Senin, 25 Juli 2011

What does it mean that God is a consuming fire?

God is first identified as a “consuming fire” in Deuteronomy 4:24 and 9:3. The writer to the Hebrews reiterates, warning the Hebrews to worship God with reverence and awe “for our God is a consuming fire.” There is nothing mysterious about the Hebrew and Greek words translated “consuming fire.” They mean exactly that—a fire that utterly consumes or destroys. How, then, can a loving and merciful God also be a consuming fire that utterly destroys?

Is there any conclusive proof of God?

The answer to this question depends greatly on what is meant by “conclusive” proof. Can we reach out and touch God or see Him in the same way that we touch and see people? No. But there are countless ways one can know assuredly that God does exist, that He is real, and He is who He says He is. We will look briefly at three ways of proving His existence using both science and the Bible.

Does God expect us to have blind faith?

The phrase “blind faith” means different things to different people and sadly, many people use it as a negative, disparaging term to describe anyone who believes in God. A dictionary definition of blind faith is “belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination.” But is this the kind of faith God desires for us to have? More to the point, is the kind of faith God gives us as a gift a blind faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)? Is our faith really to be blind, without true understanding?