Discussion - Enyart vs. Ask Mr Religion (One on One)

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Mystery

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You assume based on appearances of "captive to the law of sin" (v. 23), "of the flesh" (v. 14), and "wretched man" (v. 24), that Romans 7:14-25 describes an unbeliever. But you ignore that the very same passage you claim Paul to be speaking as an unbeliever contains statements that only a believer could possibly make: Paul desires to obey God’s law, hates sin (v. 15, 19, 21); humility and knows there is nothing good in his flesh (v. 17, 20-22), serves Christ with his mind (v.25).
You're a fool.

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith"

You cannot be led to Christ by the Law, if you are not convicted by it. You have to be an unbeliever to be led to be a believer.

"I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet."

"For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good."

Paul shows the struggle of his desire to do that which agrees with the Law, and yet, because of his flesh, he is only able to do those things that are contrary to the Law.... the very deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21).


You claim that Paul is both free from sin, and in bondage to sin.

You are double-minded fools.
 

Mystery

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I agree with you that they are afraid to answer your questions directly but that's primarily because you make it so obvious that they are loaded questions. AMR is actually answering your questions from a more fundamental level. If you're right, just respond to his argument as he presents it and don't go ballistic - please!

I actually see merit on both sides of the argument but anyone who actually reads AMR's response to your position is going to think your getting beaten here, Mystery. If you stick with your same debate tactic, he got you beat. He's not won the war, mind you, but its your own tactics that are playing into his hands and giving him the battle.

The truth is the important thing here Mystery. You know he's not going to debate you on your terms and if you insist on trying to make him do so, you've lost. Take the battle to him. If you do and you are right, and perhaps even if you are not, you'll crush him because you're smarter than he is and you actually understand the Bible and who God is! AMR knows nothing but how to bloviate.

Resting in Him,
Clete
I don't know how to debate, Clete, and you know it. I only know what is true. I am not articulate, nor can I compete with those who are superior in speech. The bible is not a difficult book to understand, but it is difficult to deprogram the perversions and twists that false teachers and cults add to it.
 

Nathon Detroit

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All possibilities and all realities are known by God. God knows all contingencies. But, and this is important, they are not contingent to God. God is not waiting for possibilities to become actualities before He knows what will happen. From God's perspective, the future is completely (every event, every detail) known to Him.
That being that case, why did you say...

"All possibilities and all realities are known by God."
?

If there are no contingencies... then there are NO possibilities. (only actualities exist from God's perspective). Again you are throwing in words that do not fit in your theology. You should remove words like "possibilities" because they cannot fit within a settled view.

Your post is gobbledygook. (it will only fool the terminally lazy)
 

Clete

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I don't know how to debate, Clete, and you know it. I only know what is true. I am not articulate, nor can I compete with those who are superior in speech. The bible is not a difficult book to understand, but it is difficult to deprogram the perversions and twists that false teachers and cults add to it.

Just take his post apart one statement at a time, explaining at each step why what he says is false. There is no need to debate in any formal way, he's certainly isn't doing that, so why should you? The point is that if you can't get him to flesh out the subject on your terms then take the initiative and flesh it out on his.

By the way, if you do so, it won't be long before he stops responding to your posts altogether. He has no ability whatsoever to stand up against sound reason. He only has two options; Respond on his own terms or not respond at all. If he starts getting beaten on his own terms then he simply stops responding at all, while disparaging you and your ability to have rational discussion in order to justify his lack of response to his puppy dog minded following.

Resting in Him,
Clete
 

Lon

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Do you not read God's word already?

Of course its more than okay to ignore anything an blasphemer says - anything. If such a person tells you to give your mom a kiss on her birthday, if you're wise, you'd stop and think twice before taking his advice. And if your mom was wise, she'd tell you to skip it this time just to jab it in the eye of the one who blasphemes her Lord and Savior and God.


I disdain every word that proceeds from the lips of anyone who tell me that the existence of evil is good. Every word! Every single word Lon!

You really don't get it do you?

