How much should I know about God?

leahmariepierce · May 8, 2019

I want to keep knowing more and more about God and his sovereignty. I am starting to understand how much he controls but I don’t ever want to think I know enough. I am just thinking so much about everything that happens in my life from the smallest things and realizing that coincidences don’t exist. God controls every little thing. But I worry that I’m preoccupied on trying to understand why the littlest things happen. Can we ever really know?

Stranger36147 · May 8, 2019

As long as you're alive, you'll know as much as He wants you to know, I suppose. Maybe read the Bible and/or pray if you want to know more about Him.

Hamilton · May 20, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

Hi Leah...

Are you an independent learner, or do you have access to teachers in your congregation? If you have trusted teachers you can ask them to point you to particular sites where you can explore more the topics of your interest at leisure.

If you are an independent learner, then it can be a little trickier. You can get tons of information about your topics of interest using Google or other engine, the problem then is ascertaining what is good from not so good info.

Sovereign of God: much debated and interesting topic.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So one of the good work for you maybe is to learn more about God so that eventually you can have a personal experience with the Holy Spirit of God.

In some traditions they got the story as such:

When Adam and Eve were in Eden before the fall, the Holy Spirit of God was indwelling them, and that allowed them to have fellowship with God.
After the transgression, the Holy Spirit (HS) left them, and the fellowship with God was lost.

Jesus came to die for our transgressions, so we could receive pardon, and to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, so we could restore the fellowship with God.

So for some traditions, knowing about God should lead you to wanting to get the baptism of the Holy Spirit to have actual fellowship with God.

Then the Holy Spirit should guide you in your daily life, so you get the divine perspective of things and act according to the Holy Spirit counsel.

He can bring to your mind memorized verses, pious friends that share some useful information, or may hear a particular applicable sermon in the radio in the car.

More devout believers have actually heard God's voice offering advice, counsel, warning, etc.

When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, if your mission in life calls for a ministry, then the HS will bestow gifts to you so you can carry out the mission.

To learn more about gifts of the Holy Spirit just look it up in Google or other search engine.

Remember just like good synagogue Bereans did (Acts 17: 10 - 12), whatever message of God you receive by any means, it has to jibe with the Bible, the Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself.

Thus beside praying, fasting, and studying theology, knowledge of the Bible is very useful.

See, many things that are not that great happen because persons are outside God's covering, they voluntarily have stayed away from God's sovereign rule in that particular human heart.

It is not about rules and following, it is about something greater: Romans 5:5. Jesus accused the Pharisees of not having the Love of God in their hearts, and you only get that through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will patiently and benignly help you make it along the holiness highway.

Hope this helps.

leahmariepierce · May 20, 2019

Thank you but I feel like you may have judged me inaccurately. I’m certain the Holy Spirit indwells me. I am pretty knowledgeable but I have difficulties explaining myself all of the time. I don’t watch tv or movies. All I do is read the Bible, pray and read books about the Bible recommended by people that seem to know more than me. I spend time with family in my spare time and I am looking for more people that have strong faith. What resources would you recommend? I currently get most of my answers at desiringgod.org

Hamilton · May 20, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

I am not sure what denomination or tradition you relate to you. I meant no offense in my answer. From a Spirit led view:

Phillips, R. (1999). Awakened by the spirit: reclaiming the forgotten gift of god.

"The key to my whole new life was the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Others may choose another name for this experience, but I choose the biblical name. God came on me afresh and ushered me into His presence. I gained a more intimate walk with the Lord through this powerful release of God’s presence on my life.

I believe that this climactic special moment is a mark on all of God’s powerful servants of the past. Many speak of God’s anointing as a sacred moment and the beginning of a new realm of ministry for them.

One of these mighty servants of history was R. A. Torrey. Torrey had been a Christian in the ministry for years when suddenly in the course of his Bible study, he found his attention strongly attracted to phrases in Scripture such as “filled with the Spirit,” “the gift of the Holy Spirit,” and “the Holy Spirit fell upon them.”

He wrote of his subsequent quest for the power of God in his own life:

As I studied the subject still further, I became convinced that they described an experience which I did not myself possess, and I went to work to secure for myself the experience thus described. I sought earnestly that I might be “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” I went at it very ignorantly. I have often wondered if anyone ever went at it more ignorantly than I did. But while I was ignorant, I was thoroughly sincere and in earnest, and God met me, as He always meets the sincere and earnest soul, no matter how ignorant he may be. God gave me what I sought; I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. And the result was a transformed Christian life and a transformed ministry.

Phillips, R. (1999). Awakened by the spirit: reclaiming the forgotten gift of god. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

If you want to know more about different traditions:

https://www.logos.com/product/27749/survivors-guide-to-theology

not excessively technical, but give a good overview of different traditions, and what may not be aligned with the Bible about them.

