. sin--the disobedience of a prideful autonomy
which impaired the human capacity to ..... John Paul II
Think about it !!!
Reconciliation is a done deal, accomplished in
the body of His flesh, at His death and inclusive of all of creation (Col
1:17ff), but there remains those who are "lost" and
"saved," All are reconciled - some are saved. - a
problem . Perhaps the demand on us is to change our
thinking about those concepts. They cannot have in view the same
circumstance as "reconciliation," as I see it. If
reconciliation has a practical application, would that not include a
partnership with God, as the Father, giving assistance (i.e. Philip 2:12-13)
to those who are His while allowing us (all) to
make decisions that are harmful to us on an ontological
scale? The reward we receive for the practice of
"salvation" would be "heaven." The punishment we might
experience as a result of refusing this partnership is not so much an
assignment as it is a reasonable conclusion to the autonomy we have decided
to persue? As in the story of the
prodigal - heaven (the home) was simply the end of the
journey. If that son had decided to remain in the pen, his
"reward" would have been that reality -- the Father
neither sending him there or DECIDING to reward if he returned.
The definition above, from the thinking of John Paul,
seems to be an excellent contribution to this subject.
JD
