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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/17/2010 3:58 PM (GMT -6) |   | | | |
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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/17/2010 4:03 PM (GMT -6) | | Here's a thought:
The Scripture text "Love never fails" actually has genuine, non-mitigated meaning. See "The Way of Love."
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 5/17/2010 4:07:09 PM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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Corey
Five with a Four-wing
Date Joined Feb 2003
Total Posts : 1893
| Posted 5/17/2010 4:15 PM (GMT -6) | | This is what I wish I could have stayed around longer the other night to get into. I wanted to be clear to Modes and Selah how existentially invested I am in this; this is so much more than a speculative thought experiment, as the accusation seemed to go. I'm not engaged in trying to build 'a system' (which would be very contra-SK), I'm trying to work out my faith in fear and trembling -- the existential horror that the destruction of my marriage has entailed requires serious reflection and proper answers. The storms have raised up, and some of the sand in my life has washed away. But I'll testify that this UR stuff has been shown to be like bedrock for me and I don't know how I would gotten through this time without this.
So I'm not offering a fully developed apologetic; rather, I'm offering a testimony.
Here's how it's working out practically for me. After all, "you'll know a tree by its fruit" and the fruit I'm looking for, and hopefully am beginning to know from the inside, is this:
Love. Since I'm convinced that I'll inevitably and ultimately be spending eternity in the closest of intimacy with these people who have sinned (and continue to sin) against me, I'm determined to live in such a way that looks through and past the sin to see what's most real: this person is captivatingly beautiful to God. This isn't a person that God is ever giving up on. Then, in humble imitation, I do what I see the Father doing. But if I believed (as I did before) that there's a high chance that even God would "give up" on this person, then who am I to think that I could do any better? I don't know how to "endure all things" without assuming UR. No hyperbole. I literally cannot comprehend how to "do" this otherwise.
Joy. I'm drawn here to SK's discourse on "The Road". I'm able to reframe all this present suffering as light and momentary, as an indicator that I'm on the right path toward an eternal weight of glory. For the Joy set before me, I take up my cross. UR helps me here like this: I will spend eternity in the closest of intimacy with this person. Together we'll be able to glorify God that he overcame all sin and misrelation between us!
Peace. Basically, UR removes ultimate fear of loss. There is NOTHING that can happen in this life that separates me -- or the one who sins against me -- from the love of God. God is going to fully fix ALL of this! I can relax in that.
Patience. UR enables me to "zoom out" to see that whatever misrelation or sin is presently going on cannot endure. Only Love endures. Again, I see the Father patiently enduring, and so I humbly imitate him.
Goodness. UR helps me see that God is in the process of refining all of us. There's Good to be found in everyone, for everyone bears God's image, and God is burning away all the other junk. And in myself, too.
Kindness. I can afford to be kind. There is nothing that can happen in this world to leave me ultimately depleted. UR helps me to be assured that God is going to make EVERYTHING right.
Faithfulness. UR help put it all in perspective for me. It's not hard to endure when I'm assured with specificity that this relationship, and this relationship, and this relationship will be made whole. If UR is not true, then it follows that most of my relationships on this planet will NEVER be made whole.
Gentleness. UR alleviates that natural panic and instinct to rise up and fight back. I can know by faith that EVERY misrelation will be healed.
Self Control. Since I can't ultimately be at risk of loss in any sense I don't have to panic, I don't have to protect myself, I don't have to fear. | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/18/2010 8:32 AM (GMT -6) | | Here's another thought...spurned from another thread.
If EUR demonstrates anything, it's overwhelmingly probable (Tom  ) that all WILL belong to God. If Grace demonstrates anything, it's that all NOW belongs to God.
An implication: Any type of sense of human ABSOLUTE OWNERSHIP of anything (including our own bodies) can only be possible in an ATHEISTIC or TWO-STOREY view of God and Creation.
In futurepacing EUR, it seems totally futile to try to "absolutely own myself" or anyone or anything else. This distinct from having personal responsibility before God which is STEWARDSHIP of what God actually owns.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 5/18/2010 8:36:57 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/19/2010 2:29 PM (GMT -6) | | “Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle.”
--SK
yeah...then some journal entries of SK...
"How far Christianity is from being a living reality may best be seen in me. For even with my clear knowledge of it I am still not a Christian. Yet I still cannot help feeling that despite the abyss of nonsense in which we are stuck, we shall all of us be saved."
"But I do not pretend to be better than others. What the old bishop said about me--that I talked as if everybody else was on the road to hell--is simply not true. No, if anyone wants to be able to say that I talk about going to hell, then I talk like this--'If the rest are all going to hell, then I am going along.' This is the way I speak if anyone is able to say in any sense that I talk about going to hell. But I do not believe it. On the contrary, I believe that we will all be saved--and I, too--something which arouses my deepest wonder."
Nuff said.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 5/19/2010 2:53:03 PM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/19/2010 2:51 PM (GMT -6) | | | Dude...I refuse to believe that God is LESS LOVING than Kierkegaard!
Throwback song
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 5/19/2010 3:08:54 PM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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Tom
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 10353
| Posted 5/19/2010 4:28 PM (GMT -6) | | | | |
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One Love
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 13888
| Posted 5/30/2010 10:05 AM (GMT -6) | | | Universal Reconcilation is a "REASONABLE HOPE FOR (GOD'S) SUCCESS" in his "just war" to convince all of his image-bearers that God is INDEED the loving ground of their being and their highest good. URs believe that it's BECAUSE of the "overwhelmingly improbable" possibility of "eternal suffering" that God would RISK Creation with self-referencing, self-determining created persons at all. This "minute" possibility was the ACCEPTABLE RISK of an all-loving God who didn't need Creation at all. Would any theodicy person FAULT God for that acceptable risk? I don't think so. It's the BEST THAT GOD COULD DO to give us the LFW we need to be his "people" (not just absorbed into Divine Presence) while assuring that as many images as possible end up perceiving and enjoying God forever...which is the BEST POSSIBLE END for any image-bearer!
I believe in God's ULTIMATE VICTORY in this. A rational, Spirit-filled, Bible believing person can have the "reasonable hope" that God will convince everyone...even Satan. He'll work as long as it takes...and Satan always has an opportunity to "perceive and enjoy" God. It's just a matter of time...and patience.
Selah. Holla at me. Open gates, BibleGal.
Christus Victor...all day, eryday. 
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Post Edited (One Love) : 5/30/2010 10:35:04 AM (GMT-5) | | Back to Top | | |
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