Truth is that the line between love and like is very blurred for us, isn't it? Our use of the terms does not help much. How many times have you said that you love pizza? With these definitions in mind, does that even make sense? How can you love pizza?
Or how about this one: how often do we in the same paragraph or sentence say that we love pizza (or something like that) and say that we love our parents, husband, or girlfriend? What are we saying with that? That in our eyes, pizza is on the same level of our significant other, or that our significant other is on the same level as pizza?
Another is that we say that we like this person to indicate romantic interest. That's it? You like them and you're considering a life-altering relationship? How is liking someone make that same person different from other friends, other people we would say we like?
Our popular culture seems to use these terms interchangeably, as if they are the same thing, just at varying levels. Both are essentially defined as emotions by our culture. We think like this, don't we? I mean, we first like someone, then, overtime, we come to love them. How many TV shows develop whole episodes around the concept of saying "I love you" as if it is the next emotional level.
Now there is a difference between saying I like you and I love you and actually meaning it because they are dealing with two separate ideas. But our culture has conditioned us to think of love and like as different points on a scale, rather than understanding that they are different scales.
A major part of this problem is that love and like tend to go hand in hand. We love people we like. An example of this would be me and my friends. I love them and would do anything for them, regardless of how they treat me. But I also like them. I enjoy hanging out with them and being with them; such an experience is pleasurable. They make me think, push me to grow, are funny, smart, and generally a fun bunch to hang with. One fact does not negate the other, they simply coexist. However, in our minds, we run the two together as if they are the same thing.
However, one can love another without liking them and vice-versa. Growing up, my sister and I most certainly did not like each other. Actually, we almost never played together, despite being only a year and half apart, and when we were forced to be together, we picked on each other non-stop. Drove my parents crazy, I have no doubt. However, we loved each other. If the one was in trouble, the other was there to back-up the first in a heartbeat.
I remember the one time that Lindsay and I were in the same classroom. She was running around the room and slammed head first into a table. She split her head open and was very dazed. Who was the first person there to help and see if she was okay? Me. Another time we were actually getting along and playing in my room. I stepped out for a moment and Lindsay fell of my bunk bed and broke her arm. Who was the first one there? Me, despite the fact that both my parents were closer to my room. Now this got me in trouble because my mother instantly blamed me for the incident, of which, for once, I was innocent of any wrong doing.
Point is that despite our constant bickering and disdain for the others presence, when the chips were down, we were there for each other. Never did we want the other to really, truly suffer. Why? Because we loved each other, even if we did not like the other. As time has gone on and we have matured, both of us have come to actually like the other person too.
The opposite is true as well, liking someone without loving them. This is something that we are much more familiar with: the concept of the fair weather friend. You know what I'm talking about, the person whose company you enjoy, but little more than that. If something terrible happens to them, you don't particularly feel obligated to give them assistance if it is inconvenient. All of us have had such a friend, and all of us have been such a friend.
Point is that while love and like are often found together (friends, spouses, children, and other such people), they are still different concepts. This leads to another reason that we get the two ideas mixed up in our heads: we don't really love.
Love, as repeatedly pointed out, is based in being selfless with another person. We are sinful, and at the core of being sinful is I, me, being selfish. Therefore, being selfless goes against our programming. So love, while we can theorize about it, is nigh impossible to actually put into practice. Ever notice that the people you are willing to sacrifice the most for are the people that you like the best? Ever think that there might be a reason for that? It is because we don't truly love others, we are simply more willing to give the more a person gives us joy. Hence, we love those people we like.
Again, love and like are different things. Again, they often run together. Love is the giving of you completely to another person. Like is the selfish desire for another person because of what they give us.
And that is what I mean when I say that God likes us.
30 August 2010
17 August 2010
Love versus Like: Love and Like
Categorically, love is a relationship, a one-way relationship. This may seem a backwards idea, as most of us define relationships as actually being two-way, or dysfunctional. That is true, to a certain extent. The ideal is for both people in a relationship to love each other, hence making the love going both directions. But love in and of itself goes only in one way, that being the direction of the object of our love.
It is a relationship in the sense that love is a way of acting and relating towards another person. Love is the determiner in how you interact and relate with the object of your love. Love is what connects you to this person; what binds you to them. Thus, at least to my understanding, love is a relationship.
