Aquinas wrote his Summa Theologica, proving by logic the existence of a God. I wrote a paper for school talking about his Question 2, from the First Article. Here's part of it....
He says, “We find in nature things that are possible to be and not to be, since they are found to be generated, and to corrupt, and consequently, they are possible to be and not to be. But it is impossible for these always to exist, for that which is possible not to be at some time is not. Therefore, if everything is possible not to be, then at one time there could have been nothing in existence. Now if this were true, even now there would be nothing in existence, because that which does not exist only begins to exist by something already existing. Therefore, if at one time nothing was in existence, it would have been impossible for anything to have begun to exist; and thus even now nothing would be in existence-which is absurd.” At first this seems dense and impossible to understand, but reading slowly and digesting, its genius. He starts off by stating that our world is made up of things that are possible to be and not to be. A pencil is possible to be, but it’s also possible to fathom a world without a pencil. Well, alright Thomas, obviously, but he goes on to say that if everything is possible not to be, there could have been nothing in existence. If it’s possible for plants, animals, and people not to be, then it’s kind of a short leap to say that all those things could be not in existence. But, if this were true, and if nothing was in existence, then it would be impossible for anything to all of a sudden decide to exist, because everything gains its existence by the existence of another, then so even now, nothing would be in existence, but we know things are in existence, so what next?
He goes on to say that, “Therefore, not all beings are merely possible, but there must exist something the existence of which is necessary. But every necessary thing either has its necessity caused by another, or not. Now it is impossible to go on to infinity in necessary things which have their necessity caused by another, as has been already proved in regard to efficient causes. Therefore, we cannot but postulate the existence of some being having of itself its own necessity, and not receiving it from another, but rather causing in others their necessity. This all men speak of, as God." So, all things are possible, but it is necessary for something to exist, because the existence of everything is caused by the existence of something else. Every man made object’s existence is based off the necessity of the existence of its maker, every child’s existence is dependent of the existence of its parents, and every plant of that of the seeds of the plant from which it came. But for all these things to be set into the continual spiral of cause and effect, something would have to exist of its own necessity, independent of the necessity of the existence of anything else, but causing the existence of everything else. In the never ending symbiosis of cause and effect, there had to be an initial cause. This initial cause is God.
Eat that Evolution! ;)
Kind of crazy when you stop and think about all of the excuses made up by "intelligent" men that simply are trying to find any excuse NOT to believe in God. Ridiculous the places it takes you, huh?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Liar, Lord, or Lunatic
So, for school this week we had to do a twenty-five minute timed essay, just another one of those lovely college prep things. BUT, this one actually had an interesting topic, so I thought I'd change it a little and post it. :)
It has to do with the article by C.S. Lewis about how Jesus did not leave us the option of believing that He was simply a good man, prophet, or teacher.
I will go in order of Lewis’ famous quote, “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord.” If in fact, Jesus were not the Son of the most High God, He would indeed be a liar, because He continually proclaimed Himself to be just that. In John 8:12 it says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Here Jesus lays Himself before the Pharisees as the only way to walk in light, out of the darkness which is sin. He offers them relief from their burdens of sin, in a way that only God can do. Later, in verses 23 and 24 He says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; l am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.” Here Jesus tells them flat out that He is from above, that He came down from heaven, from the Father God and that unless they accept Him as such they will die in their sins. If His claims were not true, He would indeed be a liar.
Next, is the option of the lunatic. If Jesus Christ were not simply a liar, He would have to be insane and, in the words of Lewis, "on a level with the man who believes himself to be a poached egg.” If He falsely chose to claim deity for Himself,and did not know that He was wrong, you would have to turn to the alternative that He didn’t know what He was speaking of, which would then leave only the option of insanity. Most do not like the image of the good and kind prophet and teacher being a cunning and conniving extortionist of the people, but if they reject the image of the liar as well as the deity of Christ, this is the only option they are left with.
Lastly, if the possibilities of the liar and the lunatic are unfavorable, then that of Lord and Savior is the only option left. The New Testament is full of accounts of Jesus' blatant statements of His divinity. In Matthew 26:63-64, during His trial, it is written “And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The Pharisees rejected Him as God, and they understood, obviously, that with that rejection, they had no choice but to deem Him a blasphemer, and a liar. What Jesus claimed, no mortal man can claim and remain a morally good and just teacher. Jesus claimed to be God; nothing can be said of that. Can a man who claims to be God simply remain in our minds a virtuous and worthy teacher?
