Featured Why did God create the physical universe?

I suspect that God would be glorified in your creation (regardless of the locale) or He wouldn’t have created you. God is glorified in creation, in the things that are made which have in Him their being…their existence. Creation is an expression, an act, of God. In other words, God’s glorification through Creation is a self-glorification.

Now, if you are asking if it would have been a demonstration of a greater glory for God to have created you in Heaven rather than on earth, then (while questioning the validity of that inquiry) I would still answer a resounding “no”. The reason is that I believe God has created the best possible world, the best possible scenario, of all choices (of all possible worlds or scenarios).

So yes, were you created as some sort of heavenly being God would be glorified. But no, as God did not create you as such (and God is perfect) I believe that you reflect God’s glory within God’s plan in ways that would not have been so had you been created as a heavenly being.

God is glorified (His glory is manifest) through the work of redemption. The reason for our salvation is God's glory. And God's work of creating is perfect (it is as God intended it to be, and therefore the perfect and best possible act of creation).

 

No, my position is that God is the Deliverer of whom our "hero" stories merely and vaguely allude. My statement was that Creation is an act, or expression, of God and that as such demonstrates His own glory. Then I said that I believe God is perfect, and that when He creates he does so in accord with his perfect nature. What God has created is ultimately perfect in design, function, and result. God is glorified in Heaven (not only by his presence but also by his heavenly creation). And God is glorified on earth.

What you don't accept is your own statement, and I agree. It was a silly characterization which deserves to be rejected. My theology is more Christ-centered than your assessment allows. Whether you personally hold a view that replaces God with man as it's "theological center", I do not know. But to save misunderstanding in the future, I do not.

 

Except that sinful man is a part of that Creation, I could see a point here. But I see as an error the supposition that God actually placed men in jeopardy. Another issue of disagreement is the notion that Creation was purposed with the goal of housing sinners and providing a way for redemption to be offered. It seems to me that there exists a greater and God centered purpose than your post suggests.

Sent from my TARDIS

 

Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world. Sin was not here before Adam. Neither was physical death and suffering.

I disagree with your conclusions here. First, when Jesus speaks of the unclean spirit being cast out and wandering, I believe he is anthropomorphically of the state of man (not the nature of evil spirits). In Matthew 12 and Luke 11, for example, this seems to be a continuation of the previous passage (of his casting out the demon). The point being that the empty house will not remain empty long. In the absence of God evil resides. Likewise, the point in Matthew 8:31 and Mark 4:12 is the destructive nature of these spirits, not that they look for a body in which to rest or reside (they drove the swine off the cliff, after all, ridding themselves of the bodies they had requested to enter).

If you are speaking of those evil spirits as the “spiritually dead” then I disagree. Satan goes before the very presence of God. If you are speaking of something else, then I do not understand what you mean.

I agree. It was subjected to futility because God subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will also be set free into the freedom of the glory of God’s children. So creation groans and suffers, and we alongside as we await for the redemption of our body.

You are partly right. Those who have not heard of Jesus and do not believe are condemned. But it is not because God has created them in a place and time that they could not hear that they are condemned. They were already condemned, as were we all. I do believe that this is Christ centered, but their rejection is not necessarily rejecting a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Baptist doctrine teaches that what is being reconciled is this world (this physical world) and man. This is why we seek that God's will be done here as it is in Heaven. Scripture, fortunately, affirms this doctrine we hold. It is what Paul states as the foundation of our faith.

The identity of the one sheep is “one of these” throughout the passages in Matthew. The 99 are not heavenly beings, but the sheep given to the Shepherd (we are talking about temptations and sin in those parables, not heavenly beings and man). I’m not sure we disagree on that point (I certainly hope we don’t, anyway).

Jesus took upon himself the sin of humanity (our sinfulness, yet without sin). This is why Paul looks so intently on the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection.

Yes, I agree. God is glorified.

 

I am sure that we agree on many things, and that we rejoice together in Christ for our salvation. But there is very little concerning this topic about which we seem to agree.

I believe that Satan went before God (literally) as the accuser of Job (and other brethren, day and night). I do perhaps take Job more literally than many would see fit.

Concerning Jesus speaking “anthropomorphically of the state of man,” that was a typo. What I meant to say was that in Matthew 12 and Luke 11 Jesus is speaking anthropomorphically as he is speaking of the state of man. He was not speaking of the nature of evil spirits seeking a physical abode, but instead of serving but one master. When the house is clean the spirit will return greater than it left.

Your example is what I was speaking of. The demons requested to be cast into a heard of swine, which they quickly destroyed, leaving them in this world without a physical body.

I do not understand what you mean by “evil spirits exist, they are here. They cannot experience the physical world with a living being.”

There are none who are complete strangers from God. God is the Creator of all.

I disagree that our doctrine suggests that God does not “allow all to hear.” All can hear what is available, and all reject God. But God is not obligated to save everyone. It is not a matter of not “allowing to hear,” but a matter of effectually calling. God does not effectually call everyone who has already rejected what has been made available in terms of God’s own revelation.

No, God through Jesus was reconciling the world to Himself. There will be a new heaven and new earth.

I’ve been wondering, and you certainly don’t have to answer, but a copule of times you referenced “our doctrine” (or what we believe)….what denomination are you speaking of? Some of your theories are foreign to many Baptists, certainly foreign to many Baptist teachers, and I’m simply trying to understand your position a bit more.