Character of God

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7seasrekeyed

Guest
#21
I allowed my thoughts to wonder and they settled upon this; our interpretation of Scripture is greater seeded in our own character than God’s. I think our discrepancies and biblical debates say more about the debaters than the content of contention. How we analyze God’s actions are understood through our logic. Since anyone who casts an opinion obviously feels they are correct, most likely based on their logic. We feel God must be logical and that His actions and thoughts must match our own. Therefore on issues like OSAS, a more forgiving person, quarrels with those who identify themselves by their accomplishments, embracing a works based salvation. Both potentially ignoring the scripture to the contrary; clearly stating that you can’t be saved without faith, and that He saved us, to do His work.

this may be true at times, but where did the firm foundation go? no foundation, you are never going to erect an edifice able to withstand 'the weather'

oh there sure are all kinds of interpretations, but why did those who actually write the scriptures seem so sure of what they believed?

start at the beginning, don't miss a thing, and then reflect. the Bible is not a piecemeal book. it is not a smorgasbord and if we believe what it says, we should ALL take away a foundation on which to build. a foundation being the very least, that God exists, that He created ALL things, that mankind ruined the relationship God intended, that God in His mercy and infinite wisdom promised right then and there a way out of that mess and skipping over some necessary components, God kept His promise and Jesus was delivered to us to accept or deny

no isim saves...no Calvinism, no Arminiaism, no Sabbath or law keeping, no works, no nuthin

there are things we do once we are in God's family and they are all plainly and simply spelled out

God is infinitely complicated but so perfect in His wisdom that He presents the only way out of our predicament in such simple terms that even a child can understand
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
#22
...but why is this thread called 'character of God'?

seems the character of peoples is more in question IMO :unsure:
 
Nov 26, 2012
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#23
:)[/QUOTE]
...but why is this thread called 'character of God'?

seems the character of peoples is more in question IMO :unsure:
It isn’t the character of God in question. It is that we project our own character on how we perceive God. It’s like the Pharisees missed the Christ because they were expecting someone more like them. So if a group of zealots who prided themselves on understanding the infallible Scriptures, were that off of the mark, is it not possible that some here are errant in their perceptions?
 
Nov 26, 2012
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#24
Thanks for all of the great responses.
 
7

7seasrekeyed

Guest
#25
It isn’t the character of God in question. It is that we project our own character on how we perceive God. It’s like the Pharisees missed the Christ because they were expecting someone more like them. So if a group of zealots who prided themselves on understanding the infallible Scriptures, were that off of the mark, is it not possible that some here are errant in their perceptions?[/QUOTE]


well that is what I said :)

but you did title it character of God...but your intent was actually about people...got it!
 

Lillywolf

Well-known member
Aug 29, 2018
1,562
543
113
#26
I allowed my thoughts to wonder and they settled upon this; our interpretation of Scripture is greater seeded in our own character than God’s. I think our discrepancies and biblical debates say more about the debaters than the content of contention. How we analyze God’s actions are understood through our logic. Since anyone who casts an opinion obviously feels they are correct, most likely based on their logic. We feel God must be logical and that His actions and thoughts must match our own. Therefore on issues like OSAS, a more forgiving person, quarrels with those who identify themselves by their accomplishments, embracing a works based salvation. Both potentially ignoring the scripture to the contrary; clearly stating that you can’t be saved without faith, and that He saved us, to do His work.
Isaiah 55:8"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

God’s Thoughts Are Not Your Thoughts: A Bible Study
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,261
2,386
113
#27
I allowed my thoughts to wonder and they settled upon this; our interpretation of Scripture is greater seeded in our own character than God’s. I think our discrepancies and biblical debates say more about the debaters than the content of contention. How we analyze God’s actions are understood through our logic. Since anyone who casts an opinion obviously feels they are correct, most likely based on their logic. We feel God must be logical and that His actions and thoughts must match our own. Therefore on issues like OSAS, a more forgiving person, quarrels with those who identify themselves by their accomplishments, embracing a works based salvation. Both potentially ignoring the scripture to the contrary; clearly stating that you can’t be saved without faith, and that He saved us, to do His work.

1. "...our interpretation of Scripture is greater seeded in our own character than God’s."

I think this is a given in scriptural study, and it's a good starting place.

It is a given that man is fallen, and his natural understanding is fallen.
It is a given that our fallen nature moves us toward lies, rather than truth.

So to help us, God points out, in scripture, a number of things we need to better interpret scripture.


2. Scripture shows we need several things before we can understand the Bible:

a. God's spirit
(This shows we are saved, and are his children.)
b. right living/actions before God
(This shows we are submitted to him in daily life.)
c. proper hermeneutics
(This shows we are using basic principles of language and logic, as well as certain spiritual principles.)

If we ignore any of these things needed for interpretation, we are ignoring God himself, as well as ignoring the means he provided for us.

The above points all come directly from scripture, either explicitly, or implicitly through examples and logical inferences.


3. "We feel God must be logical..."

Well, it's more than a feeling, it's logically necessary that God must be logical.
The creator of all things, including logic, must be logically consistent - logic is rooted in "being."
(In a nutshell, God simply cannot contradict himself etc. At a deeper level, the very fabric of existence depends upon this.)

However, that doesn't mean that humans LIKE the logical clarity that flows from God.
Humans are fallen, and in our natural struggle AGAINST God, we will try to imagine things WRONG with what he says.

This is why the atheists' logical arguments against the existence of God are not actually logical.
Their arguments can be beaten with logic because their arguments have to introduce logical errors in order to make their own creator, the creator of logic, disappear.

So to recap, there aren't two types of logic: "man's logic" and "God's logic."
There is just logic - that which is true.
Man doesn't like that which is true... so he introduces lies, logical errors, to get rid of truth.


4. Finally, we shouldn't say people ONLY disagree on Biblical issues because of character flaws.

A. People certainly CAN disagree, or dissent, because of their character flaws.

B. However, we should recognize there can be other reasons.

C. Some of these reasons could include: their training, their theological traditions, their theological frameworks, various well-intended presuppositions, differences in hermeneutics perhaps based in different epistemic views, or even just pure and unintentional ignorance.

People CAN disagree on scripture because of character flaws preventing them from the truth.
But there are many other reasons as well.
It IS possible for brothers and sisters in Christ, with good moral character, to disagree.

...