Do you love God?

[Trailblazer]

According to the Bible God does not change his mind (Isaiah 40:8, Malachi 3:6, Numbers 23:19, Matthew 24:35)!!

God does not change but what God reveals does change over time.
For example, some of what is in the New Testament is different from what is in the Old Testament.

That the Word of God will stand forever means that it will never be forgotten. It does not mean the Bible is to be followed for all of time.
None of those verses you cited mean that God cannot reveal more in the future.

Isaiah 40:8
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

He can not approve slavery, killing men, children and babies, committing genocide, lying, giving ridiculous instructions and then as you said, abrogate what he formerly revealed. The book of OT becomes then a joke and a laughing stock.

Exodus 7:3-4 “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you."

First off, I do not believe that what is in the OT represents what God did. It is the writings of men, not God, who made God into a man, thus anthropomorphisms about God.

God can abrogate whatever He wants to because God is all-powerful.

The Old Testament was written only to apply to people who lived thousands of years ago. People were different then, uneducated, and they believed absurd things that people question today, since we have science now that tells us these things are impossible.

It is a joke if people try to apply the OT to people living in the modern age we live in since it does not apply to this age.

 

[Trailblazer]

So… in essence, He wasn’t “ was ever perfectly and completely contained in a single human body” since he “stripped himself of all privilege” or in other words “

Philippians 2:6-7Amplified Bible, Classic Edition6 Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7 But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.

The Word did become flesh but was manifested as a man.

Yes, that is what I believe. The Word became flesh and walked among us.

We know that God the Father is on the throne and yet He is in everywhere. We know that Jesus is seated at the right hand and he lives in our hearts.

Remembering that "Nor can we fully understand Jesus since He is far too great for the human mind to comprehend.” - likewise we can only scratch the surface of who God is and how He works in and through all

Certainly He does have the Bounty of God since, as we view it, is God’s Spirit also known as “The Spirit of Christ” - the anointing

Again, that is what I believe.

Didn’t have time to address this

I can certainly understand that.... I barely have time to breathe anymore!

 

[Ajax]

God does not change but what God reveals does change over time.
For example, some of what is in the New Testament is different from what is in the Old Testament.

I can not agree with that...God -if he exists as in OT- could not give instructions to people on a subject and then change these instructions. Actually his instructions on slavery which are totally immoral, have never been changed. It is us humans who understood the immorality of such actions without the help of any God

First off, I do not believe that what is in the OT represents what God did. It is the writings of men, not God, who made God into a man, thus anthropomorphisms about God.

I agree.
.

 

[Colt]

I love God very much

Do you love God?

Yes! I Love God.

 

[Trailblazer]

I can not agree with that...God -if he exists as in OT- could not give instructions to people on a subject and then change these instructions. Actually his instructions on slavery which are totally immoral, have never been changed. It is us humans who understood the immorality of such actions without the help of any God

God's instructions have been changed.

These two important quotations from Baha’u’llah, both written in the 19th century when many nations still upheld that inhumane institution, abolished the practice of slavery:

It is forbidden you to trade in slaves, be they men or women. It is not for him who is himself a servant to buy another of God’s servants, and this hath been prohibited in His Holy Tablet. Thus, by His mercy, hath the commandment been recorded by the Pen of justice. Let no man exalt himself above another; all are but bondslaves before the Lord, and all exemplify the truth that there is none other God but Him. – The Most Holy Book.

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! Behold how one slave hath stood at the door of another, seeking from him his freedom, and this despite the fact that his owner is himself but Thy thrall and Thy servant, and is evanescent before the revelations of Thy supreme Lordship … All kings are as vassals before the gate of Thy grace, the rich are but destitute at the shore of Thy sacred dominion, and all great ones are but feeble creatures within the court of Thy glorious bounty. How, then, can this thrall claim for himself ownership of any other human being? Nay, his very existence before the court of Thy might is a sin with which no other sin in Thy kingdom can compare. Glorified, immeasurably glorified, art Thou beyond every description and praise. – Prayer of Emancipation, circa 1839.

Baha’u’llah’s Law Abolishing Slavery

In this essay we will study Baha’u’llah’s laws that call for the abolition of slavery and his spiritual reasons for that prohibition.

bahaiteachings.org

 

[Trailblazer]

Yes! I Love God.

Why do you Love God?

 

[Colt]

Why do you Love God?

Because he is my Father and he is good.

 

[DNB]

Where did I ever say that?

Post #67

I have no such conflict because I do not love myself or the world, but I also do not love God the way I should because I see so much suffering in the world and I wonder how God could be loving or good. So what I see in the world does not align with what scripture says, and that is where my conflict comes from.

 

[The Hammer]

I love God very much

Do you love God?

I love All the Gods.

 

[DNB]

With all due respect, I find your answer completely illogical. Offers/oblations can not have blemishes, people may have (given by God as thought at that time). But the writings in the OT do not represent an omniscient God who knows the future and His instructions should have been timeless. If they are not timeless, we don't have to use any of them now. They (instructions) represent the thinking of the goat-herders at that time, which was wrong and prove the book wrong too. Also no omniscient God would support any kind of slavery, especially if people could buy slaves as property and pass them on to their children (Lev 25:44-46). Furthermore, no omniscient God would instruct people to kill those who work on Saturdays as well as disobedient children.

God imparted unto man the impeccable essence of holiness - this was conveyed by the stringency and austerity of the Levitical Law.
Once proven that man was incapable of fulfilling the demands of the Law, due to either his own unwillingness or impotency, God, through Christ, offered mercy and grace to those who revered God and His ordinances, but continuously fell short to the demands of righteousness.

