101CFP - "God Is": Christian Faith and Practice 101 - J.D. Huddleston
"In the beginning God"
That's how it starts, folks. First rattle out of the box. The first words of the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. No disclaimer, no long argument, just a simple statement of fact: "In the beginning God." Before space, before time, before energy, before matter . . . God. Not God existed, or was, or will be, just is. God is.
God does not exist. Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, I believe in God, but God does not exist—at least not in the way we as humans do. If God existed in same way we or any other created thing existed, then God would himself be a created being whose very being would be dependent upon and derived from something else. God is neither dependent nor derived, God is. God is not bound by time, so he is not "was" or "will be," but eternally is. God is "being" in the purest sense and has never been becoming or changing in any way.
Now we as humans must make sense of this reality based on what we can perceive, and so we say, "God exists." Is this wrong? Yes, and no. As far as our limited understanding goes we must say he exists. But when we consider how completely "other" God is from everything that exists, we begin to understand that he is being beyond existence, beyond the natural: he is "supernatural." And so, we will refer to God as "existing" for lack of better terms, however keep in mind, he is no-thing—he is not a created being.
Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?
God is "all-knowing," or omniscient. He knows and has known from eternity all things that can be known at any time, in any place, at all times, and beyond time. There is no thought you have or will ever think that he has not known from eternity. There is no event that has or will ever occur that he has not been fully aware of; nothing takes God by surprise, because nothing has ever "just occurred" to God. God alone has unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding. God is the original and supreme "know-it- all."
God is also omnipresent, he is "all places, at all times, at the same time, all the time, at all times." There are no limitations upon God concerning time or space. In fact, there is nothing linear about God's place within the fabric of time and space. God doesn't simply see history as it unfolds over time, but is in ever present audience to every event at all times at the same time. In God's perception he clearly sees the "big picture" before him, as he is continuously privy to every nuance of time and space, right down to numbering the hairs on your head.
God is omnipotent, or "all powerful." Energy and matter are his creation and he alone is master over all. There is no limit to his abilities. In all things he is completely able to do according to his good pleasure, and he is also able to not do according to his good pleasure. He is powerful to the infinite degree, and completely in control of that power. He has unlimited ability to do all things, and yet he cannot do all things; not because he is limited, but because he will not violate his nature. He does according to his good pleasure, but there are things that do not please him. God is completely inclined to good and has no inclination to evil. God's omnipotence is power under control . . . his control.
Ultimately God is not dependent, he has the power of being in and of himself; he does not derive being from something else. This "power of being in and of himself" is the attribute theologians call aseity. While we as humans are dependent and derived creatures, who in God "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28), God simply is. We are wholly dependent upon God; God is wholly independent, or, not dependent upon anything outside himself.
"In the beginning God created"
According to the law of cause and effect, for every effect there must be a cause. This verse in Genesis concludes: "God created the heavens and the earth" (1:1). The heavens and the earth are the effect, God is the cause. The Scriptures clearly and emphatically teach that God created everything ex nihilo, "out of nothing." Scientists and theologians alike agree that the universe is not self-existent, nor has it always existed. Both also assent to the logic of ex nihilo nihil fit, "out of nothing nothing comes"; and so, any idea that the universe created itself is considered absurd. If ever there was a time that absolutely nothing existed, then all there could be right now is nothing. The only way that something could exist instead of nothing, would be for a supernatural all-powerful ever present all-knowing self-existent being to cause something to come into being. This isn't "something out of nothing," but "something out of some-One being." God is the first uncaused cause of every effect. If it exists, it owes its initial existence and continual existence to God, and God alone.
Well, we started off little deep, didn't we? We've talked about what God isn't and what some of his attributes are, but perhaps we need to reach back and grab hold of some foundational information before we delve any further. I mean, after all, what was God thinking "In the beginning"? What is God's plan in all this seemingly out of nothing something we all find ourselves a part of? Surely this isn't the best world possible—God can do better than this . . . right? Yes—yes he can . . . let's talk God Logic.
