----- Original Message ----- From: "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 8:58 AM Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Children of God?
> Bill Taylor wrote: > > This, I believe, is John's point vis-a-vis > > Romans 2. A Gentile may live his entire > > life (especially back then) and never have > > an occasion to hear the name of Jesus Christ, > > let alone respond to him in faith; > > Have you read Tom Wright on Romans 2? Do you depart from Tom Wright's > perspective on Romans? Contrary to all the accusations, David, I do sometimes take positions that do not align perfectly with my teachers. Must I agree with Wright on every point, if I am to love him and respect him and consider him the foremost living expositor of the New Testament, and be consistent when I do this? I think not. > > Bill Taylor wrote: > > hence the Gentile's absence of "belief" does not > > necessarily have to translate into a rejection of > > Christ. But the Jews grew up hearing about the > > coming of Messiah. Theirs was not a question of > > whether or not they would hear of him; theirs was > > one of whether they would reject him or receive/believe > > in him when he came. As with the Jew, so it is for > > the Gentile: to reject Christ is to lose your salvation. > > But where the Gentile is not necessarily rejecting > > Christ if he does not "believe" in him, this was not > > so for the Jews. To the Jew to not believe in Jesus > > was to not receive him, which was to reject him, > > which is to reject the right to become a child of God. > > I don't understand your perspective here. It seems to me that the Gentile > who does not believe in Christ when Christ is proclaimed to him is rejecting > Christ in the same way as the Jew. Me too, but what does that have to do with anything I wrote? See my comments below. > I certainly can track with you in some way, following the principle of "those who are given more, much more is > required," but it seems like you are saying that the Gentile who does not > believe the gospel preached to him is not actually rejecting Christ. I have > trouble with that concept. Am I misunderstanding you? Yes, you are. I said in the same post that as it was with the Jew, so it is for the Gentile: to reject Christ is to lose your salvation. I also made it clear that I was referencing the Gentile, who may live his entire life (especially back then) and never have an occasion to hear the name of Jesus Christ, let alone respond to him in faith. And so, David, I do not understand why it "seems" to you that I would be saying anything about a Gentile who does hear the Gospel and then rejects it. Why would you think I am saying that a Gentile such as that would not actually be rejecting Christ? I would have trouble with that concept, too. Bill ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
