Summary: "A list of arguments for the existence of God, each explained somewhat briefly"
preface: I was depressed recently, thinking that I was becoming too emotional and just accepting some new christian stuff without basis. So I reminded myself of all the arguments we have for God.
These arguments will range from (logical and abstract) to (probability soft and emotional).
table of contents:
1) ontological
2) time
3) space
4) material
5) goal
6) logic "why?"
7) data
8) cosmological center
9) design
10) historical
11) apostles kamikaze
12) jc psyche
13) miracles
14) absolute God
15) testimony friendliness
16) hardwired emotions
1) ontological
we humans cannot make anything up original in our minds. our ideas come from somewhere. we have an idea of infinity (not just 'unlimited', but infinite all at once). we had to get it from somewhere, therefore something infinite exists, and we call this God.
thinking of unicorns does not mean they exist, but it does mean that horses and horns exist.
You could say that the universe is infinite apart from God.
for 2-4, reference "Time, Space, Material, and Infinity"
2) time
time either stretches into the past for infinity (an infinite universe) or else it began at some point. In order for it to begin, it had to be activated by something that is independent of time - God.
This is often call cause-effect theory, and has been touched on my Thomas Aquinas in several ways.
3) space
space either stretches out into oblivion for infinite (an infinite universe) or it stops at some point. such a stopping is illogical. a wall? what is beyond the wall? we touch the wall, what stops our hand? such an option requires something supernatural
btw: groups of galaxies as we reach out in size: earth, solar system, milky way, local group, virgo supercluster/local supercluster, pisces-cestus supercluster complex.
some people thing 3 dimensional space is like the surface of a sphere, if we go in one direction we'll come back eventually. I would just have to ask, how big is the 4th spatial dimension?
4) material
expanding from the world we see, the universe is arranged in particles within particles. for instance, electrons are within atoms, and gluons are within electrons. scientists have identified at least 30 levels of particles beyond the atom. ("everything is spiritual" by Rob Bell) Now, there are either an infinite number of levels (an infinite universe), or else there is some particle which is indivisible. What if we stopped at the electron/proton/neutron? We can divide them, so we can't find a difference between them except in behavior. Why does the electron repel itself and attract the proton? We would have no idea, and would never be able to find out. This requires God.
btw: this idea spawned my entire idea of 'epic', because this latter option means that God is sustaining the very existence of matter. everything you see around you is being continuously sustained by him, it is his image to us, etc. I will resist continuing...
btw: string theorists think that matter is made up of vibrating strings of energy. energy? what is energy? what is it made of? why does it form strings? why is it cohesive? etc etc. same principle, just different names for matter/particles.
for 5-7 reference: "GLD (goal, logic, data): a second TSM"
5) goal
reference: goals emo+dat"
all human actions are designed to reach goals, states of existence and reality in the universe which we prefer over others. the trouble is, what goals to make? why should we be satisfied with a certain level of happiness over another? due to the size of the universe and possibilities out there, we cannot be satisfied with an absolute there is no solution, no final goal.
even progress is futile, because if we compare our progress with something hugely out of our reach, by comparison we will appear to have made no progress.
all human action is futile without an infinite goal, which is not possible without an infinite universe. (an by the way, is futile to work towards, even if the universe was infinite)
that infinite goal is to understand God. this is different from human goals because every step of the way is joyful, not just the end result.
6) logic
we can always as the question "why?" - causality. we can ask it of physical things or human decisions, actions or states of being, anything. why did that stone fall? why did you eat breakfast today? why is the sky blue? we will be answered by another fact or action or something.
so, ask again, this time ask 'why' of your answer.
keep asking and asking.
this string of questions either goes on for infinity, and then we have an undefined causal origin of everything in the universe, or else it ends in a fact that we say 'just exists'.
really, just saying that "the sky IS blue, that's just a fact" is not that bad. but personally, I prefer that the universe has a point to it
7) data
if the universe is finite, then we could theoretically sum up its properties. for instance, it might have 8E53kg of mass. why? why not 7.9E53kg? why is the sky blue and not green?
essentially this is a problem of randomness.
the big bang, right? now, why on earth did the big bang create a non-uniform universe? why does it have misshaped contours and life forms? what determined how much energy the big band would have?
the universe requires a goal, a point, a purpose. without God, there is no reason that the universe should exist, no reason that they sky should be blue.
