The Personal God - Revision history

Pcain at 12:11, 12 March 2014

2014-03-12T12:11:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:11, 12 March 2014
Line 41:		Line 41:
	Both the glory of God, and the difficulties we have in grappling with what he has revealed of himself, stem from the fact that he transcends the limits we experience. God is essentially unlimited. By contrast, we human beings are limited in time (we are born, live and die at a certain time in history); place (if I am in London I am not simultaneously in Montreal or Karachi); power (there are many things I am incapable of doing); knowledge (enough said!). But God is infinite in all these respects.		Both the glory of God, and the difficulties we have in grappling with what he has revealed of himself, stem from the fact that he transcends the limits we experience. God is essentially unlimited. By contrast, we human beings are limited in time (we are born, live and die at a certain time in history); place (if I am in London I am not simultaneously in Montreal or Karachi); power (there are many things I am incapable of doing); knowledge (enough said!). But God is infinite in all these respects.

-	*He is unlimited in '''time'''. His realm is eternity. Our very notion of time is bound up with the movement of the stars and planets which he created. We cannot easily think of days or years or any sequence, apart from the presuppositions about the movement of the planet earth, rotating on its axis and circling the sun. But God is not bound by this system. He made it, and so he is above it.	+	*He is unlimited in '''time'''. His realm is eternity. Our very notion of time is bound up with the movement of the stars and planets which he created. We cannot easily think of days or years or any sequence, apart from the presuppositions about the movement of the planet earth, rotating on its axis and circling the sun. But God is not bound by this system. He made it, and so he is above it.<br><br>The problem is that we can scarcely understand what it means to be above time. It certainly does not mean that God is merely static; the God of the Bible stands in active relationship with the universe he created. We are creatures in time, and so if God is to reveal himself to us, it must be in terms of history, of sequence, of ‘before’ and ‘after’. ''Before'' Paul was converted, ''in the days of Pontius Pilate, ''Jesus died and rose again, the perfect manifestation of God ''within time'', at a specific place in history. <br><br>The thought is staggering: the eternal God, the timeless God, has chosen to reveal himself to us in time, because that is the only habitat we understand. And if we find it difficult to understand what it means to say God stands above time, how much more difficult is it for us to understand how this eternal God can reveal himself to us ''in'' time. There is nothing intrinsically illogical about the idea; but there is much we do not comprehend about it.<br><br>
-		+
-	The problem is that we can scarcely understand what it means to be above time. It certainly does not mean that God is merely static; the God of the Bible stands in active relationship with the universe he created. We are creatures in time, and so if God is to reveal himself to us, it must be in terms of history, of sequence, of ‘before’ and ‘after’. ''Before'' Paul was converted, ''in the days of Pontius Pilate, ''Jesus died and rose again, the perfect manifestation of God ''within time'', at a specific place in history.	+
-		+
-	The thought is staggering: the eternal God, the timeless God, has chosen to reveal himself to us in time, because that is the only habitat we understand. And if we find it difficult to understand what it means to say God stands above time, how much more difficult is it for us to understand how this eternal God can reveal himself to us ''in'' time. There is nothing intrinsically illogical about the idea; but there is much we do not comprehend about it.	+
-		+
	*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.		*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.

	{{RightInsert\|“God’s love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}		{{RightInsert\|“God’s love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}

-	In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.	+	:In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’. <br><br>In other words, just as God is timeless, but meets us in history, so is he omnipresent, but meets us in his Son Jesus. And Jesus lived in a real place. Palestine, and met people in separate encounters on known roads, in boats, in houses. Today, too, he meets us by his Holy Spirit ''where'' we are.<br><br>
-		+
-	In other words, just as God is timeless, but meets us in history, so is he omnipresent, but meets us in his Son Jesus. And Jesus lived in a real place. Palestine, and met people in separate encounters on known roads, in boats, in houses. Today, too, he meets us by his Holy Spirit ''where'' we are.	+
-		+
-	*God is unlimited in '''power'''. He can do anything: he is ‘omnipotent’. But this fact, frequently stressed in the Bible, is often applied wrongly. College lectures have been known to ask puzzled philosophy undergraduates, ‘Is God so powerful that he can make a stone too heavy for him to life?’ – knowing that a ‘yes’ answer means God cannot lift the stone, and a ‘no’ answer means God cannot make the stone. Either way there is something he cannot do. In fact, this old chestnut is a trick question: it is asking God to something self-contradictory, which no one, not even God, can do.	+
-		+
-	In the same way, God cannot do anything that would violate his own character, or break one of his promises. When Christians say that God is omnipotent, they simply mean that there is no limit to his power, no intrinsic weakness or inability. He can do anything he pleases; but what he pleases will always be in perfect harmony with his character, with all that makes him God.	+
-		+
-	*God is unlimited in '''knowledge''': he is ‘omniscient’. There is nothing that God does not know. This includes not only all brute facts, but also all opinions and thoughts. He knows the future as well as the past and present – perhaps because he stands above time as we know it, and is not bound by the past-present-future structure which dominates our lives.	+

