God & Computers: Trust, Authority & Firewalls

     As a Network IT Consultant it occurred to me that there are several parallels between God and Computers. You laugh, but I'm serious.

    First, the basis of all interaction with Jesus, all communication, all partnership is Trust. That is why the life, death AND resurrection of Jesus are so crucial. The bible indicates that Jesus is the Jewish God who clothed Himself in DNA in Mary's womb and actually became one of the humans that He created. During His life he demonstrates how trustworthy is His every word and action. Every aspect of His relationship are trustworthy. He does no one wrong. He deeply cares for everyone. In His death He takes onto Himself the sin of the entire race! He bears our sins and evil desires in His own body and soul to satisfy justice, making forgiveness possible. He establishes trust after we have been His enemies. Then he is raised from the dead guaranteeing that if He is raised, we shall be also. The whole existence of God in human form evokes trust for those willing to be loved.

     Interestingly the entire computer infrastructure we utilize daily is also built on trust. However most people are not aware of this. A group of computers is called a Domain. For a single computer to 'join' a group of computers (a domain) trust must be exchanged. There is an Administrator user account for the individual computer and a Domain Administrator user account for the entire domain. When the individual computer that wants to join the group, the Computer's Administrator password must be exchanged with the Domain Administrator's password. Both the individual computer and the domain must agree to trust one another.

     In our spiritual lives there must come a time when we give our trust to God because of what He has done through Jesus and He gives us His life, trusting us with His Holy Spirit. We become joined to His Kingdom. And trusting Him is what let's the power and life flow into us.

     Secondly, I realized an interesting concept about Authority. I have always been frustrated with the Christian life, "If I have so much Authority in Christ, why can't I access that power and change some things?" In bitterness of soul I have watches friends, family and myself suffer in life. I have longed to change things. But I haven't had the power or ability to do it. Interestingly on several different computer networks I have the Domain Administrator password. As some techie's say, "You have God-like power on the network if you have the Domain Administrator password." They mean that you can do anything. Surprisingly, even if you have this power on the network you may never use even 1% of that power. WHY? Because it takes years and years to understand all that you can do with that power. You have to learn the computer structures, processes and mechanisms to use that power. You may walk around all day with that power but never actually know how to join an individual computer to your domain. You many not know how to use that power to open up encrypted files and find the information the CEO desperately needs. You have the Authority but don't know how to use it. You many not know how to open ports on the Corporate Firewall and allow communication from the outside, permitting people to read files off your web server on your corporate web site. It is possible to have all the Authority Christ has given us but we need to remain with the Holy Spirit to learn to use such power according to God's will.

     Thirdly, Firewall's are a phenomena. Presently we put up firewalls around any desktop computer and especially any server. Then we put up a perimeter firewall around the entire Corporate Environment to protect the computers in side from attacks coming from the Internet. What do firewalls do? The sort out the traffic coming into a computer or business only allowing traffic that is chosen. A firewall may allow web traffic requests into a Web Server so that people can read the business' website and company information. However the firewall will block all other traffic like email or file transfer traffic so that outside people cannot do malicious things.

     Well, what more is a firewall that discernment? God calls humans who start out simple to become wise and not fools. (Read the entire book of Proverbs) He encourages us (for our own good) to learn how to choose what is good and reject what is evil. He pursues us trying to help us learn to delight in truth and hate lies. This whole process of maturity that some of the race engage in is merely learning to put us a firewall around us and our loved ones and our families to protect them from evil.

     Do we need to talk about the parallel of having un-protected computers infested with viruses and spyware compared to humans being infested with lust, greed, bitterness, materialism, hatred, envy. in short.. infested with demons. God desires to protect us from being violated. Will we respond?

     Interestingly enough most firewalls allow traffic back into a system if the request has originated with the system. Example - if a server makes an FTP request (to transfer a file) out from the Corporate Network into the Internet, the answering computer on the Internet can send information back into the Corporate Network THROUGH the Corp Firewall. Why? I thought all traffic from the Internet, except the open ports on the firewall, were blocked? Yes they are. But the firewall keeps a table of all the requests that originate from the inside. If a request STARTS from the inside, an answer from the outside will be allowed back in. This is a parallel to Free Will. Whatever we choose and send out a request for is allowed back inside ourselves.