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The Response of Man
- Thread starter quantumfaith
- Start date
ok...
I'm sure there is a point, I'm just not clear what that point is.
Jarthur001 and others...
Here is a brief explanation of my Image Posts.
How I Created the Image Posts
I thought about the illustrations in the article that was posted by quantumfaith in the OP. I asked myself: What do these concepts mean to me? I tried an old scrapbook technique I learned many years ago when trying to connect with abstract concepts--collect and tape into a notebook various images (pictures, art, drawings) that might represent the concept in some small way. Only this time, instead of a paper-based scrapbook or notebook, I chose to use the Baptist Board Message Screen as a place to paste concept images. Each of you should be able to add images to your own posts in the same way. At the very least, images in posts give us something new.
So, I went to Google Images and entered strings like "Soul Images," "Christian Soul Images", "Spirit," "Christian Spirit," "Body," and "Body Christian." And, of course, "Free Will Images" and "Kentucky Cemetery Images." I selected images that were meaningful to me. If I visit those same image pages again, I might select different images for the specific concept. And, of course, another person visiting the same image pages would probably select different images--concept images meaningful to him or her.
HINT: you must type "Images" after the search topic, or else you will get a long string of letters which will not work in the Baptist Board Message INSERT IMAGE option.
As I made each image post, I used the INSERT IMAGE option (icon of mountains and Sun at the top of the Message Screen).
Since Jarthur001 asked about the Spirit Image Post (# 27), I will briefly explain some of what each image means to me.
Spirit Image Post (# 27)
Image 1: Christ Giving Up His Spirit
I wanted each Image Post to contain something that would identify (in some small way) the theological concept of the post. Thus I selected for the first image, an image of Christ giving up his spirit (dying) on the cross. To me, spirit represents something very unique in each of us. A person's spirit is different than a person's soul or body. A person's spirit is not the Holy Spirit, the third person of God in the Trinity. I sometimes think a person's spirit is similar to their personality or some sort of unique quality that makes them unlike anyone else. I think every one has an individual spirit.
Image 2: Woman in the Wind
One of the things I tried to do in creating the Image Posts was to select images of equality. Thus, I chose (free will, you know) images of gender, age, race, and ethnic background to reflect this equality. That is another way of saying I think these response concepts work in all people. The image of the woman in the wind touched my soul. I like peaceful moments. This image said that to me, so I posted it in the Spirit Image Post.
Image 3: Man and Dog in the Kitchen
Animals, in my theology, have a spirit (personality, uniqueness). I have been blessed by many pets in my life--and each animal had a different spirit than any of the others. The image of the man and dog in the kitchen (to me) demonstrate that both the man and the dog have a spirit.
Wrap Up
There is a lot more that can be read into the Spirit Image Post (# 27). Quantumfaith alluded to one of these in his post about the non-cal handshake (a bit of humor). And that really is why I chose to create the Image Posts because I think that words can only take us so far. And, yes, I think written theologies (doctrines, statements of faith) can only take us so far in articulating various theological concepts. But our life, and our personal theology (our personal faith), and all else, goes beyond what words can describe. I also believe we each have a personal theology that is unlike the printed or personal theology of anyone else. Some parts of our personal theology might make sense to others if we are able to articulate our personal theology (put into words). However, I also believe there are parts of our personal theology we cannot easily articulate (put into words) in order to communicate to others. At this second level, images (and audio--sounds, songs, and music) pick up the slack in the communication process. And, of course, I believe there are parts of our personal theology that only make sense to each of us and to the Triune God. Try as hard as we might, we just do not seem to connect with others on the third level of personal theology.
I could go on and on. But I hope everyone gets a glimpse of what I am saying.
May God bless everyone on Baptist Board.
...Bob
Last edited by a moderator:
quantumfaith
Active Member
Bob,
The wife and I are also "dog lovers" I SO hope, God in His infinite grace and kindness will allow us to "re-unite" with our companions.
glfredrick
New Member
I am preaching on "heaven" Sunday night to fill the pulpit in a local church. One of the interesting things I've discerned from Scripture is that God is not setting aside creation in eternity to come. He is fulfilling His mandate for creation, i.e., His original promise and intent will be fulfilled and no one nor no thing will stand in His way. In the fulfillment of creation, the Scriptures paint a picture of heaven that is both earth and heaven, with all of creation intact. That includes animals.
I can't say that individual pets will be part of eternity, but we will not live forever in an existence without animals. An even bigger point is that we will not lack anything required for utter and complete satisfaction. We will not "miss out" on anything that God deems necessary to our full satisfaction and eternal joy, including His presence, a total intimate love relationship between all people who inhabit the new earth and new heaven, and a substantive created order as God originally decreed that we rule as stewards with Him.
Oh, glory the day!
