Tuesday, November 07, 2006
O Lord my God
"You are a Christian!!! Yes, so what?". I know that there is a God who loves me and watches over me all the time. He loves me so much that He is willng to sacrifice His own and only Son, which is He Himself who incarnate to the world as Jesus Christ, my personal saviour and friend. So that, through His sacrifice, to the extend of sacrificing Himself to death, and His victory against death, I can be united with Him eternally. And, it's still not finished yet! He still provides me when I'm in need, guards me when I'm in danger, strengthens me when I'm tired, cheers me up when I'm sad, and rebukes me when I'm in wrong... all is done through the work of His Holy Spirit. And because of that, I do not hesitate to put all my faith in Him, to believe Him fully. Simply because I know that He will always plan and give the best for me.
"Is there such kind of god? Such a nice God? Is He really a god in the first place?" Why should He, if He's really a God, want to sacrifice Himself?". Yes, there is!!! He is nice and loving, yet He's indeed a God. And He loves us so much that He is willing to sacrifice Himself. That's the only reason of His sacrifition: He loves us vey much, indeed.
So, "Tell me, who is this God?". He is Yahweh, literally means "I AM who I AM", simply means that He is the everlasting, self-content, omni-potent, the Most Supreme God. None could imitate Him. None could be more than Him. He can impersonate in 3 characters: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet the Three is still One, the Tri-une God.
"Hmmm, but I still do not see the point why I should follow this particular God. What makes Him different from the other gods?" Well, I simply give you my reasons why I choose to follow this God. These reasons, to tell you the truth, lay the first foundation of my personal faith to Him.
He can emphatize our feeling. To me, when I decide to follow a god, this is my first criteria of what my god should be. I would tottaly hate a god, who just wants my faith and praise... who wants me to worship him all the time... yet, he doesn't even care my problem. I don't call him a god in the first place, I would call him a leecher... no kidding : ). But being sympathetic only, to me, is not enough. Quite often, I share my problem with my closest friends... and, in response , they say "Yeah, we understand. Be strong, you can do it!". Well, I do appreciate their sympathy and encouragement... but do they really know how serious the trouble is? It's easy to say words of encouragement to others, until we are faced with the same trouble oursleves, isn't it? That's because it's very difficult for us to be able to really put ourselves in our friends' shoes and feel the same way they feel, unless you're a very sensitive and caring person (that's by itself is a gift from God actually ^_^). But, my God is different, becasue He can feel and emphatize (notice that He doesn't stop at being sympathetic only) with our difficulty. He can do that becasue He Himself has gone through all the problem itself. God knows the feeling of being tempted by the devils, because He Himself has been tempted before. God knows the hurt of being betrayed, because He also has been betrayed before, not only once but many times. How many times you have been betrayed in your life? To tell you the truth, if you happen to read the whole Bible, I think noone can surpass God's record of being betrayed... by His angels (who become known as satan), His most beloved creation (the first man himself), His chosen people (the Israelites), His disciple (Peter, Judas), etc. In fact, when He incarnate Himself as Jesus Christ, God the Son, i.e. God in human flesh, He had tasted all the bitterness of being a human. He knew the feeling of being hungry after 40-day of fasting, He grieved before, He knew what the feeling of being afraid and stressful is. In fact, He was so stressful that He's sweating blood (how many of you have ever been so stressed till you're sweating blood before? No kidding). He was embarassed so badly that even His own disciples didn't want to recognize Him. He went through all mental, as well as physical abuse, to His death. He tasted death Himself!!! And because He has gone through all these, therefore I know that I can depend on Him whenever I undergo the same troubles, and look up for His strength and cheering, the very same strength that He used when He's being tested last time, and a sincere cheering from Someone who understands exactly what problems I'm undergoing.
