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Posted on 03/10/2004 9:37:27 PM PST by malakhi
Statesmen may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue. - John Adams |
And it does not fit yours this week
Jesus qualifies His invitation thusly ...Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Who will come? Those that are drawn by the father.
Absolutely.
... it is part of His pre-determined plan.
Yep it sure is.
God has created so as to achieve His desire.
Actually, while researching Calvinism one of the primary complaints I came across over and over again on the many anti-Calvist websites I visited is how Calvins have their "theological ducks in a row" but the theology is "too cold and heartless".
Nonetheless, God reveals his name to us. Gods name is a tautology.
tautology - Logical truth. A statement which is necessarily true because, by virtue of its logical form, it cannot be used to make a false assertion.
How perfect for God, he who cannot lie, to reveal himself. Gods use of a tautology in revealing his name is not trivial, and I emphasized that point by replacing my follow-on use of the word truism by the more appropriate tautology. I AM THAT I AM is a non-trivial tautology.
It's certainly not parallel to the original example given, which if interpreted in the Calvin way, is extremely trivial and trite.
It is parallel in that both Exodus 3:13-14 and 2 Peter 3:9, a tautology is used. 2 Peter 3:9 councils patience (among other things) in the saints. That is neither trivial nor trite.
There's no doubt you are very systematic. It is, apart from its fundamental flaw, a very coherent system.
It is also guilty of the "cold and heartless" claim. When atheists hate God, they hate this Calvinist conception. I was even told it was bad of me to think of God as a friend!
If that's not cold, I don't know what is.
SD
In context God was saying that he never ordained that kind of abominable pagan "worship" for Himself .
God that knows the beginning from the end , was not caught unaware of that sin or any sin .
Well, I don't think either one is properly a "tautology." So we can just disagree. Your interpretation of the Peter verse is strained, IMO.
SD
carry on with your gnat straining.
Really? I've seen atheists on a different board claim that at least the Calvinist's description of God is consistent. But then again why listen to a person who has declared he hates God?
I was even told it was bad of me to think of God as a friend!
It certainly is bad to tell the unsaved that God is their friend. He is not. He explicitly says in John 3:36 that those who do not believe on His Son currently have the wrath of God abiding on them. Hardly the description of a friend.
I am who am: apparently this utterance is the source of the word Yahweh, the proper personal name of the God of Israel. It is commonly explained in reference to God as the absolute and necessary Being.
God is not simply saying here, tautologically, "I am that I am." He is not just expressing that He exists. He is saying that He is existence itself. It's deep, revelatory and definitely not somethign that is, as dictionary.com puts it:
Needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy.
or:
Logic. An empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, the statement
I don't think God here is either needlessly repetitious or is He making a vacuous statement.
SD
Well, I'm sure the tertimony of atheists is not the strongest thing for me to stand on. LOL
It certainly is bad to tell the unsaved that God is their friend. He is not. He explicitly says in John 3:36 that those who do not believe on His Son currently have the wrath of God abiding on them. Hardly the description of a friend.
You can present God as warm and loving and willing to embrace the sinner. Yes, you can. Of course that is more difficult when you have a theology that makes God the author and willer of sin and destruction and damnation.
SD
And the Lord said unto Cain, "Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou mayest (timshel) rule over him.
Creation is about Gods glory not mans . Man sins because he is a sinner , carrying on the fine tradition of their father Adam.
God is and will be glorified in the Judgment of man and the vindication of His Holiness...to salvation or destruction
Jeremiah 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
In context God was saying that he never ordained that kind of abominable pagan "worship" for Himself .
God that knows the beginning from the end , was not caught unaware of that sin or any sin .
Yes ... I am aware that God knew that it was coming.
The point that I was making is that God did not plan this, ... nor were the Israelites doing as He intended when they did this.
Umm, didn't you switch from Catholicism, to Arminian Protestantism, to Calvinism?
Kevin you will be an awesome teaching elder some day !
Cindy ask any Calvinist here if they believe you are saved. You will get a resounding YES .
So then why the doctrinal discussion? It is very important to Calvinists that not one drop of the Glory of God be wasted. Most all the Calvinists here were saved in Arminian churches or as Catholics . We are not "more" saved as Calvinists , what we are is a people that want God to be glorified in all His works and creation..that is why is it important to us
I AM THAT I AM is a tautology. There is nothing to disagree about.
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