If you have Logos Bible software, you could always go to the forums to get advice on more resources that can help you deal with particular interests:

https://community.logos.com/forums/p/181028/1049625.aspx#1049625

Logos Bible software is a little pricey, but is unsurpassed in proximity searching:

https://www.logos.com/product/50304/zondervan-counterpoints-series-upgrade-ii

Browsing through Logos product pages and Faithlife e books, can give you an idea of concepts that then you can look up in a search engine like Google to get more information.

https://ebooks.faithlife.com/search?query=sovereign

If you are interested in systematic theology:

https://thirdmill.org/seminary/lesson.asp/vs/BST/ln/1

There are many sites that have interesting stuff:

http://helpmewithbiblestudy.org/15search/Topic.aspx#sthash.5hHDjyr0.dpbs

You also have this chat site, if you have specific questions you can look up threads that deal with such topics.

In some threads in the Logos Bible software Forums there is info that seems helpful:

https://community.logos.com/forums/p/72739/506678.aspx#506678

Hope some of the above is of help.

leahmariepierce · May 20, 2019

Thank you so very much. I have a lot to learn!

Hamilton · May 20, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

Is great that you are humble, we all need to learn, but more important we all need the baptism of the Holy Spirit, to restore fellowship with God and do good service in gratitude for His free gift of salvation.

At the same time do not shortchange yourself, maybe you have valuable experiences that can help other believers gain clarity, grow, celebrate and bear good fruit.

Blessings for you and your family.

DustyRhodes · May 21, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

It is not how much you know about God, It is how much you know God.
To know God intimately, it is necessary to surrender your earthly life
and then grasp your spiritual life. As Paul says in scripture " We become
a new life and God is in us and we are in Him. " So that is as close as we
can get. That means we can say " Good morning Daddy, I love you. So
to get there it is prayer, prayer and more prayer. But not only petition
prayer but mainly meditation prayer. The peace and love of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you.

p

Pemican · May 23, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

I wouldn't get obsessed with trying to understand every little event. Sovereignty is just one of ten aspects of divine essence. Most if not all of them are very difficult for the finite human mind to understand. We get a glimpse now and in eternity a much greater understanding.

The essence of God consists of: sovereignty, righteousness, justice, love, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability, and veracity.

But God also gave you freewill and probably most of the events you observe are the result of your own decisions, good or bad.

Pemican · May 23, 2019

Sorry, I left out one of the ten essence of God characteristics: eternal life.

theanointedwinner · May 24, 2019

https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/immeasurable.184774/

This thread

Subhumanoidal · May 24, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

You explain yourself fine, at least in this thread, in contradiction to your claim otherwise (in a different post). This misunderstanding is commonplace here, where people often seem to assume the worst in others and thus make judgments.

I would have to agree with You. Being too preoccupied with the tiniest details can actually be a Distraction from learning. Often times it's better to start broad and as you grow in broader knowledge it creates a bridge to more detail. But it's true, you will not understand all of it. Nor are you meant to. And sometimes you aren't meant to understand something Now, but perhaps it will be revealed later, when you're ready, or possibly even more capable. It's as the bible talks about newer believers getting 'milk' and longer term believers needing 'meat'. Feed meat to a baby and it chokes, feed milk to an adult and it starves.

leahmariepierce · May 25, 2019

Thank you. I really like how you put that. That makes a lot of sense

theanointedwinner · May 25, 2019

God is endlessly more that what anyone can possibly interact with

And we can be thankful for immeasurable amount of freedom

posthuman · May 25, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

this is life eternal:
that they might know Thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent
(John 17:3)

dcontroversal · May 25, 2019

leahmariepierce said:

The truth.....I am 52 and we never stop learning unless we quit digging into the truth.....like mining.....keep digging and there are gems galore to find.........!!

theanointedwinner · May 25, 2019

dcontroversal said:

God is so praiseworthy that words can never adequately praise him, saints can spend all eternity for the sole purpose of praising God and there's still many left to praise as God change from glory to glory, and souls will love heaven so much all they will think of is "more, more, more" because they really, really like being there.

theanointedwinner · May 25, 2019

Is it any coincidence that Mark 1:1-8 is like a fast forwarded version of John 1-3 on account of John the Baptist?

theanointedwinner · May 25, 2019

Mark 1:12-13 is already Matthew 4 in the wilderness, Mark is fast!

At Mark or Mach speed

But speed does not equal comprehension

theanointedwinner · May 25, 2019

the ground feels endlessly big
the sky feels endlessly big

God is endlessly big

so bit, I feel small

yet, I'm still significant because God care enough about me to sustain me

and, all I have to do is trust him.

Learn to trust the awe of God

Psalms 46:10 - be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the Nations, I will be exalted in all the Earth

How much should I know about God?

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