brengle@hplabsc.UUCP (Tim Brengle) (11/02/85)
What shall we say, then? That God is unjust? Not at all. For he said to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I wish, I will take pity on whom I wish." So then, it does not does not depend on what man wants or does, but only on God's mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I made you king for this very purpose, to use you to show my power, and to make my name known in all the world." So then, God has mercy on whom he wishes, and he makes stubborn whom he wishes. One of you, then, will say to me, "If this is so, how can God find fault with a man? Who can resist God's will?" But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, "Why did you make me like this?" After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions, and the other for ordinary use. And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show his wrath and to make his power known. So he was very patient in enduring those who were the objects of his wrath, who were ready to be destroyed. And he wanted also to reveal his rich glory, which was poured out on us who were the objects of his mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory. Romans 9:14-23, Good News for Modern Man
ins_akaa@jhunix.UUCP (Kenneth Adam Arromdee) (11/04/85)
In article <2802@hplabsc.UUCP> brengle@hplabsc.UUCP (Tim Brengle) writes: >What shall we say, then? That God is unjust? Not at all. For he said to >Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I wish, I will take pity on whom I wish." >So then, it does not does not depend on what man wants or does, but only on >God's mercy. Are you trying to tell me that anything God does is automatically good? If something is injust, it's not magically made just just because God does it. If God really does things of a type we would consider "unjust" if done by some other being, then God is evil. If you say that we cannot judge God, it works both ways--you can't judge him as evil, but you can't judge him as good either. >For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I made you king for this >very purpose, to use you to show my power, and to make my name known in all >the world." So then, God has mercy on whom he wishes, and he makes stubborn >whom he wishes. If God really does what he wishes without regards for right and wrong, then I cannot consider him a being worthy of worship. >One of you, then, will say to me, "If this is so, how can God find fault with >a man? Who can resist God's will?" But who are you, my friend, to talk back >to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, "Why did you make me like >this?" After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as >he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special >occasions, and the other for ordinary use. A clay pot is an unthinking object, and it is not right to do something to a thinking, living being just because it is right to do so to an object. >And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show his wrath and to >make his power known. So he was very patient in enduring those who were the >objects of his wrath, who were ready to be destroyed. And he wanted also to >reveal his rich glory, which was poured out on us who were the objects of his >mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory. > >Romans 9:14-23, Good News for Modern Man Rich glory? God being able to do anything he wants to anyone he wants, with- out regard for conventional morals because anything he wants to do he auto- matically defines as good, is rich glory? Treating you like a clay pot is rich glory? I do not want to worship any being that treats me like a clay pot. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you know the alphabet up to 'k', you can teach it up to 'k'. Kenneth Arromdee BITNET: G46I4701 at JHUVM and INS_AKAA at JHUVMS CSNET: ins_akaa@jhunix.CSNET ARPA: ins_akaa%jhunix@hopkins.ARPA UUCP: ...{decvax,ihnp4,allegra}!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!aplcen!jhunix!ins_akaa
rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (11/07/85)
>>What shall we say, then? That God is unjust? Not at all. For he said to >>Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I wish, I will take pity on whom I wish." >>So then, it does not does not depend on what man wants or does, but only on >>God's mercy. [BRENGLE] > Are you trying to tell me that anything God does is automatically good? If > something is injust, it's not magically made just just because God does > it. If God really does things of a type we would consider "unjust" if done > by some other being, then God is evil. If you say that we cannot judge God, > it works both ways--you can't judge him as evil, but you can't judge him as > good either. [KENNETH ARROMDEE] >>For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I made you king for this >>very purpose, to use you to show my power, and to make my name known in all >>the world." So then, God has mercy on whom he wishes, and he makes stubborn >>whom he wishes. > If God really does what he wishes without regards for right and wrong, then > I cannot consider him a being worthy of worship. > A clay pot is an unthinking object, and it is not right to do something to a > thinking, living being just because it is right to do so to an object. > God being able to do anything he wants to anyone he wants, without regard for > conventional morals because anything he wants to do he automatically defines > as good, is rich glory? Treating you like a clay pot is rich glory? I do not > want to worship any being that treats me like a clay pot. Bravo, Kenneth, for an excellent article!! -- Popular consensus says that reality is based on popular consensus. Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr