"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
"No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.
"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also."
1 John 4:7-21
How difficult it is to love! How easy it is to know we have to do it, to say it. But it is next to impossible to do it. John gives a good reminder that inspires and defines for us what life we should be living. If we chase after anything, it should be love. For God is love. This is the contemplation on the eve of 2009.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Showing posts with label FAQs about Christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FAQs about Christianity. Show all posts
Friday, January 01, 2010
Monday, December 15, 2008
Monday, October 15, 2007
Models that Account for the Same Data: The God Account
In reference to my post about models that account for the same data, one possible explanation for why there are so many religions is because of the principal component function in our minds (refer to the post). Here, we have the same data. But we refer to different dimensions to explain the data. Sometimes even omitting certain dimensions. Such omissions would lead to certain biases in explaining the data. And to the extent that the bias is critical (that is, to the extent that these biases are necessary for accounting for the truth), our explanation of the data will be off from reality. To the extent that the biases are not critical, we will not be off from reality.
The most accurate model therefore, is the one that most closely matches reality. Yet how are we to know reality? This is the problem of knowledge. Can we truly ever know anything since we are limited to our senses, five in all, and perhaps a little more. We have 5 dimensional information, and perhaps a little more. What if the data were more multi-dimensioned than our senses can experience? Even if we had secondary ways of measuring data from dimensions beyond our perception, our experience is still bounded by our perceptions. Thus, it appears that to ascertain reality, we need to transcend our 5 senses. But even then, how many senses or dimensions should we transcend? In theory, infinite. Which is of course, flatly impossible.
Therefore, the question is not about empirical proof anymore. We realize empiricism, limited to 5 senses, cannot ascertain reality. Really, all empiricism does is to come up with models to account for data within the 5 senses. Which has no consequence on reality itself.
We are back to the question: How can we know what reality is?
The most accurate model therefore, is the one that most closely matches reality. Yet how are we to know reality? This is the problem of knowledge. Can we truly ever know anything since we are limited to our senses, five in all, and perhaps a little more. We have 5 dimensional information, and perhaps a little more. What if the data were more multi-dimensioned than our senses can experience? Even if we had secondary ways of measuring data from dimensions beyond our perception, our experience is still bounded by our perceptions. Thus, it appears that to ascertain reality, we need to transcend our 5 senses. But even then, how many senses or dimensions should we transcend? In theory, infinite. Which is of course, flatly impossible.
Therefore, the question is not about empirical proof anymore. We realize empiricism, limited to 5 senses, cannot ascertain reality. Really, all empiricism does is to come up with models to account for data within the 5 senses. Which has no consequence on reality itself.
We are back to the question: How can we know what reality is?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Why did Jesus Christ have to die?
There are many aspects to this question, but I would first deal with the most direct one and leave the rest for later comments and feedback.
Christ died because of our sin. Therefore, first we have to know what sin is. Sin is not just doing "bad" things like stealing, lying, or even killing. The core of sin is not knowing God as God. We all have sinned in that we all are born into this world not immediately knowing who God is, and not immediately acknowledging Him. All of us, at one point in our lives, were separate from God. This is a result of the original sin from Adam. But the sin also lies on us as well.
The result of our sin, is our death. Not just physical death, but death as separation. That is, once we are separated from God, we remain always separated. The problem is that God does not have sin, and therefore there is separation. On the other hand, God does not think that this separation is totally good. It is better for us to be with Him. So He worked out a way for us to be with Him again, even though we have sinned. The answer is Jesus.
Jesus Christ is God. Although He is God, He took on our sin, and died. This at once forms a bridge. It is both shocking as well as beautiful all at once, because God who cannot even have a hint of sin, took on our sin. And God, in whom is life itself, died. This might sound impossible, or ridiculous, or contradictory at first. But consider that there is a lot about God we don't fully understand. Furthermore, what is impossible to man, is possible to God. To live and die at the same time, to be pure but tainted at the same time. This is a radical concept, that perhaps we can slightly identify with in the form of our own emotions. How we can feel so completely elated but hollow, sad and happy, worried but at peace, angry yet in love, hate but respectful. How we can be many persons yet the same person at one time. Is it any more impossible for God to have this characteristic too but in infinite terms?
In any case, once Christ died, we see that the separation is made null, because God crossed over to our side, and in doing so, brought us back to Him. There is identification and acknowledgment. There is also a form of payment, as it were. A ransom for the price of sin. Sin meant death for us, but in our stead, Christ died. Ironically, it is Christ/God that defined that sin means death. So in essence, He was both fulfilling His own law as well as abolishing Himself and His law.
The story doesn't end there of course, because Christ also rose again from the dead.
Christ died because of our sin. Therefore, first we have to know what sin is. Sin is not just doing "bad" things like stealing, lying, or even killing. The core of sin is not knowing God as God. We all have sinned in that we all are born into this world not immediately knowing who God is, and not immediately acknowledging Him. All of us, at one point in our lives, were separate from God. This is a result of the original sin from Adam. But the sin also lies on us as well.
The result of our sin, is our death. Not just physical death, but death as separation. That is, once we are separated from God, we remain always separated. The problem is that God does not have sin, and therefore there is separation. On the other hand, God does not think that this separation is totally good. It is better for us to be with Him. So He worked out a way for us to be with Him again, even though we have sinned. The answer is Jesus.
Jesus Christ is God. Although He is God, He took on our sin, and died. This at once forms a bridge. It is both shocking as well as beautiful all at once, because God who cannot even have a hint of sin, took on our sin. And God, in whom is life itself, died. This might sound impossible, or ridiculous, or contradictory at first. But consider that there is a lot about God we don't fully understand. Furthermore, what is impossible to man, is possible to God. To live and die at the same time, to be pure but tainted at the same time. This is a radical concept, that perhaps we can slightly identify with in the form of our own emotions. How we can feel so completely elated but hollow, sad and happy, worried but at peace, angry yet in love, hate but respectful. How we can be many persons yet the same person at one time. Is it any more impossible for God to have this characteristic too but in infinite terms?
In any case, once Christ died, we see that the separation is made null, because God crossed over to our side, and in doing so, brought us back to Him. There is identification and acknowledgment. There is also a form of payment, as it were. A ransom for the price of sin. Sin meant death for us, but in our stead, Christ died. Ironically, it is Christ/God that defined that sin means death. So in essence, He was both fulfilling His own law as well as abolishing Himself and His law.
The story doesn't end there of course, because Christ also rose again from the dead.
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