Bible As The Word Of God example essay topic

Wayne Moore April 25, 2005 TH-5164 Integrative Theology Chapter One" Introduction to the World " The moment that I gave my life to Christ I knew that my life had changed and had been impacted. As I knelt at that altar and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins, I was amazed to realize the peace and joy that was available to me even after a lifetime of sin and running from God. Amazingly one prayer had wiped out all those years and put me on the course to live righteously and prepare to discover and live out the calling that God had for my life. There has been nothing like it since, and it is so easy to look back at that moment and remember how great it felt to have such a heavy weight come off of me. I was so excited to go and tell others about the joy I had found! I was ready to take what I knew, combine it with the boldness I felt at that time and go and tell others about the greatest gift a man or woman can receive.

It wasn't long however before I found out that this free gift of forgiveness was not the easiest gift for others to receive. As I told family and friends about Jesus I was immediately tossed into arguments refuting for believing that Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14: 6). In the process I also found out that the doctrine and beliefs that I heard in my church were not always the same in other churches. One church believed in healing, one didn't. One believed in being filled with the Holy Spirit while another had no idea what you were talking about.

It was clear that if I was going to become everything Jesus wanted me to be, I would need to be able "to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3: 15). Since "a coherent world view and way of life provides a necessary context for our ethical decision making in general" (Lewis 21), I understood that I had to know what I believed as well as why I believed it. I especially needed to be sure my beliefs were solid in my heart so that I could live my life by them. It is so easy for world views to change, so I knew that the people I ministered to needed to see a solid view about Christ as well as every other area of my life. This whole process is what every believer needs to take to bring them to the mature life that Christ intended. Not every individual that a believer runs across will see it the same way as he or she does, but the unsaved as well as the saved must see a life that has researched all the different elements and with diligent prayer, study of the Word and seeking God, move to a world view that is the most practical and filled with the least complications.

The mature Christian will be the one that does this and as they live this life, will become more able to walk in the freedom that Christ has given them. While there are many approaches to theology a believer can use to better understand his or her relationship with God, the integrative process makes a great deal of sense. Integrative theology utilizes a distinctive verification method of decision making as it defines a major topic, surveys influential alternative answers in the church, amasses relevant biblical data in their chronological development, formulates a comprehensive conclusion, defends it against compelling alternatives, and exhibits its relevance for life and ministry (Lewis 25). This type of theology gives the student an opportunity to not only look at the final authority, the Word of God, but also gives the chance to look at church history, as well as a way of presenting the experience or creating a compelling argument after backing of the viewpoint against so many other contrary opinions. There are five steps to doing theology the integrative way.

Once an individual has a problem or question to solve, the theologian looks at the problem from several different views. This scholar looks at the historical viewpoint to see what the church has said over the centuries in reference to the question. This leads the tester into the Biblical basis of the problem where he or she looks specifically at what God's Word has to say about the topic being asked. Next, the student looks at alternate answers to the question, critiquing and deciphering what different individuals have said.

Once this is complete, the student can now make a rational decision without a lot of contradiction, or at least with as little contradiction as possible. This will make the final step of integrative theology beneficial to a theologian as he takes his world view into society and defends what he believes. Over time, a more solid belief system will emerge as the student defends and better understands his viewpoint. One must realize there is no perfect way of doing theology; however, the integrative theology method comes close. As I studied these principals, I found my only complaint was in not making the Bible the first place we go to as we answer the questions that come up. I realize the author never intends to leave out Scripture and does not recommend replacing it with anything else, but we must always keep in consideration that the Bible is the truth.

Outside of the truth of God's Word there is no truth. While what has been accepted throughout the church age is beneficial to help one approach a question, church fathers have been wrong in some cases, such as when the church attacked Martin Luther for believing that one could be saved by faith and not by works. The sole place to go is the Word of God, than we can look at all other areas so that we can be better informed about the theories behind the questions we ask. Still after studying the history of some of these ways that theologians have theorized throughout the ages I stand by the belief that integrative theology is a valid theological method. To approach problems in this type of way will only make me more informed and better at apologetics, as well as creating a more solid Biblical world view. Chapter Two " What about God?" You hear it everyday as you maneuver your way through the basics of life.

From the workplace to the television set, to even your next door neighbor you are guaranteed to run into someone that does not share the same view of God that you do. In fact, there is a good chance that you will run into a world view that shapes its founding on atheism, humanism or plain Satanism. As a Christian it is understandable that we have trouble witnessing to the masses of those who the Bible declares have been "blinded" by the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4: 4). It definitely is going to take someone who is well founded in his faith and who will walk the walk that Christ desires to make an impact in this world. To be able to better perform this "Ministry of reconciliation" that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 5: 17, we must have a firm understanding about how God reveals Himself to us. Obviously there is a great debate over whether any person can know anything about God.

After all He is all knowing, and has always existed, so how can we know anything about this Heavenly Being? To help understand God better we can take a look through integrative theology to better understand Him. Throughout the church age revelation has been seen in two different ways, general and special. General refers to how God has revealed Himself through a person's heart, in what He has created and through history. Special is concerned with God revealing Himself through Jesus, prophets, miracles and the like. In a sense the Word of God is the basis for special revelation.

