Are You More Blessed Than the Virgin Mary?

Desiring God ^ | 12/15/2010 | Jonathan Parnell

[RnMomof7]

In the sermon descriptively entitled, “That Hearing and Keeping the Word of God Renders a Person More Blessed Than Any Other Privilege That Ever God Bestowed on Any of the Children of Men,” Jonathan Edwards writes: The hearing and keeping the word of God brings the happiness of a spiritual union and communion with God. ‘Tis a greater blessedness to have spiritual communion with God and to have a saving intercourse with him by the instances of his Spirit and by the exercise of true devotion than it is to converse with God externally, to see the visible representation and manifestations of his presence and glory, and to hear his voice with the bodily ears as Moses did. For in this spiritual intercourse the soul is nigh unto and hath more a particular portion than in any external intercourse. ‘Tis more blessed to be spiritually related to Jesus Christ—to be his disciples, his brethren and the members—than to stand in the nearest temporal relation, than to be his brother or his mother. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, ed. Nancy Guthrie, 57.

[maryz]

(nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and instrumental, though the instrumental was very rare)

According to the grammar book we used in grad school, the dative and instrumental had collapsed into one case, which they referred to as the "dative/instrumental."

[Cronos]

Metmom: . Drinking blood is so closely tied with paganism and satanism that it’s inconceivable that any church would claim to participate in it.

Met -- your post has just attacked not only Catholics, but Orthodox, Orientals, Assyrians, Anglicans and Lutherans.

[1000 silverlings]

As I told you before the Ark was the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth and later, that was Jesus, the Word made flesh, not Mary. God's Presence rested on the Ark, just as He did on mankind, before the Resurrection.

Afterwards, His Holy Spirit abides within Christians.

The Ark was empty, other than for a few relics, and it was the symbol of the coming Resurrection, an empty tomb. The word for "ark" used for it actually means "coffin."

Christ's Presence on earth is manisfested in the Holy Spirit. We are tabernacles, and Mary was just another tabernacle.

[Cronos]

ja Oh, right, there are some people, (according to some Calvinists) who are not elect. They are predestined to hell from all eternity. Is that so? Or am I mistaken?

Yes -- only if you are from the right caste (according to the followers of Cal), can you go to heaven. Of course, since you're just a robot with no choice to choose to accept God or not, it just means that before time the Calvingod programmed some robots to do good, and some to do evil. The ones programmed to do good when they die go to heaven, the ones programmed to do bad get told by Calvingod "ha ha! i programmed you to do bad, now you're going to be tormented forever. ha ha ha!"

Perhaps presently is not a Calvinist which could explain why he may believes that God loves all men (and women!)

[Cronos]

Yes, knowing when to use nominative and accusative can be quite maddening. And then you have the verbs of motion or static nature that influence the case for przymiotniki (nouns) as well as adjectives. Genitive is the craziest logic I think — why would you say 4 apples but 5 OF apples? And then the declinations for locative can drive one crazy!

[1000 silverlings]

As the prophet says, God is the potter, we are the clay, and who are we to have a say in what the potter keeps or smashes? Whatever God does to us in the present or in the future is no excuse for not loving Him and worshipping Him regardless.

[Cronos]

As I told you before the Ark was the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth and later, that was Jesus, the Word made flesh, not Mary. God's Presence rested on the Ark, just as He did on mankind, before the Resurrection.

Then you disagree with the statement in Rn's post of the sort that the ARk is a type of jesus Christ?

Note -- Jesus was not a manifestation, Jesus WAS the Word made flesh. The Ark was just a container, not God, while Jesus Christ was/is God.

To reduce Jesus Christ to just being a container for God is blasphemous --

you don't seem to be saying "Ark = type of Jesus Christ",correct?

[Cronos]

The difference being that while we may have the Holy Spirit (a spirit mind you), indwelling in us, Jesus Christ was not just a spirit — He was God AND Man — both wrapped up in one.

[Cronos]

True enough. However, the potter and the clay analogy points out how the potter creates his objects, not that he controls their thoughts and actions. The analogy is more that of a roboticist and his robots — if the robots are programmed to do only evil and they do it, then at the end they are sent to be tormented for ever as they were evil by the calvingod.

[1000 silverlings]

Well arks, boats, are seen in the bible as a means of salvation, as Christ is, so I believe He is the Ark, yes. You wont be saved in any other way.

We have the ark that saved Moses, the ark Noah built, the same mentioned by Peter, wherein 8 people were saved. I said Jesus was the Word made flesh, and He did manifest as God as well as a human.

[1000 silverlings]

so he is God and we are man, both wrapped up in one. That being said— we are not Christ, tho we have His Spirit. We are a resting place, like the ark was, but as He is inside now, we are the tabernacle.

[maryz]

Do you know of a language that still has a full locative? Hebrew used to have one, but it survives in only two words.

[1000 silverlings]

I dont know anybody who believes that.

[antceecee]

To believe that God chose a sinful woman to bear his Son is quite a stretch. Catholic or Protestant it is disrespectful in the least and at best.. something you could never know nor prove.

[1000 silverlings]

There’s also that verse in John that says as soon as Jesus gets in the boat with you, you’re at your destination. Ears to hear

[Judith Anne]

Sure, the predestination folks hereabouts.

[1000 silverlings]

Predestination is a doctrine of the bible, and as a bible believer I believe in it as well as the doctrine of the elect. Yet I do not believe that one is programmed by God to be a robot.

However, there are some men who will never be spiritual, God has made them that way for His reasons, and as clay I am not one to question why.

[Cronos]

I’m not sure which verse you are referring to exactly (I get the idea), however, in whichever case, Jesus does not pre-program us to do certain actions — good or evil. To believe that we are just robots is an intrinsic Calvinist error.

[Cronos]

The analogy is more that of a roboticist and his robots — if the robots are programmed to do only evil and they do it, then at the end they are sent to be tormented for ever as they were evil by the calvingod.

They may not enunciate it but if:
1. One says there it double-predestination -- God determines before time who goes to heaven and who goes to hell
2. There is no free will -- ALL actions are controlled by God

then if you believe in BOTH points 1 and 2 the inevitable conclusion is as i stated.

if you disagree with one point or the other or both, then the conclusion differs.

[Cronos]

Good point, however the link which RN’s post was making was Ark of the Covenant = type of Jesus Christ.