True love gives completely and totally of self with no thought or even desire for reciprocation. A person who truly loves another takes joy in that persons best interests being fulfilled and being an agent in bring those to pass. It is all about the other person. This leads to the fullest joy we can know, especially when that person returns the love. However, the person returning our love is not our goal; our goal and desire is the best thing possible happening to that person.
One of the problems is that none of us have ever really loved like that. We all have our own motives in relationships, conditions that must be satisfied before we are ready to give of ourselves, don't we? Yet, true love has no conditions, no requirements. When asked the question why, love simply responds, "because I do." That's it. So simple, yet so deep and difficult for us to attain. Praise Yahveh we have an example of this.
Ironically, that example is Yahveh himself , in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus demonstrated true love more clearly than any other act in the history of the universe on the cross. Understand, that Jesus did not die just for the saved, but his sacrifice is for everyone. The writer Paul underscores this principle in his letter to the Romans, saying that Christ died for the ungodly. A couple verses later, he says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ's sacrifice is not good only for good people, but for sinners, of which we all are.
Earlier in the same letter, Paul points out the all-inclusive nature of Jesus' sacrifice. He says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Everyone of us have screwed up and sinned; all of us need a Savior. Yahveh provided that person, in Jesus, for sinners.
Point is that Jesus sacrificed himself for us, risking so much for people who may or may not accept him. He did it anyway. Jesus did it because he loves us and will do whatever is best for us, even if that means he has to die on a cross, taking our sins on himself. And he will do this (did it, actually) regardless of whether we accept it or not. That is a purely one-way relationship. That is love.
Jesus talked about the pure selflessness that comes with love in his last talk with his disciples. He told them that "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." To paraphrase, the culmination of love is that a person sacrifices his life for the person he or she loves. That is ultimate love. To clarify, let me ask you a question: what does a person really gain by dying for another? Nothing, of course, since they are dead. It is all about what that other person can gain from the that person's death. If this is ultimate love, then love is a completely selfless relationship. A relationship that is all about the other person.
Conversely like falls under the category of desire, or want. Indeed like is synonymous with desire. It is akin to lust, although pure lust is quite destructive, in that it is a desire for something that we enjoy, that we find pleasure in. This is not bad, Yahveh created pleasure and enjoyment. To be sure, they have been twisted, but that does not make them an evil in and of themselves. But I digress, so let me give you a personal example of like.
There are many foods that I eat a ton of; some examples would be Brussels sprouts, spinach, bread, cheese, and just about any kind of fruit. However, there are also foods that under no circumstances will I consume. Mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and pickles are my ultimate culinary nemesis. The thought of eating them makes me nauseated.
The question is why will I, or any of us really, devour certain foods, but rather starve to death than eat others? After all, food is food, right? The answer is, of course, because I like the foods on the first list and dislike the foods on the other list. In others words, I enjoy eating brussell sprouts, spinach, bread, cheese, and fruit (sometimes all together). It brings me pleasure. Eating anything on the doomsday list most certainly does not bring me enjoyment and pleasure.
Essentially, like is about pleasure and enjoyment. It is about what you get from the experience. Like is, at the core, about you, what you get from the whole arrangement. There is nothing wrong with that at all, either. Again, Yahveh created pleasure. We are meant to like things.
So what does this look like in the context of a relationship? Liking someone is about what you get in return from the relationship. It is the "take" of a relationship between two people. Really, liking someone is recognizing that there is something about them that you enjoy. They bring pleasure into your life, and so you want to be around them more because of that. You like that person, which is good because it is recognizing that Yahveh made them amazing.
However, it is still all about you. What you get from this arrangement. It is not much different than liking a certain food, or a certain activity, or a certain car. You like them because they give you something that you enjoy, there is something in them you find pleasurable. It is about you.
Love and like are completely different concepts. Love is this selfless relationship that we enter into with others. Like is recognizing that something or someone possess or does something that we enjoy and brings us pleasure, then desiring to have that in our lives. Yahveh both loves and likes us.
It is a relationship in the sense that love is a way of acting and relating towards another person. Love is the determiner in how you interact and relate with the object of your love. Love is what connects you to this person; what binds you to them. Thus, at least to my understanding, love is a relationship.
True love gives completely and totally of self with no thought or even desire for reciprocation. A person who truly loves another takes joy in that persons best interests being fulfilled and being an agent in bring those to pass. It is all about the other person. This leads to the fullest joy we can know, especially when that person returns the love. However, the person returning our love is not our goal; our goal and desire is the best thing possible happening to that person.
