The debate rages on in America as questions are posed such as “does God exist?”, or “is religion good?” But one question in particular I believe also strikes a cord with us, especially in this country; and that is “why should I listen to God and the Bible?” At the heart of it, if most people (atheist, agnostic, or religious) deep down DO believe in some type of God, then the question isn’t so much whether or not He exists, but rather, if they need to listen to Him at all. Many people are angry with God. Why is there suffering? Why an earthquake in Haiti?
To answer this question, I took note of what our teaching pastor at church said recently, as I believe it describes accurately what we can gain from the study of God’s Word (a.k.a the Bible). In his sermon he listed four interesting things that occurs when God’s statutes are preached and studied. I have listed them below:
1.) Power. “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” Hebrews 4:12
2.) Healing. “He sent forth his word and healed them…” Psalms 107:20
3.) Direction. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
4.) Freedom. “… He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” Luke 4:18
If the Bible truly brings these 4 things to the table, then we would be silly not to invest in its wisdom. More to the point, I don’t think that many skeptics have delved into the Bible deep enough to put these pillars to the test. Probably more accurately, they have a passing knowledge of some of Scripture, maybe enough to feel the conviction regarding its moral stance – and that was enough! But what about someone who HAS studied the Scriptures thoroughly? After all, there are ex-preachers. Dr. Michael Shermer for example, publisher of ‘Skeptics Magazine’, claims he used to evangelize door-to-door prior to becoming a militant agnostic. What then, are we to think about folks who have tasted the medicine, but not the remedy?
I think that the answer is this: they have in fact felt the Power of God, and it produced fear. They have in fact experienced Healing, but this healing didn’t last as long as they expected, or there was a tragedy or something else that occurred which didn’t jive up with what they had previously experienced. They have in fact seen the Direction of God, and consciously denied Him, wanting no part in living more strictly moral lives. And finally they have in fact felt the Freedom of God, and found it to be too overwhelming. To be free, you must first have boundaries.
We must make sure that we don’t give up on our walk of faith. God will welcome you back if you have been away for a while. If we knew these truths to be real at one point, then it isn’t God that has changed – it is probably us.
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To answer this question, I took note of what our teaching pastor at church said recently, as I believe it describes accurately what we can gain from the study of God’s Word (a.k.a the Bible). In his sermon he listed four interesting things that occurs when God’s statutes are preached and studied. I have listed them below:
1.) Power. “For the word of God is alive and powerful.” Hebrews 4:12
2.) Healing. “He sent forth his word and healed them…” Psalms 107:20
3.) Direction. “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
4.) Freedom. “… He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed.” Luke 4:18
If the Bible truly brings these 4 things to the table, then we would be silly not to invest in its wisdom. More to the point, I don’t think that many skeptics have delved into the Bible deep enough to put these pillars to the test. Probably more accurately, they have a passing knowledge of some of Scripture, maybe enough to feel the conviction regarding its moral stance – and that was enough! But what about someone who HAS studied the Scriptures thoroughly? After all, there are ex-preachers. Dr. Michael Shermer for example, publisher of ‘Skeptics Magazine’, claims he used to evangelize door-to-door prior to becoming a militant agnostic. What then, are we to think about folks who have tasted the medicine, but not the remedy?
I think that the answer is this: they have in fact felt the Power of God, and it produced fear. They have in fact experienced Healing, but this healing didn’t last as long as they expected, or there was a tragedy or something else that occurred which didn’t jive up with what they had previously experienced. They have in fact seen the Direction of God, and consciously denied Him, wanting no part in living more strictly moral lives. And finally they have in fact felt the Freedom of God, and found it to be too overwhelming. To be free, you must first have boundaries.
We must make sure that we don’t give up on our walk of faith. God will welcome you back if you have been away for a while. If we knew these truths to be real at one point, then it isn’t God that has changed – it is probably us.
.
Jon, you seem to skip from predication to predication. You goose step over whether god even exists (probably not, so go do something constructive), then skip over is religion good (or relevant for that matter), then come up with the conclusion that deep down most people do believe in some sort of god (where are the statistics for this?).
ReplyDeleteThen you draw the arrogant conclusion that it is a christian god (if you'd been born in the middle east quite by chance you'd have been born a muslim). If you'd been born with the skill of independant thinking, perhaps you'd have been born and atheist and be using your time for really helping people, not pretending to be in a position of power when you are just like the rest of us...
Thanks for reading Anonymous. My advice is keep reading through the blog, there are other posts that might fit the detailed info you are after.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, I am just like the rest of you. No special position of power - trust me!
- Jon