Confused about the character of God

[ilikecatsalot]

Hi everyone,

I'm really discouraged and confused.
I've been exchanging about christian issues with a christian pastor and some of the things he said or which he brought up
really confused me.

We were talking about healing and wether God wants to heal and why christians don't get healed and he brought up the example
of the blind man about whom Jesus said that he was born blind so that God would be glorified through his healing.

How do we interpret this? Does this mean that God PURPOSEFULLY made a human being to be born blind ONLY so that later on He (Jesus)
could heal him and glorify God?

I'm sorry, but to me this sounds really perverted.

I can't deal with this. It's simply disturbing. Is this really what Jesus meant? I hope not, but at the same time I worry what if God really is like
that?

What if God is simply "different" and we simply cannot understand His heart? To me this is totally depressing.

Is it possible that God does things which I think are perverted and simply disturbing?


Another example which my friend brought up is Job. I know Job but I haven't really thought about him for a long time. It's not a story which
I enjoy. When he mentioned Job I automatically got all my questions back which I struggled with in the past, when thinking about the book of Job.

I simply can't make sense of it and interpret Job in a way which does not disturb me.

When I imagine that God more or let made a bet with satan about wether Job would stick to his faith or not and what was at stake was Job's relatives
who all lost their lives, then this is totally disturbing to me.

Would God really do this? Would God allow people to get killed ONLY to prove something and win a bet?!


I don't know, all of this is so dragging me down. I just don't know how God really is and I hate being torn between opinions of others and my own
thoughts.

But can you really feel close to God and really trust God when AT THE SAME TIME you struggle with such thoughts and worry that God could do
things which are disturbing to you?

This only scares me and makes me feel alienated from God.

 

[ilikecatsalot]

I don't know, all of this is so dragging me down. I just don't know how God really is and I hate being torn between opinions of others and my own
thoughts.

But can you really feel close to God and really trust God when AT THE SAME TIME you struggle with such thoughts and worry that God could do
things which are disturbing to you?

This only scares me and makes me feel alienated from God.

I'm so tired of this. Depending on who I listen to my picture of God changes. If I listen to a sermon which is uplifting and about God's love
then I feel good and feel like God is benign and positive.
When I listen to a sermon which somehow scares me or disturbes me, like talking about the book of Job, then my picture of God instantly
becomes negative and I feel distanced from God. It's like this all the time.

There's no stability. How could there be stability? How shall I ever be able to understand how God is?

I'm not even sure if God really wants to be understood. Is it meant this way, that christians are always in the dark and God stays nebulous and
incomprehensible?

This is so discouraging.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Hi everyone,

I'm really discouraged and confused.
I've been exchanging about christian issues with a christian pastor and some of the things he said or which he brought up
really confused me.

We were talking about healing and wether God wants to heal and why christians don't get healed and he brought up the example
of the blind man about whom Jesus said that he was born blind so that God would be glorified through his healing.

How do we interpret this? Does this mean that God PURPOSEFULLY made a human being to be born blind ONLY so that later on He (Jesus)
could heal him and glorify God?

I'm sorry, but to me this sounds really perverted.

I can't deal with this. It's simply disturbing. Is this really what Jesus meant? I hope not, but at the same time I worry what if God really is like
that?

What if God is simply "different" and we simply cannot understand His heart? To me this is totally depressing.

Is it possible that God does things which I think are perverted and simply disturbing?


Another example which my friend brought up is Job. I know Job but I haven't really thought about him for a long time. It's not a story which
I enjoy. When he mentioned Job I automatically got all my questions back which I struggled with in the past, when thinking about the book of Job.

I simply can't make sense of it and interpret Job in a way which does not disturb me.

When I imagine that God more or let made a bet with satan about wether Job would stick to his faith or not and what was at stake was Job's relatives
who all lost their lives, then this is totally disturbing to me.

Would God really do this? Would God allow people to get killed ONLY to prove something and win a bet?!


I don't know, all of this is so dragging me down. I just don't know how God really is and I hate being torn between opinions of others and my own
thoughts.

But can you really feel close to God and really trust God when AT THE SAME TIME you struggle with such thoughts and worry that God could do
things which are disturbing to you?

This only scares me and makes me feel alienated from God.

The interpretation given to you by your Pastor is wrong. He was not purposely born blind to prove God's power, it is the opposite. God's power was shown through a man born blind. Logic tells us God is not the author of confusion. Blessings.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

It is true that none of us truly understand God. Even once we will be in eternity with Him, we will not be able to comprehand Him. How can finite beings understand the infinite God?

But we can umderstand what He revealed about Himslef to us. God is just and cannot do wrong, He is Holy and cannot do evil. Even when it might look like not, God will always do what is just.

The biggest reveal we had about God was through His Son on the cross, such undeserved love for us, the sinners. If you ever doubt God, just look on the cross.