One of the problems is that none of us have ever really loved like that. We all have our own motives in relationships, conditions that must be satisfied before we are ready to give of ourselves, don't we? Yet, true love has no conditions, no requirements. When asked the question why, love simply responds, "because I do." That's it. So simple, yet so deep and difficult for us to attain. Praise Yahveh we have an example of this.
Ironically, that example is Yahveh himself , in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus demonstrated true love more clearly than any other act in the history of the universe on the cross. Understand, that Jesus did not die just for the saved, but his sacrifice is for everyone. The writer Paul underscores this principle in his letter to the Romans, saying that Christ died for the ungodly. A couple verses later, he says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Christ's sacrifice is not good only for good people, but for sinners, of which we all are.
Earlier in the same letter, Paul points out the all-inclusive nature of Jesus' sacrifice. He says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Everyone of us have screwed up and sinned; all of us need a Savior. Yahveh provided that person, in Jesus, for sinners.
Point is that Jesus sacrificed himself for us, risking so much for people who may or may not accept him. He did it anyway. Jesus did it because he loves us and will do whatever is best for us, even if that means he has to die on a cross, taking our sins on himself. And he will do this (did it, actually) regardless of whether we accept it or not. That is a purely one-way relationship. That is love.
Jesus talked about the pure selflessness that comes with love in his last talk with his disciples. He told them that "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." To paraphrase, the culmination of love is that a person sacrifices his life for the person he or she loves. That is ultimate love. To clarify, let me ask you a question: what does a person really gain by dying for another? Nothing, of course, since they are dead. It is all about what that other person can gain from the that person's death. If this is ultimate love, then love is a completely selfless relationship. A relationship that is all about the other person.
Conversely like falls under the category of desire, or want. Indeed like is synonymous with desire. It is akin to lust, although pure lust is quite destructive, in that it is a desire for something that we enjoy, that we find pleasure in. This is not bad, Yahveh created pleasure and enjoyment. To be sure, they have been twisted, but that does not make them an evil in and of themselves. But I digress, so let me give you a personal example of like.
There are many foods that I eat a ton of; some examples would be Brussels sprouts, spinach, bread, cheese, and just about any kind of fruit. However, there are also foods that under no circumstances will I consume. Mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and pickles are my ultimate culinary nemesis. The thought of eating them makes me nauseated.
The question is why will I, or any of us really, devour certain foods, but rather starve to death than eat others? After all, food is food, right? The answer is, of course, because I like the foods on the first list and dislike the foods on the other list. In others words, I enjoy eating brussell sprouts, spinach, bread, cheese, and fruit (sometimes all together). It brings me pleasure. Eating anything on the doomsday list most certainly does not bring me enjoyment and pleasure.
Essentially, like is about pleasure and enjoyment. It is about what you get from the experience. Like is, at the core, about you, what you get from the whole arrangement. There is nothing wrong with that at all, either. Again, Yahveh created pleasure. We are meant to like things.
So what does this look like in the context of a relationship? Liking someone is about what you get in return from the relationship. It is the "take" of a relationship between two people. Really, liking someone is recognizing that there is something about them that you enjoy. They bring pleasure into your life, and so you want to be around them more because of that. You like that person, which is good because it is recognizing that Yahveh made them amazing.
However, it is still all about you. What you get from this arrangement. It is not much different than liking a certain food, or a certain activity, or a certain car. You like them because they give you something that you enjoy, there is something in them you find pleasurable. It is about you.
Love and like are completely different concepts. Love is this selfless relationship that we enter into with others. Like is recognizing that something or someone possess or does something that we enjoy and brings us pleasure, then desiring to have that in our lives. Yahveh both loves and likes us.
16 August 2010
Credits
Something I quickly realized as I was posting stuff is that there are no footnotes. Much of what is posted here is drawn from a book that I am in the process of writing. In this book, I have done extensive research and of course cited my sources in the footnotes. The same footnotes that do not translate on to the blog. No infringement of rights is intended and I will give credit here to the major influences on my beliefs.
NIV Bible and all those responsible for translating it.
C.S. Lewis, the most profound Christian author of the 20th Century.
Rob Bell, the new C.S. Lewis.
Ellen White, the best Christian author of all-time.
Strong's concordance.
Any others I have missed will be noted. Thanks to all who have helped and contributed.
NIV Bible and all those responsible for translating it.
C.S. Lewis, the most profound Christian author of the 20th Century.
