Philosopy 101


As I start my quest of detailing my philosophy of life to my children over the next one hundred and fifty days, I will explore each of the one hundred and fifty Psalms and will focus on these four universal questions:

  1. Does God exists?
  2. What am I?
  3. Is there a correct way to live?
  4. How can we live together?

Psalm one is a great stating point since all four of the questions are addressed. Does God exist?  It is interesting that the very first verse of the Bible states “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In this Psalm God is the law giver, he is the judge, and the protector of the righteous.  So the very first Statement I must make in writing about my philosophy on life is the fact (the foundation) of my belief statement is that God is the creator of both heaven and earth.

The second question is what or who am I. In this Psalm man is described as either walking with the wicked or meditating on the law of the Lord (the path of the righteous).  It is interesting that this Psalm gives us a way to walk.  Our walk or way seems to determine what or who we are.  So what is man?  A creature created by God who has the gift of choose.  The law of God was simple to Adam and Eve as Eve stated it the serpent: “And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”  However the counsel of the wicked changes God’s words:  “And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” And as the story goes in Genesis chapter three we realized that this was the fall of man.  “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” (ASV)  As Paul writes in Roman five verses 17 through 19:  For if, by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ.  So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life.  For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous. (ASV) So with first decision to disobey God by Adam the sinful nature was passed upon all mankind.

There with this sinful nature being a part of all mankind is there a correct way to live and if so how can we live together? His Psalm address this path as the law of the Lord.  But it not a law to know but to be mediated upon.  Live is very complicated.  And because of the sinful nature that exist in everyone we must follow David’s advice of mediating on God’s law day and night.




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