Tag: God

It’s one of the most difficult Christian teachings to grasp – that God is a Trinity – that He is THREE but also ONE. This difficulty, added to the fact that it is one of the least understood Christian teachings, also makes it one of the most criticised.  Some groups, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Latter Day Saints and Christian Scientists, say it’s simply not true.  But the Trinity is one of the most important Christian teachings and is foundational to all other major doctrines of the Christian faith.  For example, if God is not triune then Jesus is not God. If Jesus isn’t God then he wasn’t sinless.  If he weren’t sinless he would have had to die for his own sins and not ours.  If this were the case no one could be forgiven and reconciled to God.  And on it goes.

While the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, the concept is.  It comes from two words – “tris” meaning “three” and “unus” meaning “one.”  God is one but He is expressed in three distinct personalities – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) God revealed Himself as a plurality in the very first chapter of the Bible when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Two chapters later, “the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us.”  We find God speaking in plural form all the way through Genesis (cf. 11:7; 18:1-2,10,13-14) and using plural names like Elohim and Adonai.

In the New Testament there are literally dozens of references to the Trinity.  Some of the more profound ones are:

  • The baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17)
  • The great commission (Matthew 28:19)
  • The promise of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17)
  • The gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
  • The benediction (2 Corinthians 13:14)
  • The plan of redemption (Hebrews 9:14)
  • The love of God (1 John 4:16)

This last point is very interesting when we consider that “God is love.”  By its very nature love needs an object in order to exist. In the eternity before God created, perfect love existed between the members of the Godhead (theotés): the personal and extremely relational God who is clearly seen in the person of Jesus (Colossians 2:9).

The teaching of the Trinity simply states that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are three distinct persons who make up one God.  The Father is God (John 6:27); the Son is God (Matthew 1:23, “Emmanuel – which means, God with us.”) and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:1-4).

I’ve heard a number of illustrations over the years that help us grasp the concept of the Trinity.  A family can consist of a mother, father and a child – three distinct persons but one family.  A musical chord is made up of three different notes – three sounds that make up one sound.  Water can exist as a liquid, a gas and a vapor but it’s all H20.  The sun gives us light, heat and radiation; three distinct aspects, but only one sun.  If we were to use maths, God would not be 1+1+1=3 but rather 1x1x1=1.

While any illustration ultimately falls short of fully describing the Trinity, all of these are helpful for us as limited human beings to grasp something of an infinite and eternal God.  And that’s important to remember. Would a god that I could fully explain to you be worth knowing?  How can a finite mind fully grasp an infinite God?  It would be easier to fit the Pacific Ocean into a teacup!

But there is one thing more important than knowing about God, and that’s knowing God.  And that’s why Jesus came.  God in human form – “with us” – that we might know Him.

The most frequently asked question about the Christian faith goes something like this: “If God is real why do we see so much suffering and evil in the world?”  It’s a fair question and one that deserves some good answers.  I mean if God is really that powerful, really sovereign, really in control then why doesn’t He do something about the pain and suffering of people?

It needs to be realised that people cause the vast majority of suffering on planet Earth.  God took a risk and gave humans freewill.  We have the ability to make choices.  Some people choose well, others don’t.  The bad choices some people make invariably impact on others causing pain and suffering.

Ultimately God is sovereign and He is moving history in the right direction.  His plan will eventually be fulfilled and His goodness will cover the earth.  But in the meantime we are not exempt from the pain that is inflicted when people do the wrong thing or good people do nothing.  When it comes to the day-to-day happenings in this world it should be noted, “God is in charge but not in control.”  In fact He has delegated the control of this world to people.

Right at the beginning of time He gave the responsibility of governing and controlling creation to human beings (Genesis 1:28).  So are we doing a good job?  Sometimes “yes” and sometimes “no.”  For example, Bono writes, “Extreme poverty has been cut in half in the last 20 years, and the facts show that we can get it to virtually zero within a generation – but only if we act.”  That’s right, good people taking charge can end poverty in the next few decades.  So instead of blaming God for suffering what are YOU doing to make a difference?  The same can be said about other major issues of caring for the earth and its people: reducing pollution, caring for the environment, conservation, praying and work for peace and justice amongst people and nations, economic justice and equality between rich and poor, male and female; racial equality for people of marginalised races; protection for refugees and asylum seekers and so on.

These are not merely political issues, they are deeply important matters that should concern all of us who pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven – for those of us who want to see things continue to improve on this planet as they have done for centuries.  That’s right, the world is actually becoming a better place, and if you don’t believe me then read history!