8) cosmological
the large universe, when viewed from earth, seems to be arranged in a series of rings around us. rings of high density galaxies, rings of low density, etc. this seems to make a bulls eye right on earth. Book: pg 175 of "Geocentricity, Relativity, and the Big Bang." - the late Russ Arnolds.
There are several problems with this argument. earth is not central in the solar system, neither is the solar system central in the milky way.
second, some scientists think that no matter where you are in the universe, you would still appear to be in a bulls eye. that makes no sense to me, but you can interpret however you like.
one other thing: we humans are both special in Gods creation, and we aren't God. so I don't know if God would make us the center of the universe or not. probably he would give us indications both ways.
9) design
the earth and the universe as we know it functions pretty well. I won't list all the various things that need to be in line for life to exist on earth, because you've probably heard them many times.
a good comeback for this might be "but with such a big universe, the settings had to be right somewhere, why not here?"
so I will reply with another statistic. there is this number called the 'cosmological constant'. much confusion lies around it, its actual value and things of that sort. but it's basically latent within space and gravity itself. in order for the laws of the universe to operate, this constant has to be accurate to 1E-120. that's more than a google.
and by the way, a google atoms would fill the space of the known universe several hundred times over at least, so a google is a big number
this constant is independent of the size of the universe. but it still has to be super accurate in order for the universe to exist.
ha!
10) historical
the bible is more accurate than most other ancient documents (I would say 'all', but I don't know for certain) It has many recovered old copies, the dead sea scrolls for instance, that are about 99.5% accurate to the versions we have today. (I might have that number wrong, it could be 97% accurate) Think about it, it's more reliable than the Illiad and the Odessy, and we don't question those works do we? (but no one believes in the greek Gods anymore).
There is also a homogeneity to the bible, even though it was written over a span of 1400 years. The correlations to old testament (OT) prophecies and NT fulfillment number over 400 individual properties of Jesus, his ministry and death.
We are often under the impression that simply because the bible is a religious document, it is pure fabrication. We forget that it is still a real document, rooted in history, just as easily tested as any other scientific evidence.
11) apostles kamikaze
the actions of the apostles immediately following Jesus's death and resurrection make no sense unless Jesus did actually rise from the dead. we have 12 followers of jesus who expected a conquering king to liberate them from the Romans, then he dies. Bummer. Do you think they'd immediately go and start a hoax about him?
plus, how do 12 fishermen steal a body from a tomb guarded by 16 armed roman soldiers and a 2 ton stone?
the apostles definitely believed what they preached. all of the 12 except John died as martyrs. peter was crucified upside down (or so the story goes), thomas was boiled alive near India, and Paul is the greatest example. Here is an excerpt from 2 Corinthians 11: "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. " and his list goes on and on...
The only other option is that the apostles were lunatics, which doesn't make sense, because they oversaw a larch church movement, preached regularly, debated with greeks and jews from the Old testament and prophecies, etc.
a pharisee sums up this argument pretty well when some of the disciples are on trial: "36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing...38 For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
12) JC psychology
so Jesus was either a good person, lunatic, a fake, or legit. What else could he be?
Good person: "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me." John 14:6. Or probably a more direct one is this: "Before Moses was, I AM." Jesus's incorrect use of grammar means that he is reffering to Moses and the burning bush. Moses asks what name to give God, and God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:14.
Jesus claimed to be the I AM, the divine absolute creator of the universe.
A simply good person does not do that.
Lunatic: does a lunatic have logic and organized thought? the young Jesus before he began his ministry: "Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." Luke 2:46. This is not a loony.
Fake: does a fake die for his cause, even predicting his death beforehand? does a fake flee from crowds to go to a quiet place?
We're pretty much left with the option: Jesus was legit. You can't have a simply good person.
13) miracles
I won't try to prove any of the miracles from the bible.
Try reading "God Smuggler" by 'Brother Andrew', he spent quite a few years smuggling bibles behind the iron curtain, and saw coincidences repeat over and over and over again.
Personally, I know people who have seen twisted spines realign and heal in front of their eyes due to the power of prayer.
