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NASB | Acts 13:38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 13:38 "So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you; |
Subject: What is the Bible's take on sacriments? |
Bible Note: Emmaus, are you (and Joe) prepared for some deep theological insights from the Ozarks? Well, ready or not, here goes. When I was a boy I had this little puppy that wagged his tail incessantly and with such apparent glee that it gave me cause to wonder just why my little puppy wagged his tail so much. And so I carefully analyzed the phenomenon with my ten-year-old mental faculties and concluded that he did it for two reasons: because he could and because he wanted to. And now, more than a half century later, I have seen no reason to revise my analysis of puppy behavior. And when I think of the mighty acts of God that are revealed in the Bible and I start trying to analyze God by asking myself why God did this or did that, my mind goes back to the puppy of my childhood and why he wagged his tail. Perhaps God too does what He does because He can and because He wants to. That's as good a guess as ever I've read from the learned pages of any theologian. And I try to bear in mind every day of my life something Paul said to the Corinthians about seeing in our mirror dimly and what we know, we know only in part. [cf. 1 Cor.1:12]. Yes, Emmaus, you said a mouthful: it is presumptuous to pretend we understand all the options of the transcendent God. I'm still pondering -- and do not presume to understand -- the depth of His love for me that He showed by sending His only Son to save my sinful soul. --Hank |