Wow! That’s an awesome question!
There are actually two reasons. First, the Egyptians were enslaving the Israelites (the Jewish people), who were God’s “chosen people.” God had promised the Israelites their own land through the covenant He made with Abraham. God sent Moses to tell the Egyptian leader, known as Pharaoh, to let the Israelites go free. But, Pharaoh refused so God sent the plagues to show Pharaoh how powerful He is.
Second, the Egyptian hearts were hardened and they refused to believe in the One True God. They chose to believe in a number of different gods. Our God wanted to show them who He is and how powerful He is so the ten plagues that God sent were all specific attacks on ten different Egyptian gods.
It wasn’t that God didn’t love the Egyptian people. He wanted to show them who He was and He did it in a very dramatic way. We know that Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go but, don’t forget, Pharaoh’s heart became hardened again and he went after the Israelites after he let them go.
But, once again, God showed His awesome power and he parted the Red Sea for the Israelites and they were able to escape. The Egyptians, who tried to follow after the Israelites, were all destroyed when God closed the sea in on them.
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Sunday, 10 July 2011
How is it possible that God has been here forever because it seems like everything should have a beginning?
Yahoo! I love that question because friends ask me that question all the time! I could easily give them the standard Biblical answer that “God has always been here and He has no beginning and no end and He will always be here because He is eternal.” But, I usually get that deer-in-the-headlights look when I say that.
So, here’s my way of explaining it: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to people that have never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how it works. But trying to explain something so difficult that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced would be very challenging.
Let’s apply that thinking to the idea of God being eternal. Truth: God’s eternal power is clearly seen in the creation of our universe but our brains have a hard time wrapping around that idea. And we kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. But how do we explain eternity to people (all of us) who are stuck in the passage of time? We usually start by trying to simplify the idea!
The Bible is our place to start. The Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM” Exodus 3:14). Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.
We know tht time is a measurement of physical change. Time, though, has only existed since the creation of the universe. Genesis 1:1, the very first book and chapter of the Bible, says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God created everything, so time started at creation.
We also know from Genesis 1:1 that God was BEFORE the creation of the heavens and the earth becuse He was there to create it. That makes God timeless (eternal) because He created time! So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.
Thank you for a great and challenging question!
So, here’s my way of explaining it: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to people that have never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how it works. But trying to explain something so difficult that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced would be very challenging.
Let’s apply that thinking to the idea of God being eternal. Truth: God’s eternal power is clearly seen in the creation of our universe but our brains have a hard time wrapping around that idea. And we kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. But how do we explain eternity to people (all of us) who are stuck in the passage of time? We usually start by trying to simplify the idea!
The Bible is our place to start. The Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM” Exodus 3:14). Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.
We know tht time is a measurement of physical change. Time, though, has only existed since the creation of the universe. Genesis 1:1, the very first book and chapter of the Bible, says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God created everything, so time started at creation.
We also know from Genesis 1:1 that God was BEFORE the creation of the heavens and the earth becuse He was there to create it. That makes God timeless (eternal) because He created time! So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.
Thank you for a great and challenging question!
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Is suicide a sin?
Wow. Thanks for a tough question! I believe the Bible is very clear on this matter: the answer is Yes. But, don’t forget, suicide is just one of a number of sins mankind has committed against God. To God, suicide is the same as stealing, worshipping false gods, not honoring your parents and even taking the Lord’s name in vain. He doesn’t make one sin worse than another. To God, sin is sin.
Let me explain why the Bible says it’s a sin. In the New Testament, there are two places in 1 Corinthians where I believe God speaks to this. First off, let me just say that the word “suicide” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. But, listen to these two verses:
“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Apostle Paul is telling the people of Corinth that their bodies are temples of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit lives in that temple. Basically, your body is sacred and God won’t take kindly to anyone who destroys His temple. Furthermore, God really stresses that we’re to honor Him with our bodies. Killing our own bodies does not honor God and also violates one of God’s original commandments:
“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)
Remember, God is the One who decides how long your life will be (Psalm 139: 15-16, Psalm 39:4). When a person decides to commit suicide, they are taking that decision away from God. Is that a sin? Absolutely. It also the ultimate waste of a life that Jesus gave His own life for! He didn’t suffer and die on the cross just to have a person throw away the life He gave everything for. So, yes, suicide is a sin.
