Is It Possible to Know God?
For more information visit: www.reasonablefaith.org/newbeliever
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Is it possible to know God?
Well, who...or what...is "God?"
The Ultimate Reality of Hinduism or Buddhism is infinite ... but not personal. And the gods of the Greeks and Romans were personal ... but not infinite.
But the Bible describes God as both infinite and personal!
When we say God is infinite, we mean, for example, that God is eternal - he never began to exist and he'll never cease to exist. He transcends time and space, bringing time and space into being at the moment of creation. He is not physical or material; rather, he's an infinite, uncreated Mind with unlimited power.
But while God is infinite, he's also personal. He has mind, emotions, will, and moral agency - all the qualities essential to personhood - and he has them to an infinite degree. For example, he is all-knowing - he knows all facts and truths. He's also morally perfect - so not only is he without any trace of evil, but He himself is the source and standard of moral goodness.
What connection could there possibly be between this infinite, personal God ... and you?
Here are 4 truths to consider...
1. God loves you and created you to know him personally.
It's God's nature to love infinitely and unconditionally. Since love desires the highest good of its object, God desires your highest good. But God is your highest good! So he wants you to have a personal relationship with him! In fact, this is why you exist!
But there's a problem...
2. Man is sinful and separated from God.
The Bible describes our predicament like this:
"Ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused." (Romans 1:20-21 NLT)
We've all done things we know are wrong. It's not just that we FEEL guilty, we actually ARE guilty!
But since God is morally perfect, sinful beings cannot draw near to him.
Thus, God is faced with a dilemma.
Because he is JUST, the demands of his justice must be satisfied - in our case, that means death. But because he is LOVE, he has compassion on us. He wants each of us to be reconciled with him.
3. God's solution is Jesus Christ.
In the greatest invasion of all time, God entered human history.
Though he was God, Jesus Christ was like us in every way except he was without sin. He lived a perfect life - which means he didn't have to pay a penalty for his own sin! Nevertheless, he voluntarily chose to die in our place, to pay the death penalty we deserve for the sins we've committed.
What happened on the cross was the greatest transaction in history. My sin was placed on Christ - he suffered the death penalty in my place. In return, Christ's righteousness - his moral perfection - was placed on us.
Then, when Jesus rose from the dead, he broke the power of sin, death, and hell, once and for all.
God has moved heaven and earth to restore your relationship with him. Now it's your turn...
4. We must personally receive Christ as our Savior and Lord.
There's a difference between "believing THAT" and "believing IN." It's not enough to believe THAT these facts are true, you must take the next step and "believe IN" Jesus Christ. This means committing your life to him as your Savior and Lord.
[SAVIOR] We can't be good enough to earn God's pardon. All we can do is humbly agree with God that, yes, we are sinful and cannot save ourselves, and gratefully receive the gift of God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ.
[LORD] God wants to transform your life, to make you into the kind of person you were meant to be. This involves following Jesus as your Lord.
It is possible to know God as a personal reality in your life! Why let anything stand in the way? Right now, he is ready and willing to give you the gift of forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. Are you willing to receive it?
God, please forgive me for all the things I've done wrong. I turn away from my sin and I turn to you, my only hope. I invite you into my life as my Lord and my Savior. I am yours.
Fill me with your Spirit and empower me to live a new life in Jesus Christ.
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Пікірлер: 202
William Lane Craig and the RF team thank you once again for quality content.
As a young (yes I am 15) Philosophy and Theology Enthusiast, currently studying the Bible, I appreciate what William is doing. This video is great, keep it up
@drcraigvideos
2 жыл бұрын
There's no age restriction on becoming a Reasonable Faith chapter director. :) - RF Admin
@handcam7911
2 жыл бұрын
Keep going, my Friend!
@JCDisciple
Жыл бұрын
I support your journey to becoming a philosopher/theologian and most importantly availing yourself to God's salvific grace as well as responding to this grace when it ensues.
THIS IS THE GOSPEL ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
@saenzperspectives
2 жыл бұрын
Western Theories of Atonement: kzread.info/dash/bejne/qpqa1rukfpO3eZc.html Salvation and Redemption - The Early Christian Understanding: kzread.info/dash/bejne/lpOW0duLj93IlKg.html
Excellent video. Very well made animation and a very welcoming way of bringing people to the knowledge of God and Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Love your work dr. Craig!❤️
The end of all apologetics - the proclamation of the gospel. Thank you for this videos Dr. Craig.
@Monica_29
Жыл бұрын
Yes!!! That's the best part
How wonderful!!!
If you are involved in religious debate/discussion groups, don't forget to recommend this video to those people you are engaging with. Very often, we are so involved in defending our faith and we forget to share the Gospel to them. This video is one of the best ways to do it.
Love this so much! I felt the prayer in the end.
@bestofthebest4063
2 жыл бұрын
Same!
This video gave me goosebumps! So beautifully made! Thank you! 💖
I LOVE these videos. They're short, easy to follow, accurate, and powerful! Thank you for continuing to bless us with these.
Espero con ansias este video en español! es absolutamente brillante!
@rauljaramillo3264
2 жыл бұрын
La versión subtitulada está en Facebook fb.watch/ccQftvWyzO/
A fantastic overview of the gospel. Thank you, Dr. Craig.
@bestofthebest4063
2 жыл бұрын
Yes!
great video, God Bless All of You !!!
This is the best explanation of the gospel I have seen on the Internet. Thank you Dr Craig! 🙏🏼🤗
@Monica_29
Жыл бұрын
Completely agree
AMEN IN JESUS'S NAME ☦🙏 AMAZING 😍
God please you, your family and all people that work with you!
I love the new animations to the reasonable faith videos. I have spent hours watching Dr. Criag videos (when his hair was brown) and he has strengthened my faith with reason.
I believe there are many ways/paths to God, everything came from God including animals, plants & nature. we are never separated from God, we don't need any intermediary, we just need a yearning heart !
Excellent
This is the best way to teach faith reasonably. We contemplate God with faith and reason.
Well done. Absolutely, well done. God bless you and the team Dr. Craig! ✝️
This is a great resource, one of the best I've seen so far. Kudos to the creators of the video.
Thank you Dr. Craig, that was really good 👍🏻
@bestofthebest4063
2 жыл бұрын
Yes!
thank you WLC for all that you are and do - these short introductions are one of the best things... to get that easy access to these arguments, will re-watch and internalise them - impressed with your knowledge, achievements and how you keep committed to these humble vital basic truths - there are a few of important pillar-like ministries here on YT, despite each quite different from the others, but each itself uniquely necessary, and you are one of them
I love this video and the truth this video explains so well. Thank you, for your ministry, and praise God for His love!
Hallelujah I receive Christ into my heart 💀🕊️🙏
Wow its Dr Craig's voice over!
A really inspirational video. More people need to see this!
This is a great summary and resource. Thank you for all these videos Dr. Craig.
Yes, a definite yes. GOD wants us to know HIM. I cried to HIM (of course in my desperation), He came. I wish I had seeked HIM as I would seek a friend in time of ease. GOD wants us to know HIM.
Thank you so much RF team! Truth is so simple and powerful. We are free from sin. We are now a new creation in Jesus Christ. Amen
God is good, wow it is the William Craig's voice 😵
This is a great video! It's a great presentation of the Gospel!
Excellent Gospelling content Video. God Bless.
I like that Dr. Craig has narrated this one himself.
Truly fantastic video, stating the ultimate truths so vividly. Congrats.God bless you.
What a beautiful presentation of the Gospel. I thank God for you and your team William Lane Craig.
Jesus Christ is the best fact that humanity can ever acknowledge ^__^ All hail Jesus. Glory to Thy Name, Forever. Amen.
