In a small gathering of college students the question was posed, "Does God inherently exist in every single person?" I could answer the question affirmatively if the preposition "in" was changed to among, around, beside, over, and under (there could be other qualifying prepositions but I will spare you and myself the agony of exhaustive list reading and making). I then must consider that I exist among, around, and beside people. If I am found to be in Christ and Christ is found to be in me then, even aside from a mystical omnipresence, the presence of God may exist among, around, and beside people in a very tangible way.
Should the Christian response to the original question be affirmative or negative?
Matthew 5:38-48, NASB
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone want to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only you brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
6 comments:
Paul says Romans we all sin . John (i think??) asks what fellowship can light have with darkness? if i am inherently sinful, can the presence of God live within me without me being redeemed by the blood of Christ?
i think that because god created us in his image, he therefore is in, around, and through us. his fingerprints are all over us. and i don't think that one has to confess his or her sins in some orderly fashion for god to come in or out of our lives. he's already there. he's always been there. it's up to us to choose to follow him. it's not like a black and white thing where when we sin god leaves and when we repent he comes back. he never leaves. we just stop listening. or we never started.
sort of in the line of matt here. being made in the image of god, we bare his image. it can be broken and fractured but still it exists. can we be image bearers and not carry his presence? i ask because i am unsure but i want to lean towards answering youre question travis in the affirmative.
Negative.
The Bible quite plainly states in 1 Corinthians 3:16 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
I think this says to us that not only is God working around us in our world, but also that he wants to work in and through our very selves, transoforming and restoring the brokenness in our world.
And for those of us who are not yet saved, I think Matt's answer applies there. We are made in God's very own image. I don't think His coming or going depends on what our Wesleyan Salvation Status® may be at the time. I think God said somewhere in his book something about never leaving nor forsaking us.
So, my answer in short form is, Affirmative.
we create language so does it really matter? can the words we create even really describe it all accurately?
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