Since "it is no exaggeration to say that the foundational issue in Christian theology deals with the nature and scope of divine revelation" (Lewis 62), this has becomes one of the predominate issues for Christians. Augustine maintained that God gives everyone a basic knowledge of who He is (66) and Scripture does maintain in the book of Romans that we all have an elementary understanding of a Divine Being that we can feel in our heart (Romans 1: 20), but there are also other viewpoints of revelation (such as the liberal view that says that we will know God if we will just think about it enough, as well as others) that one must be familiar with. The Word of God however is clearer. From the very beginning in Genesis 1: 1 there is not even a defense to the existence of God. I have always seen this as God's way of dealing with the argument of existence and revelation. God tells us through a human writer that He was there in the beginning, and He needs no other defense.

The books of Job and Psalm deal with the aspect of general revelation, discussing the creation of God (Job 36: 24-37: 24, 38: 1-39: 30, Ps. 8, , 19, 29, 65,104,148 and many more). Paul spends time discussing from the advantage point of God as creator with his audience, obviously a truth that the people were very familiar with (Acts 14: 15-17) and in Acts 17, he begins by establishing truths that are already agreed upon such as the knowledge of God that the people had through general revelation. The author presents probably the greatest basis for revelation in the Bible from Paul's letter to the Romans 1: 18- 32 (70-71). Here he points out four important points related to how God has revealed Himself to man.

The first basis that Paul makes is that every person has been given a knowledge that God exists by the Lord Himself (vv. 19-21), while the second point tells us that a revelation of God also happens by a rational consideration of what God has done (vs. 20). The third point Paul makes is that if we don't obey the Word of God and this knowledge that we have we run the danger of suppressing the truth because of our inherent nature of sin that is within us (vv. 21-22, 28). The final basis the Apostle makes is that due to this suppression, God calls us guilty according to His holiness (vs. 20). Once we look at what the Bible says, the Christian can now develop a sound biblical worldview.

From Scripture we can know that God has made Himself known and that He is Creator. Our proposition than is that all people know something of God and have been given a desire to know Him which some seek after while some suppress. Since we believe the Bible to be the Word of God and as such the final authority, any contradiction to this belief system would be labeled as false in opposition to the Christian worldview. As believers, any viewpoint outside of this would be contradictory and therefore false. I found the Humanistic worldview interesting in the sense that they have a lot of the same moral stances and viewpoints that we do as Christians. However, without a basis for the belief they have, the worldview becomes very contradictory.

As Christians, our faith hinges on the redemptive plan of God, with every believer being brought back and reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19), back to what they were created to be and do as well as what they have been searching for their entire lives. How tragic to have a knowledge of God inside of you, yet to keep suppressing that hidden longing for God trying to find that great peace and joy in every other opportunity, and guise that the world has to offer. What a joy it is to be able to pray to our Heavenly Father, to know Him and to love Him! It is so much better to believe this by faith than it is for those who question whether this can happen. It truly is "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1: 8)! Chapter Three " What about Salvation?" The heart of the gospel message is what Jesus did at Calvary.

It is here that the whole Christian faith winds up as truth that transcends time or distinguishes itself as the worst hoax ever. If Jesus died for our sins, rose again from the grave and gave us eternal life, than the acceptance of this fact becomes crucial to the eternal state for every living human being. Still others question the greatness of this truth. It is amazing to me to watch television or see a movie and here time and again how the person that is being talked about deserves Heaven because "they are a good person".

If so many in Hollywood as well as around the world believe this is true, and many even question whether there is any existence after the grave, what are we to make of this question and what stance must we take as Christians? Since God has revealed Himself to everyone and has dictated what His moral stance and expectations are there also needs to be an opportunity for us to move from this horrific sinful condition that the Bible talks about. Obviously reading what God has said in His Word we can only come to the conclusion that we don't deserve this forgiveness, but God has chosen to make the way for us. God has revealed the way to eternal life through the Person of His Son Jesus. Romans 10: 9-13 tells us what we must do to receive the saving power of Christ into our life. The other crucial question comes up as well.

Does God still reveal Himself through general revelation, such as prophets today? Church history, especially in the realm of Roman Catholicism has seen the tradition of the church as a means of revelation. What the church has done in the past is the basis for what God has and will do today. Thomas Aquinas affirmed that "revelation transcends but does not contradict truths about God secured by reason" (Lewis 96).

The Enlight ment skeptics felt that divine revelation to any person is a contradiction to God's revelation at Creation because it as there at the beginning that God revealed all. Many argued that the Bible could not hold all of God's revelation of Himself. Others see that revelation is an ongoing process, that God is always revealing more of who He is to us at all times. From the Word of God we see that God used prophets, apostles, and others to bring forth His Word, to reveal more of His plans and to draw others to His redemptive power. From Genesis 3: 15 where God told of His plan for redemption, or proto evangelism, tells us that "the religion of Israel and the church would be rooted in special revelation" (Lewis 100). God spoke directly to Moses giving him His intentions for the people of Israel as well as speaking the laws and commandments that are found in the Pentateuch.