He provides salvation and solution. Having a friend who can empathize our problem is good, but it would be much better if he can help us solve our problem. And, indeed, my God solves the problem for me. And I am sure He can solve your problems as well. In fact, there is no problem He can't solve. And, what do you think the source of all problems in this world? It's sin. Yes, sin is the root of all problems in this world. And the source of all problems, i.e. sin, bring the boggest problem to humanity as well. What's that? I think there is no more serious problem than being separated from God. Sin separates us from God, because God, who is holy, wil not tolerate sin at all. All of us are sinful. In fact, we are sinful by nature. Not because of what we have done in the previous life (I don't believe in reincarnation anyway), but becasue the first man, whom God created, sinned. And since we are all his descendants, we inherit that sin. Thorugh one man, the first man, sin entered the world, and through One Man, God's First Born, i.e. Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sin can be attained. God provides the salvation. And, with sin being taken care off, no problem can't be solved. So, He provides solution as well.
He is trustworthy. A god who can lie is not worth our faith. How can you be faithfull to someone who can deceive you anytime? All men, even you closest friends, or you own close relatives, can deceive you, but God will not. Men's heart may falter. Put him under pressure that may threaten his life, his pride, his belongings, etc... you'll never know what sort of unimaginable thing he can do. But God can be trusted... word by word. If He says that He loves you, I dare to bet my own life, that He will always love you. Therefore, I can safely put my faith in Him. I don't need to be worried of being cheated.
He is everlasting. This is a very important character a god should have (if he's really a god). A god who can die, is not a god. That means he can be conquered by death... so death is the real god in this case, not him. A dead god is as good as no-god at all. What a dead god can do? That's why I would never understand why there are people who worship dead men (their ancestors, charismatics leaders, etc). What dead man can do afterall? But, my God is an everlasting God. Before the universe exists, He's already been there. After the final judgment, He will still be there, altogether with those who believe in HIm, in heaven. My God is the God who begins, who works and who ends. He is The Beginning and The End.
He befriends everyone. Can you imagine a god who wants to deal with a group of people only? What happen if God only wants to talk to the priests, or to the royals, or to the richs? Is He worthy of my faith in the first place? If that's the case, of course not. Now I'm rich, so that He wants to befriend me... then one day I fall poor, then He'll leave me in desperation. How can I depend to such a god? But, of course, He is not!!! He befriends everyone, and He is faithful. He won't forget me, no matter how embarassing my state is. And, to tell you the truth, one thing that is so amazing about my God is that, He looks for the sinfuls!! It's amazing, isn't it? How many gods in this world who want to go for trouble looking for sinful men? And the only reason why He does that si becasue He loves the sinfuls. Even the most sinful man, who has done the most hideous crime you can think of, God loves him, and He still wants to befriend him.
He takes initiative. Does it make a different between "You are looking for God" and "God is looking for you"? It's a big difference between the two , don't you think? That is one of the most basic differences between Christianity and other religions; Christians' God is the God who look for men, not the other way around. If your belief teaches you that it is you who looks for God, now I ask you: "What should you do to make God acknowledge you? Doing as many good deeds as possible? Fasting and meditating as often as possible? Burning incense and sacrifice as much as possible? And yet, at the end, you're still worried whether what you have done has please Him enough to acknowledge you... so ironic, isn't it? I realize my own weaknesses... I know my limit... if I were to look for God, I don't think I'll ever be able to find Him. He's holy, I'm sinful. How can a sinful man be able to meet a holy God. how much should I pay as a retribution for my sin so that I can meet Him? I will never be able to pay for it. But, fortunately my God, compelled by His love, takes the initiative to go look for men, particularly the sinfuls... the "lost sheeps". Everyone sins, except for Jesus Christ. A sinful can't help himself or other sinful, much like a lost sheep won;t be able to find a way back home himself. Hence, it must be God Himself to come down to help us. He did come, as Jesus Christ, The Messiah. He doesn't wait until you come to Him, He has already come to you... a long long time ago.
