Whats on my mind? Good question. Life. Eating supper. Getting to bed. Advocating the worship of a good God who not only created but is also Creative. Seeing people reconciled to God. Warning people that the way they are going and in fact the way we are going is not the way of life. It seems like if its not one thing its another; and in far too many cases people are just plain disconnected from the good creative God who created us. I find it particularly and painfully ironic that in the Christian world it seems like we attack the very people who actually at least take a stab at daring to believe that God is good! Ezekiel 18 makes it extremely clear that the behavior of the children is NOT predetermined by their father - and that saying so is false. They even had a proverb for that line of thinking: the fathers have eaten the sour grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge. It is my opinion that we (I mean the church) have developed that fallacy right into the bedrock of our theology - to the point where we seem think pressing the Romans 3:23 button will make Ezekiel 18 go away; but let me have a look... Sure enough - still there in my KJV! ... Wherefore turn yourselves (and the marginal note says ...turn OTHERS) and LIVE YE! That was one of my Bibles......Look at that - Its in my RSV, too! ... Get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Is that the word, or what!... And its in my other King James. Quoting Romans 3:23 (or even citing Romans 3:10ff) simply does not make Ezekiel 18 go away. Now, I just read Romans 3, because, by all means; Ezekiel 18 doesnt make it go away, either. What it does do, however, is make it clear in no uncertain terms that it is wrong to say the childrens actions are predetermined by their fathers. God says: ALL souls are mine! He also says: My ways are equal (or fair) - make no mistake about it! In other words? Im good! Im reasonable! Since when was I supposed to be otherwise! Ye think Im a sadist? Cruel? Mean? Vindictive? Even more cruel than you? I thank God I had a friend who was free to think for himself. He once said: God is evil. My only caveat on that is that the evil god he was describing was not, nor ever will be, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. I do think God is a gentleman, though, and has obviously borne with our gross misrepresentations of him. Thats why he still answers our prayers. He is our Father. He remembereth our frame. That were dust. Honestly, Romans 3 just puts us all on a level playing field so we cant judge one another. It does NOT give us license to forge ahead with the doctrine of the fathers having eaten the sour grapes, and the childrens teeth being set on edge...... I mean original sin. Know ye what I think? That that abominable proverb - I mean doctrine - has become a self -fulfilling, though FALSE, prophecy. It was followed by at least 1000 years of dark ages (Ye shall know them by their fruits); which, by the way, I think have lasted longer than we even realize. Ive quoted it (in other posts) before, and Ill quote it again: ... But... I am like a green olive tree in the house of my God - I trust in the mercy of God... For ever and ever. By the way anyone else who wants into this house (of my God) is more than welcome. I can assure you: the coast is clear! As for the teachings about God that make him out to be, at the end of the day, evil? Ezekiel 33 gives me the duty of warning you that that is not the way of life at all for us or anyone else. Finally Jeremiah 31 also makes mention of the proverb have discussed ( that again the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the...) Jeremiah 31 says what Im telling you: some day all people will know God from the least to the greatest. Go ahead! Read it for yourselves! In the meantime, Ill read Romans 3 in even greater detail. Hows that for fair!
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:05:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015