. sin--the disobedience of a prideful
autonomy which impaired the human capacity to
..... John Paul II
Think about it !!!
Reconciliation is a done deal,
accomplished in the body of His flesh, at His death and inclusive of
all of creation (Col 1:17ff), but there remains those who
are "lost" and "saved," All are reconciled -
some are saved. - a problem . Perhaps the demand on
us is to change our thinking about those concepts. They cannot
have in view the same circumstance as "reconciliation," as I see
it. If reconciliation has a practical application, would
that not include a partnership with God, as the Father, giving
assistance (i.e. Philip 2:12-13) to those who are
His while allowing us (all) to make decisions that are harmful to us on an ontological
scale? The reward we receive for the practice
of "salvation" would be "heaven." The punishment we might
experience as a result of refusing this partnership is not so much an
assignment as it is a reasonable conclusion to the autonomy we have
decided to persue? As in the story of
the prodigal - heaven (the home) was simply the end of the
journey. If that son had decided to remain in the
pen, his "reward" would have been that reality
-- the Father neither sending him there or DECIDING to
reward if he returned.
The definition above, from the thinking of John
Paul, seems to be an excellent contribution to this subject.
JD
