We are not partners with God and we are not cooperators with God. He literally owns us and we are His slaves. This is a good thing.
I'm understanding Kosta's statement about why atheism was born in the West. Again, please understand, nothing personal here, but this is in my view slander against God. And far removed from Christianity down through its history. Why on earth anyone would love Jesus, flock to him and die for him, if this was what he taught about His Father?
Forgive me, FK, it's a caricature of Abba. Abba's shadow side or some such, that you end up with.
I just can't imagine reading the Jesus of the gospels and coming up with this slave movie portrait of God.
I know there must be love in your theology somewhere, but when you get down to this fatalism and master/slave relationship, double predestination and the lot..
I dunno, maybe in some special term of art in your theology 'slave' is a good thing, but you must know that Jesus wasn't out there preaching it. I hope I'm overreacting, but it always seems Calvinists pull back a curtain to reveal some.. monster manipulator. Sorry to be harsh, I can't see how you don't see this is what you end up with?
I haven't a clue where to go from here except to thank you for your courtesy and the discussion. I sincerely wish you well personally.
Again, please understand, nothing personal here, but this is in my view slander against God. And far removed from Christianity down through its history. Why on earth anyone would love Jesus, flock to him and die for him, if this was what he taught about His Father?
I've already posted some of Paul's writings on our slavery, and as to ownership there is this:
1 Cor 6:19-20 : 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own ; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Notice he does not take a legitimate avenue and say that we were made, or that we were preserved. No, he says we were BOUGHT. That makes Him our owner outright. We are bought and paid for with the blood of Christ. The Spirit is the seal. As new slaves to God's righteousness, Paul develops the idea in saying that we are to honor our master with our bodies, i.e. in all that we do:
1 Cor 10:31 : 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
This is the type of command a slave receives from his master.
This is just me speculating here, and please correct me if I am wrong, but I do get the impression that your revulsion to these ideas of slavery is based on looking at it from only one angle. When most people of their mid- thirties or older think of slavery, they think of "Roots". That is certainly a barbaric form of slavery and it did happen in the Bible (Israelites in Egypt). This was race-based slavery and God obviously disapproved of that. However, it was not the only kind of slavery.
In Biblical times, "normal" slavery was not race-based, it was more class-based. It could be compared with what we would call indentured servitude. Poor people routinely sold themselves into slavery in order to pay off debts, etc. Some even did it in order to secure three squares a day and a roof. They were otherwise unable to take care of themselves. This was not seen as an evil at all, and the Bible appears to support that. We are even told about how slaves are to be treated by faithful men:
Deut 15:12-15 : 12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. 13 And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
Eph 6:9 : 9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Col 4:1 : 1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
God had every chance in the world to condemn this kind of slavery, but He never does. Jesus never condemns it while He was here either. Paul had a golden opportunity to do it in Philemon, but passed. Again, this does not mean that God condones the type of forced slavery that we see all over the world today. No, He does hate that. It's just that in Biblical times the concept had a different meaning for the most part. It was simply an economic reality of the times.
So, when I speak of being a joyful slave to God and His righteousness, I am not being a masochist at all! :) In one sense it is a way to describe our respective stations. God is all, He is everything, He is the master, I am the servant. He always knows best and I am to obey, not question. God loves His slaves and will always take care of them no matter what, infinitely better than they could ever take care of themselves. God also has an individual and deep relationship with each of those who serve Him. There is frequent communication. God causes His servants to grow and mature in faith, and on and on and on .....
Don't forget that at the same time we are God's slaves, we are also His children. The Bible uses both comparisons and both are valid and do not contradict each other. Well, I hope all this helps to explain at least some of where we are coming from. :)