What is God Like? Chapter 2 Discussion of Christian Beliefs
1. What are some attributes that God most clearly shares with us? What are some attributes he doesn’t share very much with us? Name one attribute of God that you would like to imitate more fully in your daily life and tell why.
2. Can you tell what some of the dangers would be in considering one of God’s attributes more important than all the others?
3. Which of God’s attributes seem most amazing to you? What have you learned about God through this attribute?
In order to get the most from our reading of Christian Beliefs by Grudem I thought it best that we share our answers to the discussion questions with each chapter so we can inspire each other. After reading the chapter and considering each question, post your answers here.
October 19, 2009 at 11:26 pm
p.s. I’ll answer the questions once some of you have
October 27, 2009 at 7:47 pm
1. Because it is the directly inspired/spoken Word of God. It clearly lays out God’s law and salvation plan.
2. The Bible won’t answer every question definitively, but it allows you to find God’s will to definitively answer those questions yourself.
3. Scripture is competent for issues pertaining to doctrine, ethics, and moral teachings. For topics like heaven and Christ’s return, scripture becomes less clear. I think the emphasis is apparent that we should concern ourselves with our moral depravity and need for a savior than when Judgment Day arrives. The law highlights our inadequacies, and the cross covers our corrupt, sinful nature. For these topics, scripture thoroughly discusses them.
October 31, 2009 at 1:20 am
Good thoughts. We do need to focus on the problem of sin in the world and our need for a Savior. We also need to maintain a balanced teaching on matters of salvation and matters of Christ’s return. Some people are so focused on Christ returning they are not effective at living their witness and certainly are not clear in leading others to the Savior. On the other hand we need to restore a sense of urgency among believers in regards to Jesus coming again.
October 28, 2009 at 7:56 am
Good answers Naomi:)
1. The Bible is God’s word so there is no better source to turn to in order to seek, to know, and to love God, and to understand how we can best live for Him. It is important that the Bible be the basis for our beliefs so that people can’t twist their beliefs by imposing their own authority and so that Christians all have one source of ultimate authority to which we refer.
2. No, the Bible touches on the most important issues in life and offers vast knowledge and wisdom which can be applied to many situations, regardless of whether a situation is specifically addressed. I liked how it was phrased in the book, “While the Bible might not directly answer every question we can think up, it will provide us with the GUIDANCE we need for ‘every good work.’” I also liked how it mentioned to keep in mind that we are not meant to know everything.
3. One issue the Bible speaks clearly on is forgiveness and an example of something that is not as clearly defined in the Bible is what does or does not qualify as sexual immorality (obviously some issues are clear, but all the same, there is so much controversy over issues which fall under this category so it popped into my head as a good example). Any issue clearly addressed in the Bible should be recognized and have heavy emphasis placed on it. If it was important enough for God to spell it out for us, it must be pretty important. Issues that are not clearly or directly addressed can usually be boiled down to issues that are, so it’s important not to get too worked up over issues of questioning any particular action in itself, but rather recognizing the deeper implications of the action in question. For example, the Bible does not clearly address every sexual act or thought with a check-mark for whether each act or thought is sinful or not. However, there is a deeper implication behind each act or thought, and that is intention. Is the intent honoring to God and His design? -Those things the Bible does speak clearly on.
October 31, 2009 at 1:18 am
I would clarify something with the “sexual immorality” illustration. Sexual immorality in the Greek and as it was used in the context it was written in was a very specific term referring to any sexual act outside of a marriage relationship. So I don’t think that is the term to be used in your discussion which I think is more about the issues of “how far is too far” in the matters of kissing, making out and so forth. Every person is different in how they are wired in their passions and attractions. Your question is the key “is the intent honoring to God?” Jesus brought that to light in the Gospels when he challenged the Pharisees by taking the law “don’t commit adultery” to another level by saying if you harbored lust in your heart for someone you committed adultery in your heart. Just as he did with the commandment on murder, saying if we harbor hatred in our heart it is murder. Ultimately what Jesus was proving is that we cannot keep the law bringing us back to “is the intent honoring God and his design?” This is where we can pray a commitment prayer like “I commit myself to glorify you in every thought, word, attitude and action.” Everything about our lives ultimately has to come under the Lordship of Christ.
October 31, 2009 at 7:48 am
Thanks for the clarification Rob, I totally agree with everything you’re saying and I guess I didn’t word it as well but I just picked it as an example because it is an issue (we’re calling it “how far is too far” now) that scripture doesn’t “clearly” address in black and white…because while there is a perfectly good answer (as you described above) it’s something you have to put a little more thought into rather than just reading a sentence or two straight off the page and walking away without any questions.
November 2, 2009 at 6:04 am
1. 1. Absolutely essential to the Christian life and spiritual maturity, the Bible is the inerrant (2 Timothy 3:16), living (Hebrews 4:12) Word of God, holding authority over our lives. In light of the aforementioned characteristics, Scripture must be the basis of our theology, as the Word proceeds forth from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). All doctrines (major and minor), theological definitions, and practices need to be rooted in and supported by the Bible. Additionally, basing one’s beliefs in God’s Word allows one to be on guard against false teachings.
2. 2. While the Bible may not mention specific issues that the 21st century church faces, one can intently study Scripture coupled with prayer in order to discern what the will of God is for a particular situation, as Naomi said. For instance, the Bible does not mention the word “abortion,” but reading various passages from the Bible on the value God places on every human life (i.e. Psalm 139) makes it clear that God abhors this violation of the sanctity of human life.