All of the above still doesn’t account for the suffering that is NOT caused by people.  For example, what about natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, bush fires, volcanoes, tsunamis, avalanches and extreme weather events?  While I don’t pretend to have all the answers to these complex scientific occurrences, there’s one thing I’d like to put forward about such phenomena, that is, “every blessing has a shadow side”.  What I mean by that is the very things we enjoy on this planet also have the ability to harm us.

I love trees.  I appreciate their colour against a blue sky; I love their shade on warm days; and I breathe the oxygen they create.  Trees play a role in the formation of rain and wind.  Strong winds can cause large tree limbs to break.  Sometimes these fall on people and cause injury and death.

Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates move.  If the earth were solid, rather than being made up of plates that move, life, as we know it could never have survived.  Earthquakes and volcanoes have been responsible for creating countries (such as Japan) and the stunning mountain ranges we enjoy.  People can ski on many of these mountains.  Sometimes avalanches happen causing injury and death.  Some people love climbing mountains.  Occasionally they die trying.

Volcanoes occur when magma erupts through a weakness in the earth’s crust (invariably as a result of an earthquake).  Volcanoes wouldn’t happen if the earth were cooler.  But if this were the case the cooling would remove the magnetic shield around earth that protects the planet from cosmic radiation.  The result would be out of control global warming, an increase in solar rays that are believed to cause cancer, and extensive solar winds that could dry out rivers, lakes and seas.  There goes your fishing, boating and surfing.

Floods cause havoc.  They destroy homes, livestock and people’s lives. They also create an explosion of new plant and animal life, rejuvenate river systems, fill dams to give us an abundant supply of fresh water, give agricultural land a complete soaking to prepare it for bumper crops, recharge groundwater systems, fill wetlands and increase fish production because of nutrients supplied by the land during flooding.  Likewise bushfires, as devastating as they are to human and animal life, are also necessary for the rejuvenation of vegetation.  In fact some plants actually need heat and smoke to release their seeds.

The gravity that keeps us on the planet also enables fatal falls; the fire that warms also burns; the water in which we swim can also drown.

Tragedies happen and the suffering of people should never be downplayed.  These are opportunities for humanity to come together, to help one another, to be our best selves.  A wonderful example of this was the devastating 2004 Asian Tsunami that claimed up to 280,000 lives.  It prompted a worldwide humanitarian response in which a number of countries gave more than $18 billion in aid and helped in rebuilding the worst effected nations.

Finally, if God were to remove all evil from the world where would He start and finish?  Should He just get rid of the big-ticket bad guys like Isis and Al-Qaida?  Or should he also deal with people who speed and cause accidents?  Have you ever exceeded the speed limit?  Should He get rid of you?

I’m currently teaching a series on The Lord’s Prayer at Bayside Church and one of the questions that arose early in the series concerned the masculinity of God: “Because God reveals Himself to us as Our Father does that mean that God is a man?”  I addressed this with our church last weekend because I understand that some people struggle with the fatherhood or maleness of God because they’ve had negative experiences with their own father (being unkind, absent or distant) or with men.  It’s then easy to bring these negative feelings into – and hinder – our relationship with God.  So how can we best navigate through these challenges?

Firstly it needs to be understood that the Bible uses something limited (words, languages, symbols, metaphors) to attempt to describe a divine person who is limitless.  Any description of God in Scripture automatically falls short of who God really is and what He is really like.

Secondly Scripture reveals that God is NOT a man but rather a Spirit (Numbers 23:19a; John 4:24) but that does not mean that God is genderless.  Going back to the Creation story in Genesis reveals the truth of this, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have … So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV).  A simple reading of these verses infers that God is both male AND female and basically divided those two distinctions into men and women when they were created.  That means the coming together of a man and a woman in marriage actually completes the nature of God in a relationship like no other bond can do.  That’s why the husband and wife become “one flesh”.

In the Bible God uses both masculine and feminine terms and attributes when describing “His” nature.  God seems quite comfortable equating Himself to a great warrior and a husband, but also as a child bearer (1 John 3:9), a seamstress, as well as cooking and cleaning a house.  God is pictured as the female figure of Wisdom: creating, ordering, and saving the world (Proverbs 1:20-21).  Jesus is even called “the Wisdom of God” in the New Testament and the Holy Spirit is often presented in female metaphors including the birthing process, consoling, comforting, and travailing in childbirth, emotional warmth and inspiration.  The Syriac church actually used the feminine pronoun for the Holy Spirit until 400 AD.

Both pictures of God are put together in two adjacent verses in Isaiah 42, “The Lord will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury.  He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.   He will say, “I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained myself. But now, like a woman in labor, I will cry and groan and pant” (Vs. 13-14 NLT).

Jesus emphasizes the feminine when He laments over Jerusalem, “How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matt. 23:37b NKJV).

