FIVE POINTS ON HOW TO RESPOND TO UNTRUTHS.

In 1993 when we were studying 1 Timothy chapter 4 our teacher then gave us five points on how we are to respond to untruths.

Let me share them with you.

1]We must know what this false teaching is.

2]We must not be afraid to condemned it.

3]We must show why it is wrong.

4]We must be faithful in guiding those we lead to proper response to these false teaching.

5]We must make sure that we are constantly exposed to the true teachings.

I have found two groups who are doing exactly this on face book.The are called Remove the false teaching from your christian bookstore's wall and Exposing false prophets-Reformation Christians against TBN.

THE IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD ISAIAH 57:15

There is a need of having the right concept of God. Having a wrong view or vague view of God can affect our faith, the way we worship, preach, teach and even our practical theology.

Towards the end of last year. A street preacher was classed by a news paper vendor and watchmen at our gate here in Savanah because of his vague view of God. He was referring to God repeated as daddy (sheng budaa).

There is a need for us to balance how far our God is and also how near is our God.

“Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he was compared himself with God’s majesty. “ John Calvin.

Let us now look at these two attributes or character of God.

Immanence:

Stresses God’s presences and activity within nature and history (Acts 17:26-28) Job 27:3) 34:14-15. God sustains our every moment. “He has not wound the would and escaped . [ You can read about God’s providence) Beloved God is the God of nature and natural laws.

God is at work within human being individuals and thus within human institutions and church.

The implication of immanence

1. Nothing is purely natural --- we see God through a doctor just as in answer to prayer. On 9/5/2005 and abandon baby girl was rescued by a stray dog here in Kenya. In a story like this we see the sovereign had of God.

2. We can learn something about God from nature ( Ps 19, Rom 1:19-20)

3. God is concern and interested with nature. So we should not misuse nature.

Transcendence of God: This is how Roger Weil in his systematic theology book( The foundation of the Christian faith] define it “ God is not dependent on anything that he has made, he reigns far above his creation dwelling in eternity, supreme and preeminent either in time or space.

What we are saying here is that God is separate from the independent of nature and humanity. We cannot domesticate or confine God (Isaiah 55-8-9 (Isaiah 40:18,22 Ps 90:2.

The implication of Transcendence

1. God can never be captured in Human concepts. He is impassible , immortal invisible e.t.c. [1 Tim 1:17]

2. There will always be a distinction between God and man. Beloved we shall spent eternity knowing God and we will remain His creatures and Him our creator.

3. There will always be some mysterious things about God. God is inscrutable (Rev. 1:12) if we understood God completely He would be like one of us. So it is only fair that we do not know everything about Him”.

Some false or wrong view about God

Polytheism: the worship if many gods e.g. the god of sky, storm, war, fertility, sun, e.t.c. Animism is polytheism.

Deism: God is very far from His universe. He created it and left. Here transcendence of God is stressed at the expense of immanence.

Pantheism: Everything is God. Only God exists, everything is God. God is equated to the universe. Here immanence is stressed at the expense of transcendence.

Conclusion: Classical Theism:

God is much greater than the world, but is interested and involved in what is happening in the world ( Isaiah 57:15)