		+	*God is unlimited in '''power'''. He can do anything: he is ‘omnipotent’. But this fact, frequently stressed in the Bible, is often applied wrongly. College lectures have been known to ask puzzled philosophy undergraduates, ‘Is God so powerful that he can make a stone too heavy for him to life?’ – knowing that a ‘yes’ answer means God cannot lift the stone, and a ‘no’ answer means God cannot make the stone. Either way there is something he cannot do. In fact, this old chestnut is a trick question: it is asking God to something self-contradictory, which no one, not even God, can do.<br><br>In the same way, God cannot do anything that would violate his own character, or break one of his promises. When Christians say that God is omnipotent, they simply mean that there is no limit to his power, no intrinsic weakness or inability. He can do anything he pleases; but what he pleases will always be in perfect harmony with his character, with all that makes him God.<br><br>
		+	*God is unlimited in '''knowledge''': he is ‘omniscient’. There is nothing that God does not know. This includes not only all brute facts, but also all opinions and thoughts. He knows the future as well as the past and present – perhaps because he stands above time as we know it, and is not bound by the past-present-future structure which dominates our lives.<br><br>
	Quite clearly, some attributes of God, such as his eternity, are very difficult to understand in their own right. They become that much more difficult when we recognize that this God graciously stoops to meet us where we are – bound by time, place and limitations of power and knowledge. It is hard enough to think deeply about God’s timelessness. But it is even more difficult to think about how this timeless God could meet us in history and respond to us in the interplay of real personal relationships.		Quite clearly, some attributes of God, such as his eternity, are very difficult to understand in their own right. They become that much more difficult when we recognize that this God graciously stoops to meet us where we are – bound by time, place and limitations of power and knowledge. It is hard enough to think deeply about God’s timelessness. But it is even more difficult to think about how this timeless God could meet us in history and respond to us in the interplay of real personal relationships.

Pcain at 14:22, 5 March 2014

2014-03-05T14:22:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 5 March 2014
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	*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.		*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.

-	{{RightInsert\|~~"God’s~~ love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}	+	{{RightInsert\|“God’s love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}

	In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.		In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.

Pcain at 14:21, 5 March 2014

2014-03-05T14:21:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:21, 5 March 2014
Line 49:		Line 49:
	*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.		*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.

-	{{RightInsert\|~~”God’s~~ love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}	+	{{RightInsert\|"God’s love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}

	In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.		In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.

Pcain at 14:20, 5 March 2014

2014-03-05T14:20:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:20, 5 March 2014
Line 48:		Line 48:

	*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.		*God is unlimited in '''place'''. He is everywhere; as the theologians say, he is ‘omnipresent’. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place – in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in sense even then they cannot escape his presence.
		+
		+	{{RightInsert\|”God’s love in an exercise of his goodness towards individual sinners whereby, having identified himself with their welfare, he has given his Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy him in a covenant relation.” –James Packer}}

	In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.		In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible – in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to any one location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his ‘Father in heaven’.

