You whouldnt like that though.And since you he created you*(the humankind anyway)it whould be evil to condmen it no matter what
On the contrary it is the idea that God is in control of everything which sounds like the Deist one. All a big machine He designed and He just has to sit back and watch everything going precisely according to plan.
But the theist God is different. He creates living things not machines with which to have a relationship, responding to our choices with choices of His own.
I agree on all of this.But i quoted your words to reply>>The flesh is weak.
And yet hes still in control of eveyrthing. Not an absent creator who dont give a dime for his creation anymore and its like “Meehhh whatever”
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Nope. Control and life are incompatible – it is a choice between power/control and love/life/freedom. Either you are a machine designer or dreamer/writer making an inanimate object in which you control everything that happens (so you can just sit back and admire your handiwork, thus Deist god) OR you create living things that make their own free will choices (which you do not control) and you have to respond to those choices in a relationship (thus the theist God). It is one or the other. Machine/book-already-written (with robots or npcs) OR Living beings participating with their own choices as coauthors of the story. The word for this way of thinking is incompatibilist (look it up) – I do not believe these two things are compatible.
The flesh is weak in the views you hold as well. A difference is finding strength to avoid it because of fearing God vs loving God. Fear is a good motivation to keep people in line. But I’m would argue love is a better one.
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Ι dont see it that way exactly but what you said is correct
If God werent in control he whouldnt intefere with his creation
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You seem not to be able to conceptualize that God is omnitemporal and is continuously active in his creation and in the lives of his people.
I don’t think you’re only doing good because you fear hell.
I’m just saying even if the fear of hell was taken away, there is still the love of God for why someone would want to do what he asks.
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In my case is both.I love God but i also fear the fire.Bacuse if the universalist possition is true then i have nothing to lose.But if my possition and others is true then a lot of people whould be damned i guess
This is kinda the paschals argument if i remember correctly?Where if you believe God exists you have nothing to lose but if you dont well…
That is why the Fatherhood of God is so huge. Disobedient children fear deserved punishment, and obedient children hope for undeserved reward from their gracious Father for merely being obedient. There are children of promise and there are children of the flesh.
And yet is that fear that turns them to be obedient
Yes, maybe at first. But as we grow and become justifiably confident that we are indeed of Father’s household and that we are no longer delinquents on the street or in prison, “slaves to sin”, then our motivation is looking forward to future grace.
God does use that fear to help change the hearts of some, but I don’t think we can say that as a generalization, that all who are his have experienced that fear.
A relationship of love makes a balance between trust and interference – like a parent teaching his child to ride a bike. If you don’t believe in love with someone not under your absolute control, then you don’t believe in love at all. That isn’t love. It is nothing but ego. The god like this that some have made in their own image has only my contempt.
The God I believe in, chose and values love and freedom over power and control. The one who prefers power and control I call the devil. You see power and control is the obsession of those who feel powerless. But one who has limitless power already knows that it is worthless and will only seek to cast aside to seek something greater (Philippians 2). Love and freedom is greater. Matthew 20 whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave.
This is the difference between the great watchmaker god of Deism who revels in his cleverness and power versus the shepherd of theism who seeks only to serve.
It is a light hearted question but not an easy answer. Thank you all for your posts as I have a great question on this.
Clearly this is a time of transition and we all see the possibility for reset. I think that this is a time of true transition to the digital age from the industrial and much is possible especially when we consider the advent of artificial information. However as that applies this is also the age of artificial information and just as the ruler of past have controlled the information and dialogue we now face that same battle for control of information. As In the times of Jesus where Rome was the repressive dominant power it must be considered with the utmost importance for the spread of the Word now. I think as Christians we need to consider that the teachings of Christ are for the spiritual path of all humanity and that any reset be focused on Christ and not be repressive to the pathway to Christ no matter the allure for its material gain. This digital age and artificial intelligence have great potential but great dangers to be repressive to humanity. Talk to George Orwell about it.
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