One of the most frequently used names for God in the Hebrew Scriptures, El-Shaddai, encompasses both male and female genders.  El means God and “Shaddai” (a name borrowed from one of the pagan goddesses of the Canaanites) is usually translated (I believe wrongly) as “Almighty”.  It is more likely that “Shaddai” was an attribute of a Semitic goddess linking the name to the Hebrew word for breast.  Thus El-Shaddai could just as easily be translated “the god of the breast” (or “the womb”).  This was God’s revelation to Abram who would become “Father of many nations” and Sarai who would become “Princess of a multitude”.  God’s revelation in this name is of all sufficiency to nurture the nation of Israel to fruitfulness like a nursing mother would do for her children.  God used this name for 500 years from Abraham to Moses at which time He started using the Name YHWH (Yahweh, Jehovah) a prophetic name promising who God will be from that time on, “I am He who will be …”

But the first thing God said by way of self-revelation to Moses was that He is “compassionate” a word based on the Hebrew root for “womb”.  God’s love and compassion for us is like that which a mother has for her child.  God has a mother’s kind of love for “His” own.  Throughout the Bible, God progressively reveals more and more of His nature and character until the ultimate revelation of the Name that Jesus taught us to hallow, “Our Father”.

Author Aaron Armstrong says, “God is quite comfortable referring to Himself using or inspiring the use of both feminine and masculine characteristics, even if it makes some of us uncomfortable.” (Article Ref: Is there anything wrong with calling God she?).

It’s true that God is presented in the Bible as “He,” but this word does not demand precisely the same thing it does when used of human beings.  Some people have suggested we ought to change the biblical references to God as Father from masculine to a designation that is non-gender specific like parent or to refer to God as He and She.  While I understand where they are coming from I disagree.  To play around with different pronouns can become cumbersome semantics.  God has chosen to reveal Himself in the Bible with masculine pronouns, but uses both male and female metaphors to enrich our understanding of His nature.  All of these words, names and descriptions are helpful, but ultimately inadequate in aiding us to fully understand an eternal, limitless, all-powerful being.  When it comes to God, we need to learn to live with mystery, awe and wonder and not get caught up in word games.

Ah, the eternal question – Is there a God or isn’t there? And, if there is, how do we know that he (or she or it or they) exists? Of course there are those who categorically say there is no God. We call them atheists (a = without; theos = god). In my teen years I called myself an atheist until I realised that to do so was to say that I knew everything. How did I know that God didn’t exist outside of my knowledge? Atheists, if they are honest with themselves, will realise this flaw in their logic and upgrade themselves to agnostics – those who are not sure if there is a God or not (a = without; gnosis = knowledge).

At the age of 19, through a number of dramatic incidences, I realised that I had been wrong. God did in fact exist – and that he was not just real but loving, caring and personal. Now, 32 years later – and a whole lot wiser – I am living my life to help others know this loving, caring, personal God. It is my hope that this blog will help you in this discovery. I believe there are four basic ways we can know that God exists:

Creation
“Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities … have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20).

The internet features a number of sites that instruct you on how to make a model of the Solar System. Imagine that you made such a model and then invited a friend around to watch it in action. Of course your friend would be amazed at this phenomenal working model of the real thing – planets rotating on an axis and all revolving around the sun. He may ask, “Who made this?”  You answer: “No one made it!”  Would he believe you? Of course not! Someone had to make it. How is it that we can look at the real thing and believe that it’s a random-chance accident with no designer or creator

Conscience
“Since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness.” (Romans 2:15)

Human beings are set apart from the animal and plant kingdoms in many ways – not least by the existence of the human conscience. We are not just aware of our existence but we are also very aware of what is right and what is wrong.  On the basis of this we have established an entire system of justice, reward and punishment.

Christ
“In these last days he (God) has spoken to us by his Son…”(Hebrews 1:2)
“Jesus answered: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”(John 14:9)

How easy it would have been for God to remain aloof and distant from His creation.  But God came to earth as a human being … Jesus! Jesus’ existence is a historical fact reported not just by the Bible but also by secular historians like Josephus. Jesus not only claimed that God existed but that He was in fact God in human form!

Change
“We…are being transformed into his likeness.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) When I became a Christian at the age of 19 a radical transformation took place in my life – and that transformation process is still happening. Right now on planet earth there are billions of people who call themselves Christian.  Many of these people have experienced this same transformation.  No, we’re not perfect, but our lives have been changed for the better and, through us, this world is a better place.

God really exists.  He really loves you. Why not love Him back!

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To have only rules leads to rebellion, fear and seclusion.  To have only relationship leads to over familiarity, insecurity and out-of-control behaviour.  Let’s face it; we’ve all had experiences with people whose children have no rules – only relationship.  These people seem to be totally unaware of how obnoxious their kids really are – and why they’re rarely invited a second time!