God also used visions, dreams and theophany to broadcast His attentions. God spoke to Jacob in a dream to remind him of the covenant He made with Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 28: 10-17). Others in the Old Testament had dreams, such as Pharaoh. All of these dreams were used so God could bring about His plan as Gordon R. Lewis and Bruce A. Demarest write, "Far from being obtrusive mystical experiences, these dreams, when rightly interpreted, conveyed objective knowledge of God's unfolding purposes" (101), Visions helped Abraham understand the covenant that God had made with him (Genesis 46: 2-4) and of course Balaam received direction in a different sort of way (Numbers 22: 31-25).

The theophany was a physical manifestation of God's presence that occurred with the pillar of fire and cloud that permeated the journey into the Promised Land throughout the book of Exodus. Examples of this theophany would be manifestation of angels, for instance to Abraham in Genesis 18: 1-5), where the three individuals that are around Abraham are translated as God (vv. 10, 13-14) as well as called angels. Later on in the Old Testament, God told His prophets His promises, directives, and commands.

From God working in the life of Joshua, to speaking directly to Samuel about who the future king of Israel would be, God was at work not leaving His people but fully bringing them closer and closer to His plan, the total redemption of mankind. In the New Testament, God continued to speak to His people. From the baptism of Jesus when God the Father spoke "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3: 16-17) to the teaching of Jesus all of the Synoptic Gospels disclose more and more of God's plan. After the day of Pentecost, the 120 in the upper room were filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to preach, prophesy and fulfill the plan of God as ambassadors on the earth. These apostles performed miracles, proclaimed the Word of God, evangelized, prophesied, and healed.

This whole process than continued to the next generation of Christians and still continues today as new believers are filled with the power of the Spirit and are than used as vessels to proclaim the divine will of God, revealing God and His purposes to others. The key to this revelation is Jesus. The Bible proclaims Him to be the revelation of God and the fulfillment of His redemptive plan for us. "Jesus Christ is upheld as the supreme embodiment of special revelation" (Lewis 108).

It is in our Savior that the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1: 1), announcing that God can now be known through the coming Messiah... With Jesus the veil would be ripped at His death symbolizing the entrance into the presence of God, to have forgiveness of sin and to draw close to Him, the same way that Moses, Abraham, and Joshua had access to be close and receive directive from God. The arrival of Jesus brings contrast to the thoughts and viewpoints of those who question God's way of dealing with a sinful world and scoffs at those who don't understand a personal revelatory relationship with an Almighty God. Jesus came in love. The logos of God that had been broadcast before only through certain "holy" individuals was now being available to whosever will come to Him. Since Jesus lived a sinless life, was born of a virgin by the power and seed of the Holy Spirit and walked and did only what the Father said and did He was "faithful to the One who appointed Him" (Hebrews 3: 1-2).

Jesus was the manifestation of the prophetic ministry, the manifestation of the apostle's ministry. He became the example for us today. This brings the question about the prophetic gifting's of today. In one sense as pastors and teachers (and the entire congregation) reveal the truth of God to the unsaved as well as an encouraging word to the saved this is likened to the act of the prophets, simply because each of these individuals are revealing the will and plan of God. The authors state, "In a secondary sense those who instruct and comfort people from the Old or New Testament Scriptures may be said to have a prophetic ministry and may be called prophets" (116). At a greater level, as examples of Jesus on the earth, God will use and is using men and women to proclaim, establish and direct the Body of Christ in the plan and will of God.

These individuals bring the revelation (all of it must line up with the Word of God) to help us better grasp this great plan of God. However, we must remember that what needs to be revealed and understood will be found in the Old and New Testaments. Nothing that can be revealed as a New Testament that doesn't fit in line with what God's Word says (such as in Jehovah's Witness and Latter-Day Saint teachings) "do not add anything significant to the teaching of Scripture" (Lewis 117). Since God has been revealing His message to prophets of old, translated that to those of the new and even brought that into today's life it becomes easier to understand those specific times when God speaks, generally in His Word about a specific situation in your life. Without a belief in God transmitting to us today, how could we find our hope in the Word of God? It has been an amazing thing to have God through the Holy Spirit to comfort me during hard times as well as to encourage and bless me at other moments of my life.

I have found that as I read the Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what the Word says to me I have walked away from my personal Bible time with God more fervent in Spirit, full of faith and ready to go out and tell a lost world about the saving power of Jesus Christ. I will choose to stand by, simply because I have experienced the reality that God still speaks and He still reveals Himself today to His people and for that I praise Him! Chapter Four " What about the Word?" I can relate to my pastor Ed Akers of Victorious Living Christian Center in Grove City, Ohio when he says that he is a "Word junkie". You can hook me up to a couple translations of the Bible, a teaching tape or anything related to the Word of God and keep it coming.