Pcain at 14:07, 5 March 2014

2014-03-05T14:07:19Z

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Pcain: Protected "The Personal God" ([edit=sysop] (indefinite) [move=sysop] (indefinite))

2014-02-26T12:46:08Z

Protected "The Personal God" ([edit=sysop] (indefinite) [move=sysop] (indefinite))

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Revision as of 12:46, 26 February 2014

Kathyyee at 02:02, 3 February 2010

2010-02-03T02:02:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:02, 3 February 2010
Line 77:		Line 77:
	We need to be clear, too, what God's limitless knowledge means in practice. The fact that God knows all things, even the end from the beginning, does not appear in the Bible as some abstruse theory, or to make him into some sort of clairvoyant. But it does have the great value of assuring God's people he is never taken by surprise, he knows what he is doing, he understands our needs and longings, He even knows 'insignificant' details, such as when we sit down and when we stand up. With such knowledge, he cannot be tricked or deceived, and his justice will be absolutely fa ir and impartial.		We need to be clear, too, what God's limitless knowledge means in practice. The fact that God knows all things, even the end from the beginning, does not appear in the Bible as some abstruse theory, or to make him into some sort of clairvoyant. But it does have the great value of assuring God's people he is never taken by surprise, he knows what he is doing, he understands our needs and longings, He even knows 'insignificant' details, such as when we sit down and when we stand up. With such knowledge, he cannot be tricked or deceived, and his justice will be absolutely fa ir and impartial.

-	There are two things that come out very clearly from the Bible's account of God's character. First. his qualities are never described in a way which throws one attribute into conflict with another. In other words, it is wrong to lay such absolute stress on one of God's revealed qualities that others, equally revealed, are neglected.	+	There are two things that come out very clearly from the Bible's account of God's character. First. his qualities are never described in a way which throws one attribute into conflict with another. In other words, it is wrong to lay such absolute stress on one of God's revealed qualities that others, equally revealed, are neglected.

-	For instance, it is possible to	+	For instance, it is possible to think so much about God's limitless power that his more personal characteristics - his love, his wrath, his give-and-take with his creatures - fade from view, Equally, some people dwell so much on God as a person that they effectively put aside his omnipotence, Others stress his love, and so conclude that his wrath must be impersonal; or else they decide, aga inst the Bible 's teaching, that p.veryone will ultimately surrender to such magnificent love,
-	think so much about God's	+
-	limitless power that his more	+
-	personal characteristics - his	+
-	love, his wrath, his give-and-take	+
-	with his creatures - fade from	+
-	view, Equally, some people	+
-	dwell so much on God as a	+
-	person that they effectively put	+
-	aside his omnipotence, Others	+
-	stress his love, and so conclude	+
-	that his wrath must be	+
-	impersonal; or else they decide,	+
-	aga inst the Bible 's teaching, that	+
-	p.veryone will ultimately surrender	+
-	to such magnificent love,	+

-	These are dangerous ways of	+	These are dangerous ways of thinking about God, They distort the only evidence we have by suppressing the bits we may not like. And sooner or later we find ourselves worshipping a false god. We must frankly confess that, although we can know God as he is, we cannot, without being God, know all there is to know about him, This mp.ans WP. mllst ti1kp. pains to kno\\' him ilS he has rp.vea led himsdf. It is fatal to sper.ulate ;!bout God in such a way that our picture of him is different from the character he has made known.
-	thinking about God, They distort	+
-	the only evidence we have by	+
-	suppressing the bits we may not	+
-	like. And sooner or later we find	+
-	ourselves worshipping a false	+
-	god. We must frankly confess	+
-	that, although we can know God as he is, we cannot, without	+
-	being God, know all there is to	+
-	know about him, This mp.ans WP.	+
-	mllst ti1kp. pains to kno\\' him ilS	+
-	he has rp.vea led himsdf. It is	+
-	fatal to sper.ulate ;!bout God in	+
-	such a way that our picture of	+
-	him is different from the	+
-	character he has made known.	+

-	Second, we need to ask why	+	Second, we need to ask why God has revealed his character to us. It is not to titillate our curiosity but to evoke repentance, faith and worship. Certainly we need to think deeply about God.-But God has made himself known to us not primarily to satisfy our intelligence. but to meet our many needs>The Bible shows liS each of God's qualities first and foremost in the context of the human need that ca lled it forth,
-	God has revealed his character	+
-	to us. It is not to titillate our	+
-	curiosity but to evoke	+
-	repentance, faith and worship.	+
-	Certainly we need to think	+
-	deeply about God.-But God has	+
-	made himself known to us not	+
-	primarily to satisfy our	+
-	intelligence. but to meet our	+
-	many needs>The Bible shows liS	+
-	each of God's qualities first and	+
-	foremost in the context of the	+
-	human need that ca lled it forth,	+

