My thoughts on the Nature of God

by Doug Mason 19 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Doug Mason

  When we speak of the Nature of God, we talk of attributes such as his infinite immutable eternal love. What joy that should fill us with! How that should elevate our hearts and minds!

  To talk about our wondrous God and of his infinite wisdom should unite people of all faiths, religions and beliefs. But people use the Nature of God as a tool for division, as a reason for fighting! How can it be that the God who is Love can be used as a pretext for war, murder and argument?

  It is unbelievable that church leaders would use the Nature of God as a whipping boy, a means for identifying their exclusivity. The infinite God becomes an argument for confining his love to one group of his creation. How perverse! “God is Infinite Love”, they declare, yet in the same breath they claim exclusive understanding and ownership.

  How can the finite mind and limited experience of man begin to comprehend the dimensions of the Infinite? Nowhere in Scripture do we find a systematic theology, a defined creed. Rather, we read of man’s awe and wonder as they encounter God. This should be our experience also.

  We should wonder at the fact that God mapped the way to provide the means for our salvation from the effects of sin and then he completed the means. Even more, that he donates the outcome as a gift, based solely on our faith.

  Yet the WTS pushes its ideas on the Nature of God as a means for manufacturing a barrier between it and other faiths. They use the Nature of God to demonize others, in order to keep hold of its victims. As if God could be confined. Their God is so small.

  During the early part of the 1970s, I wrote a study dealing with the Nature of God. I have made it available as a 2.6 Meg PDF file at:

  http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=c3ebd46137c4a213544f937093e345fe

  Since I wrote this during the early 1970s, I make references to books that were current at the time, such as “Aid to Bible Understanding”. I also often used the Authorized Version (AV), the King James Version.

  Doug Mason
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  catbert

  God supposedly killed every man, woman and child on the planet with a flood. How many pregnant women with innocent children in their wombs died in the flood?

  Do you believe these innocent children will be resurrected?
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  Deputy Dog

  Doug

  We should wonder at the fact that God mapped the way to provide the means for our salvation from the effects of sin and then he completed the means. Even more, that he donates the outcome as a gift, based solely on our faith.

  Faith is a gift

  Eph 2:8

  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
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  Aleman

  Blasphemy!
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  Abandoned

  No offense, but here's where you lost me:

  We should wonder at the fact that God mapped the way to provide the means for our salvation from the effects of sin and then he completed the means. Even more, that he donates the outcome as a gift, based solely on our faith.

  In the paragraph above you stated:

  Nowhere in Scripture do we find a systematic theology, a defined creed. Rather, we read of man’s awe and wonder as they encounter God. This should be our experience also.

  And yet you define a systematic theology of salvation. Belief in Jesus as a person or savior is not universally accepted.
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  AlphaOmega

  Faith is a gift

  Eph 2:8

  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

  Doesn't that mean that grace is a gift rather than faith ?

  Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
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  Gopher

  When we speak of the Nature of God, we talk of attributes such as his infinite immutable eternal love.

  And why do you know this, other than what you've read in "holy books" and personally believe? What about Jehovah being a "manly person of war"?

  To talk about our wondrous God and of his infinite wisdom should unite people of all faiths, religions and beliefs.

  It doesn't, and it never will. Religion will always divide, which is why personal belief should be personal. Otherwise people of vastly differering beliefs get into life-and-death arguments, especially those who belong to religions that teach that their God insists on spreading the dogma.

  What should unite people is a common love of humanity, and knowing that we should be here to help and support each other. Mature people and nations will help others, immature people will be greedy, distrusting and hateful. When there are major conflicts, religious belief tends to pour fuel on the fire.
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  Deputy Dog

  Doesn't that mean that grace is a gift rather than faith ?

  Wouldn't you then be able to boast about your faith?

  Eph 2:9

  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
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  AlphaOmega

  Doesn't that mean that grace is a gift rather than faith ?

  Wouldn't you then be able to boast about your faith?

  Eph 2:9

  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

  I wouldn't have thought so "faith" is not a work as the passage denounces "works".

  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

  Works is the thing that one could boast about. According to this passage, FAITH is merely the conduit for receiving the GRACE - as opposed to some that were working for salvation.
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  Chalam

  Hi,
  I had a very quick scan-looks very good to me.
  
  I have come across most of these points before in my looking into the JWs flawed belief's and also having read Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology which covers much of the same material but in more depth.
  
  Regards,
  Stephen