tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post4152489554302720935..comments2024-03-10T10:40:32.319-07:00Comments on Pyromaniacs: "But otherwise": skewed priorities (classic re-post)Phil Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00649092052031518426noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-23001609919899543362012-05-05T17:59:40.813-07:002012-05-05T17:59:40.813-07:00But the spectacle of folks who claim to be "r...<b><i>But the spectacle of folks who claim to be "really, really" evangelical, balking at the justice of laying the most severe judgment on the most heinous crime in all creation? "Odd"?<br /> <br />Worse than odd.</i></b><br /><br />AMEN!!! Great post.<br /><br />Either we must take God's Word as 100% true or 100% false: logically there is no middle ground. Of course, that has never stopped folks from trying to find some type of "polite" mushy middle - where all roads lead to heaven. The kicker is when that comes from church leadership. That, as you say, is far worse than odd!one busy momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18087795055010641099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-55850980546239526942012-05-05T15:35:29.323-07:002012-05-05T15:35:29.323-07:00Please read and interact with the post, or move on...Please read and interact with the post, or move on. The topic is not "Nice horse, here's my issue with Reformed people and some related unrelateds."DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-85480352683807128922012-05-05T15:18:39.403-07:002012-05-05T15:18:39.403-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Nonnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09792855412027265825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-88562894081521120332012-05-04T15:04:01.048-07:002012-05-04T15:04:01.048-07:00My wife pointed out to me: there are none that see...My wife pointed out to me: there are none that seek after God. Romans makes that pretty clearJeremiah Halsteadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794332604728189071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-13357514668811431162012-05-04T09:51:06.662-07:002012-05-04T09:51:06.662-07:00Thank you so much for this post! I usually read an...Thank you so much for this post! I usually read and do not comment, but I feel compelled on this one-<br /><br />YGG, I would humbly ask you to prayerfully evaluate your comments from today and the other day. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov 1:7) I will quote from a note in my Bible about this verse-"we do not have true or ultimate knowledge until we are in a redemptive relationship of reverential awe with God" _MacArthur<br /><br /> I have another quote for you (not from Gollum)"Jews and Greeks are all under sin, as it is written, 'there is none righteous, not even one'" (Rom 3:9-26) We are all born into iniquity and are destined for hell (no matter if we have the "I don't care if I burn mentality") until we are "justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus".<br /><br />I thought I was saved for years until I understood what true repentance is-and I praise the Lord for revealing that knowledge to me!<br /><br />The other day you seemed to set yourself up as judge over the Judge and today you are quoting Gollum and using human examples to prove your points. Believe me, I am not attacking you-I pray that you would ask God to reveal His truth to you.<br /><br />By the way, the Bible says in Matt. 25:41 "Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal lake of fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" That's where the idea of eternal separation from God comes from.savedbygracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17531610385299864759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-5464179131744549172012-05-04T08:45:00.804-07:002012-05-04T08:45:00.804-07:00YGG-
My apologies if I wasn't as clear as I i...YGG-<br /><br />My apologies if I wasn't as clear as I intended. I did wonder about that as soon as I pressed "submit." Lord willing, I will not make the same mistake again where His word is at stake.<br /><br />I am in full and complete agreement with DJP and Linda. I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. I believe that the Bible is one continuous story from Genesis to Revelation. I believe in a literal hell, as described by Jonathan Edwards in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I rest securely in the knowledge that my salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And I rejoice in the scriptures that teach about predestination (Romans 8:29-30 and Ephesians 1:3-6, to name but two).<br /><br />My hope is that in your conversations with others about Christ, as well as those you have in your head, you might first seek Him and ask for wisdom which can be found in His word. Then, that you might not get sidetracked by superfluous arguments when the basis for them can be easily refuted. Finally, that you will be slow to speak and quick to listen; that you might grow in grace; that you might fellowship with the Triune God in all of His wondrous glory and feel satisfied. <br /><br />With love,<br /><br />LoriLorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09962651501735366088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-18474835170338078742012-05-04T08:19:17.790-07:002012-05-04T08:19:17.790-07:00Good post!
