Exploring Theology

I know I have not posted much on this blog, but I got a new book and thought I could post notes for each chapter on here. My goal is to read at least 2 chapters a day, so be sure to be coming back!

-AJ Klahre

READ IT ONLINE FOR FREE.

Back Cover Description

The spiritual questions you and your friends ask-about God, the credibility of the Bible, angels, heaven and hell, and even worship and prayer-are important. In fact, understanding your faith depends on finding answers to those questions, answers that work in the real world and that make sense in real conversations.

To start you on your journey of discovery, Exploring Theology begins with God-probing his nature, character, and work, including a helpful explanation of the Trinity. Then, to keep you from getting lost in the swirl of today's ideas, you will find a concise presentation of the twelve basic beliefs that separate Christianity from all other religions. After establishing the groundwork, the authors then examine both the historical and physical evidence for the Christian faith, addressing common questions about Christ's resurrection, creation, fulfilled prophecy, the reliability of the Bible, and the changed lives of believers. Throughout the book, you'll also find discussion questions, ideas for applying what you've learned, and further resources to enhance your individual or group study.

"Our faith is not a blind leap into the dark but a sensible step into the light," says Robert J. Morgan. So whether you want to be ready to answer a friend who doubts that Christianity is true or you're looking to resolve lingering doubts, this book offers a solid base from which to take a step of faith and experience the ultimate assurance that comes from knowing-and living-the truth.

Amazon Link

Chapter 1: The Nature Of God

I'm going to list the review questions and put the answers I've found from the text. Try and answer them before you see what I and the authors of this book came up with! =]

Review Questions
1) In what 2 ways can a knowledge of God be secured?
2) What is our most complete source for a knowledge of God?
3) What are the rational arguments for the existence of God?
4) What is the basic assumption of the Scriptures?
5) Give Biblical evidence to prove that God is a person.
6) Of what practical significance is the fact that God is a person?
7) What is meant by spirit?
8) How does the 2nd commandment indicate that God is a spirit?
9) What is meant by the statement that man was made in the image of God?
10) How did the call of Israel witness to the unity of God?
11) Briefly state the doctrine of the Trinity in your own words.
12) Why is the doctrine of the Trinity to be believed?.

Applying Doctrine to Life

13) Why is it imperative that Christians should know about the nature of God?
14) How should knowledge of God affect one's life and ministry?

~

Review
1) Natural Theology - that which can be known of God through nature.
Revealed Theology - that which can be known of God through the Scriptures.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, ¹⁹since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰For 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 men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:18-25

2) The revelation of Gods Son and Gods Word are our complete source for the knowledge of God.

3) The Cosmological Argument - For every effect, there must be a corresponding cause. Since the universe (cosmos) is an effect, there must be a corresponding cause to bring it into existence. That cause is God.

The Teleological Argument - The Greek word for "bring to an end, finish, complete, carry out" is teleo. Our world reveals intelligence, harmony and purpose. From the evidences of design and purpose in our universe, it must be concluded that the cause or creator is intelligent.

The Moral Argument - Since man possesses the knowledge of right and wrong aka morals, it's creator must be moral.

The Religious Argument - Archeologists and anthropologists tell us that throughout all mankind, man has been religious. While all of these different sorts of religions may have had a monstrous idea of God or someone settling, since the phenomenon of the universe is religion, some of it must be truth. Whether your a young earth creationist or an old earth creationist, there is knowledge of the religions in ancient history that we do not know, surely all of these humans had good reasoning in believing in a higher power, that we are not aware of today.

4) The basic assumption of the Scriptures is that there is a God and only one true God. Genesis 1:1 begins with "In the beginning, God..", in fact there are only a few places in the Bible where it even bothers to argue the existence of one true God.

The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does good. Psalm 14:1, 53:1


5) God knows - ¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.
⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. Psalm 139:1-6

God feels - ² The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The LORD takes vengeance on his foes
and maintains his wrath against his enemies.
³ The LORD is slow to anger and great in power;
the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
and clouds are the dust of his feet. Nahum 1:2-3
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

God wills - It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ... 1 Thessalonians 4:3
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18


6) So we can trust Him, worship Him, love Him and get to know Him.

7) A spirit is an entity, something we can't see in the physical world. After Jesus' resurrection when he entered the meeting place of the disciples [apostles], they were spooked thinking it was a ghost or spirit, and Christ said to them, He is not spirit for He has flesh and bones, which a spirit does not have. That right there explains the essence of a spirit.

8) Nothing can be made in the likeness of God, "..nor graven image", because He cannot be represented by anything physical, implying that He is spirit. With a physical object, you can put a mirror to it and see it's reflection, with the Lord, if you were to look into the mirror you would see so much light and love that it would be blinding.

9) "and we shall create them in our image.." Man is not made in the physical image of God, God does not have any physical attributes to Him, when were made in the image of God (every human), we show love, personality, a sense of creativity, our thinking process and much more shows the reflection of our Lord.

10) --

11) All in one and one in all is the best way to me to describe the Trinity.

From FWEBLE

This is a drawing I created which I think most people accept.

12) While the word 'Trinity' is not biblical, the doctrine totally fits a Biblical view. A few times in the Old Testament when God is speaking, He refers to Himself in a plural way and given the context, He is not to "us" as in Him and the angels, but to Him only.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." Genesis 11:7

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

God is not 3 persons in 1, or 3 beings in 1, or 1 beings in 3, He does not reveal Himself in 3 different ways, rather there are 3 eternal distinctions in the substance of God. To me, that statement is an epiphany, Is it making sense to you?

God

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Biblical Reference NIV:
Numbers 11:29 - But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
Judges 3:9-11 - But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.
Matthew 12:31-32 - And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
John 3:8 - The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Luke 4:1 - Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,
Galations 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Luke 24:45 - Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.
Matthew 18:19-20 - "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 28:20 - and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
John 14:15-17 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

SUPERNATURAL

Angels, demons, ghosts, spirits, we've heard all the stories. Along with the T.V. shows, religions, and movies that come with them. There are so many different beliefs circling around the supernatural all over the world. These creature are very mysterious, reflecting the mysteriousness of their own Creator. While we don't know everything about them, we do know what the Bible has to say.

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The word angel appears in the Bible 291 times

Biblical Reference NIV:
Daniel 6:22 - My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."
2 Samuel 24:16 - When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
Exodus 14:19 - Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
Revelation 7:11 - All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
2 Kings 6:17 - And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Revelation 7:12-17 - saying:
"Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!"
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?"
I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 8:6 - Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

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The word demon appears in the Bible 80 times.

Biblical Reference NIV:
1 Kings 22:20-22 - And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'
"One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'
" 'By what means?' the LORD asked.
" 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said.
" 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'
Matthew 8:28 - When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Mark 5:1-5 - They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
Exodus 7:12 - Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.
Genesis 3:6 - When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Revelation 20:10 - And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Matthew 8:29 - "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"