Reference to Miyuki's Question on
Facebook:
Ah, this can get really deep here. You are asking questions that can be answered easily and naively, or that can be expounded into truths so profound as to change your very being.
1) When you hear "church" what do you think of?
"Church" in the sense that you have put it in quotation marks makes me think you no longer assume it is a "place or building" - but you assume most people do. I read about half of those who answered thought as much as well. Church is "the Body of Christ." The eternal, catholic (ie, universal) and incorruptible community of believers throughout the history of God's people.
That is why Paul refers to us as members of the body. As in a body part, each with his/her own ability and duty and personality, different from others, but of one heart, one head. Christ.
It is also described as the "Bride of Christ." One of the most profound and visual images of the Church. An image that should denote that if our "marriage" to Christ is full, we should see products of our love, "children." More family members.
2) What is your definition of a Christian?
See above. First used by Paul to describe the community of believers. But that is a difficult question. Defining that is presuming to judging others - a fine difference from discerning. That is why it isn't really so tightly laid down in the Bible other than saying "One who professes Christ Jesus with their lips."
But lets say it like Christ Himself said it; "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother." (Matt 12:50) and again, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) that is a Christian. Abiding in Christ - having a living faith in the living God through Jesus Christ.
3) What do you think the role of a Christian is?
Are you asking what are our jobs? Dunno. We each have our own. If you mean in the most basic sense, then we are told right out, "Go, and make disciples of all men!" If God were speak straight out of Heaven, I doubt half the people in the world who are Christians now would even listen. And if He came in undisguised, then no one could even comprehend, but fall on our faces and all of reality would melt away (thats basically what the end of time will be like according to Revelation) but if He comes as man, as someone you can relate to and be with and count on, than He must be limited to a space just like us. If you didn't have the choice to believe, then you wouldn't have the choice to love either. God values your choices. So, he leaves it us, those who believe to spread the love. For it is a relationship He is seeking with you. How else to have a relationship if not to relate to others. Our duty and desire is therefore to "love the Lord, God with all your heart, mind and soul and to love our neighbor as ourself."
4) What is love?
You should read CS Lewis' "Four Loves" - very good reading. The short answer? Love is giving another what you have that they need. "God so
loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16 emphasis added)
Love is not to be confused with God. God is Love, but love is not God. Just because someone does something in love does not make it "good." Love with out justice, mercy, faithfulness, the laws of nature or humility is a demon that we sometimes call pride, lust or greed. Love of self, love of money, homosexuality, are all horrors that come from not abiding in the fullness of Love.
Affection, Eros, Friendship, Charity. These are the four great loves.
5) What is good?
You like difficult questions don't you? It would be easier to ask what is evil.
Good is the fullness of the Universe, the fullness of God, for only God is good, right?
Evil is simply the lack of good, as darkness is simply the lack of light. Good IS while evil IS NOT. Taken in these terms, everything that God made was pronounced "good" was it not? It is either by taking something apart from the rest or a piece of something broken from the fullness of its purpose that makes it "not-good."
For instance, you asked what love is? Love is good. Marriage is love's great reward. A promise before God, to another person. Friendship, affection, charity and eros, shared with the faithfulness of vows.
Divorce breaks the vows, steals the friendship and disrespects the parties involved.
Doing good can be many things. Sin on the other hand falls in two contexts. Sins of omission, and sins of commission. It can be defined fairly simply:
Taking a thing and twisting it, commission - a truth twisted, a promise broken, a good thing done at the wrong time, or in the wrong way. eg. Eating too much (gluttony), having sex outside of marriage (fornication), taking something that you didn't work for (theft).
OR in not doing it at all, omission - not giving (greed), not caring (pride), not getting out of bed laziness)
Oh man, thats not a great answer. That would require a book of several volumes. (About 66 volumes in fact...)
Here is what he wrote:
I have ten questions too. No need to answer them if you don’t want to. They’re not really challenges as much as points of personal puzzlement.
1. Regeneration. Does Christianity work? You can find just as many (probably more) Christians doing really bad things and leading really bad lives as you can find good Christians. In fact, being dogmatic about something or believing one’s self to be “saved” often makes a person haughty and insensitive.
