Critically assess the traditional Christian concept of God being eternal
Nyree Hands-Heart Critically asses the traditional Christian concept of God being eternal The classic understanding of God being eternal is that the word eternal refers to God existing outside of time and God having no beginning or end, however time does pass for God. This view of God as eternal or a temporal also includes the notion that God has knowledge of everything that has happened, is currently happening and will happen in the future within our world, simultaneously. Christian’s since the time of Boethius have had this view of God being eternal. Both Aquinas and Anselm have suggested that God exists outside of time, Aquinas believed that God is eternal because nothing can contain God (Proslogion 19). Aquinas believed that God is eternal because, time and change are inseparable; since God cannot change, so God cannot be in time. The six main reasons why Christian’s believe God is eternal are: The bible suggests that God has always existed; God is not a physical being like us; God is the creator of the universe, time passing is a feature of the universe and as God is the creator of the universe then he is therefore outside of time; God is also the ultimate cause of everything that happens; God is perfect and perfect things don’t change; Finally God exists necessarily. Although there are many criticisms over the idea of God being eternal the first criticism is
Jesus Did Not Intend For His Parables To Be Easily Understood - Discuss.
Megan Clark Jesus did not intend his parables to be easily understood. Discuss. We would assume that Jesus wanted his parables to be understood as after all, he was sent to be the saviour of all mankind. The problem is, there is strong textual evidence that Jesus tried not to be understood. Therefore, if the gospels are correct, then Jesus wanted to be misunderstood which is not very compatible with being the messiah. All Jesus' parables, in one way or another, bore on a definite historical situation - the coming of God's kingdom in his ministry - and they were usually aimed at particular groups of his contemporaries. When you look at the gospels and their parables you need to have a open mind and consider things such as, what was it that Jesus really said? What did they mean for the evangelists? What purpose do they have for the gospel writers when writing their gospels and what do they mean to you? I believe that when NT Wright says, that "the function of the parable was to draw the hearer into the story and to challenge their own world view" that Jesus did not intend his parables to be easily understood. The idea to challenge shows that it is not easy to understand to begin with. There is no doubt that Jesus used parables as a way of teaching about the Kingdom of God and ways to gain entry into the Kingdom. The purpose of parables would have been to take an everyday
To what extent did Jesus intend to replace the Torah?
“I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17) To what extend did Jesus intend to replace the Torah? . John Drane (sub-election on Jesus replacing the law) – in booklet 2. N.T.Wright (especially the section on the antitheses) – in booklet 3. E.P.Sanders : historical figure of Jesus (Pg. 206 – end of chap) very useful for the disputes with Pharisees and Antitheses Jesus and Judaism ( pg 251 – 264 ) – very good for “let the dead burry their own dead” and the sayings on divorce The sermon represents the first and the most extensive of five blocks of teaching. The Sermon on the Mount came before the mission Discourse (Mtt 10:5 – 10:42), the kingdom parables (Mtt 13:10 – 13:51), the pastoral care and forgiveness (Mtt 18:1 – 18:35) and the judgment (mtt 24:3 – 25:46). The five didactic structures are possibly meant to be a reflection of the five books of the Torah. This comparison appears to be confirmed by the message of fulfillment of the law. The teachings in the Sermon on the Mount therefore have a close relationship with the teachings in the Torah. The presentation of the Sermon sets rigorous standards – interpreted by the early church as a distinctive, universal ethic of Jesus in comparison with the Mosaic Law. The Sermon which is taken literally the quintessence of Jesus’ teachings. This might led some to believe Jesus’s
Explain what the creation reveals about the nature of God and To what extent is God responsible for everything in creation?
Question A). Explain what the creation reveals about the nature of God (35) Question B). To what extent is God responsible for everything in creation? (10) Answer A). Parts of God’s nature and attributes are revealed and shown in the Creation Story of Genesis. The first being Creatio Ex Nihilo; this is how God created everything out of nothing, however, this attribute is not made completely clear in Genesis as it could be perceived as God shaping and calming the chaos that was already there. This questions whether God is a Craftsman as he would have used materials already in existence. God as Creator is another attribute portrayed in the beginning of the creation story, meaning that God created the world deliberately – therefore you cannot make something if you already have it. However, for Augustine these attributes are so far to be recognised as God must also be transcendent to being eternal as this would mean he is outside time and space, therefore making Creatio Ex Nihilo possible. When God begins creation, both omnipotence and perfection are shown. God says ‘let there be light’ and then there is light – whatever God commands becomes into existence. And then Genesis says that it was Good, showing that whatever God commands is perfect. It also shows God’s goodness, God is the highest standard of good and therefore whatever he commands is good. God created
God is responsible for everything that happens in the Universe. Discuss.
