tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post116791402050408827..comments2024-03-10T10:40:32.319-07:00Comments on Pyromaniacs: The Bible and my decisionsPhil Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-48750155872186848702007-05-01T12:23:00.000-07:002007-05-01T12:23:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.david worrellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12806540864005308759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168611245513685642007-01-12T06:14:00.000-08:002007-01-12T06:14:00.000-08:00While I whole heartedly agree with the general adv...While I whole heartedly agree with the general advocacy of the idea that God gives us a framework in which to act, making his will plain to us, leaving us with many choices which are lawful and pleasing to Him, yet I think that we are often insensible to just how incapable we are to HEAR that word or to rightly apply it to our circumstances without the aid of being led by the Spirit of God. I fear that those who think they are, know but little of themselves, and have much to learn of God's ways as well. I heard a reputable preacher teach that Samuel was said to have a "listening heart", translated as that he was "wise" in some translations. In making wise choices in life, (and I've made my share of UNwise one's), it is imperative that we maintain a biblical view of OURSELVES as yet possessing a fallen nature, and liable to not rightly APPLY the things we know from the word, or to misunderstand them in the first place. We mustn’t attempt to relieve ourselves of the responsibility to "walk in the Spirit".....to be "filled with the Spirit".... to be "led by the Spirit" as the sons of God..... that is biblical, no? Why is this an emphasis in the NT? Its because without that, we are in the flesh, and cannot please God. <BR/>If the idea of being led of the Spirit of God is merely that we are to consult the scriptures and make a go of it, as then God has ALREADY led us once and for all, and there is no need to be “led” present tense, at all, and the biblical model of BEING led PRESENTLY is then all “mystical tea-leaf readings, chicken livers, flutters and bumps”, as this author seems to advocate. I have to wonder if he thinks, “Guide me O Thou Great Jehovah” was written by Benny Hinn. But if we are to BE LED by the Spirit of God, as the bible teaches, then this is an ever present need to HEAR how God may be communicating to us NOW. It is a false dichotomy to teach that since we have a general framework in which God expects us to act generally, that we have no need of being led of Him in that place specifically, because we are wholly capable of botching up our lives within the myriad of choices that may appear to us as biblically warranted. A search of “lead me” in the Psalms will yield some interesting results… or “guide me”. According to this author, it seems that God has already supposed to be wholly done with such a work, and we’re left with a providential Deism, where God has spoken, and affords us no further providential help or guidance by His Spirit. I just find that so very carnal and insensible… and unbiblical.<BR/>Every Christian is beholden to seek the Lord and walk with Him in a personal way, coveting and rejoicing in, the communion of the Holy Spirit, and seeking and receiving Him as our Guide through life. As far as I'm concerned its the essence of what it is to be a Christian, and when we lose that emphasis, we are backslidden at best. As for me, I wish to both study that scriptures so that I have a standing knowledge of the ways of God as a framework for life, but also to seek HIM, and to be filled with Him, so that in all my stupidity, blindness, sin and error of heart or purpose, I won't fail to either rightly understand or judiciously apply, the wisdom that God has afforded me in His word, lest by presuming upon my knowledge and application of it, and ignoring my native opposition to it with a yet fallen capacity, and my constant need of divine help and guidance throughout life, I simply forget God, and stray from His will in the tyranny of my own self-sufficiency.<BR/><BR/>Charlesibelievehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815109078004496337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168063581188330642007-01-05T22:06:00.000-08:002007-01-05T22:06:00.000-08:00Well because it seems like my last question will g...Well because it seems like my last question will go unanswered and I would still like to make a point: I just wish we could trade "Christlike" or "Godly" for "Biblical" more often. And become a people more enthralled with that all-satisfying God in three Persons than we're enthralled with the book that we hold in between our hands. That's all I'm fighting for.Robert Ivyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03230620801363091445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168032851643888252007-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:002007-01-05T13:34:00.000-08:00Dan,Of course you have minions! All good bloggers...Dan,<BR/><BR/>Of course