I enjoy diving into God's Word and learning more and more, growing in wisdom and understanding and allowing God to reveal His Word to me. For me I realize that "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" (Hebrews 10: 17); that the seed of the Word that was planted in my heart from pastors and friends who had told me over and over of God's love for me made a very distinct and noticeable change in my life. I know from experience that the Word of God works in an individual's life and will make a difference in a community and the world. I believe that everything that is written in the Word is inspired by God (God breathed according to 2 Timothy 3: 16), and is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". The only saying "God said it, I believe it, that settles it", is in general how I live my life (although God's Word would be true whether I believed it or not). With that in mind it becomes difficult for me to try to discuss the aspect of errancy with the Scriptures and to try to justify through man's thoughts the inspiration of the Word.

However, with integrative theology the good news is that with all the other viewpoints and historical background, I am able to also tie in the most reliable and the only truth there is, the Bible. The question of inspiration comes up with many who question the validity of a Bible where they see mistakes, contradictions and general misunderstandings. After all how could a perfect, all-knowing Creator make mistakes if the Word of God was totally His Word? Roman Catholics have long held the distinction that the Bible is without error, owning this to Thomas Aquinas who refused to believe that there were any mistakes at all in the Holy text. The Council of Trent also went as far as calling the Apocryphal books, "except 1 and 2 Esdras and the prayer of Man asses" (Lewis 132) as also part of the inspiration of God, therefore belonging in the Holy Bible. Others, such as Protestant Liberalism view the Bible as simply man written and therefore prone to errors, while others only see the Bible as "the Word of in that moment when crisis when the individual meets Christ through it" (133).

Other viewpoints include the premise that the authors used their own knowledge, interests and such to produce the written Word that the writer understood as a revelation from God, truthful in everyway. With this type of viewpoint, the writer could be off on figures, stats and history, yet still be completely true in his theology. Simply put, the task of understanding the inspiration of the Bible is a daunting task for the theologian because of the depth of viewpoints throughout history. I have only briefly touched the surface of thoughts about the writing of the Word. Thankfully as Christians we believe in the authority of God and such need to search His Word to discover what viewpoint we need to adopt to answer the question of inspiration.

Moses was given the Words of God on Sinai and Genesis 31: 18 and Deuteronomy 9: 10 tell us that the message "was inscribed by the finger of God". The laws and commands that God gave Moses are all credited to the Lord Himself, and all the words had to stay without change (Deuteronomy 4: 2, 12: 32). These same words Joshua had placed in the ark. The prophets stated that the message they received was from God, while Jesus was adamant that every part of Scripture was important and that it "extends to its most minute portions.

Both the iota, possibly a reference to the yod, the smallest Hebrew letter, and the ke rata, the smallest stroke of the pen, would rather stand until all God's purposes are accomplished" (141). Jesus mentioned the words of the Old Testament many times during His earthly ministry, and all of the events discussing the prophecy of Jesus occurred, not to mention other prophecies. Paul saw the Word as the supreme Word of God and from a reading of his letters one would have to gander his belief that everything about the Bible was true and without any error. Throughout the rest of the New Testament there are many references to the Bible being the written words of God.

It becomes very clear that the writers saw what they were writing as God's Word. Jesus lived by the words of the Old Testament and believed in it fully, while others would not argue any other way, the Bible is unquestionably the Word of God. With that in mind, what can we do with the premise of mistakes that are written? Looking at the wrong direction given to Job by his so-called friends Eliphaz, Bild ad, and Zohar show the human side of the Bible. The written Psalms sometime dictate to us feelings of desperation, fear, and anger that also show us humanity.

It is clear that human nature is also present in the word that is inspired by God. The apostle's writings were seen as the Word of God by the writer's themselves. They believed they were receiving a direct word from God in their writing. Their thought process can be used by us today as we look at the different revelations we may receive from the Bible.

As the author notes, there are three "signs" of apostolic teaching that we should follow on pages 150-151. The first principal is that the revelation or truth must be empirically reliable. It must be seen, or witnessed such as in 1 John 1: 1, "That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the Word of life". Secondly, the truth must be existentially viable, in the sense that you have to know the truth has happened to you. This was discussed by every apostle from Paul to John as they personally detailed their joy at having Jesus as Lord of their life. This is the same truth that Christians live in today.

The final truth is logically non contradictory, whereas there can be no contradiction in the truth being taught or revealed. This can be found very adamantly when James tells us to "above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation" (5: 12). Can we than trust the apostolic writings, after all they come from men that are not perfect? Christ throughout the Old Testament vouched for the authority thatthe prophets had in delivering what God wanted said to His people, so it stands to reason that if Jesus promised the apostles the Holy Spirit, than just like the prophets wrote as there was a Word sent forth to them from God; the apostles of the New Testament should be able to write in the same way. Do we have the correct books for the cannon of the New Testament? "Some twenty of the twenty-seven New Testament books were immediately known to be from Authentic divine spokesman and for these no difference of opinion occurred in the early church" (Lewis 152).

Other writings such as Hebrews have never been questioned for authority as much as the question of the authorship of the letter. It is easy to see that through church history, the inspiration of the apostles, prophets and the books that we have in our Biblical canon are as they should be. There has been very little debate throughout history. For other important tasks, such as the premise that the Bible is very close to the original Greek writing of the New Testament period, the minor mistakes that have been found can still stand up to the test of being an inspired Word from God and explained in three hypothesis to test the validity of the works. As the author points out in pages 155-156 of his text, the first test is that the Bible is totally errant, meaning that there are no mistakes to be had. This theory helps secular humanists to refute the Word as nonsense; however we understand that each of the writers brought his own experiences and individuality into the text.

The truth is there, even if the writer's perfection was not. Secondly, there is the theory for a partial errancy and a partial inerrancy. This theory holds that when it comes to redemption, faith and other important principals, there are no mistakes, but with all other points not related there will be problems in factual information. Finally, the third hypothesis lists as plenary inerrancy, meaning we establish the Bible as the Word of God, realizing that some authors had more revelation than others, but in general the Bible was written to "lead people away from idols and to Himself" (155).

Even with plenary errancy the proponents of this task cannot prove that every point of Scripture is true. In fact, since none of the three hypotheses can be proven true, one must look at the one that has the greatest probability. We must look at what the Bible taught, specifically what Jesus said, as well as the words that God gave the prophets and the apostles to speak. We look at the consistency, the adequacy and visibility of each view to come to the best possible conclusion.

For me, I see the principal that God cannot fail in His writing of His Word. To imagine that in the process of writing down His thoughts he used man. These men were chosen by God. Yes, they were in no way perfect, but wouldn't they write down what God wanted them to write, or wouldn't He find someone else to do it? Also, when we consider the selection of the text, God would have ultimate say so in this as well.

The books that He wanted in the canon should be the ones in the Bible; if not couldn't God make a change? The reality that the canon has stayed the same for so long dictates to me that what is in the Bible is what God intended. Any mistakes that critics can find in the Bible are there by purpose, and I oppose the viewpoint that there are any contradictions in the Word. I believe that as we seek Him, He will establish our hearts and renew our minds to understand and reveal to us how His Word fits together. If we do this, instead of arguing what is right and wrong, we will draw closer to the One who made us and begin to grasp what He really meant in His Word. I understand that my view point would not be supported by many "intellectual" Christians, and would be very difficult to argue with the world's leaders in scholarly things, but I see the Word as a faith issue.

Everything we do with God must be by faith, because "Anything that is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14: 23), so I feel strongly that we must as a Body of Christ take the Word at face value. It is good to understand different theories and beliefs when it comes to inspiration, but the greatest inspiration that I know is that I once was lost, but now I am found! Chapter Five " The Ontological God" The next challenging question concerns the age old question that has left skeptics skeptic, atheists, trying to think their way out of the truth and Christians just falling in love with their Creator. The question, does God exist? How can we as Christian theologians argue the existence of a Creator that always was, never wasn't and will always be? It becomes a haunting task.

I liken it to trying to explain your earthly father's existence as a child when he was already there when you were born? As a child you can't even fathom the reality of a person you love as being a child or anything, as far as you could tell, he was always there. I understand that isn't the greatest example of God the Father, but I can see how difficult explaining the existence of someone who never was a child be to a non-believer. It was good to be able to read this chapter in the text, as there is so much to this, but we have to remember that our belief truly does come down to faith. Genesis 1: 1 says, "In the beginning God... ". never in Scripture does God look to prove His existence or try to justify why He is here. He just is, that's all.

It is interesting however to look at what else the Scriptures say, as well as look at what the church fathers have said throughout the Christian era. Some of it was surprising, all of it was interesting. It becomes a difficult part to think and consider the existence of God from an ontological viewpoint. Jeffrey Miller, a Messianic Jew who spent many years of his life as an atheist, points out that what made it difficult for him to acknowledge the existence of a Creator was that he "was trying to think his way towards God". Rev. Miller had to realize that it was faith that brought him to his Christian faith (Miller).

As it is with the evangelist, so it is with many others throughout history. Aquinas saw God as always there, and always necessary to sustain us, while Hegelian Idealism viewed God as always revealing more of Himself through evils of the world. Others, such as Walter Rauschenbusch saw God as away from human beings, not really having a lot to do with them, while W.A. Brown echoes Paul in Romans 8 when he tells us that no one can be separated by God's love, He is always there for us. Karl Barth focused on what we can know of God's existence and personality by looking at the Son (Lewis 178-179). Protestant and Roman Catholic Neoliberalism focus on not putting God into a box, stating that He is a part of this world, but not bound by this world.

They see Him as The Supreme Being while Process theology tends to refute a lot of the above statements because of the relational aspect of God. They claim that God cannot be just a person, like a human being, since He would than be limited by what a human being can do. These theologians also claim that God is limited by this world, because without it, He is not able to be self sufficient (181). The Old Testament is clear about some things.