Rob Bell, the new C.S. Lewis.
Ellen White, the best Christian author of all-time.
Strong's concordance.
Any others I have missed will be noted. Thanks to all who have helped and contributed.
14 August 2010
Love versus Like: Introduction
God likes us. God loves us too, but for the moment I want to focus on the fact that God actually likes. Both these concepts are important, but the understanding that God really does like us seems to get ignored.
Something that I should mention at the beginning is that I am huge on semantics, or what words mean. This can be a problem because I often argue against someone when we are really saying the same thing. We are arguing because the other person is not saying it the same way I do and I just won't let it go. In that, I tend to miss the big picture. That said, there are moments where my focus on semantics comes in handy; this is one of them. So, to begin, I am going to define (sort of) love and like, at least as I understand the terms. If you disagree, that's okay, because these are my definitions and for the purpose of you being able to understand what I mean when I say love or like.
Love and like are inherently different from each other. In my opinion, these terms tend to get mashed together into different levels of the same idea. However, they are not the same thing at all, but deal with quite different concepts. What are those concepts, or categories?
Something that I should mention at the beginning is that I am huge on semantics, or what words mean. This can be a problem because I often argue against someone when we are really saying the same thing. We are arguing because the other person is not saying it the same way I do and I just won't let it go. In that, I tend to miss the big picture. That said, there are moments where my focus on semantics comes in handy; this is one of them. So, to begin, I am going to define (sort of) love and like, at least as I understand the terms. If you disagree, that's okay, because these are my definitions and for the purpose of you being able to understand what I mean when I say love or like.
Love and like are inherently different from each other. In my opinion, these terms tend to get mashed together into different levels of the same idea. However, they are not the same thing at all, but deal with quite different concepts. What are those concepts, or categories?
Introduction/Preface/Thingy: A quick note
A quick note before diving in is on the translation I use. For writing and speaking, I use the New International Version. All Bible verses that are quoted or referenced are referenced from the NIV. I did, of course, use other versions as well, in addition to consult the original Greek and Hebrew. In addition, I may quote other versions for the sake of word choice or to give a more complete view. Such incidents will be clearly marked. However, the vast majority of the time, I will be using NIV. As such, I do not cite the translation because it is assumed to be NIV, unless otherwise stated. Any translation will do, of course, and if you are a proficient enough Greek or Hebrew scholar, then by all means look it up.
The reasoning behind my choice of translation is simple. The NIV, in my understanding, provides the best balance between accuracy and readability, both of which are necessary. Not nearly as dynamic as the New Living Translation, nor nearly as literal as the New American Standard Bible, it provides a unique balance that makes it handy for such purposes as writing and speaking. If you have something against the NIV, tough. Read all verses in whatever version you prefer.
Another note is on the Greek and Hebrew. The lexicons that I used in my study are cited at the end. However, I also give the Strong's concordance numbers in footnotes for those who wish to do their own study. However, the Strong's definitions were consulted secondarily in context to the other lexicons that I used.
A final note is that you will have noticed that I use the name Yahveh to refer to God. Occasionally will I use the word "God". You will also probably notice that I do not capitalize "he" or "him" when in reference to Yahveh. Since the Bible does not use special pronouns to refer to Yahweh, neither will I. This also makes writing easier for me, which is the primary reason for doing so.
As for my use of God's name, I do so for two reasons. The first is because the term "god" is a vague and general term that can be applied to any deity. We have a specific name for our god, Yahveh. He gave it to us so that we can be close to him, not to shelve and refer to him in a general sense. We do not call Buddha, Shiva, Athena, Zeus, Vishnu, or any other god, "god". Instead, we refer to them by their names. We have a name for ours, so I have chosen to use it.
In the Bible, the name is derived from the Hebrew to be verb, hâyâh. Essentially the name of God means that he is self-existent; in other words he just is. Now, the ancient Hebrews came to regard this name so special, so sacred that it was never said. I disagree with this, but that is another issue. Remembering that Hebrew originally did not have vowels, no one really knows how this name is actually said. In fact, some have speculated that the name is unpronounceable because it is the sound of breathing.
The consonants spell YHVH, or some say YHWH. Now some have taken this and made the name Jehovah, which I don't like because the Hebrews did not have a "j" sound. Other have come up with the name Yahweh, or Yahveh, the latter of which is the one I have chosen to use. Strong's concordance renders the name yehôvâh, for those who wish to do their own study on the word.
