One thing that I have become more thankful for, and more aware of the older I get is the understanding of the importance and reality that God is the source of all things (except evil, which is not so much an entity in and of itself, but rather an absence of good). Understanding the ethics that we have are reflections of the attributes and character of God, such as the ethic of honesty is a reflection of the fact that God is truth, or charity is a reflection of the truth that God is love. For the Christian who continues to grow in their understanding about God by how God has revealed himself through his word, what the Christian then has is a solid foundation in which to approach all of life's various challenges, pleasures, and intriguing moments. Many times when people read scripture they read from the idea that is simple a rule book, or history book, or perhaps even a theology book. As I continue to read scripture I have learned that this is not the case. The Bible is a collection of books in which God has spoken to give the believer a solid foundation for their worldview, or way they view the world. It does contain history, rules, and theology however these things are not ends in themselves as they would be in books specifically about theology, history, or ethics, rather scripture includes these topics to give the reader an foundation and compass they may use, (with discernment from the Holy Spirit) to learn more about history, ethics, and theology. For example, let's look at the Trinity. The word does not appear in scripture at all, and yet Christians understand that belief in the Godhead, (that being within the one being of God their existence eternally three persons co-equal, and co-eternal; namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) is crucial to having a saving faith in God, and Jesus Christ. We do not see in scripture where this definition of the Godhead is given, but rather it was constructed by believers reading the scriptures and meditating on them day and night, and from the foundation of what is revealed in scripture about God, and the fact that scripture consistently talks about the divinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit we can see how these ancient believers were able to articulate this understanding of God and the reality that God is a triune God. The same can be said for us nowadays. Scripture will not tell you how to parent in every situation. If it sought to, it would be even longer than it already is, and yet throughout scripture we see examples of good parents and bad parents. We are given ethics such as parents are to discipline their children, but they are not to provoke anger in them. So the parent is given a solid and firm foundation from which they may approach all the situations that arise in parenting a child, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit they can be God honoring parents despite their imperfections. In the same way we can move into other areas such as philosophy epistemology, and psychology, and so on with a firm foundation, and build upon the truth of scripture. This has been what early scientist did, but understanding the foundation that God is a God of order, and that he created the universe in an orderly way, they then sought to increase their knowledge from this foundation, and from the scientific method was developed. I believe it is a useful and important exercise for people to reflect upon some of the foundational assumptions about reality that they have, and examine them, and I am happy and thankful that when I consider some of my foundational assumptions about God, scripture, and ultimate reality, I continue to find that proof of God's existence compelling. What are some assumptions that you perhaps have always or often taken as a given? What kind of foundation do you have? Comment below and let me know. I enjoy reading your comments and interacting with you, so if you feel like responding please do so, and as always thanks for stopping by. God Bless
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OverviewHere you can read various thoughts and discussions that come from the mind of our Pastor Archives
February 2023
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