Truly, the observer problem extends to the spiritual as well. And that is fine by me because that is what makes this living canvas so glorious with its contrasts and colors.
I thank God that Peter was not like John and that Paul was not like James! And I thank God that the foundation gemstones of the New Jerusalem are not all the same color, the same stone.
And I thank God for you, dear brother in Christ; you have certainly been blessed with spiritual eyes for Spiritual metaphors.
Now there's an interesting observation - one that I will be pondering over during the next few days! Thanks for posting that insight!
I wholesale agree with you . . . but . . .
I thank God that Peter was not like John and that Paul was not like James! And I thank God that the foundation gemstones of the New Jerusalem are not all the same color, the same stone.
= = = =
just to return a bit tweakily . . . to the issue of glass-pipe-ism . . .
One COULD construe from your perspective that it’s OK with you for James or Fred or Snodgrass . . .
to have the LESSER eternal status of a colored stone
while YOU, will take the pristinely more lofty one—the absolutely transparent option, thank you very much! LOL.
= = =
Methinks God arranged for each of us to have the personalities etc. HE arranged for us to have—including the conditioning on top of the genetics.
AND that HE DELIGHTS in said differences.
Further, that said differences likely have relatively little to do with our equal-before-the-cross usefulness and value to God and The Kingdom.
Just different . . . vs lesser/greater.