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NASB | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately--behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; |
Subject: Okay to question faith and the Bible? |
Bible Note: Hi, parpar... The Westminster divines were pretty clear on this topic, even if the language is a bit antiquated. Although their godly and scholarly achievements are lightyears ahead of anything I hope to attain, I believe I can explain in a bit more detail what they were saying. I have spent quite a bit of time studying their theology -- both in formal and informal educational settings. I'll try to render an answer thatis consistent with an orthodox understanding of Pauline doctrine on this topic. Predestination is English for the Greek word "proorizo" from the root words "pro" meaning prior and "horizo" to decree. The Scripture gives us a logical order of God's decrees. (Note that it is a logical order not necessarily a chronological order. This is because the decrees were made even "before" the creation of time; "before the foundation of the world" -- i.e., before even the infrastructure of space and time.) If you would like to research it for yourself, the orthodox Christian position on the order of these decrees is called Supralapsarianism. It is teleological in nature -- that is, it looks to the end-state that God is seeking to achieve -- and it is derived from the full revelation of Scripture, rather than pieces here and there. The Supralapsarian Scheme looks something like this: 1. Election of some sinful men to salvation in Christ (reprobation of the rest of sinful mankind in order to make known the riches of God's gracious mercy to the elect) 2. Decree to apply Christ's redemptive benefits to the elect sinners 3. Decree to redeem the elect sinners by the cross work of Christ 4. Decree that men should fall 5. Decree to create the world and men Hence, to answer your question: In the five places where Paul uses the word proorizo (Romans 8:29, 30; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:5, 11) they are all in the past tense. This is because God's election of a people for His own took place before creation. How salvation is worked out in an individual believer's life is part of what is called the ordo salutis (order of salvation). All of this has been pretty well discussed on the forum over the years. Some personal efforts ferreting through the archives, and doing some reading in church history, might serve you well. In Him, Doc |