in Minneapolis, he does not simply mean God “allowed” the bridge to fall. He means God “willed” the bridge to fall. In philosophical terms, it is determinism Piper is advocating, plain and simple.
Piper would suggest the question we should ponder is not “Why did God let the bridge collapse?” Rather, he would suggest contemplating “Why wasn’t I on that bridge?”
Did God will the bridge in Minneapolis to collapse? Did He need more illustrations beyond those in Scripture and those in everyday life to drive home the point concerning the brevity of life and the need of repentance? Of course, like the events listed in Luke 13:1-5, God can use the tragedy in Minneapolis to remind us of these truths. Yet it does not follow that God caused this tragedy to occur.
This tragedy illustrates to us that life is at best, uncertain. When I reflect upon this bridge it draws me to ponder the bridges in life’s journeys. We trust in them without an understanding of their underpinnings. How many people traveled this bridge without ever giving a thought to its construction or architect. It worked before, why not today? And such is life. We trust in bridges we build to carry us over the troubled waters without much regard to their reliability. Tragic is what describes this crashing of yesterday. Yet many today are relying upon man made bridges to hold the marriage together, or in hopes of the health issues we face, or numerous other of life trials. When we look to things eternal we see a great gulf fixed between the two options. We as a people need desperately for someone to make up the hedge and to stand in the gap. Most who participate in this blog have found that remedy. But how many that we will come in contact with today with will be trusting in a bridge that has apparent strength and safety, but is awaiting collapse? Their bridge has a few stress cracks in it, but it is under construction. They are trusting in an architect whose foundations are not sure. How about if today, in the light of the reality of this tragedy, we recommit to proclaim the only trustworthy Architect of our souls. Our coworkers, our family members, and our circle of friends are on the verge of collapse. Shall any of us make a difference? I trust so.
May the grace of God be with those who are suffering from this and many other losses today.
I agree the Piper turned the bridge into great spiritual depths of meaning. He also has a video where he is preaching in the audio, very good preaching, well worth the listening:
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/747_video_from_the_collapsed_bridge/
My prayer is that pastor’s everywhere, including our radio host, can sermonize as does John, and preach messages that enable us “to encounter the glory of God, his powerful presence, first and foremost.” as Tullian exhorted.
There is no greater peace and hope than to know that God is complete control.
May God continue to use pastor Piper and his ministry, especially in these times.
It is my prayer that anyone who lost a relative or a friend in the bridge collapse would find Jesus by reading Pastor John’s glorious interpretation. I can only imagine how insightful and wonderful this Sunday’s sermon at Bethlehem will be. I pray that all Campuses overflow with the joy realized through God’s sovereign grace.