GOD THE FATHER (1 OF 15)
Scripture: GENESIS 1:1
This content is part of a series.
The Faith Once Delievered (1 of 15)
God the Father
Clarence E. Macartney
Genesis 1:1
In the midst of the great storm at sea which finally drove the vessel on the rocks at Malta, Paul encouraged his fellow passengers and assured them that there would be no loss of life, for he said, "I believe God." It is a question if there is anyone living who does not believe in God. It is one thing to talk about disbelief in God, and argue about it, or boast of it; but it is another thing really not to believe in God. As Bacon sagely put it in his essay "Of Atheism," "The Scripture saith, 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God'; it is not said, 'The fool hath thought in his heart.'" But when we say that we believe in God, we mean more than a mere intellectual assent, or a conviction that there is a God, for as James said, "The devils also believe, and tremble." When we say we believe in God, we mean that we adore and worship God as the Maker and Creator of all things, and that we trust Him and love Him as our Father in heaven, as the God who so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son to die for us.
It may be asked, Why discuss belief in God, since belief in God is the evidence of things not seen, and therefore beyond argument? The answer is that it is a deep satisfaction to feel the ground of faith under our feet. Unlooked-for dangers and temptations and trials will assail us and put our faith to the test. The vicissitudes of life and the state of the world will sometimes taunt us and say to us, "Where is now thy God?" At such a time it is well to be able to give to others, and to ourselves, a reason for the faith that is in us.
How do we know God? There are three ways in which we learn of God: through Nature, through Man, and through Revelation. There are three Bibles which tell us of God: the Bible in Nature, the Bible in Man, and the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible in Nature
This is a Bible which is always open. By day its pag ...
God the Father
Clarence E. Macartney
Genesis 1:1
In the midst of the great storm at sea which finally drove the vessel on the rocks at Malta, Paul encouraged his fellow passengers and assured them that there would be no loss of life, for he said, "I believe God." It is a question if there is anyone living who does not believe in God. It is one thing to talk about disbelief in God, and argue about it, or boast of it; but it is another thing really not to believe in God. As Bacon sagely put it in his essay "Of Atheism," "The Scripture saith, 'The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God'; it is not said, 'The fool hath thought in his heart.'" But when we say that we believe in God, we mean more than a mere intellectual assent, or a conviction that there is a God, for as James said, "The devils also believe, and tremble." When we say we believe in God, we mean that we adore and worship God as the Maker and Creator of all things, and that we trust Him and love Him as our Father in heaven, as the God who so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son to die for us.
It may be asked, Why discuss belief in God, since belief in God is the evidence of things not seen, and therefore beyond argument? The answer is that it is a deep satisfaction to feel the ground of faith under our feet. Unlooked-for dangers and temptations and trials will assail us and put our faith to the test. The vicissitudes of life and the state of the world will sometimes taunt us and say to us, "Where is now thy God?" At such a time it is well to be able to give to others, and to ourselves, a reason for the faith that is in us.
How do we know God? There are three ways in which we learn of God: through Nature, through Man, and through Revelation. There are three Bibles which tell us of God: the Bible in Nature, the Bible in Man, and the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.
The Bible in Nature
This is a Bible which is always open. By day its pag ...
There are 15387 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
