All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Is there really a God?
If one asks, how do you know there is a God what would be your reply?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tammy on
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I would also like to add to LT's comment that I believe it's opposite of boasting. Boasting is when we decide we can do this thing called life on our own. Boasting is all about self. It's me, me me. However acceptance is a knowledge of knowing that we're totally dependent on God & aren't able to take the next breath without Him leading.
Matt 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - A choice that if you come
1 John 2:3-4 - And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." - Again if
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Permalink Reply by Leonard T on
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Roy,
Why do you believe that one being given liberty by God to receive is a means to boasting in self. I have no problem with you believing it is all God and no liberty given what-so-ever, but you do not stop there. You are telling us that view it differently that because we believe the Word teaches it is all God and in His sovereignty has given us the liberty under the influence of the Holy Spirit who brings us to a place of receiving or rejecting that if we believe God gave me that liberty I am boasting. Far from ... what a wretch am I, so undeserving. My receiving is not a work, but a simply a broken and wretched worm receiving the free gift of eternal life granted by God. How can one who is destitute, and knows it, boast in self?
The part that is offensive ... and it is offensive, is that you believe we are some how taking credit for our salvation and boasting ... simply not so.
Lord Bless,
LT
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Permalink Reply by Amanda on
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We never accuse those who receive our charitable gifts as coming near to somewhat being boastful when they tell others what they've received to help them in the greatest time of their need and say that they willingly and gratefully accepted the gifts.
However, I have memories of my parents not accepting some types of charity and it was the times when they felt people were feeling sorry for them and their pride was wounded. They felt humiliated.
On the other hand, there are those who boast of how they take advantage of the goodness and kindness of others, saying they will gladly take people for everything they can get from them.
That's not how we come to Christ to receive His gift of salvation. We come to Him mourning and in godly sorrow and true humility. To say that I think I became born again because I was smart enough to choose Jesus is a misrepresentation of me just as much as it would be of you for me to say that you believe God is a monster who sends people to Hell at random. -
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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Roy,
Of course we have nothing to boast about, my problem with the belief that God chooses some to be saved, and some not is that it maligns God's character. It misrepresents who He is, and also undermines what Jesus did on the cross for all of humanity.
None of us have anything to boast about, but we have everything to boast about in regards to the work that Jesus did on the cross....this is for all of humanity, not just some. It is dangerous to say it is just for some....I have even heard people say..."well, I guess He just didn't die for me". That's a dangerous teaching. He died and rose again back to life to defeat sin and death, and reconcile us to God for EVERYONE who calls upon the name of the Lord.
We don't Glorify God any less when we say He died for everyone. But we do undermine and malign His Character and HIS work when we say He died for only some.
When we try to figure things out beyond our understanding such as why some believe and others don't, and assign it to God and His foreknowledge, or predestination, we are stepping on thin ice. We might have a very small understanding of why people reject Jesus (usually it's pride, but can also be they have never heard and understood the gospel), but we don't get to say. That's God's business through the Holy Spirit. We have no right to dare say it's because God did not choose them. I hate the Calvinist teaching.... I really do.
Blessings, Carla
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John 3:16 For God so loved that WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOSEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It's for all not just some to further Carla's statement.
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Roy,
Did you accept Him or choose Him? Or how did you go about being born again?
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Permalink Reply by thewatchman on
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"If one asks, how do you know there is a God what would be your reply?"
What is it the CIA/FBI do? lol I'm not sure, but I think answering a question with a question might be a good start. Ask them how do you know there isn't? Sometimes throwing the "ball" in their court will get them to answering something to their own question and you will find out where their mind is at, i.e. some life experience, etc.. Sometimes people just don't want to believe that there is a God at all and they are mad, but yet still curious for the life you have and how you are living it out.
Do you know that more times than naught, when someone ask you that question, they are beggars, they WANT God to believe in and they WANT a reason to believe in Him. They are seeking, truly seeking...how do I know this? I was one of those people. I wanted just one reason to believe, I was there at the threshold of the door I had been knocking on. I was the beggar. Perhaps we are winding down too much and not giving these beggars even the crumbs anymore.
I would just proceed to tell them the Truth about God.
That's my 2 cents. Love you Tammy.
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I don't know what they do either. I know it's secretive. hahaha. Thanks watchman. I love you too.
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Permalink Reply by peacengod on
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GOD is GOD, not a GOD! GOD loves you! Won't you stop your sinning and come and join me in a great and awesome adventure in GOD!
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After studying the passage of 1 John 2:1-11 and after answering some of the questions in the material for this week's HOA, this morning I see a clear understanding that what people need who are wondering if God is real and is really there is to see Jesus through the ones who are members of His Body, His Church.
Our attitudes are our ways of thinking and feeling about people and things and they are reflected in our behavior. We should long for our words (attitudes) and actions both to bring glory to God the same way as Jesus lived. His greatest desire was to do His Father's will.
Jesus went through everything that we go through as far as trials and hardships and suffering and sorrow and temptations. Yet, He was always victorious. He endured and never turned back. He never failed. We fail but that should never become a barrier between God and us-- the fact that we fail.
Because of Christ as our advocate we can speak to God and tell God things that we can't tell people, fearing they won't understand or care. He understands and He knows our weaknesses. We come to Him poor in spirit out of reverence to receive mercy and grace. When tempted to shrink back we are truly in a time of great need. That's the time to encourage people to draw near to God. As Saint Paul said, "His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him--though he is not far from any one of us" (Acts 17:27, NLT).
We are told to imitate Christ. The question then is, Can the world see that Christ exists because they can see Him in us?
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Permalink Reply by JB on
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To tell about a little incident I encountered with a man that didn’t believe in anything about God.
I went to the hospital to visit a friend’s mother one Sunday after church. Upon arriving at the room, the nurse said she was sleeping but, the others were in the cafeteria, I went down and there were 4 at the table, they welcomed me and told me to pull up a chair, I told them I needed one because I had been up till 1 or 2 AM that morning talking to a couple that the husband didn’t believe in God. The daughter of the woman in the hospital said Joe you didn’t come here on your own; God sent you here, I’m going up to see mom and you are going to sit here and talk to this man, “across the table” because he doesn’t believe in God either. So I sat down and proceeded to ask him, what is it that you don’t believe? He said I don’t believe any of it, I asked him; are you plugged into anything, he looked puzzled and said no, why do you ask? I said what do you think keeps your heart beating? All you have to do is see the trees, and life itself, to know that something has to keep it going, I no sooner said that when my friend sitting next to me with tears in his said to the unbeliever you believe now don’t you? And he “my friend” said let’s pray, and I said he has to believe first, so my friend said you believe now don’t you? And he said yes I do, so we prayed there in the cafeteria with Dr’s and nurses watching; 3 men and a woman crying and praying for this man’s salvation.
1 Cor. 1:21 says; “ For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
We never want to question what the Holy Spirit lays on our hearts to say, though it may sound foolish to us, but the Holy Spirit is the one doing the work, not us, He can use anything to reveal truth where ever it is needed.
JB
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