Too many times have I opened the bible randomly, doing that silly stab in the dark inspiration and found something that totally could not have been coincidence. sometimes I have made up numbers out of my head. I look at the verses surrounding the one I picked, and they're all lame stuff about Abraham traveling through countries, but the one I picked happened to apply VERY well to me at that moment.
Search facebook, the web; miracles happen.
This is one of the main distinctions between Christianity and other major current religions. No others claim supernatural interventions. (well, I don't know about Islam, but I haven't heard of anything) C.S Lewis put it this way, "A naturalistic Christianity leaves out all that is specifically Christian." meaning that miracles are quite common to Christianity, that they are a part of life. (except they are almost always unexpected, praise the lord!)
14) absolute god
this argument has just been effectively shot down by my younger brother (because he has read a great deal of the Koran), perhaps it will resurface in another form someday.
15) testimony friendliness
what organizations are largely responsible for alleviation of the poor? for inner city ministry?
Salvation Army, Teen Challenge, Feed My Starving Children, Christmas Child, etc...
Christians are exceedingly benevolent. A religion that causes people to become good people is probably a correct one.
And I will personally attest, via myself and other people I observe, that Christians are decidedly and stubbornly happy, not loose joking and horseplay and verbal combat, but legit childlike joy.
Plus we have testimony after testimony. A good friend was harassed by demons before he came to the faith. He tried to kill himself quite a few times due to depression, but now he is extremely strong and decisive and purpose driven.
Quite a few atheists have set out to disprove christianity, and been convinced by their own studies. Probably the most notable one is C.S. Lewis, the only other one I know off the top of my head is Josh McDowell, who was a lawyer and attacked the case of Jesus Christ from a legal standpoint.
I do have to admit, that the Mormon faith (I won't get into whether it's christian or not) is renowned for being friendly. I don't know what to say to that.
Also beware of those who label themselves as Christians simply because it's convenient, because they would like to get that sector of their lives out of the way. I do not expect those people to be stubbornly happy. neither will I try to discern who they are, because we all need to hear the gospel over and over again, from a diehard atheist to billy graham.
16) hardwired emotions
this is the only 'soft' argument that I have made up myself.
all the emotions that you feel, everything that excites you, all the heart pounding movies, the epic ones like Lord of the rings and Avatar especially, the romance novels, the nice poetry, the passions you have in relationships, the true joy (not drunk stupor) that you have with friends, all of this is mere images, reflections, of what we will have in heaven. We humans are hardwired to want more than this world, to seek after meaning and importance, to seek after extremely deep and trusting relationships.
The beauty of the stars, of sunsets, of forests. The fun you have climbing rocks and mountains, of diving into deep water. Music, the innate beauty of music (sometimes I just play chords to myself over and over again, it takes awhile before I get bored of it :) ).
EVERYTHING!
oh, by the way, try this book "Eternity in their Hearts" by Don Richardson, it talks about various cultures which had aspects of the gospel already hardwired into their thought.
That about wraps things up.
If you know of more arguments (because I bet there are dozens more), or if you have counter-arguments to these, anything basically, please tell me, because I am keenly interested.
random observation: this linear 'range' of proofs might actually be a circle. emotions hardwired into humans is fairly close to the ontological argument of not being able to make infinity up on our own.
15 August 2010
'son'
Summary: "the term 'son' can help interpret the trinity and other things. it means replica, continuation, ambassador/image, dearly loved servant, etc."
Use Hebrews.
JC is the son of God.
In the old days, sons took on the fathers trade and continued the family name. The son was a replica of the father. The quality of a son reflected on the father, and visa-verse. Sons also did much of the fathers work. The "Rebelution: Do Hard Things" brothers have said that the father provides the brains, and the sons the brawn. Sons also must obey the father.
Hebrews 1:2-3 "But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Jesus is Gods representative, his image, his mighty arm at work in the world. Jesus is the exact representation of God's being. JC will also inherit many things from God, like a son inherits the fathers business. God appointed him heir of all things." And Christ does all the work, including making the universe and saving earth from sin. JC obeys God by saying in Gesthename "not my will but yours be done".
