God's motivation

This Christian's view.The top-of-the-tree motivation God has in having created us (and all the rest of it) is founded, I believe, in love's expression. It would seem that the intrinsic nature of the truest of loves (God-type love) is to bring about joy for another. Such love desires to give and so God created beings in order that he could give the very best to them - namely himself. This, for the beings own sake - not for God's own satisfaction (although God would derive satisfaction).Having decided on that course, God needed to create free-willed beings who could take or leave what it is God had to give. That's not to say God couldn't think of alternatives - but the very best of relationships (relationship is needed in order that the person can recieve the very best there is to receive - God himself) involves a person freely choosing to engage in it.From there there was the FallAn outworking of the Fall see's everybody everborn equipped with exposure to what God is about: love, selflessness, joy, peace, contentment of a godly flavour .. and what God is not about: love, selfishness, spite, malice, discontentment of an ungodly flavour.People experience a hunger for the things that God is about: justice, righteousness, peace, rest and a hunger for the things that God is not about: self-promotion, material wealth, power, position. It is part of the plan.Everybody will make a decision as to which it is they will remain cleaved to or which it is they will long to be rid of. And God will grant each their hearts desire. Those whose heart's desire is the things of God will get God himself. Those whose heart's desire is the things that are opposed to God will get their heart's desire stripped of the things of God.This world is the preface. It's end will herald the beginning of the story God had in mind when he started it all. It's a story that will last for eternity.Edited by iano, : No reason given.

'Initial conditions' is an interesting topic to focus on - given how much flows from it. How many objections to Christianity find their root in jumping in part-way along, and so, suffer from poor foundations.- It's the saving function of sin that I find neat. Yes, there is condemnation attaching to sin but until 'the fat lady sings', a man's sin is utilized as a lever by God to try to him free him away from the clutches of his sin.Man breaks God's law (the laws restraint is exercised through conscience) and suffers consequences (pain, distress, guilt, shame). But it's the build up this pain, the pressure it exerts on man, which is utilized by God in his attempt to bring man to salvation. Fighting fire with fire, as it were.- I wonder what a person does when all their objections have been neutralized?- It's based on my own, first-hand experience of relationship God and when I glean from the pages of the bible. I don't think I'd be unique in holding to something approaching this view.Note that I'm stripping the story clear of the harsh realities I experience in my life as a believer, in order to give the distilled, helicopter-view of what I think God's motivation is. The very last line of the U2 song, "In God's country" sums up the day-to-day reality well. It tells us of Bono experiencing being "burned by the fire of love". Sign up with God and burned you most certainly will be by the experience. It will hurt.- My variant would see faith (as you appear to understand it) as something granted to you by God after you have been saved. In other words, after you are saved, God would supply you with the evidence you need to believe that, e.g. he exists / Christ is your saviour / the bible is the word of God / etc. Clearly that kind of faith isn't saving faith since the above is something given to you after you have been saved. Saving faith - the type you should be interested in - would appear to involve something that you can form beliefs about - quite aside from your having to believe anything with a 'religious' element to it. For example:Some people will maintain the view you currently have of yourself ("not perfect but all told, not such a bad chap - a 7 or 8 out of 10 perhaps") to the very end. An alternative is to be persuaded that the pride and selfishness that motivates so many of your thoughts and actions is a constant companion - a rabid dog that demands being fed by you all day every day. The only difference between the two types of person is that the one suppresses truths that God attempts to bring to light (and in so doing, evades the very conclusion of the rabid dog within) and the other one has given up suppressing. Stop suppressing truth and a life of shit will surely rise to the surface. Nothing is guaranteed to bring you to your knees faster than being swamped in a sea of truth about yourself Then there's the response you form to an emptiness 'installed in you' by God. An emptiness that can't be filled with anything the world has to offer. You can attempt to fill it and pretend you are satisfied. You can try say that such emptiness is just a part of life and that you just need to grin and bear it. You can create any number of purposes and meanings for a life that insists there is meaning .. or go the nihilistic route and say there is no ultimate meaning.Those are but two of the ways in which a person can construct their ultimate response to Gods inquiry of them. They can believe him or disbelieve him on these matters - without a requirement that they've even heard of Him.Neat, huh?

You sound rational. Stick around so..- Like I say, it's a pretty typical self-assessment that folk arrive at (even amongst serious criminals like rapists and murderers). Those that come to belief in the Christian God will in so coming (the Christian God indicates) have a somewhat dimmer view of themselves. The question is, whose self-assessment is objectively the correct one."Blessed are the poor in spirit (or 'have a very dim view of their moral worth') for theirs is the kingdom of God"- You are comfortable with your sin and selfishness and the burden of your sin appears to weigh lightly on your shoulders. As mentioned, the technical term for the means whereby you maintain this position is called "suppression of truth".The word 'suppression' and 'truth' are not accidental words. If sin truly is an ugly, stinking thing and you suppress it out of view then of course you won't recoil from it. Of course you'll live in harmony with it. Of course you won't see any problem with it.The outcome of the truth about your sin rising to the surface and into (your) full view isn't that you'll deign to accept Jesus' offer. Instead, the horror of it will have you run headlong and in desparation into his arms. All that has to happen is thata) your sin be tremendously ugly and smellyb) your sin become completely visible to you.Both of the above are eminently possible so I wouldn't be too dogmatic on what can or cannot occur.- If you don't feel you can do enough to fill yourself to satisfaction then you're agreeing exactly with what I'm saying. If there always is a hunger that can't quite be filled then you are singing from the same hymnsheet as me.Now I'll grant that this hunger isn't necessarily one that drives you to the distraction that has you kneel at the Lords feet. Not all will be saved and not all will be saved this minute. But you are testifying to the presence of the basic elements involved in salvation: With God there is plenty more to find out, plenty more to hunger for. But it's a different kind of appetite and a different kind of filling. The things of the world aren't designed to fill in the way the Lord does.- Your responses are those of a lost person - there's nothing particularly unusual in their general thrust. All lost people get a chance of salvation.Although I wouldn't have the temerity to suggest where you might be along the path, I'd wager that someone who scored themselves a good degree less that you do and who found the worlds treasures didn't fill an ache inside ... was further down it than you yourself. That's the territory I occupied shortly before I fell to my knees and my story would sound a common resonance with those who are found.