Great video, Dr. Craig. Hope to see more from you! God bless.
We need more vid just like this. It is so good.
These vids are amazing!
Thank you for this beautiful explanation of the Gospel. ✝️
Thank you so much for this video. The visuals and verbal clarity are amazing. I would like to show this to my junior high Biblical Worldview class but the section about Greeks and Romans has too much "skin" for young eyes. I do not want them to be distracted from the truth that the video contains by their immaturity. Is it possible to make a student playlist? Thank you so much for your ministry!
Wow! The message of the gosple of our lord Jesus Christ in a nutshell. Thank you Dr Craig.
I think all persons should make that prayer.
@bestofthebest4063
2 жыл бұрын
Absolutely Agreed
I love this!!
Amen from Marcia Parris Robinson Florida USA
Love it!!!
awesome evangelistic tool for our age and days. please add subtitles in Portuguese!
Beautiful rendering of the gospel of salvation in Christ Jesus.
If only he left some special revealed way to know him. Maybe he should write a book.
Wow this is such a great Gospel sharing tract simplified in a video. Thank you for this!, watching apologetics and other drcraig videos helped me to grow on my faith.
God doesn't have emotions. that is a heresy.
@moby98745632178463
2 жыл бұрын
Please explain the following: Psalm 7:11 Psalm 135:14 Genesis 6:6 Jeremiah 31:3 Proverbs 6:16 Exodus 20:5 Zephaniah 3:17
Aweaome!
O Evangelho em 6 minutos.
@samucadias4077
2 жыл бұрын
namoral.
Please make it a project to translate this particular video to many languages 🙏🙏 I have sent my Indonesian translation to the team
I actually really love how you didn’t answer the actual answer.
Perfect
God bless every effort you all undertake! However, it is soo often stuck to protestant presuppositions. It has the benefit to be better understood in western society that is otherwise utterly apathic, however it proclaims doctrines and paradigms that are not essential as key. @William Lane Craig, I have already waited for years in a meeting between you and Fr. John Behr; how enlightening that meeting and debate would be. Two true inspired academics
wonderful
So....we only exist to please God, to know that he exist, and to love him. That sounds so lonely. But, what if we don't want to love him? What about the people who don't know who "god" is. We have to be forced into a love? How is this a real love, if we are purposely made to love him? Then, our love for him is a fake love? Sounds depressing.
This video would do a lot better if it had a different title and thumbnail. It's fantastic but marketed suboptimally
Dr. Craig or Admins, may I translate this video to Indonesian? Thank you.
@drcraigvideos
2 жыл бұрын
Please contact our Director of Translations at chapters@reasonablefaith.org.
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@drcraigvideos ok, will do. Jesus bless you.
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@drcraigvideos translation done & already sent 😊🙏
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@jleo713 agree Then send to friends, social media groups, etc
Amen!
While this is my faith journey and I support the perspectives in the video, where have these concepts come from…besides the bible and nature?
Are you sure you're notifying all subscribers of each of your new videos? I've long been subscribed and signed-up for getting notification of all videos, but I didn't get a notification for this one, and it seems to me I don't get many notifications of new videos from drcraigvideos. I hate to think of the videos not getting seen by as many people as possible.
Here we do not see the world class apologetic but a humble man of God.
Amen
Great Evangelistic Video!!!! It is like the Four Spiritual Laws but with theological depth and Substance!...
amen
God's story is the perfect love story סיפורו של אלוהים הוא סיפור האהבה המושלם
I think God is a good balance. Pure good can sometimes do harm as well as evil does harm. But the pure good God is isn't "pure good" but a perfect balance Isaiah 45:7 in the King James Version reads, “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”
@Kaden-dd9vm
2 жыл бұрын
I can see where you would get that from, but I think we also have to remember that 1John 1-- "God is light and there is no darkness in Him". And so, just because God may create evil and goodness doesn't lead us to conclude necessarily, that He is those things.
