Why did God choose to communicate His word through human beings?

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Clarification of Question by jewels22086-ga on 13 Apr 2005 00:41 PDT

Why did God choose to communicate His word through human beings? 
--this question was raised in my philosophy class at a Christian
University specifically for Education majors.  I'm having a difficult
time understanding how this relates to teaching.  The closest I could
come to it was: how does God use us as educators to communicate His
word - spreading it to both Christians and non Christians?  I know God
is able to communicate His word by other means, and does, yet he's
chosen man for this purpose.  Why?

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let
them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the
livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that
move along the ground."

Genesis 1:26

It seems obvious that God would choose to communicate His Word through
those who need it most: fallen men.

If, instead of human beings, His chosen prophets had been octopi or
parakeets or wolverines, would mankind have listened and understood?
We seem to be quite reluctant to heed the Word of God even when it is
expressed plainly in human languages.

Great comment as always by my colleague Pinkfreud. And the embodiment
of this Word was when God became man in Jesus Christ.

It seems to me perfectly reasonable that God would speak through a
parakeet. Why on earth not? I, at any rate, would be vastly impressed
by such a phenomenon.

leapinglizard

this question was asked in my intro to philosophy class and i really
didn't get it.  like pinkfreud pointed out, how else would God choose
to communicate his word to us??  perhaps it's asking how does God use
us to communicate his word to others??

God didn't have to communicate through human beings -- or any kind of
beings. He could have just placed His message indelibly in each of our
minds. He could have used "signs and wonders." He could have written
His message in permanent tongues of flame across the sky in a language
that all mankind could read.

Within the frame that your comment put on the issue -a philosophy
class-, Jewels, maybe the following thoughts were helpful.

I would start by rephrasing the question this way: why a supreme
being, capable to directly communicate to any living thing's mind,
would chose such an erratic means as human speakers to spread his /
her message?

Now, what if it was all but human wisdom poetically expressed, spoken
as in behalf of a beloved supreme being, but ultimately remaining
human creation, whatever divine inspiration that poetic wisdom might
have?

I don't think your question is actually answerable. Instead, new
questions feed philosophic thinking :-)

Best luck!

Guillermo

Hey, Leaping Lizard, I grew up genuinely thinking that the 'Holy
Paraclete" was in fact the "Holy Parakeet". If only His words had been
communicated more clearly to me it could have saved enormous
embarrassment!

I would add that our free will allows  us to choose Him! or choose to
listen to Him. This being the case He chooses to speak to us in many
ways as pinkfreud had mentioned below. His creation even cries out as
to His hand in our lives.

John 1:1 says "In the begining was the Word, and the Word was with
God. and the Word was God. He was with God in the begining.    NIV

Who better to speak to man about God than The Word. In other passages
Jesus is refered to as the "Son of Man". If you want to convay
something to people, you have to use words they will understand.

May the Lord lead you, and you be wise enough to follow.

Who says he did?

Perhaps it is only the arrogance of human beings who believe they were
chosen in this way that leads to the belief in god.

Owain

God has used the most efficient way. Using creatures that think and
talk and communicate ideas. If he told the angels to tell us, how
would they do it? An angel told Mary she would bear Jesus, and only
faith helped j
oseph to believe it. And who would believe anyone who said they were
passing on information gained from an angel? These days they would be
locked up. But Jesus, as God's son, had the good news and passed it on
to his Apostles, and further to the disciples, and from them to the
people. The scripture in Luke 19; 36-40 says that if people will not
do the job, God has the power to make even the stones talk. To make a
statement on a false premise is fatal for a scientist. When the same
is done by a researcher as to who Jesus is [ Easterangel claims Jesus
is God] is no better. Proverbs 8;22-30 states that Jesus was God's
first creation, even before the universe or even the angels. John 17;5
confirms proverbs. " so now you, Father, glorify me[Jesus]ALONGSIDE
yourself with the glory that I had ALONGSIDE You ...BEFORE THE WORLD
WAS..".
And my John 1;2 says " This one was in the beginning WITH God".
And Pink still rules!.