-	God reveals his compassion to	+	God reveals his compassion to people who are lost, his grace to the guilty, his love to the unloving, his eternity to those too preoccupied with what is passing, his wrath to the rebellious, ,(God is greater than the sum of the qualities he has revealp.d. If
-	people who are lost, his grace to	+
-	the guilty, his love to the unloving,	+
-	his eternity to those too preoccupied	+
-	with what is passing,	+
-	~~hiS~~ wrath to the ~~rehellious~~,	+
-	,(God is greater than the sum of	+
-	the qualities he has revealp.d. If	+

Kathyyee at 22:06, 22 January 2010

2010-01-22T22:06:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:06, 22 January 2010
Line 53:		Line 53:
	Quite clearly, some attributes of God, such as his eternity, are very difficult to understand in their own right. They become that much more difficult when we recognize that this God graciously stoops to meet us where we are - bound by time, place and limitations of power and knowledge. It is hard enough to think deeply about God's timelessness. But it is even more difficult to think about how this timeless God could meet us in history and respond to us in the interplay of real personal relationships.		Quite clearly, some attributes of God, such as his eternity, are very difficult to understand in their own right. They become that much more difficult when we recognize that this God graciously stoops to meet us where we are - bound by time, place and limitations of power and knowledge. It is hard enough to think deeply about God's timelessness. But it is even more difficult to think about how this timeless God could meet us in history and respond to us in the interplay of real personal relationships.

