Bob Calco wrote: >>> There is good and there is evil. >>> >> And God created both. >> > > True, and thank God he did! > > >>> God will be the judge over who will be united with him and who will >>> not. >>> >> And he created those who will not, and they are exactly as he >> made >> them. >> > > But he made them, and us, in His image--which means we all have a triune > composition (spirit [Father], soul [Holy Ghost] and body [Son]) and our > souls have a sovereign will, and so we are perfectly free while still "in > the flesh" to *become* what He did not make us to be. There would be no > concept of "sin" without this important ability to defy the will of God, > granted by Him to mankind for a purpose. More to the point: only Christ > through obedience to death on a cross became *exactly* what God willed Him > to be, hence his "sinless" life in the flesh, and his righteousness, which > is sufficient for the rest of us who fall short. Our sins were imputed to > His son (i.e., Him), so the whole issue of condemnation is moot for the > person who accepts the gift of (undeserved) eternal union with God, paid for > by His Son (i.e., by himself in his bodily existence), despite our inability > within our power to work our way to God's perfect standard. The "faith" in > which we are to believe is rather different than you imagine it to be. > > But I understand your problem is with God himself, and His creative design > for communion with Him, the methods of which offend you, because you see a > "better" way than the way God chose to make things. This is the sin of Adam > and Eve, and indeed Satan himself; which is why I am persuaded that you're > stuck on stupid back in Genesis, and no advisor on spiritual matters. > > >>> If I am judged evil and unworthy to enter the light, I will be cast >>> into darkness, separated from God and all that is good. >>> >> And that is the point. You are exactly as God made you, yet you >> suffer for what he considers shortcomings. >> > >
I'll try this one again. Suppose someone is born with what the Old Testament teaches is a fatal character defect, like being guy. The individual, just being who God crated him to be, lives the guy lifestyle. Is this individual eventually doomed to hell? I don't think so. With the advent of the New Testament, Jesus/God ushered in a new era, (eg covenant or contract) with us, where all sins can be forgiven. Jesus/God made a symbolic sacrifice by dieing on the cross to pay the debt for our sins, (eg the wages of sin is death). This was done out of Jesus'/God's love for the world. Don't get me wrong in thinking I consider being Gay a sin; because, I don't. However, under the Old Testament law its was consider a sin punishable by death. Even though the gay individual in this example is exactly as God made him, his fate in not based on the laws of the Old Testament anymore, but rather the salvation offered in the New Testament, (eg the new contract/covenant with God). The key is to realize that the debt owed for our sin has already been paid by Jesus'/God's symbolic death on the cross, which ushered in the the covenant. All we need to do is confess our sins, repent, and asked God's forgiveness, and try to live more spiritually by spending time with God through prayer, meditation,reading God's word, attending worship, and spreading of God's word. Regards, LelandJ > But the story does not end here... it actually begins here. As I said, > you're understanding of God is still Garden-of-Eden green. You never made it > out of the third chapter of Genesis, and yet you lecture everybody else as > if you got the whole big picture. > > >> If you don't understand >> that by now, then I have nothing else to contribute here. >> > > Whether or not Leland gets your point, you have nothing to contribute here, > until you get beyond these third-grade arguments about God's sovereignty > that you think make you appear so witty and wise, and everyone else so > stupid and deluded. > > - Bob > > >> -- Ed Leafe >> >> >> >> >> >> [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
