Shasta
Well-known member
Well if people come into the world already goats or sheep then there is little difference between your idiosyncratic system and Calvin's which holds that people's fate is already decided when they are born. The only difference is you try to find a legitimate reason to blame and damn the infant.
God does not create evil nor does He see the unborn or children as wicked. Calvin believed this because of Augustine's idea that all of Adam's descendants are personally guilty of Adam's sin. This is what "original sin" really means.
Some people in the Early Centuries did propose preexistence as a solution to the problem of evil. This included minority Judaeism and some pagan belief systems. Probably, in their attempt to understand the problem of evil, the disciples might have been considering these alternatives. However, neither Jesus, his disciples nor the ECF explicitly taught that doctrine, nor did the writers of the OT though you try and insert the idea into their writings.
On this occasion Jesus could have directly presented a lesson on preexistence. Instead, He simply absolved this man and his parents of any blame for his condition. If your doctrine is correct then He might just as well have answered "Yes this man has guilt from his previous existence." Then we would all have reason to morally blame people born with disorders of mind and body.
If such a doctrine were so vital to understanding the origin and final fate of evil don't you think Jesus would have done more to inform His Church about it. Instead he hints at it so that people like you thousands of years later have to read between the lines and "discover" it.
Classic Arminians do not believe in universal salvation. If you would read the writings of Jacob Arminias you would know that.
God's glory is displayed in the heavens. That is what Psalm 19 says. That people cannot see it is due to the blindness within them. Some people look at creation and fall down to worship God. Others fall down and worship creation.
Romans 1:20 says that Gods attributes are clearly seen by the things that are made.
The word "are clearly seen" is the translation of the Greek word kathoratai. This is a present tense verb, meaning that these divine attributes are being seen IN THE PRESENT. They are not being recalled from some subliminal pre-incarnate memory.
Let us decide from Jesus words when this takes place. According to what He said Matthew 25:31–46 takes place when the Son of Man returns and gathers the nations before Him to be judged.
At first, there is no way to tell the difference between nations until they are separated. When both groups ask Him to explain why they are being consigned to their respective fates, the King answers by describing what each group has done during their life on earth
35...I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’
Do you really think Jesus was saying that "His brethren" were hungry, thirsty, naked or in prison in some preexistent state and it was then that the sheep met their needs? He is plainly speaking about what they did during their lives in the flesh. He does not even hint that they were receiving judgement for something they did BEFORE they were in the flesh...which would have been the main point if your idea is correct.
"A place of storage" To work out the kinks in your system you are having to add more theories. So sometime after "all the sons of God shouted for joy" God, for some unknown reason had to put them in stasis. I imagine you will come up with a creative story to explain that too.
When the Bible speaks of a person being the "son" of a spiritual being it is referring to their similarity of motive, character and actions.
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44)
There is no evidence that this pattern of thought and behavior preexisted. Again, if it did, then why didn't Jesus say so? No, their likeness to the devil originated from their own interactions with him.
2 in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3 We all lived among them at one time in the cravings of our flesh, indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:2)
Is he saying they used to walk in the ways of the world before the foundation of the world? No, I think it is clear that the apostle is talking about their former way of life (on earth) before they came to know Jesus.
Jesus did not use that occasion to confirm and affirm such an idea which He would had it been relevant.
Where does the Bible say the unborn Esau and Jacob were trying to kill each other? All it mentions is that there was a struggle going on in her womb, movement. The Bible does not say they had knowledge of themselves and of the customs of their tribe. You have imported this idea from your eccentric belief system.
I commend you on your belief in free will and even on your attempt to come up with a just way to explain God's judgement but your system is not credible exegetically or historically.
For one, the between modern Christians and those who lived in earlier centuries is that it was NOT a badge of honor for them to be considered a heretic. Whether your doctrinal creation should be considered heretical or heterodox is unimportant. Whatever the case it is a fringe belief unless you are a Mormon. Is that where you got this idea? If so, please admit it.
The ECF did not reject ALL Origin's theology but they did reject preexistence.
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