Would love to hear your sermon on Heaven. I'm currently reading Alcorn's Heaven for the third time, and each time I read it I get excited about the endless possibilities. It's like reading over an itinerary for your dream vacation...and it's all been paid in full.
glfredrick
New Member
Yup. Alcorn's work is a good read for sure. What Alcorn did for me, however, was to get me to think about ALL the places in Scripture that actually speak of "heaven" and there are a bunch that we don't normally think of in that way. Take the first couple of chapters of Genesis for instance, God created His dream world, and it was good. He created man (male and female He created them...) and it was "very good." We were given sovereign charge over all that God made, and the whole of creation was both ours and God's without curse. That is a picture that we should fix in our minds of the new heaven and new earth, but we get further details concerning God's throne, the chorus of eternal praise, that God's desire that the whole world would know Him, etc., in the balance of the Scriptures including Revelation.
I am convinced that many people simply do not have a adequate view of eternity and that is particularly the reason they are not all that excited about doing God's work and setting aside the sin that ensnares (and all of the "difficult passages of Jesus) to get there. People seem to think that they might miss out on something in eternity. That, and they seem to be afraid that they'll miss loved ones. We can't take "stuff" with us, eternity is all inclusive, including the ride to get there, but we can sure take people! Let's get cracking! God has a whole world full of those who can come along and we're wasting time fighting with each other instead of reaching them.
quantumfaith
Active Member
:applause::thumbsup:
quantumfaith
Active Member
OK GL, be careful, dont make me start "appreciating"you. :smilewinkgrin:
You cannot be regenerated and have spiritual life before you trust Jesus and have your sins forgiven. The wages of sin is death, as long as you remain in sin you are spiritually dead. Therefore it is impossible to be regenerated before belief in Christ.
You can't be spiritually alive and spiritually dead at the same moment, you are either alive, or you are dead, there is nothing inbetween.
I am not talking about salvation here, but what I am saying is that man has the ability to see how destructive sin is and turn from it. To deny this is to utterly deny reality, many millions of unsaved people have turned from sins like drinking, drug addiction, smoking, pornography, adultery, gambling...
It doesn't take magic to make man turn from sin. Read the story of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Does it mention that some sort of supernatural influence convinced him to return to his father? No. He was broke, he was living in squalor, he was starving to death. These are not magical, mystical powers, they are very normal. It says "he came to himself" in verse 17. Just like millions of people, both saved and unsaved, he realized sin had ruined his life. He realized he had sinned. This ruin is what convinced his will to repent and return to his father
This teaching that it takes some sort of mystical, magical force to make a man realize sin is destructive and turn from it is straight out of Catholic mysticism.
Tom Butler
New Member
You're right, at least partly. Reforming is not the same as repenting I'm sure there are people who have come to hate particular kinds of sin (such as drunkenness). And we both know people who have never stolen, never murdered, take care of families, give to charity and serve their communities.
I understand that not everyone will agree with the premise of my post. Even so, would you like to answer the questions I raised, based on What If It Is?
glfredrick
New Member
You miss a HUGE point in the story of the Prodigal Son. Without the father's grace, he could have come to his senses or not, and it would not have mattered. We're in the same boat, which is why Jesus spoke that story with such a twist in the ending. The father did not have to take back the son at all. He was done with the son and had every right to dismiss him out of hand. But, he did not. Nor does God dismiss us when He has every right to do so.
While you focus on the son's change of heart, you miss that the father was the one who ordered the banquet feast and had the grace to accept his son back into the family after he had lived a "cursed" life (yes, cursed... read the penalties for the actions of the son in the OT). That story would have been shocking to a Jewish audience -- and it was...
That still doesn't remove the fact that the son had to humble himself in order to return. Not to mention His father didn't go and get him he came on his own. He was lost and the results of his sinful living convinced him to return. Scripture often has more than one meaning.
MB
quantumfaith
Active Member
It most certainly shows just how much the father loves his son to not only take him back, but restore him to such prominence.
glfredrick
New Member
The Archangel
Well-Known Member
quantumfaith
Active Member
What leads you to that conclusion?
The Archangel
Well-Known Member
The older son's reaction which is coupled with the introduction to the parable:
The reaction of the Pharisees is the exact same as the older brother. The parable was told for the benefit (or judgment?) of the Pharisees.
The Archangel
quantumfaith
Active Member
Interesting, I did not "pick up" on that.
For me, the "finale" is:
"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because the brother of yours was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found."
Hello Rippon,
Maybe its time to pull out the old Free-willers prayer by Spurgeon.
I ran across this on Turretinfan's blog. A guy who goes by pilgrimsarbour had a great comment.
"Present yourself to him, Father,in such a convincing way that his natural inclination to love You would stir him to choose the salvation that is to be found in Christ Jesus...but not so much that,you know,you're doing it against his will.Just woo him a bit,you know,how You do that thing You do.Amen."