Does God Want Us To Know The Truth?

Does God want is to know the truth ?


"This is good and acceptable in the sight of our Savior God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3,4)

God desires all men to be saved and also to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

Originally posted by jaywill
God desires all men to be saved and also to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

Then God is not capable of fulfilling his desires.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Then God is not capable of fulfilling his desires.

The question was does God want us to know.
That question is answered I think.

That He will coerce you or usurp your will is another matter.

Originally posted by jaywill
The question was does God want us to know.
That question is answered I think.

That He will coerce you or usurp your will is another matter.

The God you are referring to is the God of Israel, the God of Abraham Issac and Jacob. and this God wants everyone who ever existed to know of him.
Im pretty sure that never happened.
So TWs statement about what you said stands: ".....God is not capable of fulfilling his desires."

I think that God is in fact very capable of fulfilling his desires. What is incorrect is your initial conclusion of what God wants.

Originally posted by Rajk999
The God you are referring to is the God of Israel, the God of Abraham Issac and Jacob. and this God wants everyone who ever existed to know of him.
Im pretty sure that never happened.
So TWs statement about what you said stands: ".....God is not capable of fulfilling his desires."

I think that God is in fact very capable of fulfilling his desires. What is incorrect is your initial conclusion of what God wants.

" ... our Savior God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:3,4)

This is what I am told in the New Testament. This is what I believe.
I also understand that as far as we know not everyone will be saved and not everyone will come to the full knowledge of the truth, at least not in any positive sense.

If there is another outcome, I am not told about it in this age in this Bible. So we act according to what we are told, to announce the gospel of Christ, that SOME may be saved - that some may go on to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

Originally posted by jaywill
The question was does God want us to know.
That question is answered I think.

That He will coerce you or usurp your will is another matter.

How could God telling me he exists be construed as 'coersion' or a violation of my will?

How did he manage to tell you without coersion or will violation?

Originally posted by twhitehead
How could God telling me he exists be construed as 'coersion' or a violation of my will?

How did he manage to tell you without coersion or will violation?

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How could God telling me he exists be construed as 'coersion' or a violation of my will?
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I never wrote that it was.


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How did he manage to tell you without coersion or will violation?
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??

There's an atheist's argument in there somewhere I guess.

Originally posted by jaywill
I never wrote that it was.

Then what did you mean when you wrote "That He will coerce you or usurp your will is another matter."?

Originally posted by darvlay
Inspired from another thread:

Originally posted by SwissGambit
...Does he [God] feel the need to explain every single thing he does in detail? Why should he? Surely we can figure some things out for ourselves.

Response from josephw
Why? Because He wants us to know the truth.

Surely if God wanted us to know the "truth" of his existenc ...[text shortened]... for us to know the "truth". The two seem incompatible to me.

Am I way off base on this?

"Am I way off base on this?"

It's on God's terms. Not ours.

Tangible way? God could not be clearer. See Jesus. See God.

Originally posted by josephw
[b]"Am I way off base on this?"

It's on God's terms. Not ours.

Tangible way? God could not be clearer. See Jesus. See God.[/b]

Clear as mud.

Originally posted by darvlay
Inspired from another thread:

Originally posted by SwissGambit
...Does he [God] feel the need to explain every single thing he does in detail? Why should he? Surely we can figure some things out for ourselves.

Response from josephw
Why? Because He wants us to know the truth.

Surely if God wanted us to know the "truth" of his existenc ...[text shortened]... for us to know the "truth". The two seem incompatible to me.

Am I way off base on this?

You make a good point, but you assume that because God wants us to know the truth that we therefore don't have to seek it. The Bible is very clear on this issue in scriptures such as "you will find me when you seek me with all your heart" and "seek and you will find". Other ideas of the nature of God and revealed truth outside of the Bible, may differ of course.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Then what did you mean when you wrote "That He will coerce you or usurp your will is another matter."?

I don't know if I follow you.

But to "know the full knowledge of the truth" I do not regard as merely knowing that there is God, that God exists.

Of course no created being can forever not eventually come to the knowledge that God is real. That knowledge I do not regard as "the full knowledge of the truth".

I still am not sure what your line of reasoning is. But for God to warn that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to Him may not mean coercion. It could mean that eventually you are simply subdued by the reality and voluntarily have to acknowledge the truth.

Though I do believe every single created being must come to know the reality of God I do not regard this as the full knowledge of the truth that God desires all men to come to know.

For example, if a person simply does not realize the love that Christ has for them they may just remain suspicious, doubting God's heart toward them. The full knowledge of His care for them and His love for them just has been deceived out of their consideration forever.

But He desires that all men be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth.

Originally posted by divegeester
You make a good point, but you assume that because God wants us to know the truth that we therefore don't have to seek it. The Bible is very clear on this issue in scriptures such as "you will find me when you seek me with all your heart" and "seek and you will find". Other ideas of the nature of God and revealed truth outside of the Bible, may differ of course.

I made no such assumption.

Originally posted by rwingett
Sounds like the old 'stone too heavy to lift' thing again. You can puzzle that one out on your own.

God can't create a stone to heavy for Him to lift.

Originally posted by josephw
God can't create a stone to heavy for Him to lift.

Why not? He had a hard time with a heavy wooden cross.