Questions regarding God's nature. This may include omni- aspects (eg omniscience), love, hate, or other attributes identified with God.
34
votes
4answers
740 views
Biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity
The word/term "trinity" is never used in the Bible. However, most Christians believe that God exists as three persons in one God-head.
This question has two parts:
What is the Biblical basis for ...
31
votes
9answers
1k views
How do Christians understand the omniscience of God in relation to the Uncertainty Principle?
One of the foundations of modern quantum mechanics is the Uncertainty Principle. This principle is not an assumption, but rather is derived from assumptions made with regard to the structure of ...
31
votes
6answers
1k views
Is Christianity a monotheistic religion?
One of the commandments states "place no other gods before me". Does this mean God is implying the existence of other gods, or why is this explicitly stated?
The Biblical universe also includes a ...
28
votes
14answers
2k views
Does God have a sense of humor? Does he laugh?
I've always heard "God must have a sense of humor because he created X". Usually X is "the platypus" or "me".
Also, it should be evident that Jesus, being human, had a sense of humor. It's part of ...
26
votes
11answers
889 views
Why has God punished every human for one person's sin?
God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden because Eve ate the fruit God told her not to. And this let evil into the world? If God loves every one, so much so that he let his son die for us, ...
23
votes
7answers
552 views
Can man judge whether God is fair?
Over and over I hear people pronouncing in one way or another that God is "not fair"*. Sometimes this is stated directly, other times indirectly as in "that doesn't seem fair, therefore God must not ...
22
votes
6answers
3k views
How could Jacob wrestle with God if no one can see God and live?
Is this a contradiction? Or am I missing something. It seems strange to think one can "wrestle" with God.
Genesis 32:30 (NIV):
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw ...
19
votes
4answers
519 views
Does God need our praise and glory?
From what I've heard, God wants us to glorify him and give him praise, and he enjoys when we do this. Does God need us to do this for some reason?
17
votes
17answers
2k views
Who created God?
The question of man's creation is addressed quite thoroughly in the Bible (whether you believe it is metaphorical or not). Does the Bible (or other relevant references) in any way answer who created ...
17
votes
7answers
739 views
How is it that an unchanging and omniscient God can have “regret”?
In Genesis 6:7, we read, "So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for ...
16
votes
11answers
1k views
Do miracles violate the laws of physics?
I asked a Christian today whether he believed that Jesus turning water into wine literally happened, or was just a metaphor. He said it literally happened, and also that other miracles literally ...
16
votes
4answers
203 views
Do we know there are only three persons in the “Trinity”?
A followup to the various answers provided to this question:
The specific concept of 'trinity' isn't specifically spelled out in the Bible. Instead, we have deduced from various scripture verses ...
15
votes
5answers
550 views
Why is God asking questions or appearing uncertain in the Bible if He's omniscient?
Is God omniscient? lists all the passages were it is written that God is omniscient.
Reading other passages, I found a few things that seemingly contradict this:
In Genesis 3:8-13 God asks Adam and ...
15
votes
4answers
626 views
Is an action morally good because God commands it, or does God command it because it is good?
The christian morality derives from God, and God is benevolent so whatever he commands is morally good. Does that mean that anything God does or commands is morally right? Or does God only act and ...
14
votes
4answers
293 views
Is God just and/or merciful?
I am told, repeatedly, with great intensity and sincerity that YHVH / the LORD is kind and merciful, forgiving of all sins.
Now, I read the Bible enough. God's main demonstrations of power seem to ...
14
votes
1answer
337 views
What is the Mormon doctrine regarding becoming a god?
Per the doctrine of the Latter Day Saints, it seems that God was once a man.
Following this out just one step further leads me to the idea that it may be possible for other men to be come a god.
...
14
votes
2answers
229 views
Does the triune God have will by nature, or by persons?
Given the triune God, one nature and three persons, do they experience their will in their singular nature or in their separate persons? That is, do they share one will, or does each have a separate ...
14
votes
4answers
357 views
Why is 'putting to death' condoned in the Bible?
Death as Judgement
One of the well known commandments is "Thou shalt not kill." However, it seems that death is the single most used judgement for violations of the Leviticus law.
Not only is ...
13
votes
8answers
315 views
Was Jesus finite or infinite? (human or God?)
I've always heard it said that Jesus was "completely human" and "completely God".
How could he be both human (finite by very nature) and God (infinite by very nature)?
13
votes
6answers
1k views
Why is the number three special?
What is the significance to the number 3 in the Bible? There is already a question about the number seven, but no one said anything about 3.
Here are a few 3's I came up with:
The Trinity (Godhead) ...
13
votes
5answers
264 views
What is the verdict on an unjust judge?
In order to ask this, let me set a stage. This is just a scenario that will be recast in a second.
As Christians we believe that God is good. We trumpet his justice, rightness, holiness, and so on ...
13
votes
3answers
263 views
Does God hate Sinners like he hates Sin?
I've heard it a thousand times, God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Recently I came across a verse in Psalms 5:5
Psalm 5:5 King James Version (KJV) 5The foolish shall not stand in
thy ...
13
votes
4answers
264 views
If Christ is considered the 'Son of God' then how is He a part of a Trinity?
Note: This is in NO way a troll or a poke at any faith that believes in the doctrine of the Trinity but rather is simply a question for clarity.
There are several passages within the bible that ...
12
votes
5answers
371 views
What does the Bible say about God being a different type of being than man?
Most Christians believe God and man are different types of being (Mormons are a notable exception). What passages in the Bible support this? Or is it inferred by the doctrine of the Trinity and the ...