God made Himself known through word and deed throughout the Pentateuch as well as the rest of the Word. God also gave us His Name, actually many Names throughout Scripture. I liken this to a Creator that wants us to know that He is here and that He wants us to communicate with Him. In the historical books, "God is depicted in the documentation chronicling Israel's history as a living, active, and personal God" (186). Joshua 3: 10 describes God as a "Living God" while many of the acts that God performs, such as God's parting of Jordan's waters (Josh. 3: 14-17), Elijah's calling fire down from Heaven in 1 Kings 18, and allowing His people to be in bondage because of sin, as well as delivering them Ezra 1: 1-4.

The Psalms tell of God's personality, a favorite example of mine is Psalm 2 which tells us that God sets up in the Heavens and "laughs" (vs. 4). We find out about His intelligence in Job. Psalm 36: 9 details the self-existence of God, "With You is the fountain of life". The author also notes on page 188 of his text that God has a huge list of emotions that we find in the Prophetic literature, such as jealousy (Nah. 1: 2; Zech.

1: 14), anger (Isa. 5: 25 as well as other places) and pity and grief (Jer. 16: 5; Ezek 5: 11; Isa. 63: 10; Jer 42: 10).

God's personal attributes cannot be argued in the New Testament, as He Himself came down personally to give His life for our sins. The typical name for the God of the New Testament "is the os, which in the Septuagint translates the Hebrew elohim and, to a lesser extent, Yahweh. Thus the os designates the all-powerful, eternal, and self-originated Deity, who alone is to be feared" (191). These two attributes, love and fear is the best summary I know for the God of the Old as well as New Testament. Jesus showed the Father's great love that He has for us, by giving Himself when we didn't deserve it as atonement for our sins. Balanced with this love is the aspect of God that we reverence or fear, because for those who don't accept the free gift of Christ there will be a judgment day (as well for us).

God is presented as higher than anything created or anything else for that matter. Jesus is Lord over every name on Heaven and earth, and when God looked for someone to swear with when He made His covenant with His people He had to swear with Himself because there was no one greater (Hebrews 6: 13). John tells us that God is love (1 John 4: 8), He is light (1 John 1: 5), and He is spirit (John 4: 24). He is the "Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 1: 8; 21: 6; and 22: 13) and as the author denotes in Hebrews the writer calls Jesus "the radiance of God's glory" (1: 3). It is easy to see that if we look at the Person of Jesus Christ we will see the Father. After all that is exactly what He said (John 14: 9).

Mystics, Latter-Day Saints, and others may have different opinions, but as Christians we need to take the whole context of the Word of God, handed down to us, inspired by the Father to form our understanding of God. For years I have heard that we cannot know God's thought or ways because no one knows these. However, as I study the Word of God I find that the rest of that passage tells us that His ways and thoughts have been revealed to us (1 Corinthians 2: 10) God exists, He never contradicts Himself, and He is as He says He is in the Bible. That has to be the stance that we take as Christians as we witness, discuss theological details, but mainly as we touch upon this ontological aspect of God. The Scripture is clear, He has made Himself known, and He continues to make Himself known through His Word.

The Word has to be our answer to dealing with all issues and questions that come up in our discussions and disagreements about our Lord and Savior. It is clear and non-negotiable in my Christian walk that God has a plan, a purpose for my life as well as everyone else. We are to seek Him by prayer, to fellowship and grow in Him as well as intercede and ask for our own as well as for other supplications, but we must also always realize that God has everything under His control, planned out and orchestrated for a certain time and place. What a great concept to grasp, that even in many difficulties, God is at work for me. It is not because I am so great that He owes me, it is not that at all. He does it out of His great love for me that Christ showed on the cross of Calvary and I believe is summed up in the greatest and most known Scripture, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3: 16).

Chapter Six " What about His Personality?" In the last chapter we came to the conclusion that God exists, that throughout the Bible there is proof and evidence about Him ontologically that as Christians we should have no doubting in our hearts to His ever present existence. Now we look at some principals and characteristics of God that fascinate me in my personal time with the Lord. To consider the truth of God being all-knowing, ever present and the like centers your faith on the One who did all for you. It is an elementary but highly important aspect of who we are in Christ to know and understand the love as well as the need for reverence and fear of a Most Holy God. Church history however has sometimes separated these two viewpoints of God. The Gnostics and Marcionite dualism saw a separation between the God of the Old Testament who was a vengeful Lord and the one found in the New Testament that redeems mankind, but is incapable of any type of wrath.

We must test each aspect of God on proper and correct interpretation of Scripture. By doing this we find that this viewpoint becomes very deadly almost to the point of separating the reality of One God and turning Him into two (Lewis 216). Others, such as dualists saw God as Creator, but not really involved in the world today. God instead "governs the universe from a distance, much like an indifferent clockmaker who made a clock and then let it run on its own" (216). More liberal theology saw nature as the dividing line for God's nature.

For some, such as Schleiermacher, there is no room for justice because of sin leaving no wrath from a holy God (217). Looking at other beliefs of the past we find such philosophies of whether God knows anything about future events and how much control He has over them. Looking at what the Word says we know different. God knew that Pharaoh would release the people of Israel (Exodus 6: 1; 11: 1), and He told Jeremiah that He knew him from before he was in his mother's womb (Jeremiah 1: 8). If God knew him it would stand to reason that when the Lord continues and says to Jeremiah that He has "ordained him a prophet to the nations" (1: 8), that God had a knowledge of the future of the life of His prophet and likewise created him specifically for the purpose that He had in mind for that specific moment on earth. The Bible tells us that Jesus was crucified from the "foundations of the earth" and that God's plan of redemption was prophesied in the Word back in Genesis when the I AM tells the serpent of His plans to crush his head (Genesis 3: 15).

