What is God? - Vol 1 No 2
Diary
...our current culture has severed the moorings that have for so long connected us to solid biblical reason and even common sense.
AdriftGoing back to college after forty-five years has been quite the education in more ways than one. It is fascinating (and terrifying) to see the current trends in philosophy and ethics as our current culture has severed the moorings that have for so long connected us to solid biblical reason and even common sense. Any biblical capital we enjoyed has been spent, and we are definitely adrift as the horizon of truth, peace, and true joy, grow smaller and smaller as the gulf widens. Mike is being educated in the content of these philosophy and ethics classes but also in the current thinking and culture of his fellow classmates whom he has grown to love. What he sees are about forty young minds per class open to all manner of unmoored ideas and therefore at the mercy of these assertions. Ideas have consequences! It is his desire to cast a lifeline of sound, confident biblical reason to his fellow classmates and his professors. His hope is that they may be pulled toward the solid ground of God’s Truth. What is God?One particular day there was a discussion of the pre-Socratic philosophers' understanding of the gods and of what the world was made. One student asked, “Is God a part of the make-up of this world?” The professor answered, “I can’t answer that question because nobody knows god or what god is like.” Mike gently raised his hand. "I know what God is like, and in fact, I can tell you in about fifteen seconds what the Bible says God is.” “Really!” the professor exclaimed. “Then go ahead! What is God?” Mike began. “’God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.’* He looking across their surprised faces. "All that I just said I can show you in the Bible. It is true, and that is just a start of the fuller description of what God is from the Bible.” “That’s amazing!” one student blurted out. After class a group gathered around to ask questions about who God is. Mike introduced them to “systematic theology” ---the truths of God topically gathered from the Bible, God’s revelation. What is Man?Soon after they were discussing questions like “What is man?" " What makes us human?" "What makes a man a man and a woman a woman?“ Being evolutionists, they listed obvious differences like heightened intelligence, advanced language, walking upright, etc. Mike raised his hand and said, “The Bible tells us what a man is and what a man does. May I tell you?“ The professor was hesitant but the class wanted to hear so the professor agreed and Mike continued. “The Bible teaches that we were created by God in His image in knowledge, righteousness and holiness with dominion over the creatures. God made us so we could know him personally, be in his presence, and approach him in worship. God gave us dominion over creation as stewards.” After class several students came over to Mike’s desk to ask questions and one girl said, “That was really brave of you to quote the Bible in this class.” Mike said, “You know, I care about more about what God thinks about me, and I know it would not please Him if I did not speak up for Him in light of all He has done for me in His Son. I care much more about what God thinks of me than what the professor or you guys think of me. I care much more that God be honored and that He not be offended.” Smiling another girl said “The first time I heard you quote the Bible in class, thought you were brave. The second time I thought you were arrogant. And today when you quoted the Bible in class, I realized that you really do believe what it says, and it really is a part of you.” *From the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.4 |
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