Minimal Reflections of Super God in Super Hero Flash

Super hero stories: the good meta-humans intervene to stop the evil intentions of people (or meta-humans, people-like but with super powers, usually just one) so the good guys can work together and capture and imprison them. Powers are such that both sides seem evenly matched, except the good guys put their powers together to get a micro-victory. They can’t see the future outcome, only try to do the right thing at the time, which is either stop/capture the bad guy and/or protect the good or innocent people while the bad guy gets away to build suspense for another episode, sort of like police or national guard or a SWAT team. 

THE FLASH: A SERIES OF STORIES ABOUT RESISTING EVIL: The Hero movies and TV shows have typical “good-guy beats bad guy” themes (Harry Potter books and movies had these too). The Flash: stops evil by moving faster than the evil intended: removing the person from the target range of the evil villain taking aim or intercepting the weapon in motion. However, he lacks omniscience of all future events, so he can only do selective intervention where their super computers and city video cameras alert them

multi-presence: The power and speed of The FLASH or ZOOM or Savatar give them multi-presence. The wall of computers connected to multi-present city cameras.

multi-moral: The series’ characters only moral compass is to act as Central City’s [world] policeman: protecting civilized “innocent” bystander people from self-centered or evil controlled bad guys. Numerous episodes reveal a moral courage and self-sacrifice to save or help others, especially in the climax of season 3 to save Iris from Savatar.

multi-sufficient: the inventive wisdom and ever-available resources to create new gadgets for protection or justice of CISCO or Dr. Wells

multi-niscient: The wall of computers connected data banks of information. Team Flash solving problems together.

multi-cooperative: The teamwork of FLASH/Barry, Iris, CISCO, Wells, Caitlin, Joe

multi-potent: The word of Barry’s/the Flash’s promise to save a character from danger. The creative engineering or medical powers of various characters (Dr. Wells, Julian, Cisco, Caitlyn, PhD student Tracy Brand) to design powerful devices to protect life or stop evil.

multi-faithful: main characters to each other: I will save you; I love you and will not let harm come to you. I will sacrifice myself for your good because of our pledged friendship or romantic love.

multi-historical: They learn to travel through time, but because they lack omniscience, they do not know the historical factors they are manipulating to change the future. Savatar wants to fracture or duplicate himself into all points of time, attempting to be omni-historical, and he describes this a becoming a "god".

Human narrative of family, friendship, courage and self-sacrifice: the narrative story line that holds all the FLASH super hero action together are vignettes of romance, friendship, love, courage and sacrifice.

THE GOD OF SCRIPTURE: Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 5:1 [with my inserted eight attribute words to show parallels]

I. God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, [omnisufficient, omnipotent, omnipresent] from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise [omniscient] and holy [omniholy] providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge,[5] [omnihistorical] and the free and immutable counsel of His own will,[6] [omniharmonious] to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.[7] [omnifaithful]

Study the attributes of God to see how all the movies about fighting evil are so far off from the real picture of how God fights evil and directs his angels to do his will in the universe!

All eight attributes working together to overrule evil: omnipresence, omniholiness, omnisufficiency, omniscience, omniharmonious, omnipotent, omnifaithful, omnihistorical

The power and speed of The FLASH or ZOOM or Savatar or the wall of computers connected to multi-present city cameras are laughable child’s play compared to God’s omnipresence and omnipotence. The wall of computers connected data banks of information and the inventive wisdom and ever-available resources to create new gadgets for protection or justice of CISCO or Dr. Wells are the mere babbling of preschool infant learning his first words compared to the creative wisdom omniscience and omnisufficiency of the God who made and sustains the universe. The teamwork of FLASH/Barry, Iris, CISCO, Wells, Caitlin, Joe are like two-year olds fighting over toys compared to the unstoppable omniharmonious cooperation of the Trinity and his infantry of angels who do his will every second of created time on the ground, in the air, or under the water. Their attempts to travel through time is but a dim shadow of the omnihistorical control of the LORD over every millisecond of the universe from beginning of “Let there be light” (within a world of sequential time and ordered space) to the melting of those elements to usher in the eternal heaven and earth where his people will dwell forever with God in righteousness and the eternal hell where his enemies will be tormented without end in the presence of the LORD’s wrath. The word of Barry’s/the Flash’s promise to save a character from danger is but a nearly helpless empty promise without omnipotence to back up his word, while God’s limitless power backs every omnifaithful word coming from the mouths of his prophets and apostles. The series’ characters only moral compass is to act as Central City’s [world] policeman: protecting civilized “innocent” bystander people from self-centered or evil controlled bad guys, while the omniholy God has Ten Commandments to reveal who he blesses and who he curses.

The Gospel is a real story of unworthy sinners' adoption into the divine family, friendship wth God and each other, love (God's love for us in Christ, our love for God and each other) and sacrifice (the propitiation of the cross of Christ for our sins). The Gospel story line holds our lives together and gives us all hope for the new heavens and the new earth.

The Glory of God in our Work

The attributes of God are reflected in the Ten Commandments and shape the ethics of all our human labor. 

The Glory of God reflected in food and drink

Romans 1:20 teaches us to consider how food reveals the eternal power and divine nature of God in the created world. I will use the perspective of eight omni-attributes of God with their derivative reflections.

God’s omnipresence is reflected in forms of presence/social cohesion (fellowship) related to food and drink: all our eating and drinking should be conscious of the presence of God, every bite and sip to his glory and the good of our own bodies, which are his temple that he has purchased in redemption (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Offer generous and cheerful hospitality as the welcome of shared presence, meals together with family, friends and neighbors and strangers (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:8; Heb. 13:2; 1 Pet. 4:9).

