For Christians...explain your highest level of understanding of God?

Answer 1

I am not quite sure what you are asking. I will give it my best shot. Part of a Christian understanding of who God is comes from history (personal, biblical, and traditional).

First Biblical: God is the same yesterday, today and forever. So to come to a good answer of who God is, one must who is the God of the Bible. Therefore, the stories of Adam/ Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Rachael, Jacob, the twelve tribes, the Kings, prophets, etc.

Remember though that when you are reading the Bible, there is every possible kind of literature in the bible (myth, poetry, parable, legal, historical, prophecy, etc.). Because of this, one can not read every part of the Bible the same way. It helps to read it in the context of history, and literature. At the same time, the world's cosmological view has changed over the past couple of thousand years. In the past, there was no understanding of nature, so everything was a divine act, whether appropriate or not (i.e., earthquakes, storms, etc.). Was that God in that event? I am really not sure, but God would have to be, as God is the source of all things. But is that the "wrath" of God? This would be an area of personal struggle, and one of the questions I have when I get to heaven. Only because no one on this earth has explained it well enough for my limited brain to understand that one.

Also our understanding of God changed dramatically with Jesus' visit to our planet. I look at this as comparable to playing operator versus talking to actual source.

Tradition; As Christians, there is almost 6,000 years of Jewish and Christian history to pull from theologically. So I think tradition is very important even if it does not necessarily appear in the Bible. As long as what you are reading is consistent with what we (the collective we) have known of God from history, then it is probably valid.

personal: Every person on the earth has our own relationship with God as well. From my own point of view (and some may disagree), it does not matter what you want to call God in that relationship: God, Yahweh, Allah, Great Spirit, etc. Our relationship/ history with God also forms our view of God.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

My highest level of understanding God is Who He is and who I'm not.

Answer 3

The highest level I have ever reached is explained at least in part on my short essay Truth.

This I believe; http://homelessheart.com/truth.htm

Answer 4

God is the ever-living Presence who desires so much to be a part of our freedom in Him that He became Life to us.

God is all seeing, all knowing, all wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. He is above all.

Answer 5

God is our conscience. He makes us aware that to be human is to be naturally weak in the flesh. In order for us to be in command of that inherent weakness, we need to be strong in the spirit. Thus the emergence of what we call good versus evil because it's only by way of understanding and differentiating the two wherein man will be able to attain justice and peace.

In the study of Psychology, there is an explanation with regards to what conscience is. It is part of what we call Id, Ego and Superego. In order to make it simpler and more easier to comprehend (though is not the perfect illumination of the exact meaning), I will try to use an analogy such as human instinct that will represent ID, self represents EGO and conscience that which represents SUPEREGO. Under ID falls the human instincts that includes hunger, thirst, sexual desires, anger, hatred, envy, etc. SUPEREGO is that which checks these human instincts so that the balance of both results into a well behaved human being having a tamed and educated EGO. Relating to this SUPEREGO has something to do with the norms of the society, standards set in school etc. and has something to do more with man's conscience.

When the Id supersedes the Superego, the result will be a person with no inhibition towards the negative human attributes. He becomes undisciplined, unruly, ill-mannered and direspectful and eventually becomes vile. When Superego supervenes, He likewise become too conscious of the negative human attributes in that when not put in check, he has the tendency to become self-righteous, self conscious, guilt monger until guilt overcomes his common sense for him to fall into mental distoriton. So, in order for man to have a well balanced Ego, there should be a balance between the two and not one to overcome the other. How do we achieve this? Resposible parenthood is very important, education is a must, and Spirituality is the ultimate need.

If we will look deeper into our spirituality, it is not really that difficult to understand what religion has to do with our lives. One doesn't have to be Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist to become Godly. But having a religion to me is having an identity so that it will not be very difficult for an individual to set some standards to follow.

God gave us the free will to choose, but in choosing, you are automatically rendered answerable to your own individual choices. You can even choose to be a pagan, as long as you are ready to face the consequence that it offers. There should be no compulsion in every human choice. That's why religion is not a reason to fight for because it should always be product of free choice. But people differ in the level of understanding that's why they argue and since patience and tolerance differ too. that's why they fight.

Based on my own personal research and I am not trying to go against anyone in this, Christianity is the best religion that one may consider. Christianity is a religion of free people. It is where you can decide on your own fate and answer whenever that decision goes wrong. It is where no one can force you to swallow what you don't accept or agree with and to refuse any idealogy that one does not believe in. The result of this is peace and development.

This is what I was trying to drive at ever since I joined Yahoo answers. That as Christians, we should set the best examples of how to be one. In Christianity, your whole being is put into the test. That's why I always believe that this is the kind of religion where your real nature will be threshed out depending on your level of comprehension. Thus, naturally it makes this religion actually the most difficult one among the rest.

Christianity thrives in the free world and it is in the free world where the worst of temptations are found. These temptations are heaven's challenges to humankind wherein you either succeed or fail. This is now where the strength of the spirit will come in overcoming the weakness of the flesh. But is anyone ready for this?

This is where you see intoxicating substances in a lot of places, men and women showing more flesh and earn from it, smart minds undoing other smart minds in order to earn a living and the weak follow the crumbs. this is where people smile but think of evil things inside their hearts, where people look down on you when you fall and praise you when you're at the top. This is where wealth can become powerful and be manipulative and this is where the poor but innocent have the chance to be incarcerated and the rich and powerful but guilty can buy his freedom.

Difficult isn't it. How can one survive a society that offers you those delicious foods for the flesh. That is why Christianity is the best challenge and the most difficult test for humankind in order to pass and qualify for heaven. Because Christians overcome the temptations and follow God by way of his free will and not by way of coercion or force in order for man to submit to the wiil of God. That's why God smiles at those who survive because that is human triumph against the forces of evil. Can anyone face the challenge? I personally failed, but at least now I know why I failed and am in the process of hurdling the test with the light of God as my guide.