Perlie Mong ‘God is responsible for everything that happens in the Universe.’ Discuss. Christians believe that God is the Creator of the Universe. He is the one who brings the Universe into existence; in the same way a car designer brings a car into existence. This is why some people believe that God is responsible for everything that happens in the Universe, both good and evil, in the same way that a car designer should be held accountable for the merits and faults of the car. Obviously Christians have no problem in believing that God is responsible for all the good things that happen in the Universe, as God is regarded as source of all goodness, as written in James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from God our Father.” However, whether God should be responsible for bad things that happen in Universe is open to debate. Some people hold the view that God should be responsible for everything that happens within the Universe because in the Bible, God is depicted as a skilled craftsman who clearly knows exactly what he wants to create. Everything in the Universe, both good and bad, is therefore a part of God’s plan, as written in Isaiah 45:7 “I form the light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create disasters. I the Lord do all these things.” They also believe that if God is omnipotent and omniscient, then he must be
Explain how the Ten Commandments inform Christian about duties to God and neighbour.
Explain how the Decalogue informs the Christian about duties to God and neighbour. The Decalogue, otherwise known as the Ten Commandments were a set of 10 rules given by Yahweh to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. To many, they contain the most fundamental principles of moral life. The commandments were given by God to guide the Israelites in everyday life, TD Alexander comments on this saying ‘it sets out how people must live in order to be a holy nation. It is interesting to note that they are apodictic in form, in which God gives order, but no punishments are listed. Many people believe this is due to the absolutist form of the commandments, in which they were never expected to be broken. There are as noted ten commandments in all, four of which define duties towards God himself, five of which define duties towards other humans and the final commandment is based on the controlling of ones thoughts and desires. Throughout this essay I will describe each sector of the Decalogue as described above, and explain how this informs a Christian of their duties. To begin with, we have those that inform duties to God, beginning with the first commandment ‘I am the Lord, you shall have no other God’s before me.’ In this commandment God draws attention to himself, the author of life. This commandment in particular lays the proper foundation for private and social life, and
Mind and body- Dualism, a Christian view.
Mind- Body Debate: . I believe in Dualism. The persona of an individual is made up of body, mind and soul. The body is the basic part of the persona on which is structured the mind and the soul. In the creation narrative from the bible (Genesis 1: 26-30 NIV) “God said, Let us make mankind in our image.” Then he blessed them saying, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, they earned the wrath of God and his curse “for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:19 NIV. From this we learn that the human body eventually has to disintegrate to the elements of the earth. The mind is the faculty which God endowed to humans that enables him or her to conduct in consonance with God’s blessings, refer to above. It is only when a person applies his mind/thinks,that he or she goes about his or her daily mundane activities, starting from the morning, till the night when one go to bed. It is the mind that controls the physical
Separation of Church and State.
Separation of Church and State The situation at the Alabama Supreme Court regarding the Ten Commandments monument has gotten far out of hand. Chief Justice Roy Moore had no right to display a two and a half ton monument exhibiting the Ten Commandments in front of a judicial building; especially after the federal appeals court ordered him to remove it. The U.S. Constitution calls for a separation of church and state, which Chief Justice Moore blatantly ignored in order to erect this gigantic sculpture of the Ten Commandments in the courthouse's rotunda. This statue has rightfully been taken away and I believe that the statue should never have been there in the first place. Many know that the Ten Commandments are taken from the Old Testament of the Bible, which obviously represents Judeo-Christian partiality. This statue specifically promotes the Jewish and Christian religions and since it was displayed at an Alabama judicial building, it links these particular theologies with the state. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantee the respect of an established religion and the protection from the prohibition of religious free exercise. The case regarding the public display of the Ten Commandments comes into question under the Establishment Clause, which has a three-part test developed in the 1971 case Lemon v
What is Discipleship?
Discipleship A dictionary's definition of a disciple is someone who believes and follows the teachings and laws of another person. A Christian disciple is someone who believes and follows the teachings and laws of Jesus Christ. During the past 2000 years Jesus has obtained more and more followers because priest, monks and all clergy included, but most importantly us, the normal working class people, have continued to preach in his vast absence. If you asked a person do you preach about Jesus they will say no but we do this so much it has become common phrase and we don't realise the vast amount of times we mention his name or anything relevant to him. Mark gospel tells of Jesus' first disciples begin two fishermen who happened to be brothers. But all gospels alike tell of these men leaving every worldly possession they had and without a doubt following Jesus. This shows that Jesus had a certain degree of authority over the people of whom he met. But many other people believed it was not authority it was a certain charisma, which he possessed, that drove these disciples to their destiny. Although these people immediately follow Jesus also had his failures for example the story of the Rich Man (10:17-31). Marks gospel tells of a man running up to Jesus and asking what he must do to achieve eternal life Jesus reply's by telling him of the 10 commandments which the man says he