The Character and Nature of God In Your Theology

I have really had a hunger for understanding more of the character and nature of God. I often wonder if believers think about how their theology and their understanding of who God is fits together according to scripture.

I think this is really lacking in the church which I guess is what led me to start the thread [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?viewmode=flat&order=0&topic_id=26893&forum=36&post_id=&refresh=Go] Why Isn't There More Preaching On Hell?[/url]

Personally I feel the reason hell is only preached to scare people and not as a means to help people understand how the character and nature of God requires Him to create a place called hell is because we don't undersand the character and nature of a holy God.

I believe in predestination and so does my husband. It's not my desire to get in a debate about this but to understand how according to scripture your understanding of God's character and nature fits in with your theology. The other question I have is can we take what we believe the character and nature of God is to prove our theology? Obviously we cannot have one without the other.

Here is an excerpt from an article I found interesting:

"...Can any man quarrel him for preparing him to destruction, seeing he owes nothing to any man, but may do with his own what he pleases? What if God, willing to make known his power, and justice, and wrath, have fitted and prepared some vessels for destruction, with which in time he bears much, and forbears long, using much patience towards them, ver. 22. Can any man challenge him for it? And what if God, willing to make known the riches of his grace, have prepared some vessels to glory, shall any man's eye be evil because he is good? ver. 23. Shall man be left to be his own disposer, and the shaper of his own fortune? Sure it was not so with Esau and Jacob: they were alike in the womb. If there was any prerogative, Esau the eldest had it, — they had done neither good nor evil. What difference was then between them to cast the balance of his will? Can you imagine any? Indeed carnal reason will say that God foreknew what they would do, and so he chose or rejected them. But, why doth not the apostle answer thus unto that objection of unrighteousness in God? ver. 14. It had been ready and plain. But rather he opposes the will and calling of God, to all works past or to come. He gives no answer but this, 'he will have mercy because he will have mercy;' that is the supreme rule of righteousness, and hitherto must we flee, as the surest anchor of our hope and stability. Our salvation depends not on our willing or running, on our resolving or doing, but upon this primitive good pleasure and will of God, on which hangs our willing and running and obtaining. It is certainly an unorderly order, to flee unto that in men, for the cause of God's eternal counsels, which only flows from his eternal counsel, Eph. 1:4. Hath he chosen us because he did foreknow that we would be holy, and without blame, as men think? Or hath he not rather chosen us to be holy and without blame? He cannot behold any good or evil in the creatures, till his will pass a sentence upon it; for from whence should it come?..."

http://www.puritansermons.com/sermons/binn02.htm

stephent wrote:
Amen...Predestination, Sactification, Justification, Condemnation, all these and other, "Theoligical doctrines" find themselves rooted in the very Nature and Character of who God IS.

I'm a rookie when it comes to this but I know that if what your teaching isn't in harmony with the kind of Being God is, then it's incorrect.

Amen! I want to KNOW GOD not just someones theology and like you said they have to be in harmony with each other.

As the apostle Paul says, 1Corinthians 2:2 "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

Fuegodedios wrote:
RebeccaF I agree with you. Hell needs to be preached and it needs to be preached upon the backdrop of the holiness of God, The Law of God and the sinfulness of man. I like what Romans 1:1 says of God and the Gospel that the Gospel is the GOSPEL OF GOD. if we are to preach the gospel aright we must know God aright because the Gospel first and foremost starts with the person, attributes and holy character of God. I have found that in preaching about the attributes and character of God and his law that men really find out the mystery of our sinfulness and then comes that understanding of why Hell exists and the need for a saviour. So I agree with you God must be understood in order for us to bring understanding of Hell

Amen!

The way we conduct ourselves as christians alot of times comes from our understanding of who God is, just as a child wants to mimick his/her parents, or the son that wants to be like his daddy when he grows up. If all we know is theology apart from the true character and nature of God than that is all we will have left.

Also, speaking of children I am very excited for Paul West and his wife's new baby. That's exciting about your ultrasound today. :-)

The way we conduct ourselves as Christians a lot of times comes from our understanding of who God is, just as a child wants to mimic his/her parents, or the son that wants to be like his daddy when he grows up. If all we know is theology apart from the true character and nature of God than that is all we will have left.

