Jim Davidson - Exec Secretary of Southern Union. Sermon

[ClubV12]

The dead gods are ALL the gods that came into existence (by man or the evil doer) since sin came into existence. Before sin, no other gods existed for anybody to worship, bow down, show allegiance to. There was only the eternal God head.

Strange how we see different things in the same verse.

Isaiah 43:10 "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me."

You seem to suggest that in some way this verse suggests God was formed at some point, in what shall we call it, "time". I see in this verse that God has always been and the concept of "time" is irrelvant to one such as Him. Considering He has no beginning AND no end, time is a foreign concept, something that man needs, not God. No other gods were formed before Him because He has always existed! How do you describe such a thing? How about, "I am", that really sums it up, "I am, always have been, always will be."

I was just reading in Great Controversy about this today, around chapter 31 or 32. Where it speaks of those who are unable to grasp this concept of God are also unable to grasp spiritual things. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but thats what it says. Common ground and learning is impossible because there is no foundation upon which to build truth.

[M. T. Cross]

Club, I have no problem grasping the concept of an eternal divine force or consciousness. I just don't think that it and the biblical God are one and the same thing.

[Bravus]

In particular, a genuinely omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnibenevolent God has no need or desire for slaves... which gets us back on topic.

[M. T. Cross]

Absolutely Bravus, though thread drifts are fun too........

[ClubV12]

Slaves or not is the very essence of the Great Controversy. Lucifer said the law(s) of God, in heaven were to restrictive, to oppressive. That what the angels needed was freedom from the law(s). He directly challenged Gods law(s) as unjust and arbitrary. He claimed the angels were smart enough to govern themselves. His motive was selfish, a violation of the law! He wanted to be like the most high, to sit in the counsels of the most high, to have a say in how things would work. He was, "running for office".

Freewill is of the utmost importance and is NEVER manipulated or coerced in man by the Father in any way. ONLY those who serve Him with a glad heart and willing spirit are acceptable. As the angels love to carry out the will of God in all things, so I am learning, cultivating the same. Learning to love doing His will in all things. A simple way to say it is, "I am a slave to Christ", but that fails miserably to describe the true nature of free will, love and worship for the creator.

[BobRyan]

But we use our free will to become a slave of righteousness according to Romans 6.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!

16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

[Windsor]

BTW Ted, you keep bringing up the "Living God". Who are the dead ones?

There are no dead gods (if you exclude the various humans who have forced others to worship them), just nonliving. God repeatedly expresses anger at those who worship gods of silver, gold, stone or wood.

[BobRyan]

1Cor 8 - Paul says the worship of idols - is the worship of demons. They are alive.