There are many difficult passages in the Bible that we don't understand, but God does not expect to us understand everything, just that we trust Him.

God does also whatever He wants and does not answer to anyone, but we have to answer to God. Does He allow evil so He can show His love and mercy? Yes. Does He create evil? No.

Many times I see people, including Christiands (myself also) questioning God. It's ok to ask but not question God. We are not the judge but He is. We often judge Him, but one day the tables will turn and He will judge us. And He will judge our deeds and ask us why we did not obey, worship and love Him.

For me personally the hardest thing was accepting God's sovereignity. He is in control of everything, even the hair on your head. He has control over demons and commands them as He pleases. The reason why I struggled with this is because I had a false image of God in my head, placing limits on Him, but now I understand God can do whatever He wants and He asks no one and I am just a dust.

Now back to your struggles about the blind man and Job. I know it's difficult and easy for me to say, but does God have not right to do what ever He wants with His creation? I was an atheist in 2018 when I started to have health issues so severe I would barely hear in my right ear, would randomly collapse and hit my head, wouldnt eat, could barely sleep due to loud tinnitus and other health problems, I thought I was going to die. Then I've got saved through this. Then shortly after I was diagnosed with a massive brain tumour, pressing on my brain, that could have killed me anytime. I had a succesful surgery, but I am deaf in my right ear, have tinnitus, half my face is paralysed, I cannot smile, I cannot speak properly, but I thank God He allowed it, because through my most difficult time, He revealed His love to me. It's when I knew there was no help to me, He showed me He is a Saviour. What good would it be if I was fully healthy if I wouldn't know my Saviour? And I believe this was also the case with the blind man.

 

[nightmares]

Incorrect Ivan

Humanity deserves love

What humanity does not deserve is hateful nonsense like we deserve death or suffering and dying because a whiny fallen angel threw a tantrum

 

[dwb001]

Incorrect Ivan

Humanity deserves love

What humanity does not deserve is hateful nonsense like we deserve death or suffering and dying because a whiny fallen angel threw a tantrum

Why would humanity deserve love?

Do you read history?

What humanity has done has never been loving nor deserving of love.

Wars, slavery, drugs, theft, crimes of all flavors, hatred, racism, violent outbursts. Show me the lovable humanity.

 

[Diamond7]

aWe were talking about healing and wether God wants to heal and why christians don't get healed and he brought up the example
of the blind man about whom Jesus said that he was born blind so that God would be glorified through his healing.

Jesus was answering a question. Who sinned? The answer to the question is no one sinned. You are reading a lot into this that is not there. We are told "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor." (Matthew 11:15) This is the condition people are in when God is not a part of their lives.

There are three situations when a person was healed. First was when his boss interceded for him. Then there was the man whos friends interceded for him and the time when a parent interceded for a child. This is simply the condition people are in when God is not a part of their lives. Their spiritual blindness becomes manifest in a physical way. We need to be very careful that our nervous condition does not manifest itself as a physical condition. The law of attraction people talk about this a lot.

If people grumble and complain and accuse God, then they should not expect anything good is going to come out of their negative thinking and their negative condition. What may appear random to us might be part of a divine order that we cannot fully comprehend.

In the context of healing and well-being, many faiths emphasize the importance of a positive mindset, gratitude, and faith in a higher power. This positive outlook and trust in a higher purpose are believed to influence one's well-being and outcomes positively.

Christianity, for example, often emphasizes the power of faith, gratitude, and praise in one's relationship with God. Believers are encouraged to maintain a hopeful and positive attitude, trusting in God's plan and giving thanks even in challenging circumstances.

The last thing people should do is grumble, complain and accuse God. They should give Him thanks and praise, honor and Glory when they come to see the true nature of God that He is good all of the time in every situation.

People need to put on the Mind of Christ and discern the thoughts of God. We need to quit trying to understand from a human perspective.

 

[Diamond7]

Wars, slavery, drugs, theft, crimes of all flavors, hatred, racism, violent outbursts. Show me the lovable humanity.

The amazing thing is that all things work together for good. For them that love God and are called according to HIs purpose. When people are not following God's plan and purpose for them, that is when they have all these issues and problems. They want to blame God when the opposite is true. They have these problems because God is not a part of them and their lives.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Incorrect Ivan

Humanity deserves love

What humanity does not deserve is hateful nonsense like we deserve death or suffering and dying because a whiny fallen angel threw a tantrum

Deserve love for what? Constantly sinning against God? Wages for sin is death, God said.

If you want to see what our nature is...look what we done to the Son of God...we crucified Him, but yeah sure we deserve love for that.

 

[Neogaia777]

Hi everyone,

I'm really discouraged and confused.
I've been exchanging about christian issues with a christian pastor and some of the things he said or which he brought up
really confused me.

We were talking about healing and wether God wants to heal and why christians don't get healed and he brought up the example
of the blind man about whom Jesus said that he was born blind so that God would be glorified through his healing.

