Originally posted by josephw
That's right!

I know God because He has revealed Himself to me.

If you want to say that that "sounds spiritual", and is therefore no guarantee that I know God, then go ahead and believe that if you must, but it isn't in the saying of it that there is a guarantee, it's in the believing what God has said that guarantees that I do in fact know God.

It ends there. God has spoken. Want to call Him a liar?

I'm sure nobody here doubts your sincerity.

Originally posted by stellspalfie
how do you know he has revealed himself to you?

Good question.

It all revolves around the concept of believing God. God has created a mechanism called faith. Through faith we believe that what God has spoken is true. It is not blind faith. Faith is never blind as some will try to make you believe.

Faith has an object. That object is a person. That person is the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

When one trusts in what Jesus did on the cross on his behalf saves him, that one has the faith of Jesus Christ given to him. Saving faith.

Once one has that faith, knowing God is the consequence.

You're probably thinking I might have said God spoke audibly to me.

But then what good would faith do if He did? Today, for everyone, God reveals Himself by His written Word, which He has preserved, through faith in His Word. That is how I know God has revealed Himself to me. There is no other way to know God. It's by God's design that it be that way. It's a perfect design plan and never fails.

Originally posted by FMF
I'm sure nobody here doubts your sincerity.

But they doubt God.

And that's the issue. Not me.

Originally posted by josephw
But they doubt God.

And that's the issue. Not me.

Well I'm sure nobody doubts the strength of your convictions either.

Originally posted by josephw
But then what good would faith do if He did? Today, for everyone, God reveals Himself by His written Word, which He has preserved, through faith in His Word. That is how I know God has revealed Himself to me. There is no other way to know God. It's by God's design that it be that way. It's a perfect design plan and never fails.

It never fails? Surely there have been countless billions of people that the Bible failed to convince?

Originally posted by FMF
Well I'm sure nobody doubts the strength of your convictions either.

It's not my convictions and sincerity that's in question here.

The question is whether or not God has revealed Himself, particularly in His Word.

Originally posted by josephw
It all revolves around the concept of believing God. God has created a mechanism called faith. Through faith we believe that what God has spoken is true. It is not blind faith. Faith is never blind as some will try to make you believe.

And yet it was you yourself who admitted this yesterday: "Anyone can sound spiritual when referring to God, but that is no guarantee that they know God." Are we to conclude that by "anyone", you meant anyone except you?

Originally posted by josephw
It's not my convictions and sincerity that's in question here.

The question is whether or not God has revealed Himself, particularly in His Word.

You keep making assertions that you know many of the people you are addressing sincerely do not believe to be true and whose convictions do not change having heard your claims. This means that the strength of your convictions and your sincerity are pretty much the only issue raised by your posts. I have no reason to doubt that you are absolutely certain about the personal beliefs that you describe.

Originally posted by josephw
You're probably thinking I might have said God spoke audibly to me. But then what good would faith do if He did?

What harm would it do if your Christian God figure "spoke audibly" to people, especially if it were to result in billions of Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists believing in Him too?

Originally posted by FMF
It never fails? Surely there have been countless billions of people that the Bible failed to convince?

The failure is unbelief.

Does God lie? Failure to believe God surely falls on those that don't believe God.

Originally posted by FMF
What harm would it do if your Christian God figure "spoke audibly" to people, especially if it were to result in billions of Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists believing in Him too?

We have the Word of God in written form.

Isn't that good enough?

Originally posted by FMF
You keep making assertions that you know many of the people you are addressing sincerely do not believe to be true and whose convictions do not change having heard your claims. This means that the strength of your convictions and your sincerity are pretty much the only issue raised by your posts. I have no reason to doubt that you are absolutely certain about the personal beliefs that you describe.

Never mind my assertions.

If the people reading my posts can't see clearly, as you appear not to, that what I'm saying is that it is God that has spoken, and it is what is written by the inspiration of God that I make assertion of, then so be it.

Even God isn't forcing anyone to believe. I'm not even trying.

"I have no reason to doubt that you are absolutely certain about the personal beliefs that you describe."

So? Glad to hear to it, but whether or not I'm absolutely certain about my personal beliefs is not the topic of discussion.

Originally posted by josephw
We have the Word of God in written form.

Isn't that good enough?

What harm would it do if your Christian God figure "spoke audibly" if it meant ~ according to your theology ~ that billions more souls would be "saved"?

Originally posted by josephw
Good question.

It all revolves around the concept of believing God. God has created a mechanism called faith. Through faith we believe that what God has spoken is true. It is not blind faith. Faith is never blind as some will try to make you believe.

Faith has an object. That object is a person. That person is the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

Whe ...[text shortened]... know God. It's by God's design that it be that way. It's a perfect design plan and never fails.

this only explains why 'think' he has revealed himself. it does not explain how you 'know'.

how do you know?

Originally posted by josephw
The failure is unbelief.

Does God lie? Failure to believe God surely falls on those that don't believe God.

Billions of Muslims, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists believe God has revealed Himself to them and believe in different literature than you just so happen to believe in.