The Character of God

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

Soyeong

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2023
1,348
182
63
We embody what we believe to be true about the God through our works, such as with James 2:18 saying that he would show his faith through his works. In other words, the way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits. For example, by being a doer of good works in obedience to the Law of Moses we are embodying God's goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by embodying God's goodness we are also embodying the belief that God is good. Likewise, the way to believe that God is compassionate is by being compassionate (Luke 6:36), the way to believe that God is holy as by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and so forth. The Son the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses. So does the God that you believe in have the character traits that the Law of Moses was given to teach us how to embody? If so, then your goal should be to know Him by embodying His character traits in accordance with Christ's example of obedience to the Law of Moses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: markss
We embody what we believe to be true about the God through our works, such as with James 2:18 saying that he would show his faith through his works. In other words, the way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits.
Your second sentence does not logically follow your first. There is no causal connection.

Likewise, the way to believe that God is compassionate is by being compassionate
Again, this does not follow.

the way to believe that God is holy as by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and so forth.
We believe in God by accepting as true what we are told about Him. When was Abram counted as righteous? When he acted in accordance with God's character? No; when he believed (Genesis 15:6).

The Son the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses.
I could find only one English version that uses "character" in this verse; most say "nature" which isn't quite the same thing. It's a stretch to say that Jesus embodied God's character, if He did not also embody everything else about God (other than what could not be embodied).

Jesus was indeed sinless, but there is much more to Him. He also did much more than merely demonstrate how to walk in obedience to the Law.

So does the God that you believe in have the character traits that the Law of Moses was given to teach us how to embody?
That's a misleading question, because the Law of Moses was not given to us.

It was given to ancient Israel, not to modern gentiles.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gideon300
We embody what we believe to be true about the God through our works, such as with James 2:18 saying that he would show his faith through his works. In other words, the way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits. For example, by being a doer of good works in obedience to the Law of Moses we are embodying God's goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by embodying God's goodness we are also embodying the belief that God is good. Likewise, the way to believe that God is compassionate is by being compassionate (Luke 6:36), the way to believe that God is holy as by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and so forth. The Son the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses. So does the God that you believe in have the character traits that the Law of Moses was given to teach us how to embody? If so, then your goal should be to know Him by embodying His character traits in accordance with Christ's example of obedience to the Law of Moses.

You keep spouting your legalistic nonsense. This is Jesus Himself said:

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In case you don't know, the one that God sent Is Jesus. You put your faith in Moses instead. Jesus is Lord, not Moses.
 
You keep spouting your legalistic nonsense. This is Jesus Himself said:

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In case you don't know, the one that God sent Is Jesus. You put your faith in Moses instead. Jesus is Lord, not Moses.
The way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits, which is exactly the same as the way to believe in the Son, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His charter (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses. The same God who gave the Law to Moses also sent Jesus as the promised see to bless us by turning us from our wickedness in disobedience to it (Acts 3:25-26), so there is no disagreement. It is contradictory to think that we should put our faith Jesus instead of what he taught or to think that we should put our faith in God's Word made flesh instead of in God's Word.
 
  • Like
Reactions: markss
The way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits, which is exactly the same as the way to believe in the Son, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His charter (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses. The same God who gave the Law to Moses also sent Jesus as the promised see to bless us by turning us from our wickedness in disobedience to it (Acts 3:25-26), so there is no disagreement. It is contradictory to think that we should put our faith Jesus instead of what he taught or to think that we should put our faith in God's Word made flesh instead of in God's Word.
You are clueless. I and others have refuted your false beliefs often enough. I won't go over it again. My only intent now is to help others who may be persuaded by your false doctrine
 
You are clueless. I and others have refuted your false beliefs often enough. I won't go over it again. My only intent now is to help others who may be persuaded by your false doctrine
Being dismissive of my beliefs is not at all the same as refuting them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: markss
You keep spouting your legalistic nonsense. This is Jesus Himself said:

Jesus replied, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In case you don't know, the one that God sent Is Jesus. You put your faith in Moses instead. Jesus is Lord, not Moses.
But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. John5:45&46
 
In other words, the way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits.

Here's the way to believe in God:
... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (KJV)

The only thing you can embody before believing in God is your load of sin and the terrifying anticipation of its penalty.
 
Here's the way to believe in God:
... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (KJV)

The only thing you can embody before believing in God is your load of sin and the terrifying anticipation of its penalty.
Hearing is not just about listening to the word of God but about hearing and doing it, which is in accordance with what I've stated. In Romans 10:16, it speaks against those who do not obey the Gospel.
 
But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. John5:45&46
Jesus asked how we can believe him if we don't believe Moses. I believe both, but what is your answer to that question?
 
All I've done is refer you to the scriptures. Your disagreement is with God, not me.
Multiple people can all affirm the truth of the same verse while being in disagreement about how it should be interpreted, so my disagreement is not with God but with how you are interpreting the Bible in a way that turns it against obeying what God has commanded. Do you really think that God is in disagreement with the position that we should obey what He has commanded? Do you think that God wants our disobedience?
 
  • Like
Reactions: markss
Quote the scripture please

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
 
John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
What's your point? Moses testified about Jesus in Deut18
 
You seem rather selective in what you believe in regard to what Moses wrote.
The pharisees set their hope of Heaven on Moses/obeying the law handed down at Sanai, though in truth they hinged it on the legalistic side of the law/mosaic law/outward obedience, for they did not obey the moral law, as Jesus said, they cleaned the outside of the cup, so, if they believed Moses, they should have believed on Jesus for Moses wrote about him.
 
Hearing is not just about listening to the word of God but about hearing and doing it, which is in accordance with what I've stated. In Romans 10:16, it speaks against those who do not obey the Gospel.
Is the opening of understanding part of hearing?
 
We embody what we believe to be true about the God through our works, such as with James 2:18 saying that he would show his faith through his works. In other words, the way to believe in God is by embodying His character traits. For example, by being a doer of good works in obedience to the Law of Moses we are embodying God's goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by embodying God's goodness we are also embodying the belief that God is good. Likewise, the way to believe that God is compassionate is by being compassionate (Luke 6:36), the way to believe that God is holy as by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and so forth. The Son the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of Moses. So does the God that you believe in have the character traits that the Law of Moses was given to teach us how to embody? If so, then your goal should be to know Him by embodying His character traits in accordance with Christ's example of obedience to the Law of Moses.

This reminds me of

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 LITV
17) And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18) But we all with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord Spirit.

Seeing the Lord reflected in us changes us into that same image.

Much love!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Soyeong