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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | WHO is Hebrews 6:4-11 refering to? | Heb 6:4 | Hank | 144188 | ||
Silverbullet (Laura) - Thanks for your fine first contribution to Study Bible Forum. I thought your post was not only clearly and intelligently written but also presented with a keen sense of balance and mastery in the manner in which you weighed the issues. ..... You're not alone in your quest to find God's answers to some of the knotty and perplexing questions that we, all of us who take our faith seriously enough to think about it, have! I've struggled, studied, prayed, meditated, cogitated, ruminated and frequently become exasperated in my attempts to find a common ground -- and perchance a bedrock of truth -- in various theological systems, particularly in the two soterological systems that have come to be called Calvinism and Arminianism. There are those who say that if one is not Calvinist he is Arminian by default, and vice versa. I have long since abandoned the idea as poppycock that one must needs be altogether either in order to be a Christian. There were, after all, genuine Christians in the world long before either author of these two isms saw the light of day. ...... This evening I received an e-mail from an astute friend who is of a communion other than mine: I'm Southern Baptist. I quote in part from his e-mail: "Yes, we believe in predestination, and yes. we believe in free will, because they are both in the Bible. We just admit it is a mystery how they interact, and leave the details to God." ..... What a super e-mail that was! Wouldn't it be lovely if some of these hard-headed theologians who spend half their lives counting the number of angels that you can put on the head of a pin would simply "leave the details to God"? ..... A few of God's truths we understand. Many we don't. Shouldn't we keep focused on the things we do understand, leave to God the things we don't understand, and pray for the wisdom to know the difference? --Hank | ||||||
2 | WHO is Hebrews 6:4-11 refering to? | Heb 6:4 | DocTrinsograce | 144249 | ||
Hi, brother Hank! I am confident that I am less knowledgeable, and a much less worthy servant of our Lord than are you, sir. I hope you will be patient, therefore, with my response to your post. The following is meant to be gentle and respectful. Your friend was expressing the fundamental tenets of another ism: Lutheranism. Very simplistically: Calvinism has roots in Lutheran theology which has roots in Augustinian theology, which has roots in Pauline theology, etc. The labels are not about the men themselves (although people like to argue from that standpoint), but are about the specific doctrines that are taught. (This is also true, by the way, for Arminianism, Pelagianism, etc.) Whereas Calvinism and Arminianism do, indeed, make inquiry into the moral and soteriological mechanics of the human will -- and Lutheranism does not -- there is no scriptural prohibition for such inquiry. In fact, church history shows that at least some of God's revelation is not understood except in a progressive fashion. (A perfect example of this is the careful Scriptural reasonings of Athanasius in the doctrine of the Trinity.) The scripture calls us to seek, study, learn, reason, ask, etc. When we read the statements of Aquinus, Luther, Calvin, Harmensen, Beza, Wesley, Parham, or Kung we ought to search the scriptures to see if these things be so. (Would that we knew the Scriptures as well as any of these men!) I know that we can say, "Because God said so." Dear brother, if I could, I would make every doctrine be examined in the light of Scripture by every believer. We should never, no! NEVER be satisfied that we know enough! (Please see Paul's prayer for us in Ephesians 1:17-23.) In Him, Doc (your fellow Southern Baptist) |
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3 | WHO is Hebrews 6:4-11 refering to? | Heb 6:4 | Out of the miry clay | 144268 | ||
Psalm 131 Hello, Doc - I am fairly new to the forum. I have enjoyed your postings, and I think your username is great! I think there is a difference between being "satisfied that we know enough" and "leaving to God the things that we don't understand." What I got out of Hank's post was that there were certain things he had quit struggling with, not that he felt he "knew enough." A scripture that has helped me relax about the things I don't understand is Psalm 131. The first two verses read: "O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me." Certainly the child in this verse is going to continue to seek nourishment and to grow, but is no longer struggling. The last verse of the Psalm says, "O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever. Sanctuary." My hope is in Him that He will help me to understand everything in His timing - sometime between now and "forever." :) |
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4 | WHO is Hebrews 6:4-11 refering to? | Heb 6:4 | DocTrinsograce | 144293 | ||
Hi, Out of the Miry Clay! Talk about a great username! :-) It reminded me immediately of "feet of clay," and, of course, the "Slough of Despond." :-) You're right, I sometimes leap before I look. It is true, we ought not struggle or rankle over what we do not understand. We can set things aside, patiently knowing that the issues can be revisited later. The problem is when our churches are full of people that will not stop to reflect on their own theology -- a theology that someone in the forum recently called "second hand faith." No, answers may not always be found nor are they always findable, but the effort to dig them up can yield rewards beyond the scope of the immediate search. Thank you for your words and your encouragement! In Him, Doc |
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