Question: If God knew that Adam & Eve were going to sin, why did he let them sin?
How do we answer a question like this?
1. Whenever answering questions about God, we use the Bible...
We can't just "make things up" from whatever seems right. If we do, we will be constantly changing our minds - like the song "Tossed to and Fro"
The Bible isn't arranged by topic - unfortunately. We can't look up things like "How God thinks" or "What happened before the creation of the world"?
What we do see in the Bible is the things God has done.
We put as many of these together as we can
Ex: a jigsaw puzzle - the more you "fill in" the more you can see what the whole picture is about
2. ...and we use our minds.
"Based on what I know about God, what is the answer here?"
Q: Does God have to "make sense" - can I look at what God did in the Bible and know what he will do in the future?
A: Yes and no. If God wasn't predictable, we would have a hard time trusting him. But God can cause miracles, he can do the unexpected; he also cannot do certain things: lie, change, un-create himself, make a square circle, etc.
But, we generally use what we know God has done (the Bible) as a clue for what he will do in the future.
3. We should check with more than one person on tough questions
To see if their answers match
Because having things explained in more than one way will help you understand better
If God knew that Adam & Eve were going to sin, why did he let them sin?
1. Did God know?
Like our example from a couple of weeks ago, God is like a man sitting in a tower watching the parade go by - he sees the beginning, middle and end.
Some people believe "God doesn't know the future"
Others believe "God could know but he chooses not to" - like climbing down off the tower
I (Mark) believe that yes, God does know the future (although it isn't the future to him). Eph. 1:4 and other places talk of God making decisions before the start of time.
2. If he knew, why did God let them do it?
...because sin makes the world worse, and causes death, why wouldn't God prevent that?
A: God lets people make choices. Not trees or mountains - they make no choices. And animals don't make moral choices - no knowledge of right & wrong.
God won't take away our freedom to make moral choices. In the end, this makes him look even better!
Ex: Two teachers, Mr. X and Mr. Y
Teacher Mr. X never let his students make any mistakes. He watched over their shoulders as they worked and made everyone stay on the same problem at the same time. This frustrated the faster workers. As soon as it looked like someone was going to mis-spell a word or add something wrong, Mr. X would raise his voice and say, “STOP!” so they’d catch their mistake.
Mr. X gave all his students the questions to every test ahead of time. That way, they could just memorize all the answers. And wouldn’t you know it? Mr. X’s students all got As.
On the first day of school, Mr. X had his students write “Get Well” cards and “Thank You” cards. You know who they were for? For him! So when he came down with the flu in January, he got 30 get well cards from his students. And at the end of the year, he mailed the thank you cards to himself, too.
Teacher Mr. Y did the best he could to teach his students, but in the end, he let them be themselves. He knew that some kids were better at math than others, so he didn’t expect everyone to do things perfectly. Mr. Y would give homework, and have students do it on their own. Then, when it was graded, he let students come to him during recess or after school and work to fix their mistakes.
Mr. Y’s kids didn’t always do great on tests. But, a fair number did. And there were a few students who started the year not really liking school all that much who raised their grades to all As by the end of the year.
When Mr. Y went in the hospital to have his appendix out, half of the kids in his class sent him Get Well cards on their own. And at the end of the year, 20 out of 30 kids gave him some kind of Thank You gift.
What was being a student like in Mr. X's classroom? In Mr. Y's classroom?
Who was more loved by his students? Mr. Y - his students wrote him cards even though they didn't have to
Which teacher is more like God? Mr. Y. God wants us to love him, but he gives us the choice.
So...when a human chooses to love God, it makes God look great, because there were so many other things that person could have chosen to love.
God took a chance by giving us freedom...we might not choose him. But, to take away our choice would make us like robots. Then we wouldn't really be choosing to love him.
Rocks, trees, mountains - make us say, "God must be pretty cool"
Animals - make us say, "God is very cool"
A person who has chosen to love God even though they didn't have to - makes us say, "God must be awesome!"
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
October 25-26: Why did God decide to create us?
Why did God create us?
In smaller groups, look for the answers to these questions in your assigned passage:
1. Why did God decide to create us?
2. What were we created for?
3. How did God create us?
Passages: Psalm 33:6-11, Ephesians 1:3-6, Acts 17:24-28
1. Not reasons God created us:
He was bored
He was lonely
He needed people to make him feel good by praising him
Acts 17:24-25 – The God who made the world and everything in it is Lord of the universe and does not live in temples made by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, for he himself has given us life and breath and everything else.
