Should God have compassion?

[whatever]

Dear Bob,

The 'links' are at the top and bottom of this page. Start with page 1, and read.

Once again, there is no "LIST GOD GIVES" to show why He is obligated to show mercy. God did not say, in Jonah 4 or anywhere else, that He is obligated to show mercy to anyone. He demonstrates to Jonah that He is free to show mercy as He chooses. No dodging.

You continue to show either an inability or an unwillingness to read and understand what is plainly written. To point this out is no ad hominem response.

Your friend,

whatever

 

[BobRyan]

Looks like...sounds like...

"The links are at the top and bottom of all subject threads in this area - start from a year ago and read every one."

I love it when Calvinism comes up with those sharp focused "claims to success" without actually being able to point to ONE!!

It is instructive that WITH that challenge before them they STILL are not embarrassed to CONTINUE a link-less substance-less post that can point to "nothing" as evidence or support.

How unsatisfying it must be to continually have to "post a claim to success" without EVER actually providing the link OR the quote that SHOWS the claim to be TRUE!!

By CONTRAST I provide the links.

I just can't imagine the many ways to ignore inconvenient facts that seem to come so naturally to Calvinists!

Since Calvinism seems to be on crutches in this thread I guess I have to post "for them" -- here is your most substantive post addressing the issue of the LIST given IN GOD's WORD in Jonah 4 so far...

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/35/1586/12.html#000177

Why did you need me to find it for you?!!

In Christ,

Bob

 

[whatever]

Dear Bob,

The topic only started on Sept. 5. That's 25 days ago, not a year ago. And it is only 14 pages long, so if you gave yourself and hour I am sure you would be able to read the whole thing. You would see me (and others) showing you that your misuse of Jonah 4 means that your questions that follow from your misinterpretation of Jonah 4 do not apply. You would also see yourself complaining about us not answering your invalid questions. You would see two and two, but I doubt that you would put them together and get four. But maybe you would. As Aragorn said, "there is always hope".

I really do wonder how you come up with some of the stuff that you come up with.

Your friend,

whatever

 

[BobRyan]

It is true that your non-answer claiming that in some vague non-descript way (not actually pointable by an actual LINK to a post) you answered the question repeatedly ASKed - (which is to ADDRESS THE LIST God GIVEs in HIS WORD in Jonah 4) -- by the lame response "Read all the pages it is in here somewhere" --

IS akin to a response that takes the same non-specific approach of claiming victory over all threads in all of time on this board.

See the point?

In other words - you actually have to SHOW something -- to DO someting - to POINT to a REAL link to support you claim.

The amorphous "read all the pages it is in there somewhere I am just sure of it" -- is just your way of saying nothing in response.

Why not actually carry your point forward?

Do you need "the question repeated again"???

In Christ,

Bob

 

[whatever]

Dear Bob,

Your misunderstanding of Jonah 4 means that your questions that follow from your misinterpretation of Jonah 4 do not apply.

Your friend,

whatever

 

[BobRyan]

Lets see -- CAlvinist recepie for success --

#1. Avoid the hard questions.

#2. Avoid the text - no matter how many times it is pointed out that the text is GOD's WORD -- the LIST HE gives in Jonah 4 must be aviod.

#3. PRETEND that the reason you get to deny BOTH Scripture AND The points raised against you is that the one pointing out your error does not agree with you!!

It is instructive that in the text quoted in the post below - it is GOD's WORD that Calvinist are fleeing! IT is God's WORD that is being bolded and highlighted!

Yes Whatever - you are batting 1000 so far in dodging the text of scripture in Jonah 4 and pretending like it is my fault you can not name the list God gives, address the list God gives, Exegete the list God gives - quote the text...

Perfect Calvinism if you ask me.

How predictable.

