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Existence of God (Negatives Of The Concept Of Existence) (2)
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장부영
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2008-04-01 04:47:10, 조회 : 2,929 |
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Existence of God (Negatives Of The Concept Of Existence) (2)
Existence of God (Negatives Of The Concept Of Existence) (2)
John Calvin advised not to rack the brains about God; but rather, to contemplate him in his work. This means what may be known of God is manifested in them (men) through the works of God. Therefore, man has the root in his heart which God bestowed to him as the essence of inatus cognitio in the difference from other animals. He explained as follows:
we ought to observe that we are called to a knowledge of God: not that knowledge which, content with empty speculation, merely flits in the brain, but that which will be sounded and fruitful if we duly perceive it, and if it takes root in the heart. For the Lord manifests himself by his power, the force of which we feel within ourselves and the benefits of which we enjoy.
We must therefore be much more profoundly affected by this knowledge that if we were to imagine a God of whom no perception came through to us. (Calvin, trans. 1969, I,5,9)
Calvin regarded this root in man as of great importance in the realm of general revelation (Calvin, trans. 1953, I,4,1). But it did not mean that the root in man, the religiosity (some seed of religion) can completely search God, and may be an important factor.
In a sense, his theory of the religiosity may be misunderstood of a deist (T.H.L. Parker). But his theory of the root in the heart has been dealing within the only realm of general or natural revelation. Therefore, his opinion is clear and beyond misapprehension.
Pope asserted that the idea of God in the general proposition was cognitio and a priori (Pope, 235).
Plato tried to understand the idea of God in his "Herinnering."
Aristotle tried to harmonize the potential power with the sensual cognition. Stoicism suggested an "innate soul or knowledge" (pusikai ennoiai) and Cicero asserted there had been the knowledge of God (angehoren godehennis) prior to all experience in the innate idea (cogtationes insitae innatae). Also, this innate idea of God appeared in the dualistic idealism of Descartes and it has been developed to various types from it.
Since Leibnitz, who insisted that the natural light of man (het naturali licht der rede) comes out of man himself, many have a tendency to the spiritualism. Nonetheless, Leibnitz said that it has been important for us to explain that the idea of God is entirely a possible concept of Him. For him, the concept of God can be reasoned from us. He says that the perfections of God are those of our souls, but He possesses them without limit (Hodge, 1973, 374).
Immanuel Kant insisted that the idea of God belongs to the sphere of the metaphysics but not to the sphere of ethics. Hegel and Fichte related the idea of God to the Absolute Spirit. But Lock and Hobbes insisted that the idea of God belongs to the sphere of sense based on their empiricism.
Thus, all philosophers have tried to define the idea of God based on their thought of philosophy. But the exact definition of the idea of God can be found in the Scriptures which is identified with the special revelation.
The Bible gives testimonies that the people have the conscience which is able to know God within them. Even the Gentiles have been given this which is known about God. The Bible says, "because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them" (Rom. 1:19). But it is just that they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer (Rom. 1:28). Such people have been called "the practical atheists" (Ps. 14:1), and "atheists in the cosmos" (adeio en to cosmo) by Paul.
Tidwell said that the universal concept of the idea of God within the people shows God to be a real Being (6, 27).
Buswell explained the idea of God in his book, "Systematic theology" as follows:
the idea of God of the Bible, 'He who is,' is a datum...'What is the explanation of this datum?' The point is that the idea of God as set forth in the Bible is not explicable from any non-theistic data. The God of the Bible is a Spirit without corporeal existence. He is omnipresent. He is omniscience, not through quickness of intellectual discursive processes like Thor or Hercules. (Buswell, 1962, 76, 78)
The idea of God is a general revelation given to anyone, the Gentile as well as Christian. But the idea of God can be convinced by the special revelation. This idea of God is a sign of destruction for unbelievers, but not a sign of salvation for the people (Rom. 1:19).
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선교운동소개
신학 