Many Christians (myself included many ...Good post!<br /><br />Many Christians (myself included many times) mistakenly shy away from seeing the Sin of Unbelief as counting against the ledger of "good" non-Christians.<br /><br />Hmmmmm. Serial murderer repents and finds Jesus in prison versus the Dalai Lama.<br /><br />Skewed moral hierarchy evaluation scores the Dalai Lama as better moral person than repentant serial murderer.<br /><br />I think hard-core atheists throw that one out against Christians.<br /><br />And I say something like, "I serve a great and holy and loving God who's just!"<br /><br />And they remain unconvinced and don't see the justice and loving of God.<br /><br />Oh well.Truth Unites... and Divideshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08891402278361538353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-4833863877150402312012-05-04T08:14:38.547-07:002012-05-04T08:14:38.547-07:00Go to Lewis, Tolkien, etc. for the fictional and i...Go to Lewis, Tolkien, etc. for the fictional and imaginative. (This has some value.)<br /> BUT--go submissively! to God-breathed scripture for the factual and authoritative. This has the highest of all value.<br />"All scripture"-2 Tim 3:16<br />"Every word"-Matt. 4:4<br />"You do well to take heed"--2 Pet.1:19allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12039108004526542211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-63270294882403884482012-05-04T08:02:52.772-07:002012-05-04T08:02:52.772-07:00Oh yeah, and I had just one more thought.... this ...Oh yeah, and I had just one more thought.... this is an illustration from American crime history. In the 1950s there was a teenage gangster named Sal Agron who mistook two innocent boys for rival gang members and stabbed them to death. But he was totally remorseless. When he learned that he had been sentenced to the electric chair (which was later commuted "thanks" to Eleanor "oh-the-poor-child-is-too-young-to-die" Roosevelt), he said, "I don't care if I burn. My mother can watch."<br /><br />It's that "I don't care if I burn" mentality that I'm trying to uncover here.yankeegospelgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196429275212180022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-2019844867938068972012-05-04T07:51:20.061-07:002012-05-04T07:51:20.061-07:00(Or actually, I suppose I should clarify... in a s...(Or actually, I suppose I should clarify... in a sense it's misguided to think of Hell as "separation from God," because it's the manifestation of God's wrath. What I was trying to convey by saying that the damned soul "wants to be as far away from God as possible" is that the damned soul wants to keep living with his own sin and doesn't want to experience the grace that the redeemed will see in paradise. And although God is present in Hell, Hell is still a place of darkness vs. light, of sin and filth vs. goodness and holiness.)yankeegospelgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196429275212180022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-78963935506059960892012-05-04T07:45:40.439-07:002012-05-04T07:45:40.439-07:00Let me just quote a couple literary references and...Let me just quote a couple literary references and leave it at that.<br /><br />First, think about Gollum in the Lord of the Rings. "The sun.... we HATES it." The damned soul wants to be as far away from a holy, righteous God as possible even if that means living in Hell. <br /><br />Second, think about Satan in Milton's _Paradise Lost_: "Evil be thou my good." If you've read Milton, you know that Satan is the most tortured character in the story. But the misery is worth it to him.<br /><br />When God says "Thy will be done," He is saying, "If you wish to take evil for your good, be it so."yankeegospelgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196429275212180022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-3064154336905463862012-05-04T07:27:56.046-07:002012-05-04T07:27:56.046-07:00Well, I guess this is partly going to hinge on whe...<i>Well, I guess this is partly going to hinge on whether you're Calvinist or Arminian</i><br /><br />No, mostly it hinges on whether you're going to deal seriously and faithfully with those and other related texts.<br /><br />It's interesting that "I'm not a Calvinist" seems so often to be code for "so I'm not going to let all those Bible-thingies bother me much." Do they give you a note when you sign up, exempting you from uncongenial Bible verses?DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-17033049947430388022012-05-04T07:18:25.368-07:002012-05-04T07:18:25.368-07:00Well, I guess this is partly going to hinge on whe...Well, I guess this is partly going to hinge on whether you're Calvinist or Arminian. Obviously, I'm not a Calvinist, and I agree with Lewis. :)<br /><br />I do find it interesting that a couple different people have used different terminology in responding to me. DP argues God actively sends people to Hell, while Lori says "God doesn't send anyone to Hell, we're already going there" which sounds similar to what I was saying.yankeegospelgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196429275212180022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-91169541744049562742012-05-04T06:40:57.187-07:002012-05-04T06:40:57.187-07:00yankeegospelgirl,,,
God's word is perspicuous...yankeegospelgirl,,,<br /><br />God's word is perspicuous in John 3:18 that we already stand condemned~<br /><br />John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."<br /><br />In other words we are ALL going to hell that's our current state if we have not believed in Jesus Christ <br /><br />So according to God's word, God doesn't send anyone to hell we are already going there and in God's Great love he chose to reach down and save some according to his good pleasure. No one deserves His mercy and everyone deserves his Justice.<br /><br />Either way God is always just,righteous, good and holy.<br /><br />ANY goodness in our lives is from him. If he withdrew himself we'd all be sent to everlasting destructionLindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09418337100329537312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-33203685580125206442012-05-04T06:40:48.009-07:002012-05-04T06:40:48.009-07:00Lewis taught much false garbage. I find it intere...Lewis taught much false garbage. I find it interesting that this post mentions child rape and child rape is a largely accepted practice in Islam and most, if not all pagan religions. It seems that only the Judeo/Christian framework hates child rape for what it is.Chris Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15959878163583711565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-801808182978861992012-05-04T06:34:01.267-07:002012-05-04T06:34:01.267-07:00YGG, if one bows to the Lordship of God in Scriptu...YGG, if one bows to the Lordship of God in Scripture, it isn't a difficult question to answer. God casts people into Hell, actively and positively and deservedly (Mt. 13:50; 25:41-46; Rev. 19:20-21; 20:12-15).