Why do you suppose that Satan comes as an angel of light?
Why do you suppose that Satan quoted the Scripture when tempting Christ?

It's because lies sound prettier when surrounded by the truth, Lon! He's using God's word to blaspheme his brains out and you are thanking him for reminding you to do that which you supposedly do already! Why do you need him to remind you to read the Bible? His every utterance of anything that sounds Christian should be an offense to you. But you're too nice for that, aren't you?


I recommend then that you go read it more than you have been. You seem incapable of discerning right from wrong.


The point is confronting evil. There is a time for reading the Scripture and then there is a time for telling someone to take their proof text and shove it.

If it time for the latter and you try to call time out so that you can go read your Bible, which you should already done, you'll miss your opportunity to do the Godly and offensive thing toward the evil doer. There is wisdom in offending the wicked, Lon. Had you read your Bible and understood it, you'd know that.

Resting in Him,
Clete

Yes, I do it already, however, when discussing a topic, I see scripture in a new light. That is why I keep reading it even though I've already read it cover to cover multiple times (btw, I think that should be a prerequisite to posting in theology-don't you?).

So no, even if a JW asked me to read a place in my Bible for context, I'm open to that suggestion. Honestly, we can debate till the cows come home, but I'm a realist here. Debate is excellent for helping use different filters in reading God's Word, but God and His Word are the true doctrine and it is Spiritually driven.

I tried that thread where we have agreement in doctrine, but I think most here would rather argue the difference till we are blue in the face. We should have a thread where we just examine Bible lessons together. That would be more meaningful to me. I do it on other sites. I don't mind debate, but it means a lot more to me when we begin examining the actual Word of God together.

Lon
 

Poly

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This is probably one of my biggest frustrations with unsettled viewers.

You should be doing nothing but rejoicing over what unsettled viewers believe. It was God who wanted them to believe the way they do so who do you think you are you to come between them and God?
 

Ask Mr. Religion

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It was God who wanted them to believe the way they do...
So it is a new revelation from God, previously hidden from the past 2,000 years of exegesis, study, scholarship, etc. of the masters? Is some new dispensation at work here? Being in the minority, and unsettled theism is definitely the minority view among all of Christendom, should give one considered pause. Being in the minority is also seductive, for it appeals to the baser human instinct of pride.

In our modern communications age there is no issue with getting the word out to the entire world. Where is the global awakening to what God "wanted them to believe the way they do"? Is God's "want" for unsettled theism being hindered? How can that be? You'll probably say, well, look how long it took the Reformation to occur. But then you ignore the societal issues, the limited communications and availability of the Scriptures of the era, etc. None of those limitations exist in the internet age. The simple fact of the matter is that unsettled theism is not a "secret", has been widely communicated and examined, and has been found wanting by Christendom as a dilution of the Scriptural understandings of God.

Perhaps the problem lies within unsettled theism itself. Rather than relying upon the few books that exist on the subject, its proponents should be busying themselves to do what God commands all Christians to do via the Great Commission. Rather than being a Google denomination, there should be clear and agreed upon creedal statements accessible by all who are interested, centralized organization and leadership, conferences, unsettled theism study bibles, ecumenical dialogs, etc. As it is, unsettled theism appears as a small, rag tag group of wanderers seeking a place to settle down. You want to be taken seriously? Then start behaving like a serious movement and move away from the fringes. It could start within the walls of TOL. From what I have read there are some here who could take it upon themselves to craft creeds for consideration, could lead efforts to centralize leadership, form an association of global churches, ordain its leaders, create seminaries, etc. If you believe God wants this, then I doubt He would be displeased by your being about doing His work. As things stand, you are all guilty of hiding your light under a bushel.
 

Ask Mr. Religion

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Neither AMR, or any of you other godless idiots will dare to answer my questions, because it confirms that you don't know crap about Romans 7.

Was Paul in bondage to sin as a Christian?

Was Paul in the flesh as a Christian?

Was Paul a wretched man as a Christian?

