A) Hebrews and Romans are infinitely more valuable than your seemingly endless 'epistles' B) Even as your write, you complicate and extend the simple basic truth of Grace and Salvation. Nothing you have written is wrong; it is just that far too often we overshadow this simple truth by discussing the non-essentials of which a study of angels is probably top of the list.
Geoff Flight General Manager Sustainable Resources Industry Training Pty Ltd -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Publius Maximus Sent: Monday, 8 November 2010 10:51 AM To: ProFox Email List Subject: Re: [OT] On christian mythology Geoff: On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 11:56 PM, geoff <[email protected]> wrote: > Both of you get the whole notion wrong. Publius by his massive wordage (are > you really going to give a 'fuller' explanation??) discourages anyone to > even read his answer How in the world do you make it through tomes like Hebrews or Romans if you can't read a simple informal 3-bullet-point email reply? Nevermind I already know the answer. You only pretend to read this stuff, and base your simplistic opinions on Other People's Conclusions. > and Pete by trying to include complications in a very > simple concept: grace and salvation. It is really very simple and is the > height (and depth) of theology. Jesus Christ is the centre of the Bible and > the central Figure in creation. Grace and salvation comes from Him alone. > Get that wrong and everything else you might get right about theology won't > matter at all. I certainly agree that Jesus Christ is the center of it all, but I also think we were created to understand and partake in the fullness of God's awesome creative enterprise -- part of which is indeed being able to have an answer to a (seemingly) simple question about angles. These kinds of issues hold some people back from seeing Jesus Christ as Alpha and Omega that He is, what possible good is there in belittling the inquiry? Personally, I think that Scripture's depiction of the angelic realms is one of the most fascinating aspects of revealed truth, and knowing practical realities about angels and demons is critical to spiritual discernment, without which you're not much use helping people out of the bondage of false religion and other demonic strongholds. - Publius > > Geoff Flight > General Manager > > Sustainable Resources Industry Training Pty Ltd > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Publius Maximus > Sent: Monday, 8 November 2010 10:19 AM > To: ProFox Email List > Subject: Re: [OT] On christian mythology > > As usual, Geoff blows off a sincere question, being a high theologian > and all, and gets it wrong. > > Why the question is relevant *to questions of deep theology*: > > 1. It gets to the question of what makes us different from angels and > other created beings. Free will is not the primary differentiator -- > though it is interesting to note that angels appear to exercise a form > of it once for eternity, and are not subject to grace or salvation > after their "fall." Rather, what makes us different from all other > created beings is that we are uniquely made in the image of God, > having body, soul and spirit. Many created beings have one or two of > these elements, but only we have the trifecta. This is of great > theological significance. > > 2. Satan himself was not just an angel, but God's favorite, till he > rebelled, and, as Mike noted, took a third of the heavenly hosts down > with himself. Just who Satan is, and how he and the angels (now > demons) under his command have acquired power and authority on earth > (he is described as the "god of this world") is immensely important to > understanding why grace and salvation themselves matter. > > 3. It gets to the nature and character of God, particularly that > aspect of it that is incomprehensible (particularly to natural man) -- > namely, why He would make the universe the way He did, and suffer all > these rebellious spirits at all, or require so many seemingly strange > things of his vast, varied creation. > > I am ruminating on this and will give a fuller opinion tomorrow. > Suffice to say for now I think they get a kind of "one-shot" free > will, whereas the nature of our free will is a tad more complex and > interwoven with the complexities of God's own character -- in whose > image we were created. > > - Publius > > > > On Sun, Nov 7, 2010 at 10:25 PM, geoff <[email protected]> wrote: >> AS questions of deep theology go, this is hardly the most relevant. >> >> Geoff Flight >> General Manager >> >> Sustainable Resources Industry Training Pty Ltd >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf >> Of Ricardo Araoz >> Sent: Monday, 8 November 2010 7:02 AM >> To: ProFox Email List >> Subject: [OT] On christian mythology >> >> Hi all, >> question to all, though it's probably best addressed to Minimus. >> Over dinner last night came a couple of questions. >> Let's start with the first : Do angels have free will? >> Some said no, only man has free will. Others said they do. >> What is the official stand on that? >> >> [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
