Back to the basics (pt 1 God)

[king of the unknown]

What are the basics? What makes a Christian a Christian? Why is the world the way that it is?

I think it is time we step back from the complex and the small details and start with the basics.

Today I think I should start with lesson one: Who/What is God?

The term god (little g) describes something or someone who has a greater existence then our own. They are often seen with abilities beyond that of human and a certain amount of control over the world in one way or another.

When talking about God (big G) we are talking about a particular god.

In Christian belief there is only one true god and that is God.

So what is God?

In Genesis 1:1 it says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

God is the creator and as the creator he was before what he created. This also means that he isn't limited by what he creates. Any rules he follows, based on what he creates are self-imposed rather then forced. For example we can not choose whether or not we are pulled down to the Earth by gravity but God can simply ignore it.

In Genesis 1:4-5 it says "God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening and there was morning -the first day."

Now here we see that God not only creates but maintains dominion over what he has created. Thus he was able to both change the properties of light, separating it from darkness, and also setup how it acted, creating both morning and evening. This is important to note because of what is known as the "God's universal clock." God's universal clock is the idea that God created the universe and then just let it run itself. Whether you believe in the "God's universal clock" theory or not it is important to notice that God still has the ability to influence and manipulate the world.

This passage also shows God as a judge, judging light as good. It is important to note that God knows the difference between good and evil. This is both important due to the fall of man later on in chapter 3 but also important to understand that God understands this concept due to many people belief that God find amusement in the misfortune of others. This statement is the first point to disprove this idea.

In Genesis 1: 16 it says "God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."

The passage show God's ability to give authority. This means giving and taking authority isn't a man made idea and also that man was given authority, by God.

In Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground"

There is a couple things to note: first God says "us" instead of me or I. This most likely show the plurality of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit as we see much later on in the new testament. Also of note that God is making man in his own image. This was before women existed and implies "man" as all man kind. You can see this with the use of "them" to describe "man" rather then he or the word "man" itself. This important because despite the use of "he" to describe God, there are also terms that seem to imply God has women characteristic. It is for this reason most people believe God is neither man nor female. This makes since gender is usually associated with reproduction and this is unnecessary for God. Most people show the use of "he" and the description of God as man a majority of the time is a sign of respect in the Jewish culture. I would also like to state that there is no indication that God sees women as less then men. In fact God describes Israel as a women in Isaiah.


I think that is enough for today. What do you think of it so far? Is there any point I have missed so far? Any questions? Let me know if you have any idea for more basic topics and let me know if there is any other points you would like me to add. I hope to continue soon. Have a wonderful day.

 

[king of the unknown]

for you who are wondering I am using NIV version of the bible. I am using this version simply because it is the version I have on hand. I suggest you read your own version of the verses and compare and contrast the differences. Let me know is one or more of my points is false and why so that I can either edit or point out other possibility. I do not what this to turn it to a this is my view your opinion is wrong thread. I want it to be information for both new and old Christians. Also if you have verse to add to what has already been said, go ahead or if I miss a point let me know. My Goal is to add on to what we have learned already so I probably will skip points that I have already made.

Genesis 2:2-3 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

The fact that got rested is very interesting. First does God need rest? Most people would side with God didn't need rest and that he chose to rest instead. This is shown by what he was did and how he did it, such as speaking the light into existence. This is also shown by the fact he made it holy. This implies that the rest was something special and worthy of the term holy. He also before this point never uses the term holy to describe any of his other creations.

Genesis 2:7 "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being."

It is interesting to note the creation of man. Until now the description of God's creations are very simple but now God forms man. This could show God's love for man or that God put the same effort into the other creation but the details aren't given. In fact early in Genesis 1:26-27 you see a similar simple description of the creation of man.

Though, not important to the question about who/what is God it is also worth noting the concept of breath of life, as well as the Chemistry side of the process.

Genesis 2:16-17 "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

First thing to note is that God commands man. There is no indication to any limitation to God ability to communicate with man. I point this out mainly in comparison to today were many people question whether people actually hear from God at all. If there is a current limitation on God, whether self-imposed or not, the limitation may not have existed yet.

