From CARM podcast 1/18/2011:
THE ASSERTION
Jesus died for every last person, not just the elect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
If Jesus died for all, then no one would go to hell, since every single person's death sentence would already have been paid for. But people still go to hell.
QUALIFIED ASSERTION
Well the penalty's been paid for but it's up to the person to accept it before it takes effect.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
Um no... Consider this analogy: A man is on his way to the bank to pay off his mortgage. On the way to the bank, he suddenly gets into an accident and falls into a coma, and stays in the hospital for several months. Later, he comes out of the coma, recovers, and goes to the bank again to pay off the mortgage. At the bank, he gives his check to the the bank teller, who looks up his mortgage info and then proceeds to tell him that some anonymous philanthropist has come in during his time in the hospital and paid off the entire mortgage. There is no more debt against the man; he owes nothing. It doesn't matter whether he accepts or believes that a benefactor did this or not. The fact of the matter is that there is no debt anymore. It is a legal thing, not subject to one's belief or not. So... if Jesus already died and paid off everyone's debt of sin, then why would it be up to us to accept it before it takes effect? Absurd...
February 18, 2011
February 17, 2011
Cain : Abel :: Esau : Jacob ?
From 7/13/2009 (~Genesis 4)
QUESTION
Regarding Cain's offering < Abel's offering: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it"... Is "doing right" related to God's arbitrary favor, i.e. Cain and Esau were not "doing right"? (Abel vs. Cain, Jacob vs. Esau).
ANSWER
For Cain and Abel, Abel had more faith (Hebrews 11). This is different from Jacob and Esau, which deals with God's sovereign plan.
TANGENT
Jacob schemed b/c he didn't believe God could do what God said (bless him) so he manipulated to get it. But this caused strife w/ Esau and in general... Eventually Jacob wrestled with God until Jacob said "bless me" which is what God wanted to hear him ask.
QUESTION
Regarding Cain's offering < Abel's offering: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it"... Is "doing right" related to God's arbitrary favor, i.e. Cain and Esau were not "doing right"? (Abel vs. Cain, Jacob vs. Esau).
ANSWER
For Cain and Abel, Abel had more faith (Hebrews 11). This is different from Jacob and Esau, which deals with God's sovereign plan.
TANGENT
Jacob schemed b/c he didn't believe God could do what God said (bless him) so he manipulated to get it. But this caused strife w/ Esau and in general... Eventually Jacob wrestled with God until Jacob said "bless me" which is what God wanted to hear him ask.
Tidbit on Free Will
From 7/13/2009
- Adam & Eve had free will, subject to God's knowledge.
- The rest of us were born as sinners.
- Adam & Eve had free will, subject to God's knowledge.
- The rest of us were born as sinners.
Notes on Genesis 3 (The Fall)
From 6/24/2009
- The serpent is Lucifer taking on physical form (see Rev 20:2).
- Chapter 3 is to be taken literally.
- Why does God talk to us even though He knows how we'll respond? For our benefit of realizing we did wrong? For His desire to interact with us? This is an anthropomorphic interpretation of God which helps us understand God as personable.
- What is "enmity between you [serpent] and the woman"? Basically bad vs. good people
- Crushing the serpent's head <== this is fulfilled over the course of the NT
- Serpent striking Jesus' heel <== crucifixion is Satan's attempt to attack
- Woman's desire will be for her husband but he will rule over her <== "desire" is same as in Genesis 4:7 and implies control (I desire to control husband but he rules so we fight)
- Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil : brings death :: The Law : brings death (see Paul in Romans 7)
- Not supposed to find life through the law, but there's the TREE OF LIFE which is a pre-metaphor for Jesus (the only tree to show up in Rev)
- The serpent is Lucifer taking on physical form (see Rev 20:2).
- Chapter 3 is to be taken literally.
- Why does God talk to us even though He knows how we'll respond? For our benefit of realizing we did wrong? For His desire to interact with us? This is an anthropomorphic interpretation of God which helps us understand God as personable.
- What is "enmity between you [serpent] and the woman"? Basically bad vs. good people
- Crushing the serpent's head <== this is fulfilled over the course of the NT
- Serpent striking Jesus' heel <== crucifixion is Satan's attempt to attack
- Woman's desire will be for her husband but he will rule over her <== "desire" is same as in Genesis 4:7 and implies control (I desire to control husband but he rules so we fight)
- Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil : brings death :: The Law : brings death (see Paul in Romans 7)
- Not supposed to find life through the law, but there's the TREE OF LIFE which is a pre-metaphor for Jesus (the only tree to show up in Rev)
February 6, 2011
Notes on Some Denominations
From 12/19/2008 (K. Lai)
PRESBYTERIAN
- mostly Calvinism (John Calvin, predestination)
- Covenant theology
- Presbyterian form of organization (groups reporting to groups)
LUTHERAN
- Martin Luther (old law is no more)
- subscribes to portion of Covenant Theology that promises are fulfilled now
- church structure = ?
METHODIST
- Arminianism (Jacob Arminius) is about personal responsibility to being good
- John Wellesley took a spin on Arminianism in that he emphasized HOW responsibility is implemented, which is by doing good works and working your way to sinlessness
- of course if don't reach sinlessness, it's ok
- church structure = ?
- it's one step away from Roman Catholicism which also subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
ROMAN CATHOLICISM
- subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
- church structure = Episcopalian (all the way reporting to Pope at the Vatican)
ANGLICAN CHURCH
- branched off from Rome
- English people just wanted to be on their own b/c everyone wanted to do their own thing
- exactly same as Roman Catholicism except reporting goes all the way to Archbishop of Canterbury
PRESBYTERIAN
- mostly Calvinism (John Calvin, predestination)
- Covenant theology
- Presbyterian form of organization (groups reporting to groups)
LUTHERAN
- Martin Luther (old law is no more)
- subscribes to portion of Covenant Theology that promises are fulfilled now
- church structure = ?
METHODIST
- Arminianism (Jacob Arminius) is about personal responsibility to being good
- John Wellesley took a spin on Arminianism in that he emphasized HOW responsibility is implemented, which is by doing good works and working your way to sinlessness
- of course if don't reach sinlessness, it's ok
- church structure = ?
- it's one step away from Roman Catholicism which also subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
ROMAN CATHOLICISM
- subscribes to Arminianism but says you MUST reach that point of sinlessness to earn salvation
- church structure = Episcopalian (all the way reporting to Pope at the Vatican)
ANGLICAN CHURCH
- branched off from Rome
- English people just wanted to be on their own b/c everyone wanted to do their own thing
- exactly same as Roman Catholicism except reporting goes all the way to Archbishop of Canterbury
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