He is just. I can't imagine a god who is impartial, who can be bribed. I won't feel safe either putting my faith on such kind of god. I don't know about your god (if you have any), but for sure, my God is impartial. He doesn't show favoritism. He blesses the righteous, those who love and obey Him, and punishes the sinfuls and wrongdoings. Then you might be wondering, "If God is just, why does He befriend the sinfuls in the first place?". It simply becasue of His love. He loves the sinfuls , yet He is to punish sin. He hates sin, but He loves the sinfuls. More about this here.
He is almighty. God who is not almighty is not deserved to be called god in the first place. But my God is a powerful God. He created and take control of the whole universe just by His Words. Nature obeys Him. No illness He can't cure. No sin, He can't forgive. He triumphs over death. He can kick satan out as easily as snapping His finger. Tell me, what He can't do?
"You are talking about this guy, Jesus, just now. Who is this guy? What did he do?". Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. He is fully God, and at the same time He is fully human. Being a God, He inherits all of God's characters above. Being a human, He inherits all human limitations. He can get hungry, sleepy, tired, etc. He went through all kind of evil temptation that we face in our daily life. But the most important thing that He has done is His act of sacrifition, so that we, sinful men, can atatn our salvation.
"But, I still don't understand what this God can do for you? Afterall He died just like you said". Yes, He died... for you and me. But don't forget the He also rose again from the deads to prove His victory, so that anyone who believe in Him will also share that victory altogether in heaven.
"Believe in Him? Is that all the condition to get into heaven? Is that enough?". Yes, that's all, no less and no more. That's actually what distinguishes Christian from other beliefs. It's not how much good deeds we have done... or anything... that determine our salvation. But it's our faith, whether or not we believe in His act of salvation, i.e. by dying on the cross and rose again on the third day, that will essentially determine our salvation. If you believe, you're saved, if not... then too bad. Our salvation comes by grace. It's a present from God Himself. Not by our works, so that noone can boast that s/he acquires his/er own salvation by works.
"If good deeds is not important, does it mean that Christians are allowed to do anything... or not to do anything? Afterall, what's the point of performing good deeds if your God doesn't appreciate it?" Who says so? That's not true at all. It's every Chrtsian' duty to perform good deeds... for 2 reasons:
First and the most fundamental reason is that to give thanks to God, becasue He's already so kind to us in the first place.
Because God tells us to do so. It's God's order to every Christian to love our neighbors and, we'll be condemned wrong if we do evil to others, or even if we don't help others when we know that they're in in need of our help.
So that's another one of the most basic differences between Christianity and other beliefs; Christians, as people who have experienced directly the kindness and goodness of God, show our thanksgiving by doing good deeds to other. We don't burn offering, God is already so rich that no matter how expensive our burnt offering is, it means nothing to Him. We don't just sit there and praise Him with flattery words; He doesn't need our flatterings. As He is the God who acts, He wants us to act as well... realizing our faith into action. Faith gives rise to obedience... if you have faith in someone, you'll obey whatever he says, won't you? And God's order is to reach out to others, to show the same kindness that He has shown to others. If you do the opposite way... or if you don't do it... you've defied God's order. Consequently, He'll question your faith. Good deeds is not our ticket to salvation, it's a bare-fruit of our salvation.
"How do you happen to know all this?" First and foremost, because it is all written in Bible, as simple as that. But that's not all. I do learn about Jesus and all other Bible stories from my parent, sunday-school teachers, my friends in my fellowship group, my cell-group mates... and I do learn from my personal experience as well. If you have read my short autobiography in MySelf, you might've probably noticed how much I credited all my achievements to God. You might think that it's all just fate, or it's all just coincidental... But, to me if it's indeed because of fate, then indeed God has been so kind to give me such a fate, since it's all too good to be a coincidence.
"Now you talk about Bible... What is Bible? Why should I believe in what the Bible says? Is it realiable in the first place?" Bible is God-inspired words, written by men throughout different ages. By saying so, there are few implications I would like to emphasize (based on my belief)
The orginality of the Bible came from God Himself. He is the inspirator. He is the Grand Author of the Bible.