"In the beginning God"
That's how it starts, folks. First rattle out of the box. The first words of the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. No disclaimer, no long argument, just a simple statement of fact: "In the beginning God." Before space, before time, before energy, before matter . . . God. Not God existed, or was, or will be, just is. God is.
God does not exist. Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, I believe in God, but God does not exist—at least not in the way we as humans do. If God existed in same way we or any other created thing existed, then God would himself be a created being whose very being would be dependent upon and derived from something else. God is neither dependent nor derived, God is. God is not bound by time, so he is not "was" or "will be," but eternally is. God is "being" in the purest sense and has never been becoming or changing in any way.
Now we as humans must make sense of this reality based on what we can perceive, and so we say, "God exists." Is this wrong? Yes, and no. As far as our limited understanding goes we must say he exists. But when we consider how completely "other" God is from everything that exists, we begin to understand that he is being beyond existence, beyond the natural: he is "supernatural." And so, we will refer to God as "existing" for lack of better terms, however keep in mind, he is no-thing—he is not a created being.
Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?
God is "all-knowing," or omniscient. He knows and has known from eternity all things that can be known at any time, in any place, at all times, and beyond time. There is no thought you have or will ever think that he has not known from eternity. There is no event that has or will ever occur that he has not been fully aware of; nothing takes God by surprise, because nothing has ever "just occurred" to God. God alone has unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding. God is the original and supreme "know-it- all."
God is also omnipresent, he is "all places, at all times, at the same time, all the time, at all times." There are no limitations upon God concerning time or space. In fact, there is nothing linear about God's place within the fabric of time and space. God doesn't simply see history as it unfolds over time, but is in ever present audience to every event at all times at the same time. In God's perception he clearly sees the "big picture" before him, as he is continuously privy to every nuance of time and space, right down to numbering the hairs on your head.
God is omnipotent, or "all powerful." Energy and matter are his creation and he alone is master over all. There is no limit to his abilities. In all things he is completely able to do according to his good pleasure, and he is also able to not do according to his good pleasure. He is powerful to the infinite degree, and completely in control of that power. He has unlimited ability to do all things, and yet he cannot do all things; not because he is limited, but because he will not violate his nature. He does according to his good pleasure, but there are things that do not please him. God is completely inclined to good and has no inclination to evil. God's omnipotence is power under control . . . his control.
Ultimately God is not dependent, he has the power of being in and of himself; he does not derive being from something else. This "power of being in and of himself" is the attribute theologians call aseity. While we as humans are dependent and derived creatures, who in God "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28), God simply is. We are wholly dependent upon God; God is wholly independent, or, not dependent upon anything outside himself.
"In the beginning God created"
According to the law of cause and effect, for every effect there must be a cause. This verse in Genesis concludes: "God created the heavens and the earth" (1:1). The heavens and the earth are the effect, God is the cause. The Scriptures clearly and emphatically teach that God created everything ex nihilo, "out of nothing." Scientists and theologians alike agree that the universe is not self-existent, nor has it always existed. Both also assent to the logic of ex nihilo nihil fit, "out of nothing nothing comes"; and so, any idea that the universe created itself is considered absurd. If ever there was a time that absolutely nothing existed, then all there could be right now is nothing. The only way that something could exist instead of nothing, would be for a supernatural all-powerful ever present all-knowing self-existent being to cause something to come into being. This isn't "something out of nothing," but "something out of some-One being." God is the first uncaused cause of every effect. If it exists, it owes its initial existence and continual existence to God, and God alone.
Well, we started off little deep, didn't we? We've talked about what God isn't and what some of his attributes are, but perhaps we need to reach back and grab hold of some foundational information before we delve any further. I mean, after all, what was God thinking "In the beginning"? What is God's plan in all this seemingly out of nothing something we all find ourselves a part of? Surely this isn't the best world possible—God can do better than this . . . right? Yes—yes he can . . . let's talk God Logic.
"In the beginning God"
That's how it starts, folks. First rattle out of the box. The first words of the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. No disclaimer, no long argument, just a simple statement of fact: "In the beginning God." Before space, before time, before energy, before matter . . . God. Not God existed, or was, or will be, just is. God is.
