Subject: Where should I turn?????? |
Bible Note: Hi 2Fedex, I required proof myself, before I would commit myself to God. I required the very proof I had all along, but until my heart was open, I could not receive it. Nature gives a revelation of God, but how can you understand it correctly without God's guidance? And what guidance does God give outside of His Word? I will be the first to say that everything in creation proves the existance of the Creator, and each of us must be ready with the correct answer to any question that may be asked of us. A tall order, and I fall short :-) I do not say that Javelin is anti-Bible, I am asserting that the Bible stands as objective proof of God's existance, because only God could have produced it. I believe in proving God's existance, and the first proof I offer is the Bible. In matters of medicine and physical science, it contains much information that was just not knowable at the time it was written. The prophecies are incontrovertible. But even deeper is how it speaks directly to the need inside each one of us, the need to be cleansed, and to come into relationship with God. In Romans one, Paul points out that even with the fact of nature to point out the existance of God, Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. they chose to ignore Him. It was not a question of proof. Yes, nature shows that God exists, but that's not the issue. The issue is that we either want relationship with God or we don't. And if we don't, there is no amount of proof that will change our mind. On Mars Hill, Paul proclaimed the Creator, and then proclaimed the coming judgment. Acts does not record a debate, or proofs, beyond what they already accepted. Paul's listeners were theists, and Paul declared the One True God. Most of them went away, but of few remained. The real issue is spiritual, and it is sin. Faith in Christ is the most intelligent thing any of us can do, and passes every test for logic and truth, and I commend any who are able to present it that way. But I think you said well when you said "this is really man seeking after God". Its important to know the difference between when questions come from true seeking, and when they are a cover-up for rebellion. My experience (which has not been small) with "higher criticism" is that it generally masks prideful, wilfull rebellion against God, and the things of God. I, for instance, have a cousin whom I have debated at length. He is highly intelligent, has an answer for everything, yet at the end of our discussions, when I had successfully refuted every arguement, he said, "well, I'll just take my chances at the judgment." God help him! This was probibly the most extreme example I have seen, but the dymanic is the same in many others. Thank you for your kind words. I truly believe that God gave us our minds to use them for His glory. Paul was brilliant, and God used his abilities to deliver to us amazing passages of scripture that will occupy my mind for the rest of my life, and beyond. There are very reasoned and logical proofs not only for the existance of God, but for God to be the God of the Bible, but they will only be received by the open hearted. Creation requires a Creator, and any non-Biblical arguement will come from this point. If a person does not accept that, all other non-Biblical arguements will fail, as they will assert that it all came from chance. Granting the existance of God, and assuming it is a God Who chooses to reveal Himself to us for the purpose of having relationship with us, He would start His revelation at the beginning, to include the first people, and His message would not change, to include the last people. It is only Judeo-Christianity that fits those requirements. And if you want better than that, you have to go to the Bible. Please don't misunderstand me. "To every man an answer!" I hope that this post has served to show my thinking more clearly. Love in Christ, Mark |