But the Bible was written by human's hands. God did not dictate the Bible word-by-word. Instead, He inspired the writer to write the Bible in accordance with God's inspiration.
Thereby, as men always make mistake, there might be mistakes here and there in the Bible. That's why some skeptics or non-Christians sometimes attack Bible to be inconsistent between one passage with another. And I admit that such cases can be found in the Bible.
The detailed facts might be wrong, yet the teaching that the Bible wants to deliver to the readers would never be wrong. If I find such story where this prophet went to city A... while in the other passage, the writer claimed that the prophet actually went to city B... and so on and so forth... that won't bother me more than just a slip-of-the-writer's-mind (which writer was wrong, I don't know... and I don't care either). What would bother me more is the prophet's teachings, i.e. what he was trying to say, as the messanger of God, to the people of God and how it affects my life as part of God's people under the circumstances of our everyday-life-issues. Take for example, I don't really care whether the universe was created in 6 days... or 6 months... or 6 years... What I need to understand is that God created the univerese. That's the messsage the first chapter of Genesis trying to say: God is the Creator of the universe. Being God the Creator, it's my duty to praise and give thanks to Him , as well as to take the environment around me... because it's not mine... it's His.
Also, as men's knowledge and wisdom are limited by time and space, we should be cautious in reading and interpreting the Bible. Yet I believe that Christian teachings, as written in the Bible, is independent of space and time. Hence, Bible will never become outdated nor limited by place
Neither is Bible a science textbook, nor it's a book of codes for foretelling events in the future. It's true that you can discuss some phenomena in Bible from the science perspective, though not all. Indeed, that Bible tells us something about the past, present and future. But, that's not the main point. The main point of the Bible is actually God's act of salvation through the crucifixion and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophesies about His coming, and the New Testament shows the fulfillment of the prophecy.
It's one of the obligation of every believer to bring the good news about Jesus Christ and His Act of Salvation (also known as the Gospel) to others. But, by no means I'll ever force you to take up Christianity, nor I have the authority, even I want to. But God Himself will call you personally. Remember that He's the God who's looking for men. Open you heart and mind... humble yourself... and listen!!! He is there calling for you!
"Is there such kind of god? Such a nice God? Is He really a god in the first place?" Why should He, if He's really a God, want to sacrifice Himself?". Yes, there is!!! He is nice and loving, yet He's indeed a God. And He loves us so much that He is willing to sacrifice Himself. That's the only reason of His sacrifition: He loves us vey much, indeed.
So, "Tell me, who is this God?". He is Yahweh, literally means "I AM who I AM", simply means that He is the everlasting, self-content, omni-potent, the Most Supreme God. None could imitate Him. None could be more than Him. He can impersonate in 3 characters: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet the Three is still One, the Tri-une God.
"Hmmm, but I still do not see the point why I should follow this particular God. What makes Him different from the other gods?" Well, I simply give you my reasons why I choose to follow this God. These reasons, to tell you the truth, lay the first foundation of my personal faith to Him.