Right from the beginning God has been interested in relationship with rules.  With the first humans he enjoyed perfect relationship, but there were also rules to be observed (see Genesis 2-3).  When the rules were broken the relationship was changed – and not for the better.

Throughout time God has sought to be in fellowship with people.  The Bible is an account of many of these relationships as well as the rules that were to be followed to make sure the relationships were protected.  The Ten Commandments, which really are still the foundation of any healthy society, are a classic example of this.  Let’s face it relationships are never at their best when things like adultery, lying, covetousness and stealing are prevalent.

About two thousand years ago God visited planet earth in human form – the person we know as Jesus.  His purpose?  To let people know he is still interested in having relationship with them.  But, just like it was in the beginning, this relationship comes with rules, one rule in fact, to love (John 13:34).  This love is to be directed towards God as well as to others: Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-40).  Love God and love others.  As the apostle Paul says, “He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10).

The beginning of a New Year is a great time to reassess our lives and to make sure that both of these ingredients – rules and relationship – are in their proper place.  Is your walk with God a legalistic one?  If so, realise afresh that his main desire for you is to be in relationship with him, to enjoy his presence and blessing in your life.

Conversely though, it is vital that we don’t slip into the error of antinomianism: a sixteenth century term coined by Martin Luther to describe those who believed that the Gospel frees us from required obedience to any law.  A Christian walk without rules leads to a sloppy, feel good, experience-based faith.  If that describes you then it’s time to remind yourself of what the Lord requires, to repent and to live your life by his timeless rules.

Rules and relationship: let’s hold these timeless truths in balance like the two wings on a plane.  That’s the best way to fly straight as we head into the wonderful future God has planned for all his people.

 

I believe the Bible gives us four principles that help us discover what God’s will is for our life:
Firstly, we need to ask the question, “What does the word say?”  The word of God is the will of God.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  In other words, the Bible illuminates where we are right now as well as where we need to walk into the immediate future.  The Bible gives us general guidelines for decision-making so study it!  Know it!  Do it!  The Bible however is a compass not a map.  It helps us set the right direction in life, but it doesn’t always give us the specifics such as who am I to marry?  Which university should I attend?  Where should I live?  What career should I pursue?  Should I leave this job and pursue another?  Is God calling me into church or marketplace ministry?  And so on.  The next three principles help us find the answers to these and other questions.
The second principle is “What does wisdom say?”  That is, something may be permitted by God, but is this course of action wise at this particular time?  It’s like the statement the apostle Paul made in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible – but not everything is constructive.”  Wisdom is the ability to put your knowledge into action in the right way.  And so, when making a decision ask yourself, “is this beneficial, is this constructive, is this wise?”
Thirdly, use your initiative!  In Genesis 2:19-20, God gave Adam the job of naming ALL the animals – no easy task.  He has created people with a brain, with intelligence, with a mind and He expects us to use it!  2 Timothy 1:7 says “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  A sound mind means common sense.  In decision-making use your initiative, do the research, find out the facts and the options, and then move forward because it’s easier to steer a moving vehicle than a stationary one!
Finally, make sure you submit every decision to the sovereignty of God.  That’s the truth we find in James 4:13-15, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
So, ask what the word teaches and what wisdom dictates.  Use your initiative and submit every decision to God’s sovereignty.  And remember, what God opens, no one can shut; and what He shuts, no one can open (Revelation 3:7).

It never ceases to amaze me how religious non-religious people get in times of crisis.  When the Black Saturday Bush Fires devastated lives and property many people asked the question: “Where is God in all this?”  And, “If there’s a loving God, why did he let this happen?”  Even one Christian leader waded into this accusation by saying the bush fires were the result of God lifting His hand of protection off Victoria to punish our government’s evil decisions.  Only problem with that is that innocent people, including Christians, lost their lives and property.  That’s like punishing my seven year old for something my 10 year old did wrong.  But I digress…

On Tuesday of this week we had mass warnings of hazardous conditions that could lead to more devastation – high temperatures and strong winds.  The only difference was that this time the conditions did not turn out quite as bad as first thought.  The temperatures were more moderate and much of Victoria received some good rain.  So what was the response to these blessings?  Was there praise given to God rather than questions and blame? Not at all!  The response on talkback radio was, “The weather gods have been kind to us!”

Oh, I get the picture.  When bad stuff happens God exists but He must be blamed or questioned.  After all bad things are “Acts of God” are they not? But when good things happen God doesn’t exist but the weather gods do; or the response is, “Isn’t Mother Nature wonderful?”  You can’t have it both ways.

No wonder the Bible states, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  In other words when it comes to the goodness of God it is possible to be deceived into thinking that God is not good.  And some swallow this deception hook, line and sinker!