The reasoning behind my choice of translation is simple. The NIV, in my understanding, provides the best balance between accuracy and readability, both of which are necessary. Not nearly as dynamic as the New Living Translation, nor nearly as literal as the New American Standard Bible, it provides a unique balance that makes it handy for such purposes as writing and speaking. If you have something against the NIV, tough. Read all verses in whatever version you prefer.
Another note is on the Greek and Hebrew. The lexicons that I used in my study are cited at the end. However, I also give the Strong's concordance numbers in footnotes for those who wish to do their own study. However, the Strong's definitions were consulted secondarily in context to the other lexicons that I used.
A final note is that you will have noticed that I use the name Yahveh to refer to God. Occasionally will I use the word "God". You will also probably notice that I do not capitalize "he" or "him" when in reference to Yahveh. Since the Bible does not use special pronouns to refer to Yahweh, neither will I. This also makes writing easier for me, which is the primary reason for doing so.
As for my use of God's name, I do so for two reasons. The first is because the term "god" is a vague and general term that can be applied to any deity. We have a specific name for our god, Yahveh. He gave it to us so that we can be close to him, not to shelve and refer to him in a general sense. We do not call Buddha, Shiva, Athena, Zeus, Vishnu, or any other god, "god". Instead, we refer to them by their names. We have a name for ours, so I have chosen to use it.
In the Bible, the name is derived from the Hebrew to be verb, hâyâh. Essentially the name of God means that he is self-existent; in other words he just is. Now, the ancient Hebrews came to regard this name so special, so sacred that it was never said. I disagree with this, but that is another issue. Remembering that Hebrew originally did not have vowels, no one really knows how this name is actually said. In fact, some have speculated that the name is unpronounceable because it is the sound of breathing.
The consonants spell YHVH, or some say YHWH. Now some have taken this and made the name Jehovah, which I don't like because the Hebrews did not have a "j" sound. Other have come up with the name Yahweh, or Yahveh, the latter of which is the one I have chosen to use. Strong's concordance renders the name yehôvâh, for those who wish to do their own study on the word.
Introduction/Preface/Thingy: Questions, questions, questions
What does one do to avoid the wrong theology, the wrong pictures of God, and find the right? Never stop studying, never stop searching for God everywhere, never stop pursuing God. He will find you and he will take care of the rest. He promised that he is there with you when you are studying with others . He promised that his Spirit will be with us always, guiding us into "all truth" .
Never be satisfied with what you have. Constantly question and re-examine it. As you learn more about God, what you have learned in the past will need revision and updating. Challenge everything you hear, even (especially) what is written here.
There is this odd thing about God. The more you discover about him, the more answers you get, the more questions you find. There is always something more, something deeper to God. He is infinite and so you can always go a little deeper. That is one thing I have discovered in the journey that has culminated in this book. There are always more questions to be asked. Never stop asking questions, for there is greater power in questions than answers.
Answers are good in their own way, but answers are an end. Once you have the answer, there is no more beyond. We need answers, no doubt, for they make the question worth something. But answers need questions to make the answer mean anything. To give you an example, think of Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is....42? That doesn't mean anything. Why? Because it is only an answer. Only when you know the question does the answer make any sense at all.
Questions, on the other hand, are born out of a desire to go deeper, to understand more. If one is satisfied with the answer, then there is no push to go deeper. That is what God wants with us, is for us to go deeper with him. This pulls us closer and closer to him. Above almost anything else, never stop asking questions and never stop seeking answers. God will reward you.
That is something that you will find in this book. There are far more questions than answers. I freely admit, I don't have it all together. I don't have all the answers; I don't even have most of them. This isn't about getting answers, but asking questions. Even the answers I have, I don't know how to put into practice. Let me be perfectly clear: I am not perfect, I make mistakes. I still struggle with pornography and objectifying women. I still struggle with pride and thinking entirely too highly of myself. I still am prone to indifference. The list could go on for pages. The list could be the book. Point is, I am a sinful, screwed up human. Therefore I don't know everything. Therefore I ask questions.
If you have been allowed to read it, it is with the purpose of making you think, of making probe, not for you to come away thinking that this answers everything. This is what I, a mere human, believe to be true. This means I maybe (likely am) wrong on some things, perhaps a lot of things. So think critically, test what I'm saying. And if you find me to be wrong, I would really like to know! Remember, this is not the Bible, nor the words of a prophet, or of God himself. Simply my understanding of them.
