The depiction of God, and morals

[Emli]

Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Otherwise, don't be surprised if I assume that is what you are doing.

Best wishes, Strivax.

It's what I did, but you weren't willing to understand it.

Of course you are. You clearly have a mind, and an intellect. Use it. It is what God gave it to you for. Genesis is irrelevant to this discussion.

Best wishes, Strivax.

No, Genesis is the perfect parable for this discussion. If you can't see that, then you have a bigger problem then I thought.

 

[Emli]

Emli, you have wisdom beyond your years. I am learning a lot from this thread.

Thank you! I don't know what to say.
All I do is listen to the Holy Spirit. God is awesome!

 

[Left]

Emli, you have wisdom beyond your years. I am learning a lot from this thread.

I'm just worried about Strivax. I am not going to make judgements on his faith, because that is against the rules, but Strivax's statements are something like an Agnostic Theist would say instead of a Christian. And I hope he finds the right way.

If it wasn't for two women on here, I would probably still be trusting a philosophy book or two ahead of the Bible. And that's wrong.

I was under the impression that me and Strivax started to have a mutual respect for each other. Well I say, if he truely respects me, he will listen to me when I say this:

"Listen to what Emli has to say. Take a deep breath, and relax. Maybe even get a cool drink from the fridge for yourself. Just enjoy the conversation."

 

[Strivax]

Oh dear. If you think I care whether I am 'saved' or not, you are entirely misguided. All I care about is the wellbeing of humanity, and of God (best served in our context by the wellbeing of humanity, since He loves us all), and if that condemns me to eternal damnation, then I am entirely prepared to go there, consenting.

That is twisting Scripture. He requires so much more from us than that.

Like what? I do not think I am twisting scripture, at all. Just extracting from it its most vital points.

That is twisting Scripture. And you are setting yourself up above God. Who are you to decide what are the most vital points of Scripture? Do you not believe that God is the one to judge that, and has a reason for every word that He has given us?

I do not often quote the Bible, preferring reason to mere assertion, but even Jesus thought this to be the most vital point of all the Scriptures*

But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

My case rests.

Best wishes, Strivax.

*Matthew 22:34-40 KJV

 

[CrystalDragon]

I feel like I agree with both of you, and I can take the middle ground. Apart from God, there are no morals and nothing good. We love, because He is love. He has written His law in our hearts. In all of us, in our DNA, not just when we are born again. We just usually choose not do follow it by our fallen nature.

There is a difference between measuring good and evil, and righteousness ans sin.

We can't do anything righteous by ourselves, because righteousness has to come from a deep love of God. We can do good works, even apart from Him, but they are still are like filthy rags compared to His goodness.

The problem is our intentions, not our actions, which could me measured as good or evil, according to the moral law. Do we do it for God, with and through God, to His glory, or for our own glory? That's the difference between righteousness and sin.

"Because He is love"?

Isn't there a point where love is defined by several traits and in some points in the Bible God is the exact opposite of those?

 

[Emli]

I do not often quote the Bible, preferring reason to mere assertion, but even Jesus thought this to be the most vital point of the Scriptures*
.

My case rests.

Best wishes, Strivax.

*Matthew 22:34-40 KJV

You cannot base your whole faith on this passage. It's one of the most misused passages in the Bible.

This passage does not mean what you think it means. 1. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, who basically was never acting in love towards their neighbors, but only in self love. They were testing Him. And He told them the one thing they didn't want to hear. 2. It tells us nothing about what Biblical love looks like, neither towards God or towards fellow man. It only sums up the law. We still need to read all of the other commandments, in order to achieve the kind of love that He requires of us. One that isn't based on our own righteousness, but on His righteousness.

Please take this to heart. And once again, context!

 

[Left]

"Because He is love"?

Isn't there a point where love is defined by several traits and in some points in the Bible God is the exact opposite of those?

God is love, and demonstrated it by dieing for us, but He is also just.

