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God, Belief, and the Bible

By James Emery Vigh of profbruno.com

First of all, let me state that I do not claim to be an expert on the subjects of God, or the Bible (Old Testament or New Testament).

A lot has been written lately, and I've been struggling with how to put in my two cents in a relatively coherent manner. I've also been struggling with whether or not I SHOULD put my two cents in as nothing I say here will change any one else's entrenched opinions one whit.

But I have decided to give it a go. This is just my opinion, and is more or less the way I see things.

I am a Christian. If you who are reading this are not a Christian, take it for what it may or may not be worth to you.

For me, any discussion about God should start with what we think we "know" about God -- which is not much in a definitive sense.

1. God is the ultimate creator of the universe (or perhaps universes). Just HOW this creation occurred, and how old the earth is has been debated. In fact there are lots of debates as to the "how".

2. God is omnipotent -- that is, all powerful.

3. God is omniscient -- that is He knows everything in an infinite sense. It has been said that God knew you before you were even in the womb.

The first "definition" causes problems with some people. But either you believe that there was some kind of intelligent design to the universe, or you believe that we are all descended from space rock and we are a cosmic accident. And, if you subscribe to the "Big Bang Theory", where did that initial microscopic bit of matter come from?

But it is the "Omniscient" issue that, in my opinion, causes the most problems with people.

"God knows everything in an infinite sense." This means that He knows what we are going to do, say, and think even before we do it. Oh, this is a problem for us indeed.

Let me throw in one little tidbit to add to this discussion:

The greatest gift that God endowed us with is free will.

Combining the ideas of "omniscience" with "free will" stirs things up even more. There are questions that come to mind. Let's bring in the Bible as a frame of reference.

1. In Genesis, if God actually knew that Eve was going to pick the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge, why was God angry?

2. How did God choose the timing between Old Testament compliance to the "Law" and New Testament reliance on Christ? How do we correlate the difference between the two radically different concepts?

3. Was God a God of wrath in the Old Testament, then "realize his mistake" change his mind, and sent his Son to create the New Testament?

4.What about Job? Why was this righteous man allowed to suffer so much? Was it for God's amusement?

Here's how I see it. Being a supposed "logical person", I will seek to give what seems to me logical responses recognizing that perhaps "logic" has nothing whatsoever to do with it.

To me, it all centers around the "free will" concept.

God will not force us to do, say, or think anything. He wants us to accept Him on our own.

In Genesis, why was God angry at Adam and Eve? He was angry for their benefit, not for His. If free will was going to be the cornerstone of faith and obedience, then Man had to evolve at whatever pace it was that man had to evolve. When Man was deemed ready to handle it, He created the "Law", that is, the Ten Commandments, plus all of the additional laws contained in the Torah.

But God knew that Man would not be able to handle it, having been given the knowledge of both good and evil. All of the laws were impossible to keep 100% of the time. It was impossible NOT to sin in one form or another.

So when God, in His wisdom (not ours), deemed the timing to be right, he sent His only Son Jesus to the earth.

Jesus simplified things. He came to fulfill the Law. He was born so that he would die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins -- past, present, and future. All that was asked of us in return was to believe in Jesus.

Did that mean that we were now free to sin? No. But Christians believe that if we are baptized in Christ and through the Holy Spirit, our sinful natures are cast away. We will still sin, as it is still impossible not to, but our DESIRE to sin will no longer be there.

And we are under the Grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

God did not "realize his mistake". Everything was done in God's own timing for our ultimate benefit.

God is, has never been and never will be the source of evil in the world. That's Satan's "thing". God had a point to make to Satan, not to Job regarding Job's suffering. The point to Satan was: "You will ultimately lose".

If God is an all powerful, all knowing, and loving God, then why does He allow all of the suffering to go on in the world?

I don't have a definitive answer to that. But I'm fairly certain that this concept of "free will" ties into it.

I am certain that Satan is the author of all evil, and that he will be dealt with in God's own good time.

But it boils down, in the end, to faith. Faith in God. Faith in Christ. Faith that God, in the end has a plan for us, and that He loves us.

The Bible itself is the inspired word of God. It was also written in a way that people at that time could understand. People had no knowledge yet of the things that we know today. It was much simpler to tie things directly to God than to natural events (that God was responsible for anyway). Are some stories allegorical? Perhaps.

The Bible is the story of Man's evolution in our relationship with God.

But again, the most important thing is faith -- Faith in things unseen, and things that perhaps may never be explained to the complete satisfaction of Man.

I do agree completely with your assertion that "God is [not] (sic), has never been and never will be the source of evil in the world." So if God didn't make satan, then it follows that satan doesn't exist. It is not widely known these days, but there are a number of Christian denominations that do not believe in satan. Others do.

