Predestined Thoughts

 ~ The following is excerpted from  Alexander Moody Stuart – A Memoir – Kenneth Moody Stuart

"... they exchanged the truth about God for a lie"  ~ Romans 1:25 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness ..." ~ Romans 1:18 The Exchange: Avoid the facts Cover up the facts Illustration: The White Elephant in the Room Avoidance: Always keeping your back turned to the elephant. No matter where in the room, the elephant goes, you keep turning yourself so that you do not have to face the elephant.  Cover-Up : Putting a blanket on the elephant, and then the carpet and then the bedsheets and so on. If some says that they noticed the sheets still moving, then you throw even more stuff on the elephant. You bury it. Hospital Illustration / David & Bathsheba Illustration Sometimes one or the other  or  one after the other  and  other times its a mix. E.g. A  Mix - Call it a human right instead of abortion.  ~ Both (1) and (2) involve an exchange. ...

 ME> Can you summarize everything that we have discussed up above. ChatGPT> Certainly! Here’s a summary of our discussion on redemption: 1. Concept of Redemption: Basic Definition: Redemption involves a movement from a bad state to a good state, often at a cost or price. This transition can involve either a return to a former good state (restoration) or a move to a new, even better state (improvement). Example in the Bible: The story of Dinah in Genesis illustrates this concept. Dinah starts in a good state with her family, moves to a bad state after being violated by Shechem, and then faces an attempted but flawed redemption through marriage, which is ultimately a failed effort at restoration. 2. Restoration vs. Improvement: Restoration: Returning to the original good state that was lost. For instance, if an Israelite loses his house, a relative might redeem it by buying it back and returning it to him in its original condition. Improvement: Going beyond restoration...

 ME> Yes, while some forms of redemption may aim to bring us back to what was, others may indeed aim to lead us to something even greater. And in the case of being led to something greater, who's going to complain? Who's going to complain and say, hey, look, you're supposed to actually take me back to something that was what it was before. Nobody will complain if it's even better. In fact the improved state might be like a superset of the former state.   If a son loses a toy like a worn out tennis racket and his father instead of searching for that racket, gives him a brand new racket, is the son going to complain? No. ChatGPT> Exactly! The idea of redemption leading to an even greater state than the original one captures a profound truth: when something lost is restored in a way that surpasses its former state, it's not just a return to the status quo but an elevation that exceeds expectations. Your example of the son and the tennis racket illustrates this pe...

ME>  Let me qualify that bit. I said earlier that I conceive of redemption as a movement from a bad place to a good place. I think I could also say instead of place, I can use the word state. Redemption is a movement from a bad state, like a state of affairs or state of being. It's a movement from a bad state to a good state.  Now the key is this. Nobody originally is in a bad state. Life doesn't start off in a bad state. Something has to happen for us to wind up being in that bad state. So when we move from a bad state to a good state, the good state is either the former state we were in before we were in the bad state, or it's a completely newer and even better good state than the prior good state. Do you see what I'm saying?  So in effect, what I'm saying is redemption involves a move from a good state to a bad state, and then either going back to the good state or to a newer, even better good state. I hope that wasn't confusing. Hence we say buy back and ...

 ME> In Psalm 111, it says he has sent redemption to his people. The he most likely refers to God. Actually, it refers to God. But what is the redemption referring to? Isn't the signal act of redemption in the Old Testament the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea and the Exodus? Isn't that the signal event? What is redemption referring to? Is it referring to the Passover lamb incident right on the heels of the Exodus? ChatGPT> Yes, the "redemption" in Psalm 111:9, which says, "He sent redemption to his people," does indeed refer to God and likely alludes to the Exodus event, which is the signal act of redemption in the Old Testament. In the context of the Old Testament, the term "redemption" often refers to God's deliverance of Israel from bondage, particularly the deliverance from Egypt. The Exodus, including the parting of the Red Sea and the liberation of the Israelites from slavery, is a defining moment in Israel's history, symboli...

 ME > Consider the following:  So here is I am “floating a theologoumenon”. This is speculation on my part.  ~ The Father is source or font of all being. I.e. He is the origin of the Son and the Spirit. They are ontological co-equal, but He is in some sense prior to the Son and the Spirit. ~ The Son proceeds from the Father and as such is subject to the Father. ~ The Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son and so the Spirit are subject to both the Father and the Son (Filioque). The pastor/preacher’s role is akin to that of the Father. The word proceeds from the pastor. The Word proceeds from the Father. The Father also rules over all things authoritatively.   The elder’s role is akin to the Son. The elder is under the authority of the pastor (contra your/Strauch and contra the presby distinction bec it does not go far enough). The elder can teach, counsel and act as a go-between between a lay person and pastor. I.e. intercede.  The deacon’s role...