He can emphatize our feeling. To me, when I decide to follow a god, this is my first criteria of what my god should be. I would tottaly hate a god, who just wants my faith and praise... who wants me to worship him all the time... yet, he doesn't even care my problem. I don't call him a god in the first place, I would call him a leecher... no kidding : ). But being sympathetic only, to me, is not enough. Quite often, I share my problem with my closest friends... and, in response , they say "Yeah, we understand. Be strong, you can do it!". Well, I do appreciate their sympathy and encouragement... but do they really know how serious the trouble is? It's easy to say words of encouragement to others, until we are faced with the same trouble oursleves, isn't it? That's because it's very difficult for us to be able to really put ourselves in our friends' shoes and feel the same way they feel, unless you're a very sensitive and caring person (that's by itself is a gift from God actually ^_^). But, my God is different, becasue He can feel and emphatize (notice that He doesn't stop at being sympathetic only) with our difficulty. He can do that becasue He Himself has gone through all the problem itself. God knows the feeling of being tempted by the devils, because He Himself has been tempted before. God knows the hurt of being betrayed, because He also has been betrayed before, not only once but many times. How many times you have been betrayed in your life? To tell you the truth, if you happen to read the whole Bible, I think noone can surpass God's record of being betrayed... by His angels (who become known as satan), His most beloved creation (the first man himself), His chosen people (the Israelites), His disciple (Peter, Judas), etc. In fact, when He incarnate Himself as Jesus Christ, God the Son, i.e. God in human flesh, He had tasted all the bitterness of being a human. He knew the feeling of being hungry after 40-day of fasting, He grieved before, He knew what the feeling of being afraid and stressful is. In fact, He was so stressful that He's sweating blood (how many of you have ever been so stressed till you're sweating blood before? No kidding). He was embarassed so badly that even His own disciples didn't want to recognize Him. He went through all mental, as well as physical abuse, to His death. He tasted death Himself!!! And because He has gone through all these, therefore I know that I can depend on Him whenever I undergo the same troubles, and look up for His strength and cheering, the very same strength that He used when He's being tested last time, and a sincere cheering from Someone who understands exactly what problems I'm undergoing.
He provides salvation and solution. Having a friend who can empathize our problem is good, but it would be much better if he can help us solve our problem. And, indeed, my God solves the problem for me. And I am sure He can solve your problems as well. In fact, there is no problem He can't solve. And, what do you think the source of all problems in this world? It's sin. Yes, sin is the root of all problems in this world. And the source of all problems, i.e. sin, bring the boggest problem to humanity as well. What's that? I think there is no more serious problem than being separated from God. Sin separates us from God, because God, who is holy, wil not tolerate sin at all. All of us are sinful. In fact, we are sinful by nature. Not because of what we have done in the previous life (I don't believe in reincarnation anyway), but becasue the first man, whom God created, sinned. And since we are all his descendants, we inherit that sin. Thorugh one man, the first man, sin entered the world, and through One Man, God's First Born, i.e. Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sin can be attained. God provides the salvation. And, with sin being taken care off, no problem can't be solved. So, He provides solution as well.
He is trustworthy. A god who can lie is not worth our faith. How can you be faithfull to someone who can deceive you anytime? All men, even you closest friends, or you own close relatives, can deceive you, but God will not. Men's heart may falter. Put him under pressure that may threaten his life, his pride, his belongings, etc... you'll never know what sort of unimaginable thing he can do. But God can be trusted... word by word. If He says that He loves you, I dare to bet my own life, that He will always love you. Therefore, I can safely put my faith in Him. I don't need to be worried of being cheated.
He is everlasting. This is a very important character a god should have (if he's really a god). A god who can die, is not a god. That means he can be conquered by death... so death is the real god in this case, not him. A dead god is as good as no-god at all. What a dead god can do? That's why I would never understand why there are people who worship dead men (their ancestors, charismatics leaders, etc). What dead man can do afterall? But, my God is an everlasting God. Before the universe exists, He's already been there. After the final judgment, He will still be there, altogether with those who believe in HIm, in heaven. My God is the God who begins, who works and who ends. He is The Beginning and The End.
He befriends everyone. Can you imagine a god who wants to deal with a group of people only? What happen if God only wants to talk to the priests, or to the royals, or to the richs? Is He worthy of my faith in the first place? If that's the case, of course not. Now I'm rich, so that He wants to befriend me... then one day I fall poor, then He'll leave me in desperation. How can I depend to such a god? But, of course, He is not!!! He befriends everyone, and He is faithful. He won't forget me, no matter how embarassing my state is. And, to tell you the truth, one thing that is so amazing about my God is that, He looks for the sinfuls!! It's amazing, isn't it? How many gods in this world who want to go for trouble looking for sinful men? And the only reason why He does that si becasue He loves the sinfuls. Even the most sinful man, who has done the most hideous crime you can think of, God loves him, and He still wants to befriend him.