Jesus is the son of man
considering everything I just said about Jesus as the son of God, it seems blasphemous to now apply everything to humans, but let's see how much works, especially if we use 'man' as 'mankind'
Jesus is full God and fully man. He is a replica of humans. He also represents man as our advocate. He works for us believers in many ways.
He's not exactly a continuation of us. In fact, he is the "second adam", the first of Gods family of humans, the first person to go through the saving function (maybe). So in this sense, he's much more of our father.
And then, of course, Jesus does not serve our every wish, because we are fallible. But he does serve us, he serves us better than we could ever ask him to serve us. We didn't know we were sinners, right? And he died for us anyway! Servant leadership: wow.
A note on the trinity. reference "BIG THEORY: trinity and TSM" from June 10, 2010.
The manner in which God (the big complex God) manifests himself into other viewpoints could be seen using the 'son' function/model. Remember, everything about God is bigger and more complex than us. His various manifested images are all huge and complex, not just parts of his personalities but their own individual personalities. In the same way, the way he splits himself is more complex than just dimensions. Thinking of the 'son' idea could help us understand this function better.
Use Hebrews.
JC is the son of God.
In the old days, sons took on the fathers trade and continued the family name. The son was a replica of the father. The quality of a son reflected on the father, and visa-verse. Sons also did much of the fathers work. The "Rebelution: Do Hard Things" brothers have said that the father provides the brains, and the sons the brawn. Sons also must obey the father.
Hebrews 1:2-3 "But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Jesus is Gods representative, his image, his mighty arm at work in the world. Jesus is the exact representation of God's being. JC will also inherit many things from God, like a son inherits the fathers business. God appointed him heir of all things." And Christ does all the work, including making the universe and saving earth from sin. JC obeys God by saying in Gesthename "not my will but yours be done".
Jesus is the son of man
considering everything I just said about Jesus as the son of God, it seems blasphemous to now apply everything to humans, but let's see how much works, especially if we use 'man' as 'mankind'
Jesus is full God and fully man. He is a replica of humans. He also represents man as our advocate. He works for us believers in many ways.
He's not exactly a continuation of us. In fact, he is the "second adam", the first of Gods family of humans, the first person to go through the saving function (maybe). So in this sense, he's much more of our father.
And then, of course, Jesus does not serve our every wish, because we are fallible. But he does serve us, he serves us better than we could ever ask him to serve us. We didn't know we were sinners, right? And he died for us anyway! Servant leadership: wow.
A note on the trinity. reference "BIG THEORY: trinity and TSM" from June 10, 2010.
The manner in which God (the big complex God) manifests himself into other viewpoints could be seen using the 'son' function/model. Remember, everything about God is bigger and more complex than us. His various manifested images are all huge and complex, not just parts of his personalities but their own individual personalities. In the same way, the way he splits himself is more complex than just dimensions. Thinking of the 'son' idea could help us understand this function better.
10 August 2010
be in the psalms
Technique for you. Pick a passage that is spoken, probably the psalms, but long speeches and even prophecies work too, I think.
Now say the passage out loud as if they were your own words. Translate it into how you would say it, add related thoughts, etc.
Often we read the bible analyzing the person writing the psalm, figuring out what he was thinking, and then applying it. You can skip that! Just say it for yourself.
I opened randomly to Psalm 102 and it spoke right to me. (well, I spoke it) Not exactly what I wanted, but it helped better than many other things I could have picked.
I love how we can open the bible randomly, that childish practice, and God will answer despite. It has happened many times to me.
May God use this to minister to you.
Now say the passage out loud as if they were your own words. Translate it into how you would say it, add related thoughts, etc.
Often we read the bible analyzing the person writing the psalm, figuring out what he was thinking, and then applying it. You can skip that! Just say it for yourself.
I opened randomly to Psalm 102 and it spoke right to me. (well, I spoke it) Not exactly what I wanted, but it helped better than many other things I could have picked.
I love how we can open the bible randomly, that childish practice, and God will answer despite. It has happened many times to me.
May God use this to minister to you.
07 August 2010
in christ, servant and body
Summary: "because we are in christ, everything that happens to him happens to us. Jesus loves us as his body"
there are several ways to describe our logical relationship to christ. (our emotional relationship...that can take up books and books :) )
the most succint description is 'in', but we can also say we are servants of Christ, or his slaves, or sons of God, or children of God. I will focus on the slave/servant idea.