But, also realize that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). The Bible also tells us that there is no one righteous, not one! (Romans 3:10) The only person who was completely perfect and lived without sin was Jesus Christ, who was crucified for all of our sins. He paid the price for all of us so that we could have eternal life with God, the Father. And it is through the power of His resurrection that we are saved! The Holy Bible is very clear on this:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
So, if you admit your sins, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and then commit to repenting (or turning away from the sins) and following Jesus, then you become God’s child. And, because you are God’s child, you are an heir to the inheritance of eternal life with Him in Heaven!!! Isn’t that awesome???
Let me explain why the Bible says it’s a sin. In the New Testament, there are two places in 1 Corinthians where I believe God speaks to this. First off, let me just say that the word “suicide” is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. But, listen to these two verses:
“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The Apostle Paul is telling the people of Corinth that their bodies are temples of the Lord and that the Holy Spirit lives in that temple. Basically, your body is sacred and God won’t take kindly to anyone who destroys His temple. Furthermore, God really stresses that we’re to honor Him with our bodies. Killing our own bodies does not honor God and also violates one of God’s original commandments:
“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13)
Remember, God is the One who decides how long your life will be (Psalm 139: 15-16, Psalm 39:4). When a person decides to commit suicide, they are taking that decision away from God. Is that a sin? Absolutely. It also the ultimate waste of a life that Jesus gave His own life for! He didn’t suffer and die on the cross just to have a person throw away the life He gave everything for. So, yes, suicide is a sin.
But, also realize that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). The Bible also tells us that there is no one righteous, not one! (Romans 3:10) The only person who was completely perfect and lived without sin was Jesus Christ, who was crucified for all of our sins. He paid the price for all of us so that we could have eternal life with God, the Father. And it is through the power of His resurrection that we are saved! The Holy Bible is very clear on this:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
So, if you admit your sins, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and then commit to repenting (or turning away from the sins) and following Jesus, then you become God’s child. And, because you are God’s child, you are an heir to the inheritance of eternal life with Him in Heaven!!! Isn’t that awesome???
Monday, 31 January 2011
How do we know if God is real?
Awesome question! So, let me answer your question with a question. How do we explain the complexities of our world and how everything just all seems to work together? Think about it … the DNA molecule, as small as it is, has more information in it than the most powerful computer microprocessor. How can we explain that? Think about our universe … did you know that there are over 350,000,000,000 galaxies in our universe? Think about the lowly caterpillar…did you know that it has 228 distinct and separate muscles in its head? Your own body is the most complex piece of engineering ever created; even the most advanced robots can’t duplicate everything your body can do or experience.
So, how did this all happen? Was it all just by luck or happenstance? Think about this planet. Why does it rotate at just the right speed and how does gravity work so that we aren’t all flung into space? Our planet spins at 1000 mph! Try staying on a merry-go-round without holding onto something and see how long you last. Why are there seasons? How does a plant defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins? Why don’t spiders get stuck on their webs???
I could go on and on but here’s the Biblical answer to your question: We know that God is real because He reveals Himself in three ways: in His creation, in His Word, and in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:20 puts it this way, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
Look at the history of humans. Every culture or every civilization throughout history has valued certain moral laws and they are surprisingly similar from culture to culture. For example, the idea of love is universally esteemed while the act of lying is universally condemned. How do we explain this morality – this knowledge of what’s right and wrong -across cultures unless we can point to a Supreme Moral Being who gave us such scruples.
