đđđŻđşđ¸đď¸đĄâ christian nationalism does have its benefits ââ
Posted : 23 Mar, 2024 11:45 AM
By todayâs Marxist Communist Democrat ideals, George Washington and the rest of our founding fathers are âChristian Nationalistsââźď¸âźď¸âźď¸
đđđŻđşđ¸đď¸đĄâ christian nationalism does have its benefits ââ
Posted : 23 Mar, 2024 11:45 AM
By todayâs Marxist Communist Democrat ideals, George Washington and the rest of our founding fathers are âChristian Nationalistsââźď¸âźď¸âźď¸
Respect for truth has lead me to defend good men and in some cases has even forced me to defend false religions from time to time against false accusations, assumptions or false associations.
The point is this: the truth is able to defend good men and it alone is powerful enough to destroy false ideas, false religions and even the great lie.
Christians do not need to rely on false histories and disinformation to destroy whomever they perceive as bad people or their ideas.
Respect for truth has lead me to defend good men and in some cases has even forced me to defend false religions from time to time against false accusations, assumptions or false associations.
The point is this: the truth is able to defend good men and it alone is powerful enough to destroy false ideas, false religions and even the great lie.
Christians do not need to rely on false histories and disinformation to destroy whomever they perceive as bad people or their ideas.
Just like any other worthy denomination, there will be false teachers among them, (the Bible predicts this).
Many Anabaptists genuinely desired to serve God. But among the Anabaptists, (just like among Calvinists or any other denomination), radical heretics and false teachers asserted false doctrines. They seemed to taint everyone else in that denomination
Was it unfair for God to allow Job to suffer over what was basically an argument between God and Satan?
Posted : 22 Mar, 2024 06:01 PM
By got questions
A surface reading of the book of Job usually evokes a reaction such as âWhy is God making a âbetâ with the devil? God is being unfair to Job!â If we are honest and not just trying to defend God, He seems at first like some kind of cosmic ogre. God not only wagered Satan over the outcome of Jobâs trials, but He actually provoked the bet (Job 1â2). To make matters worse, Job never finds out why he was afflicted in the first place. This is very disturbing for those who hope to see God as just, gracious and loving and not just âplayingâ with us as if we were pawns on a chessboard. So, in a way, the story of Job puts God on trial. To really understand what is going on in Job, we need to evaluate how this âtrialâ is litigated in the bookâs argument.
On the surface, when God finally âtestifiesâ in Job 38â42, the way He âgrillsâ Job may seem to suggest that God is âagainstâ Job rather than âforâ him. The God-speeches are notable for their deep sarcasm, as if God were simply highlighting Jobâs cluelessness (Job 38â39). However, a deeper look reveals a more redemptive dynamic in this trial: first, Jobâs friend Elihu actually serves under the Holy Spiritâs inspiration, both as Jobâs advocate before God and Godâs advocate before Job (Job 32â37); second, we find that God indeed did express His love to Job, both in His speeches (Job 38â41) and in finally vindicating Job. God confirms that Job had spoken âwhat was rightâ about Him, whereas his first three friends had not (42:7).
As Job and his friends debate Godâs fairness, it becomes apparent that all of them basically believe in the doctrine of âretribution theologyââevery act receives just punishment or reward in this present life, so we should be able to tell who is righteous or wicked by whether they are visibly blessed or cursed on earth. This is a false doctrine, but Job thought it should be true and went on the offensive, charging God with injustice and calling for a trial (Job 29â31). Surprisingly, God condescends and agrees to be put on trial. The speeches in Job 38â41 actually consist of Godâs testimony in His own defense. In the âtrialâ we see that Job has no legal standing to convict God. Job cannot demonstrate how God runs the universe, so he cannot present any evidence of injustice (chapters 38â39). Also, God establishes His absolute right to act as He sees fit. As proof, He points to two creaturesâbehemoth and leviathanâthat mankind has no control over whatsoever and that answer only to God.
Even before God shows up, Elihu makes the same points and argues that God is deeply redemptive in His dealings with man in spite of manâs notorious tendency toward self-destruction (32â37). Since God validates Elihuâs points (38â41), the adversarial tone in Godâs answer to Job makes even more sense: throughout Jobâs dialogue with his friends (4â27) and in his formal complaint to God (29â31), Job had assumed that God was unaware of what happened to him or that He was deliberately persecuting him or that Job had inadvertently sinned and God was not willing to tell him what the problem was. Job thought he was being punished entirely out of proportion to any conceivable offense he may have committed. In fact, Job questions God incessantly throughout the dialogue. His protest concludes in a direct indictment of God on the charge of injustice (29â31).
So what did Job âget rightâ (42:7)? The upshot of the trial is that Job finally sees that Godâs governance of the universe is much more wonderful than he could have imagined, and he openly concedes this (42:2-5); so this is what Job spoke about God that was ârightâ (42:7). Now, it is absolutely crucial to note the sequence of events at this point: it is only when Job obeys God and intercedes on behalf of his three friendsâwho had now become his enemiesâthat God actually blesses Job with a twofold inheritance (42:8-17). This ârewardâ was not at all some kind of âconsolation prizeâ for Jobâs unfair treatment; rather, it was the inheritance God promises to all who serve faithfully as redemptive agents of the Creator (cf. Daniel 12:3). Job obeyed God and was rewarded for his obedience.
In the end, Godâs wager with Satan actually achieved an incredible coup: He harnessed evil and turned it to good (cf. Genesis 50:20), and He transformed Job into the most effective servant of all, one who took on Godâs own redemptive character and loved his enemies. And this, in fact, is our take-home lesson from Job.