This is the single piece of evidence that everone of you are members of anti-Christ cults.
If we are as you claim, why bother asking anything at all? After all, we are admonished by the Scriptures to disassociate yourself from the godless and cultist. So let's just assume you, like Mssr. Pfeiffer, have self-control issues.:rolleyes:

Here is your answer:

As a Christian, Paul is no longer in bondage to sin, but continues to struggle with his sinful urges of the flesh, which causes him, as it does all the saved, to feel wretched guilt when they yield to their fleshy urges. Only the saved can feel this type of guilt, hence, the words strengthen the argument that the passage in question describes a regenerate Paul.

None of your questions have anything to do with claiming that Romans 7:14-25 describes an unregenerate Paul. You cannot build a case on these words used by Paul in those passages for those same passages contain statements that only the regenerate could make. Moreover, Paul has already described his struggle with the law in verses 7-13. Verses 14-25 cannot be as you see them unless you would make verses 14-25 an incoherent mixture of a discussion of both the unregenerate and regenerate man.

Will you now yield to my (and many others') intepretation? If not, please offer something more substantive about the specific verses in question than the state of my eternal soul as a rejoinder.
 

chatmaggot

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To Ask Mr. Religion and Nang,

I was disturbed by the fact that you two believe that every evil and wicked thing that happens is a result of Gods will (God wants it to happen).

It was claimed by Ask Mr. Religion that:

"God’s creatures can do what they want, but what they want is determined by God in advance..."

This just does not make sense. In response I claimed that it seemed so wrong to me. To which Nang replied:

"It doesn't matter how it "seems" to you, or how you "feel" about it . . . it is biblical."

Nang then claimed that because I didn't believe the way you two do I was a vessel of wrath:

"If you refuse to believe these truths found in the Word of God, you exhibit the mindset of an unbelieving atheist and vessel of wrath"

I then stated how wicked it was to claim that God is responsible for all the wickedness and evil in the world.

Ask Mr. Religion replied that:

"God is sovereign and has ordained all things….Therefore it is good that evil exists."

This literally made me sick to my stomach. It is as if you think that God NEEDS evil for His goodness to be made known. This is so silly. God was good before the fall…when there was no evil.

Nang then replied with an odd statement:

"He sees all that transpires . . .even on these (asinine) discussion groups."

This is odd because Nang not only believes that God sees all that transpires (which I agree with)…but that He predestined all to happen from eternity past!

Because of this I think it is odd that Nang and Ask Mr. Religion get upset with people on this thread because everything that people write was destined to be done from before the foundation of the world! How can you get upset with someone when they are doing that which God wants them to do?

Remember, it was you Mr. Religion that stated:

"God’s creatures can do what they want, but what they want is determined by God in advance..."

So, I have waited to post for a few days to think about what I should do. I thought about what it was that God had destined me to do from eternity past.

What I did was to make a little video so that I can post it here to help people understand the views of Nang and Ask Mr. Religion (and Pastor Cook http://www.unchainedradio.com/new/index.php).

It was put together rather quickly so it may be kind of cheesy…but I just wanted to help spread the "truths" of what Nang and Mr. Religion teach:


"God is sovereign and has ordained all things….Therefore it is good that evil exists."

"It doesn't matter how it "seems" to you, or how you "feel" about it . . . it is biblical."


It is Good
 

Poly

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If we are as you claim, why bother asking anything at all? After all, we are admonished by the Scriptures to disassociate yourself from the godless and cultist. So let's just assume you, like Mssr. Pfeiffer, have self-control issues.:rolleyes:

Here is your answer:

As a Christian, Paul is no longer in bondage to sin, but continues to struggle with his sinful urges of the flesh, which causes him, as it does all the saved, to feel wretched guilt when they yield to their fleshy urges. Only the saved can feel this type of guilt, hence, the words strengthen the argument that the passage in question describes a regenerate Paul.