In a servant/master relationship, the servant is the property of the master, inside the master, if you will. Everything that happens to the master as a whole also happens to the servant. So if the entirety of Jesus is killed for sin and raised to life, so are those who are slaves to Christ.
So, take this to heart because it's amazing - in a certain sense we reign with christ. revelation 20:6 "they [us saints] will be priests of God and of christ and will reign with him for a thousand years]
Isn't that cool!
Everything that happens to Christ happens to us - taken with a grain of salt because we're still human and crying with unworthiness every day.
Now, we are also in christ in the sense that we are his body. Nice.
Marriage is often cited as being like the relationship between Christ and the church. [I, for one, have to think over that one for a while] Ephesians 5:28 "in the same way [as Christ loves the church], husbands ought to lvoe their wives as their own bodies."
so think about how you love your own body. and not like "yes, I look pretty attractive", but do you enjoy moving, running, living? do you throw a ball with exact aim and you say to yourself "wow! :) I love my body!" I don't know what girls would think - I suppose you aren't particularly enthralled by throwing balls, but I bet you can imagine something. it is fun to live and move!
In the same way, Christ delights in us as his body. He enjoys using us. He takes care of us, like a well-oiled machine. he will also work and exercise us, temporary pain but long term gain and pleasure for the body.
Ha! I just had this idea. Jesus is up in heaven, and he really wants to come down and enjoy being human, but he can't exactly show up on earth in a blaze of glory. so instead, he says to himself "I'll live inside of my people!"
God is in you, by the way, the light of God and christ shine through you. Actually, he may shine with real physical manifestations. some say that when people come to Christ, their eyes actually become brighter. cool, huh?
ok, so just know that you're in Jesus, and in for all the benefits and adventures he goes through, and also know that Jesus loves you as his body, he uses you and is in you too, shining and working brilliantly.
there are several ways to describe our logical relationship to christ. (our emotional relationship...that can take up books and books :) )
the most succint description is 'in', but we can also say we are servants of Christ, or his slaves, or sons of God, or children of God. I will focus on the slave/servant idea.
In a servant/master relationship, the servant is the property of the master, inside the master, if you will. Everything that happens to the master as a whole also happens to the servant. So if the entirety of Jesus is killed for sin and raised to life, so are those who are slaves to Christ.
So, take this to heart because it's amazing - in a certain sense we reign with christ. revelation 20:6 "they [us saints] will be priests of God and of christ and will reign with him for a thousand years]
Isn't that cool!
Everything that happens to Christ happens to us - taken with a grain of salt because we're still human and crying with unworthiness every day.
Now, we are also in christ in the sense that we are his body. Nice.
Marriage is often cited as being like the relationship between Christ and the church. [I, for one, have to think over that one for a while] Ephesians 5:28 "in the same way [as Christ loves the church], husbands ought to lvoe their wives as their own bodies."
so think about how you love your own body. and not like "yes, I look pretty attractive", but do you enjoy moving, running, living? do you throw a ball with exact aim and you say to yourself "wow! :) I love my body!" I don't know what girls would think - I suppose you aren't particularly enthralled by throwing balls, but I bet you can imagine something. it is fun to live and move!
In the same way, Christ delights in us as his body. He enjoys using us. He takes care of us, like a well-oiled machine. he will also work and exercise us, temporary pain but long term gain and pleasure for the body.
Ha! I just had this idea. Jesus is up in heaven, and he really wants to come down and enjoy being human, but he can't exactly show up on earth in a blaze of glory. so instead, he says to himself "I'll live inside of my people!"
