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NASB | Romans 1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, |
Subject: Is God Sovereign in the Church today? |
Bible Note: Dear Doc, When the false teacher presents according to what we are taught in the Scripture, we can judge them accordingly. But are you absolutely certain that you can know what another is thinking? I would assert that we often can make a really good guess, and we may be right a lot of the time, but that we, as people, are prone to error, and compound our error with pride. We feel absolutely certain that we know what is the thought of another, that we know what they Really mean, to later find our we are wrong. Has that ever happened to you? If it hasn't, you're doing a lot better than I am, because it has sure happened to me! We can spot the false doctrine, but can we judge the intents of the heart? Sometimes it seems pretty clear, but not always. Again, at least, not to me. God can be sovereign, while allowing another to choose. He can sovereignly designate the choice to another. Please see the Scriptures I referenced. I did read the chapter by Pink, but I was refering to your comment "What Pink is talking about is the redefinition of the sovereignty of God so as to accommodate human choice." Pink appears to be one who denies the validity of those many scriptures that refer to man's choice. If God decrees, sovereignly, that you must decide whether or not you wish to be with Him, this does not intrude on His sovereignity. I might well equally state that many have redefined God's sovereignity in denial of the plain truth of Scripture. The Bible says, in Luke 13:34, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" Some simple points are made here. Jesus wants to gather Jerusalem's children. Jerusalem would not have it. Jesus did not have what He wanted, because He allowed another to choose. Pink states: To declare that the Creator's original plan has been frustrated by sin, is to dethrone God. Was Jesus' desire to gather the children of Jerusalem together frustrated (disallowed) by the people's choice? You read this passage and tell me. I would ask, did God's original plan include sin? That cannot be. Could God have created in order that sin would occur, so He Real plan could be put in action? No, God is not the Author of sin. So somewhere, you must allow that man chose to sin. And that being true, that God, while still being sovereign, while still being on the throne, while still being all-powerful God, allowed another to make a choice. And that their choice was to sin. And that the sin was not what God wanted. And that God's desire was for something different. But He allowed it, because He allowed another to choose. And He is still sovereign. So I would say that we have not redefined God's sovereignity, but have perhaps commented on Pink's veiw of God's sovereignity. I just do not see where the Bible describes us all to be the puppets we would be required to be if it was true that God pre-made all of our choices for us, even if you do interpose "secondary causes", as if that would actually remove God's responsibility for His actions, just because He acted through an intermediary. Divine Election/Free Will/Divine Election/Free Will The Scriptures teach both. Whack! Whack, whack! (that's the sound of a boot striking a deceased steed!) Whack! So I should end now. Or a couple of posts ago. Love in Christ, Mark |