12
votes
6answers
322 views
What does “in the image of God” mean?
Genesis 1:26:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild ...
12
votes
5answers
306 views
Is God of Anger or of Love?
Numbers 25 shows God as a god who destroys and kills anyone who aligns him/herself with the wrong deity. However, Matthew 5:39 talks about how we should "not resist an evil person".
How can we ...
12
votes
2answers
249 views
If Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) don't believe in a Holy Trinity, then who do they believe is God?
It's a pretty well known fact that Latter-Day Saint members (aka Mormons) do not believe in the Holy Trinity as far as that God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are 'one'. So what exactly do they believe ...
12
votes
2answers
549 views
Why is the number seven special?
God seems to favor the number seven and I'm not sure why. Is there a reason, or is this just His favorite number?
You'll notice that God not only uses the number seven, but multiplies other numbers ...
11
votes
5answers
442 views
How do Christians reconcile God's omnipotence with his omniscience?
If God is truly omniscient as in "all knowing", then God knows everything including the future. But doesn't this then remove his choice to do something other than the choices he takes in the future ...
11
votes
2answers
296 views
Was the Holy Spirit or God (the Godhead), the father of Jesus?
Holy Spirit conceives Jesus
Matthew 1:20 ESV
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear
to take ...
11
votes
4answers
304 views
Why does God often permit his children to suffer in this world more than the wicked?
Jesus said:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be ...
11
votes
4answers
353 views
Does God change?
Historically, one of the attributes of God that provided the most comfort to many people was his unchanging nature - God is "the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow." (Hebrews 13:8) Additionally, ...
11
votes
3answers
375 views
How to verify if a “message from God” came from God?
If I doubted on the authenticity of a "message", must I automatically associate it with the enemy's attacks?
Message here refers to any information that might be related to God's Will in our lives.
11
votes
7answers
416 views
How can a Wholly Good God Deliberately Create Evil?
I think it's pretty universally accepted that God is wholly good. Indeed, many sources, including lots of answers on this website, are based on the belief that God is the perfect standard of ...
11
votes
3answers
321 views
How do Wesleyan theologians define omnibenevolence?
The term omnibenevolance is not used in my quarter of Protestantism, and after reading the Wikipedia article it is entirely unclear to me what the term means and how it relates to the God of ...
10
votes
6answers
678 views
Why does God resort to genocide and destruction?
According to this answer, God does not want to destroy sinners. And yet, there are several accounts in the Bible of God doing just that. Sodom and Gomorrah is one example, another one is the flood or ...
10
votes
6answers
256 views
How can God be loving in light of his behavior with Job?
When reading the book of Job most people focus on Job's character. Wikipedia says that the thematic question of Job is -
"Why do the righteous suffer?"
But my question is about God's actions. ...
10
votes
4answers
766 views
Are God, Son (Jesus) and The Holy Spirit Same?
I wonder whether God the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are actually the same?
If the answer is "yes", why we can't we have our spiritual communication only with Jesus Christ?
10
votes
4answers
392 views
Does God have free will?
To clarify the question - when I mention God here I am referring to God the Father and by free will, the best non-contradictory definition according to the Bible I have heard is "the ability to act ...
10
votes
2answers
112 views
Does God love unconditionally?
Like the title, does God love forever, unconditionally? I can't think of a being who is supposed to be more loving than God, so this is kind of a big question for me.
10
votes
2answers
113 views
What test is used to determine communicability of an attribute of God
I understand that some attributes of God are said to be communicable, meaning that they can, in some measure, be attributes of men as well. For example, God's holiness is said to be communicable ...
10
votes
1answer
534 views
Trichotomous vs Dichotomous views of Man
There are generally two* views of Man
the Dichotomous (Soul & Body)
the Trichotomous (Soul, Spirit, & Body)
Notably, A W Pink ascribes to the Trichotomous view (or Tripartite).
Also ...
9
votes
6answers
626 views
Does God's omnipresence extend to hell?
One of those attributes of God is his ability to be everywhere at all times. I'm not debating that it is an attribute of his, I'm just wondering how we know that.
I ask, because I've been going ...
9
votes
8answers
333 views
Why is the Trinity a Trinity?
It's well-established and -accepted by most Christians that God is triune, consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
However, while talking with a friend earlier about Wisdom (from Proverbs), ...
9
votes
3answers
2k views
What does it mean to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Christ?
Romans 8:16-17
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be ...
9
votes
5answers
429 views
What does Love Mean?
1 John 4:7 NIV
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever
loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever loves has been born of God? I'm pretty confident that ...
9
votes
3answers
239 views
How does LDS doctrine reconcile monotheism with men becoming gods?
A follow-up to this question, if the LDS church teaches that men can become gods, how does it reconcile this with the concept that there is only one God?
Isaiah 45:5:
I am the LORD, and there is ...
8
votes
8answers
313 views
How do Christians understand the existence of God in relation to the scientific concept of energy?
In physics, the quantity of energy is the most fundamental aspect of existence. All "entities" have a some sort of energy (either kinetic or potential) as an intrinsic aspect of their being. Though ...
8
votes
4answers
186 views
Did Christ have the freedom to choose to avoid crucifixion?
Inspired by this answer, Jesus talks about this authority in John 10:18 (NIV):
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it ...
8
votes
5answers
118 views
Does God want things? What are some of the things He wants, and how did we find out?
This question may appear brief, but I think it is simple enough to not need much background. Basically, I'm curious about the nature of God and His desires. Does He want things? What are some of the ...
