In the vernacular, I associate myself with BD's comments. Testing helps to sanctify us during our lives. As I'm sure you are aware, Christians have very different experiences while here on earth. God is active and involved. He doesn't just sit back and "wait" (within time, plus nudging, plus chance) for the outcome of men's decisions, as the Apostolic position holds.
If God tests blameless people, what benefit do they get unless it is indented to strengthen their faith? In which case you are not secure in your faith and salvation as you say you are.
There are no blameless people, including Mary. But if you refer to the status of the elect, then testing DOES strengthen faith. Since we do not use a point system, a person with low level true faith goes to Heaven the same way a person with high level true faith does. Once a low level true faith is established by God (salvation), then sanctification begins and we move toward a higher level. This movement not only benefits us personally in our personal relationship with God, but it also makes us more useful to God to accomplish His plan for us as individuals. A fully saved person can and will always grow in Christ. At the point when that is no longer true, then it is time to be fitted for a harp. :)
Again, there was no point in testing Jesus, unless there was some 'benefit' that He would 'gain' from it as far as His faith is concerned, since there was no chance that He would fail.
One point of the temptation of Jesus was to prove to the world that He understood from first hand experience all the temptations that we face. It proved that He could relate to us on a real level with our real problems. I believe that has been a very great comfort to countless Christians through the ages.
But it makes perfect sense if Jesus is seen by the early Apostles to be the Jewish messiah, a mortal human, beloved of God, a favorite of God, the "son of God," like the angels and kings, a man who would be king of kings (on earth), blameless and perfect (like Job)!
It appears that your supposition is that the Apostles were dead wrong about Christ when they wrote what would become scripture. However, later, at some unknown time they got it right. However again, YOUR Church takes full credit for formulating the scriptures, in total error presumably, and then simply claims to fill in the error with tradition. If so, then if you sanctified this error-filled document knowingly, why should I follow any of your leaders or any group of your leaders after making such a catastrophic blunder in the first place?
Gotta love it! Great question.
Answer: Because I say so. Go to your room.
Seriously, the allegedly assured results of allegedly scientific Biblical so-called Criticism (are you getting the flavor of my feelings here?) serve to open my ears and broaden my outlook in one of my iterations through a passage. It's interesting, sometimes, to read what these guys have to say. And when we consider variant texts (what is the history of "the Woman Taken in Adultery" or the last verses of Mark anyway?), we have to give some thought to the possibility that the Bible as we have it, in whatever translation, has been through a few hands before it got to us.
The way I deal with this is to postulate the involvement of the Holy Spirit at many stages of production, guiding editors as well as original writers, and leading the Church to designate these books as sho' 'nuff holy and therefore different in important ways from all other books.
What world? Who was demanding a proof? If he was seen as God by the early Gospels, did they think God needed to learn or proves something? And since when is God doing things to prove to the world for the world's sake?
When I ask for proofs, you tell me that God doesn't condescend to human demands for such proofs. Yet, heere he is doing just that!
And if he could not be tempted, as you claim, what proof was made? It was no challenge but a charade.
Then Job 1:1 is a lie. Make up your mind.
Wonderful reply and insights, BD. Love, Mxxx
Is that a fact? Let's be serious, okay. By your logic, no one can be sanctified unless thoroughly tested.
As I'm sure you are aware, Christians have very different experiences while here on earth
I don't know. I have noting else to comapre it to. Do you?
God is active and involved
Oh, yes, of course, all over the place! There are at least several billion sightings of God every day. Please stop making unsubstantiated claims. Prove your statements. Imagine that you are first century Christian, without a bible in your hand, trying to convince an eastern barbarian that God is active to the point that this barbarian will be ready to be eaten by lions and be tested unto death for this faith!
He doesn't just sit back and "wait" (within time, plus nudging, plus chance) for the outcome of men's decisions, as the Apostolic position holds
Is that a fact too? Please show me, and when you do I will show you that I can walk through the walls and levitate...on pink unicorns from Jupiter.
Once a low level true faith is established by God (salvation), then sanctification begins and we move toward a higher level. This movement not only benefits us personally in our personal relationship with God, but it also makes us more useful to God to accomplish His plan for us as individuals. A fully saved person can and will always grow in Christ
Really, you don't say? And where is this all spelled out, or are you just making it up as you go along?