Many people note that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which later on, allows man to fall. lets look at some of the possible reasons why: one idea God is the creator, he creates and there is no indication that the creation of the tree had anything to do with the man at all. This indicates that either God was unaware of the future or that the trees exist was important enough that the fall of man was worth its creation. This idea seems unlikely because of prophetic scripture, the lack of information on the tree, the tree no longer being mention/existing after the fall of man, man being created to rule over the world, or God's love of man leading to Jesus. Another idea is the double sided coin idea, that for something good to exist something bad must also exist. The problems with these ideas is that throughout the creation there is no indication of evil in anything. It is repeatedly stated that God "saw that it was good." There is also no indication that the tree is evil at all, in fact the name implies a mixture of good and evil. This also brings up the argument whether God created evil or not. The common belief is that God didn't create evil instead evil is a shadow of good (I will explain that next paragraph). Probably the most common belief is the idea of choice. For choice to truly exist one must have choices. Giving man the possibility to do what is wrong meant, choosing what is right had meaning and weight to it. For free will to exist there must be meaningful options. Like a chose your own adventure book with only one ending, the choices have no importance with distinct consequences. The problems with this is are there any real reasons for so harsh outcome or is there any necessity for man to have free will at all. The final idea is that God wanted man to fall. The biggest problem with this is God's actions toward man's fall. God punishes man for doing what is wrong, but if God wanted man to eat of the fruit why would he then punish man for doing it.

For you who were wondering what I mean by evil being a shadow of good. Shadow or darkness is actually an illusion created by our eyes. Shadow/Darkness isn't a real substance or energy. It is actually the lack of light. In same way you could say evil is the absence of good. This also explains God separating darkness from light by limiting lights existence.

Let me know if I missed a point or two. There is a lot of possibility when dealing with the tree of good and evil. I hoping my bias about the tree won't hinder you from the information. The tree is probably one of the first controversial idea about God we have came to so far.

Also if anyone would like to work on another topic for Back to the basics let me know. I would love to have some help getting as much information out as I can. Have a great day.

 

[Lamb]

Adam and Eve were the only ones (besides Jesus) with true free will. The rest of us have our will bound to sin. We still live in these sinful bodies yet are thankful that we have been washed clean by the Savior because of His death for us.

 

[psalms 91]

Yes and we also have the ability to become sons of God by crucifying the flesh and grow in our faith. It describes babes which is just the start, young men and sons of God. Also gives us a roadmap on how to grow.

 

[popsthebuilder]

What are the basics? What makes a Christian a Christian? Why is the world the way that it is?

I think it is time we step back from the complex and the small details and start with the basics.

Today I think I should start with lesson one: Who/What is God?

The term god (little g) describes something or someone who has a greater existence then our own. They are often seen with abilities beyond that of human and a certain amount of control over the world in one way or another.

When talking about God (big G) we are talking about a particular god.

In Christian belief there is only one true god and that is God.

So what is God?

In Genesis 1:1 it says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"

God is the creator and as the creator he was before what he created. This also means that he isn't limited by what he creates. Any rules he follows, based on what he creates are self-imposed rather then forced. For example we can not choose whether or not we are pulled down to the Earth by gravity but God can simply ignore it.

In Genesis 1:4-5 it says "God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.' And there was evening and there was morning -the first day."

Now here we see that God not only creates but maintains dominion over what he has created. Thus he was able to both change the properties of light, separating it from darkness, and also setup how it acted, creating both morning and evening. This is important to note because of what is known as the "God's universal clock." God's universal clock is the idea that God created the universe and then just let it run itself. Whether you believe in the "God's universal clock" theory or not it is important to notice that God still has the ability to influence and manipulate the world.

This passage also shows God as a judge, judging light as good. It is important to note that God knows the difference between good and evil. This is both important due to the fall of man later on in chapter 3 but also important to understand that God understands this concept due to many people belief that God find amusement in the misfortune of others. This statement is the first point to disprove this idea.

In Genesis 1: 16 it says "God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars."

The passage show God's ability to give authority. This means giving and taking authority isn't a man made idea and also that man was given authority, by God.

In Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground"

There is a couple things to note: first God says "us" instead of me or I. This most likely show the plurality of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit as we see much later on in the new testament. Also of note that God is making man in his own image. This was before women existed and implies "man" as all man kind. You can see this with the use of "them" to describe "man" rather then he or the word "man" itself. This important because despite the use of "he" to describe God, there are also terms that seem to imply God has women characteristic. It is for this reason most people believe God is neither man nor female. This makes since gender is usually associated with reproduction and this is unnecessary for God. Most people show the use of "he" and the description of God as man a majority of the time is a sign of respect in the Jewish culture. I would also like to state that there is no indication that God sees women as less then men. In fact God describes Israel as a women in Isaiah.


