ARCHIVE: Open Theism part 2

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Philetus

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Genesis 12

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.​

How does one reconcile:
those who curse you I'll curse.​
with:
All the families of the Earth
will be blessed through you.​

Some would say through meticulous control, foreknowledge and predestination of individuals, people who disagree with them are cursed. Others would say the option of cursing or blessing is really a God granted freedom that helps determine and shape the future we enjoy or suffer. I for one think it is rather pious and judgmental and very dangerous to exclude (curse?) anyone who embraces (blesses?) God's plan for our redemption through Abram.

Just my final two-cents on the subject.

Whatsoever a man sows,
Philetus
 

SaulToPaul 2

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2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

You've never blessed the seed of Abraham!

My final 2 cents on the subject, atleast in this thread.

Philetus, please venture away from this one thread once in awhile, there's much
other good stuff to learn on TOL besides obsession with Open Theism. :chuckle:
 

godrulz

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Do you believe John 3:16 or not?
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.​

Or, can you not believe it because you can't understand how it would be possible for God to actually require a volitional response of faith from His creatures?

I can understand if you don’t since you require one to approach the Word without understanding before believing it.

black

Philetus


I have a big problem when he dispensationalizes away John 3:16. Jesus is the Master Teacher. God gave universal revelation through Him (while recognizing some pre-cross stuff was for Israel only). Paul is not greater than Jesus for the Church (Jesus is the Head of the Body, the foundation/cornerstone).
 

godrulz

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I know you will find this hard to believe, but you are not in view in John 3:16 KJV.
Jesus is operating on covenant promises and you ain't in them.

Study your Bible, and you just might see it.

The world refers to all unregenerate men, not just Calvinistic elect or Jewish Christians. God's love is universal. Heaven and hell are real for all men of all generations. This is the gospel in a nutshell, as generic as it gets. Just because the ones who heard the words were Jewish does not mean God's love was limited to them. Give God/Jesus credit that His life, ministry, and teachings extended beyond narrow Jewish confines (the mistake of arrogant Jews/Pharisees that had to be pounded out of them by Jesus).

God intended to bless the nations through Israel in the OT. In the NT, He blesses them through the Church. The Israel issues will be resumed in the Trib./Mill.
 

Clete

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Perhaps she would benefit from reading C.S.Lewis's book "The Great Divorce"? He addresses the divorce between Heaven and hell as a rebuttal to Blake"s "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell".
Its the Bible she needs to read and believe.

You do have the option of ignoring her, don't you?
She spends the majority of time on my ignore list.

I'm impressed, in general, by the quality of thoughtful, intelligent and sometimes very wise responses which are posted on this web site. I've also noticed that some posts do seem to be guilty of circular logic in which someone is obviously chasing his or her tail. When we hear a "YIPE" we'll know that they have caught themselves.
People like Nang though enjoy the taste of their own tail and just keep on chewing as though nothings wrong. Such is the fate of all those who disregard sound reason.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

Clete

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The fact that God's Son died for both Jew and Gentile alike makes John 3:16 a transdispensational teaching.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

Clete

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The fact that God's Son died for both Jew and Gentile alike makes John 3:16 a transdispensational teaching.

Resting in Him,
Clete

Godrulz,

You asked whether Mid-Acts Dispensationalism agrees with my comment quoted above.

Yes! Even during the dispensation of law, the ultimate goal was the salvation of the whole world. The aim was to accomplish this through the nation of Israel via an Earthly Kingdom as Jesus as their reigning King. Israel rejected their King and so God cut them off and turned instead to the Gentiles via the Body of Christ and the gospel of Grace but that doesn't change the fundamental fact that no one anywhere under any dispensation could ever be saved apart from the shedding of Christ's blood. Thus John 3:16 applies to any dispensation whether past, present or future.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

godrulz

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You think she's a believer based on what?

Nang hasn't a clue who God is, godrulz! She thinks evil is a good thing! :bang:

Her Christology is sound; soteriology OK on essentials, wrong on non-essentials; and her theodicy is out to lunch. We are saved by grace/Christ, not by resolving the issues of predestination, foreknowledge, the problem of evil, etc.