None of your questions have anything to do with claiming that Romans 7:14-25 describes an unregenerate Paul. You cannot build a case on these words used by Paul in those passages for those same passages contain statements that only the regenerate could make. Moreover, Paul has already described his struggle with the law in verses 7-13. Verses 14-25 cannot be as you see them unless you would make verses 14-25 an incoherent mixture of a discussion of both the unregenerate and regenerate man.

Will you now yield to my (and many others') intepretation? If not, please offer something more substantive about the specific verses in question than the state of my eternal soul as a rejoinder.

:yawn:

I'm just too tired to read this garbage.

Bottom line, according to your theology, God planned for people to believe the opposite of what you believe. Personally I think you have a lot of nerve thinking that God is wrong when it was He who ordained them to believe this way.
 

godrulz

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AMR: It is not good that evil exists. It grieves God, not delights Him. It is contrary to His will, intentions, desires, character. Boyd does do a good job dealing with this. God can redeem things without ordaining or desiring them. Allowing evil to exist for a time is not an endorsement of it as a sovereign good for a higher purpose. There are other issues. When did you read Satan/evil? Did you understand it or reject it because it could not fit your filter?

I talked about "Satan and the problem of evil"...I have read less than half the book and do not find your 'God at War' concerns in his arguments about free will and evil. I have not bought 'GAW' because I thought his views would be a stretch (gap theory; other concerns you have that I share). I assume his thinking has matured and changed. I do not agree with everything he says. I agree with his simple books that resonate with Scripture and reality. I suspect GAW is too speculative and even inaccurate, so I am sticking to his stronger works. When I commend Satan/evil, why bait and switch to GAW? Maybe he will go off the deep end later in the book, but so far, it is not Satan/demon/warfare heavy at all.

Just because he is not credentialed Calvinist (though he was Baptist), does not mean he cannot think, reason, study Scripture, etc. He has insights that may be more biblical than those who spout your party line (you talk in circles again).

Bottom line: I suspect I would disagree with GAW and will save my time and money. This does not mean his other works do not have value and are not totally dependent on an extreme demon view (he talks more about man than demons).
 

Ask Mr. Religion

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:yawn:

I'm just too tired to read this garbage.

Bottom line, according to your theology, God planned for people to believe the opposite of what you believe. Personally I think you have a lot of nerve thinking that God is wrong when it was He who ordained them to believe this way.
I think you pasted the wrong materials from my post as your words do not line up with the quoted material. Are you saying you disagree with my interpretation of Romans 7:14-25 or what?
 

Mystery

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If we are as you claim, why bother asking anything at all? After all, we are admonished by the Scriptures to disassociate yourself from the godless and cultist.
It is for the benefit of those who will choose not to be deceived.


As a Christian, Paul is no longer in bondage to sin
That is correct. And that is why when Paul speaks of being in bondage to sin, he is speaking of a condition when he has not been set free from it.

Romans 7:5

“For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.”

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law”
1 Corinthians 15:56

Paul makes it clear what took place before they are regenerated (a new creation in Christ) and are set free from this death.

In Adam, we were under the Law, in the flesh, and in sin, and the fruit we bear is death.

In Christ, we are under grace, in the Spirit, and in righteousness, and we bear the fruit of eternal life!

Verse 6

“But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”

“And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:4-6

Paul gives a clear delineation between having been under the demands of the Law, and now being in the Spirit in how we are to serve God.

Under the Law, everything we do falls short because our entire dependence is in our own abilities. In the flesh, we can do nothing… “There is none righteous; there is none who does good”

In the Spirit, it is God who is at work in and through us, for His good pleasure.

The only thing that our flesh can produce is that which is contrary to the Law. In Galatians 5, Paul describes the deeds of the flesh that are aroused through the Law: "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these". (Paul adds "things like these" just in case anyone had the notion to believe that they were not doing any of the things he actually listed ). Paul makes it clear that we are not bound to or under the Law, and that we now serve Christ in the Spirit, and not in the flesh.

Paul begins to now reveal how the Law was used to lead him to Christ…

Verse 7

"What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet."