@runewolf77
2 жыл бұрын
@@Kaden-dd9vm He does destroy his enemies. It's the balance of love. Love can hurt and love can heal.
a comment for the algorithm.
Knowing is not possible, one can only be God, but one can never know God. Who is the one who knows? Knowing or belief in knowing is a delusion, only unknowing is ever present.
#truth
We know next to nothing of Jesus’ life before he claimed to be the son of God, so how can anyone claim he was “perfect”?
@LANDRYPHYNO
2 жыл бұрын
Those who spent 3 years with him attested to that-if I observe someone for a week or even a day and he doesn't sin,i'd be impressed.
Yes.
I'm having trouble with Truth #1, "God loves you and created you to know him personally". It's been estimated a child under 15 dies every 4-5 seconds somewhere on this planet. So why am I so special that God wants a personal relationship with me and not all those children?
What if I don't want a relationship with a god that condones child abuse?
Jesus is the Truth, the Life and the Good. He took our sin on the cross and has risen to overcome it
How god in Christianity gives justice to those unbelievers who were murdered or looted by believers?
"And they began to think up foolish ideas of what god was like." Like you've done throughout this entire video.?
Yes, it is possible to know God. It is the sole purpose of Him creating each and everyone of us. He gave us free will to choose to believe in Him and diligently seek Him. It is written ... "God has given to each a “measure of faith” to use for Him." (Romans 12:3) ++++ It is written ... "This is Eternal Life; to KNOW YOU, the only True God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3) ++++ How do you get to know God? +++++ It is written ... "In the beginning WAS the Word and the Word was WITH God and the Word WAS God. And the Word BECAME FLESH and dwelt moung us. Full of grace and truth lived among us." (John 1:1, 14) ++++ "God is Spirit." (John 4:24)(Genesis 1:2). +++++ "Unless a man be born of Spirit, he shall not see nor enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That which is born of flesh is flesh; that which is born Spirit is Spirit. You hear the wind blow but you do not know from whence it comes or where it goes. So it is like that with everyone born of the Spirit." (John 3:3-6). ++++ Read the Word. It is written ... "His name is called the Word of God." (Revelation 19:13).
God has all the power, all the goodness, all the knowledge 'by default'. He hasn't worked hard for it. It's like a 'free fund'.
_"Is it possible to know God"_ - *A fine question, lets see how (if) he answers it.* _"But the bible describes God..."_ - *What?... what happened to the question we were trying to answer? Why talk about the Buddhists and Greeks? Why are we now talking about what attributes you think god has?* Four Truths: *(actually, these are a bunch of **_claims_** about God/Jesus)* _"God loves you, and created you to know him personally."_ - *Well, there should be your answer right there, just need to validate the claim you just made and you'll answer the original question... is that what he'll do next in the video though?* *.... nope, just makes more claims about what God is and wants.* _"Man is sinful and separated from God"_ - *Ooook... not sure what that has to do with anything, but I'll see where he goes from this. I hope he's not setting up excuses because what sort of excuse or reason could prevent an all powerful thing from doing anything?* _"...They can clearly see his invisible qualities..."_ - *You know, if something is "invisible" it, by definition, cannot be clearly seen.* (Fun fact, this is the line of thinking that made me first question my faith and led me towards discarding it. It was the one thing in the bible that I could know to be wrong with perfect confidence, there is nothing that I can possibly know with more confidence than what is going on in my head, and since the bible contradicted what I knew regarding me... I knew it wasn't perfect or inerrant.) - *Conflating knowing god and worshiping god in this section is horribly dishonest. Those are 2 completely different things. People who refuse to drive the speed limit don't do so because they refuse to acknowledge signs and police officer's existence.* *So... your excuse for why people don't seem to know God is that they do know God, but somehow don't because they don't want to worship it and, because they don't, they instead make up other gods because they are confused?