I base this on her heart and posts, not on her 100% doctrinal accuracy (only God knows the heart for sure). Her Calvinism is wrong, but we are not saved by adopting Open Theism or Arminianism. Wesley (Arminian), Whitefield (Calvinist), Sanders/Boyd (OT) are equally saved by grace through faith in Christ despite differing on predestination and free will. They all preached the core of the gospel.

I also think AMR is saved despite being a Calvinistic jerk.
 
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godrulz

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Godrulz,

You asked whether Mid-Acts Dispensationalism agrees with my comment quoted above.

Yes! Even during the dispensation of law, the ultimate goal was the salvation of the whole world. The aim was to accomplish this through the nation of Israel via an Earthly Kingdom as Jesus as their reigning King. Israel rejected their King and so God cut them off and turned instead to the Gentiles via the Body of Christ and the gospel of Grace but that doesn't change the fundamental fact that no one anywhere under any dispensation could ever be saved apart from the shedding of Christ's blood. Thus John 3:16 applies to any dispensation whether past, present or future.

Resting in Him,
Clete

This sounds balanced and resonates with me more than STP's view.
 

Clete

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Her Christology is sound; soteriology OK on essentials, wrong on non-essentials; and her theodicy is out to lunch. We are saved by grace/Christ, not by resolving the issues of predestination, foreknowledge, the problem of evil, etc.

I base this on her heart and posts, not on her 100% doctrinal accuracy (only God knows the heart for sure). Her Calvinism is wrong, but we are not saved by adopting Open Theism or Arminianism. Wesley (Arminian), Whitefield (Calvinist), Sanders/Boyd are equally saved by grace through faith in Christ despite differing on predestination and free will. They all preached the core of the gospel.

I also think AMR is saved despite being a Calvinistic jerk.

Both of them have a lot of the names and terminology right but they both worship the wrong god, godrulz. They worship a Greek idol, not the living, just and loving God of Scripture. They don't even understand what the terms living, just and loving mean! You don't get saved because you trust in a some random someone named Jesus. You're saved because you trust the God of Scripture, not some Greek bastardization of Him.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

Clete

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This sounds balanced and resonates with me more than STP's view.

Until the last several posts of this thread, I'd never heard anyone say anything contrary to my position on this. It boggles my mind how anyone can hold to any other view. The verse means precisely what it says.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

godrulz

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Both of them have a lot of the names and terminology right but they both worship the wrong god, godrulz. They worship a Greek idol, not the living, just and loving God of Scripture. They don't even understand what the terms living, just and loving mean! You don't get saved because you trust in a some random someone named Jesus. You're saved because you trust the God of Scripture, not some Greek bastardization of Him.

Resting in Him,
Clete


We all agree that God is the uncreated triune Creator, Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh risen from the dead, God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. We disagree about the nature of His omniscience, but this is a difference in understanding of providence, free will, etc. and is not tantamount to denying God in Christ.

2 Cor. 11:4 would apply to Mormons and JWs (polytheists; Arians).

Gal. 1:6-10 applies to Mormons, but I would not apply it to guys like Sproul, Packer, Piper, Luther, Whitefield, etc.

I agree they seriously misrepresent God and His ways, but I don't think they truly deny the essentials about the Judeo-Christian God.

Using your logic, they will also label us Open Theists as non-Christian, finite godism heretics (as they do; they also say Arminians are off the wall, but must misrepresent or misunderstand them to do so).

I believe it is possible to be a Calvinist, Arminian, or Open Theist and sincerely know and love the Living God (despite distorting and misunderstanding aspects of His ways and attributes...hence the need for vocal OT).

In our desire for truth and purity, let's not become fundamentalist, Pharisaical, evangelical Taliban (John Sanders has some good articles in response to the personal attacks by ETS on himself and Pinnock...I think one of them is in your signature).

Peace, speaking the truth in love, without compromise (but considering the Moravian Motto).
 

Ktoyou

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We all agree that God is the uncreated triune Creator, Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh risen from the dead, God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. We disagree about the nature of His omniscience, but this is a difference in understanding of providence, free will, etc. and is not tantamount to denying God in Christ.


I believe this is true, if we are committed to faith in Jesus Christ and receive the Grace of the Holy Spirit, we can achieve salvation.