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

Paul certainly knew the Law. He was a self-professed Pharisee. But the Law had not done it’s work in Paul until he came to realize that he was a sinner.

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." Galatians 3:24

Paul was led to Christ through the Law. This is his testimony in Romans 7, on how he saw that he was a sinner through the Law. Deny it all you want, but what Paul says has just destroyed your entire false religious system. Paul says that the Law speaks to those under the Law, which is what he was when he came to realize that he was a sinner and it led him to Christ.

Verse 8

“But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.”

This does not in any way mean that the Law made Paul sin, but only increased his knowledge of how great the sin in him was.

The Law was given to reveal to each of us that we have sin. Why? Because sin is the indicator that you are dead to God, and in need of life. The Law shows you that you are dead; it leads you to life (Gal 3:22-26). However, once you have received life, you are dead to the Law, and alive to God.


Verse 9

“And I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive, and I died;”

In no way does this mean that Paul was not already dead before the Law, but only that he perceived that he was alive. If that were not so, then Paul would never have said in chapter 5…

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

The Law revealed that death reigned in Paul, and that he needed life.


Verses 10-11

“…and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.”

Paul refers to the ten commandments as the "ministry of death" and the "ministry of condemnation". (2 Corinthians 3)

Jesus was born under the Law (Gal 4:4) and therefore He used the Law to bring death and condemnation to all who believed that they were righteous through observing the Law.

Any notion that people had that they were righteous under the Law was laid to rest by Jesus' ability to prove that it is impossible for men to have eternal life through the Law. As Paul affirms:

"I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
Galatians 2:21


"Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe." Galatians 3:21-22


Verses 12-13

"So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful."

Again we see that Paul confirms the purpose of the Law, to reveal how completely unrighteous we are, and that we are dead to God.

"Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made." Galatians 3:19

Again...

"Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith" Galatians 3:24

Paul goes on to show how the Law worked to lead him to Christ. After he saw that it had revealed that he is a sinner, and therefore dead because of sin, he explains how this condition kept him from doing what he wanted to do, because he is still in bondage to it, and needs to be set free.

You cannot be led to Christ by the Law, if you are not convicted by it. You have to be an unbeliever to be led to be a believer.


Verses 14-16

"For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good."

Paul shows the struggle of his desire to do that which agrees with the Law, and yet, because of his flesh, he is only able to do those things that are contrary to the Law.... the very deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21).

The majority of the Christian world claims that Paul is speaking here of his position in Christ and his daily struggle, but that would be quite odd for him to say that he is in bondage to sin, when he just spent all of chapter 6 speaking of his release from it. As much as you would like to pervert what Paul has said, he cannot be free from sin and in bondage to sin at the same time. Only a double-minded false teacher would make that claim.

Romans 7:17-21

"So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good."


Even though Paul desires to meet the demands of the Law, he cannot. He has found that there is indwelling sin in his flesh, and it is impossible for him to do good. Again, Paul says that in the condition of being in the flesh, he does evil. In 3 John we read…

“The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.”

Has Paul not seen God when he wrote Romans? Of course he, has, but Paul is speaking of how he determined that he needed to be set free from this death.

Verses 22-23

"For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

Paul concludes that he is trapped by his desire to do good, and the fact that his body has indwelling sin which wages war against his desire to do what is right, and he pleads to be set free!

If Paul was speaking of who he is in Christ in these verses, he would not say that he is a "prisoner of the law of sin” or request to be set free. Considering what he has to say in Romans 8:1-2…

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Romans 7:25

"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Paul makes it clear that the only solution to his delimma is Jesus! Paul was led to Christ through the Law.

Romans 7:25

"So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

Even though Paul had the desire to do good and that he was bound to the flesh that has indwelling sin, he can give thanks to Christ who has set him free from this body of death, and he is no longer under the condemnation of the Law.

Paul is now in Christ, in the spirit, and not in the flesh. As a new creation in Christ he has been made alive in the spirit, even though he still lives on in a body that is dead because of sin.

