Bible Question:
Please define God. I am putting together a primer for Life in Christ Jesus. As some of you know, I serve the Lord in Japan, and need your input. Remember, don't take for granted that all people know everything about Christianity (like Americans :-)) I will be asking for other definitions in the future. Please help me to think of other things that should be defined in order to understand Life in Christ Jesus for those who do not live in 'Christian' countries. Also, though I would appreciate 'simple' Scriptures to help in the definition, know that Scripture *alone* is not understood by a good portion of the world. Use commonly understood terms and concepts, and common sense. Many thanks and blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
Bible Answer: Charis: I'll give it a try, since I am not too superstitious to attempt a definition of God. By definition, every word has a definition, including this one. I don't believe a philosophical debate on defining God would edify or enlighten the people to whom you minister. So I will leave that to the great minds of this forum and just answer the question, as best I can. I quote The New Compact Bible Dictionary, edited by T. Alton Bryant, Zondervan, 1967: "Although the Bible does not contain a formal definition of the word "God," yet His being and attributes are displayed on every page. The greatest definition of the word in the history of Christendom, that is, in the culture in which the Bible has been a prevailing influence, is the definition found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q.4): "'God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.' "It is fair to say that this definition faithfully sets forth what the Bible constantly assumes and declares concerning God." I trust that the individual words used in the above definition -- e.g. infinite, eternal, unchangeable, etc. -- have some equivalents in the Japanese language that are commonly understood. |