What do you believe? Who do you understand God to be? The purpose of anyone reading this book is to inspire those question, to make you search for God. To make you ask questions.
So, as Rob Bell would say, may you not be satisfied with the answers, but ask the questions that keep you searching more and more. May you hunger and thirst after God and never give up studying him. Above all, may you come to know the real, living, awesome, and loving God. It is worth the struggle and fight. I know it is for me.
Never be satisfied with what you have. Constantly question and re-examine it. As you learn more about God, what you have learned in the past will need revision and updating. Challenge everything you hear, even (especially) what is written here.
There is this odd thing about God. The more you discover about him, the more answers you get, the more questions you find. There is always something more, something deeper to God. He is infinite and so you can always go a little deeper. That is one thing I have discovered in the journey that has culminated in this book. There are always more questions to be asked. Never stop asking questions, for there is greater power in questions than answers.
Answers are good in their own way, but answers are an end. Once you have the answer, there is no more beyond. We need answers, no doubt, for they make the question worth something. But answers need questions to make the answer mean anything. To give you an example, think of Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is....42? That doesn't mean anything. Why? Because it is only an answer. Only when you know the question does the answer make any sense at all.
Questions, on the other hand, are born out of a desire to go deeper, to understand more. If one is satisfied with the answer, then there is no push to go deeper. That is what God wants with us, is for us to go deeper with him. This pulls us closer and closer to him. Above almost anything else, never stop asking questions and never stop seeking answers. God will reward you.
That is something that you will find in this book. There are far more questions than answers. I freely admit, I don't have it all together. I don't have all the answers; I don't even have most of them. This isn't about getting answers, but asking questions. Even the answers I have, I don't know how to put into practice. Let me be perfectly clear: I am not perfect, I make mistakes. I still struggle with pornography and objectifying women. I still struggle with pride and thinking entirely too highly of myself. I still am prone to indifference. The list could go on for pages. The list could be the book. Point is, I am a sinful, screwed up human. Therefore I don't know everything. Therefore I ask questions.
If you have been allowed to read it, it is with the purpose of making you think, of making probe, not for you to come away thinking that this answers everything. This is what I, a mere human, believe to be true. This means I maybe (likely am) wrong on some things, perhaps a lot of things. So think critically, test what I'm saying. And if you find me to be wrong, I would really like to know! Remember, this is not the Bible, nor the words of a prophet, or of God himself. Simply my understanding of them.
What do you believe? Who do you understand God to be? The purpose of anyone reading this book is to inspire those question, to make you search for God. To make you ask questions.
So, as Rob Bell would say, may you not be satisfied with the answers, but ask the questions that keep you searching more and more. May you hunger and thirst after God and never give up studying him. Above all, may you come to know the real, living, awesome, and loving God. It is worth the struggle and fight. I know it is for me.
Introduction/Preface/Thingy: Theology
I suppose it would be best for me to give an introduction to this blog. Although I am “publishing” what is written here in the format of a blog, understand that this is not really intended for everyone. Anyone, of course, can read it, but this is not written for everyone. This is really for me. It is what I believe, the truth as I see it, if you will. When this project began, it was with the simple idea of laying out my theology in a clear, logical, consistent way that I could understand and use. It was for me to make sense of what I believed, if you will. An extended purpose was for me to root out any errors and problems that are in my belief structure. In so far as that goal is concerned, it has largely been accomplished.
But as I studied and wrote, this document became more than just a series of beliefs, a la What Adventists' Believe, it became a picture, a reality. I found myself beginning to understand God more and actually form a real picture of what he is like. By studying abstract philosophies and ideas, God ironically became more real to me.
The reasoning behind this is simple: everyone is a theologian, plain and simple. You may not have a degree or be a pastor, but that does not make you any less of a theologian. What makes you a theologian is that you have a belief about God. Everybody does, whether you believe that everything is God and God is everything or that there are lots of separate Deities or that God is one and involved in this earth, or that God is real, but doesn't care, or you're not sure, or that you don't believe in God at all, you have a belief about God. That is the definition of theology. So, if you have a theology, then you are a theologian.
What are theologies? As stated above, they are beliefs about God, what God is like. Again, as stated above, everybody has them, whether they are aware of it or not. These beliefs shape our actions, our minds, and our lives. These beliefs we have form a picture of God, one that we respond to in one way or another. The picture I am beginning (for I am far from done studying God) to see is one so amazing, so awesome, one cannot help but fall in love with God. He is that cool. So the question is why is it that so many people complain about "too much theology"?