-	It is hard enough to understand God's unlimited power, his absolute sovereignty. But it is more difficult to understand how this utterly sovereign God, who does whatever he wants, can have meaningful relationships with us, his creatures, without either reducing us to robots or else sacrificing his own sovereignty.	+	It is hard enough to understand God's unlimited power, his absolute sovereignty. But it is more difficult to understand how this utterly sovereign God, who does whatever he wants, can have meaningful relationships with us, his creatures, without either reducing us to robots or else sacrificing his own sovereignty.
		+
		+	Yet these very difficulties to our understanding can also prove a help. If we can get them sorted out, they help to explain some of the earlier questions we faced. We said that God is both loving toward sinners and angry with them. We find it hard to imagine how that can be.
		+
		+	The closest analogy might be a good mother or father who both loves and is angry with a disobedient child. But perhaps it is easier to think of God being full of love and wrath 'at the same time' if we remember that he is above time. The mystery of God's eternal, timeless being may well help shed light on some other mysteries.
		+
		+	'''How should we respond?'''
		+
		+	Our problem with qua1ities that belong to God alone is that our human experience of what 'persons' and 'personal relationships' are like takes place entirely within the limits of time, space, knowledge and power. But in God we are dealing with a person who is beyond all such limitations. Understandably, we do not know exactly how to resolve these matters. We do not have enough information. But there are several useful things Christians can do when they try to think clearly about God's character.
		+
		+	• We need to '''admit ignorance'''. We can only know what God discloses of himself. To claim we know more about God than he has revealed is a mark not of knowledge but of arrogance. Indeed, if we knew all there was to know about God, we would have to pass through the very barriers which make us creatures. In short, we would have to be God.
		+
		+	• We must also '''worship'''. Far from being an excuse for lazy thinking, worship is the only adequate response to the God who made us and who, despite our persistent rebellion and indifference, still delights to make himself known. Such a God will move us to profound adoration, to thinking about God on the large scale and about people on the small scale precisely the opposite pattern to the predominant attitude in our secular world.
		+
		+	• It is important to '''get the problems in perspective'''. We may not fully grasp the details of how God, above time, reveals himself and interacts with people within time. But, as many scholars have pointed out, there is nothing fundamentally illogical about the idea.
		+
		+	• Above all, we need to '''examine how God's qualities work out in practice''' in the Bible. This will save us from using our knowledge of them wrongly. Take God's unlimited power. The biblical writers never deduce from this that we are all robots, or that it does not matter what we do because God will have his way in the end. Instead, the Bible uses God's omnipotence to encourage his people and warn his enemies.
		+
		+	Dare a man fight an omnipotent God? Even if such a God is longsuffering, must he not triumph in the end? Cannot God's people invest great confidence in him precisely because nothing Can take place apart from his permission? Even a sparrow cannot drop to the ground without God's permission, so his people need not be prey to anxiety. They can trust their heavenly Father.
		+
		+	Or consider God's limitless pre~ e nce , The bihlical writers never use this idea as if it meant that, because God is everywhere and in everything, an orchid or a daisy is part of God, They recognize that God is also above the universe he has created, and not to be confused with it. The fact that God is everywhere serves as a warning to those who want to escape from him, and as a great comfort and encouragement to those who love him and want to do his will. When Jesus says that he will be with his disciples to the end of the age, he is giving a promise to he savoured and enjoyed, a spur to mission, obedience and worship.
		+
		+	We need to be clear, too, what God's limitless knowledge means in practice. The fact that God knows all things, even the end from the beginning, does not appear in the Bible as some abstruse theory, or to make him into some sort of clairvoyant. But it does have the great value of assuring God's people he is never taken by surprise, he knows what he is doing, he understands our needs and longings, He even knows 'insignificant' details, such as when we sit down and when we stand up. With such knowledge, he cannot be tricked or deceived, and his justice will be absolutely fa ir and impartial.
		+
		+	There are two things that come out very clearly from the Bible's account of God's character. First. his qualities are never described in a way which throws one attribute into conflict with another. In other words, it is wrong to lay such absolute stress on one of God's revealed qualities that others, equally revealed, are neglected.
		+
		+	For instance, it is possible to
		+	think so much about God's
		+	limitless power that his more
		+	personal characteristics - his
		+	love, his wrath, his give-and-take
		+	with his creatures - fade from
		+	view, Equally, some people
		+	dwell so much on God as a
		+	person that they effectively put
		+	aside his omnipotence, Others
		+	stress his love, and so conclude
		+	that his wrath must be
		+	impersonal; or else they decide,
		+	aga inst the Bible 's teaching, that
		+	p.veryone will ultimately surrender
		+	to such magnificent love,
		+
		+	These are dangerous ways of
		+	thinking about God, They distort
		+	the only evidence we have by
		+	suppressing the bits we may not
		+	like. And sooner or later we find
		+	ourselves worshipping a false
		+	god. We must frankly confess
		+	that, although we can know God as he is, we cannot, without
		+	being God, know all there is to
		+	know about him, This mp.ans WP.
		+	mllst ti1kp. pains to kno\\' him ilS
		+	he has rp.vea led himsdf. It is
		+	fatal to sper.ulate ;!bout God in
		+	such a way that our picture of
		+	him is different from the
		+	character he has made known.
		+
		+	Second, we need to ask why
		+	God has revealed his character
		+	to us. It is not to titillate our
		+	curiosity but to evoke
		+	repentance, faith and worship.
		+	Certainly we need to think
		+	deeply about God.-But God has
		+	made himself known to us not
		+	primarily to satisfy our
		+	intelligence. but to meet our
		+	many needs>The Bible shows liS
		+	each of God's qualities first and
		+	foremost in the context of the
		+	human need that ca lled it forth,
		+
		+	God reveals his compassion to
		+	people who are lost, his grace to
		+	the guilty, his love to the unloving,
		+	his eternity to those too preoccupied
		+	with what is passing,
		+	hiS wrath to the rehellious,
		+	,(God is greater than the sum of
		+	the qualities he has revealp.d. If

Kathyyee at 21:37, 22 January 2010

2010-01-22T21:37:49Z

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	Both the glory of God, and the difficulties we have in grappling with what he has revealed of himself, stem from the fact that he transcends the limits we experience. God is essentially unlimited. By contrast, we human beings are limited in time (we are born, live and die at a certain time in history): place (if I am in London I am not simultaneously in Montreal or Karachi); power (there are many things I am incapable of doing): knowledge (enough said!). But God is infinite in all these respects.		Both the glory of God, and the difficulties we have in grappling with what he has revealed of himself, stem from the fact that he transcends the limits we experience. God is essentially unlimited. By contrast, we human beings are limited in time (we are born, live and die at a certain time in history): place (if I am in London I am not simultaneously in Montreal or Karachi); power (there are many things I am incapable of doing): knowledge (enough said!). But God is infinite in all these respects.