you have minions! All good bloggers, not to mention quite a few not-so-good bloggers, have minions. The <I>really</I> good bloggers are endowed with <I>mighty</I> minions. Think of it as just another one of the "perks" that come inside the very same "Acme Komplete Blogger's Kit" that contained the personalized soapbox on which you now stand. :-)<BR/><BR/>Davetheinscrutableonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00918928202965884076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168031654949591932007-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:002007-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00When the Lord guides us,it is never in a way that ...When the Lord guides us,it is never in a way that contrdicts His Word.In this day there is a real need for sound biblical teaching,without anything mystical or charismatic,Dr Peter Masters ,minister of the Met Tab wrote a book called Steps For Guidance,this was crucial for me as I had come out of the charismatic movement,and all that that entailed.dan whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05661175162274551178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168030801736773522007-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:002007-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00I have minions?I have minions?DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168028175799171932007-01-05T12:16:00.000-08:002007-01-05T12:16:00.000-08:00Given that Dan and his minions are doing a fine jo...Given that Dan and his minions are doing a fine job of defending the sealed (i.e., not leaky)-canon view of decision-making, I won't try to improve on their efforts. However, I'd like to share a couple of examples of both kinds of decision-making, both leaky and sealed:<BR/><BR/>Leaky: single Christian guy desires Christian wife. Prays fervently, and "God" gives him prophecies and dreams that suggest that he's going to marry a particular gal. Stops looking and turns down several interested women because "God" has shown him whom he's going to marry. Waits five years for dream to come true before he concludes that it came from some other source besides God. Since giving up on waiting for his special revelations to come to pass, he's concentrated on prayer and ordinary means to seek out and prepare himself for a suitable helpmate.<BR/><BR/>Sealed: same single Christian guy, still unmarried and by now throughly disillusioned with leaky-canon decision-making, learns that his landlords are selling the house in which he lives. He begins with prayer that God would grant him wisdom, and proceeds to make decisions that are within Scriptural bounds. He pays no heed to dreams, impressions, etc.. Instead, he uses all ordinary means at his disposal to make the decision that seems best given Scriptural principles and his present life situation. Result: he purchases a nice affordable older house that just happens to be equidistant between his workplace and the wonderful Reformed Baptist church he found months after buying the house. Although he was never consciously aware of any kind of special revelation or inspiration during the process of buying the house, he now acknowledges the hand of God through Providence which brought him to the right house at the right time and in the right place. Amazingly, God was able to lead this guy's footsteps perfectly well without having to resort to whisper in a still-small voice.<BR/><BR/>Obviously, I'm sure that my leaky-canon friends can come up with their own testimonies about how God used some kind of special guidance to help them make a major decision. I won't try to naysay any such testimonies, but yet I will submit that sealed-canon folks such as myself have discovered that God is <I>well able</I> to guide His children without providing them with any special revelation besides the Scriptures.<BR/><BR/>Testimonies such as mine (yes, I am the "single Christian guy") are, of course, in no way conclusive evidence in favor of either canon view. For such, we must turn to the Scriptures. I share these testimonies only to provide an example of how leaky- and sealed-canon decision making has worked in the life of a believer who's spent time on both sides of the fence. Although God is obviously able to guide His Elect without and against means, He's just as able to infallibly guide them with the most ordinary of means. I submit that the ordinary working of His invisible Hand through Providence is at least as amazing as His extraordinary works. Is it not amazing how God directs the steps of His children with utter perfection whether with or without means?<BR/><BR/>Davetheinscrutableonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00918928202965884076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168016745358078652007-01-05T09:05:00.000-08:002007-01-05T09:05:00.000-08:00As someone who has just recently attempted to teac...As someone who has just recently attempted to teach a "small group" the concept of providence let me assure you that there are at least 16 million or so Christians out there who not only haven't the foggiest idea what Providence really is but they also are diametrically opposed to it and its implications. A post like that would surely rattle some cages.