I think everyone needs to make a personal decision as to what God is or means and that others should respect that.

Satan was not always evil. He was known as Lucifer translated as the "Angel of Light".

Actually, I don't quite believe that God, being perfect, was capable of making a "flawed" angel either, but that is one way of viewing the whole free will controversy.

Thank you for your comments and your input Janet.
Regards,
Jim

A very nice précis of your ideas but if the source of the cosmic egg for the big bang is a mystery, so also is the source of God.

Ok. Fine. Then who created God? Thanks for the comment.
Regards,
Jim

It is so much easier to assimilate even without complete knowledge once you have had your own personal experience with Him, isn't it?

I have my days when I struggle with the unanswered questions, but as His child, I feel His presence and His love and again, as a "child", I know I can't begin to comprehend it all.

The thing is, people will never understand that God exists without meeting Him on a spiritual level. After that, denying Him is so much harder!

I have drifted away during certain times in my life, but I'm always drawn back. I remember a time my sister told me "Well, as long as you are angry at Him, you must know He's there!"

Thanks Karla. You're right, I think. I have my own questions, problems, and concerns just like most everyone -- but I know He's there. It seems to me, that God is not really the issue for most believers -- It's what Man SAYS about God. Being 2,000 years and more removed from the writing of the Bible, interpretations abound. Lots and lots of interpretations... That's why seeking a personal relationship is so important. What else can we do?
Regards,
Jim

I noticed right away that you didn't include the Kitchen sink here so I thought I would add it here to make things complete

One of the things I find helpful is to think outside of the box so that your spiritual life doesn't stagnate. One of the ways do to this is to search on Google for
Church Mission Statements

A search on Google for Baptist church mission statements for example yields about 348,000 results. By viewing these you can say, "I agree with that, I don't agree with that or there's a concept I hadn't thought about." You can do the same search with different denominational names.

Ya know... I totally forgot about the kitchen sink! Maybe next time (if I remember)...

Thanks for the advice. I've done that to some degree.

Regards,
Jim

Lot's of food for thought. I'm sure it will provoke another intel or two. I have something in mind right now

Thanks Jim. I really do appreciate it. What's funny is -- I thought the same thing: Three and a half stars!!!??? Oh well. Ya can't win them all.
Regards,
Jim

A well written intel with food for thought and inspiration, James. I gave you a 5 for Faith, as we all need our own, because that's all there is, that is our's.
Thank you for sharing.
Best wishes.
Frederick

Thank you so much, as always, Frederick. You're right, of course.
Regards,
Jim

Thank you so much for your comment and for your support.
Regards,
Jim

Thank you kind sir for your comment and for your support.
Regards,
Jim

This is a thought provoking intel. I am not personally a Christian, but do have spiritual beliefs. I think there are many roads to God and it matters not which one you take -- other than you take the one that seems right to you.

I guess we will all find out in the end -- one way or the other.

Thank you for your support and your comment.
Regards,
Jim

I had to make another comment, this time regarding the number of stars. I'll be giving it five, myself. I think that many people allot stars based on whether they personally believe in the content of the intel. That approach to rating is hugely unfair, in my opinion. Ratings should be based on research, quality and thoughtfulness, not whether I share the opinion.

June, I don't know what else to say except thank you. Thank you for the "fiver". Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your support.
Regards, Jim

Hey cool! Thanks! Maybe I can save them for a rainy day if I should write another crummy article...

How do you store these things anyway?

I use Starsaver 7.0 software. I can save up to 6000 stars on the Free version. If I get the upgraded version I can also save Unicorns, Leprechauns and Rainbows.

Great! 6,000 stars eh? That should last me... a week or two...

I too have given this intel 5 stars. I find it thoughtful, insightful, very well written, and you ask the question (and also may ask others to examine) to put principle and value on where you have your belief and faith currently.

My beliefs are very different to your intel but also believe it's very important in life, to be aware, respectful and provide value of ones opinions, whether one agrees or not.

I thank you, Jason, for your comment. I wrote this thing because I felt it was important to put my own 2 cents in to the series if intels and comments on this subject. It IS important to respect other people's viewpoints. If you are passionate about what you believe, extending grace to others who don't believe as you do is sometimes hard to do in an honest way. I will do my best. Thanks again for your support.
Regards,
Jim

Enjoyed reading your intel. I think it's good to learn of other's opinions and thoughts regarding religion, spirituality, and so forth. I think it's important to keep exploring and learning. I also agree with what June said about intel ratings, if someone disagrees or isn't interested in the topic, it gets a low rating. Oh, well.

Thank you very kindly for your comments and for your support. It is appreciated.
Regards,
Jim

seeking a personal relationship with God is most important and each does that in their own way. Your last sentence about faith is right on.

That's the key alright. I appreciate your comment and your support.
Regards,
Jim

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