We say that God is self-sufficient – in need of nothing and not needing others
If God is self-sufficient, he doesn’t need people.
That doesn’t mean, though, that people have no value. Just the opposite – our value comes from the fact that God loved us enough to create us.
Ex: Two instances about my dad and me
My dad owned a vegetable garden and would often need my help in the summertime. I didn’t like going and looked for excuses to get out of it. They even sometimes paid us to be there.
My dad invited me on a 7-hour car trip across the state when I was in 7th grade, to accompany him to a convention he was attending. He didn’t need me along, but he wanted me there.
Which of these is more like the relationship between God & us?
The car trip across the state is. God doesn’t need us to get his work done. That would make us equals in a sense, and allow us to bargain with God. We also develop a wrong attitude toward God – that our service is all he wants. Instead, God delights in just being with us.
You are not loved by God because you are valuable – You are valuable because you are loved by God!
2. So – why did God decide to create us?
Because it was his will (his decision), and his nature (he’s just being himself)
Ex: a creative person – poet, playwrite, artist – they often just create things, regardless of whether anyone will see it, hear it, or give them money for it. It’s just “who they are”. They decide to make something, and they do it.
3. But, there’s a difference between what God creates & what man creates.
What God created came from nothing…whatever man created (bikes, computers, milkshakes even!) came from the raw parts that were already there.
So, we can still thank God for things that came from man’s imagination & hands.
4. Did God create actions?
Ex: running? No, but he gave us the equipment and ability to run.
This is important: how we use things, how we act – are the result of human decisions.
5. All created things are “good”, but can be used for right/wrong purposes
Gen. 1, 1 Tim. 4:4 say everything God created is “good”
So what about – fire? (Good for some purposes, bad for others) water? (good when you’re thirsty or dirty, harmful in floods and shipwrecks) spiders? (a nuisance, some people are scared of them; but, they serve a valuable purpose in nature) sharks? (same as spiders – bad when they attack people, good for the ocean’s ecosystem)
If God deserves thanks for the good, does he deserve blame for the bad? No – sometimes good things get used in bad ways…but this is the result of decisions
Next Week: Why does God allow these bad things to happen?
In smaller groups, look for the answers to these questions in your assigned passage:
1. Why did God decide to create us?
2. What were we created for?
3. How did God create us?
Passages: Psalm 33:6-11, Ephesians 1:3-6, Acts 17:24-28
1. Not reasons God created us:
He was bored
He was lonely
He needed people to make him feel good by praising him
Acts 17:24-25 – The God who made the world and everything in it is Lord of the universe and does not live in temples made by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, for he himself has given us life and breath and everything else.
We say that God is self-sufficient – in need of nothing and not needing others
If God is self-sufficient, he doesn’t need people.
That doesn’t mean, though, that people have no value. Just the opposite – our value comes from the fact that God loved us enough to create us.
Ex: Two instances about my dad and me
My dad owned a vegetable garden and would often need my help in the summertime. I didn’t like going and looked for excuses to get out of it. They even sometimes paid us to be there.
My dad invited me on a 7-hour car trip across the state when I was in 7th grade, to accompany him to a convention he was attending. He didn’t need me along, but he wanted me there.
Which of these is more like the relationship between God & us?
The car trip across the state is. God doesn’t need us to get his work done. That would make us equals in a sense, and allow us to bargain with God. We also develop a wrong attitude toward God – that our service is all he wants. Instead, God delights in just being with us.
You are not loved by God because you are valuable – You are valuable because you are loved by God!
2. So – why did God decide to create us?
Because it was his will (his decision), and his nature (he’s just being himself)
Ex: a creative person – poet, playwrite, artist – they often just create things, regardless of whether anyone will see it, hear it, or give them money for it. It’s just “who they are”. They decide to make something, and they do it.
3. But, there’s a difference between what God creates & what man creates.
What God created came from nothing…whatever man created (bikes, computers, milkshakes even!) came from the raw parts that were already there.
So, we can still thank God for things that came from man’s imagination & hands.
4. Did God create actions?
Ex: running? No, but he gave us the equipment and ability to run.
This is important: how we use things, how we act – are the result of human decisions.
