A question for Christians: what IS God?

[Dionysus]

... and by this, I don't want your typical platitudes.

I require, in specifics, exactly what God is. I find the phrase 'God is Love', for instance, to be highly suspect: it refers to an unstable, nebulous inner passion as if it were a Platonic Form. So instead I'd like something a bit more concrete - what is the ontological nature of God? Is it a being or Being? Does it live as we do? Is it sentient in any intelligible sense? Is it static or permeable? What, if any, is its purpose? And, most importantly, what does it feel like to the believer, who supposes himself to have direct contact with it through the mediation of the Holy Spirit?

Please, no romantic semantics (lulz, rhyme). 'God is Love', 'God is Triune', and so forth will not do. In short, I want a daseinalysis of God. What is its Being?

[LittlePig]

rusty

And what is this silly question about who created you? Haven't you existed indefinitely? I think so!

Stop mocking God, rusty. You know that's a sin.

And we all know that nothing can have an infinite past or else it would always be stuck there.

[Flash]

My post is for reflection only. If you say you know God, it is here say. You can say he is many things, but you do not know for sure. You have faith that what you assume is correct. I believe everyone know's god only in their own way. You can tell me what God is to you and I can tell you what God is to me, but only God know's for sure.

[rusty]

Flash wrote:
My post is for reflection only. If you say you know God, it is here say. You can say he is many things, but you do not know for sure. You have faith that what you assume is correct. I believe everyone know's god only in their own way. You can tell me what God is to you and I can tell you what God is to me, but only God know's for sure.

This is where we depart in our logic. Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable. His Word tells us what God is. It does not change from person to person. YOU are still confused.
rusty

[Negachrist]

Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable. His Word tells us what God is. It does not change from person to person. YOU are still confused.
rusty

How is anyone ever supposed to be able to tell the difference?

How can anyone know, now, which parts are man's lies and misunderstanding, and which parts are God's Word?

How can anyone know if there's even ANY of God's Word LEFT in the Bible?

[OpenedUp]

Flash wrote:
My post is for reflection only. If you say you know God, it is here say. You can say he is many things, but you do not know for sure. You have faith that what you assume is correct. I believe everyone know's god only in their own way. You can tell me what God is to you and I can tell you what God is to me, but only God know's for sure.

This is where we depart in our logic. Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable. His Word tells us what God is. It does not change from person to person. YOU are still confused.
rusty

But "god's words" were written BY people. So are they now invalidated? Because after all, they could just be mans lies and misunderstandings.

Besides, the word is ambiguous, and I think thats why people interpret things in so many ways (including your own personal way), and not because they are all purposefully trying to deceive you.

It DOES change from person to person, and wether you realize it or not, you are testimony to that.

And HE is still confused? are YOU not?

[LittlePig]

rusty

This is where we depart in our logic. Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable. His Word tells us what God is. It does not change from person to person. YOU are still confused.

You have to use logic before you can depart from it, Rusty. Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding, and I'd be surprised if there would be any religion left. But, don't worry. People tend to find the lies and misunderstandings more entertaining and comforting than a lack of answers and an abundance of existential crises. So I doubt the religion will be going away any time soon.

[McCulloch]

Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable. His Word tells us what God is. It does not change from person to person. YOU are still confused.

I am confused (not to be confused with Confused).

Most Christians use "God's Word" as a synonym for the Bible. If that is the case then you could simply tell us where in God's Word it is described what God is. For example, Gen 3:20 Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. does not say what God is.

If, however, you mean some kind of personal indwelling of God's Spirit or direct revelation from God to you, then the rest of us are not privy to this knowledge.

[twobitsmedia]

Clear away all man's lies and misunderstanding and God's Word is understandable.

But is there not something called "Rhema" word which would give give some more understanding?

His Word tells us what God is

I am aware that the Bible says God is Spirit, but doesn't really define spirit. I am aware that one of the epistles says God is love, but does not really define love except as a descrition of how man behaves. Paul defines charity in Corinthians, but does not put God in the definition. The Bible seems to give an idea of what God is all about, but I don't see that it answers "what God is."

It does not change from person to person.

The various interpretations seem to.

[Flash]

As I see it, there is a lack of understanding. I would have to say that 100 % of the people that read the Bible does not have any Idea what is being said in any of the books. Most people assume they do. The problem is that it was all lost in the translation. The words are all in general terms and should not be. The word lord from the Hebrew has ten different spellings and each one has a different meaning. The word god has six different spellings and six different meanings. This is only two words out of hundreds. If you combine sixteen different words into one or two for the entire bible a lot is lost. If we go back and look at all the words that were changed or meanings that were combined to make one word the whole Bible and all the stories change. Just look at how many different changes have been made since the 1611 addition. Any statement about the bible that we make on either side of the discusion is probably wrong.

[rusty]

To all who responded to my last post,

Words really are a difficult form of communication. Even I fail to make myself clear. Not that I am so wise to qualify for saying, "Even I." We all fail to completely express our thoughts.

Obviously, I left out this: Clear away all of outside influence of men, their lies and misunderstanding, and the Bible IS understandable.

Keep your own heart as innocent as is possible with an earnest and strenuous effort, using the Bible as guide. Do not allow men to tell you that you have sinned(erred) when you haven't. Stand firm on the word. Memorize it. Things will pop up in life that bring forth a verse in your mind which you can apply appropriately.

Your own effort to remain innocent is not enough. You need a spirit, the Spirit of Love. Ask honestly and it will be given. Love the Word of God. It is all we have to know Him. He does not show himself to men, but He sent His Holy Spirit of Love to those who will earnestly repent and seek Him. The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. Learn to trust the Spirit AND the Bible, rather than the man in the pulpit, or any other man.

Obviously, if more men/women in this country did this then they would not be held back by error, and perhaps we could turn the country back to God. See Acts 2:17-21. Dig deeper than those around you. Don't stop where they stop. All the Bible asks is that you know, love, and obey the Truth. Do it to the best of your ability and see what happens.
rusty