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Yeah I suppose so. It seems all the paths eventually lead back to the Bible, which is why so many debates rage on about its authenticity and interpretation.
I guess you're saying that God is satisfied that by telling the people through the Bible that he created the world and that he lives eternally is sufficient. There is no need to reinforce it further.
Its an answer, but leaves me a bit disappointed.
In another post, some of you were good enough to explain that the Bible is the only way in which one can find God.
I realise that you won't be wanting to second guess God's methods, but does the Bible give any reasons as to why he doesn't make his existence obvious to everyone, even us folk living all these years after Jesus died?
The evidence of Yahweh in creation is ongoing and the person who searches for the being resonsible for the Universe will find Yahweh. ie.
Creation makes Yahweh self evident.
As the search for Yahweh continues He reveals Himself through personal experiences and I see no reason He should constantly reveal Himself to people who don't want to know Him.
It is an interesting response! If you have not done it before, I cannot imagine how it would be familiar. Jesus said "work hard to enter through the narrow gate, because wide is the road leading to destruction and many go that way" - what I see relevant to you here, make sure you settle for nothing but the real thing. That is, get to know Him and don't get distracted by theoretical knowledge.
... The problem is that the human race evolved out of animals and we still have the animal mind clouding our reason with its passions, appetites, emotions, and biases. So we are like 5 year olds trying to learn about calculus; most of it goes over our head until we have done the ground work and built up the capacity to understand the more complex matters.
Hence how the Gospel of John speaks of "light" coming into the world, and of the Logos.
... To see order in the universe is to see God, the Logos, at work.
Is that not a reason for him to make his presence more obvious?
That, and the evidence of the Universe itself.
All humans are bound to the covenants which require faith for them to be saved. If God makes Himself more obviously it could only mean that humans may not have the faith specified in those covenants to be saved.
It is obvious.
To make it more obvious would mean it no longer is what it is - ie: it would require God to not be God.
Would you mind explaining why another appearance from God would require him to not be God?
Does that mean he can't become more obvious, or did I get that wrong?
I had confused and combined two similar statements, so it is best to look at the exact statements now that you are questioning what I said. Matthew 9:13,14 and Luke 13:22-27.Again, that seems to be saying to me that its a difficult path to follow and a very specific one.
So this is a different situation than that presented in Matthew, where Jesus is directly answering someone's question. Again, He has used the image "narrow" door, but He is not speaking about the wide gate "alternative" path that most people choose. Notice here, He has used the words "make every effort" (I said "work hard" - probably I remember this from a different translation), where He did not say this in the previous statement. Also you can see that here He is saying that many people try to enter, but they are not able to. He did not say that in the previous statement. That might contribute to your answer of my question above:22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?
He said to them, 24 Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, Sir, open the door for us.
But he will answer, I dont know you or where you come from.
26 Then you will say, We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.
27 But he will reply, I dont know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!
I would refer again to John 10:1, since the answer seems quite clear there. Are you sure you don't see the answer there? That would surprise me, I expect actually that a 6 year old would understand it intuitively, and that would prompt me to investigate whether you are resisting it. Maybe just think about it a bit, then let me know why you are not seeing how it answers this question. Maybe you are so foreign to the concepts of Christianity that some other fundamental understanding is required, and we should be able to address that quickly. I don't know your history either, I have just met you, though you seem like a familiar person, but the level of knowledge you are showing us does not correspond to anyone I am thinking of. Maybe you just have a similar attitude and manner of speech.It doesn't seem to explain why he doesn't make it absolutely clear that he is here, which would make us so much more prepared to try and enter the narrow gate.
I don't think a physical appearance is always necessary to be noticed. I would rather ask, since He claims to "stand at the door and knock", why are you not opening the door to Him? (Some do. Often it is a difficult decision. You probably should seek to understand their various experiences of accepting Him, if you are interested).Why is he physically not standing next to the road, showing us where that narrow gate is?
Hmmm, I think it would be fairer to say some people do. Not everyone. There does not seem to be the guarantee implied by "will".
Not to everyone. Don't many find that it makes some other deity evident?
Why does he insist on personal experiences? The reason for constantly revealing himself is that it would then give something like 5 billion people a fairer opportunity to make the right decisions in their lives. Many of these don't even know he exists, so its unfair to say they don't want to know him, don't you think?
In what way could God reveal Himself to you so that you would know and believe that He is truly the eternal, uncreated Creator of all things, and not some lesser being such as a highly evolved alien intelligence simply pretending to be God?
Once you understand that God must be received in faith, not through empirical proof,
I would refer again to John 10:1, since the answer seems quite clear there. Are you sure you don't see the answer there? That would surprise me, I expect actually that a 6 year old would understand it intuitively, and that would prompt me to investigate whether you are resisting it. Maybe just think about it a bit, then let me know why you are not seeing how it answers this question. Maybe you are so foreign to the concepts of Christianity that some other fundamental understanding is required, and we should be able to address that quickly.
I don't think a physical appearance is always necessary to be noticed. I would rather ask, since He claims to "stand at the door and knock", why are you not opening the door to Him? (Some do. Often it is a difficult decision. You probably should seek to understand their various experiences of accepting Him, if you are interested).
Ask and it shall be given unto thee.
See and ye shall find.
Knock and the door shall be opened unto thee.
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