Moved from another thread
Moved from another thread
Hello DR,
I was just wondering if you wanted to carry on that conversation. If you can't or don't wish to respond, it's up to you.
Desert, IntoJoy was complaining about Calvinists hijacking his thread and theology club isn't really set for rigorous debate, but as you expressed desire to continue, I've moved to here.
You are seriously missing something here, Lon. You haven't understood the problem at all.
I had said that if time has no beginning, then God does because He would then be subject to time rather than it subject to Him. Time is a 'thing' because it is a noun. Our language has logical structure that forces us to view time as a 'thing' and so it is also scripturally consistent to see it as a creation of God:
Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the
first day.
I am arguing that time is not a thing. It is just a concept to help communicate the idea that things happen in sequence. Hence the idea that time began is absurd.
Well, other than me obviously posting a dictionary defintion that shows time is a noun thus a 'thing', what were you thinking (thanks)?
Time is not a thing. Time is not a dimension. Time cannot be measured.
Not following. Was I stupid to buy a watch? Can I know time is passing as the sun crosses the dimensional sky? Can I 'keep time?' Thanks.
Nope.
But since I don't believe there is such a thing as foreknowledge, will you acknowledge the logic of my position?
How can that be? Even you have foreknowledge don't you? Will the sun rise tomorrow? Do I know more than God about what is going to happen tomorrow? I'm trying to follow your general statements and ask hopefully meaningful questions. If none of them are hitting the target, answer the ones I'm not asking? Thanks.
Again, nope. You are confusing sovereignty with control, as most Calvinists I have ever known do. Sovereignty is running a kingdom, not making everything happen the way you want it by pure force.
That'd be true of a mortal king....Is John 15:5 and Colossians 1:17 true?
*(again answer a different question if I'm not asking you the right ones, but hopefully those answers will help make sense out of your position for me).
I don't understand your analogy. Cars are machines, nothing more. Perhaps you mean horses? In which case you only need to remember one thing: 2x4.
Well, it was a 'pony.' However, she recently was bucked by her horse! I'd have hated to be that horse!
I think you are exaggerating here. I support my children. If one of them goes off and has an accident on his bicycle, aged 16, you think that is my fault because I bought him the bike? So, no once again, let me be the judge of what my theology supports.
This goes back to plain foreknowledge though. Certainly you could have provided a helmet etc. If someone said "You horrible Dad! How could you have possibly bought your child one of those death traps!!!" Would such just be ignored and set aside? When does that person have a legitimate beef and when don't they? This is ever what a Calvinist is trying to decide when hearing from our nonCalvinist counterparts (also true of Arminians who believe in Definite Foreknowledge).
I don't understand this. I need to check out what dialogos was bashing on about with 'infralapsarianism' but it sounds like just periphrasis so I am not hopeful of it leading to a revision in my thinking. My theology is based on more general logical concepts and Calvinistic dualism usually disappears into a black hole sooner or later. EDIT: in fact I have looked at that and here is the link to my answer.
Yes, but this does not make anyone's own sin God's design. Rather the sinner is used by God's design, does that make sense? Remember too that Foreknowledge isn't just looking to the future and back again but is a complete inundation of God's saturation with His creation past/present/future. It is beyond a single logical question to apprehend. None of us even know what such a thing would look like because 'we' are completely controlled by time other than God's revelations to us and His interactions with us in our moments. I'd have to travel over to that thread to address this in any more depth. If you desire so, send me a PM or message or post such here.
Well, it doesn't seem mysterious to me. In fact it is just obvious. Jesus did indeed choose all of his 12 disciple apostles.
But He also in this same address says that He is praying for those who the Father has also Given Him future in John 17.
All I am saying is that to communicate well, we need to use the same language. Words mean things. Chrysostom often mentions this too. When Calvinists use the terms 'free will' and 'choice', they do not mean the same thing as others do. They should make that clear because otherwise you go round in circles.
Yes agreed. Definitions are so important to a conversation like this. I try to do so as I post. It is hard to know what all of the right questions are that we need to ask.
Yes, I sort of agree with that. This is more than evident from Jesus' parables. Jesus died for everyone, not only those who receive him. Everyone. His salvation is a gift to every person. But not everyone will accept that gift. As I said above, your criticism that God 'allowed' something in OV theology assumes that he was responsible for what happened; whilst in Calvinistic theology, since he exercises complete control over everything, then yes, he does have responsibility for what goes on.
Same concern, just answered differently. I believe I used to 'assume' that Jesus died for everyone. After reading Romans 9, however, I was convinced that everyone wasn't 'Pharoah' or Jezebel, etc. Therefore, whatever I then believed about "Whole" world had qualifications.
I'm not even sure I'm 100% Calvinist on this particular. I am still hashing through the "L" of limited atonement. My concern is similar as your's is.
Well, I don't know that. The Lord is our judge. My concerns are to uphold the obvious meaning of scripture, to be open to others and to God, to speak plainly and to be coherent. I use a lot of devices to do that and I know that a lot of people don't understand what I say for that reason, but I always aim to be completely coherent. Calvinism is not. Perhaps my theology is not. I am waiting for someone to point out where it is wrong though.
Well, let me see if I can say it in another way, then, that would be meaningful: We are attempting to answer the questions of God's love and God's intentions with sinners etc. I'm saying trying to answer those and do justice to God and people is a good motivation that we need not question those. We simply are questioning our ensuing assumptions. They are opposites so that's a given as well. I was just saying I appreciate Open Theism for trying better than I once had. I still quite disgree, but I believe Open View motives are noble. I just think you are wrong