RebeccaF,

Thanks for this thread. Lately, I have wanted to start a thread along these lines, but I held off because I don't think I was in the right mind set...I don't have as much tact as you. So thank you, I am glad this discussion is happening :-)

Concerning hell and the nature of God; I heard this message by John Piper called "The Echo and the Insufficiency of Hell", it was absolutely sobering. And, as you stated, it was not a message about scaring men about a place called "Hell"...it was a declaration of the nature of God. It was Theology.

Many of the discussions on this forum lately have been about the contrast between experience and Theology. Some say (even noted pastors and preachers) that experience is paramount over Theology.
If someone has been walking with God for a number of years, and especially if they are a leader over other believers, for the life of me, I do not know how they can say that experience is more important than Theology and doctrine.
Actually, if someone says that experience is paramount over Theology, they are, in fact, teaching doctrine because doctrine is just teaching.

No doubt, when we are first saved, we may have experience with God that we cannot articulate. It is absolutely real. It is absolutely grounded in the Word...if we are truly converted.

But there must come a time when we mature and move from relying on experience in our relationship with God, and we begin to walk with Him according to WHO HE IS....THEOLOGY!

I want to know who God is, not based upon my experience, but on who He has declared Himself to be. I want my experience to line up with Him...not the other way around.

Look. I woke up this morning, and I did not feel like I was clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I was miserable. Do I rely on my experience?

I work with middle school kids, and many times they set me off, and I lose my cool. I don't always..."act like a Christian around them."

How do I know that I am still a Christian, and on what grounds do I know that I still have authority to talk to them about Jesus. Is it based upon my experience? Or is it based upon Theology...Who God is!

Finally, I will shut up now....

Mormons have experience...talk to one and try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.
Muslims have experience...talk to one ant try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.

If you are reading this and you are a Christian... why are you not a Muslim or a Mormon?

Is it because you do not agree with the way they live...their experience? Or is it because they believe wrongly about Who God is? .....their Theology!

I am not saying that the Christian life does not include experience, but our experience does not define our Theology, our experience must be defined by Who God is...Theology. Experience is not paramount it is a privilege...experience of the True Word of God.

Mahoney wrote:

The way we conduct ourselves as Christians a lot of times comes from our understanding of who God is, just as a child wants to mimic his/her parents, or the son that wants to be like his daddy when he grows up. If all we know is theology apart from the true character and nature of God than that is all we will have left.

RebeccaF,

Thanks for this thread. Lately, I have wanted to start a thread along these lines, but I held off because I don't think I was in the right mind set...I don't have as much tact as you. So thank you, I am glad this discussion is happening :-)

Concerning hell and the nature of God; I heard this message by John Piper called "The Echo and the Insufficiency of Hell", it was absolutely sobering. And, as you stated, it was not a message about scaring men about a place called "Hell"...it was a declaration of the nature of God. It was Theology.

Many of the discussions on this forum lately have been about the contrast between experience and Theology. Some say (even noted pastors and preachers) that experience is paramount over Theology.
If someone has been walking with God for a number of years, and especially if they are a leader over other believers, for the life of me, I do not know how they can say that experience is more important than Theology and doctrine.
Actually, if someone says that experience is paramount over Theology, they are, in fact, teaching doctrine because doctrine is just teaching.

No doubt, when we are first saved, we may have experience with God that we cannot articulate. It is absolutely real. It is absolutely grounded in the Word...if we are truly converted.

But there must come a time when we mature and move from relying on experience in our relationship with God, and we begin to walk with Him according to WHO HE IS....THEOLOGY!

I want to know who God is, not based upon my experience, but on who He has declared Himself to be. I want my experience to line up with Him...not the other way around.

Look. I woke up this morning, and I did not feel like I was clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I was miserable. Do I rely on my experience?

I work with middle school kids, and many times they set me off, and I lose my cool. I don't always..."act like a Christian around them."

How do I know that I am still a Christian, and on what grounds do I know that I still have authority to talk to them about Jesus. Is it based upon my experience? Or is it based upon Theology...Who God is!

Finally, I will shut up now....

Mormons have experience...talk to one and try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.
Muslims have experience...talk to one ant try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.

If you are reading this and you are a Christian... why are you not a Muslim or a Mormon?

Is it because you do not agree with the way they live...their experience? Or is it because they believe wrongly about Who God is? .....their Theology!

I am not saying that the Christian life does not include experience, but our experience does not define our Theology, our experience must be defined by Who God is...Theology. Experience is not paramount it is a privilege...experience of the True Word of God.

Thanks, this is good teaching. :-) I'm going to have to chew on this for awhile. Somehow the two have to come together.

