Why can't God just show himself to us?

reply to post by midnightstar

I have a better one If god did show up .Why have thy forsakin me lord?
Funny thing Jesus who was ddieing on the cross asked this very same question.
Strang question from a gods son dont you think?

Jesus was quoting from Psalm 22.

He did say that he was here to fulfill scripture after all.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by danielsil18

 

Being able to see God in a kiwi? again if you are not talking about the God the Bible mentions than we are not talking about the same thing.

Again with the Bible!

Why rely on what men wrote about God?

You should be happy that I didn't ask you to do this:

Describe what UV radiation looks like.
(you can't see it, you can't hear it, but I bet you think it exists)

edit on 1-7-2013 by butcherguy because: (no reason given)

UV radiation can be explained with science, far different than some imaginary being.

Again, I'm not talking about a "higher being" I'm here to talk about the God the Bible describes. You want to talk about a "higher being" and that we don't know what it looks like or what it is. We are talking about two different things.

reply to post by danielsil18

If Jesus replaced the "law" of the old testament when he died, why is it that Christians still follow the Ten Commandments? You do know that the 10 Commandments come from the old testament.

The Ten Commandments are the basic laws that God has written on every man's heart, but the Jews had over 600 more that they wanted to keep. Personally, I think the Jews are going to be held to those laws and judged by them until they come to accept Jesus as God and realize there's a new covenant out there.

reply to post by ccseagull

Do I want to dwell on becoming a ghost that roams about randomly or hangs onto family watching them live lives while I am just a past thought to them, or will I be a particle of energy floating about forever, will I have a consciousness and be in a floating emptyness of black, or will I be with a loving Creator that loves and accepts me, who delights in me and I delight in Him and I have a "mansion" He has prepared for me.

So this is about what you want and not what you know?

reply to post by ccseagull

God allows people to do whatever horrible, vile, evil things they want to, because to do otherwise would be to violate people’s free will, which is something that God’s love for all people absolutely prevents him from doing.

God's love for the man's free will prevents God from stopping that man from raping the little girl. God's love for the little girl wasn't enough.

God loved the little girl and that rapist's free will. He could either choose to save the little girl or to allow the rapist have his free will. God chose to side with the rapist.

Can't you see how absurd that sounds? you are trying to make excuses for something unthinkable. I would recommend you to stop reading the Bible and start using your heart.

God gave us free will. And he will not take it from us. And we do not want him to take it from us

Rapists, murderers, etc. All agree with you, otherwise God would not let them commit their sins. But would that little girl that got raped agree with you, or the parents of that little girl?

What if you saw a movie about Spiderman and he saw that a man was about to rape a little girl, and Spiderman says "I should love and respect that man's free will... I'll let him rape that girl". Awesome movie right? Actually Spiderman would be useless since he wouldn't do anything to stop criminals to love and respect their free will.

reply to post by ccseagull

Absolutly. No question. I know where you are going with this.
God will intervene if we ask for ourselves or on behalf of others.
Otherwise there is no free will.

Where is his intervention right now, pray tell? Starvation in Africa. Disease in South America. Drugs in California. Murder in Syria. Lies and deceit in Washington. Adultery in Russia. Where is his intervention, eh? Where is he making such a big difference? Because I really don't see it.

Originally posted by Deetermined
reply to post by danielsil18

 

If Jesus replaced the "law" of the old testament when he died, why is it that Christians still follow the Ten Commandments? You do know that the 10 Commandments come from the old testament.

The Ten Commandments are the basic laws that God has written on every man's heart, but the Jews had over 600 more that they wanted to keep. Personally, I think the Jews are going to be held to those laws and judged by them until they come to accept Jesus as God and realize there's a new covenant out there.

So God wrote those 10 commandments in every man's heart but somehow forgot to add the other laws he made.

reply to post by danielsil18

UV radiation can be explained with science, far different than some imaginary being.

You are not getting it.
Everything that you experience is coming through the veil of your senses.
Can you actually see UV radiation?
Before science discovered that it existed, did anyone know that it was there?
There are plenty of things that go on around you that you are unaware of.
Your senses are very limited, and your whole world is based upon what little filters through them.
Have you ever read this book?
The Book.... by Alan Watts

reply to post by danielsil18


Maybe this will help explain better:
Did Jesus abolish the Law or not?
Matthew 5:17 and Ephesians 2:14-15
1. No. (Matt. 5:17), "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."
2. Yes. (Eph. 2:14-15), "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace."
In Matthew 5:17 Jesus is speaking about the Old Testament principles and authority of rule and revelation. When Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law, He came to establish it and demonstrate how it pointed to Him and how He would live it perfectly.
In Eph. 2:14-15, Paul is speaking about how the gentiles who were called the uncircumcision (v. 11), were separated from Christ (v. 12), but have now been brought near (to God) by the blood of Christ (v. 13). Jesus removed the requirement of having to follow the Law in order to please God, established justification by faith, and thereby united both Jew and Gentile into one group in Christ. This is when Paul says in verse 15 that he abolished in his flesh the enmity which is the law of commandments in ordinances. The Law was that which separated Jew from Gentile and since it has been fulfilled in Christ, it is no longer something that would separate Jew and Gentile.

carm.org...