Also, if you look at all the different cultures from the most primitive bush-people in the remotest parts of the world to our most advanced countries, we all have cultivated a system of worship. Yes, it may vary, but almost every civilization believes in or has a sense of a “higher power” that is an undeniable part of being human. Those of us who know Christ understand that God created us “in His own image.” (Genesis 1:27)
Next, we have to look at the Bible and see how God revealed Himself to us through His Word. Throughout the Bible, the existence of God is a self-evident fact. Just look at Genesis 1:1 or Exodus 3:14.
Finally, God reveals Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt, even among secular (non-Christian) historians that Jesus Christ existed. Did you know that Jesus fulfilled every single one of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah? Did you know that Jesus also kept the Old Testament law perfectly? How about all the miracles he performed? Everything Jesus did authenticated, or proved, He was the Son of God. The most important being that three days after he was crucified, Jesus rose from the dead, a fact affirmed by many witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6).
Of course there will be many skeptics and the Bible also addresses those people (Psalm 41:1, 1 Corinthians 1:18). No matter how much evidence is presented, they will choose not to believe.
The bottom line is this: It all comes down to faith. Do we choose to believe in the Bible or do we choose to believe something else? Hebrews 11:6 addresses this perfectly:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
I believe in the God Most High. I believe that He sent His One and Only Son to die for my sins. I believe that through the power of God’s forgiveness of sins, I am saved and that I will have eternal life with God in Heaven when my time here on earth is done. And, I believe that God’s gift of grace and mercy is given to anyone and everyone who will accept it. You don’t have to earn it! God willingly gives it to you; all you have to do is accept it. Are you ready to accept God’s gift to you?
So, how did this all happen? Was it all just by luck or happenstance? Think about this planet. Why does it rotate at just the right speed and how does gravity work so that we aren’t all flung into space? Our planet spins at 1000 mph! Try staying on a merry-go-round without holding onto something and see how long you last. Why are there seasons? How does a plant defy gravity by drawing water upward from the ground into their stems and veins? Why don’t spiders get stuck on their webs???
I could go on and on but here’s the Biblical answer to your question: We know that God is real because He reveals Himself in three ways: in His creation, in His Word, and in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:20 puts it this way, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
Look at the history of humans. Every culture or every civilization throughout history has valued certain moral laws and they are surprisingly similar from culture to culture. For example, the idea of love is universally esteemed while the act of lying is universally condemned. How do we explain this morality – this knowledge of what’s right and wrong -across cultures unless we can point to a Supreme Moral Being who gave us such scruples.
Also, if you look at all the different cultures from the most primitive bush-people in the remotest parts of the world to our most advanced countries, we all have cultivated a system of worship. Yes, it may vary, but almost every civilization believes in or has a sense of a “higher power” that is an undeniable part of being human. Those of us who know Christ understand that God created us “in His own image.” (Genesis 1:27)
Next, we have to look at the Bible and see how God revealed Himself to us through His Word. Throughout the Bible, the existence of God is a self-evident fact. Just look at Genesis 1:1 or Exodus 3:14.
Finally, God reveals Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt, even among secular (non-Christian) historians that Jesus Christ existed. Did you know that Jesus fulfilled every single one of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah? Did you know that Jesus also kept the Old Testament law perfectly? How about all the miracles he performed? Everything Jesus did authenticated, or proved, He was the Son of God. The most important being that three days after he was crucified, Jesus rose from the dead, a fact affirmed by many witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6).
Of course there will be many skeptics and the Bible also addresses those people (Psalm 41:1, 1 Corinthians 1:18). No matter how much evidence is presented, they will choose not to believe.
The bottom line is this: It all comes down to faith. Do we choose to believe in the Bible or do we choose to believe something else? Hebrews 11:6 addresses this perfectly:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
I believe in the God Most High. I believe that He sent His One and Only Son to die for my sins. I believe that through the power of God’s forgiveness of sins, I am saved and that I will have eternal life with God in Heaven when my time here on earth is done. And, I believe that God’s gift of grace and mercy is given to anyone and everyone who will accept it. You don’t have to earn it! God willingly gives it to you; all you have to do is accept it. Are you ready to accept God’s gift to you?
