>> He forces no one while the choice is on the table. you make your >> choice while you're alive, suffer/enjoy the consequences forever >> after. >> > That's nice of him, by what you tell us here I can easily see he is > reeeallly merciful ;c)
Actually, He *is* Mercy. There is a bit of poetry involved in comprehending the logic of salvation. Psalms provides most of the required assumptions, upon which the logical argument stands. As these are metaphysical assumptions, there is a difficulty for natural man to grasp them, till his spirit is awakened anyway, and metaphysics becomes real to him. >> No I meant Peter the disciple, the one that tried to walk on water, >> chopped the soldier's ear off when they arrested Jesus, and denied >> Jesus 3 times before the cock crowed. >> > Ooops! My bad. Told ya I was pretty stupid. I shall not forget it moving forward in our deliberations. ;) >>> Naaahhh.... All the gorgeous slutty chicks, good tv shows, roulette, >>> poker, and fun will be on the other side. >>> >> >> It's not quite the party scene you imagine...... >> > C'mon, you are free to imagine heaven, the gates, the final judgement > and I don't know how many more tales and I don't get to imagine a Hell > Party??? Oh, by all means imagine whatever you like. Just don't be too shocked when you're roasting in the Lake of Fire one day, instead of playing strip poker, is all. :) >> No offense, but you highly overrate your own "power". You will be a >> slave to one or the other, so choose wisely. One loves you from the >> foundations of the world, the other loathes you. >> > I cannot concieve that someone who loves ME (that is a personal ME, not > a generic Me) will be willing to have me as his slave. If I have to have > a massah then I'd rather be one that doesn't say he "loves" me. I hear ya. It's a hard one, especially for rich people. Understand "rich" in this sense to mean anyone blessed in any way above average---with money, intellect, physical acumen, etc. People who have much "of themselves" to lay down to make the relationship work have the hardest time with the concept. God's love for us easier to understand if you have kids. As I have 3 I can tell you, nothing hurts more than when your kids make a bad decision, or stop listening to you, and start doing things behind your back, against your will. You love them, want the best for them, have some idea of what life is about and want to share it with them---but they rebel, and they can't help it, it's hardwired in them to rebel. Some however manage to overcome rebelliousness better than others---usually, the ones who understand that you love them. But even if you don't: Imagine a dad who says "Even though I made you, you are free to choose whatever daddy you like, all I ask is that IF you choose me as you're dad, you'll obey everything I say, trusting that I won't lead you astray and have you're ultimate good at heart. You'll be tested, but you can't ever give up! Once you're mature, we'll have a kind of relationship for all eternity that will be way better than anything you can contrive, or anyone else can promise. However, there's a cutoff time, after which, you cannot claim me as your daddy. Until then, nothing would make me happier than to have you as my child! I did make you, after all. I'll wait to the last second of the last minute of the last hour of the last day to receive you back... but no longer. Alas it is your choice, not mine." That's the kind of dad God is. Compared to God, I suck as a parent. We all do. The "slave" concept is slightly overstated... you'll only view yourself as a slave if you have rebellion against God's love in your heart. Once you accept his love, obedience feels more like reciprocation of love. People love Jesus' famous saying "The truth shall set you free!" Except when they see the quote in full context: "If you are my disciple, you'll obey my commands. Then you'll know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Absent that disciple relationship and obedience (slave?), there is no truth, let alone any truth that can set you free. Not really; everything else is bondage. It's easy to see it as a contradiction. It's more correct to understand it as a paradox. - Publius "It ought never to be forgotten, that a firm union of this country, under an efficient government, will probably be an increasing object of jealousy to more than one nation of Europe; and that enterprises to subvert it will sometimes originate in the intrigues of foreign powers, and will seldom fail to be patronized and abetted by some of them. Its preservation, therefore ought in no case that can be avoided, to be committed to the guardianship of any but those whose situation will uniformly beget an immediate interest in the faithful and vigilant performance of the trust." [Federalist Papers #59] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