-	• He is unlimited in time. His realm is eternity. Our very notion of time is bound up with the movement of the stars and planets which he created. We cannot easily think of days or years or any sequence, apart from presuppositions about the movement of planet earth, rotating on its axis and circling the sun. But God is not bound by this system. He made it, and so he is above it.	+	• He is unlimited in time. His realm is eternity. Our very notion of time is bound up with the movement of the stars and planets which he created. We cannot easily think of days or years or any sequence, apart from presuppositions about the movement of planet earth, rotating on its axis and circling the sun. But God is not bound by this system. He made it, and so he is above it.

-	The problem is that we can	+	The problem is that we can scarcely understand what it means to be above time. It certainly does not mean that God is merely static: the God of the Bible stands in active relationship with the universe he created. We are creatures in time, and so if God is to reveal himself to us, it must be in terms of history, of sequence, of 'before' and 'after'. Before Paul was converted, in the days of Pontius Pilate , Jesus died and rose again, the perfect manifestation of God within time , at a specific place in history.
-	scarcely understand what it	+
-	means to be above time. It	+
-	certainly does not mean that God	+
-	is merely static: the God of the	+
-	Bible stands in active	+
-	relationship with the universe	+
-	he created. We are creatures in	+
-	time, and so if God is to reveal	+
-	himself to us, it must be in terms	+
-	of history, of sequence, of	+
-	'before' and 'after'. Before Paul	+
-	was converted, in the days of	+
-	Pontius Pilate , Jesus died and	+
-	rose again, the perfect	+
-	manifestation of God within	+
-	time , at a specific place in	+
-	history.	+

-	The thought is ~~stagge ring~~: the	+	The thought is staggering: the eternal God, the timeless God, has chosen to reveal himself to us in time, because that is the only habitat we understand. And if we find it difficult to understand what it means to say God stands above time, how much more difficult is it for us to understand how this eternal God can reveal himself to us in time. There is nothing intrinsically illogical about the idea; but there is much we do not comprehend about it.
-	eternal God, the timeless God,	+
-	has chosen to reveal himself to	+	• God is unlimited in place. He is everywhere: as the theologians say, he is 'omnipresent'. It is impossible to hide from him or to escape from him. He is in everything. But it does not follow that he cannot sometimes appear to people in a localized way. In the Old Testament, God meets with his people personally and at a particular place - in a bright cloud of glory, at the tent in the wilderness, at the temple. When he withdraws from them in wrath, he makes it impossible for them to meet him or experience him; but in one sense even then they cannot escape his presence.
-	us in time, because that is the	+
-	only habitat we understand. And	+	In the New Testament, God meets his people in the most humanly personal way possible - in his Son Jesus. When Jesus is in Galilee, he is not in Jerusalem or Jericho; he is spatially restricted. But God himself is not thereby restricted to anyone location, for Jesus continues to pray to him as his 'Father in heaven'.
-	if we find it difficult to	+
-	~~unde rstand~~ what it means to say	+	In other words, just as God is timeless, but meets us in history, so is he omnipresent, but meets us in his Son Jesus. And Jesus lived in a real place, Palestine, and met people in separate encounters on known roads, in boats, in houses. Today, too, he meets with us by his Holy Spirit where we are.
-	God ~~slands~~ above time, how	+
-	much more difficult is it for us to	+	• God is unlimited in power. He can do anything: he is ·omnipotent'. But this fact, frequently stressed in the Bible, is often applied wrongly. College lecturers have been known to ask puzzled philosophy undergraduates, 'Is God so powerful that he can make a stone too heavy for him to lift ?' - knowing that a 'yes' answer means God cannot lift the stone, and a 'no ' answer means God cannot make the stone. Either way there is something he cannot do. In fact, this old chestnut is a trick question: it is asking God to do some thing self contradictory, which no one, not even God, can do.
-	~~unde rstand~~ how this ~~e ternal~~ God	+
-	can reveal himself to us in time.	+	In the same way. God cannot do anything that would violate his own character, or break one of his promises. When Christians say that God is omnipotent, they simply mean that there is no limit to his power, no intrinsic weakness or inability. He can do anything he pleases; but what he pleases will always he in perfect harmony with his character, with all that makes him God.
-	There is nothing intrinsically	+
-	illogical about the idea; but there	+	• God is unlimited in '''knowledge''': he is 'omniscient'. There is nothing that God does not know. This includes not only all brute facts, but also all opinions and thought. He knows the future as well as the past and present - perhaps because he stands above time as we know it, and is not bound by the past-present- future structure which dominates our lives.
-	is much we do not comprehend	+
-	about it.	+	Quite clearly, some attributes of God, such as his eternity, are very difficult to understand in their own right. They become that much more difficult when we recognize that this God graciously stoops to meet us where we are - bound by time, place and limitations of power and knowledge. It is hard enough to think deeply about God's timelessness. But it is even more difficult to think about how this timeless God could meet us in history and respond to us in the interplay of real personal relationships.
		+
		+	It is hard enough to understand God's unlimited power, his absolute sovereignty. But it is more difficult to understand how this utterly sovereign God, who does whatever he wants, can have meaningful relationships with us, his creatures, without either reducing us to robots or else sacrificing his own sovereignty.