5. All created things are “good”, but can be used for right/wrong purposes
Gen. 1, 1 Tim. 4:4 say everything God created is “good”
So what about – fire? (Good for some purposes, bad for others) water? (good when you’re thirsty or dirty, harmful in floods and shipwrecks) spiders? (a nuisance, some people are scared of them; but, they serve a valuable purpose in nature) sharks? (same as spiders – bad when they attack people, good for the ocean’s ecosystem)
If God deserves thanks for the good, does he deserve blame for the bad? No – sometimes good things get used in bad ways…but this is the result of decisions
Next Week: Why does God allow these bad things to happen?
Friday, October 17, 2008
October 18-19: Who Created God? and Where did God come from?
The Big Idea: Unlike people, God had no creator, he has no beginning and he will have no end.
Who created God? No one did
Then, where did he come from? He has always existed
In groups, look at passages:
1. What does this tell us about the age of God?
2. What does this tell us about who created God?
3. What does this tell us about how God is different from humans?
1. Without something at the beginning, absolutely nothing real could exist.
If we take something made, and ask - "what made this?" and then continue back...there has to be something at the beginning. That "beginning thing" is God.
So >>> God is not created.
2. Because nothing made God, he was never born and doesn't get any older
We call that "infinite"...which is different from being "old"
Infinite is the biggest number, bigger than any other. You can always add 1 to any number to get a bigger number. But not infinity. Infinity + 1 is still infinity. So, it's not correct to say that God is old, he is just infinite.
So >>> God is eternal.
3. Because God is eternal and not created, he holds a special place above (and outside of) the universe.
Ex: think of a special event you've attended (Harvest Party, Christmas Party, birthday party). While you're having fun and not knowing what will come next, someone knows. Someone set it all up, is in charge schedule and safety, hosting, decorating...someone is the organizer.
In the same way >> God is the maker (the organizer, the host) of the world:
Caution: sometimes we stop short of thankfulness to God by simply being thankful only that we have certain things. This is coveting - loving something in a selfish way. True thankfulness takes our love for whatever it is - a possession, another person, a favorite activity - and follows it back to its source, which is God.
Who created God? No one did
Then, where did he come from? He has always existed
In groups, look at passages:
- Acts 17:24-25 and Acts 17:29
- Colossians 1:15-16
- Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:26-28
- Psalm 90:1-4
- John 1:1-3
1. What does this tell us about the age of God?
2. What does this tell us about who created God?
3. What does this tell us about how God is different from humans?
1. Without something at the beginning, absolutely nothing real could exist.
If we take something made, and ask - "what made this?" and then continue back...there has to be something at the beginning. That "beginning thing" is God.
So >>> God is not created.
2. Because nothing made God, he was never born and doesn't get any older
We call that "infinite"...which is different from being "old"
Infinite is the biggest number, bigger than any other. You can always add 1 to any number to get a bigger number. But not infinity. Infinity + 1 is still infinity. So, it's not correct to say that God is old, he is just infinite.
So >>> God is eternal.
3. Because God is eternal and not created, he holds a special place above (and outside of) the universe.
Ex: think of a special event you've attended (Harvest Party, Christmas Party, birthday party). While you're having fun and not knowing what will come next, someone knows. Someone set it all up, is in charge schedule and safety, hosting, decorating...someone is the organizer.
In the same way >> God is the maker (the organizer, the host) of the world:
- Gets to choose when it starts and ends
- Things that surprise us are not surprises to him
- Just as you thank the host of the party when you leave, God - who had no beginning, nothing before him - deserves all our thanks
Caution: sometimes we stop short of thankfulness to God by simply being thankful only that we have certain things. This is coveting - loving something in a selfish way. True thankfulness takes our love for whatever it is - a possession, another person, a favorite activity - and follows it back to its source, which is God.
Friday, October 10, 2008
October 11-12: Questions
This is the beginning of our "Ask Me Anything" series in which kids submit questions about God & life that we will answer in class.
Why is it helpful to my faith to ask questions?
1. It helps us understand and appreciate the world
Ex: My experience at a winter camp once. We arrived after dark and there were no street lights or yard lights - totally dark. I couldn't see my way to the bunks and I thought the camp was really lame. The next day, when the sun shone on it, I realized the full picture - what a great camp it was.
The more we know and can see things the way God sees them, the better our decisions will be.
"Wisdom" - comes from having more & better information.
God is perfectly wise - like a man sitting on a steeple or tower high above a parade.
Solomon knew to ask the Lord for wisdom - to make better decisions
Example of wisdom applied to a question:
"Is it ok for me to have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" God knows who you're going to marry one day, and it's almost always not the person you like when you're young! His better knowledge helps us make a decision.
