Beginning Chapter 3 of Dr. Morecraft's Authentic Christianity. The chapter covers questions 6 and 7 of the Larger Catechism, but before actually addressing the answers to these questions, Dr. Morecraft points out the importance of how we view God.
Firstly, there are roughly three modern views of God in our culture: 1) His revelation of Himself is so unclear that we cannot really tell much about Him; 2) He is so completely different that we simply cannot understand His revelation Himself; or 3) if a God even exists, He is just the Divine Watchmaker who has wound up our world and let go and has no personal involvement in it. Christians, on the other hand, do have absolute, and understandable, revelation concerning God.
Firstly, there are roughly three modern views of God in our culture: 1) His revelation of Himself is so unclear that we cannot really tell much about Him; 2) He is so completely different that we simply cannot understand His revelation Himself; or 3) if a God even exists, He is just the Divine Watchmaker who has wound up our world and let go and has no personal involvement in it. Christians, on the other hand, do have absolute, and understandable, revelation concerning God.
The Bible is a book about God. It is GOD’S BOOK ABOUT GOD—who He is, what He is like, what His plans are and how He is executing those plans, what is on His mind and heart, what He is doing in this world, and what His will is for man, woman and the universe. (p 238)
Our view of God makes a difference in how we view ourselves, our world, and life. Before we go any further, we must define "God":
When the Bible speaks of God, it is not talking merely about the word, “God,” or the idea, “God.” It is speaking about the reality of the God Who really is there. It is speaking about Someone who actually lives, and besides Whom, there is no other god. (p 238)
Once we have that solidified in our minds we can continue to WHY our view of God is so important. Simply, our view of God defines our thinking in all other areas of life--private and public.
Our understanding of God is foundational to all our thinking and living in this world and beyond: “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:3). (p 239)
When a society changes gods, and turns from the living God in Christ to an idol, that society dies spiritually, ethically, politically, economically, agriculturally and in every other way. (p 240)
The source of law for any society is the God of that society, and to change sources of law is to change gods. (p 241)
One more thing to note before moving on to the Creator-Creature distinction--the nature of God's Being. He IS...from infinity.
There is no more ultimate truth about God than this, God is. God is absolute, ultimate, independent and unoriginated Being. (p 242)
Finally, God is the Creator of all mankind and all nature. He can easily exist without creation. However, creation cannot exist without God. It (and thereby we--man) are completely, one-hundred percent dependent upon God.
The distance between God and man is infinite. God made man from dust, and He made dust from nothing! (p 243)
Because God is there, He must always be acknowledged as being there, or we will think and act as fools; for all men know that He is there (Rom. 1:18f.). He must always be taken into account in everything. He is the greatest and loftiest Being Who can fill our thoughts and affections; therefore, He should be in all of them. (p 244)
I shall (Lord willing) at least begin to delve into the actual body of the chapter next Sunday...
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