Reading through the accounts of the life of Jesus, the view of the liar is unfavorable to many. The people around Jesus followed Him because of his goodness, and His kindness; the possibility that He was manipulating them for monetary gain is ridiculous. Jesus had no permanent home on this earth, no money, and He relied on His friends to support Him. Why would He keep up this charade? The option of insanity is equally ludicrous; these accounts are written first-hand by the men that were with Him at all times. How could an insane man also be so manipulative as to gain the allegiance, and respect of so many men that were so close to Him? (Most of which died to further His cause)Jesus was gentle and kind, and in complete control of His faculties. He looked on any and every circumstance with forbearance, patience, and fortitude, and lived out of a compassion and love for the people around Him. Regardless of what each person chooses to believe, these three options are all that Jesus left feasible for us to accept. He was either everything that He claimed to be; a pathological deceiver; or insane. The possibility of Him being simply a good man is not logically acceptable based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
So refreshing to stop and think about the powerful claims to deity presented by our Savior Jesus Christ. :)
To God be the glory!
Amy
It has to do with the article by C.S. Lewis about how Jesus did not leave us the option of believing that He was simply a good man, prophet, or teacher.
I will go in order of Lewis’ famous quote, “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord.” If in fact, Jesus were not the Son of the most High God, He would indeed be a liar, because He continually proclaimed Himself to be just that. In John 8:12 it says, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Here Jesus lays Himself before the Pharisees as the only way to walk in light, out of the darkness which is sin. He offers them relief from their burdens of sin, in a way that only God can do. Later, in verses 23 and 24 He says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; l am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.” Here Jesus tells them flat out that He is from above, that He came down from heaven, from the Father God and that unless they accept Him as such they will die in their sins. If His claims were not true, He would indeed be a liar.
Next, is the option of the lunatic. If Jesus Christ were not simply a liar, He would have to be insane and, in the words of Lewis, "on a level with the man who believes himself to be a poached egg.” If He falsely chose to claim deity for Himself,and did not know that He was wrong, you would have to turn to the alternative that He didn’t know what He was speaking of, which would then leave only the option of insanity. Most do not like the image of the good and kind prophet and teacher being a cunning and conniving extortionist of the people, but if they reject the image of the liar as well as the deity of Christ, this is the only option they are left with.
Lastly, if the possibilities of the liar and the lunatic are unfavorable, then that of Lord and Savior is the only option left. The New Testament is full of accounts of Jesus' blatant statements of His divinity. In Matthew 26:63-64, during His trial, it is written “And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The Pharisees rejected Him as God, and they understood, obviously, that with that rejection, they had no choice but to deem Him a blasphemer, and a liar. What Jesus claimed, no mortal man can claim and remain a morally good and just teacher. Jesus claimed to be God; nothing can be said of that. Can a man who claims to be God simply remain in our minds a virtuous and worthy teacher?
Reading through the accounts of the life of Jesus, the view of the liar is unfavorable to many. The people around Jesus followed Him because of his goodness, and His kindness; the possibility that He was manipulating them for monetary gain is ridiculous. Jesus had no permanent home on this earth, no money, and He relied on His friends to support Him. Why would He keep up this charade? The option of insanity is equally ludicrous; these accounts are written first-hand by the men that were with Him at all times. How could an insane man also be so manipulative as to gain the allegiance, and respect of so many men that were so close to Him? (Most of which died to further His cause)Jesus was gentle and kind, and in complete control of His faculties. He looked on any and every circumstance with forbearance, patience, and fortitude, and lived out of a compassion and love for the people around Him. Regardless of what each person chooses to believe, these three options are all that Jesus left feasible for us to accept. He was either everything that He claimed to be; a pathological deceiver; or insane. The possibility of Him being simply a good man is not logically acceptable based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
So refreshing to stop and think about the powerful claims to deity presented by our Savior Jesus Christ. :)
To God be the glory!
Amy
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A New Year
I wrote this at about 1 A.M. on New Years, but I forgot to post it. So here goes
Another year comes and goes, and here we are ushering in a new one. All I can think about is how much I have been blessed, am blessed, and will be blessed, and how much I want to change this year, how much I want to grow, and do, and tell and.... change.
Since it's 2012, I narrowed myself to, 12 broad scope resolutions. Here they are in random order:
1). I want to seek Christ more than ever this year. Wholeheartedly, nothing held back, seeking and desiring Christ, above all else. This is pretty much the basis of all of my resolutions.
2). I want my prayer life to grow. I find comfort and am pretty consistent in the Word but, I don't pray like I should and want to.
3). I want joy. Joy in the little things, in the big things, in hard times, good times, and every time in the middle. I want to proclaim with my life that Jesus is enough to make me happy and content, with the exclusion of all else if need be.
4). I want to be selfless among my friends. I want to put them first, and I want it to be evident, to the glory of my God. I want to love them like Christ loves them. Like the Father loves them. I want to always be positive about them in front of, and behind their backs, and always be someone that they know will listen.