God is in you, by the way, the light of God and christ shine through you. Actually, he may shine with real physical manifestations. some say that when people come to Christ, their eyes actually become brighter. cool, huh?
ok, so just know that you're in Jesus, and in for all the benefits and adventures he goes through, and also know that Jesus loves you as his body, he uses you and is in you too, shining and working brilliantly.
woods in rain, fufillment of nature
this happened on 7/14/10, but I haven't got around to recording it until now! :)
pouring rain like none other at our house. I decided to traipse through the rain in bare feet and see what I could find. at least 12-18 square yards of standing water - like a rain forest. I took a safari into our woods and found the hugest ferns ever. with water on huge leaves everywhere, it was halfway to avatar.
then I thought "if this is what creation looks like after the fall...what will it look like after the restoration!"
oh by the way, "the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of god to be revealed." Romands 8:19. We were appointed masters and owners of creation. when we get restored, so will it. So I'm thinking Avatar and better. woot woot!
pouring rain like none other at our house. I decided to traipse through the rain in bare feet and see what I could find. at least 12-18 square yards of standing water - like a rain forest. I took a safari into our woods and found the hugest ferns ever. with water on huge leaves everywhere, it was halfway to avatar.
then I thought "if this is what creation looks like after the fall...what will it look like after the restoration!"
oh by the way, "the creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of god to be revealed." Romands 8:19. We were appointed masters and owners of creation. when we get restored, so will it. So I'm thinking Avatar and better. woot woot!
goals emo+dat
Summary "goals for Christ followers are based off of reality, not preferences. Those goals have both logical and emotional basis."
reference "values and psyche change" from July 22.
In today's world, we call things 'good' or 'bad'. What do we mean by that? Generally, I think we're trying to reach a certain state of existence. Socially, we're aiming for world peace, coexistence, free health care for everyone (ok, not really), happiness in general, etc. Personally, we're just looking for appeasement being happy.
The problem with this mindset is that different people have conflicting goals. And even if we were all in this together, how do we decide what goal is the best? I mean, what fundamental property of the universe says that we should all be happy? And even if happiness was the end goal, how much happiness is enough?
Think about that.
Now, what if goals, 'good' and 'bad' were based off of realities, not things we hope for?
What if we do good things, and not do bad things, because that's the way we were designed? God designed us to seek our own happiness by seeking the greatest source of happiness, himself.
Do not strive for some ethereal goal that's just 'out there'. Strive to be in sync with the natural order of the universe. Fulfillment. Obedience. Peace and rest.
Don't get pantheistic here. God is real and divine/human and living and personal.
But seek him! seek a knowledge of the natural order of the universe, because he is the creator, sustainer, the pinnacle top of it all. and he loves us too!
ok, here's the emotional/factual duality.
factual: God is the absolute of the universe, the most powerful being, a huge monolith of existence that transcends all understanding. we seek god because he designed us that way.
emotional: we have God, the holy spirit, inside of us. vivid awesome! romance, epic, delight... God not only designed us to seek him, he gave us emotional satisfaction for doing so, emotional craziness when we get close to God.
emotion and data at the same time.
it's true, and we love it!
reference "values and psyche change" from July 22.
In today's world, we call things 'good' or 'bad'. What do we mean by that? Generally, I think we're trying to reach a certain state of existence. Socially, we're aiming for world peace, coexistence, free health care for everyone (ok, not really), happiness in general, etc. Personally, we're just looking for appeasement being happy.
The problem with this mindset is that different people have conflicting goals. And even if we were all in this together, how do we decide what goal is the best? I mean, what fundamental property of the universe says that we should all be happy? And even if happiness was the end goal, how much happiness is enough?
Think about that.
Now, what if goals, 'good' and 'bad' were based off of realities, not things we hope for?
What if we do good things, and not do bad things, because that's the way we were designed? God designed us to seek our own happiness by seeking the greatest source of happiness, himself.
Do not strive for some ethereal goal that's just 'out there'. Strive to be in sync with the natural order of the universe. Fulfillment. Obedience. Peace and rest.
Don't get pantheistic here. God is real and divine/human and living and personal.
But seek him! seek a knowledge of the natural order of the universe, because he is the creator, sustainer, the pinnacle top of it all. and he loves us too!
ok, here's the emotional/factual duality.
factual: God is the absolute of the universe, the most powerful being, a huge monolith of existence that transcends all understanding. we seek god because he designed us that way.
emotional: we have God, the holy spirit, inside of us. vivid awesome! romance, epic, delight... God not only designed us to seek him, he gave us emotional satisfaction for doing so, emotional craziness when we get close to God.
emotion and data at the same time.
it's true, and we love it!
christ the man-king
Summary: "Jesus Christ is both human - like you can sit down and chat, and the king of the universe"
Jesus Christ is human. We know that. But humans aren't just weak sinners, we talk, we run around, we work, etc. Jesus is just like us. Yes, he is much more than just like us, but he is like us. You could sit down across a table at Perkins and talk to this guy. He would say thing like "Don't worry, I'm always here." and "Isn't the weather beautiful today?"