3. 3. The Bible speaks clearly and definitively on major doctrinal tenets such as subsitutionary atonement, as seen in Hebrews 9:12 – “He entered once for all into the Holy Places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” – among a multitude of other verses. Thus, the Bible is clear that only by the means of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ can one enter into eternal life. On the other hand, the Bible is less clear on minor doctrinal matters; while these issues are clearly important, they should not be the central focus of our faith, but rather peripheral concerns. For example, there are three types of church government presented throughout the canon of Scripture (Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Congregational). Even though as Southern Baptists we emphasize congregational polity and the autonomy of the local church, this should not be the central, preoccupying fixation of our lives as Christians. Also, another doctrinal issue that the Bible is less clear on was mentioned by Naomi: the timing of the Lord’s return. Ultimately, at the end of the day, whether someone is a premillenialist or postmillennialist, or whether someone believes in a pretribulational or post-tribulational rapture, should not be the emphasis of our ministry.
November 9, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Why is it important that the Bible be the basis for our beliefs?
It is important for me to hold the bible as the basis of my beliefs because scripture is not subject to circumstances of my life, feelings or other outside biases that affect my judgment. God’s word is an inspired text that presents life truths and moral laws given by a divine and inerrant Divine source(God). God reveals himself through His word and reveals how He will judge the World. By basing my life on the Word I can ensure that my life conforms to the standard(Jesus Christ) by which all people will be judged and through whom all have been saved.
Will the Bible definitively answer every question we bring to it?
Although God’s word is the basis all beliefs and influences all my decisions, it will not definitively answer every question that I have. The bible is helpful in pointing me in the right direction but God has allowed me the opportunity to choose the specifics. For example, I may want to ask God, “who should I marry?” God will not give me a specific name of the person that I should marry. However, God does provide through His Word specific characteristics that followers of Christ should look for in a spouse.
What is one issue that the Bible speaks clearly on?
The Bible clearly speaks out against sexual immorality. Any sexual act that takes place outside of God’s design for sex which is to be between husband(one man) and wife(one woman) that have become joined together and have become one(most explicitly expressed through the act of coitus) is clearly an aberration of God’s design for sex. Furthermore, in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere in the New Testament a clarification of laws given in the Torah regarding sexual impurity. Although I believe that the true intent of those collections of sayings are meant to highlight the inability of man to achieve salvation through any achievement of their own. It brings attention to the need for divine intervention in salvation.
Salvation: The Bible clearly outlines salvation for man through the person of Jesus Christ. Salvation comes through faith in God’s grace demonstrated by Jesus’ substitutionary atonement on the the cross whereupon he took sin upon himself and accepted the fullness of God’s wrath for the world. He who believes this and commits his life to Christ(like an indentured servant) daily walking in him will be saved. The works of a man can not and do not save him from eternal separation from God, rather works are a consequence of an internal change set about by the Holy Spirit when man accepts the grace of God by making a lifetime commitment to forfeit their life and allow Christ to live in them.
What is one issue that the Bible does not speak clearly on?
The bible does not clearly speak on the role of women in the church or ministry. While there are many text proofs used by varying Christian sects, the Bible does not put restrictions on the service that women can provide within the church. Furthermore, there are citations within the salutations and closing remarks of Paul’s letters that identify prominent women leaders within the Christian church. Paul even goes so far as mentioning a female apostle. While my personal feelings on women in leadership tend to lean toward the conservative fundamentalist/reformed camp, examination of the scripture has caused me to re-examine why I feel this way. Currently, I am undecided on the issue but believe that the reason why many fundamentalists(opposed to moderates) vehemently oppose women from serving as professional clergy(there’s a lot to say about the issue of “professional clergy” too) and elders/deacons is due to cultural contamination. Church leaders that have allowed the cultural standards of their day to overwhelm their sense of propriety when examining the scriptures. I blame it on Tertullian, Augustine, and Aquinas who applied their Greek philosophical education to scripture and fell into the trap of reading something into scripture that didn’t come from the cultural context of the authors of scriptural text or from the text itself.
How does this affect the emphasis you should place on these issues?
I think that rather than quibbling about various doctrines that are not essential to the salvation of man and unity within the church, more time should be devoted to living out the commitment made to Christ by serving(loving) people. Salvation comes through Christ alone by faith. Man is not saved so that he can live for himself but so that he might glorify God by submitting his will to God and consciously choosing Christ over self daily. The Holy Spirit gifts all believers(those who are walking in obedience, baptism is a command so if you say your a Christian and have not obeyed by becoming baptized think about that) so that they might serve one another and by doing so build one another(the bride of Christ) up making the church beautiful. God commands his children to proclaim the mercy that He has had on you to all people. He also commands us to teach others to obey everything that He commanded, this also implies that each person should have someone teaching them. So we are to disciple and be discipled.
November 11, 2009 at 8:28 pm
You all are posting great responses. I will just add some brief ones since you’re so well written.
1. Why is it important that the Bible be the basis for our beliefs? It is our authority. Without it we have no authority. The theological statement is “the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice” (2 Tim 3:16-17). The Word is living, examining our lives (Heb. 4:12). Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). The Word is eternal (Isa. 40:8).
2. Will the Bible definitively answer every question we bring to it? No. Whie we say bring all of your requests to God, there are a lot of details in life that don’t matter one way or the other for the glory of God and the Gospel. God doesn’t give exact direction on some things. But Scripture is sufficient so we trust its guidance but we seek not to add to it.
3. Here’s another thing the Bible is clear on-Prayer. We should pray without ceasing, in all things and for all things. This is God’s will (1 Thes. 5:17-18).
The Bible doesnt speak clearly on some matters which we have to give some liberty in. I don’t get in debates about free will or predestination because both are outlined in Scripture to hang in tension. I don’t debate speaking in tongues although I have a clear position and will teach my position when given the opportunity. As it is said we must have unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials and love in all things.