If you have any more questions, you can ask me. It would take some weight off Emli so she can continue to chat with Strivax.

 

[Emli]

"Because He is love"?

Isn't there a point where love is defined by several traits and in some points in the Bible God is the exact opposite of those?

How do you mean?

 

[PropheticTimes]

God is love, and demonstrated it by dieing for us, but He is also just.

I'm proud of you, Theory You are spot on, brother.

"Because He is love"?

Isn't there a point where love is defined by several traits and in some points in the Bible God is the exact opposite of those?

Above all, God is a holy and righteous God. Righteousness demands judgment.

 

[CrystalDragon]

I'm proud of you, Theory You are spot on, brother.




Above all, God is a holy and righteous God. Righteousness demands judgment.

Hell can barely be.called good judgement.

How do you mean?

It says love is patient, kind, does not boast, does not keep record of wrongs, etc. God commanded genocides (not kind), the book of Job has God technically "boast", and he keeps record of wrongs.

 

[PropheticTimes]

Hell can barely be.called good judgement.

It is perfect judgment for the unrepentant.

 

[Strivax]

That is twisting Scripture. He requires so much more from us than that.

You cannot base your whole faith on this passage. It's one of the most misused passages in the Bible.

This passage does not mean what you think it means. 1. Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, who basically was never acting in love towards their neighbors, but only in self love. They were testing Him. And He told them the one thing they didn't want to hear. 2. It tells us nothing about what Biblical love looks like, neither towards God or towards fellow man. It only sums up the law. We still need to read all of the other commandments, in order to achieve the kind of love that He requires of us. One that isn't based on our own righteousness, but on His righteousness.

Please take this to heart. And once again, context!

It's far more simple than that to me. Love God; love each other! It needs no formal exegesis, just being how Jesus insisted we should be. And I do base my whole faith on this passage, unapologetically. If we cannot get even these basics right, what hope have we for the rest of scripture? What is the point of, say, this morality, or that righteousness, or some justice, or a kindness, or a distinct mercy, if we do do not love each other enough to apply it to each other?

Best wishes, Strivax

 

[CrystalDragon]

God is love, and demonstrated it by dieing for us, but He is also just.

If you have any more questions, you can ask me. It would take some weight off Emli so she can continue to chat with Strivax.

I have way too many questions, you sure you wouldn't mind?

 

[CrystalDragon]

It is perfect judgment for the unrepentant.

Which is apparently just not believing even if you live in an area where you were never taught of Christianity.

 

[Left]

Hell can barely be.called good judgement.




It says love is patient, kind, does not boast, does not keep record of wrongs, etc. God commanded genocides (not kind), the book of Job has God technically "boast", and he keeps record of wrongs.

The real question is: On judgement day, will you be prepared?

Be careful not to get lost in philosophy, dear sister. It can really take away from your faith.

 

[Left]

I have way too many questions, you sure you wouldn't mind?

I doubt it. I can answer the simpler things like "Jesus is infinite, because it takes an infinite to overcome the distance between man and God."

 

[CrystalDragon]

The real question is: On judgement day, will you be prepared?

Be careful not to get lost in philosophy, dear sister. It can really take away from your faith.

Reading parts of the Bible and learning its history has done more faith-damage for me than anything.

 

[PropheticTimes]

Crystal, I have serious question for you - Think of the person you love most. If someone were to brutally torture and murder that person and the killer was caught and didn't care one bit about what he did or the pain he caused, what would you want done? What would your idea of justice be?

 

[CrystalDragon]

I doubt it. I can answer the simpler things like "Jesus is infinite, because it takes an infinite to overcome the distance between man and God."

I thought Jesus wasn't infinite since even he didn't know when the world would end.

 

[PropheticTimes]

I thought Jesus wasn't infinite since even he didn't know when the world would end.

That doesn't make Him not infinite. Only the Father has that knowledge.