He is human, you can chat with him, best friend.
But now you're best friend is the king of the universe.
AWESOME!
You still have those conversations, but it makes you very humble and very grateful. You can still rant and cry about the things that hurt you, he is still a personal healer, but he is also lord of creation. and that makes it soooo much better!
salute the king with tears of unworthiness!
and then hug him.
Jesus Christ is human. We know that. But humans aren't just weak sinners, we talk, we run around, we work, etc. Jesus is just like us. Yes, he is much more than just like us, but he is like us. You could sit down across a table at Perkins and talk to this guy. He would say thing like "Don't worry, I'm always here." and "Isn't the weather beautiful today?"
He is human, you can chat with him, best friend.
But now you're best friend is the king of the universe.
AWESOME!
You still have those conversations, but it makes you very humble and very grateful. You can still rant and cry about the things that hurt you, he is still a personal healer, but he is also lord of creation. and that makes it soooo much better!
salute the king with tears of unworthiness!
and then hug him.
04 August 2010
happiness is from God
Ecclesiastes, if you read it right, is actually a very encouraging book.
no joke.
everything under the sun is meaningless...but...that's only apart from God. God isn't under the sun, he is the son. (hehehe). And he can give happiness. With all other earthly things, we think "ok, if I do this, I'll be happy", or "accomplishing this will be meaningful.", but in the end, we don't believe ourselves.
at my church, the sunday school answers are 'God, bible, Jesus, and the glory of God". if you ever get asked something, you can nearly always answer 'the glory of God', and be ok. But even in such a refreshingly focused church, I think we forget that giving glory to God is NOT our source of happiness. It is God himself, giving himself to us. He is so great and complex, he can literally give us emotion, where all other things are only instruments for us to give emotion to ourselves. another great motto of my church (Bethlehem Baptist, by the way) is "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him." see that logic? being satisfied with God is the first thing to do, and glorification will follow after. the westminster shorter catechism states "the chief end of man is to glorify God", but they neglect to tell you how we glorify God.
are you feeling depressed today? ask God for joy. there is no joy apart from God.
no joke.
everything under the sun is meaningless...but...that's only apart from God. God isn't under the sun, he is the son. (hehehe). And he can give happiness. With all other earthly things, we think "ok, if I do this, I'll be happy", or "accomplishing this will be meaningful.", but in the end, we don't believe ourselves.
at my church, the sunday school answers are 'God, bible, Jesus, and the glory of God". if you ever get asked something, you can nearly always answer 'the glory of God', and be ok. But even in such a refreshingly focused church, I think we forget that giving glory to God is NOT our source of happiness. It is God himself, giving himself to us. He is so great and complex, he can literally give us emotion, where all other things are only instruments for us to give emotion to ourselves. another great motto of my church (Bethlehem Baptist, by the way) is "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him." see that logic? being satisfied with God is the first thing to do, and glorification will follow after. the westminster shorter catechism states "the chief end of man is to glorify God", but they neglect to tell you how we glorify God.
are you feeling depressed today? ask God for joy. there is no joy apart from God.
God is big
Summary:
1A) do not ask yourself "what if god were different?"
1B) if God vanished...
1C) god is real whether you feel like it or not
2) people are ugly, god inside them is beautiful
3) Ecclesiastes: a time for everything
1A)
Do not ask yourself, "what if god were different?". There is no slot called 'god' which we can put something into. God is God and there is no other. Who is like him? Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Try listening to "God is God" by Steven Curtis Chapman.
1B)
if God vanished, we wouldn't notice. Let me explain.
if God vanished...the world would NOT:
continue on with no effect
run down slowly over several thousand years
descend into anarchy and debauchery in a decade
be engulfed in celestial calamity within hours
destroy the human mind with anguished void in minutes
disintegrate in seconds
vanish in a flash
cease to exist
there would be a snap of fingers, simultaneously accompanied by impending void such that the snap would be cut off halfway. nay, the snap would not occur, because the world would have ceased before then. there would be no space left, not even a void, because nothing would be left possible to imagine that could fill the void. there would be no absence. not even a pressure-less darkness. imagine a flash of light between your eyes on your forehead, so fast you never would perceive it, and then absolutely nothing. there is no darkness, no wondering why you don't feel anything.
on the instant and even before...
