Is there a personal God?xxx wrote
My reply: Which essay? (I assume this is an essay I wrote on my creation site.) The belief you are describing is deism, while I am talking about theism. There certainly is a logical reason to believe that God does play a part in the lives of people. The bible is the history of God's dealing with people, much of it written by eyewitnesses. Before you scorn the bible as history you should also consider that the evidence for macro evolution is also historical it is not a part of empirical science which is repeatable. When speaking scientifically of Caesar or Aristotle it is meaningless too. We are dealing with the realm of history. Empirical science is repeatable while history is a once off event. Incidentally death is a once off event, science can hardly tell us what is on the other side of death can it? Of course one can be a reductionist and say that man is matter and that life stops at death, ignoring the spiritual side of man. Quoting the bible is only meaningless or propaganda if it is not historic. If it is myths and fables then I would burn mine and urge everyone else to do the same. But since, where it can be investigated historically it shows itself to be historically accurate, it is reasonable and logical to assume that it is also true where it cannot be historically investigated. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity would be a waste of time. If Jesus did not rise from the dead it would be rather stupid of people who saw him after the resurrection to die as martyrs, clearly they believed that he rose from the dead and gave us the hope of eternal life also. I have a biography page of over a hundred people who lived as Christians, perhaps they were all deceived. What scientific evidence do you want, if someone came back from the dead would you believe that? Even Thomas had to feel the wounds in Jesus hands and side before he would believe so I must not be too hard on your scepticism. God is Spirit, therefore we can only see God through what he has made, which is where science comes in. We can also know God through his historical revelation to man, which is where the bible comes in since it records the history of God's revelation to man up to 100AD. Part of God's revelation to man is that God became man in order to show us what God is like and to make it easier for us finite men to relate to the infinite God. This is where Jesus is important. God is not only a spirit but he is a person and because we are made in the image of God we can know him in a personal way. The bible and Christian biographies attest that God can be known in a personal way. While we can do scientific experiments on the things that God has made. The best experiment we can do is to have a relationship with the infinite God ourselves. Generally we do not experiment with people, especially close people but we relate to them instead. "Are you too selfish and geocentric to fathom the idea that this God does nothing personally for you, but just created the universe?" God heals, God answers prayer, God does miracles, God sent Jesus to die for us, God loves us. It is peoples testimony of what God has done in their lives that is convincing proof that God is alive and well and is interested in people. Perhaps the idea that God is interested in people, including you, and me is of no interest to you. For me it is of considerable wonder and amazement that the infinite creator of the universe is interested in a finite human like me with all my frailties and weaknesses. These are just a few thoughts in reply to your email, I may reply at some length in an essay on another site. I am working away from home in Canada so I have not had the time to give a more thoughtful reply to your email. Canadian TV has some wonderful testimonies of people who have experienced God for themselves (CTS, 100 Huntley St). Rgds Ross Is there a personal God? I would agree that scientifically quoting the bible is meaningless, does our questioner also throw out history and archeology as academic disciplines with no meaning? Historically, the bible has great meaning because it records important events in God's revelation to man. Without God revealing himself to man and having a historic record we would be groping in the dark in our search for God. The bible makes it clear that we are made in the image of God, and that God has fully revealed himself through the man Jesus Christ. God's concern for us is also illustrated by sending his son to die for us so that we could have a relationship with God. This relationship is realised through the Spirit of God dwelling within us. The bible gives us an objective basis for faith, we subjectively experience God in our lives when we yield our lives to Him and become followers of His Son. The testimonies of those who have done this can be found on my biography page. The fact is that for the Jew, he cannot keep the law of God and for the Muslim, God is out there, he is too impersonal to care. For the Christian, God is within. For the Christian God is within us as the Spirit of Jesus. God is our Father -- not some divine tyrant. After Jesus rose from the dead he said something very important to his disciples. 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' (John 20:17) For all eternity Jesus had known God as his father, now we can know God as Father. That is in a personal and intimate way. We can cry out to God as father, just as we called our earthly fathers daddy, we can call God our father. Didn't Jesus teach this in the Lord prayer " (Mat 6:9-15 NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, {10} your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. {11} Give us today our daily bread. {12} Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. {13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' {14} For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. {15} But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. When we become Christians we are adopted into God's family as sons. This is personal, God treats us as children, that is personal. He deals with each of us as individuals, that is personal. He has a plan for us that is personal and is suitable to our personality. In treating us as personal He gives us a choice to receive Him or to reject Him, but to those who receive Him He makes us sons of God. As a Father He will lead us, instruct us, chastise us, love us and forgive us. He will heal us physically and emotionally, provide for us, and in heaven reward us. Books:Selected Biographies:
Reliability of the bible
|