Thank you so much for your encouragements!
I don't believe God puts limits on how much we know Him; pride does.
I’m very confident no creature – regardless of the time allowed to him – will ever be able to contain the full knowledge of the Creator. But I strongly agree that pride can get a man “stuck on stupid.”
That [is no record of a Jewish trial per se] doesn't surprise me. I guess Jewish Apostles don't rank prominently in their circles as historical sources to be considered.
Actually the linked article covers the subject rather well for a webpage and does include Christian sources.
Christ's followers were hardly a threat to anyone. If Christ was a threat to Romans, Romans would have written something about Him. As it turns out, Romans treated Him as an internal Jewish matter not even worthy the parchment to write a single word about Him…. The Gospels show that the Sanhedrin and the people gathered, not the Romans, wanted Jesus dead. In fact, the Gospels portray Romans ans a moderating factor.
As the linked article explains, the Jew’s fear of the Romans was the factor. Roman fear (if any) is irrelevant.
me: Er, the free part is that there is nothing mere man can do to be "good enough" for God You: Wow! And here I read:
"But if when you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it this finds favor/grace ( χαρις ) with God." (1 Pet 2:20)
Sure seems like +Peter believed that doing the right thing does earn you grace (charis) with God!
Peter is speaking to Christians, not to persons who have not yet been redeemed by Christ. And in that passage, he is exhorting those Christians to endure patiently when they suffer for doing the right thing. Here it is in context:
For this [is] thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory [is it], if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer [for it], ye take it patiently, this [is] acceptable with God.
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: - 1 Peter 2:19-21
You continued:
Of truth, dear A-G, everything you have to say about God anthropomorphizes Him because (a) you use human words to say it, (b) human words cannot describe the indescribable and (c) because the Spirit does not use words. So whatever any person says or writes about God is by necessity anthropomorphism.
To the contrary, I testify that the Spirit does indeed use language – far better than any mortal known to me, i.e. He brings words alive within. He also authenticates Scriptures, i.e. that He is the author of them. Moreover, His is a spiritual language, and those of us who experience His indwelling speak in the same language. An arms length observer would think we are using ordinary words, but the conversation between those who have the “mind of Christ” is taking place in a whole ‘nother sense. (I Cor 2)
For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
For others, the Scriptures are merely text on paper or ancient manuscripts compiled by fallible men – subject to intense scrutiny, scholarly debate and most especially, skepticism.
What is in heaven is pristine. What is there to be purged? Purge implies impurity, imperfection, corruption. What is there in heaven that needs to be purged?
Heavenly creatures to be purged include the angels chained in darkness till the judgment (Jude 6) and Satan (Rev 20). Nevertheless, all of this heaven will be removed, and the new heaven will begin. I do not know why God chose to do it this way instead of some other way, perhaps you should ask Him?
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. – Rev 20:11 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. – Rev 21:1
You continued:
me: Since the indwelling Spirit brings words recorded in Scripture alive within me through the indwelling Spirit – He is the One I’ll be listening to, not any mortal You: That is the lamest possible argument, A-G. It is an attempt to "win" an argument empty-handed.
I do not expect you to receive my testimony – but I would be a liar if I said other than the truth and I would be unfaithful to God if your objections bothered me.
And I can say the Holy Spirit is telling me you are wrong.
You can say anything you like. But God is Truth.
I am glad we agree on something. But being a "placemarker" on a wave does not make the phenomenon a "particle." So, it's not that radiant energy is sometimes a particle and sometimes a wave; energy is energy regardless which matrhematical box we stuff it in. The uncertainty of the duality is entirely imposed by our working models, and not by the reality of what radiant energy really is.
For Lurkers: radiant energy is usually electromagnetic. The four fundamental fields are electromagnetic, gravity, strong atomic and weak atomic. A field is defined as existing in all points of space/time. In the wave/particle duality – the discipline for investigating particles is generally quantum mechanics whereas the discipline for investigating waves is generally quantum field theory.
To tje House of Idrael and the House of Judah (Heb 8). God makes no promises to Gentiles.
To the contrary, there are many promises which do not come with a gift tag but rather are worded like this:
He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:11-13
You continued:
Indeed. Scientific method proves only that the model works, not that what it does is based on exactly as things are. Supernatural explanation is treated as "magic," and disallowed. Trouble is, supernatural (shouldmn't it be supranatural?) is what is from God, and cannot be explained, quantified, measured, described, explained or otherwise "made sense of." So, how can it be considered?
Science should respect the epistemological divide. Instead there are many scientists (Dawkins, Pinker, Singer, Lewontin, Monod et al) who are doing theology under the color of science, i.e. metaphysical naturalism.
God is impartial. Nevertheless, He does seem to use some for His specific purpose because they are the right tools in His workshop.
And collectives also – such as the tribe of Levi or the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea and so on.