1c)
a friend found this statement encouraging: "God is real whether you believe him or not." sometimes we get depressed and question God's existence. The great thing about those times is God doesn't change based on what we're going through. He loves us to death, so he will help us along in those times, but by no means does he drop out of the picture as we question his existence. He's real! Ok? that means he does things. He's a person. "behold! I stand at the gate..."
2)
thank the lord for your awesome friends, because they wouldn't be that way without the work of the lord. this mentality reminds you that God deserves all the credit, and that your friends are still fallible humans who have problems and need love and the gospel just like you do. it also prevents idolization.
3)
the passage in the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3 "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to..."
it seems really mundane at first. I think "of course there are appropriate times for things". but then I come across phrases like "a time to love and a time to hate", and "a time to scatter stones and a time go gather them" and things get strange. the one that kills my heart the most is "a time to embrace and a time to refrain"
footnotes explain that this string of 'times' only indicates the transient passage of events on earth and human activity. but then why the 'to'? as an action/order/in the future? I think we can translate "a time to..." as "a time in which god tells us to..." or "a time when we must..."
Actually, we could translate it both ways. The first sense is without god, the hopelessness/meaninglessness. The second is with God.
the end of Ecclesiastes (I quote this a lot) "Now all has been heard and here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
keep in mind that God is the provider of all good things
1A) do not ask yourself "what if god were different?"
1B) if God vanished...
1C) god is real whether you feel like it or not
2) people are ugly, god inside them is beautiful
3) Ecclesiastes: a time for everything
1A)
Do not ask yourself, "what if god were different?". There is no slot called 'god' which we can put something into. God is God and there is no other. Who is like him? Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Try listening to "God is God" by Steven Curtis Chapman.
1B)
if God vanished, we wouldn't notice. Let me explain.
if God vanished...the world would NOT:
continue on with no effect
run down slowly over several thousand years
descend into anarchy and debauchery in a decade
be engulfed in celestial calamity within hours
destroy the human mind with anguished void in minutes
disintegrate in seconds
vanish in a flash
cease to exist
there would be a snap of fingers, simultaneously accompanied by impending void such that the snap would be cut off halfway. nay, the snap would not occur, because the world would have ceased before then. there would be no space left, not even a void, because nothing would be left possible to imagine that could fill the void. there would be no absence. not even a pressure-less darkness. imagine a flash of light between your eyes on your forehead, so fast you never would perceive it, and then absolutely nothing. there is no darkness, no wondering why you don't feel anything.
on the instant and even before...
1c)
a friend found this statement encouraging: "God is real whether you believe him or not." sometimes we get depressed and question God's existence. The great thing about those times is God doesn't change based on what we're going through. He loves us to death, so he will help us along in those times, but by no means does he drop out of the picture as we question his existence. He's real! Ok? that means he does things. He's a person. "behold! I stand at the gate..."
2)
thank the lord for your awesome friends, because they wouldn't be that way without the work of the lord. this mentality reminds you that God deserves all the credit, and that your friends are still fallible humans who have problems and need love and the gospel just like you do. it also prevents idolization.
3)
the passage in the beginning of Ecclesiastes 3 "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to..."
it seems really mundane at first. I think "of course there are appropriate times for things". but then I come across phrases like "a time to love and a time to hate", and "a time to scatter stones and a time go gather them" and things get strange. the one that kills my heart the most is "a time to embrace and a time to refrain"
footnotes explain that this string of 'times' only indicates the transient passage of events on earth and human activity. but then why the 'to'? as an action/order/in the future? I think we can translate "a time to..." as "a time in which god tells us to..." or "a time when we must..."
Actually, we could translate it both ways. The first sense is without god, the hopelessness/meaninglessness. The second is with God.
the end of Ecclesiastes (I quote this a lot) "Now all has been heard and here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
keep in mind that God is the provider of all good things
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