How do we interpret this? Does this mean that God PURPOSEFULLY made a human being to be born blind ONLY so that later on He (Jesus)
could heal him and glorify God?

I'm sorry, but to me this sounds really perverted.

I can't deal with this. It's simply disturbing. Is this really what Jesus meant? I hope not, but at the same time I worry what if God really is like
that?

What if God is simply "different" and we simply cannot understand His heart? To me this is totally depressing.

Is it possible that God does things which I think are perverted and simply disturbing?


Another example which my friend brought up is Job. I know Job but I haven't really thought about him for a long time. It's not a story which
I enjoy. When he mentioned Job I automatically got all my questions back which I struggled with in the past, when thinking about the book of Job.

I simply can't make sense of it and interpret Job in a way which does not disturb me.

When I imagine that God more or let made a bet with satan about wether Job would stick to his faith or not and what was at stake was Job's relatives
who all lost their lives, then this is totally disturbing to me.

Would God really do this? Would God allow people to get killed ONLY to prove something and win a bet?!


I don't know, all of this is so dragging me down. I just don't know how God really is and I hate being torn between opinions of others and my own
thoughts.

But can you really feel close to God and really trust God when AT THE SAME TIME you struggle with such thoughts and worry that God could do
things which are disturbing to you?

This only scares me and makes me feel alienated from God.

God sometimes creates certain individual cases in which He will be glorified in the future, but most certainly does not do this in every single case, and in fact, the individual cases for which He does do it, or set it up for the future sometimes, are very, very much extremely, extremely rare, and He also does not try the same case twice, or do double jeopardy either.

It is based on His foreknowledge, and what He can see in the future. Like with Jesus and the blind man with whom Jesus said was born blind so the He (God) would get the glory for it through Jesus, it was based on God's being able to foresee that that man would come across Jesus path in the future, and get healed of his blindness by Jesus, but this does not mean God caused all others to be blind, or be born blind, etc, but that was just only in that one single case, etc, and it was the same thing with Job, it was just that one case, which after that, would be settled, and would not ever have to be done in anyone's case by God, ever, ever again, etc.

I know Job lost some of his loved ones, but they did just return or go back to God, and I'm very, very sure that Job, and all of us going to heaven, will all get to see them all again someday, or when we get to heaven eventually, etc.

But God does not cause every single case, and it's very, very much extremely rare when He does cause a case for which He will be glorified, and will get all of the glory for it in the end.

Most things are just a consequence of sin, or for being in a bad and evil and wicked and sinful fallen world or reality, which was not what God originally had in mind when He created the world, or ever originally intended originally, etc.

God Bless.

P.S. I love cats very, very much also. I have two very, very spoiled, and very, very much loved, babies of my own that I love very, very much dearly.

God Bless.

 

[Neogaia777]

@ilikecatsalot

And about God's character, God is Love, but both His character, and His Love, is very, very much closer to human Love than many would like to think, etc, but it still will ultimately prevail, and overtake all in the end.

God Bless.

 

[Aaron112]

I'm so tired of this. Depending on who I listen to my picture of God changes. If I listen to a sermon which is uplifting and about God's love
then I feel good and feel like God is benign and positive.

Yahweh, The Creator, is never benign, and He is rarely if ever recognized by the world/ flesh/ natural man as "positive", since the natural man is opposed to Him, the natural man is naturally dwelling in and remaining in sin, opposed to all that is good and right and truth.

 

[nightmares]

It's past time Christians stopped acting like Satan and focused on the good that humans do

 

[dwb001]

It's past time Christians stopped acting like Satan and focused on the good that humans do

What good?????????????????

 

[nightmares]

Your irrational hate of humanity is disturbing

 

[Aaron112]

The Creator hates the heart that is full of perversion.

 

[Aaron112]

This only scares me and makes me feel alienated from God.

Man (and women) is born of the flesh, so is flesh, automatically and indubitably alieanted from God naturally - it is the normal condition of mankind. So nothing "made" someone alieanted from God - they all are ,
unless redeemed by Jesus.

 

[trophy33]

Deserve love for what? Constantly sinning against God? Wages for sin is death, God said.

If you want to see what our nature is...look what we done to the Son of God...we crucified Him, but yeah sure we deserve love for that.

This looks like you are believing in a collective guilt - some humans do evil, therefore humanity as such deserve bad things to happen to them.

 

[nightmares]

This looks like you are believing in a collective guilt. Some humans do evil, therefore humanity as such deserve bad things to happen to them.

Yeah plus there's a major contradiction in his argument. We're blamed for crucifying Jesus but without that there is no resurrection and Christianity

 

[trophy33]

Yeah plus there's a major contradiction in his argument. We're blamed for crucifying Jesus but without that there is no resurrection and Christianity

I am not sure how I can be blamed for crucifying Jesus. I was not alive back then. We need to see humans as individuals, not as some ugly collective organism.