A five part Lenten Course for Hailsham Churches (much of which is taken from Outgoing)
Week 1: Which God? (notes below...)
....
Week 1: Which God?
Handout....
............................................................
"The human mind is, so to speak, a perpetual forge of idols." John Calvin
On the other hand, knowing God is eternal life: John 17:3; 2 Peter 1:2-3
.
How false gods work: Psalm 115
You make them like you (they serve you)
They make you like them (you serve them)
.
Jeremiah 2:10-14
Far Idols – the great powers running the world
Near Idols – the tangible things I trust in
.
DISCUSS: Who would you rather speak to: “Alan the Atheist” or “Theo the Theist”? What are pros and cons of each?
.
“What does it mean to have a god? or, what is God? Answer: A god means that from which we are to expect all good and to which we are to take refuge in all distress, so that to have a God is nothing else than to trust and believe Him from the [whole] heart... That upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.” (Martin Luther)
The world is not divided up into believers and unbelievers...
... It’s a god eat god world out there and it’s every god for himself.
.
How do we identify our ultimate beliefs?
“What was there in the beginning?”
Nothing
Chaos
Power
Love
.
Over the next four weeks we’re going to look at how we can say this:
Yes, we all have multiple gods...and our God knows this about us.
So He devised a way to keep us in faith, and give us assurance based on an external, tangible, visable Word.
Calvin got a lot right. But he didn't get this right. That's why so many Calvinists lack assurance.
Just sayin.
Hi theoldadam,
Calvin, in his own words, expressed his view, which some Lutherans label "Sacramentarian":
"Believers ought always to live by this rule: whenever they see symbols appointeed by the Lord, to think and be convinced that the truth of the thing signified is surely present there. For why should the Lord put in your hand the symbol of his body, unless it was to assure you that you really participate in it? And if it is true that a visible sign is given to us to seal the gift of an invisible thing, when we have received the symbol of the body, let us rest assured that the body itself is also given to us."
Sounds pretty reassuring to me!
Pingback: Lent Course – Session 2: The Christ-like God « Christ the Truth