@johnZ, wrote:
But the Bible says, “God so loved the world that He sent His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
How does God being Absolute and Just result in God sending Jesus to die for our sins. If all humans deserve to go to Hell, how is that being Just? If God were absolute, God would not care if humans went to Hell or not, unless it were by mistake, which it clearly would not be.
There is no reason why an absolute and just God would sent the Beloved Son to suffer and die an unjust death for humans who in no way deserve any mercy. Except God the Father is not absolute, but relational.
Absolute according to one resource means “without qualification or restriction.” When people say that God is absolute they mean that God can do anything God chooses to do, which is true, but the God of the Bible chose to make a covenant with first Abraham and the Hebrew people, and then with all who believe in Jesus.
While God can do anything God chooses to do anything God chooses to do, God has chosen to 1) keep the covenants God has made, and 2) love human beings and the universe God has created. While could be absolute and not care about humanity, God is not, because God chooses not to be. Humans must not insist that God is Absolute, when the Bible clearly says that God is not.
The problem with those who insist that God is absolute and God’s Law is absolute is that 1) they are not and 2) we are saved not by obeying God’s Law. God is relational and we are saved by grace through faith, which are relational. When we repent we commit ourselves to trust in God Whose Law is Love.
We love God, because first God loved us and demonstrated this love through Jesus Christ Who saves us from the power of sin and gives us eternal life. Our goal is to do God’s Will for us, which is not really the same as obeying God’s Law and is much more difficult, but possible through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
While these differences of approach might seem small, they do make a big difference as seen by the serious conflicts within the Church today.
A blessed Palm Sunday and Holy Week to all.