* _"God is faced with a dilemma"_ - *All powerful and all knowing beings cannot be faced with dilemma... to do such would mean that they are either not all powerful or all knowing.* _"Gods solution is Jesus Christ"_ - *... now remember, the question we are supposed to be answering is "is it possible to know God?"* - *Substitutionary atonement for crime (or sin) is a perversion of justice, not the enactment of justice.* _"We must personally receive Christ as our savior and lord"_ - *So... in order to know if we can know God, we must know God? ... is that really what you are trying to say here? are you sure that's where you want to go in this "intellectual" discussion?* *... and then he talks about "believing"... while trying to answer a question about KNOWING.* *.... and then more about what God wants... in a video about if its possible to know God... hint, if you can't demonstrate how its possible to know something, talking about its attributes is horribly premature. Its like me telling you about the type of engine in my totally real spaceship.* _"It is possible to know God"_ - *Oh? HOW? You haven't talked about how to know God beyond asserting (falsely) that we already know God.* In conclusion, it would seem that he _doesn't_ know if it is possible to know God, but wants us to pretend that we do, and do what he says, because... reasons. It astonishes me that anyone accepts this pointless drivel. He couldn't even stay on target for 6 minutes.
You would think that something that incredible would produce at least some evidence that it exists.
You answer that so cavalierly but I have come to a different conclusion so far. I suppose I’m like the father in Mark 9 who pleads with Jesus to save him from his unbelief. I’ve been seeking God for years starting with the Bible and then philosophy and science. I’m just not seeing it.
@1-800-WILLIAM
2 жыл бұрын
@@jleo713 The same ways in which we all make sense of the world: imagination, memory, perception, intuition, reason, and language. I’ve not been able to make sense of God with these except to define God as a placeholder for those things we don’t yet understand.
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@1-800-WILLIAM so what is the reality according to you?
@1-800-WILLIAM
2 жыл бұрын
@@truthseeker7951 I don’t know what “the reality according to [anyone]” means. Reality exists independent of a mind to perceive it. So, what do you mean? Are you asking if God seems to exist in reality by my perspective? If so, it doesn’t seem to be the case. At least in the ways that I make sense of reality, God - as defined by most theists - seems nonsensical.
Jesus never stated that his death or his suffering was in your place. He never stated that he would pay any of your debts.
So great!
Yes it is possible to know a simulated version of a God in your brain. However it will be based on the individual's past.
My take on the reason GOD made us. A potter made a beautiful vase knowing it would lose its lustre and be broken, still he made it. Sorry this cannot truly explain the reason. The love of GOD for us is real and true. Does a parent feel sad that their child does not want to obey them? Does a parent feel sad that their child does not love them?
Everything we can know has been created. God can be known about God is created Everything we can know has been created. God was not created God can not be known.
Jesus never stated that he would suffer the death penalty in your place.
Knowing nothing and being gullible would be a good start.
God is the Ultimate Reality. And it is very possible to know Him. In fact, God desires a personal relationship with every human being. He walked with Adam in the cool of the day. He visited Moses on the mountain. When He restores all things that were lost in the Garden of Eden this is what we have to look forward to: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God."- Revelation 21:3
@Rob-cm9jr
3 ай бұрын
Adam is Enoch is Noah is Yeshua is ...
where did God get His emotions from? what dictates God's emotions?
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
Should God be emotionless?
@bard1183
2 жыл бұрын
@@truthseeker7951 Yes, God can't have a basis for emotion, did he then give those emotions to himself?
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@bard1183 like a robot?
@bard1183
2 жыл бұрын
@@truthseeker7951 no
@truthseeker7951
2 жыл бұрын
@@bard1183 so, what qualities you expect that God has?
Amen. The Atheist comedians try to compensate for their bad arguments by clothing them in humorous garb
Why We Suffer For Devil Sin?
Jesus never stated that he would place his moral perfection on you.