Mahoney wrote:

The way we conduct ourselves as Christians a lot of times comes from our understanding of who God is, just as a child wants to mimic his/her parents, or the son that wants to be like his daddy when he grows up. If all we know is theology apart from the true character and nature of God than that is all we will have left.

RebeccaF,

Thanks for this thread. Lately, I have wanted to start a thread along these lines, but I held off because I don't think I was in the right mind set...I don't have as much tact as you. So thank you, I am glad this discussion is happening :-)

Concerning hell and the nature of God; I heard this message by John Piper called "The Echo and the Insufficiency of Hell", it was absolutely sobering. And, as you stated, it was not a message about scaring men about a place called "Hell"...it was a declaration of the nature of God. It was Theology.

Many of the discussions on this forum lately have been about the contrast between experience and Theology. Some say (even noted pastors and preachers) that experience is paramount over Theology.
If someone has been walking with God for a number of years, and especially if they are a leader over other believers, for the life of me, I do not know how they can say that experience is more important than Theology and doctrine.
Actually, if someone says that experience is paramount over Theology, they are, in fact, teaching doctrine because doctrine is just teaching.

No doubt, when we are first saved, we may have experience with God that we cannot articulate. It is absolutely real. It is absolutely grounded in the Word...if we are truly converted.

But there must come a time when we mature and move from relying on experience in our relationship with God, and we begin to walk with Him according to WHO HE IS....THEOLOGY!

I want to know who God is, not based upon my experience, but on who He has declared Himself to be. I want my experience to line up with Him...not the other way around.

Look. I woke up this morning, and I did not feel like I was clothed in the righteousness of Christ. I was miserable. Do I rely on my experience?

I work with middle school kids, and many times they set me off, and I lose my cool. I don't always..."act like a Christian around them."

How do I know that I am still a Christian, and on what grounds do I know that I still have authority to talk to them about Jesus. Is it based upon my experience? Or is it based upon Theology...Who God is!

Finally, I will shut up now....

Mormons have experience...talk to one and try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.
Muslims have experience...talk to one ant try to convince them that their experience is not real...and they can back it up with scripture.

If you are reading this and you are a Christian... why are you not a Muslim or a Mormon?

Is it because you do not agree with the way they live...their experience? Or is it because they believe wrongly about Who God is? .....their Theology!

I am not saying that the Christian life does not include experience, but our experience does not define our Theology, our experience must be defined by Who God is...Theology. Experience is not paramount it is a privilege...experience of the True Word of God.

This is true and reading what you posted here shows to me a side of the character and nature of God because if God requires out of us only where we are theologically than He will not require the same from me as he requires from you for instance. It depends on our maturity and understanding of the things of God. God is not going to throw a blanket of demands on all of us and disregaurd our understanding of scripture.

There are some though who will say that God requires the same from us all and it doesn't matter where you are at in your understanding of what God requires of you.

If God puts theology first than we should meaning that only God knows where a person is in their understanding of scripture whch means that we can not judge others according to our experience with them.

If I attend a church where I am experiencing something that is carnal going on there I should not suppose that they are unsaved ect. but that they may just be wrong theologically.

My point is if theology comes first with God than it should come first with us not experiences that we find ourselves in with others.

I can tell this is going to be a long thread.:-) The only real experience that I can find in scripture for a christian is the fruit of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience ect..These are characteristics of God and are given to every believer. Other than that I guess it would just be the life experiences that God brings you through. Besides that I am not sure how one biblically can know the character and nature of God apart from theology.

Professing believers and the unsaved world as you know want experience. They want to feel good and have all of their fleshly needs met. They want their ears tickled and have a good time. I feel we as christians need to rightly divide these things and that is where the true nature and characteristic of God comes in as we see it in the word of God.

I have been attending Assemblies of God/pentecostal type churches for a long time and I am still trying to undo all of this wrong teaching I have learned over the years.

I've heard of people for instance being accused of not walking with God because they are constantly facing problems in their life even persecution. They say if you were really walking with God than all would be well with you and you wouldn't be facing these things.

So there is ALOT of emphasis on God being a God of pleasure and feeling. If you do well you get good feelings and if you do not you get bad.

stephent wrote:
I'm a firm believer that experience should not be the basis for biblical teaching, but that the Bible is the basis for Biblical teaching.

Amen, which means that we need to have sound theology then on the true nature and character of God and not at all by experience. Especially if God decides to send me to some jungle somewhere to preach the gospel and live off of rice and coconuts. :-)