God’s omniholiness is reflected in holy practices related to food and drink: Romans 1:21 teaches us that we should glorify God and give him thanks for food. Food choices are a measure of what we value, our loves and hates. Food must be used within guidelines of the moral law: not as a god or idol, to show God’s holy name, within patterns of work and rest to eat, drink and enjoy the best fruits of our labors (Ecclesiastes), festival holidays, food that nourishes and sustains health (6th commandment), metaphor of woman folly, a prostitute who steals and shares food as a table of sensual pleasures (Prov. 9:13-18), Fasting is recommended as a way to show we love God more than food (Matt. 6:16-18; Luke 5:35). The Lord sends famine to judge disobedience (Deut. 28: 15-68). Misuses: Food choices that cause another believer to stumble or be destroyed by sinning against his conscience in eating it (Rom. 14:20; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; Col. 2:16). Food cravings coupled with unbelief were judged by God (Ps. 78:18, 29-31). 1 Timothy 4:3 teaches us that ceremonial abstention from foods is a false way of holiness.  

God’s omnisufficiency is reflected in various types of food and drink provision: God provides EVERY plant and tree that contain seeds on the face of the earth for man’s food (Gen. 1:29; 2:9) and all other green plants to feed the birds and animals (Gen. 1:30). After the flood, all the creatures are also given as food (Gen. 9:3). The Lord provides our daily bread (Matt. 6:11; Acts 14:17; 2 Cor. 9:10), provides food for all creatures (Ps. 104:14, 21, 27; 136:25; 145:15; 147:9; especially for those who fear him 111:5), with clothing especially for the hungry, fatherless, widow, and sojourner (Deut. 10:18; Ps. 146:7). The Lord’s providence restores food after a time of famine (Ruth 1:6). The Lord provided double blessing harvest of food in the 6th year to let the land have a Sabbath rest (Lev. 25:6). Food (ingredients, flavors and spices) is a type of material provision. We need to learn contentment with what God provides (Prov. 30:8; 1 Tim 6:8; Matt. 6:25-34). 1 Timothy 4:3 teaches us to receive all foods with thanks as gifts from God. Share food and drink with those in need, especially family (Matt. 25:35; Luke 3:11; Acts 2:46; 1 Tim 5:4, 8, 16). Fasting as a voluntary contentment, not using all that is provided. Have lots of extra resources but do not share with the poor (Ezek. 16:49; 2 Cor 8:13-15; Jas. 2:14-26; 1 John 3:16-18). Resources are temporary and may disappear at any time (Prov. 27:24; Jas. 1:10-11; 4:14). Misuses: anxiety about food and drink (Matt. 6:25). any kind of food addiction: gluttony, bulimia, any kind of unhealthy food related practices: abstinence, anorexia. Using food to manipulate others, to give with strings attached (Prov. 23:1-8)

God’s omniscience is reflected by wise and knowledgeable uses of food and drink: food metaphors making the spiritual man wise for salvation (1 Pet. 2:2-3; 1 Cor. 2:10-14). Food and drink are used as metaphors for salvation and shadows of eternal realities: ‘Like nursing infants, desire pure spiritual milk, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good’ (1 Pet. 2:2-3). ‘You would have asked and he would have given you living water’ (John 4:10) Psa. 63:5 “My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,” “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food,” (Isa. 55:2).  John 6:27“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” (and John 4:32; 6:55). The Lord’s Table uses food and drink as signs and seals of salvation (1 Cor 11:23-30). Solid food and milk used as metaphors for basic teaching compared to mature teaching (Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Cor 3:2). The Lord makes us wise with cooking skills and recipes using the resources he provides to serve one another (1 Pet. 4:9). All [foods & drinks] are lawful, but not all are helpful (1 Cor. 6:12) so we need wisdom to discern what is helpful.

God’s omniharmonious nature is reflected in ways food and drink are used to establish and maintain unity: Children learning to eat food prepared by parents as a form of submission to authority. Adults learning to enjoy foods prepared by equals. Wives making food to please their husbands. Misuses: All [foods & drinks] are lawful, but [they collectively, or anything individually] shall not be my master (1 Cor. 6:12).

Ruling: God’s power sustains human cultural stability in economics, manufacturing and transportation, electric/gas services that make grocery shopping and cooking possible. Tending and stewarding the earth’s resources to produce sustainable foods and drinks. Misuses/waste of limited natural resources to produce culturally desired, high demand, high earning value product, unnecessary/excess food.

Integrity: Parents faithfully stewarding cultural efficiency, location, housing, resources (like the ant, show diligence in gathering food during harvest Prov. 6:8; 30:25; as a virtuous woman who fears the Lord 30:10-31), income and jobs to provide what is necessary for body of family members, daily bread and drink (money, restaurants, shopping and home centered food services).

History and Life Context: determining times for meals, life organized around times for eating and drinking. Live under the sovereign providence of God in determining our times and places of life (Acts 17:24-26), using Passover/Lord’s Supper food as ways to remember and interpret history as God does. Though there be no food, we must still rejoice in the Lord and take joy in the God of our salvation (Hab. 3:17-18). Eschatological banquet (Isa. 25:6) and trees for food, leaves for healing (Ezek. 47:12; Rev. 22:2).        

Comparing the Glory of God with false promises of the internet

Consider the greatness of God's attributes compared with the potential for addiction to the idolatrous appeals of internet, promising things in the omni-likeness of God that it cannot deliver!