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| bio | website | cumberlandisland.blogspot.com |
|---|---|---|
| location | TX, USA | |
| age | 34 | |
| visits | member for | 1 year, 1 month |
| seen | 50 mins ago | |
| stats | profile views | 16 |
Mathematical physicist working as a high school teacher. I am an evangelical Christian first, Reformed second, Presbyterian (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) third. Happily married with two children.
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1d |
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How do you explain our existence when you say that God is almighty? My apologies. It's not always easy to remember how this site is set up, since it's unique among other sites I frequent. |
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2d |
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Is it possible for non Jew to join Messianic Judaism? You're quite welcome! |
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2d |
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Is it possible for non Jew to join Messianic Judaism? I think it belongs here. If a Messianic Jew believes Christ is the Messiah (his savior), God the Son come in the flesh, and believes in the Trinity (i.e., fundamental Christian doctrine), etc., then they are a Christian. I view Messianic Jews as the natural olive branch Paul talked about in Romans. |
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Jun 14 |
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Is the idea that God can erase His memory a common understanding? Ah, I see. My apologies. I'll edit my answer. |
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Jun 13 |
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Is it necessary to be a Christian to be saved? @FFCoder: according to Christianity, yes. If you do not believe in Christ, you will go to hell when you die. |
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Jun 4 |
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If Jesus died for our sins, why is there a lake of fire? @regis: yes, you're quite right: it does. |
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Jun 3 |
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Did Jesus' hypostatic union limit Christ's consciousness? @PeterRankin: I would qualify your statements a bit more. The divine nature of Jesus is omnipresent, omniscient, etc., as are all three Persons of the Trinity. However, the human nature of Jesus is limited in space the same way all people are. So I take the John 3:13 passage with Nicodemus to be either talking about the divine nature of Jesus, or His human nature at a different time. |
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Jun 3 |
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How did Reformed Theologians view works-based “Heavenly Rewards”? The Jonathan Edwards quote from his sermon series "Charity and its Fruits" on 1 Cor. 13 is extremely appropriate here. I would have added it if you hadn't. I think you added from a different sermon, but the content is very similar. |
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Jun 1 |
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Who goes to heaven? Some great answers below. They illustrate one very interesting thing: Christianity is the only world religion in which man is not basically good, but is basically bad, and must be saved instead of saving himself. It is unique. No other religion offers such a big Savior! |
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Jun 1 |
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Who goes to heaven? I think there are three parts to the gospel. You have nailed it that we are sinners, and that Christ saves everyone who is saved by His death. However, I would precede both of these by Creation. That is, God created man in His own image, putting His stamp of value on man, and therefore man is worth saving. |
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Jul 31 |
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From whom does faith come? let us continue this discussion in chat |
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Jul 31 |
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From whom does faith come? "Is there scriptural support for regeneration preceding conversion?" I would affirm that there is. What is regeneration? It is the Holy Spirit giving us a new heart that desires God. The big chapters here are Ephesians 2, especially verses 1, 5, and 13. Also see Ezekial 37. Many people think of the unsaved person as sick and needing a doctor. While Jesus uses this illustration once, I would submit that the more prevalent biblical picture is that the unsaved person is dead and needs resurrection. Dead people don't do anything, do they? They're dead! |
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Jul 31 |
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How can a Wholly Good God Deliberately Create Evil? @Ray: God does foreordain whatsoever comes to pass, as the WCF says. He does "write history with His own pen". God is sovereign, and man is responsible for his own sin. The Bible teaches both quite clearly. I do not see a contradiction in holding to both of these doctrines. |
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Jul 31 |
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How can a Wholly Good God Deliberately Create Evil? Define "free will". It seems like you're defining it to mean "able to sin or not". That would be similar to my favorite definition: "the ability to please God." Using this definition, only the redeemed have "free will". The natural man always sins. Even his "good" actions are tainted by sinful motives (pride!). This is "total inability". While the natural man is not as bad as he could be, he's still tainted in every level of his being. Without regeneration, he will always choose to sin. So is Macbeth a moral agent? If by that you mean does he have a free will, I would say no. He is not saved. |
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Jul 31 |
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From whom does faith come? Do you mean "systematics" when you say "synthetics"? If so, I would comment that all people use systematics when they approach Scripture. The only question is, which systematics will you use? Proper exegesis is the lifeblood of good systematics. |
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Jul 31 |
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From whom does faith come? @Ray: Sure. The "it" likely refers to salvation; it doesn't matter from my perspective. The ordo salutis is election, calling, regeneration, conversion, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification. The term "salvation", in my experience, can refer either to justification, glorification, or the entire ordo. If there is full justification, which is always by grace through faith, then glorification will inevitably follow (John 10:28-9). Glorification occurs if and only if justification occurs, which comes only through faith. Does that answer your question? |
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May 7 |
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Can Angels die? To add a bit to lovethefaith's answer, I would say that there is more than one kind of death. If you're talking about physical death, then lovethefaith's answer is spot-on. However, if you talk about spiritual death as separation from God, then evil angels (aka demons) are either already dead, or will be at the Judgment. I would tend to the latter option, as demons are present in this world right now, and God is, of course, omnipresent. |