If God only loved the best minds and greatest intellectuals, heaven would be more a MENSA for theologians. Most Christians follow the Bible, but leave exegesis to ministers and many good people of average intelligence, I am convinced have a leg up on being like little children in the sight of God
 

Clete

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We all agree that God is the uncreated triune Creator, Jesus is God Almighty in the flesh risen from the dead, God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. We disagree about the nature of His omniscience, but this is a difference in understanding of providence, free will, etc. and is not tantamount to denying God in Christ.
You're wrong. They do not believe that God became a man. They do not believe that God died. They do not believe that God rose from the dead. They do not even believe God capable of such things! God is utterly immutable, remember! To say that God became a man is some sort of figure of speech or something.

And it isn't just trivial disagreements concerning God omniscience that separate us from them it is substantive disagreement about WHO God is and what sort of person He is. Nang has said and repeated several times that she believes that evil is for the greater good and that God is responsible for its existence! She and AMR both believe that God sets fire to your house (metaphorically speaking) so that He could rush in a rescue you from the flames and then demands praise and worship for having done so. That IS NOT the God of the Bible. That's the god of the Greeks but it bears no resemblence whatsoever to the God of Scripture. They believe in the wrong God, the wrong Jesus just as surely as do the Mormons or JW's.

I agree they seriously misrepresent God and His ways, but I don't think they truly deny the essentials about the Judeo-Christian God.
Just what is it that you consider essential then?

Can you believe God to be unjust and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be arbitrary and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be a stone idol and still believe in the God of Scripture?
Can you believe God to be a purple Unicorn and still believe in the God of Scripture?

Where do you draw the line, godrulz?

Christianity isn't about words on a page, its about loving God. Its about having a relationship with a very specific person, namely Jesus Christ the Son of the Living, Loving, Righteous, and Just God who created us and willingly became one of us so as to give Himself for us. AMR's and Nang's God isn't even capable of doing that!

Using your logic, they will also label us Open Theists as non-Christian, finite godism heretics (as they do; they also say Arminians are off the wall, but must misrepresent or misunderstand them to do so).
So what?

Why should I give a damn about what a person who doesn't even worship the same God that I do thinks about me and my beliefs?

We cannot both be right, godrulz. Of course they think I'm a heretic! They have a completely different religion than I do! The worship a totally different god than the One I serve. Their belief that I'm a heretical lunatic is only just so much more evidence that their religion is in no way compatible with mine.

I believe it is possible to be a Calvinist, Arminian, or Open Theist and sincerely know and love the Living God
So do I!

I am not saying that AMR and Nang are unbelievers merely because they happen to be wear the label of "Calvinist" but rather because they have seen the logical conclusion of Calvinism and willfully embraced it. Most Calvinists know nothing about Calvinism apart from the terms that "T.U.L.I.P." stands for and most of them have a distorted understanding of what those terms mean and nearly all of them have never bothered to think through what the logical implications of those doctrine are. They merely and simply believe that man is "Totally Depraved" and that God predestined everything. They don't think through what that means in regards to the principles of justice, they just believe it because their pastor spouts it from the pulpit and even the pastor himself believes it because his pastor before him spouted it from the pulpit. They believe that stuff and still understand that God is somehow just - really just not some convoluted redefinition of the term like AMR and Nang believe in - they believe that God really does love them and are completely oblivious to the fact that much of what they believe is in contradiction to that notion. In short, in spite of having a lot of doctrinal issues wrong, they still know who God is; they still believe that God really did become a man and that He really did die on the cross for them because He really does love them. AMR and Nang believe none of these things. Their Greek version of God isn't even capable of such things.

In our desire for truth and purity, let's not become fundamentalist, Pharisaical, evangelical Taliban (John Sanders has some good articles in response to the personal attacks by ETS on himself and Pinnock...I think one of them is in your signature).

Peace, speaking the truth in love, without compromise (but considering the Moravian Motto).
Oh yes! By all means, godrulz! Let's not become too radical in our pursuit of the truth and in our defense of the character of the God who died for us. That would be unthinkable! Tolerating those who make God out to be an unjust cosmic bully, that's far more preferable. :rolleyes:

Resting in Him,
Clete
 
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