<br /><br />C. S. Lewis, much as he appeals to the squishy, was wrong. God does not say to the lost "thy will be done." Their will is that God die, and that they be gods, doing their will and serving themselves forever without consequence. He thwarts their will in the positive and eternal and deserved punishment of Hell.DJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16471042180904855578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-45675373964103104302012-05-04T06:14:35.927-07:002012-05-04T06:14:35.927-07:00Have to agree with Merrilee. This post belongs in ...Have to agree with Merrilee. This post belongs in the classic category. Oh, how far short we fall in all respects.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-39472153584829216762012-05-04T04:44:59.505-07:002012-05-04T04:44:59.505-07:00This topic has been heavy on my mind for a few wee...This topic has been heavy on my mind for a few weeks now. Your post was greatly encouraging, and for me, very timely. I think even among those of us who accept the truth that there is no salvation apart from Christ, there can be a temptation to see this kind of person as a good guy who just needs Christ as a sort of finishing touch, rather than a desperately wicked person whose good works are filthy rags that needs to Christ to transform him into an entirely new creation.Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16066715085302965768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-10016914228744628042012-05-03T21:45:39.910-07:002012-05-03T21:45:39.910-07:00YGG-
I haven't read through all of the comme...YGG- <br /><br />I haven't read through all of the comments, but I feel compelled to comment on yours from 9:31. God can only be one's loving father if one has been adopted into the household of faith by grace. Outside of that, God is a loving but just Creator. The gospel message we preach is that Christ paid the penalty for our sin and satisfied God's wrath on our behalf; otherwise, we would be justly condemned as well. So that argument can be quashed as soon as it arises, whether or not the hearer chooses to accept it.<br /><br />Respectfully,<br /><br />LoriLorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09962651501735366088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-1082980079638214752012-05-03T21:31:54.461-07:002012-05-03T21:31:54.461-07:00I suppose it's an interesting question: Does G...I suppose it's an interesting question: Does God "send people to Hell," or is it more like He lets them walk to Hell, over a lifetime of rejecting grace at each moment it was offered to them?<br /><br />I'll say this much---even though I do see the options as two different ways of thinking about it, the latter is really no less "shocking" or "offensive" when you stop to think about it. You'd still have the Bell crowd whining, "But what kind of a loving father would let his children go to a place of eternal torment and suffering," etc., etc.yankeegospelgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15196429275212180022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-77758990071054223582012-05-03T19:27:17.642-07:002012-05-03T19:27:17.642-07:00This is brilliant! The Lord often gives me opportu...This is brilliant! The Lord often gives me opportunities to engage in this precise conversation with unbelievers. I'm so glad you revisited this blog entry since I missed it the first time around. I feel so blessed to be used by the Lord in this capacity. Thank you for your faithfulness!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09962651501735366088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-27514478118978844082012-05-03T17:42:22.676-07:002012-05-03T17:42:22.676-07:00I can identify with you kalamazoomom.
Just last w...I can identify with you kalamazoomom.<br /><br />Just last week I had the privilege of sharing with a co-worker at work the Gospel. In our convo it segued from him bringing up religion onto Sodom and Gomorrah and how evil (he thought) God was in destroying them. `Yadda, yadda, yadda <br /><br />He thought he was a good person <br /><br />I took him to the law and showed him that when we look horizontally yes we seem better than others. But when we look vertically according to God's law we are thieves, murderers, adulterers, liars at heart. <br /><br />the core of our very being-our hearts are corrupt-<br /><br />anyways keep sharing and I'm glad you did share with your parents<br /><br /><br />@ Steve Drake--no such thing. If a person is truly born again then the old has passed and behold all things become new. God really does change our hearts <br /><br />God cleans our hearts and gives us new desires that long to please him. We don't WANT to sin we don't WANT to trash up our cleaned up pure hearts that soar and doth magnify the LORD of Glory. There's no greater JOY. Why would someone who has just had all their sins washed away by the precious blood of Jesus want to give up the most precious diamond for dirt or dung? No way and that's what happens when we receive Jesus in our lives. If a person still clings onto his dirt then well I'd say he's never known God's amazing GRACE.<br /><br />I'm not saying Christians are sinless nor are they perfect. But a truly born again believer will be changed from nite to day and will NOT continue in the same sin he was previously committing.<br /><br />I'm also not saying that Christians don't struggle with besetting sins or are not tempted-they are.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09418337100329537312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-34754621263148878642012-05-03T16:33:03.418-07:002012-05-03T16:33:03.418-07:00Thanks Dan.Thanks Dan.Mizz Harpyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18220764076008867988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-52313947476869757402012-05-03T15:26:52.261-07:002012-05-03T15:26:52.261-07:00No wonder this is a classic post. All too often I...No wonder this is a classic post. All too often I choose to see people based on their "one" weakness, whatever blatantly obvious one it might be, but don't give much attention to that greater flaw of not surrendering to Christ the Lord for salvation. I think this is especially common among professing Christians who come seeking help for their problems, but have a greater Problem that has never really been resolved.Merrilee Stevensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12770625841767761025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21212024.post-51258199240472118252012-05-03T13:57:39.409-07:002012-05-03T13:57:39.409-07:00Hi Mike,
What are you referring to? I don't se...Hi Mike,<br />What are you referring to? I don't see a connection between my posts and the 1st commandment. Perhaps you can elucidate?Steve Drakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17435371814330595643noreply@blogger.com