MISSION
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM
Is a Bible Study Blog that is designed and maintained by Atlas Porter. The Site's Mission:
"TO REVEAL THE GOD WITHIN, SO YOU DON'T GO WITHOUT."
BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountains to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.'"
~ Matthew 28:16-20
The "Author of Life"
If I were to my describe my theological approach, I would say that I am 1/3 apologist (defender of Christian faith), 1/3 mystic (one who looks for the more spiritual side of scripture), and 1/3 historian (one who searches after the real life implications religion has had on our world).
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These three parts combine and coalesce into something that, at times, may seem contradictory; nonetheless the tension that arises from these conflicting viewpoints often tears open the very fabric of our understanding, and as a result it reveals something that has been covered up for far too long. I do not mean “covered up” in some kind of sinister way, as if some entity is malevolently trying to hide something in the text that we are not meant to find. That being said, the results are the same. That is to say, scripture teaches us that something more powerful than we could ever imagine is all around us, yet we live our lives without the true appreciation for what that actually means. It's like scripture is telling us the secrets of God's power, yet we can't seem to penetrate the meaning of the words and as a result are missing out on something profoundly world changing. My point: I believe that by challenging our conceptions of what it actually means to “know” something, we discover something new and amazing that will make us question everything.
Faith is not blind, nor should it be. In fact, as Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, we are to “test everything.” I take these words to heart. I have had many unexplainable experiences in my life, which have made it impossible for me to simply take things at face value. And likewise, on the other hand, I try not to delude myself with things that aren’t real or verifiable. I have made it my life’s mission to figure out what is happening behind the curtain so to speak. In nothing I have come across is there as many answers to the hardest questions in life, as there is in the Holy Bible.
This may sound crazy, but I believe that when we open the Bible, we look right into the face of God and into his “I”s (pun intended), and we see the blueprint of the entire world. How can I say such a thing? Well, the Bible tells us so.
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The Bible opens with, “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth…And God said, 'Let there be light.'" Or to put it another way, God spoke light into creation. He did this by using his word -- quite literally. For we read in the opening of John’s Gospel, “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made.”
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So as we can see, using the same language from the very beginning of scripture, John's Gospel is explaining and expanding upon the process of creation. The point John is making is that Jesus was there "In the beginning" with God; Jesus is God's creative Word.
What is more, the Book of Acts calls Jesus the “Author of Life,” which makes complete sense in light of this understanding of God the Creator using his Word (which is Jesus) to bring life into being.
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So back to my original point, I believe that when we look into the Bible, we stare directly into the face of God — we are looking at the Word of God, which is God himself.
My theological approach is 1/3 apologist, 1/3 mystic, and 1/3 historian, because that is what the Bible requires of me in order to comprehend the Word of God — it takes faith that understands, it takes metaphor that penetrates, and it takes logic that rationalizes.