We Christians still live by the law because those are good rules for anyone to live by. But more than that we live by loving one another as we love God - which eliminates the concept of law because living out of love prevents us from doing wrong. Jesus said that the first commandment is to love others and what he meant is that the love overrides any wrong doing. I might be explaining that too simply. In fact this is a concept many Christians argue about. So I understand why you keep asking.

reply to post by ccseagull

What you are in essence asking about God is what throughout time people have always asked about God: Why does he allow evil to exist?
And that excellent simple question has an excellent, simple answer: God allows people to do whatever horrible, vile, evil things they want to, because to do otherwise would be to violate people’s free will, which is something that God’s love for all people absolutely prevents him from doing.

Three points:

1) Before "God", nothing existed.

2) "God" created all of evil and all of sin. This includes the creation of Lucifer.

3) "God" created us.

Ergo, every evil and horrible act we commit was known and allowed well before we even thought of it. For every such act, he created that potential, farmed it, harvested it, and gave it the perfect opportunity to manifest, knowing even as he did so that it WOULD manifest.

That's like throwing a gun in the road knowing exactly who is going to pick it up and exactly what they're going to do with it. If a man picks it up and kills three men, are you not responsible for those deaths? Because you put that gun there. Had you not done so, those three men would still be alive.

Consider that.

Originally posted by butcherguy

reply to post by danielsil18

 

UV radiation can be explained with science, far different than some imaginary being.

You are not getting it.
Everything that you experience is coming through the veil of your senses.
Can you actually see UV radiation?
Before science discovered that it existed, did anyone know that it was there?
There are plenty of things that go on around you that you are unaware of.
Your senses are very limited, and your whole world is based upon what little filters through them.
Have you ever read this book?
The Book.... by Alan Watts

Didn't read that book but I think I get where you are getting.

There might be a "Higher Being". We don't know what it is, can't judge it. Science might have evidence of a higher being in the future.

If this is what you are trying to claim I agree. I'm not here to say that we know everything.

But again, I'm here talking about the God the Bible describes.

reply to post by danielsil18

So God wrote those 10 commandments in every man's heart but somehow forgot to add the other laws he made.

God originally gave them those laws to separate them from other people and cultures at that time, but it got to a point where they were more focused on what they were practicing than God himself. This is where Jesus stepped in and tried to tell them the errors of their ways and to show them that no amount of laws were going to make them closer to God if they held them with higher regard than God himself. It's another reason why Jesus made a New Covenant with the people.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


No. It's a bonus. I know God. I have felt God within me. I see His hand in my life. I have witnessed miracles and seen direct answers to prayer. I have a best friend relationship with HIm. Even if there were no wonderous Heaven waiting I would still love God. Love is the purest and most freeing emotion and act there is - my whole being centers around love (even if some days I slip up, I make amends immediately) and the fact that God loves me right now for who I am, an imperfect human puttering away on this earth much like an ant, is enough for me. I have seen how love changes people, impacts lives. I have also seen the opposite. I have felt evil, I have felt terror, I have experienced sickness and trials in my life. I choose love. God is love. I also believe in God due to the Bible. I am no expert but if I don't understand something I research it. There is ample evidence in what I've mentioned before: historical and the fact that prophecy is happening around us at this moment. I don't just believe, I look up information and attempt to put two and two together. But ultimately it is faith that I believe. And until one chooses to accept Jesus as their Savior then one doesn't grasp the concept. I am not putting anyone down or making myself to be better or smarter in any way - it's just that when you become a believer the Holy Spirit is alive in you. Jesus is alive. He wasn't killed and stayed dead. He is alive, more alive than we humans are. Heading outside to enjoy the sun. I will be back on later. Take care one and all.

