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Originally Posted by thaskalos
Boxcar, sir:
I will not go into whether or not I believe that this story which you narrated above actually took place...because it's immaterial to the point I am trying to make. My question is...why did God create us in the FIRST PLACE? Was he just in need of someone who could worship, honor and obey him? And if THIS is why God created us...then why doesn't he provide us with some guidance of a more "personal" nature? He doesn't want to appear to us in real life as he did to Moses...fine. Why doesn't he tell us what he wants from us in a DREAM...as he did to Abimelech in your story?
I know...you are going to say that he gave us the bible to guide us. But the message in the bible is not as clear as it should be...especially when you consider that the "heavenly life", or "eternal damnation", hang in the balance. Yes...I've heard you say that the message in the bible is clear and unmistakable. But I have also seen through direct experience that even the CHRISTIANS do not agree among themselves when it comes to certain important aspects of the Christian faith.
If God is going to punish our disobedience with eternal damnation...then why not deliver his message to us in a more clearly-understood manner? Why must we stand on the sidelines while Christian theologians battle it out...so we can determine whose "interpretation" of God's message is the correct one?
He created us...and supposedly sent his only son to save us. And now he has abandoned us...with only an ambiguous, ancient text as a guide?
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I'm not a "theologian" in the formal sense of this term; yet, I have a pretty fair grasp on the gospel message, thanks be to God.
God created human beings for, apparently, the same reason he created angels, who are higher on the scale of God's moral and rational creation. He created us to glorify him "by enjoying Him", John Piper would say. But I still think this reason misses the mark slightly. I say that He created us to glorify him by LOVING him.
God is most glorified and honored when we FREELY give him our love.. (The operative word here is freely!) This is why God did not prevent the Fall. If God had empowered [innocent] Adam and Eve to not sin, then it could never be said (or at least understood beyond any doubt) that God didnt' force his will upon our first parents. That he didn't force them to obey. That he didn't force them to believe him. That he didn't force them to love him.
God created man for a purpose, to be sure. And that purpose was to freely reciprocate the Creator's great love for us, and thereby bring him the greatest possible glory.
One of the profoundest paradoxes in scripture is the first and foremost commandment, which is to love God with our entire being -- with mind, heart, soul and strength. Yet, at the same time do any us of love another on demand -- as love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13!? If not, then why the commandment? (Something to ponder.)
But never think for a moment that God was in need of anything. God needs nothing. He is totally self-sufficient. God is love, but he was never in want or in need of objects to love, since each Person of the Godhead loved each other for all eternity.
Finally, God has given man all the "guidance" he needs. He has provided everything for salvation. Man have the objective truth claims of the Word of God, as well as the personal presence of the Holy Spirit to all those who repent of their sins and believe the gospel. You never have to stand on the sidelines for anything. The bible is still freely available to all in this country. But you won't humble yourself before your Creator and plead with him to remove all the presuppositions you bring to bear upon holy writ, so to this day you still cannot understand. As I told Actor once -- non-believers have an attitude problem when they approach God. And God does resist the proud. So, the problem is not with scripture. The problem is your sin nature and all that that entails.
Boxcar