God does not exist. Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, I believe in God, but God does not exist—at least not in the way we as humans do. If God existed in same way we or any other created thing existed, then God would himself be a created being whose very being would be dependent upon and derived from something else. God is neither dependent nor derived, God is. God is not bound by time, so he is not "was" or "will be," but eternally is. God is "being" in the purest sense and has never been becoming or changing in any way.
Now we as humans must make sense of this reality based on what we can perceive, and so we say, "God exists." Is this wrong? Yes, and no. As far as our limited understanding goes we must say he exists. But when we consider how completely "other" God is from everything that exists, we begin to understand that he is being beyond existence, beyond the natural: he is "supernatural." And so, we will refer to God as "existing" for lack of better terms, however keep in mind, he is no-thing—he is not a created being.
Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?
God is "all-knowing," or omniscient. He knows and has known from eternity all things that can be known at any time, in any place, at all times, and beyond time. There is no thought you have or will ever think that he has not known from eternity. There is no event that has or will ever occur that he has not been fully aware of; nothing takes God by surprise, because nothing has ever "just occurred" to God. God alone has unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding. God is the original and supreme "know-it- all."
God is also omnipresent, he is "all places, at all times, at the same time, all the time, at all times." There are no limitations upon God concerning time or space. In fact, there is nothing linear about God's place within the fabric of time and space. God doesn't simply see history as it unfolds over time, but is in ever present audience to every event at all times at the same time. In God's perception he clearly sees the "big picture" before him, as he is continuously privy to every nuance of time and space, right down to numbering the hairs on your head.
God is omnipotent, or "all powerful." Energy and matter are his creation and he alone is master over all. There is no limit to his abilities. In all things he is completely able to do according to his good pleasure, and he is also able to not do according to his good pleasure. He is powerful to the infinite degree, and completely in control of that power. He has unlimited ability to do all things, and yet he cannot do all things; not because he is limited, but because he will not violate his nature. He does according to his good pleasure, but there are things that do not please him. God is completely inclined to good and has no inclination to evil. God's omnipotence is power under control . . . his control.
Ultimately God is not dependent, he has the power of being in and of himself; he does not derive being from something else. This "power of being in and of himself" is the attribute theologians call aseity. While we as humans are dependent and derived creatures, who in God "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28), God simply is. We are wholly dependent upon God; God is wholly independent, or, not dependent upon anything outside himself.
"In the beginning God created"
According to the law of cause and effect, for every effect there must be a cause. This verse in Genesis concludes: "God created the heavens and the earth" (1:1). The heavens and the earth are the effect, God is the cause. The Scriptures clearly and emphatically teach that God created everything ex nihilo, "out of nothing." Scientists and theologians alike agree that the universe is not self-existent, nor has it always existed. Both also assent to the logic of ex nihilo nihil fit, "out of nothing nothing comes"; and so, any idea that the universe created itself is considered absurd. If ever there was a time that absolutely nothing existed, then all there could be right now is nothing. The only way that something could exist instead of nothing, would be for a supernatural all-powerful ever present all-knowing self-existent being to cause something to come into being. This isn't "something out of nothing," but "something out of some-One being." God is the first uncaused cause of every effect. If it exists, it owes its initial existence and continual existence to God, and God alone.
Well, we started off little deep, didn't we? We've talked about what God isn't and what some of his attributes are, but perhaps we need to reach back and grab hold of some foundational information before we delve any further. I mean, after all, what was God thinking "In the beginning"? What is God's plan in all this seemingly out of nothing something we all find ourselves a part of? Surely this isn't the best world possible—God can do better than this . . . right? Yes—yes he can . . . let's talk God Logic.
1
25
What are the first 4 words of Genesis 1:1?
A “Once upon a time.”
B “In the beginning was the Word.”
C "In the beginning God."
D "Pop goes the weasel."
2
25
God is a created being.
True
False
3
25
God is all-knowing (“omniscient”).
True
False
4
25
The Latin phrase, "ex nihilo nihil fit," means,
A "Out of nothing."
B "something out of nothing."
C "What was said has been done."
D "Out of nothing nothing comes."
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