Spiritual Formation Study Guide July 11, 2010

Week 1

Lesson 1: Elohim (Part 1)

Group Discussion: What is a god? Explain with reasoning.

Lesson Outline:
 A god is something we worship.
o In this world, a god can be anything from money, to our career,
girlfriend/boyfriend, a tradition or way of life we’re accustomed to, or
even anything that brings us prosperity or luck.
o In most cases, every one of us in some capacity worships a false god that
we are unwilling to admit: ourselves.
 The question about what is a god ultimately comes down to: “Who is worthy of
our unconditional adoration and veneration?”
o We cannot decide for other people who they want to give their devotion
to. Some people are willing to worship a rock, though we think this is
ridiculously wrong, but it is their choice to do so.
o We can only profess our faith, what we believe in, and let others decide if
this is what they want also.
o Are we willing to settle for 2nd best? Or settle for “good enough?” To most
of us, we want the best in life. As such, it is only natural to choose to
worship only that which is the greatest.
 The word “greatest” by definition implies:
o Uniqueness – There cannot be 2 greatest. By definition, that which is the
great-est is as high as it can get.
If 100 is the greatest, then all numbers are below it. If there is
another 100, then 100 = 100 and they are exactly the same.
o Perfect – The greatest must also be perfect since the contrary would
indicate something can surpass it and render it inferior.
o Mystery – Since we are not perfect, then this perfection surpasses
everything we know, and into even that which we do not know. It is
greater than ourselves.
o Creator – If this god is perfect and greater than everything, then by
definition it must also be dominant over all things. In order to be
dominant, then this perfection cannot be created and must create all things
since that which is created is lesser than the one which created it.
This means that this creator is supreme over all things physical,
spiritual, emotional, and even rules and definitions. Not only is it
not limited by them, he must be the source which they come from.
Anything that is not the creator therefore is the creation, hence
“time” is also a creation and therefore this supreme perfect creator
must not be limited by time.
o Final conclusion – This god, who is the greatest, is simply the utmost
supreme perfection that is dominant over all things.
o We just ran into a paradox. We are trying to define something that cannot
be defined nor compared to. This god is a paradox, the greatest mystery.

Study is based on: Huang, Cliff C. The Anvil of God: A Spiritual Reformation. Charleston, SC: Createspace, 2010.
(ISBN/EAN13: 1450585760 / 9781450585767)
Spiritual Formation Study Guide July 11, 2010
Week 1
 The Greatest Mystery
o Because this god is greater than us, hence we can never define him. This
god is not righteous because he does righteous things, but he is righteous
because everything he does is righteous, he defines what is righteous.
o Hence believing in this god is a revelation  a revelation of humbleness,
“we simply don’t know.”
o Since this god is beyond our scope of understanding, therefore it is
impossible for us to either prove his existence or disprove him. We cannot
disprove something greater than ourselves.
 Why the mystery? Because God is not a thing, a subject, nor anything of our
creation. God is a person, a person much greater than ourselves, hence cannot be
predicted. The only thing we know of God is only that which He has revealed to
us; which He has allowed us to know.

Application:
Before we build a theological framework, we must first build a philosophical framework.
The reason is simple, if God is truly the God of all nations and people, then He must’ve
left a trail of breadcrumbs for us to rediscover Him. We must have some capacity of
understanding, knowing God with reasoning and rationality, instead of purely base on
religious documents. Lacking an understanding of this philosophical framework creates a
fissure between believers and unbelievers that often we can no longer relate the gospel to
them anymore, but only religion.
Not having a solid philosophical framework also leaves holes in our theological
framework, as many things in the Scripture would come off seemingly contradictory.
Why did God set a rule to ‘not kill’ (Ex. 20:13) then turn around and have the Israelites
completely terminate all living things in the land of Canaan? (Joshua 6:21) Many
probably have heard the argument over the word ‘kill’ (xc;r'). Many argue and translate
that passage to “you should not murder,” instead of “you should not kill.” Though there
might be some merit to this translation, however the argument is weak at best and missed
the greater paradigm of the commandments.
The view of humanity’s adoption of the Ten Commandments had always been
viewed as a set of rules and guidelines for governing how humanity should live.
However, when we take our eyes off ourselves and place them towards the right
direction, we can then see that the role of the Ten Commandments has more to do with
establishing the role of God with us than it does with telling us what to do. When we
refer back to our understanding of God as the uttermost supreme sovereign perfection, the
paradigm becomes clear—God is the source, the origin, and the one that defines rules and
not one who is defined by rules. Thus it becomes clear; God sets the rules and requires no
justification for what He chooses to do. He also doesn’t need to justify the exceptions He
would make to the rules He set. For example, a father sets a curfew for his child at 9 pm.
However, on a specific night he decides to let his child stay up until 10 pm. He is not
obligated to justify his decision to the child.
When we accuse God of unfairness whenever we don’t get what we want, we end
up breaking the role of our relationship with God. Instead of following the rules set for
us, we try to dictate the rules that we think God should follow from us. God doesn’t exist
just because the bible says He exists; God exists simply because He does.

Study is based on: Huang, Cliff C. The Anvil of God: A Spiritual Reformation. Charleston, SC: Createspace, 2010.
(ISBN/EAN13: 1450585760 / 9781450585767)