This is true. You do. In fact, I find probably half or more of Christians that way. But I find ALL of those people who are vehemently opposed to Christianity to be in the same boat. Being a good person is not what Christianity is about though (Certainly Christ meant the church to change the world, and it has) but the point of "Christianity" is to bring Man to God and to restore that relationship.
That really is the point of what Jesus says in a nutshell.
‘Do what I have told you, and do it well. But don’t think that is what’s gonna get you into Heaven. That is the sort of people I want here with me, but that isn’t the key to the gate itself. I am the gatekeeper, I am the gate. Its my house. If you think you can get in on your own merit, you are sadly mistaken. No one is good enough. No one can storm the gates nor breach the wall. No one. I make the devils of hell quake in their boots. But all you have to do is ask, and I long to let you in. So come, ask.’
2. Redemption. How can one person (even a God-man) die in the place of another person (let alone a million)? The cross is a symbol of two wrongs (killing the innocent and freeing the guilty) supposedly making a right.
Wow. You just asked a whole two thousand years of theology in one go. For one, we are all guilty, and you just said that, so if I were you I would accept His offer. But the way it works? Rather a mystery I must say. The basics of it are this: God is the source of all life, time and space. You were made in His image, ie, given a capacity for reason and self-awareness that allows us to love freely (its our choice, we can turn away if we want). Well, we did. We do, every second. But the first time was with the sin of Adam. Adam having God's breath in him was a full, likely invincible creature. (I don't mean Superman invincible - more like Wolverine (that is a joke)) But turning from the source of all life means death and that is basically taking the breath of God back out of us. Turning us back to dust. From dust to dust and ashes to ashes.
Now, death being the fulfillment of sin, we have a need to return to God to be with Him - which is His desire for us. So God, in His mercy, takes Man into Himself (not just becoming flesh and not God putting Himself into Man, but the other way 'round) in the Incarnation -for more on this read Athanasius, "On the Incarnation" . Jesus, Y'eshua Messiah, a perfect man, never having turned from God, still retains the Breath of God so to speak and need not die. But in giving Himself up for you, and in our returning in submission through Christ, has paid the price we owe. It is a matter of one Man canceling the debts of another. Me. And for God, being outside of time, the cross of 2000 years ago is just as much present to Him now as it was then. And you may as well be the only one in the Universe with Him. He is infinite and that allows for you to be alone with Him at the moment of the cross as well as now, canceling your debt, personally. Forever.
3. Judgment. Why is God so insistent on punishing people? Why add the suffering of punishment to the suffering already caused by sin?
Well, a lot of our suffering caused by sin IS the punishment. God didn't make rules to keep you from having fun. He is just telling us how it is. Don't have pre-marital sex because a) you could end up pregnant and that is hard to raise someone singly, b) you are taking a pleasure out of context - missing the big wonderful picture that isn't self-centered and pleasure seeking. He isn't trying to keep you from having fun, He wants you to have more fun than you can possibly imagine without the troubles that come with breaking the rules. Those rules are more solid than the rules of physics.
God is not keen on punishing anyone. It gives Him no pleasure. In fact, He wants us to know Him fully and I think that may be one reason why we feel so much pain in this life. We experience terrible pain when a loved one dies. I think that may be a small taste of what God feels when we sin. We taste each other's death and that pain is no more hurtful to anyone more than it is to God, Himself.
When we turn from Life (Him) there is no other choice than death. God isn't going to send you to hell so you can get whipped. But there are certainly other creatures, namely fallen angels, that have turned from Him and reside in hell (hard to imagine a place "outside" of the presence of the all-encompassing-God) and will probably find great pleasure in causing you a good deal of discomfort. I don't know. I don't intend to find out. (Lord, by your mercy)
4. Sanctification. What is a righteous life? Is it holing up in prayer and meditation, dying as a martyr or missionary, or just being happy doing your own thing?
Loving. Loving so much that you forget yourself. Loving God and your fellow Man so fully that you reach perfect humility. Sanctification is believing in (and living for - what good is trusting a man if you don't take his advice?) God. You can then live your life in complete freedom, no worries (I didn't say, no troubles) and no fear, all excitement and wonder, for God is NEVER boring.
