Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the primary idea behind Canon Holmes' statement about the average man's faith in God?
What is the primary idea behind Canon Holmes' statement about the average man's faith in God?
According to the passage, Christians have a personal acquaintance with God.
According to the passage, Christians have a personal acquaintance with God.
False
What do many people consider God to be, according to the passage?
What do many people consider God to be, according to the passage?
an ideal, or goodness, or beauty, or truth; or He is law, or life, or the creative impulse
The Bible portrays God as a _______________________ dominating the scenes of the Bible.
The Bible portrays God as a _______________________ dominating the scenes of the Bible.
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Match the descriptions of God with the corresponding groups of people:
Match the descriptions of God with the corresponding groups of people:
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The passage suggests that knowing God is only a theoretical concept for Christians.
The passage suggests that knowing God is only a theoretical concept for Christians.
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According to the passage, what is necessary for people to receive the manifestation of God?
According to the passage, what is necessary for people to receive the manifestation of God?
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The Bible assumes that men can know God with a lesser degree of immediacy than they know physical things.
The Bible assumes that men can know God with a lesser degree of immediacy than they know physical things.
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What must happen to the spiritual faculties of the unregenerate man before they can be used to know God?
What must happen to the spiritual faculties of the unregenerate man before they can be used to know God?
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Faith enables our spiritual sense to function, but a lack of faith results in inward _______________ and numbness toward spiritual things.
Faith enables our spiritual sense to function, but a lack of faith results in inward _______________ and numbness toward spiritual things.
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What is meant by 'reality' in the passage?
What is meant by 'reality' in the passage?
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Match the following Bible verses with their corresponding meanings:
Match the following Bible verses with their corresponding meanings:
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What do idealists and relativists do with their ideas?
What do idealists and relativists do with their ideas?
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A Christian is insincere in their beliefs.
A Christian is insincere in their beliefs.
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What is the difference between imagination and faith?
What is the difference between imagination and faith?
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The world of sense intrudes upon our attention day and night for the whole of our ____________________.
The world of sense intrudes upon our attention day and night for the whole of our ____________________.
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Match the following words with their meanings:
Match the following words with their meanings:
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God is not real.
God is not real.
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What is the curse inherited by every member of Adam's tragic race?
What is the curse inherited by every member of Adam's tragic race?
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The spiritual is not real.
The spiritual is not real.
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What is the object of the Christian's faith?
What is the object of the Christian's faith?
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The great unseen Reality is _____________.
The great unseen Reality is _____________.
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Match the following concepts with their corresponding descriptions:
Match the following concepts with their corresponding descriptions:
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What is the result of obedience to the word of Christ?
What is the result of obedience to the word of Christ?
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The "other world" is only in the future.
The "other world" is only in the future.
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Study Notes
The Average Person's Faith in God
- The average person's faith in God is often based on inference, not personal experience
- God is seen as a deduction from evidence, but not a personal reality
- Many people have never thought about God for themselves, but rather believe in Him based on hearsay
Different Notions of God
- Some people see God as an ideal, such as goodness, beauty, or truth
- Others see God as a law, life, or the creative impulse behind existence
- These notions of God are varied, but they all lack personal experience of God
The Christian View of God
- Christians believe in the personality of God and are taught to pray to Him as "Our Father"
- However, for many Christians, God is not a real, personal experience, but rather an ideal or principle
- The Bible teaches that God can be known in personal experience, with the same immediacy as we know physical things
The Bible's Description of God
- The Bible describes God as a loving Personality who is present and active in the world
- God is described as speaking, pleading, loving, and working, and manifesting Himself to those who are receptive
- The Bible assumes that people can know God with the same degree of immediacy as they know physical things
Spiritual Faculties
- The Bible teaches that we have spiritual faculties that allow us to know God and the spiritual world
- These faculties are not active in the unregenerate person, but can be quickened to life by the Holy Spirit in regeneration
- However, even for Christians, faith is often defective, leading to inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things
The Reality of God
- The Christian believes that God is real, with objective existence independent of our thoughts or ideas
- God is the Author of the created world, and all other reality is contingent upon His existence
- The worshipping heart does not create its Object, but finds God waiting to be discovered
The Word "Reckon"
- The word "reckon" means to believe in the reality of something, not just to imagine or visualize it
- Faith is not imagination, but rather believing in the reality of God and the spiritual world
- We must shift our interest from the seen to the unseen, and believe in the reality of God and the spiritual world
The Importance of Faith
- The object of the Christian's faith is unseen reality
- We must break the habit of ignoring the spiritual and focus on the reality of God
- Faith is basic in the life of the Christian, and allows us to rise into the region of light and power offered in the Scriptures
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Description
Understanding faith in God, exploring the idea that for many, God is an inference rather than a reality, and how people form their beliefs. This passage discusses how people perceive God's existence.