In Christ,

Bob

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by BobRyan:
Since I don't like to go more than 4 or 5 posts without quoting the SOURCE text of the OP that includes the LIST that Calvinists can not bring themselves to quote OR exegete -- (and SINCE I as an Arminian am FREE to quote this text without fear)

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by BobRyan:
Since the Calvinist "game" so far is to ignore the ACTUAL words IN The text -- while continually "telling stories" about what is NOT IN THE TEXT of Jonah 44...

I guess it is up to me to keep showing WHAT GOD Said -- because as it turns out the Arminian view is HAPPY to read it!!

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Jonah 4

9Then God said to Jonah, "Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."
10Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.

11"Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"

Did you see "THE BOLD TYPE" yet?

It is BIG AND BOLD so I am sure the Arminans are gettin' it.

But still - no Calvinists brave enough to mention the REASONS GOD GIVES for why HE SHOULD have MERCY on the wicked city...

hmmmm -- wonder what that AVOIDANCE of God's Word indicates for Calivinism??

Any guesses?
</font>[/QUOTE]Here is a little "hint" for Calvinists to help them focus on the question being asked - and unanswered so far ...

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/35/1586/13.html#000180 </font>[/QUOTE]

 

[johnp.]

Hey Bob this is worse than being married!

 

[whatever]

Dear Bob,

I do not deny Scripture. I do deny that Jonah 4 means what you say that it means. I am sorry that you do not know the difference.

Your friend,

whatever

 

[TomMann]

Bob, you have splained so much to me.... I must admit that afore I was sure that God had spared Nineveh because she repented and fasted and put on sackcloth... Now, I find that it was because there were lots of them, and much cattle.... Yep, now I am sure that was it.... Therefore if I would that I should be spared I better be in a place with lots of people and cattle.... Perhaps the stockyards of Ft Worth would be an ideal place. I sure do hope the folks there don't know their right from left or I could still be in trouble....

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by johnp.:
Hey Bob this is worse than being married!

I guess you are suggesting you are the expert on that problem too eh?

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by whatever:
[QB] Dear Bob,

I do not deny Scripture. I do deny that Jonah 4 means what you say that it means.

Perhaps "now" is when you finally "bring yourself" to the point of QUOTING the Word of God that you claim to accept -- HIGHLIGHTING the LIST that GOD GIVES and SHOWIN how HIS LIST given IN connection with HIS choice to show mercy - FITS your Calvinist view of the arbitrary nature of God.

In other words - instead of fleeing the text and blaming me for the text - trying quoting it and defending our own views FROM The TEXT of Jonah 4?

Oh wait -- once again you "need me to quote the text" ...

Ok

Have it your way.

In Christ,

Bob

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by BobRyan:
Since I don't like to go more than 4 or 5 posts without quoting the SOURCE text of the OP that includes the LIST that Calvinists can not bring themselves to quote OR exegete -- (and SINCE I as an Arminian am FREE to quote this text without fear)

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by BobRyan:
Since the Calvinist "game" so far is to ignore the ACTUAL words IN The text -- while continually "telling stories" about what is NOT IN THE TEXT of Jonah 44...

I guess it is up to me to keep showing WHAT GOD Said -- because as it turns out the Arminian view is HAPPY to read it!!

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Jonah 4

9Then God said to Jonah, "Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "I have good reason to be angry, even to death."
10Then the LORD said, "You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight.

11"Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"

Did you see "THE BOLD TYPE" yet?

It is BIG AND BOLD so I am sure the Arminans are gettin' it.

But still - no Calvinists brave enough to mention the REASONS GOD GIVES for why HE SHOULD have MERCY on the wicked city...

hmmmm -- wonder what that AVOIDANCE of God's Word indicates for Calivinism??

Any guesses?
</font>[/QUOTE]Here is a little "hint" for Calvinists to help them focus on the question being asked - and unanswered so far ...

http://www.baptistboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/topic/35/1586/13.html#000180 </font>[/QUOTE][/QB][/QUOTE]

 

[johnp.]

Hello Bob.

I guess you are suggesting you are the expert on that problem too eh?

That's a question Bob. I don't answer your questions.

