Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | Sonlit | 163551 | ||
Please bear with me, as I am brand new to this forum and am not quite sure of even how to check if my question has already been asked. I am an 'older Christian' and have been raised and taught in the same church for 40 years. Our doctrinal statement has been the same this entire time. We have been blessed with a new pastor. He is a graduate from the Master's Seminary and I am being made aware of Biblical questions I have never thought to ask and my soul is searching for answers. I don't want to debate...I only want to learn. With this said, I came across a verse from John 17:9 that reads "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you." This is Jesus talking to His Father. Did Jesus know at that time who was His Father's and who wasn't? If Jesus didn't pray for the 'world', should we? Or should our prayer be for the elect only? Is it futile to be praying for someone to be saved when 'before the foundations of the world' they were already known. I use to hold on to that verse "God is not willing that any should perish" like a bulldog on a bone. But I am now being taught that that verse is really saying "God is not willing that any of HIS CHOSEN should perish" I can't tell you how this has changed my prayer life, my view of my heavenly father. It really has shaken my foundation. I will be grateful for any and all responses. | ||||||
2 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | MJH | 163615 | ||
Sonlite. You are in a good place. I joined in on this forum some time ago and it has been very fruitful for me in exploring new ideas and questions about the scripture. Many people hear are wroth listening to. I too have been raised in the church and held pretty much to the same doctrinal views for the first 29 years of my life. After joining a new church and meeting some new people, my views have been challenged a lot. After 4-5 years of this, I now actually have many more questions than before, but my views of God, Jesus, and His Word have become so much more great. The awe and worship of such a great God has changed not just my thinking, but my life and actions. There are MANY benefits for growing up in and staying within the same community of believers (there is plenty of Biblical evidence that this is the ideal.) However, doing so can make one think that "we have it figured out." All questions have an answer that is correct and that's that. But is that possible. Can a finite being understand fully an infinite God? Systematic theology, for all its good points, often removes the "mystery" of God that is so wonderful. I cherish my up bringing and love the church that brought me into the world of God very much. Without their dedication, the roots of my faith would not have been so deep, and the trails I have followed may have uprooted some of my faith, rather that cause it to bloom. I have seen people loose much of their faith because they were knew to Christianity and followed many of the same paths I followed, but did not have that deep root into a faith that has been tested by time, trials, as well as joys. All questions are worth asking, even the "scary" ones, because ultimately, on the other end, your faith will be stronger and you will probably be asking more questions and more questions... MJH |
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3 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | DocTrinsograce | 163622 | ||
Dear MJH, Please excuse me if I quibble here a bit: I am at variance with your statement that "Systematic theology, for all its good points, often removes the 'mystery' of God that is so wonderful." Systematic theology is the branch of theology which deals with the logical categorization of Biblical truths. It traces the self-revelation of God through the Scriptures as a whole and then carefully organizes it by doctrine. It answers the all important question, "What does the whole counsel of Scripture teach us about any given topic?" Systematic theology helps prevent us from making errors. For example, if we are talking about Christology, systematic theology helps us deal with the humanity and the diety of Christ at the same time. In theology proper -- the study of the attributes of God -- it helps us deal with God's mercy and His love at the same time. It lifts us into proper understanding of the entire Word of God, rather than allowing us to fall into error by overemphasis of one doctrine while ignoring another. How often have we seen people in those kinds of errors?! Consequently, systematic theology permits us to more clearly see what God has to say about Himself. If He has said it, it is important for us to understand it. The wonder of God -- which is perhaps what you really mean by the word "mystery" -- is more thoroughly appreciated through systematic theology than it ever has been through any other vehicle. In reaction to intellectualism, statements like the one you made have become quite common. However, I am convinced that they miss the point. Biblical theologians do not seek to promote intellectualism. They simply promote the importance of the intellect. God is a cognitive being who has given man the gift of cognition. Furthermore, He has communicated to man about Himself. Communication itself implies the tacit admission of rationality in both the sender and the receiver. Our supreme authority is the Scriptures. Our intellect must be brought to bear, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, in order to understand what God has said of Himself. No other activity than this is more important in human existence. Again, I apologize, but I can't quite restrain myself from jumping in on some topics. :-) Please don't misunderstand: on the whole, I've appreciated your posts. In Him, Doc |
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4 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | MJH | 163626 | ||
Doc, I would whole heartedly agree with your every word. I greatly appreciate systematic theology and all its good points of which many you mention. What I don't like is approaching God and the study of God in that manner ALONE. Taking him and his revelation apart and looking at it like a scientist can lose sight of the whole of the story or picture. After all, God does not describe Himself as Omni..., but as a Father, a Shepherd, a Rock, a fortress, etc... An example might be: A local junior high school goes to the swamp and gets frogs, cuts them up, and studies their bodies. Another approach would be to go to the swamp and watch and learn about the frogs behavior, his girl friend, his favorite lily pad, etc… It’s the same frog and neither method of study will give the whole picture, but both together will really help us understand “frogness.” So I do love and study the systematic theologies and they are much of what gave my faith roots that last. But recently, I have loved studying who God is using other approaches. (Biblical theology as one example, but others as well.) Like I said, I do agree with your every word in your post. I only want to add more too it. You are right, some like the word "wonder" rather than "mystery" for many reasons. "Wonder" is probably a better word to use given the semantics associated with a word such as "mystery." God bless, MJH |
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5 | Praying for the 'World'. | Matt 5:44 | DocTrinsograce | 163635 | ||
Dear MJH, Contemplation of this topic reminded me of something Mortimer Adler once wrote: "Anti-intellectualism gives rise to the most extreme, the most morally deplorable, form of sloth. It is to be found in persons for whom the ultimate objectives in life are the maximization of pleasure, money, fame, or power and who, thus motivated, express their contempt for those who waste their lives in purely intellectual pursuits. It is almost as if they wished they did not have the burden of having intellects that might distract them from their fanatical devotion to nonintellectual aims." In Him, Doc |
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