Romans 8:1-2

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

There are two opposing laws at work. We were under the law of sin and death, but now, we are under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ! We are no longer in the flesh, in bondage to sin, or wretched men. We are no longer a "prisoner of the law of sin". We are free from sin, free from the law, and free from death.
 

Nang

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To Ask Mr. Religion and Nang,

I was disturbed by the fact that you two believe that every evil and wicked thing that happens is a result of Gods will (God wants it to happen).


Sorry you don't get it . . .

Evil is the consequential judgment from God against sin. Which is called "justice."

A simple example that maybe even you might grasp.

"The wages of sin (caused by man) is death (evil)." Romans 6:23

Offense and sin against God deserves sentence and punishment, and that sentence and punishment is death.

This is a legal rendering.

And the legal rendering is just and good, because it is deserved.

Thus, when you say that death is not evil and justice is not good, you are saying God is a dirty, rotten, unfair Judge.

Not too wise to harbor such thoughts about the Judge who will Judge you someday!

There is still time for you to repent . . .

Nang
 

Lon

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Dude, that is hardcore.

Yet it does make a legitimate point. Very powerful.

Even in OV God sees it happening. When men do this to each other, why isn't it stopped? When evil men plot God hears before they go and do it.

As disturbing as the video was, it doesn't not let any theologian alone. I'm horrified by sin at its worst. It not only disgusts, it angers, disturbs soundly, sends me recoiling. I do not know how such attrocities can exist. In the O.T., stuff like this happened and God sent judging wrath.

I go back to the wheat and tares parable often. God allows the tares to grow in his fields. His stated purpose is so that His righteous ones will not be uprooted. It is for us believers that His hand is held back from deserved wrath.

OV is no more or less impinged than Calvinism. God sees in both theological positions. There can never be an accusation against one view over the other. It is the same issue to be dealt with. OV tries to take away the implication by negating foreknowledge (EDF), but this doesn't do it when both full knowledge and some foreknowledge are accounted for by OVers. I'm always amazed when this is a standard ToL/OV tact.

It isn't a separating issue, it is the same one.
 

godrulz

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Nang: Passive death as a consequence to sin (even Jesus and believers in Christ die) is not the same as active, volitional evil like idolatry, murder, genocide, abortion, immorality, etc.

Mystery: An isolated lapse into sin that is followed by repentance and obedience is different than an ongoing, godless, unrepentant bondage to sin. The former is possible for a believer, including Paul (I Jn. 1:9), but the latter is the state of unbelievers (Eph. 2:1 ff.).
 

CabinetMaker

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Sorry you don't get it . . .

Evil is the consequential judgment from God against sin. Which is called "justice."

A simple example that maybe even you might grasp.

"The wages of sin (caused by man) is death (evil)." Romans 6:23

Offense and sin against God deserves sentence and punishment, and that sentence and punishment is death.

This is a legal rendering.

And the legal rendering is just and good, because it is deserved.

Thus, when you say that death is not evil and justice is not good, you are saying God is a dirty, rotten, unfair Judge.

Not too wise to harbor such thoughts about the Judge who will Judge you someday!

There is still time for you to repent . . .

Nang
Are you sure you want to stand behind this... theology? Consider what it does to the rest of the Bible.

Geniesis 3
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will become evil.' " 4 "You will not surely become evil," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and death ."



Death and evil are not the same thing. Death is to know nothing. Evil is to knowingly and intentionally act against God.
 

Mystery

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Mystery: An isolated lapse into sin that is followed by repentance and obedience is different than an ongoing, godless, unrepentant bondage to sin. The former is possible for a believer, including Paul (I Jn. 1:9), but the latter is the state of unbelievers (Eph. 2:1 ff.).

godrulz: You are stupid.

Paul says that he is:

Free from sin.

Free from the law of sin and death.

No longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit.

You say:

Paul is in bondage to sin.

Paul is a wretched man

Paul is a prisoner of the law of sin and death.

Paul is in the flesh.

It is obvious that you are a liar.
 
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