"Can I be friends with someone who's different from me?" (different likes, disabled, etc.) Once you get to know someone and know their story, it's much easier to be their friend (yes, you can be friends with someone who's different!)
The bottom line: Sometimes a little more info helps us make a better decision
2. Understanding God helps us trust him better
Example: In the game, you guessed what items were in bags. If you knew what it was used for, that was a clue as to what it was. With God, we use "like" statements even though that never exactly describes what God is or what he does. We can never know exactly what God is like this side of heaven...1 Corinthians 13 says that now we see "through a glass darkly", or a poor reflection, but one day we will see God face to face.
Wrong beliefs about God cause us to act wrongly towards him
Example: "Candle wax" to eat - it was really caramel & taffy
When you expected it to be wax, you didn't want it; when you expected candy, you really wanted it. The Bible says God is good and every perfect gift comes from him, and he is not the maker of evil. If we don't know that, we might blame God for bad things or expect wrong things from him.
If you believe...
...that God only cares if you show up for church, but not how you live the rest of your life - you will be inconsistent - Jesus will never live out his life in you, and you will not grow.
...that God will not forgive anyone completely - you will then believe that no one can be sure of their salvation, and you will likely live your life nervous of God rather than joyfully and thankfully.
...that Satan is everywhere - you may believe that Satan has more power than he does, when in reality Satan can't be everywhere and Christ's victory over him is already assured.
One more thing...Does asking questions mean my faith is weak?
There is "simple" faith and "brainiac" faith - and either one is ok! Some people are satisfied with answers the first time they hear them. Others need to ask lots of questions to understand.
The point is not merely knowing the right answers, the point is whether you put what you believe into practice.
So, faith is like a chair - we're not really exercising faith until we sit in it and make our decisions because of it. God desires us to have confident faith (belief put into action), not a hesitant faith (no action from the belief).
Do you sit in your chair confidently, or hesitantly?
Why is it helpful to my faith to ask questions?
1. It helps us understand and appreciate the world
Ex: My experience at a winter camp once. We arrived after dark and there were no street lights or yard lights - totally dark. I couldn't see my way to the bunks and I thought the camp was really lame. The next day, when the sun shone on it, I realized the full picture - what a great camp it was.
The more we know and can see things the way God sees them, the better our decisions will be.
"Wisdom" - comes from having more & better information.
God is perfectly wise - like a man sitting on a steeple or tower high above a parade.
Solomon knew to ask the Lord for wisdom - to make better decisions
Example of wisdom applied to a question:
"Is it ok for me to have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" God knows who you're going to marry one day, and it's almost always not the person you like when you're young! His better knowledge helps us make a decision.
"Can I be friends with someone who's different from me?" (different likes, disabled, etc.) Once you get to know someone and know their story, it's much easier to be their friend (yes, you can be friends with someone who's different!)
The bottom line: Sometimes a little more info helps us make a better decision
2. Understanding God helps us trust him better
Example: In the game, you guessed what items were in bags. If you knew what it was used for, that was a clue as to what it was. With God, we use "like" statements even though that never exactly describes what God is or what he does. We can never know exactly what God is like this side of heaven...1 Corinthians 13 says that now we see "through a glass darkly", or a poor reflection, but one day we will see God face to face.
Wrong beliefs about God cause us to act wrongly towards him
Example: "Candle wax" to eat - it was really caramel & taffy
When you expected it to be wax, you didn't want it; when you expected candy, you really wanted it. The Bible says God is good and every perfect gift comes from him, and he is not the maker of evil. If we don't know that, we might blame God for bad things or expect wrong things from him.
If you believe...
...that God only cares if you show up for church, but not how you live the rest of your life - you will be inconsistent - Jesus will never live out his life in you, and you will not grow.
...that God will not forgive anyone completely - you will then believe that no one can be sure of their salvation, and you will likely live your life nervous of God rather than joyfully and thankfully.
...that Satan is everywhere - you may believe that Satan has more power than he does, when in reality Satan can't be everywhere and Christ's victory over him is already assured.
One more thing...Does asking questions mean my faith is weak?
There is "simple" faith and "brainiac" faith - and either one is ok! Some people are satisfied with answers the first time they hear them. Others need to ask lots of questions to understand.
The point is not merely knowing the right answers, the point is whether you put what you believe into practice.
So, faith is like a chair - we're not really exercising faith until we sit in it and make our decisions because of it. God desires us to have confident faith (belief put into action), not a hesitant faith (no action from the belief).
Do you sit in your chair confidently, or hesitantly?
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