He takes initiative. Does it make a different between "You are looking for God" and "God is looking for you"? It's a big difference between the two , don't you think? That is one of the most basic differences between Christianity and other religions; Christians' God is the God who look for men, not the other way around. If your belief teaches you that it is you who looks for God, now I ask you: "What should you do to make God acknowledge you? Doing as many good deeds as possible? Fasting and meditating as often as possible? Burning incense and sacrifice as much as possible? And yet, at the end, you're still worried whether what you have done has please Him enough to acknowledge you... so ironic, isn't it? I realize my own weaknesses... I know my limit... if I were to look for God, I don't think I'll ever be able to find Him. He's holy, I'm sinful. How can a sinful man be able to meet a holy God. how much should I pay as a retribution for my sin so that I can meet Him? I will never be able to pay for it. But, fortunately my God, compelled by His love, takes the initiative to go look for men, particularly the sinfuls... the "lost sheeps". Everyone sins, except for Jesus Christ. A sinful can't help himself or other sinful, much like a lost sheep won;t be able to find a way back home himself. Hence, it must be God Himself to come down to help us. He did come, as Jesus Christ, The Messiah. He doesn't wait until you come to Him, He has already come to you... a long long time ago.
He is just. I can't imagine a god who is impartial, who can be bribed. I won't feel safe either putting my faith on such kind of god. I don't know about your god (if you have any), but for sure, my God is impartial. He doesn't show favoritism. He blesses the righteous, those who love and obey Him, and punishes the sinfuls and wrongdoings. Then you might be wondering, "If God is just, why does He befriend the sinfuls in the first place?". It simply becasue of His love. He loves the sinfuls , yet He is to punish sin. He hates sin, but He loves the sinfuls. More about this here.
He is almighty. God who is not almighty is not deserved to be called god in the first place. But my God is a powerful God. He created and take control of the whole universe just by His Words. Nature obeys Him. No illness He can't cure. No sin, He can't forgive. He triumphs over death. He can kick satan out as easily as snapping His finger. Tell me, what He can't do?
"You are talking about this guy, Jesus, just now. Who is this guy? What did he do?". Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. He is fully God, and at the same time He is fully human. Being a God, He inherits all of God's characters above. Being a human, He inherits all human limitations. He can get hungry, sleepy, tired, etc. He went through all kind of evil temptation that we face in our daily life. But the most important thing that He has done is His act of sacrifition, so that we, sinful men, can atatn our salvation.
"But, I still don't understand what this God can do for you? Afterall He died just like you said". Yes, He died... for you and me. But don't forget the He also rose again from the deads to prove His victory, so that anyone who believe in Him will also share that victory altogether in heaven.
"Believe in Him? Is that all the condition to get into heaven? Is that enough?". Yes, that's all, no less and no more. That's actually what distinguishes Christian from other beliefs. It's not how much good deeds we have done... or anything... that determine our salvation. But it's our faith, whether or not we believe in His act of salvation, i.e. by dying on the cross and rose again on the third day, that will essentially determine our salvation. If you believe, you're saved, if not... then too bad. Our salvation comes by grace. It's a present from God Himself. Not by our works, so that noone can boast that s/he acquires his/er own salvation by works.
"If good deeds is not important, does it mean that Christians are allowed to do anything... or not to do anything? Afterall, what's the point of performing good deeds if your God doesn't appreciate it?" Who says so? That's not true at all. It's every Chrtsian' duty to perform good deeds... for 2 reasons:
First and the most fundamental reason is that to give thanks to God, becasue He's already so kind to us in the first place.
Because God tells us to do so. It's God's order to every Christian to love our neighbors and, we'll be condemned wrong if we do evil to others, or even if we don't help others when we know that they're in in need of our help.