The answer is simple, I believe. People have not taken the time to study it out for themselves, to understand what they really believe. Instead, they sit and absorb all that people around them say about God, like spiritual parasites. In the end, they end up with a bunch of pieces, instead of taking the time to form them into a real, cohesive picture of God. For them, it is like looking at the pieces of a puzzle scattered throughout the room, but not putting them together to form the picture. It's dry, boring, and, frankly, useless. No wonder people get turned off when others start discussing "theology".
But the problem is not theology, it is the people who do not study it out themselves, Instead of embracing the challenge the puzzle brings, they choose to walk away. In the end, they miss seeing the picture. It is sad, on a deep and profound level.
Now understand, theologies are not God himself. They are snippets of what God is like, but not God himself. Theologies are peoples beliefs about God. As such, they can be wrong. When theology is wrong, it is like trying to put a piece of the puzzle in the wrong place, or choosing to leave a piece out, or using a piece from another puzzle. It messes up the picture, doesn't it?
What does this mean? It means that we must be careful what we believe. So many people get confused and warped images of God because they believe wrong theology. As such, they end up confused and walk away from God altogether. There is great destructive power in wrong theologies.
However, just as there is great destructive power in wrong theologies, there is great power in correct theologies. When the pieces fit, we get a clear glimpse of how amazing God is. It drives us to him, the real him. The beauty of true theology is that it allows us to develop and aides us in developing a real, vibrant relationship with the real, living God.
Whether we want to admit it or not, there is truth and there is error. Error leads us down a path away from God, whereas truth leads us to him.
But as I studied and wrote, this document became more than just a series of beliefs, a la What Adventists' Believe, it became a picture, a reality. I found myself beginning to understand God more and actually form a real picture of what he is like. By studying abstract philosophies and ideas, God ironically became more real to me.
The reasoning behind this is simple: everyone is a theologian, plain and simple. You may not have a degree or be a pastor, but that does not make you any less of a theologian. What makes you a theologian is that you have a belief about God. Everybody does, whether you believe that everything is God and God is everything or that there are lots of separate Deities or that God is one and involved in this earth, or that God is real, but doesn't care, or you're not sure, or that you don't believe in God at all, you have a belief about God. That is the definition of theology. So, if you have a theology, then you are a theologian.
What are theologies? As stated above, they are beliefs about God, what God is like. Again, as stated above, everybody has them, whether they are aware of it or not. These beliefs shape our actions, our minds, and our lives. These beliefs we have form a picture of God, one that we respond to in one way or another. The picture I am beginning (for I am far from done studying God) to see is one so amazing, so awesome, one cannot help but fall in love with God. He is that cool. So the question is why is it that so many people complain about "too much theology"?
The answer is simple, I believe. People have not taken the time to study it out for themselves, to understand what they really believe. Instead, they sit and absorb all that people around them say about God, like spiritual parasites. In the end, they end up with a bunch of pieces, instead of taking the time to form them into a real, cohesive picture of God. For them, it is like looking at the pieces of a puzzle scattered throughout the room, but not putting them together to form the picture. It's dry, boring, and, frankly, useless. No wonder people get turned off when others start discussing "theology".
But the problem is not theology, it is the people who do not study it out themselves, Instead of embracing the challenge the puzzle brings, they choose to walk away. In the end, they miss seeing the picture. It is sad, on a deep and profound level.
Now understand, theologies are not God himself. They are snippets of what God is like, but not God himself. Theologies are peoples beliefs about God. As such, they can be wrong. When theology is wrong, it is like trying to put a piece of the puzzle in the wrong place, or choosing to leave a piece out, or using a piece from another puzzle. It messes up the picture, doesn't it?
What does this mean? It means that we must be careful what we believe. So many people get confused and warped images of God because they believe wrong theology. As such, they end up confused and walk away from God altogether. There is great destructive power in wrong theologies.
However, just as there is great destructive power in wrong theologies, there is great power in correct theologies. When the pieces fit, we get a clear glimpse of how amazing God is. It drives us to him, the real him. The beauty of true theology is that it allows us to develop and aides us in developing a real, vibrant relationship with the real, living God.
Whether we want to admit it or not, there is truth and there is error. Error leads us down a path away from God, whereas truth leads us to him.
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