Kathyyee at 17:39, 22 January 2010

2010-01-22T17:39:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:39, 22 January 2010
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	'''QUALITIES UNIQUE TO GOD'''		'''QUALITIES UNIQUE TO GOD'''

-	There are some things which can be said of God alone. God alone is self-existing. This means that whereas everything and ~~every~~	+	There are some things which can be said of God alone. God alone is self-existing. This means that whereas everything and everyone else depends on him for existence, he is absolutely independent of them. He has life in himself, and he is the source of the life of the universe; but he himself has no source. He alone is utterly self-sufficient. He needs nothing the universe offers him.
		+
		+	It follows that God does not change. His life does not change, his character does not change, his ways do not change, his purposes do not change: even his Son does not change. For this reason, God is supremely reliable and trustworthy.
		+
		+	It is most important to understand God's changelessness correctly. It does not mean he is passionless, that he cannot feel a variety of emotions. The Bible shows us a God who feels very deeply. Nor does it mean that his dealings with a particular person or nation may not change in their experience. Rather, it means God's dealings with us will always be based on the same things - on what God is like.
		+
		+	'''The unlimited God'''
		+
		+	Both the glory of God, and the difficulties we have in grappling with what he has revealed of himself, stem from the fact that he transcends the limits we experience. God is essentially unlimited. By contrast, we human beings are limited in time (we are born, live and die at a certain time in history): place (if I am in London I am not simultaneously in Montreal or Karachi); power (there are many things I am incapable of doing): knowledge (enough said!). But God is infinite in all these respects.
		+
		+	• He is unlimited in time. His realm is eternity. Our very notion of time is bound up with the movement of the stars and planets which he created. We cannot easily think of days or years or any sequence, apart from presuppositions about the movement of planet earth, rotating on its axis and circling the sun. But God is not bound by this system. He made it, and so he is above it.
		+
		+	The problem is that we can
		+	scarcely understand what it
		+	means to be above time. It
		+	certainly does not mean that God
		+	is merely static: the God of the
		+	Bible stands in active
		+	relationship with the universe
		+	he created. We are creatures in
		+	time, and so if God is to reveal
		+	himself to us, it must be in terms
		+	of history, of sequence, of
		+	'before' and 'after'. Before Paul
		+	was converted, in the days of
		+	Pontius Pilate , Jesus died and
		+	rose again, the perfect
		+	manifestation of God within
		+	time , at a specific place in
		+	history.
		+
		+	The thought is stagge ring: the
		+	eternal God, the timeless God,
		+	has chosen to reveal himself to
		+	us in time, because that is the
		+	only habitat we understand. And
		+	if we find it difficult to
		+	unde rstand what it means to say
		+	God slands above time, how
		+	much more difficult is it for us to
		+	unde rstand how this e ternal God
		+	can reveal himself to us in time.
		+	There is nothing intrinsically
		+	illogical about the idea; but there
		+	is much we do not comprehend
		+	about it.