Christians and doubt

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

Okay, now it’s your turn. ; - )

[Vinnie]

Yes, the NT likes to use the OT. But nothing says God is not restrained by time. Probably more an extension of his antiquity than anything else in Psalm 90 (read the passage in context) and as for 2 Peter, piggybacking it and saying that he operates at his own pace. Trying to claim God is beyond time from this and thus somehow magically squares and circles are the same shape or predestination and free will are compatible is a bridge built too far. It’s bad exegesis.

Not to mention we don’t have a perfect understanding of time today, let alone the limited worldview of ancient biblical authors.

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

How did God orchestrate all the events in his interventions in Maggie’s sequence and the innumerable myriad of necessary precursor timings and placings without violating anyone’s free will? Just tinkering salvifically? He planned it in his foresight? (Note the time constraints in those two words.) You appear to have God’s relationship to time nailed down.
 

@Vinnie

It’s bad exegesis.

In your humble opinion.

[heymike3]

@Vinnie

I have not overlooked 2 Peter 3:8. I have stated that I don’t view the Bible as a theological encyclopedia.

That looks like scissors and paste to me

[LM77 (Liam Maguire)]

A quick note to say that there is a feeling among the moderators that this thread has probably run its course. We’ve set a 24-hour time to allow you all to wrap up your conversations and make any closing remarks you might like to make, after that the thread will auto-close.

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

@Vinnie

Trying to claim God is beyond time…

We are also talking about physical reality. Stephen Hawking said that time had a beginning. Did God? That pretty much indicates that God is independent of time to me. Not you?

We also know that time is not strictly linear. Are you familiar with the relativistic twin paradox? Where is ‘God’s time’ with respect to each twin? That is really a rhetorical question, because again that pretty much indicates that God is independent of time.

It is a little surprising that you cannot allow for that possibility and that “somehow magically” your exegesis precludes it.

I recommend getting a clue from Jesus. What did he say?
 

…before Abraham was born, I AM!
John 8:58

He is the forever PRESENT tense, the eternal NOW.
 

---

---

 
(Using a workaround to exceed the lockdown limit and to end on topic… ; - ) :
 

Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
— Isaiah 26:4

Seeing that we have such a God to trust to, let us rest upon him with all our weight; let us resolutely drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has never failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were banished from the household of God; but it is to be feared that old Unbelief is as nimble nowadays as when the psalmist asked, “Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Will he be favourable no more?” David had not made any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet he said, “There is none like it.” He had tried it once in the hour of his youthful victory, and it had proved itself to be of the right metal, and therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so should we speak well of our God, there is none like unto him in the heaven above or the earth beneath; “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.” There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being judges. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we will take the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of Baal, and slay them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will select the sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour’s wounded side. We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the Lord for ever, assured that his ever lasting strength will be, as it has been, our succour and stay.

C.H. Spurgeon