So that's another one of the most basic differences between Christianity and other beliefs; Christians, as people who have experienced directly the kindness and goodness of God, show our thanksgiving by doing good deeds to other. We don't burn offering, God is already so rich that no matter how expensive our burnt offering is, it means nothing to Him. We don't just sit there and praise Him with flattery words; He doesn't need our flatterings. As He is the God who acts, He wants us to act as well... realizing our faith into action. Faith gives rise to obedience... if you have faith in someone, you'll obey whatever he says, won't you? And God's order is to reach out to others, to show the same kindness that He has shown to others. If you do the opposite way... or if you don't do it... you've defied God's order. Consequently, He'll question your faith. Good deeds is not our ticket to salvation, it's a bare-fruit of our salvation.
"How do you happen to know all this?" First and foremost, because it is all written in Bible, as simple as that. But that's not all. I do learn about Jesus and all other Bible stories from my parent, sunday-school teachers, my friends in my fellowship group, my cell-group mates... and I do learn from my personal experience as well. If you have read my short autobiography in MySelf, you might've probably noticed how much I credited all my achievements to God. You might think that it's all just fate, or it's all just coincidental... But, to me if it's indeed because of fate, then indeed God has been so kind to give me such a fate, since it's all too good to be a coincidence.
"Now you talk about Bible... What is Bible? Why should I believe in what the Bible says? Is it realiable in the first place?" Bible is God-inspired words, written by men throughout different ages. By saying so, there are few implications I would like to emphasize (based on my belief)
The orginality of the Bible came from God Himself. He is the inspirator. He is the Grand Author of the Bible.
But the Bible was written by human's hands. God did not dictate the Bible word-by-word. Instead, He inspired the writer to write the Bible in accordance with God's inspiration.
Thereby, as men always make mistake, there might be mistakes here and there in the Bible. That's why some skeptics or non-Christians sometimes attack Bible to be inconsistent between one passage with another. And I admit that such cases can be found in the Bible.
The detailed facts might be wrong, yet the teaching that the Bible wants to deliver to the readers would never be wrong. If I find such story where this prophet went to city A... while in the other passage, the writer claimed that the prophet actually went to city B... and so on and so forth... that won't bother me more than just a slip-of-the-writer's-mind (which writer was wrong, I don't know... and I don't care either). What would bother me more is the prophet's teachings, i.e. what he was trying to say, as the messanger of God, to the people of God and how it affects my life as part of God's people under the circumstances of our everyday-life-issues. Take for example, I don't really care whether the universe was created in 6 days... or 6 months... or 6 years... What I need to understand is that God created the univerese. That's the messsage the first chapter of Genesis trying to say: God is the Creator of the universe. Being God the Creator, it's my duty to praise and give thanks to Him , as well as to take the environment around me... because it's not mine... it's His.
Also, as men's knowledge and wisdom are limited by time and space, we should be cautious in reading and interpreting the Bible. Yet I believe that Christian teachings, as written in the Bible, is independent of space and time. Hence, Bible will never become outdated nor limited by place
Neither is Bible a science textbook, nor it's a book of codes for foretelling events in the future. It's true that you can discuss some phenomena in Bible from the science perspective, though not all. Indeed, that Bible tells us something about the past, present and future. But, that's not the main point. The main point of the Bible is actually God's act of salvation through the crucifixion and resurrection of His only Son, Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophesies about His coming, and the New Testament shows the fulfillment of the prophecy.
It's one of the obligation of every believer to bring the good news about Jesus Christ and His Act of Salvation (also known as the Gospel) to others. But, by no means I'll ever force you to take up Christianity, nor I have the authority, even I want to. But God Himself will call you personally. Remember that He's the God who's looking for men. Open you heart and mind... humble yourself... and listen!!! He is there calling for you!
adapted that from somewhere. =)) hope it helps answer some of the non-christians' questions. =))
// posted by My name is Oherie. @ 11:37 am 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]