Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
I am not so easily impressed with Lee's "this equals that" or "this means that" logic today as I was several decades ago. And that extends to you and me, as well -- the gap between us and the divine reality is just too great.
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Interesting that I made those remarks after commenting on the separation, or lack thereof, between "Creator", and "creation."
So maybe I was the one being illogical.
Let me first go back to Lee, then try to make a larger point. Lee's logic took him to a place where he refused to acknowledge his fellow believers, over doctrinal differences: his so-called "ground of oneness", aka "the doctrine of dirt".
Lee's logic took him to a place where he despised, or at least ignored, the weak, the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
Lee's logic took him to a place where he concluded that some parts of the Bible were revelatory and others were fallen, and natural, i.e. not divine. His logically-derived "economy" template then allowed him to determine which was which. His logic ultimately over-rode the warnings of the apostle John (Rev 22:19) not to take away any of the words of prophecy of "this book". His logic even over-rode his own "minister of the age", the apostle Paul, who repeatedly encouraged the saints in his epistles to sing the Psalms. No, said Lee, they are too low. Too natural. Lee's mind had determined this, after years of study, and thinking, and logical progression, had led him to that conclusion.
Now, to my own commentary. I cannot say what unfulfilled issues led this man to become a merchandiser of the Gospel, even the "merchandiser of the age." But it is a truth that one side-effect of the tree of Knowledge is that we can see the splinter in others' eyes, while missing the beam in our own. Thus, Lee could freely point out shortcomings of the ideational structures of Luther, Wesley, et al, even while being blind to his own. We, likewise, can look back and see Lee's faults while being unaware of ours (a benefit of this forum is that those who comment have not been unanimously impressed with my thinking; necessary medicine, to be sure).
To go back to the subject at hand, as I understand it: the disciples were continually "amazed beyond words" and "astonished beyond measure"; they were continually looking at each other and saying, "What is this?!?" I am unfortunately a creature of logic; I am always turning over "A = B" and "B + C = D" in my head. But deep inside there is something that longs for the cloud of unknowing. The journey involves the basic element of continual astonishment, like Moses when he saw the bush, and like myself when I was informed that God loved me and sent His Son to die for my sins.
The "truth" of the word is not where Noah's children found spouses, nor whether Judas hanged himself or died of an intestinal rupture. The truth is not found in God's economy or the doctrine of oneness. No, there is a Person lurking there, hidden and concealed within the words of scripture. This Person will never surrender to our logical constructions. Rather, we can come to the Word, and surrender to Him. And surrender, or "repentance", includes our own deluded, semi-logical minds.