Sunday, 21 February 2010
How does God live?
That is a very awesome question! It’s also a very difficult question to answer because most of us cannot understand who God really is.
The problem is God is not human. Remember, we were created in His image not the other way around. Can we assume that He has a form that looks like us since in Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let us make man in our image; after our likeness.”?? Does that mean He has a head, a body, two arms and two legs? Or does that refer to His character? The answer is …. His character!
We want to be a reflection of God’s character because we are created in His image.
What is that character, you ask? The character of both God the Father and Christ the Son is that of spiritual holiness, righteousness and absolute perfection. God’s character might be summed up in the one word “LOVE.” It is the way of giving, serving, helping, and sharing. God’s nature is the way of peace, of justice, mercy, happiness and joy flowing out to those He has created!
In the book of Exodus, in the Old Testament, when Moses asks God what God’s name is, God replies, “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) That means He’s always been here and always will be here!
So, to sum it all up, I think the best way to answer how God lives is by saying He just is. And the amazing thing is that He lives through us when we reflect His character! Wow!
The problem is God is not human. Remember, we were created in His image not the other way around. Can we assume that He has a form that looks like us since in Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let us make man in our image; after our likeness.”?? Does that mean He has a head, a body, two arms and two legs? Or does that refer to His character? The answer is …. His character!
We want to be a reflection of God’s character because we are created in His image.
What is that character, you ask? The character of both God the Father and Christ the Son is that of spiritual holiness, righteousness and absolute perfection. God’s character might be summed up in the one word “LOVE.” It is the way of giving, serving, helping, and sharing. God’s nature is the way of peace, of justice, mercy, happiness and joy flowing out to those He has created!
In the book of Exodus, in the Old Testament, when Moses asks God what God’s name is, God replies, “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) That means He’s always been here and always will be here!
So, to sum it all up, I think the best way to answer how God lives is by saying He just is. And the amazing thing is that He lives through us when we reflect His character! Wow!
Thursday, 22 October 2009
If you steal and give back, is that good or bad?
We all know that stealing is not good. It is one of the Ten Commandments. “You shall not steal” Ex. 20:15. But what about if you steal and give it back? Does that make everything okay? - Good question!
A couple of examples in the Bible of where stealing is mentioned is Exodus 22: verses1, 3-6, & 14 and Luke chapter 19. These examples show us that if there has been stealing then the person who has stolen needs to take steps to try and make things right, to pay back what has been taken. We call this restitution.
Let’s look at Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke chapter 19. As a tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated people by taking more money or possessions than he should have. The first thing Zacchaeus had to do is recognize he had been stealing and confess it, which he does in verse 8. But, in addition to confessing that he had stolen he also promises to pay back four times the amount he stole from anyone. He was committed to making things right with those he had stolen from. In other words, Zacchaeus brought about restitution. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Zacchaeus was promising to pay back four times the amount he had stolen. Zacchaeus was eager to make things right with those he stole from. His offer to pay more was a reflection of his heart.
If I steal, God wants me to recognize my sin. He wants me to be sorry that I have stolen and confess what I did. Then He wants me to do all I can to make things right with the person from whom I stole.
Personally, when someone has stolen from me, I have had to ask God to help me forgive them. With God’s help, forgiveness wasn’t hard to give, but being able to trust that person again may take some time.
A couple of examples in the Bible of where stealing is mentioned is Exodus 22: verses1, 3-6, & 14 and Luke chapter 19. These examples show us that if there has been stealing then the person who has stolen needs to take steps to try and make things right, to pay back what has been taken. We call this restitution.
Let’s look at Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke chapter 19. As a tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated people by taking more money or possessions than he should have. The first thing Zacchaeus had to do is recognize he had been stealing and confess it, which he does in verse 8. But, in addition to confessing that he had stolen he also promises to pay back four times the amount he stole from anyone. He was committed to making things right with those he had stolen from. In other words, Zacchaeus brought about restitution. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Zacchaeus was promising to pay back four times the amount he had stolen. Zacchaeus was eager to make things right with those he stole from. His offer to pay more was a reflection of his heart.