The Word also tells us that is "appointed on to man to die once than the judgment" (Hebrews 9: 27), so God knows the specific days of our lives. God's intelligence is perfect and complete. There is nothing that He does not know and He never has to learn anything as Scriptures such as Psalm 139: 2-10, John 21: 17 and 1 John 3: 20 reiterate to us. The Word also tells us that God is faithful (1 Corinthians 1: 9, 10: 13 and 2 Corinthians 1: 18), that He cannot lie (Hebrews 6: 18), so there is no reason for a believer not to trust in Him. Ethically God is a holy God who demands justice but yet is merciful and loving. He is truly an emotional God.

The Bible tells us that He is a jealous God, that He does not care for evil and He is very compassionate (Exodus 20: 15, 34: 14, 34: 16, 2 Chronicles 30: 9 as well as many others). As a volitional God, He gives us a free will to choose Him, is bound to no man Himself and yet has complete control over everything. Even with all of this greatness, the Lord's greatest desire is to bring His people back to Himself and have fellowship with us (1 Timothy 2: 4). The knowledge of all of this is so important for the Christian to grasp. To understand that the great I Am wants to have fellowship with me is so amazing and to realize that with all of the above characteristics (and I didn't touch the beginning of who God truly is) He still wants to have a relationship with me so much that He paid the price in dying for my sins. What an amazing God!

Chapter Seven " What about the Trinity?" We now come to one of the most controversial topics related around Christianity today. Proponents and opponents argue for and against the reality of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost being one person. Scholars, atheists and other religious groups deny it, while most Christians have no understanding about this crucial topic. Still our knowledge and understanding of God hinges on whether we believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man, was there with the Father when creation happened (as well as the Holy Spirit) and whether all three are unique persons yet are the same. It can really make even the most sanctified, Holy Ghost filled warrior for God shake their heads and contract a headache as he tries to piece together this mystery.

I fully believe in the Trinity, although like others I can't fully explain the whole process. I can't explain how God could save me. I know that Jesus died for me, but even with my greatest and deepest thinking I still can't comprehend the glory of it. The same can be said for the Trinity.

I just believe it. Why? It is because I believe with all my heart that the Word of God speaks specifically of the Father, the Son and the Spirit all being one. One God. I believe that. Throughout history this doctrine has been argued and defended.

Adoption ism sees Jesus as an orphan in need of a father to adopt. Deists can't fathom Jesus as God, seeing Him as adopted as well. The neo orthodox tells us that all three are all separate, or "modes of operation of the divine being" (253). The Roman Catholics view the Trinity as an absolute fact while Protestant Neoliberalism saw the Trinity as the many different ways that we can understand God. It is no wonder that the church of today is so confused. They have listened to different viewpoints of history and have not heard much about what the Word of God has to say about the Trinity.

Genesis 1: 26 uses the pronoun us to represent the aspect of the Trinity. The author of the test writes, "It is unlikely that the 'us' in Genesis 1: 26 refers to God and angels, since man alone was created in God's image (Gen. 1: 27). The fact that plural pronouns were not used elsewhere in reference to God may suggest that God is calling the reader's attention to something unusual" (258). The Bible is full of references to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit together and throughout the Scriptures there is a definite correlation between all three persons.

The Old Testament book of Genesis gives us the first reference to the Trinity in 1: 2 "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters". Here we are introduced to the emphasis of the Holy Spirit brooding (as some versions state) with God the Father. John 1: 1 tells us that Jesus, the Word was there "in the beginning", helping us understand that the Messiah was there with God the Father and the Hoy Spirit when creation occurred. When God says, "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1: 26), the pronoun tells us that there was someone else there with the Father. This could not be an angel, so God must be there with the Son and the Spirit. This togetherness continues in Psalm 33: 6 when all three persons are mentioned, as well as Isaiah 6: 8, when the prophet is given a calling from God after hearing, "Who will go for us?" Isaiah 11: 1-2 tells us "that 'the Spirit of the Lord will rest' on One called 'a Branch,' thereby equipping him for messianic ministry" (Lewis 261).

The New Testament is also full of the Trinity. When Jesus is baptized by John in Matthew 3: 16-17, there are three personalities identified. In Matthew 26: 63-64, Jesus answers the question of whether He was the Son of God with an affirmative. The Trinity is found several times in Paul's writings, including using all three names in Romans 1: 1-4, 1 Corinthians 6: 11, 2 Corinthians 13: 14, Ephesians 4: 4-6, 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 and Titus 3: 4-6.1 John 5: 7 is an interesting passage. The earliest manuscript that includes this verse is a 5th Century Latin version (Lewis 267) so many scholars question the validity of the verse. Still, the reference to Jesus being God for me runs right along with Scripture.

