| Author | Message | ||
| Free2dance Registered user Username: Free2dance Post Number: 711 Registered: 2-2010 |
I've been studying the attributes of God for the last couple of weeks and I've been struck by how much of this I wasn't taught in Adventism. I do remember being told that God is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and eternal. That's all I remember being taught and while I heard words like sovereign they seemed more like flowery compliments than anything that actually described who God is. I thought it was just a nice way of calling Him king. One of the things I've been doing is going through a Bible dictionary, published by Moody Press, and looking up some of these attributes. I wanted to give you a list of the ones I've been looking at because the assignment has been a real blessing. If you can get your hands on a good Bible dictionary it's worth the time it takes to move through these. I'm still not done, I'm choosing to move slow because the dictionary I have usually has several paragraphs following a succinct definition that go on to explain how these things apply to God. I want to write all of the definitions in a notebook. I would love to hear your thoughts. Did you learn all of these attributes as Adventists? Have you studied them as a former? How has your understanding of God changed now as opposed to in Adventism. If you did hear these in Adventism, did the meanings change after leaving? We talk a lot about how the gospel, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit changed, as well as how God changed toward us when we understood the gospel, but how has your understanding of who God is changed? Here is that list I have of the attributes of God along with their verses: Unity (Dt. 6:4) Simplicity (Jn 4:24) Infinity (1 kings 8:27; Acts 17:28) Eternity (Gen. 21:22; Ps 90:2) Immutability (James 1:17) Omnipresnece (Ps 139:7-12) Sovereignty (Eph 1) Omniscience (Mt 11:21) Omnipotence (Rev. 19:6) Transendence (is. 55:8) Immanence (Dt. 4:7) Justice (Acts 17:31) Love (Eph 2:4-5) Truth (Jn 14:6) Freedom (Is. 40:13,14) Holiness (1 Jn 1:5) I'm sure there are many other verses to support these. The ones listed above just came with the sheet I have to study from. Here is a pdf of the New Ungers Bible Dictionary http://ixoyc.net/data/Fathers/160.pdf | ||
| 1john2v27nlt Registered user Username: 1john2v27nlt Post Number: 520 Registered: 5-2009 |
Thanks for the link to the Bible dictionary Free2dance. I have found that a big part of renewing my mind has been in looking up terms & words in the dictionary -- even in Webster's. I have had to give up my 'know it all' arrogance & double check. Plus as you find, either things were omitted in SDAism, or were given a different meaning. Just as I have had to double check myself every single time I quote what I think is scripture!! to be sure it really IS scripture, & that I'm quoting it accurately & in proper context. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 14723 Registered: 12-2003  |
Thank you, Free2dance! Moving out of God's way, so to speak, has been a process since leaving Adventism. He is inscrutable, but He's also intimate with us. I had no idea...I always related to Him, as an Adventist, as sort-of super-human-ish. In other words, I understood him in terms of myself. He is completely other than us, and I can't understand Him nor say what He would or wouldn't do—unless it is specifically stated in Scripture. As an Adventist I always thought one of His primary characteristics was "Fairness". Uh...no. He is God; "fair" isn't a word that describes Him. But "Just" does describe Him. Colleen | ||
| Free2dance Registered user Username: Free2dance Post Number: 713 Registered: 2-2010 |
1john2v27nlt, I know what you mean! I have loved the simple Webster's dictionary! That was huge in my studying the security of the believer. When I looked up the words in Ephesians 1:13-14 and believed what they said I just cried. Colleen, that is profound. God is "just"; "fair" isn't a word that describes Him. That is worth spending time pondering! Also, since becoming a Christian there are very few things I feel like I can say God would or wouldn't do! The things I feel I can comment on with confidence are things He told me in His word. I believe that when people say, "God would never _____" (one I often hear is, "send people to hell!") that they are usually talking about the idol they created in their own mind and not about the God revealed to us in scripture. I used to do it to.  (Message edited by free2dance on February 05, 2014) | ||
| Free2dance Registered user Username: Free2dance Post Number: 714 Registered: 2-2010 |
1john2v27nlt, here is a link to a hard copy of the Ungers Bible Dictionary by Moody Publishers that I have. It is being sold on Amazon for only $8.47 used! http://www.amazon.com/Ungers-Bible-Dictionary-Merrill-Unger/dp/B000O29IUM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391649346&sr=8-6&keywords=Ungers+Bible+Dictionary | ||
| 1john2v27nlt Registered user Username: 1john2v27nlt Post Number: 521 Registered: 5-2009 |
I think the hard copy Bible Dictionary that I own is Unger's. (I'm currently on vacation so can't check). But it's great to have the online free one! Maybe someone out there will get this great buy. |