5). I want to be driven and passionate about the cause of the glory of my Lord. I want to never tire of proclaiming His name and fighting for the day that "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2
6). I want to be driven academically, to have the desire to learn, and to work hard and use the facilities to learn that God has in me to the best of my ability. And besides just knowledge, I want the wisdom of the Lord to dwell in my heart. But maintaining my 4.0 wouldn't be bad as well. ;)
7). I want to see this nation changed. To see revival sweep the nation, starting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I want Christians all over the world to be empowered to proclaim their faith with boldness.
8). I want to take the time to relax, enjoy the beautiful things in life and simply, "Be still and know You are God," instead of getting caught up in the dumb little things in life that try to drag my attention away from Him.
9). I want to be grateful; to be constantly in a state of blissful thanksgiving for all God has blessed me with. I really can't comprehend it all, but I want to seek to be a thankful, humble person that realizes and lives in light of the fact that it's only by His grace. It being, everything.
10). I want to live in the light of the cross and do everything with Him and his beautiful gospel at the forefront of my mind.
11). I want to be a truly giving person. No strings attached, no motivations, no thought of it. A humble, loving person that gives out of second nature because that person is more important than what I think I need or deserve. Because I love them, because they were created in the image of my God. I want to give my time, money, skills, labor, and energy, even when I feel like I have nothing left to give. I want to be driven by a greater purpose than my own welfare. I want to be driven by love. I want to give.
12). Twelfth and lastly, I almost wrote, I want God's will for my life to be evident. But actually, I want to have the faith to move forward with faith, even when I can't see His will. Which is way better. But both would be okay. :)
God, this must all be through your might, through the blood of the Lamb, in sanctification by Your grace alone. Mold me, harden me,and use me. I'm a cracked vessel, but You dwell in me. Shine through the cracks. Drive me, motivate me, set me on fire.
I dedicate 2012 to You. Use me.
Another year comes and goes, and here we are ushering in a new one. All I can think about is how much I have been blessed, am blessed, and will be blessed, and how much I want to change this year, how much I want to grow, and do, and tell and.... change.
Since it's 2012, I narrowed myself to, 12 broad scope resolutions. Here they are in random order:
1). I want to seek Christ more than ever this year. Wholeheartedly, nothing held back, seeking and desiring Christ, above all else. This is pretty much the basis of all of my resolutions.
2). I want my prayer life to grow. I find comfort and am pretty consistent in the Word but, I don't pray like I should and want to.
3). I want joy. Joy in the little things, in the big things, in hard times, good times, and every time in the middle. I want to proclaim with my life that Jesus is enough to make me happy and content, with the exclusion of all else if need be.
4). I want to be selfless among my friends. I want to put them first, and I want it to be evident, to the glory of my God. I want to love them like Christ loves them. Like the Father loves them. I want to always be positive about them in front of, and behind their backs, and always be someone that they know will listen.
5). I want to be driven and passionate about the cause of the glory of my Lord. I want to never tire of proclaiming His name and fighting for the day that "every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2
6). I want to be driven academically, to have the desire to learn, and to work hard and use the facilities to learn that God has in me to the best of my ability. And besides just knowledge, I want the wisdom of the Lord to dwell in my heart. But maintaining my 4.0 wouldn't be bad as well. ;)
7). I want to see this nation changed. To see revival sweep the nation, starting in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I want Christians all over the world to be empowered to proclaim their faith with boldness.
8). I want to take the time to relax, enjoy the beautiful things in life and simply, "Be still and know You are God," instead of getting caught up in the dumb little things in life that try to drag my attention away from Him.
9). I want to be grateful; to be constantly in a state of blissful thanksgiving for all God has blessed me with. I really can't comprehend it all, but I want to seek to be a thankful, humble person that realizes and lives in light of the fact that it's only by His grace. It being, everything.
10). I want to live in the light of the cross and do everything with Him and his beautiful gospel at the forefront of my mind.
11). I want to be a truly giving person. No strings attached, no motivations, no thought of it. A humble, loving person that gives out of second nature because that person is more important than what I think I need or deserve. Because I love them, because they were created in the image of my God. I want to give my time, money, skills, labor, and energy, even when I feel like I have nothing left to give. I want to be driven by a greater purpose than my own welfare. I want to be driven by love. I want to give.
12). Twelfth and lastly, I almost wrote, I want God's will for my life to be evident. But actually, I want to have the faith to move forward with faith, even when I can't see His will. Which is way better. But both would be okay. :)
God, this must all be through your might, through the blood of the Lamb, in sanctification by Your grace alone. Mold me, harden me,and use me. I'm a cracked vessel, but You dwell in me. Shine through the cracks. Drive me, motivate me, set me on fire.
I dedicate 2012 to You. Use me.
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