Here are some Q and A stuff I answered in Quora, a Q and A forum. If you have burning questions about anything under the sun, please feel free to ask me.
Contents
Holy Trinity - Illogical?
Boring Heaven?
Kid's Cancer?
Test of Faith?
Better Life as a Christian?
Question:
According to the traditional understanding of the Trinity doctrine, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all considered God, yet there is only one God. Is it conceivable that Christians would start abandoning this illogical doctrine?
Tom's Answer:
Christians believe there is only one God and three persons in one God—not three Gods in one God. Yes, Christians believe that the Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God – there are three divine persons in one God. Three persons in one being is not illogical.
A person is someone who has a will, mind, emotions, personality, and memory. A being is an entity with existence, essence, and substance. The challenge we face in understanding the nature of the Holy Trinity is that our everyday experience suggests that one being always means one person. Are there beings we know who have more than one person? Yes, we do—their situation is called conjoined twins. Meet Abby and Brittany Hensel.
Abby and Brittany are examples of two persons in one being. They have separate and distinct wills, emotions, personalities, and memories, but they only have one being—one existence and substance. There have been many conjoined twins in the past.
Our everyday experience of equating one person with one being should not limit us to the possibility that there can be more than one person in a single being. Abby and Brittany have demonstrated that two persons can share one being or existence. Can God exist in being three persons while being one being? Well, why not? God is not limited physically or by what we can think of Him.
We live in a dimension and reality where one being means one person. We cannot imagine anything beyond the three dimensions we are limited to, but scientists have discovered that an object can exist in four dimensions. The object is called a hypercube or tesseract. It appears here in two dimensions and cannot be shown in four dimensions.
If we acknowledge that objects or things can exist beyond our three-dimensional world, there may be a realm where three persons can coexist in one being. We cannot understand how this can happen. However, I have demonstrated that things, objects, or beings can exist in higher dimensions than the ones we are familiar with.
Just imagine living in a two-dimensional reality. You can only perceive things in a two-dimensional existence, such as lines, squares, circles, and triangles. You cannot imagine what a cube, cylinder, ball, pyramid or cone will look like. We live in a three-dimensional world. We can easily see and accept that those objects can and do exist. But if you live in a two-dimensional world, those objects will be impossible to see and visualise.
This makes it possible, rather than impossible, for three persons to exist in one being in a different realm. We must be humble enough to admit that just because things cannot exist in our three-dimensional reality, we can conclude that they are illogical. We must accept that our reality is limited, and things, objects, and beings can exist in other dimensions that we cannot comprehend in our limited dimension.
So, the concept of three persons in one God is not illogical. It might be impossible for us to comprehend or visualise Him in our realm, but God is a real possibility belonging to a realm beyond our own.
All people may find this concept difficult to understand, but if God is a truly loving God, meaning love is a primary nature of God, not a secondary attribute, then there must be more than one person in God. If He is one person, His loving nature is not innate; it will only emerge once He creates things He loves. If God is one person and He loves Himself, that is not love but selfishness. Love only happens between two or more persons, not one.
Question: Is there anything else to do in Heaven besides the stereotypical “worship and praise God?” Wouldn’t it kind of get boring and repetitive to do it for eternity?
Tom's Answer:
From my understanding, this is what heaven would be like:
1. Before we go to heaven, there will be purification and sanctification. Our souls need to be redeemed from everything that is ungodly in us before we come into a state of purity and perfect holiness. If we have offended anyone or have been offended by anyone, there is a time to fully reconcile with them - we cannot enter heaven unless our relationships are fully restored. If we have unrepented sins, this is the time for purification.
2. Heaven is a place of love - a giving away of one’s self to God and to one another. As we give ourselves to God and to one another, then we will experience the fullness of God in us. We would also receive love from God and from one another.
3. Heaven would not be a place for selfishness and greed - that is hell. God is King in heaven, not ourselves. Only in giving of ourselves to God and others would we find our true joy - here on earth and also in heaven. We would find true pleasure, happiness, and fulfilment in pleasing and serving God and others in heaven.
4. Heaven would not be boring at all. As we give ourselves to God and to one another, life would just get better and better. We would have eternity to know each other and become friends with all those in heaven.
