God and Worldview Thinking:

1
Welcome Again!
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What does it take to make a Person Happy

• Some say add to your PossessionsMaterialism
• 2. Some say achieve happiness by cultivating
  moral and intellectual excellence, practice
  moderation, have the appropriate external
  goods-Character.
• Some say take away from your passionsBuddhism.
• 4. Some say redistribution of wealth, share a
  common goal-Marxism.
• 5. Others say redirect your Passions to
  God Christianity.

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According to Geisler

• An infinite thirst will never be satisfied
  with the finite.
• An eternal desire will never be content with
  the temporal.
• A quest for ultimate satisfaction will never
  be happy with anything less than the Ultimate.

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God and Worldview Thinking

• Nothing can discourage the appetite for divinity
  in the heart of man Albert Camus

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Consider this quote

• In his book, The Quest for God, historian and
  journalist Paul Johnson writes
• The existence or non-existence of God is the
  most important questions we humans are ever
  called to answer. If God does exist, and if in
  consequence we are called to another life when
  this one ends, a momentous set of consequences
  follows, which should affect every day, every
  moment almost, of our earthly existence. Our
  life then becomes a mere preparation for eternity
  and must be conducted throughout with our future
  in view.

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Consider this quote

• If, on the other hand, God does not exist,
  another momentous set of consequences follows.
  This life then becomes the only one we have, we
  have no duties or obligation except to ourselves,
  and we need weigh no other considerations except
  our own interest and pleasures. There are no
  commands to follow except what society imposes
  upon us, and even these we may evade if we can
  get away with in it. In a Godless world, there
  is no obvious basis for altruism of any kind
  moral anarchy takes over and the rule of the self
  prevails.
• The Quest for God A Personal Pilgrimage (New
  York Harper Collins, 1996), 1.

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Consider this following account

• In a frank interview with the Chicago
  Sun-Times, the famous atheist Will Durant
  admitted that the common man will fall to pieces
  morally if he thinks there is no God. On the
  other hand, said Durant, a man like me I
  survive morally because I retain the moral code
  that was taught me along with the religion, while
  I have discarded the religion, which was Roman
  Catholicism.

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Consider this following account

• Durant continued, You and I are living on a
  shadow because we are operating on the Christian
  ethical code which was given us, infused with the
  Christian faith. But what will happen to our
  children? We are not giving them an ethics
  warmed up with a religious faith. They are
  living on the shadow of a shadow. Cited from
  Norman Geisler, Is Man the Measure, 170-71.

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The Importance of Knowing Godconsider the
following statements from Dr. Geisler

• 1. The most important thing about us is what we
  think of God.
• 2. We cant be like God unless we know what
  God is like.
• 3. We cant know the true God unless we know
  the truth about God.
• 4. We cant recognize false gods unless we
  know the true God.
• 5. Idols are idols whether they are mental or
  metal.
• 6. We tend to become like the object we
  worship.
• 7. An ultimate commitment to anything less
  than ultimate will not ultimately satisfy.

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How do we define God?
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Well, consider your mindset

• When Scottish theologian John Baillie taught at
  Edinburgh University, he made it a practice to
  open his course on the doctrine of God with these
  words We must remember, in discussing God, that
  we cannot talk about Him without His hearing
  every word we say. We may be able to talk about
  others behind their backs, but God is everywhere,
  yes, even in this classroom. Therefore, in all
  our discussions we must be aware of His infinite
  presence, and talk about Him, as it were, before
  His face.

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Definition of God Westminster Confession of
Faith of the Reformed Churches

• There is but one living and true God, who is
  infinite in being and perfection, a most pure
  spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or
  passions, immutable, immense, eternal,
  incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy,
  most free, most absolute, working all things
  according to the counsel of his own immutable and
  most righteous will, for his own glory most
  loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering,
  abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving
  iniquity, transgression, and sin the rewarder of
  them that diligently seek him and withal most
  just and terrible in his judgments hating all
  sin, and who will be no means clear the guilty.

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Definition of God Charles Hodge

• "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and
  unchangeable, in His being wisdom, power,
  holiness, justice, goodness, and truth."
• Systematic Theology, 3 vols ( New York
  Charles Scribner, 1871) 1367.

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Definition of God Augustus H. Strong

• "God is the infinite and perfect Spirit in whom
  all things have their source, support, and end."
• Systematic Theology (1907) p. 52.

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Definition of God Robert Lightner

• God is Spirit. He is a living and active
  divine Person who is infinite, eternal, and
  unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power,
  holiness, justice, goodness, truth, and love. He
  can enjoy fellowship with persons He has created
  in His own image and redeemed by His grace, and
  He always acts in harmony with His perfect
  nature.
• God of the Bible and other gods (Grand Rapids
  Kregel, 1998),35.

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Doctrine of Last Things
Doctrine of Christ
Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
Doctrine of Scripture
Doctrine of the Church
Doctrine of Demons
Doctrine of Satan
Doctrine of Salvation

Doctrine of Humanity
Doctrine of Angels
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Conclusions

• Our life can rise no higher than our view of the
  Highest (God).
• Our life can be no more stable than its ultimate
  Foundation (God).
• Our life wont be ultimately satisfied with
  anything less than the Ultimate.