‘Fist to Five’ Theologians

I know a great 4th grade teacher that uses a system of ‘Fist
to Five’ to quickly survey how well her students understand the concepts
she is teaching.

No, it’s not a crude corporal punishment technique where a sock in the nose
(fist) is delivered (to) the (five) students with the lowest scores that
day. How it works is.. after teaching a new concept, Mary scans the sea of
4th grade blank stares and asks.. “Fist to Five”. Raise your fist means if
you have some idea what is being taught, 1 finger if you have a glimpse of
understanding all the way up to 5 fingers if you go it all down pat or at
least think so.

I like this concept, and so I think Fist to Five would make an interesting
little mini Theological test. So here we go Fist to Five. Remember as you
participate .. knowing and believing are not the same thing.

1. Is there a GOD? Fist to Five. I don’t know what to answer here.. but
Fist to Five do I know there is a God? I would like to say Five, but being
honest, I don’t know BUT.. more importantly I believe.

2. CREATION..Was it a literal 7 days, or figurative 7 days? Fist to Five. I
create cartoons not planets and so I would guess creating Earth in 7 days
goes beyond my skill set of coloring between the lines.


3. I understand how PRAYER works? Fist to Five. Which prayers are answered
and which are not? Do some coincidences I give God credit as answered
prayer, while other times I believe God is not listening while instead he
sees the trees from the forest, and answers accordingly. I heard recently a
quote from Albert Einstein.. Coincidences are those moments when God
chooses to remain anonymous.

4. SALVATION: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! What
about the verse that speaks to the fact that creation speaks the truth that
there is a God, and so all man is accountable for this knowledge and will
be judged accordingly. This does not speak about Jesus at all, but creation
does SHOUT there is a creator. So what about those who were never exposed
to the perfect truth of Jesus? What about those devout believers in Jesus
day that were faithful to God but never learned the Messiah had arrived? Do
they go to Heaven? Fist to Five


5. HEAVEN and HELL: Is it fair anyone goes to eternal damnation? Fist to
Five. Ok, even if we could all agree on the Hitlers, Saddam Huesseins, and
Stalins to name a few as pure evil, and on the flip side Mother Theresa,
Billy Graham as truly blessed and used by God... What about the rest of us?
Fist to Five who goes to Hell and who goes to Heaven? Does a loving God
send people to Hell? Fist to Five

6. LOVE GOD.. with all my heart soul and mind and others as myself? How are
you doing on these two greatest commandments? Fist to Five.. How do I love
a God who is not seen with my eyes, or heard audibly with my physical
ears? How does my physical reality reach out to the omnipresent spirit of
the one true God. Fist to Five

7. God Loves Me.. Fist to Five.. Why would the creator of the world care
about me? This logic flies in the face of what we observe in this world..
BUT this is what I believe. I believe in a perfect God with perfect love
and I believe this is the God of our Bibles.


So much I don’t understand, and this life is hard, and so at this time in
my life.. I choose to reach out with my faith the size of a mustard seed on
a good day, and believe.

Again let me be clear that understanding, and believing are two different
states of mind & heart. Knowledge is good, faith is better. Faith is the
bridge designed by God for finite man to connect with infinite God.

May this day forward we all choose to pursue God in humility while having
our honest doubts. Any misguided pride or elevated self worth is a closed
FIST to the omniscient, perfect ways of our Creator.
(Found on the web - backpew.com)