The God That Paul Marketed Over Time.

What does that even mean? You've been asked that before yet never really given an answer that was not just more word salad. What does that even mean? You've been asked that before yet never really given an answer that was not just more word salad.How can anyone tell they are eternally in communion with god? What news is even there? How can that be distinguished from the reality of maple flubbergigiedi eternally in communion with humanity is big news indeed and a worthwhile truism? Again...What Communion? What message?You never present a message in any of your posts.

It is you who sees it as word salad. I don't know whether you are simply challenging the standard pat answers or whether you actually don't understand what it means.Do you believe that Jesus exists? Today?I understand you don't know or have any way of knowing. I am asking what you believe. Is Jesus alive?(In that He was raised from the Dead)
Are you having trouble fitting your belief within what you know of science?

I think I may have even asked you to explain what it means.What does "I will state that I believe the truth to be Jesus Christ...the eternally living truth." even mean?

To me, it means that Jesus is the solution to my problems. Jesus is God made man. He understands everything i go through. He knows that if I get closer with Him, I will gain wisdom, patience, and the ability to solve many of my challenges. I dont trust the secular world and could not even imagine a life without belief.

Look at that.What does "Jesus is the solution to my problems" even mean. How will Jesus solve your problems?What does "Jesus is God made man. He understands everything i go through. " even mean? Jesus may well have been God made man at one time but Jesus is definitely not a man now. And even if Jesus does understand everything humans go through, what does that mean? How would that affect anyone? Yet we all need to solve our problems anyway. How does getting closer to Jesus help? How can Jesus give wisdom (you still need to actually learn) or patience (you still need to endure and accept).

The Ark was the answer to Noah's problems. Who built the Ark?

Dr. James Rosscup wrote an entire book, Abiding in Christ [Zondervan]. He notes (pp. 106-126) that it includes both the concept of time and that of quality. The time factor means that this isn’t a quick fix to solve all your problems. It isn’t a remedy to pull off the shelf when things aren’t going well, only to be put back on the shelf once life is back on track. Abiding in Christ is a lifelong relationship with Him. You’re in it for the long haul.I suppose that now you will ask how to have a relationship with a man no longer on earth. The key here is to ask the Holy Spirit. Dont read the Bible as if you are studying ancient manuscripts written by humans.

I think I may have even asked that once or twice. But was there an answer? And how do you ask the Holy Spirit?And why not read the Bible as the collection of ancient manuscripts written by humans, selected by humans, edited by humans, redacted by humans and compiled by humans?

Are you suggesting that Noah had to solve all of his own problems without Gods help?What does the scripture tell us about Pauls belief on Who runs the show---was it Paul or was it Christ?I would suggest that Noah could have done nothing without the help of a living God speaking to his heart,mind, and soul.

Whether or not he needed God's help is a separate question. The point is that if he didn't DO something, he would have been dead.Of course, the story DOESN'T say that God helped Noah to build the ark or that God helped the ark to ride out the storm. As far as we know, all God did was CAUSE the problem. That's just something you're making up. It's the emptiest of empty beliefs. What difference does it make who "runs" the show? The actors ARE the show.

And the messenger is the message.

Non sequitur.

First of all you need to believe that He is listening. Prayer is the usual way to ask. Are you going to ask me how I know to whom I am talking?The answer again is belief. In essence, asking the Holy Spirit is the same as asking GOD the Father. Im not saying to be willfully ignorant. Many of us believe that the compilation known as the Bible is Gods way of speaking to humanity. If you have a better source, by all means tell us.And if you say logic, reason, and reality, I would argue that God gave us those things yet not to arrive at conclusions ourselves without Him. This presupposes that the Bible contains His wisdom and not simply stuff that humans made up.

Again, you answer with lots of words but no meaning or evidence and in fact using quotes that refute your position.You present a reasonable test though and that is "look and see what the reality of the response is"; see if you get bread or a stone; not what you believe is bread or a stone but what can be verified independently to be either bread or a stone. That is such a cop out answer Phat. The only purpose for having the ability to make decisions based on logic, reason & reality is by definition to make decisions based on those factors not on what some source tells you.And if you wish to assert that the Bible contains His wisdom then you need to explain why that wisdom is often contradictory, factually false and marketing a God that is an immoral tyrant.You most certainly are saying that you must be willfully ignorant.

Are you saying that millions of Christians are willfully ignorant in their quest to know and listen to GOD? Or are you saying that the GOD they claim to know is a figment of their imagination? While I've seen many deluded people...some who have even posted on this Forum...I would be stretching the conclusion were I to agree that the bible is as you say.Im not saying that you dont have some evidence to support your claim, but I am challenging the conclusions that you have arrived at. Now as to how to refute your claim and support my own is the challenge...and I will admit it won't be easy to do. I could of course cite many of the scholars and men and women who have read the bible as much as you have and yet who have concluded differently. For evidence, I could offer stories of many who get along just fine believing that the Lord Jesus is alive through the words of the books. I could even claim that the world is involved in a spiritual war of sorts...though i have no solid proof as of yet that this is happening. As you have recently said, you follow the evidence wherever it may lead whereas I try and gather evidence only to support my position.You claim that you are likely wrong in your idea of who and what GOD is and does, and I would be wise to also lay my certainty of my belief on the proverbial altar.All that I have in my defense is that what I believe, how I pray, and most importantly what i DO is the result of an examined faith. In answer to your ongoing question of what it means to allow the living Christ to abide in me, all I can offer is my life as evidence. I feel that I am trying to do the best that I am capable of doing.