If I steal, God wants me to recognize my sin. He wants me to be sorry that I have stolen and confess what I did. Then He wants me to do all I can to make things right with the person from whom I stole.
Personally, when someone has stolen from me, I have had to ask God to help me forgive them. With God’s help, forgiveness wasn’t hard to give, but being able to trust that person again may take some time.
Monday, 10 August 2009
Did the tenth plague also included fathers if they were the firstborn?
Great question! I had to research this one a bit ....
At first we might think that Egyptian fathers were included but in Exodus 12:29 we learn that the plague was limited to offpring (children and the young of animals), not adult sons (fathers or adult animals). Verse 29 says, "At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Phoraoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well."
At first we might think that Egyptian fathers were included but in Exodus 12:29 we learn that the plague was limited to offpring (children and the young of animals), not adult sons (fathers or adult animals). Verse 29 says, "At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Phoraoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well."
Friday, 31 July 2009
How come we can't see the face of God, but many people looked Jesus in the eye?
That is an awesome question! And it’s kind of a complicated question too! Here is some bad math to help explain the answer. Did you know that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1? What I am trying to show is that there is only one God but He appears in three different forms.
There is God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible clearly shows that no one has ever seen God, the Father. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, [the Father] but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
John 6:46 says, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.”
In fact, even in the Old Testament, Moses could not look upon God. In Exodus 3:2, God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. In Exodus 19:9 and 24:5, God covers himself in a thick cloud and can only be heard.
But, the best example of God not showing His face (as God the Father) is from Exodus 33:20-23 where it says, “But, He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the LORD said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’”
And do you want to know why that is? It is because we are sinful people and sin cannot be in the presence of the Father. Jesus was the only one who could look upon God because he was without sin. Bottom line, if we saw God in our sinful state, we would die because He is Holy, Righteous and Pure. He hid himself from Moses because He knew Moses would die if Moses saw Him.
One of the cool things is that the Bible says that the Glory of God was so pure and bright that, even from behind, it turned Moses’ skin and hair completely white. The Bible describes Moses’ face as completely radiant. In fact, Moses had to wear a veil when he was around people because of it.
So, that’s why we can’t see the face of God, the Father. No one has. BUT, a lot of people saw God, the Son. You see, Jesus is God but He is also a man. He came to us in human form to teach us and to set the example for us and to ultimately die for us. God can’t die but a man can. So Jesus was a man and had all the attribute of a human being, including being able to be seen by other people.
It’s a weird contradiction because you’d think you couldn’t look Jesus in the eye because He’s God and God doesn’t allow us to see Him…but, because He’s also man, Jesus let’s us see Him, feel Him and hear Him.
There is God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible clearly shows that no one has ever seen God, the Father. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, [the Father] but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
John 6:46 says, “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.”
In fact, even in the Old Testament, Moses could not look upon God. In Exodus 3:2, God appeared to Moses as a burning bush. In Exodus 19:9 and 24:5, God covers himself in a thick cloud and can only be heard.
But, the best example of God not showing His face (as God the Father) is from Exodus 33:20-23 where it says, “But, He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.’ Then the LORD said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.’”
And do you want to know why that is? It is because we are sinful people and sin cannot be in the presence of the Father. Jesus was the only one who could look upon God because he was without sin. Bottom line, if we saw God in our sinful state, we would die because He is Holy, Righteous and Pure. He hid himself from Moses because He knew Moses would die if Moses saw Him.
One of the cool things is that the Bible says that the Glory of God was so pure and bright that, even from behind, it turned Moses’ skin and hair completely white. The Bible describes Moses’ face as completely radiant. In fact, Moses had to wear a veil when he was around people because of it.