God's dispensations do not need to be timeless by necessity of his deity.

 

[Trailblazer]

Post #67

I have no such conflict because I do not love myself or the world, but I also do not love God the way I should because I see so much suffering in the world and I wonder how God could be loving or good. So what I see in the world does not align with what scripture says, and that is where my conflict comes from.

Okay, fair enough, but that was post #54 where I said that.

You said yourself that you don't think that He's good?

I said I wonder how God could be loving or good. I did not say I don't think God is good.

 

[Trailblazer]

It's a mind trick to believe in a personal God that actually does something in the world. Especially things of any value.

Yeah, especially if you go by what is in the OT, but I don't go by that.
I also don't believe that God does things in the world. People do things in the world, not God.

 

[flowerpower]

I love God very much

Do you love God?

I don't think I know god well enough to necessarily love god.

I'm grateful for having being given an opportunity at life though?

Also really fearful of screwing my life up (if I haven't already screwed up my life beyond repair).

If god (as I understand god) is responsible for those two things and has some kind of agency over how they go, then I say that I do love god and I just really hope and pray that I haven't lived my life so poorly and immorally that the worst kinds of consequences are coming for me.

I do believe that, if god exists, god loves everyone and that we don't really need to worry too much about eternal stuff.

I can't really bring myself to hate on any given person for being human. We all came from somewhere; I don't think there's such a thing as an unforgivable person. This attitude causes me a lot of problems sometimes (and I currently suspect that one person in particular is seriously betraying or taking advantage of my kind and yielding nature) but that's my cross to bare I guess.

 

[Trailblazer]

I don't think I know god well enough to necessarily love god.

Me neither.

I'm grateful for having being given an opportunity at life though?

Also really fearful of screwing my life up (if I haven't already screwed up my life beyond repair).

If god (as I understand god) is responsible for those two things and has some kind of agency over how they go, then I say that I do love god and I just really hope and pray that I haven't lived my life so poorly and immorally that the worst kinds of consequences are coming for me.

The fact that you are wondering about these things probably means you are in good shape, because you have a conscience and are aware of your shortcomings.

I do believe that, if god exists, god loves everyone and that we don't really need to worry too much about eternal stuff.

I tend to believe the same and only hope it is true,

I can't really bring myself to hate on any given person for being human. We all came from somewhere; I don't think there's such a thing as an unforgivable person. This attitude causes me a lot of problems sometimes (and I currently suspect that one person in particular is seriously betraying or taking advantage of my kind and yielding nature) but that's my cross to bare I guess.

I think that is a good attitude to have and I wish I was more like that. Sadly, I had a hard time forgiving my late husband for things that were not even that important, and it is too late now. I think he knows what happened now that he is in the spiritual world so I just try to live with it, knowing I will see him again someday.

I know when things are unfair so I am very careful not to be taken advantage of so I am not worried that will ever happen.

 

[Ajax]

God imparted unto man the impeccable essence of holiness - this was conveyed by the stringency and austerity of the Levitical Law.

How did God give man the essence of holiness in the Leviticus? By telling him to kill disobedient children or those working on Saturday? Or perhaps by instructing men to kill all enemy males, adults, boys and babies but to take the virgin women for their pleasure?

Once proven that man was incapable of fulfilling the demands of the Law, due to either his own unwillingness or impotency, God, through Christ, offered mercy and grace to those who revered God and His ordinances, but continuously fell short to the demands of righteousness.

I suppose man didn't have any righteous examples from God.

God's dispensations do not need to be timeless by necessity of his deity.

Could you tell me how you come to this conclusion? A God who is timeless must give timeless instructions to all generations, otherwise he must alter them. What do you think God's instructions would be today concerning slavery and killings of babies and children?

 

[Ajax]

These two important quotations from Baha’u’llah, both written in the 19th century when many nations still upheld that inhumane institution, abolished the practice of slavery:

Well done.

 

[PearlSeeker]

I love God very much

Do you love God?

I love nature if that counts.

 

[Trailblazer]

I love nature if that counts.

I also love nature, all of it, but especially the creatures, except when they are running around in my attic.
I think it counts since God is responsible for nature.

Nature is supposed to reflect God but I am yet to see God reflected in nature.
However, I can still be thankful to God for nature.

 

[DNB]

Okay, fair enough, but that was post #54 where I said that.

I said I wonder how God could be loving or good. I did not say I don't think God is good.

To question it, is to place it at a much lower degree than my estimation - therefore we are fundamentally at odds as to the character of God

 

[DNB]

How did God give man the essence of holiness in the Leviticus? By telling him to kill disobedient children or those working on Saturday? Or perhaps by instructing men to kill all enemy males, adults, boys and babies but to take the virgin women for their pleasure?

I suppose man didn't have any righteous examples from God.

Could you tell me how you come to this conclusion? A God who is timeless must give timeless instructions to all generations, otherwise he must alter them. What do you think God's instructions would be today concerning slavery and killings of babies and children?

I gave you the logic - one dispensation was intended to be temporal for the reason that i already explained -> man's comprehension of holiness and his unwillingness to obey
Christ's obedience gave God justification to abrogated the Law, and institute an new one - faith in Christ

The people that God mandated to destroy were excessively wicked eg: debauchery and lasciviousness, sacrificing their children to pagan deities, etc...
We all deserve to die, the fact that you and I are still alive is because of God's mercy, not our goodness