<BR/><BR/>Josh<BR/>"...the word of God is not <A HREF="http://unbound.wordpress.com/" REL="nofollow">bound</A>."<BR/>--2 Timothy 2:9C.T. Lillieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13019381008552747812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168014254085198462007-01-05T08:24:00.000-08:002007-01-05T08:24:00.000-08:00Dan: regarding decision-making and the choices we ...Dan: regarding decision-making and the choices we make, check <A HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=IrczyFvkv8Q" REL="nofollow">this video</A> (HT: Nate Busenitz and Tim Challies).<BR/><BR/>Just remember: the average Christian in the pew would see absolutely nothing wrong with the message of that song. Given that view of "free will," you can see why what you and I believe about divine providence and God's sovereignty (even in the midst of moral agents' free and uncoerced choices—or, as you put it, free coloring within the lines) is a hard concept to process.<BR/><BR/>Be patient with our commenters. These truths aren't easy to process for those who don't have a thoroughly biblical understanding of what divine providence means.<BR/><BR/>I may post on this one day, but I am convinced this confusion (about whether God regularly sends people spiritual IMs in order to supplement his written Word and make his will clear to us) stems from a deficient understanding of Providence. You nailed it well here. But it's not an easy concept, and even the simple fact of <I><B>what</B></I> you are saying will be hard to grasp for someone steeped in charismatic or mystical presuppositions.<BR/><BR/>Keep plucking that string, though. And don't get frustrated when lots of people find it's a discordant note to the song they have playing in their heads.Phil Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168014189541886422007-01-05T08:23:00.000-08:002007-01-05T08:23:00.000-08:00Your response made me think of another question.If...Your response made me think of another question.<BR/><BR/>If God spoke by direct revelation before the completion of the Canon then would it not have been better for those in the midst of times of Scripture writing to wait and hear from God directly? Why didn't they do this? Certainly God promised them "You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart" Jer 29:13 (I'm just trying to get to the heart of the issue.)<BR/><BR/>As for my rebuttal of the article you directed me to (and all your other cessationist posts) see <A HREF="http://godentrancedvision.blogspot.com/2006/12/contra-djp-3-his-article-gods-will.html" REL="nofollow"> HERE</A>.Robert Ivyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03230620801363091445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168014034455751542007-01-05T08:20:00.000-08:002007-01-05T08:20:00.000-08:00You've still given me no actual content to respond...You've still given me no actual content to respond to, so the Biblical argument of the post stands.<BR/><BR/>It might be interesting to compare the range of my post-topics at Pyro with the range of your post-comments at Pyro, if you want to do the research.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168009551896716182007-01-05T07:05:00.000-08:002007-01-05T07:05:00.000-08:00DJP, for all my (many) faults, I've not yet sunk t...DJP, for all my (many) faults, I've not yet sunk to an <I>ad hominem</I> repost.<BR/><BR/>I'm here because you threw down the gauntlet to interact more frequently. If you stop plucking your "leaky-cannon", "demi-hemi-semi" string, I'll happily strum another chord.<BR/><BR/>If you'd rather I didn't comment, just say. I'm happy to debate theology and the word, but I'm not going to stick around if things get personal.Chris Hamer-Hodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15680998868164693275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168006033643336672007-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:002007-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:00"God still speaks!"Amen.And, "Man shall not live b..."God still speaks!"<BR/><BR/>Amen.<BR/><BR/>And, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every [all, the whole] Word that proceeds from the mouth of God."<BR/><BR/>And we can never add to it, nor take away from it. Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19donsandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03665794015011057098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168005360890238102007-01-05T05:56:00.000-08:002007-01-05T05:56:00.000-08:00Robert Ivy, in reverse order:Yes, Ben did raise th...<B>Robert Ivy</B>, in reverse order:<BR/><BR/>Yes, Ben did raise those texts. And I responded, at 7:09 AM, January 04, 2007. As you don't raise a new issue, I don't have a new response.<BR/><BR/>I know of no Christian who disputes that God did speak by direct revelation, before the completion of the Canon.