Doing "my own thing?" If I don't just happen to be one of the most 'awake' people, usually ends up being nothing more than what 'The Joneses' are doing. Whatever comes across my field of vision and catches my interest. For example, most of the girls you find attractive are ones that dress and act like what the media tells us is attractive. Now that isn't always the case, but it is an easy, ready example that is true for most.
On the other hand, that statement, "your own thing" is just about what makes YOU feel good, and feelings are always self-centered. It means you are ignoring, or not caring what is going on around you. Either ignoring a creation surrounding you that teems with wonder or ignoring the fellow next to you and his need (or not) who is made in the very image of God, Himself.
5. Epistemology. How do we know anything about God? How do we know God? If we trust the Bible, why? If we trust the church, shy? If we trust personal experience, why? People have trusted all these things and been horribly deceived and done horrible things.
Well, we can't know anything about Him unless He chooses to tell us. And He has.
Now many people claim to be conduits for that, as do many books. Test them. You will find that Christianity is the only religion that actually tells you to go to do that. All the others tell you to steer clear of anything "other" whereas the Bible says, "test all things." God is not afraid; if you seek Him with your whole heart and open mind, you will see the Truth and the Truth will set you free. Test the Bible to see if what it says is true. Now be warned: it isn't merely a matter of reading and thinking. It means DOING. Love your neighbor as yourself, unconditionally and you will see that what God says is unfailingly true. Do it for every account. Don't trust the Church unless you have tested it against the Bible. Personal experience is good, but like Jack once said, you can't get anywhere at sea by enjoying the wonder of the seashore. You need a map. But just looking at the map won't get you anywhere. You have to DO. Get on the boat, enjoy the ocean (and its tempests) and follow the map - lest you get lost at sea like so many others, and commit some of those horrible acts - and even then, you will be blessed if you never do. That is a trap men and devils alike lay themselves and fall themselves prone.
6. Sovereignty. If we know that all things work together for good to those that love God, God must be in charge of all things. Then how can we make real decisions?
God allows for it. Wonder of wonders as to why, I don't know, but He does. Check the Church Fathers, esp. Augustine on this, they explain better (and more concisely). Basically I think its like a parent who plans a day and then asks the child what they want to do. The child, like we, are given certain options and each falls within the plans I have laid for the day. God's plan book is far more organized than mine, for sure.
7. What is “The Kingdom”?
Here and now? In doing God's will, you find the kingdom is within you. It is being with God and finding Him within you. It is like kudzu, working small, slow and powerfully (enough to tear up concrete or cover a mountainside) one person, one heart at a time. In the hereafter? It is more than we can imagine.
8. Evil. Yes, the old problem. It ties to no. 6.
That's not a question... what do want to know? Why is there evil? As Good IS, Evil is not. As dark is the absence of light, so evil the absence of good.
9. Hamartiology. What is sin? If it is violating your nature, how can it exist (a sparrow can’t swim, but a human can sin)? If it is following one’s own will rather than God’s does that make god arbitrary?
A sparrow isn't a spiritual creature. Rarely is a physical act sinful in and of itself. It is the purpose behind it that is. Sex isn't sinful. Breaking the vow to your wife or causing another to do (or in the case of fornication, doing it without making a vow in the first place) is.
Sin isn't violating YOUR nature, its violating God's nature within you. The first part I understand, the second part about God being arbitrary, I am afraid you have lost me. How does following my own will make God arbitrary? It sounds as though you are skirting questions yourself. You don't want to define sin because once you see it, you're loathe to stop it.
We humans are a bit of an oxymoron: the spiritual beast. If you don't allow for room for choice, you don't allow for room for real love either. I think God gave us bodies so that we were not completely spiritual creatures (we are less than the angels, remember) were we to deny Him without this physical body to keep walking around (albeit by His great mercy) I imagine we would vanish like smoke. Its a blessing we don't now. ("That primitive sort of morality so prevalent among us: you do something wrong and the Maker smacks you one(1)")
10. Teleology. What is man’s purpose? People say it’s to glorify God. What is his “glory,” and how can we give it to him?
(1) Garrison Keillor