Nice to see you have an interest.

john.

 

[TomMann]

Repeating........ in an unsarcastic manner this time.... God did not spare Nineveh because of the number of people, nor for the fact they were ignorant. Not even for the fact there were much animals..... If that were the case why wasn't Sodom spared????? Sodom probably fufilled those same criteria.. God plainly states the reason he had compassion on Nineveh.....

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. KJV

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by TomMann:
Repeating........ in an unsarcastic manner this time.... God did not spare Nineveh because of the number of people, nor for the fact they were ignorant. Not even for the fact there were much animals..... If that were the case why wasn't Sodom spared????? Sodom probably fufilled those same criteria.. God plainly states the reason he had compassion on Nineveh.....

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. KJV

You are saying that in Johah 4 God "should have said" .... "Should I not have COMPASSION on the wicked city AFTER ALL they did end up repenting".

In fact your response shows that you think the LIST God gives has nothing to do with the point HE is trying to make. Do you argue that God is simply failing to make His point or is asking us to ignore what HE says is a basic reason to act?

Time to get out the scissors ??

Don't get me wrong - I agree that OTHER texts in Jonah point to reasons I LIKE BETTER than the ones GOD GIVES in Jonah 4.

My point is that God takes an extreme example of JUST reasons for compassion in Jonah 4 (I agrue that God is not insanely disconnected from HIS subject in Jonah 4) -- God shows that Jonah SHOULD feel compassion if nothing else at this very BASIC level and that Jonah should SEE that GOD HIMSELF would certainly be moved to compassion on those very basic grounds even apart from the more obvious reason of repentance.

In Christ,

Bob

 

[whatever]

Originally posted by TomMann:
Repeating........ in an unsarcastic manner this time.... God did not spare Nineveh because of the number of people, nor for the fact they were ignorant. Not even for the fact there were much animals..... If that were the case why wasn't Sodom spared????? Sodom probably fufilled those same criteria.. God plainly states the reason he had compassion on Nineveh.....

Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. KJV

Hey! We are discussing Jonah 4! No fair quoting Jonah 3!

 

[BobRyan]

No fair AVOIDING John 4, DENYING the LIST that is given BY GOD there has anything to do with His argument that HE SHOULD have compassion.

(That has been a hard concept for Calvinists so far).

Calvinism seems to be much more comfortable writing about what "They WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN in Jonah 4" and all the reasons we should look into SOME OTHER TEXT INSTEAD of the dreaded LIST GOD gives in Jonah 4!

Better yet - find a way to BLAME BobRyan for the LIST God gives IN HIS Words about HIS having COMPASSION on the wicked city!! yea- that's the ticket!!

In Christ,

Bob

 

[TomMann]

Bob

Maybe we should cut to the chase...... What is the point you are trying to make with all this.

 

[BobRyan]

Originally posted by TomMann:
Bob

Maybe we should cut to the chase...... What is the point you are trying to make with all this.

In the text of Jonah 4 God gives a cogent well reasoned argument for why He SHOULD have mercy.

In Calvinism - that text should not exist. In Calvinism God SHOULD say "I am God, I am sovereign I can do what I want and don't actually need a reason. In fact I deny you (Jonah) the right to challenge me".

That would be "calvinism".

Instead of that we actually get JONAH 4! A text where God makes a well reasoned argument TO JONAH for why He SHOULD have mercy - for why Jonah's view (that God SHOULD NOT have mercy) is dead wrong!

In God's well reasoned reply He does not give the reason that Arminians would prefer "the city repented so I am having mercy". Rather He goes beyond EVEN THAT! He states that compassion for the NUMBER of human lives is REASON enough - Compassion for the ignorance of the people is REASON enough and even the NUMBER OF ANIMALS is reason enough!!

This is a view into the depths of God's own reasonings for WHY HE CHOOSES TO HAVE COMPASSION that totally does NOT fit Calvinism and even stresses the Arminian view to its limits.

In Christ,

Bob