I don't make up things that paint God
into any corner;
DAVEH: Here's the problem as I see it, Judy. You seem to think God
can do anything,
yet he seems to do things the hard way from our perspective.
jt: Anything physically yes, such as
rain, drought, changing seasons, moving mountains.
However, his holiness prevents him from
lying or being one with evil/sin.
If he could circumvent law, then why did he put his son
through the horror of dying on the
cross in our behalf? Could not have God simply snapped his
fingers to make all right?
Could not God have destroyed Lucifer to prevent him from
screwing up the world?
jt: It was necessary if mankind were
to be redeemed eternally because without the
shedding of blood there is no
remission of sin. I think if we were privy to the Jewish
sacrificial system we would
understand more what a serious business this is and Peta
would come unglued.
Yet God knew all this from before the foundations of the world, and
has presented us
a plan to save us from Satan. Ponder why God's plan is not
simple, but involves a lot of
pain and suffering by all mankind. For a God who is all
powerful, why need there be any
pain and suffering at all?
jt: Because God gives everything he
creates freedom of choice; He could have created
automatons but forced love is no love at
all. Power and control breed fear. God desires
our love and worship freely given. So
he gives us a choice and even makes a way for
us when we blow it and miss the mark.
That's love.
Yes, Screwtape Letters is fantasy, Judy. But IMHO, so are a
lot of the things people
believe about God.
jt: Oh I agree; in fact most of what we
hear about God is mixture but He reveals Himself
to those who will seek Him with their
whole heart. Just about everyone will say they believe
in God and even the demons believe and
tremble. But as the Psalmist writes "the gods
of the nations are idols" (or fantasy)
all He has to do is speak to the rock and it
will move just as He spoke the worlds
into existence.
DAVEH: Kinda makes one wonder why he allowed his Beloved Son to be
crucified. Wouldn't
it have been more expedient to just speak
his will be done?
jt: Speaking to an inanimate object , to
nature, or even animals like Balaam's ass is one thing
Speaking to those created in His own
image is another. He has given us choices and he has
made us responsible for our choice so
that we reap the consequences one way or the other.
How would you suggest He speak His
will with regard to a polluted and sinful heart and have
it change by osmosis? Would that
not make us robot like?
Judy Taylor wrote:
What is a physical impossibility
for God?
DAVEH: Did you ever read the SCREWTAPE LETTERS, Judy? At one point,
Screwtape (the devil) tells Wormwood that humans are too quick to
attribute their all their ills to him, effectively suggesting that
sometime humans give credit to where credit isn't due.
The book you refer to DH is the
fantasy of CSL, I go to a higher authority which tells me that illness
is not
a blessing; it also reveals to me
who it is that implements the curse but not without God's permission I
might add.
I think the same can be said of God. Sometimes we assume he does
things he really doesn't. In this case, by suggesting God can do the
impossible might just be painting God into a corner from which he would
prefer not to be.
How is that DH? I don't make up
things that paint God into any corner; I am speaking of things that He
has
done already; things he has recorded
in His Word by His Spirit.
You asked the question.....What
is a physical impossibility for God?........and the obvious
answer is that which you have undoubtedly heard before.....Can God
create a rock to heavy for him to lift? Would you agree that doing so
is a physical impossibility for
God, Judy?
Only if God were a man with
limitations but since He is not a man that He should lie and He is not
a man who is
limited by fleshly weakness all He has to do is speak to the rock and it
will move just as He spoke the worlds into existence.
I prefer to believe God operates within the laws of his creation.
His son was born under the Mosaic
Law but even He circumvented physical laws constantly by walking on
water
and commanding a storm along with
rebuking death.
Those laws define him and all his creation, and I do not
think God could/would break those laws, but is capable of using them in
ways of which we are unaware in order to perform miracles that confound
his Adversary.
God is transcendent DH and his
adversary is well aware of who is boss.
Judy Taylor wrote:
Just this morning I read this
interaction between DaveH and KevinD (I think) ...
KD: That is explained by the fire and brimstone
imagery that is in reality endless torment.
a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable
fire
DAVEH: More imagery that is
physically an impossibility. Fire can be extinguished, whereas
mental torment can go on forever.
So tell me - What is a
physical impossibility for God? The same God who delivered what he
had
promised to Abraham and Sarah when they were 90 and 100yrs old
respectively. A God who was
able to
roll back the Red Sea until his
people crossed and afterward kept them in
the desert for 40yrs
feeding them with manna from
heaven and keeping their clothes from wearing out and their feet from
swelling. The same God who stopped the sun
for 24 hours and caused an axe head to float on water
The God who energized His prophet causing him to run for 25 miles
in front of Jezebels' chariot and
had the ravens feed him while he rested and regrouped in a
cave.
Tell me - what would be too
difficult for a God like this and how can
the feeble efforts of man explain
Him?
Conor: Might we hear from
you on this? Frame this in whatever fashion suits you.
Lance
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dave Hansen
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.langlitz.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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