Originally posted by ccseagull
reply to post by danielsil18

 

Maybe this will help explain better:
Did Jesus abolish the Law or not?
Matthew 5:17 and Ephesians 2:14-15
1. No. (Matt. 5:17), "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."
2. Yes. (Eph. 2:14-15), "For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace."
In Matthew 5:17 Jesus is speaking about the Old Testament principles and authority of rule and revelation. When Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law, He came to establish it and demonstrate how it pointed to Him and how He would live it perfectly.
In Eph. 2:14-15, Paul is speaking about how the gentiles who were called the uncircumcision (v. 11), were separated from Christ (v. 12), but have now been brought near (to God) by the blood of Christ (v. 13). Jesus removed the requirement of having to follow the Law in order to please God, established justification by faith, and thereby united both Jew and Gentile into one group in Christ. This is when Paul says in verse 15 that he abolished in his flesh the enmity which is the law of commandments in ordinances. The Law was that which separated Jew from Gentile and since it has been fulfilled in Christ, it is no longer something that would separate Jew and Gentile.

carm.org...

We Christians still live by the law because those are good rules for anyone to live by. But more than that we live by loving one another as we love God - which eliminates the concept of law because living out of love prevents us from doing wrong. Jesus said that the first commandment is to love others and what he meant is that the love overrides any wrong doing. I might be explaining that too simply. In fact this is a concept many Christians argue about. So I understand why you keep asking.

The Bible has so many contradictions that it leaves Christians with the option to choose what they want to follow.

A verse says yes, the other says no. Which one to believe? It's all about cherry picking. So how does God expect us to take it seriously. Not to mention the illogical stories like Noah's Ark and Jonah living inside a fish for three days and three nights.

reply to post by danielsil18

But again, I'm here talking about the God the Bible describes.

How does the Bible describe God?
If you insist on going with that angle....

Which Biblical description do you want to go with?
New testament-
The one where God is love?
God is spirit?
Old Testament-
God is a pillar of fire.
The burning bush.
God is an all consuming fire.

If you have experienced love, then there you have it. You have experienced the New Testament God.

Fire? Surely you've seen that.... There's the OT God.

I'm not having any of that.

Originally posted by Deetermined
reply to post by danielsil18

 

So God wrote those 10 commandments in every man's heart but somehow forgot to add the other laws he made.

God originally gave them those laws to separate them from other people and cultures at that time, but it got to a point where they were more focused on what they were practicing than God himself. This is where Jesus stepped in and tried to tell them the errors of their ways and to show them that no amount of laws were going to make them closer to God if they held them with higher regard than God himself. It's another reason why Jesus made a New Covenant with the people.

Are you saying that the old testament was a combination of God's laws and human made laws?

reply to post by butcherguy

Fire? Surely you've seen that.... There's the OT God.

I'm not having any of that.

If you knew the New Testament, you would know that when Jesus returns he'll be returning to judge and make war and he'll be doing it with a sword (the Word of God) and fire.

Originally posted by butcherguy
reply to post by danielsil18

 

But again, I'm here talking about the God the Bible describes.

How does the Bible describe God?
If you insist on going with that angle....

Which Biblical description do you want to go with?
New testament-
The one where God is love?
God is spirit?
Old Testament-
God is a pillar of fire.
The burning bush.
God is an all consuming fire.

If you have experienced love, then there you have it. You have experienced the New Testament God.

Fire? Surely you've seen that.... There's the OT God.

I'm not having any of that.

edit on 1-7-2013 by butcherguy because: (no reason given)

I really don't get the point you are trying to make.

Tell me what you have been trying to tell me all this time.

Originally posted by Deetermined
reply to post by butcherguy

 

Fire? Surely you've seen that.... There's the OT God.

I'm not having any of that.

If you knew the New Testament, you would know that when Jesus returns he'll be returning to judge and make war and he'll be doing it with a sword (the Word of God) and fire.

When I said that I am not having any of that, I meant any of the descriptions provided.
I think that all of them are weak metaphors.

reply to post by danielsil18


Whatever miracles you are shown you still will not believe, your prayers weren't granted and because you don't see the bigger picture from start to finish you decide therefore there is no god, you live on a very rare planet that exist in a galaxy with just right type of black hole at it's centre, you orbit a rare star (A very special sub class of stable G2) at just the right distance and your planet has just the right mix of elements and gases, your moon orbits at just the right distance to be a optical perfect match in size to your sun at just the right time in your planets existence you exist as a very rare sentient being when there is no record in the preceding 4 billion years of any other sentient being's on your planet unless it has been suppressed, you are born wondering and looking up at the stars wishing you could fly and see the whole universe and whatever is beyond it.

Nah you are right you are just an illusion of conscious being that does not and never did exist so why am I even trying to answer this non existent question.