Could have a perfect angel ever written the 51st Psalm?
Technically yes, but he wouldn't be writting his emotions.
Such writting wouldn't have been sincere.
The importance of being able to know firsthanded what someone is going
through in order to be able to show empathy is clearly stressed in Heb
4:15 - "For we have as high priest, not one who cannot sympathyze with
out weaknesses, but one who has been tested in all respects like
ourselves, but without sin."

P.S.I made a mistake typing; it says 'with OUR weaknesses', not 'with out'

At the risk of sounding a bit non traditional.. I'm going to state
that God doesn't communitate his words only through man.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;. the skies proclaim the work of God?s
hands." - Psalm 19:1

I personally think His word is communicated through a HUGE variety of
sources, including the stars, science, and beyond. Even Einstein, with
all his knowledge knew that there had to be a God because of all the
order he observed in nature. Yes, people like C.S. Lewis will state
that nature cannot prove there is a God (from his book "The Four
Loves") And I somewhat agree.. but I will say this, alot is writen in
the stars and planets.

At my college, we had this huge star ball.. the first of its type in
the whole USA. With it, one could observe the sky as it looked from
any location on earth at any time in history. Taking it back to around
the time of Jesus' birth, you can see 2 stars in different
constelations alligning to create the "bright star" that the wisemen
followed, and 9 months later another bright one. I don't remember
which constelations they were (it had a meaning) etc.. But my point
is, that God's word will be advanced, communicated, and nothing can
stop it. As we see scientific confermations such as this, it only back
up God's word a million times and makes me thankful that we have such
a wonderful God.

Why did god choose to communicate His word through human beings?  That
my friend is an excellent question.  In both experience and Gods word
I would see it as not about effectiveness.  Since being all powerful
God can and does communicate in a number of ways.  Through creation as
mentioned in the Psalms before as well the first chapter of Romans
talks of creation leaving man without excuse, i.e. they were
communicated from creation.  We see God us prophets, signs and
wonders.  All attempting to communicate.  So while God calls us to
share His message I am not sure it would be correct to assume we are
the only path for that message.  That not withstanding, God uses us
not for Him or them, but for us.
The Richman in a story told by Jesus...
Luke 16:27-31

27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's
house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they
will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham replied,
'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 "'No,
father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them,
they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses
and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises
from the dead.'"
NIV
...Asks for Jesus to send Lazarus back from the dead to convince them
of their need for Christ.  But Jesus says, a miracle won't stir belief
in them the have the words of Abraham and Moses (The Old Testament
also a source for people to hear about God with or with a person
involved.)  So what stirs belief?  What is it that makes the message
or messenger effective. According to John 6:44 "No one can come to me
unless the Father who sent me draws him?"  God is the stirrer.  So
creation, miracles, talking parakeets, and even people are all useless
unless God draws them.
Then why Matt 28:19-20 "go unto the world making disciples?"
(Paraphrase) If it isn't about being the most effective tool, and we
aren't necessary, than it is about us.  What does sharing that message
do to us?  Paul while addressing the Philippians says this,
Phil 3:7-21

7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of
Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the
surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I
have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-the
righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know
Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing
in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow,
to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been
made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ
Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to
have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind
and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if
on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to
you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note
of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I
have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many
live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is
destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their
shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus
Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything
under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body.
NIV
And that is a taste of why God uses us because it is in knowing Christ
all the more that we attain the resurrection.  It is in knowing
suffering for the gospel that we better know Christ.  That is the
answer, that is the why?  God uses us to teach us and draw us closer
to Him that we may know Him better and that in knowing His glory
better we will be blessed by our knowledge of Him and better our
ability to glorify Him.  I love Ps 42:1-2
As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I
thirst for God, the living God.  When can I come and stand before him?
NLT
When you taste God you will long for more.  That is what Paul was
getting at and that is why God uses us, so that we might know Him
better.  Please feel free to ask more question or look for better
clarification.

As a side note a teacher might ask that question because it is in the
process of communicating that we learn the most.  You learn as you
teach and if you can create possibilities for kids to teach something
then they will learn at greater depth and retention than you ever
thought possible.