So, that’s why we can’t see the face of God, the Father. No one has. BUT, a lot of people saw God, the Son. You see, Jesus is God but He is also a man. He came to us in human form to teach us and to set the example for us and to ultimately die for us. God can’t die but a man can. So Jesus was a man and had all the attribute of a human being, including being able to be seen by other people.
It’s a weird contradiction because you’d think you couldn’t look Jesus in the eye because He’s God and God doesn’t allow us to see Him…but, because He’s also man, Jesus let’s us see Him, feel Him and hear Him.
Friday, 22 May 2009
How long has God been around?
Yahoo! I love that question because people ask me that question all the time! I could easily give them the standard Biblical answer of, “God has always been here and He has no beginning and no end and He will always be here because He is eternal.” But, I usually get that deer-in-the-headlights look when I say that.
So, here’s my way of trying to explain it in a different way: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to a society that has never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how they work. But trying to explain something that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced it would be very hard.
So now let’s apply that thinking to the concept of our Lord God being eternal. How do you explain what eternity is to people who are stuck in the passage of time? We kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We do what every person alive does…we try to redefine the incomprehensible into terms we can understand. Basically, we try to simplify the problem! The big problem with that is that people tend to oversimplify things!
God’s eternal power is clearly seen in our world but our brains have a hard time wrapping around the concept of God having the power to create an entire universe. So, we try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. We try and make God like us, forgetting that He’s not like us…we are like Him! We were created in His image! The problem is that that doesn’t even come close to explaining the eternal God.
If you look at a Biblical explanation, the Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.
So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.
So, here’s my way of trying to explain it in a different way: Imagine being able to go back in time to the days of the pilgrims as they were colonizing this country and trying to explain to them how a helicopter works or how an iPod works. Remember, there’s no such thing as electricity, gas engines, batteries, etc. So, how do you explain how those things work to a society that has never seen stuff like that? You see, we’ve grown up with so much technology that we just accept what is there without really trying to understand how they work. But trying to explain something that we casually accept to someone who’s never experienced it would be very hard.
So now let’s apply that thinking to the concept of our Lord God being eternal. How do you explain what eternity is to people who are stuck in the passage of time? We kind of know what eternity is but we don’t fully understand it. So, what do we do? We do what every person alive does…we try to redefine the incomprehensible into terms we can understand. Basically, we try to simplify the problem! The big problem with that is that people tend to oversimplify things!
God’s eternal power is clearly seen in our world but our brains have a hard time wrapping around the concept of God having the power to create an entire universe. So, we try to explain it in terms we can see and understand. We try and make God like us, forgetting that He’s not like us…we are like Him! We were created in His image! The problem is that that doesn’t even come close to explaining the eternal God.
If you look at a Biblical explanation, the Bible simply says God “is.” Remember Moses? When he asked the Lord God what His name was, do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) Revelation 1:8 and 4:8 says that God is, God was and God is to come.
So, to answer your question in the simplest of terms, God has been here for all eternity and will be here for all eternity.
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Does the Holy Spirit stay with you even when you lie?
The simple answer is … yes, you bet! He will not forsake us or abandon us. We may be worried that because of what we do, he will leave us – but God loves us because of who we are, not because of what we do or what we do not do. He will never love us any more or any less than he does right now! It means we can not lie, cheat, steal and do anything bad to drive him away. It also means that no matter what we’ve done, he is always next to us, always available for us.
One other thing is also true, though. God will not bless the wrong things we do. If we lie, we shouldn’t expect God to bless us. On top of that, he may allow us to experience the consequences of the wrong things we do! God loves us and gives us grace so that we may do what’s right and follow his commands, not get away with doing things that he specifically commands us not to do (read Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 6:5-6).
You can have GREAT confidence in our loving God!
One other thing is also true, though. God will not bless the wrong things we do. If we lie, we shouldn’t expect God to bless us. On top of that, he may allow us to experience the consequences of the wrong things we do! God loves us and gives us grace so that we may do what’s right and follow his commands, not get away with doing things that he specifically commands us not to do (read Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 6:5-6).
You can have GREAT confidence in our loving God!
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