5. We will no longer have pain, broken relationships, suffering and death. Our bodies would be glorified bodies, not like our mortal and sick bodies now. There would be no natural disasters in heaven, too.
6. Our senses and souls would be in a state of perfect grace so that evil would be seen in its true nature - the filth, the ugliness, the horror of it. I think we would have free will [otherwise we would be like robots], but we would know better how truly terrible sin is - so we would not want to sin ever again. It is like seeing and smelling rotting garbage or poop as it is - and we would want to stay away from it as far as we can.
7. There would be music in heaven. We would enjoy times of singing together and worshipping God together in one great prayer meeting. Not only we would hear great praise and worship songs, but we would also have time to hear our favourite classical/pop/jazz/whatever music we love here on earth, too, for our enjoyment. For me, I would want to enjoy Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” played live in front of me - that is heaven.
8. We will use our talents to glorify God in heaven. We would have “job assignments” in heaven - maybe we would be assigned galaxies or planets to “subdue them and have dominion over them” as God’s representatives. Or maybe we would play sports with one another, without getting hurt or injured. We would have great times enjoying one another’s company. I think we can snorkel, skate, skydive, swim, sail, or do whatever we enjoyed doing here on earth. We can explore the oceans and even outer space without any problem. We would only be limited by our imagination what we can do in heaven to glorify God.
9. We would meet our friends, families, and loved ones who said yes to God’s offer of friendship while they were on earth. We have all the time in the universe to renew friendships with all of them. Our relationships would be different from our earthly relationships; we would recognise our parents and children and spouses in heaven, but we would not relate with them as we did on earth - we would all be friends with one another instead. All relationships in heaven would be great - no slander, gossip, backbiting, etc. Love will reign supreme in all our relationships. We would also meet all the angels, martyrs, and the saints and have eternity to get to know them.
10. There would be an eternal banquet in the honour of the King - an endless supply of food and drinks, without us worrying about over-eating or indigestion! Our favourite salads, mains, and desserts would be there - imagine the best foods on earth from all nations for us to enjoy. There would be dancing. There would be games. There would be great fun together at the banquet.
11. Life forever is hard to imagine, and that is fine. My imagination is very limited now, but it would get better in heaven. Life would only get better and better until we have God’s fullness of glory, holiness, and love in us. We will be a perfect reflection of Jesus except for our personality, looks and name.
12. We would see God’s face. We would meet God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 ESV)
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4 ESV)
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5 ESV)
Do you agree with my thoughts? What is your expectations about heaven? Share your thoughts with us. Cheers!
Question:
Why does God allow kids to get cancer?
Tom's Answer:
I think there is a bigger question here. Why does God allow anyone to have cancer? Cancer can target anyone from newborn babies to seniors. We probably can say that seniors already lived a full life and death is a natural step through cancer. What about babies and kids? They have not had the chance to have a semblance of a full life, and they suffer and many of them die through cancer.
Why does God allow babies and kids to have cancer? Cancer is a disease in which some of the body’s cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body. It can be said that cancer is part of the brokenness of the world we live in due to the sin of Adam and Eve. We experience illnesses, diseases, calamities, and eventually death due to sin. The payment or wages for sin is death. Babies and children are part of this broken world, and they are also affected by its imperfection.
God can bring good even if the situation seems to be very hard to understand why things happen as they do. https://www.stuff.co.nz/.../young-boy-dies-after-two-year...
“Lachie was such a vibrant, funny, and social kid and he was all about the people,” Liesje Love, his mother, told the New Zealand Herald.
“We have had so many people through our home to see him in the past week, he just loved everyone and everyone loved him.”
Lachie's short life was filled with love. He touched the lives of many people around him. That is a life that counts even if it was short.
We need to fully comprehend that all life belongs to God. Our children and loved ones belong to God first and we are parents in behalf of God. He entrusts the young precious souls to us, but they will always belong to God. He has the right to take life as He sees it at any time, from newborn babies to centenarians.
When I had children of my own, that is the first thing God reminded me. They are God's children first before me being a parent. I can only be and do so much. Now that I have grandchildren of my own, the same message reminded me. They belong to God first. The best we can do is to love them as God loves them so they will grow in the wisdom and love for God.