<BR/><BR/>As to God bringing the animals to Adam, I'd simply draw the conclusion that God orders all things, exhaustively, after the counsel of His will. Of course (as I develop in the post) I won't therefore take my place next to the witch doctor, and try to read the tea leaves of providence to divine God's encrypted code. I'll apply the Word and wisdom, for the reasons developed at some length in the post.<BR/><BR/>See more development of these thoughts <A HREF="http://bibchr.blogspot.com/2006/01/gods-will-central-issue-for-biblical.html" REL="nofollow">HERE</A>.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168002285537186012007-01-05T05:04:00.000-08:002007-01-05T05:04:00.000-08:00And once again, when someone speaks up for the suf...And once again, when someone speaks up for the sufficiency of God's Word, as attested by the Word itself (Proverbs 6:20-23; 2 Timothy 3;15-17, etc.), here is Chris. With his one-string guitar. To play his one note.<BR/><BR/>Without so much as <I>one</I> verse to back up his religious tradition.<BR/><BR/>And seemingly unbothered by the fact.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168001067789445542007-01-05T04:44:00.000-08:002007-01-05T04:44:00.000-08:00Nice straw-man, but what have you proved? You have...Nice straw-man, but what have you proved? You have fallen into the classic cessationist fallacy of equating <I>sufficiency</I> with <I>totality</I>. The fact that we don't need to flounder in inactivity without a direct word from God by no means proves that they cannot and do not happen.<BR/><BR/>In fact I've heard this argument before. The Sadducees believed that the continuing revelation of the prophets undermined the authority of the Torah, and in so doing they did injustice to the very word of God they sought above all to honour.<BR/><BR/>Yet the Scriptures of the Prophets in no way invalidates the word of God in the Torah, and the New Testament in no way invalidates the Old.<BR/><BR/>You know, you might just come to the conclusion that God is capable of speaking without contradicting himself!<BR/><BR/>There is no more Scripture, for sure, but think through what it means if there is no more revelation...<BR/><BR/>If sufficiency means totality, then God can not say another word... <I>ever!</I> Eternity is going to be a very quiet place. God is incapable of doing what even a rookie preacher can do - take the eternal truths expressed sufficiently in the Scriptures and apply them to our current life. Worst of all... if sufficiency means totality, then God has become what he has always despised: a mute idol.<BR/><BR/>Here's the breaking news: <I>God still speaks!</I><BR/>He doesn't speak because we need additional revelation to know his will or form our doctrines. He speaks because he is a speaking God. That is the God which the sufficient Scriptures themselves reveal him to be. There is no other God.<BR/><BR/>If you believe in a mute god, you are an idolater, and you tacitly demolish the very sufficiency of the Scriptures you seek so passionately to preserve.Chris Hamer-Hodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15680998868164693275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1168000307859855552007-01-05T04:31:00.000-08:002007-01-05T04:31:00.000-08:00Patrick Chan— the very least one must say is, that...<B>Patrick Chan</B>— the very least one must say is, that you've taken Pyro comments in a direction they've <I>never</I> gone before. I can see Phil considering a Lonely Burning Hearts feature. Okay, maybe not.<BR/><BR/>(<I>Very</I> funny; first chuckle of the day. Thanks!)DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167999665106150062007-01-05T04:21:00.000-08:002007-01-05T04:21:00.000-08:00Thanks for the clarification, Kaffinator.Then perh...Thanks for the clarification, <B>Kaffinator.</B><BR/><BR/>Then perhaps our disconnect is in the meaning of "blessing." While I realize that, to many, it is synonymous with "success," I don't see it that way in the Bible nor in life. What I mean is that we needn't fret about whether or not we're in God's will, if we're <I>in God's [revealed] will</I> as I tried to lay it out Biblically. But I didn't mean we can be sure that God will "sign off" on our plans, in the sense of making them all succeed as we wish. I hoped that my citation of Proverbs 16:1 and 9 would have headed off that misunderstanding.<BR/><BR/>But thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167993589589491412007-01-05T02:39:00.000-08:002007-01-05T02:39:00.000-08:00Speaking of freedom re: whom to marry, might I ple...Speaking of freedom re: whom to marry, might I please take this moment to freely offer myself to available single Christian females?<BR/><BR/>I don't want to waste your time, so let's get right to it. Here are 10 reasons why you should take me up on my offer:<BR/><BR/>1. I am Christian. I suppose this isn't so much a "good reason" as it is a basic commonality one would expect to share in a Christian marriage. But sorry, I gotta put it here 'cos otherwise this is gonna be one short list.