Originally Posted by
P1LGR1M
We are focusing on what God has revealed, not what He has not.
ok, earlier I had posted
Originally Posted by
Dan_473
well, are you looking for, or wanting to talk about, a formula for when God saves or gives the spirit?
my impression from the scriptures is that God doesn't always behave in ways that we can predict.
for example, are there loopholes that God knows about but you or I don't?
I believe you objected, and I then responded to those objections... I had assumed this thread was intended to continue that discussion... yes? no?
Sure we can discuss it, but I don't really see it as addressing the premise of the OP, because we are dealing with what has been revealed, rather than what has not been revealed.
Even when God does something that is, from our perspective, unpredictable, we can usually place that into the overview of Scripture. One example might be Enoch and Elijah. It is thought that these two were carried into Heaven, which seems to conflict with what we see taught elsewhere in Scripture. Christ speaks of two men who die, and they are seen, not in Heaven, but The Bosom of Abraham. The Rich Man is told his brethren have Moses and the Prophets to hear (rather than Christ or the Spirit given at Pentecost), so we can place this teaching in the Age of Law.
Did God break with what seems to be a general standard for Pre-Pentecost Saints (the Just), or is the error in thinking Enoch and Elijah's destinations were Heaven? Enoch was taken by God that he should not "see" death. Is it not reasonable to consider that the "seeing" here is experiential, meaning Enoch did not have to suffer death, but was translated from the physical to the spiritual? Is it unreasonable to think that the "heaven" Elijah was carried away into was the same heaven God created in Creation, rather than Heaven?
Which perspective fits better?
How about female leadership? Deborah was a Judge, and this is an instance where female leadership in the Church (Body) is said to be supported. Can we say that it was God that Appointed her? Would it matter in light of the example of Levitical Service, or New Testament instruction concerning leadership?
I would suggest these are not gray areas where one view is okay, and the other view is okay, and we just have to decide which view best suits us.
The thread's premise seeks to try to examine these issues and see if there is a definitive intent of what has been revealed, and that which has not been revealed and can be place firmly in a category of speculation, well, becomes a secondary issue the Lord saw fit not to address.
I believe you objected, and I then responded to those objections... I had assumed this thread was intended to continue that discussion... yes? no?
I would say yes, it is to continue that discussion, but again it is more centered on what is revealed in Scripture, and perception about issues which are thought not to be revealed. In a recent thread one member made the dogmatic statement "God did not tell Adam and Eve to sacrifice a lamb to pay for their sins," and while we know no animal sacrifice for sins "paid" anything (but provided temporary covering only), and that we do not have a record of God specifically giving instruction in regards to remission through the shedding of blood (death), we can based on New Testament revelation place the sacrifices of Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Job in the larger context of the Bible and conclude that we see the same thing going on in those sacrifices as we see when God gives instruction in specificity in the Law.
We see, for example, Pre-Law offering for sin referred to here:
Exodus 10:24-26
King James Version (KJV)
[SUP]24 [/SUP]And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.
[SUP]25 [/SUP]And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.
That thread deals with a "gray area" perceived by some which is whether Christians are to "keep the Sabbath," which is not a gray area at all, as we have specific and detailed teaching in regards to both the Law as well as holy days. Both conclusions, in my view, detract from the Larger Context of Scripture, and reveal a limited view of what Scripture teaches.
So for me, this thread brings with it an opportunity to look at the arguments of an opposing view, and every time I, or we engage in examining opposing views...we should always learn something new. This is one of the best ways for us to learn, in addressing perceived error on the part of others. Sometimes we find them in error, sometimes we find ourselves in error, or, we learn something else about Scripture which we had not previously examined in the discussion (in view).
So feel free to present any loop-hole or gray area, you are correct this is the basic premise, though again I point out we are dealing with what has been revealed, and speculation into what has not been revealed takes us away from the premise.
We can know all that God has revealed to us in Scripture, but we shouldn't think Scripture reveals all there is to know about God, but it does in fact indicate this isn't the case. We see through a glass darkly, but we shouldn't equate that to a view that we cannot understand what has been revealed. That is the primary objection I present in the OP.
God bless.