I have stage four kidney cancer. I always remind my children and grandchildren that my life is in God's hands but I will fight the cancer all that I can for them. I pray for them that I get well.
It terribly hurts when we lose loved ones, but we need to remember they are not ours first, they are God's. If God wants them back at any time, we surrender them to God however painful it may be. We cannot resent and get angry with God because God takes back what is His.
As a Christian, we know that God fully understands what pain and suffering mean. Jesus became one of us by the Incarnation. He had a physical body which ached and suffered like us. Moreso, He was crucified. He died in the most excruciating way. He can identify with us as we experience agony and grief. He can walk with us and hold our hands when we experience pain and suffering. Jesus is not a God so unreachable and abstract that He cannot understand our distress and suffering. Jesus still possesses a human body now, glorified and perfected, unlike our current ones. Jesus is truly one of us and fully know what suffering means. He joins us in our distress and affliction as we join Him in knowing what surrendering to God in obedience through His agony and misery as He dies for us on the cross.
The great thing about being a Christian is that earthly death is not permanent. It is more like a temporary separation. We hope that one day, we will be reunited with our families and loved ones. And that reunion is a permanent one, where the bond of love and happiness will never be broken again.
Will babies, including aborted babies, and children, go to heaven? I think so. They never had the capacity to make a mature and moral decision about whether they want to accept or reject God's offer of friendship. Because their souls came from God, they will return to God.
We welcome comments. If you have an experience with babies and children getting sick, please share with us. God bless you.
Question:
Is our faith often tested through tough times and tough experiences?
Tom's Answer:
From the book of James Chapter 1:
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Yes, our faith is tested during the toughest times of our lives. Normally, when things are good and everything is hunky-dory, we don't grow in our faith life. It is when the chips are down where we know where we are in our faith walk.
I have recently faced severe health problems. I was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer around April last year with hip pain, back pain and a broken rib. I have visited the emergency department six times in the past 10 months due to severe pain or suffering due to my cancer. I have lost more than 100 pounds or 45 kgs over 10 months. I have been a Christian for a long time, and I know when the cancer started, I need to persevere in my faith to be strong for my family and friends. The thing is, I know God is good and He will never leave me. In the midst of severe pain and suffering, Jesus held my hands and carried me through the hardest moments of my life.
I am getting better now, and I am claiming healing. I am slowly regaining some weight back. The symptoms and medicine side effects are getting easier to live with. I want to use the rest of my life for loving and serving Him. I belong to Jesus and my life is in His hands. I desire to share my experience with cancer to all those who are sick, lonely, hopeless and suffering.
God is good and faithful. He is real. He loves all of us and wants to share His goodness with all of us for eternity.
Has your faith been tested recently? Share with us your experience. Cheers!
Question: Does belief in "God" make your life better, or does it require self-sacrifice?
Tom's Answer:
That is an excellent question. The answer is both - believing in God, specifically Christianity, makes life much better and it does require self-sacrifice.
How does believing in Jesus make life a lot better? Well, believers have ultimate meaning, value and purpose in life. They live purposeful lives. There is value when they serve the poor and the needy. They can live happy and fulfilling lives because they have something beyond their own that they are caring for. They have hope for eternal life. They have the hope of a reunion with all those who loved and served God in this lifetime. They can eagerly await the coming of the Lord again. No matter what disaster, mishap, misfortune, or even material depravity one has to face in this lifetime because this life is short and momentary and the best of everything is still to come.
Yes, the Christian life requires a lot of self-sacrifice. Jesus speaks of denying one's self, taking up one's cross and follow Him. Christianity requires surrender and obedience to Jesus. Christians are supposed to undergo a transformation of heart and soul in one's yielding to the Holy Spirit for a lifetime. It's God's will that matters in this life, not theirs.
Christianity is a process of exchange. The Christian surrenders his or her life to God, and God gives the person a new life. The Christian gives up all the best things in this life in order to get the best things in the next life, eternal life. The Christian transforms to become Christ-like so the person turns out to reach his or her highest potential in this life and the next.
So, yes, life is truly better as a Christian even if it requires a lifetime of sacrifice. It is worth it.
How about you - does your life get better? How? Please feel free to make a comment below. Cheers!