I think that is enough for today. What do you think of it so far? Is there any point I have missed so far? Any questions? Let me know if you have any idea for more basic topics and let me know if there is any other points you would like me to add. I hope to continue soon. Have a wonderful day.

Everything sounds good in your part 1

You have made some valid points. I would like to add one vital point that is often times over looked. God is the only creative force in existence. However the substance he used to create everything was two different things. Light and dark or the creative substance and the void. So, before matter there was one thing, without form. God divided that one thing making light and dark, or good and bad, positive and negative. This is described, in science as duality, and the hypothesis of quantization. It explains why we are all good and bad do to our free will, Which is a gift from God that comes with great responsibility. It also explains that although God created all. The pain and suffering that we go through is to be seen in relation to the pain and suffering that we cause by our own hands when we aren't following the teachings of God through Christ.

Thanks, a little rough, I know. My comprehension is good, my communication, however, is relatively lacking at times. Please help to smooth out the rough edges. Thank you, praise God.

Faith in selfless Unity through Good

 

[popsthebuilder]

for you who are wondering I am using NIV version of the bible. I am using this version simply because it is the version I have on hand. I suggest you read your own version of the verses and compare and contrast the differences. Let me know is one or more of my points is false and why so that I can either edit or point out other possibility. I do not what this to turn it to a this is my view your opinion is wrong thread. I want it to be information for both new and old Christians. Also if you have verse to add to what has already been said, go ahead or if I miss a point let me know. My Goal is to add on to what we have learned already so I probably will skip points that I have already made.

Genesis 2:2-3 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."

The fact that got rested is very interesting. First does God need rest? Most people would side with God didn't need rest and that he chose to rest instead. This is shown by what he was did and how he did it, such as speaking the light into existence. This is also shown by the fact he made it holy. This implies that the rest was something special and worthy of the term holy. He also before this point never uses the term holy to describe any of his other creations.

Genesis 2:7 "the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being."

It is interesting to note the creation of man. Until now the description of God's creations are very simple but now God forms man. This could show God's love for man or that God put the same effort into the other creation but the details aren't given. In fact early in Genesis 1:26-27 you see a similar simple description of the creation of man.

Though, not important to the question about who/what is God it is also worth noting the concept of breath of life, as well as the Chemistry side of the process.

Genesis 2:16-17 "And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

First thing to note is that God commands man. There is no indication to any limitation to God ability to communicate with man. I point this out mainly in comparison to today were many people question whether people actually hear from God at all. If there is a current limitation on God, whether self-imposed or not, the limitation may not have existed yet.

Many people note that God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which later on, allows man to fall. lets look at some of the possible reasons why: one idea God is the creator, he creates and there is no indication that the creation of the tree had anything to do with the man at all. This indicates that either God was unaware of the future or that the trees exist was important enough that the fall of man was worth its creation. This idea seems unlikely because of prophetic scripture, the lack of information on the tree, the tree no longer being mention/existing after the fall of man, man being created to rule over the world, or God's love of man leading to Jesus. Another idea is the double sided coin idea, that for something good to exist something bad must also exist. The problems with these ideas is that throughout the creation there is no indication of evil in anything. It is repeatedly stated that God "saw that it was good." There is also no indication that the tree is evil at all, in fact the name implies a mixture of good and evil. This also brings up the argument whether God created evil or not. The common belief is that God didn't create evil instead evil is a shadow of good (I will explain that next paragraph). Probably the most common belief is the idea of choice. For choice to truly exist one must have choices. Giving man the possibility to do what is wrong meant, choosing what is right had meaning and weight to it. For free will to exist there must be meaningful options. Like a chose your own adventure book with only one ending, the choices have no importance with distinct consequences. The problems with this is are there any real reasons for so harsh outcome or is there any necessity for man to have free will at all. The final idea is that God wanted man to fall. The biggest problem with this is God's actions toward man's fall. God punishes man for doing what is wrong, but if God wanted man to eat of the fruit why would he then punish man for doing it.

For you who were wondering what I mean by evil being a shadow of good. Shadow or darkness is actually an illusion created by our eyes. Shadow/Darkness isn't a real substance or energy. It is actually the lack of light. In same way you could say evil is the absence of good. This also explains God separating darkness from light by limiting lights existence.

