A non-theological appreciation of free will and the sovereignty of God

A person commented the following on my post yesterday:

Buy Xanax Europe You know, the more I read and learn concerning Orthodox theology, the more I see an acceptance of paradox that even exceeds my native Lutheranism.

My reply is that it has more to do with the idea of mystery, but rather than try to explain it theologically, watch the video below. It was originally posted in November of 2010 on YouTube. I have no doubt whatsoever that you will enjoy the video.

https://oevenezolano.org/2024/08/4o9t7n9ov

https://eloquentgushing.com/rdky4mkp5kx Again let me repeat that I have some issues with some of my Orthodox brethren. One of them is that in order to defend free will, there is sometimes a tendency to speak as though God has so limited his sovereignty in our lives that he would never impugn our free will. I fear that there are all too many Scriptures in which God shows himself quite willing to use his sovereignty to neatly override objections. You might wish to read again how he ensured that Joseph, the Old Testament Patriarch would be in a commanding position in order to save his family from the famine. You might also wish to read again how God overrode Moses’ objections that he was not a good public speaker by not only providing his brother Aaron, but also by finally simply telling him to DO IT.

Alprazolam Mastercard In fact, we often become so theological and philosophical in our exploration of the relationship of free will and God’s sovereignty that we forget that God is personal (in fact, Three Persons in one substantial Trinity) and we speak of him as though he were this idea that we are discussing. But, that is not how God worked and works with us. I am reminded of two humorous things. One is a very old Bill Cosby comedy routine about Noah and the Ark. In that routine, amidst Noah’s many objections, there finally comes a moment when God asks Noah, “how long can you tread water?” On Facebook, one of our daughters was recently reminiscing and missing the days when because, “Mama said,” was explanation enough. When we discuss free will and sovereignty as purely non-personal philosophical discussion, we miss the fact that our God is not an impersonal principle, but a personal community of unity and love.

Rx Xanax Online But, more than that there is a mystery that goes significantly deeper than the idea of paradox. Paradox is a way to state something that is essentially unstateable. What does paradox mean?

A paradox is a true statement or group of statements that leads to a contradiction or a situation which defies intuition. The term is also used for an apparent contradiction that actually expresses a non-dual truth (cf. kúan, Catuskoti). Typically, the statements in question do not really imply the contradiction, the puzzling result is not really a contradiction, or the premises themselves are not all really true or cannot all be true together.

https://nedediciones.com/uncategorized/ni6o75y6y9 OK, do not get carried away by the definition, because for the Orthodox mystery is not paradox, though it may appear similar. Mystery is the point where our finiteness encounters the God who is not finite. Saint Gregory Palamas said some rather good things about that encounter! But, I like to phrase it in a much more colloquial way. Mystery is the point where our brain short-circuits and is no longer able to put together coherent thoughts that explain what we are encountering. I find myself thinking of when Elijah is hiding in the cave. Courtesy of God, he has some brain short-circuits before he figures out that all his ideas of God are not even close to accurate. Mystery is when we begin to babble like fools, unless we are wise. If we are wise, we keep our mouths shut, take off our shoes and acknowledge that we are on holy ground.

https://inteligencialimite.org/2024/08/07/o0jchrvzn We Orthodox clearly need to acknowledge in no uncertain way that God is sovereign. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He shall reign forever and ever. Hallelujah! And then, as we look at free will and God’s sovereignty, we need to try to not babble as our minds splinter. In the Book of Daniel, chapter 2, there is the following prophecy about the coming King:

https://www.completerehabsolutions.com/blog/6zf97vl While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Xanax Online Order Legal Frankly, there is more than once when I contemplate God that I find that the same rock crushes all too many of my thoughts and leaves them, “like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer.” We need to fully acknowledge, as does the Confession of Dositheus that he predestines and elects based on a foreknowledge that does not force free will, while at the same time clearly declaring that God’s plans will all come to fruition at the right time, just as he planned. Anything short of that will tend to make us the opposite of Calvinists, and not necessarily Catholic Christians. Now I need to leave for the day, because my mind just splintered again. I think I need to take off my shoes and pray Compline.

===MORE TO COME===