John writes of the Trinity in the 20th chapter of his gospel when Thomas sees Jesus he exclaims, "My Lord and My God" (vs. 28). These passages only begin establishing the doctrine of the Trinity. It is clear from Scripture that this is true and gives us the best line of defense. "The view that God does not just function in relation to the world in three different ways but exists as three persons in one spiritual-physical essence accounts for the varied line of evidence with the fewest difficulties" (274). Still the attacks on the doctrine continue. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons deny this premise, even though the basis for the Trinity is found throughout the Word of God.

I found this chapter a great reference in grasping how many verses are related to the idea of the Trinity. This doctrine is a fundamental part of our Christian belief, and since I live and trust in the Word of God to be the final authority in my life, I stand on the belief that the Trinity is true. God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are all one. God is three persons with differing objectives in Scripture but still one. It is one God we believe in and not three. This is the Trinity.

This is the truth about God. Chapter Eight " Did God Do It?" When accidents, tribulation and struggles occur in the lives of people, there is always a search for answers. I have always found it interesting that many people truly turn their lives over to Jesus when they go through such a life changing event that there has to be some kind of decision made about their eternal life. It is within this trying time that many have begun a real search for truth and meaning. It is here that some begin to question God about the circumstances they are dealing with.

The question than arises, what is, or is there a purpose for what God is doing on the earth. Many scholars of the past have differing views on this topic. The different viewpoints throughout history have been substantial. Process theology is all about God trying to get you to cooperate with Him by doing what He wants, but He has no control over the future.

John Wesley believed that God always knows what He is going to do and God also allows us to do certain things. Thomas Aquinas and Augustine believed this same way as well, while John Calvin stated", 'Not all men have been created under the same conditions: some are predestined to eternal life, others to eternal damnation. And in as much as a man is created to reach the one goal or the other, we say that he is predestined to life or to death' " (296, the author quoted from John Calvin's Institutes). Reformers figured God planned out everything that came to pass. So what exactly does the Word of God say about this issue? In the book of Genesis, God told Adam and Eve about sin, allowed them to make their own choice and also told them what the consequences for the wrong action would be.

Abraham is promised a blessing by God years before the promise arrives, and Joseph was sent to Egypt which was obviously part of God's plan (45: 5, 7-8). Pharaoh has a hardened heart, and he chose not to obey the Lord in the first chapter of Exodus. "The ten or so references to God's hardening Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4: 21; 7: 3, 9: 12, et al.) offer no proof that God efficiently caused the Egyptian's stubbornness, nor on balance do they support the notion of divine reprobation" (Lewis 300). The earlier passages of Exodus tell us that Pharaoh had made a point to not obey the commandments of God. I liken this to what Paul wrote in Romans 1. The apostle tells us that if we "suppress the truth" (NKJV), we are saying no to the truth of God.

The next verses tell us how God gave those who decided not to follow over to their own wicked ways (1: 24). Obviously there is a danger in saying no, and Pharaoh was in that place of the "law of sin and death" talked about in Romans 8: 2. God spells out His commandments throughout the Pentateuch and promises blessings for those who obey as well as curses for those who don't (Deut. 28). His will for Israel as well as the rest of the human race continues to be known through his plans for individuals such as David, Solomon, Job as well as the Minor and Major Prophets.

Jesus told us that He was only doing what He saw the Father doing (John 5: 19). If we also take in consideration that Jesus said, "If you have seen the Father you have seen Me" (John 14: 9), we would have to decipher that following the ministry of Jesus would also tell us God's will and plan. Jesus was anointed by God "and He went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him" (Acts 10: 35). The will of Jesus was to deliver those in bondage from sin and to heal those who were spiritually as well as physically sick. Upon reading Paul's explanation as well as other letter writers of the New Testament, the Christian must come to the conclusion that even though problems do exist in this world, God is not the cause of these problems.

People do get sick and die, but God does not put the sickness on the individual and He truly desires them to live forever (eternally with Him in Heaven). He is a God of grace, love and mercy; however, He also is a just God who tells us that it is "appointed upon men to die once than the judgment" (Hebrews 9: 27). The author of our text tells of a great illustration to explain why God is still just even though evil happens in this world. Just because a drunk driver could drive a Model T and kill another person, that does not make the Model T not worth having. Henry Ford is not the cause of the death. Yes, he built the car, but he didn't commit the murder.

Even with all the tragedy and sadness in this society, the Father still has a plan for all mankind. He has a purpose for why each individual is on this earth and desires greatly for each of us to achieve that end. He knew us before we were born (Psalm 139: 13; Jeremiah 1: 8) and He planned the course of each of our lives long before that. What an exciting God we serve, that would even plan a way for us to live in eternity with Jesus by coming to this world and offering Himself as the ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us. I praise Him for what He has done!

Bibliography

Lewis, Gordon R. and Demarest, Bruce A. Integrative Theology. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1996.
Miller, Jeffrey. "You Can't Think Your Way to God". Sermon. 2000.