Let me know if I missed a point or two. There is a lot of possibility when dealing with the tree of good and evil. I hoping my bias about the tree won't hinder you from the information. The tree is probably one of the first controversial idea about God we have came to so far.

Also if anyone would like to work on another topic for Back to the basics let me know. I would love to have some help getting as much information out as I can. Have a great day.

Your second opinion on knowledge is correct. We could be somewhat oblivious to be evil through lack of conscious and go about life in a similar manner as every other living, or we could have been blessed with conscious thought in that we may one day realize not only God's direction, but the significance he bestowed upon us as humans.

He said the division of light and dark was good. There is a difference, there has been void since the beginning, God was able to use this absence as the main building block of all creation through his will.

Thanks again, looking forward to more. Praise God.

Faith in selfless Unity through Good

 

[king of the unknown]

Hello, thank you guys for the feedback I always enjoys hearing what you have to say.

I do want to say that this section is about God mostly so I might skip interesting information that isn't related to the topic such as the serpent's identity. So don't be surprised if entire stories are skipped later on. I would like to go over every piece of information I can but it will take awhile and I feel like focusing on one piece at a time is the way to do this.

Genesis 2:21 "The Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Here we can see that God understands the concept of being alone. This could be because God understands feeling lonely, implying that part of the reason he created man and angles was to not feel lonely. Another possibility is the exact opposite that God understood the feeling of not being alone, understanding the greatest of not feeling alone. It is also possibility that it may have been part of man's creation instead, that man was created to be social and God understood man's nature.

What ever the reasoning God values man enough to care for his needs. It is interesting to compare to psychologies pyramid of needs. The five levels are physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. God gives man breath, food, water and a place to live. God then give man structure by setting the rule (the tree of good and evil). Through out the rest of the 2nd chapter he also gives him: a purpose, friendship, and authority. These seem to fulfill the pyramid.

Genesis 2:20 "So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found."

This is an example of God giving man both a task to complete and the authority over the animal.

It is interesting to note that God didn't create women immediately after saying "it is not good for man to be alone..." This may have been a way of giving man a certain amount of control of the situation. In other words God allowed man to examine the creature of the world to find a helper but man decided that none of the animals were suitable.

Genesis 2: 22 "Then the Lord God made women from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man."

Before this point God is shown creating creatures with dirt (Genesis 2:19 God is shown said to form the beast of the earth.) Instead he takes a piece out of man. I feel like the reason for this is due to the relationship between man and women. I may do an entire section on the women/man relationship later.

Genesis 3:8 "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden."

At this point God would have already known of the fall of man. God also has no reason to make noise to warn them of his presence. This mean either God allowed them to hid themselves, for their own shame, or that God didn't want to see them naked, implying God's empathy caused him to feel their shame.

That is all for now. I would like to say that there is a lot of information I skipped over because I didn't feel like it was important to the topic.

I am planning on starting a pt 3 soon. I would like to do it either on creation and fall of man or I may do a topic in the new testament such as Jesus or the fact about the apostles. Let me know what you would like to see for a part 3.

And as always let me know what you think, any mistakes I have made, any points you would like me to add, or any help in general. Thanks and have a wonderful day.

P.S Also due to the reset the other day I suggest if you right a big post have it saved on your computer somewhere so you don't have to worry about losing your work.

 

[visionary]

Adam and Eve were the only ones (besides Jesus) with true free will. The rest of us have our will bound to sin. We still live in these sinful bodies yet are thankful that we have been washed clean by the Savior because of His death for us.

We all have free will, it is not bound by sin, because that has been broken by God. We trust Him to keep us and lead us into all righteousness and sin no more.

 

[psalms 91]

We all have free will, it is not bound by sin, because that has been broken by God. We trust Him to keep us and lead us into all righteousness and sin no more.

Exactly we can be more than conquerers through Christ

 

[Hebrews 11]

Some points we know from the Word:

God is 3 persons :1 John: 5. 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

God is a Spirit :John 4:24King James Version (KJV)

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God made man in his image : Genesis: 1. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Man Has 3 persons housed in one body,Spirit ,Soul, Body.

Yet man is earthly in soul and Body subject to living on this earth.
It is clear God wanted man to multiply,therefore he Created male and female which is not uncommon of all living things made before Mankind.

Personally I believe God being a Spirit the Male gender used in the Bible is simply a literary device.

Here's why:
Matthew: 22. 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32. I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.