<BR/><BR/>2. Judging by the photo on <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/profile/8431804" REL="nofollow">my Blogger profile</A>, I am mysterious. Which, from a judicious perusal of the back covers of cheesy romance novels at a local Borders bookstore, ladies appear to find attractive. Well, maybe "attractive" isn't quite the right word in my case... Be that as it may, one should always expect life should measure up to Danielle Steel.<BR/><BR/>3. I would also add I'm tall, dark, and handsome, but I think only the "dark" appellation would apply. Still, one out of three ain't bad. In fact, in baseball, that's a .333 average!<BR/><BR/>4. Also, I can do basic math. This probably doesn't seem like it'd be a compelling reason. Okay, fine, I agree. See, I'm also agreeable!<BR/><BR/>5. By the way, I'm really poor at sports. I'm no athlete. I'm quite weak. Even now, I can barely throw a pitch over home plate. True, in a regular-sized baseball diamond, this is pretty hard for your average Joe. But I'm talking about Little League. <BR/><BR/>Oh, wait, how is this a good thing, you ask? I'm glad you asked! Because I'm so poor at sports, I probably won't watch that much stuff on TV. Therefore, I'll have more time to spend with you. <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, you may not want to be seen in public with an unathletic, weak man. Hm, I'm really not helping my case, am I?<BR/><BR/>6. Due to a childhood injury, I can't smell all that well. Which would be both a pro as well as a con. Pro: feel free to avoid breath mints 'cos I can't tell anyway. Con: what if I do the same?<BR/><BR/>7. I have injuries. Sure, it may seem like I'm damaged goods. But let's think of this in a more positive light. Perhaps I have scars because of all the horrific ordeals I've been through in life? Perhaps in my former life, I was a brigand and a rogue? Or a gangsta thug on the run? Or perhaps I was a really stupid, rebellious child who was jumping on a water bed when he shouldn't have been, and thus the injury was my own fault. But why fuss over the details?<BR/><BR/>8. I'm offering myself up on a weblog. Not only on a weblog, but in the combox of a post of a weblog. You may immediately think, "Desperate"! But let's not jump to conclusions. To look at it another way, if we snip off the last two letters of the word "Desperate" and replace it with a "d" and an "o," we have: "Desperado."<BR/><BR/>9. As you can probably tell from my last name, I am Asian. Which makes me exotic. And as we all know, exotic Asians are few and far between in this world. That's what makes us exotic. Does this sound circular? Well, we are an enigmatic people. We hail from "the Far East." Or "the Orient," if you will. Land with lots of mist, myth, and other strange and puzzling items such as the Chinese finger trap and poorly dubbed kung fu movies. Again, that's what makes us exotic. And, again, there are so few of us. For example, there are only about 1.5 billion of us in China.<BR/><BR/>10. Finally, let me offer up this last reason why you should consider me: because if you don't, I will make another list which will be ten times worse than this one! Is this a threat? Oh, no, not at all! It's simply a kind invitation for you to consider. Please? (Or I'll really do it!)<BR/><BR/>And of course, thank you, Pyros, for starting the fire and setting my heart aflame with love.<BR/><BR/><I>On a serious note, though, this was a good post. Thanks, Dan, for posting it. And for putting up with the likes of me. ;-)</I>Patrick Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16095377877712197984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167986469256036872007-01-05T00:41:00.000-08:002007-01-05T00:41:00.000-08:00Dan, just a few questions.1. So is there anything ...Dan, just a few questions.<BR/><BR/>1. So is there anything to learn from God actually bringing the animals to Adam to see what he would name them? Perhaps God can also interact with us?<BR/><BR/>2. What should we make of David's frequent prayer, best exemplified in 2 Sam 5:19 and 23, along with the Lord's clear and incredibly articulate response. (Also see Spurgeon's excellent handling of this in <I>Morning and Evening</I> Morning Feb. 9)<BR/><BR/>3. What do we make of God's guidance of the nature of that recorded in Acts 13:2, 16:7, and 16:9, those mentioned by Ben Stevenson? Doesn't that demonstrate that God speaks like that?<BR/><BR/>It seems to me that these verses teach that God does speak outside of what is written and therefore the Bible is <I>sufficient</I> to teach us to hear God's voice outside of scripture. Perhaps scripture is sufficient for more than you claim it is?<BR/><BR/>But I do agree that there is many a time for simply wise decision making.Robert Ivyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03230620801363091445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167984677092658192007-01-05T00:11:00.000-08:002007-01-05T00:11:00.000-08:00It was a really good message, it was kind of confu...It was a really good message, it was kind of confusing though, sometimes I do have feelings of what to do based on experiences, or from the Bible or from a true godly friend who's been decades in the Lord.