Spirituality: Quotations

“The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.” -C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

“I was allowed to play at philosophy no longer.” -C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

"Some false concepts of God include:

“Pantheism”, which is the belief that God is all, and all is God. It views only the infinite nature of God and says that God is a material part of everything in nature and that all those parts combine to make up God. This was popularized in movies like Avatar and Star Wars represented in the “force.”

“Polytheism” is another false doctrine about God as the word “poly” means “many.” It is the concept that the three members of the God head are three separate God’s rather than one God in three persons or personalities. This gives rise to the worship of many gods as the Greeks and Romans did.

“Dualism” is the belief that there are two distinct principles or gods of eternal and equal power. The simplest thought here is that there is good and evil in the universe and they are at war with each other. Some would even say it is God vs. Satan as equal gods who are at war with each other. This is a false doctrine as God actually created Satan who is an angel, albeit now a fallen one.

“Deism” is the belief that God created all things and then has left us alone. He has nothing to do with anything he created and is not a personal all powerful God who works in our lives each and every day.

Now back to the truth about God. The first thing the Bible teaches us about God is that “God is.” If that simple truth gets hold of your mind and heart it will move and mold your entire life. It will determine your science, it will determine your philosophy, it will determine your daily life, and it will determine your eternity. “God is.” The psalmist tells us in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”

Typically he says there is no God simply because he does not wish to believe that there is a God. Now, there is a God, and a man that denies a fact simply because he does not wish to believe it is a fool." (Rickard)

"The thing that makes the three members of the Godhead one is their shared essence or attributes. Each member of the Trinity, though a separate person, has the exact same representation of the attributes of the other members of the Trinity. They share these attributes equally, infinitely and eternally.

There are two errors we must avoided when describing the Trinity:

1. That the Godhead is composed of three distinct Persons, (i.e. Peter, James, and John, who are related to each other in the loose fashion by which men associate themselves together relative to certain ideals and principles). That supposition in the case of God would be “Tritheism” – three gods.

2. That the Godhead is one Person only and that the triune aspect of His Being is no more than three fields of interests, activities, and manifestations.

We will note the major attributes of God below, but the Westminster Catechism written in 1648 by the reformers is one of the best definitions given as to who God is: “God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, every where present, almighty, knowing-all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”

The main attributes of God include:

Sovereignty, Righteous, Just, Love, Eternal Life, Omniscience (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful), Omnipresence (every where at the same time), Immutability (unchanging), and Veracity (absolute truth).

Each of theses attributes when combined make up the essence of God. Each of these attributes can be taught exhaustively individually, but we will save that for another day.

God’s Attributes are view in two groupings:

1. “Absolute Attributes”, which include: spirituality, infinity, and perfection.
a) Spirituality means God’s life and personality. God is immaterial, yet spirituality implies life. God is life, Jer 10:10; John 4:24; 1 Thes 1:9, and yet He does not possess life as we do, but He is life, He lives.
b) Infinity means self-existence, immutability, and unity. By infinity is meant that God is without boundary or limitation. He invented space and time and exists within and outside of these.
c) Perfection means truth, love, and integrity. The intellect, character and affections of God are perfect

2. “Relative Attributes”, which include:
a) Those related to time and space – eternity (God is not subject to time, He has always existed), and immensity (God is not subject to space).
b) Those related to creation – omnipresence (God is personally present everywhere), omniscience (God knows perfectly and eternally all that is knowable, whether actual or possible.), and omnipotence (God is all powerful, infinitely able to do all things within the range of His holy character or essence).
c) Those related to moral beings - veracity and faithfulness, mercy and goodness, and righteousness and justice.

From the various combinations of these main attributes we understand God to be, merciful, holy, just, faithful, good, kind, compassionate, gracious, grace, etc." (Rickard)

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
[b]Spirituality: Quotations

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." -C.S. Lewis

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." -C. ...[text shortened]... -C.S. Lewis

"With gratitude to Him, In Whom we dwell." -R.B. Thieme III

A few of yours?[/b]

"I want nothing for myself. I want everything for the Lord." - Watchman Nee

"God, who needs nothing, loves into existence wholly superfluous creatures ..."
C.S. Lewis

Dealing With Trolls:

"Call out their behavior. Many people recommend you simply ignore trolls and don’t respond in any way, but this gives the trolls even more power as it gives them the power to silence you. Instead, ignore the troll but address the problem with the “audience” in a matter of fact way. Do NOT respond in a manner that stoops to the troll’s level or you risk two outcomes:
1) Feeding the troll and engaging in an unwinnable argument that will escalate, or 2) having the “audience” see you as another irritant/troll rather than as the balanced, decent and aggrieved party." Starve the needy troll and do so quietly.

http://www.webroot.com/us/en/home/resources/tips/pc-security/you-cant-win-an-argument-with-a-troll

"If we have the possibility of knowing the truth, why would we choose to be deceived?" (Isiah Berlin)

"When you want to know the truth, you do not care who is right." (Richard Feynman)

Note: From finnegan's site profile... and Happy Birthday, April 4.

“Jesus was stoned, but no rock hit him. He slipped into the crowd and was found later teaching on a hill somewhere.
History tells us that he did nothing wrong, and we sacrificed him anyway.

The day my father died, I assured him he was headed for heaven, though I had a hard time believing in something that floated so aimlessly through the minds of children. The concept seemed fair and unfair in such equal amounts that it appeared to cancel itself out. I’d never met someone so deserving of eternal bliss, yet from the time I was a child I was taught we all deserve hell. I wondered if heaven existed at all.

But I wanted everlasting life to be real for the man who let me lie on his chest on a hammock in the backyard and taught me not to fear thunder. One of the many things my father taught me not to fear. His breaths were labored and aided by machines. He wore a white hospital gown. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe my father’s going to die in a gown.”
“Are you afraid?” I asked. “Not at all,” he strained. “I’m going to be with the Lord.” I wished I shared his confidence.

For him, it was a priceless thing no one could take. I wished the fear of death was like the fear of a passing storm cloud—something we outgrow with understanding. For men like my dad, I guess it was.” -Christopher Hawke,
Unnatural Truth (goodreads.com)

Originally posted by Grampy Bobby
“Jesus was stoned, but no rock hit him.

He was so stoned he didn't feel the rock hit him!

(They had some pretty heavy $h1t back in the day)