Last night, as I wrote a few thoughts online, a young friend of mine who has become an atheist sent me a message with a question. He's working through the issues of faith and his loss of it. He is still talking to me so I'm encouraged, but his influence from the atheist crowds of our world and the Internet have obviously affected him and made him abandon his faith.
Last night he asked a simple question. He asked, "How do you know that God knows everything?" This is an obvious point of theology for any pastor and something I have always believed, but he was more pointed in his question...he asked, "how do YOU know that?" And with his question I had to admit....I've simply believed it because that is part of God's job description. If he didn't know everything he wouldn't be God!
But I had to tell my young friend that I have never really searched out the knowing of this....I've simply believed it. I asked him for time to work on it and I would get back to him. But it's a perfect opportunity to discuss the question as a community. How do YOU know that God knows everything?
Ready, discuss....
Who can know the mind and thoughts of ONE that at best they know only in their own heart and mind? Everything we profess to believe about anything that we can't apprehend with our physical senses is only a supposition and an act of faith.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had read that THE FATHER had reposed ALL Authority and Majesty in THE SON and ONLY THE SON would HE hear from that point onward... and I had further thought I had read that THE SON knew, fully understands and fully expects to be the ONLY INTERSESSOR and MEDIATOR between THE FATHER and the creation, but it seems that the world of organized religion requires that I relegate THE SON to a position other than first. Namely that I'm supposed to direct my prayers to THE FATHER and ask that HE hear me simply because the prayers are offered in the name of THE SON, but I "feel" that a prayer path different than that was ordered up for us and that THE FATHER won't hear anything other than the voice of THE SAVIOR and MEDIATOR appointed us.
And, THE SAVIOR AND MEDIATOR told us that we were to die; or if it is preferred that it not be expressed in quite so blunt a turn of phrase, we were to pick up our crosses and follow HIM where HE led. THAT path is the death of OUR flesh. Yeah, THE SON had an episode or two of some small level of wrath, (i.e. the whipping and driving forth from The TEMPLE of the merchants and moneychangers; the cursing of the figtree which bore no fruit...), but beyond telling slaves and soldiers to obey their orders (so as to prove our willing submission to HIS directive), nowhere have I ever found that HE told us to join to learn to kill, nor can I find anywhere that HE told us to kill.
Such a jingoistic and selfish statement as "God Bless America" should never cross the lips of a Christian when the loving and caring thought and prayer of "JESUS BLESS THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD PLEASE!" would serve so much more admirably.
I'm gonna stop now. Don't wanna bend the whole wide world outta shape all at once. (But I do get "likes" when I put the JESUS BLESS THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD out there!)
Donald J. Fout, Jr.
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