<BR/><BR/>But being content I understood that part very well! I really want to strive like Paul. HE said he learned how to be conent, not just all of a sudden got it, but learned even when he had enough, or he had nothing. I think that's what he said.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I have a really big question. Like Paul says in Phillipians 3:8-11 I just strive in my heart to consider things rubbish, but sometimes when I read it I feel like I put games a lot like playing them a lot, but I try to play them in the Lord. Then when I think about it it's really nothing, it is striving to know Christ and power of his resurrection, fellowship in sharing in his sufferings, and somehow attain to the resurrection of the dead!<BR/><BR/>I just don't know how to balance that, when I play video games. Please explain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167984593851028672007-01-05T00:09:00.000-08:002007-01-05T00:09:00.000-08:00Hi Dan, please accept my apology for my apparent l...Hi Dan, please accept my apology for my apparent lack of clarity; I did not mean to suggest that James 4 was a call to seek personal revelation.<BR/><BR/>You wrote about steering clear of scriptural no-no’s and said, “beyond that, we can be assured of His blessing as we make wise, responsible <I>choices and decisions</I> in the areas not specifically covered in His word.” I don't see how being “assured of His blessing” of a given plan squares with the kind of humility that James is calling for. This is one reason I'm suspicious of the coloring-book metaphor.Kaffinatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09146781661881693212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167959496829917222007-01-04T17:11:00.000-08:002007-01-04T17:11:00.000-08:00Robert, I'm with you. It'd just be more stuff I'd ...<B>Robert</B>, I'm with you. It'd just be more stuff I'd mess up.<BR/><BR/>It's like the Roman Catholic and his magisterium. He tells us we can't really understand the Bible for ourselves; we need the magisterium to explain it to us.<BR/><BR/>My reply is, "And who explains the magisterium?"<BR/><BR/>I'll say this. I've never yet met a leaky-Canon advocate who's so mastered the 66 that he's in genuine need of more.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167959377369254372007-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:002007-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00David, I'm not sure what to tell you. You don't ac...<B>David</B>, I'm not sure what to tell you. You don't actually interact with the post, nor with its Biblical content; you don't offer me any actual Biblical content of your own to respond to; instead, you quote some cute and trendy turns of phrase from Prof. Wallace.<BR/><BR/>So I guess I can just shrug and say yeah, that's the sort of thing I labored to refute, Biblically, in this post, as I have in many others. Like <A HREF="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/09/of-straw-men-and-slippery-slopes-part_12.html" REL="nofollow">this one</A>, and <A HREF="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/06/dangerous-vulnerability-of.html" REL="nofollow">this one</A>, and <A HREF="http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2006/06/how-we-do-christianity-and-reverse.html" REL="nofollow">this one</A>, just to pull out a few.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1167958788655360352007-01-04T16:59:00.000-08:002007-01-04T16:59:00.000-08:00Kaffinator, I have to say, I've never seen a more ...<B>Kaffinator</B>, I have to say, I've never seen a more bizarre handling of James 4:13-17. This is a section about arrogant presumption, not a condemnation of failing to seek personal revelation. <BR/><BR/>James has called on his readers to humble themselves before the Lord (v. 10), he's reminded them that the one Lawgiver can save or destroy (v. 12), and now he <I>scorches</I> those who speak presumptuously about the future, as if they controlled it (vv. 13-17). Only God controls the future. Therefore James reminds them that they are a mist, and their very existence is uncertain, dependent on the sovereign will of God (vv. 13-15).<BR/><BR/>In other words, James is leaning on the same truths as Proverbs 16:1 and 9, which were brought out in the article (which, I notice, you overlook). <B>It is our God-given responsibility to make plans</B> — but God sovereignly rules and overrules as He sees fit. Man properly proposes; God inevitablyl disposes.<BR/><BR/>What possible sense could your odd refashioning make of v. 15 — "you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live...'"? If this notion of God's personal, mystically-communicated will is to be forced into the text here, then what is James telling us to do? Try to determine whether God's personal will for me is to live or not, before I decide to go on living?<BR/><BR/>The notion collapses under its own absurdity.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.com