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Religious Logic
The fact that the Bible is the indisputable word of God is not an easy thing to prove. In order to prove it you must first become familiar with its contents, a monumental task for some, time better spent on other things for others. Upon reading you will gather so much information that you will have great difficulty in keeping track of it all. It will become a life long struggle. And you will need help in understanding much of it. But understanding it is possible and so is proving it to yourself that it is God^s word.
If you have trouble with your teeth you go to a dentist. If you have car trouble you go to a mechanic. If you have health problems you go to a doctor. If you have religious problems you go to a theologian, someone who studies and believes the scriptures. The problem with theologians is that they have as many shticks as there are denominations and more. Most teach to love your fellow man with affection but not in truth. They teach to love God but not to obey His commandments. Most are delusional, they hold fast to false beliefs, non~Biblical teachings. To find a true theologian, a disciple of Christ, can be quite a challenge. Only the determined will succeed. Or God may lead one to you. Of course a theologian^s reach might be through television, the internet, radio, written publications or in person.
How can you tell if you have found a true or good theologian? First you must either know the Bible^s contents or be able to search them in order to see whether or not this theologian is following its teachings or not. He has to be able to back up what he teaches with the Bible or you have to be able to prove what he says through the Bible. If you think your going to reason your way through without Biblical background knowledge, you^re on the wrong path. If you think that you can check with philosophers or agnostics to see if what is taught makes sense, you are dead wrong.
If you want to study a Biblical topic, the experts are theologians not philosophers, scientists, agnostics or atheists. If you want scientific proof that the teachings of the Bible are good for you it is tantamount to going to the mechanic with a health problem. It is far from being the most beneficial spending of your time and efforts. Many scientists do not believe in the spirit realm, many even set out to prove that the teachings of the Bible are false, for example evolutionists. If you want to find out about spiritual matters, you can best learn from a believer or theologian, not from an atheist. To consider a theologian biased is hypocrisy. Would you consider a specialist biased? A theologian is educated, enlightened and wise and hopefully has God^s Holy Spirit.
The Bible is a book given by God for the benefit of its readers. It is among other things a guide to a spiritual life, that is an everlasting life as a spirit being in the family of God, in God^s kingdom. It is not a guide to physical wealth or to physical health necessarily. It does reveal a path to righteousness, a way to spiritual growth and the development of a character acceptable to God. Note especially the example of Jesus Christ. Many of God^s people suffer physically and mentally just like others do. Our hope lies in a resurrection onto eternal life as a spirit being, not to physical perfection in this life.
God has created billions of free moral agents from which to choose for His kingdom. He has tested all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. He has observed the beautiful, the ugly, the weak, the strong, the able, the handicapped, the smart, the dim witted, the lazy and the hardworking. He knows man^s character and He knows man^s potential. If it were your creation, would you choose someone who would tell you what to do as if he knew better? Would you chose someone who would boss you around, someone who contradicted everything you said, someone who hated you or someone who would utterly ignore you as if you had no importance or significance, someone who thought his own reasoning was superior and would have you dead? Or would you choose a humble person who respected you? God will choose the humble and obedient. He is not opposed to ridding all others from His presence as He showed us in the days of Noah.
All that exists was created by God and belongs to God. That is a fact that cannot possibly change. It is impossible to change because there is only one God, and He is the creator. Any other god that you may have heard of is a figment of the imagination nothing more. It is God^s will that will ultimately prevail. Satan would have us believe that people and nations own things and have total rights over them, that a man can rule by his own will, such are despots and tyrants. In fact we can only be custodians or caretakers. We are responsible for the things under our care. Each must do his part as he is able otherwise he proves himself unworthy and detrimental.
Rules were made to be broken. So the old expression goes. Bad rules were made to be broken. Good rules are an absolute necessity, a fact of life. Can you imagine a family with no rules, a school with no rules, scientists who don^t follow the laws of physics, chemistry or mathematics, police, lawyers and judges who don^t follow the laws of the land, store owners and shoppers with no etiquette or rules, or drivers without traffic regulations? A society that increasingly ignores good rules and laws is on a path of chaos and is an irresponsible society that hates God. God will not tolerate forever those who hate Him. His wrath will come. And the final day of judgement awaits all.
Of course you can find fault in the world but can you fix it? Can you at least put blame where it is due? The Bible teaches that this is Satan^s world. The understanding of this statement requires a considerable amount of study and even divine intervention. God created Satan and made the world his responsibility. Satan thwarted his responsibilities and challenged God. Jesus Christ overcame Satan and his power of death. Satan will be dealt with soon, in God^s own time. To put blame on God for the present state of affairs is a grave mistake. He has created free moral agents who often rebel against Him. They will all be put in their proper place some day. The fire will not cease until they are totally consumed and the smoke from their burnt bodies will rise forever and be lost in utter darkness. They will soon be forgotten.
Only once you have accepted that the Bible is truly God^s word will you ever take it seriously. Only once you take the Bible seriously will you learn from it and apply its teachings. When Jesus said ^follow Me^ He wasn^t expecting all followers to become miracle workers, He was expecting all followers to be obedient to God and His commandments as Jesus was. He was expecting all followers to follow a righteous path that leads to eternal life, a path that leads to an imperishable spiritual life. The prime examples that Jesus gave us were to love God and His commandments fervently and to love your fellow man with outward concern and compassion.
2007 Jacques Gauvin
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