Bible Answer Man Converts to Eastern Orthodox!

[Drake]

Originally Posted by awareness

Down thru the years I've known big talkers ; those that can talk a good game but can't play it worth a darn.

Athanasius, Ben Blackwell, CS Lewis, Carl Mosser, Witness Lee, and a host of LCer's, talk theosis, deification, divinization, becoming God in life and nature but not in Godhead, but there's no evidence that any of them are or were anything but faulty humans.

For the moment, lets say your premise is accurate.

What does that tell us? That because God uses "faulty humans" the truth is void?

nay, nay.

You're a faulty human... but that doesn't stop you from rendering your faulty advice, offering faulty opinions, and living a faulty life. If being a flawless human is the criteria for being used by God then there is only One who fits that bill. Therefore, with that logic no one should say anything about anything or about anyone.

But things don't work that way in God's economy. God uses faulty humans and it doesn't change that he used faulty humans to author the Bible. God reveals His will to faulty humans but that does not make His will or the things He reveals are not void.

Drake

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Drake

For the moment, lets say your premise is accurate. What does that tell us? That because God uses "faulty humans" the truth is void?

Not sure what you are trying to say. Could you please re-say it in a different way?

And another Hank aside. Hank is hungry. I got another invite in email from him, offering another book. He's now selling Intelligent Design (he must be one of those deified faulty humans I think you are talking about) :
https://www.equip.org/product/cri-re...ion-resources/

[Drake]

Originally Posted by awareness

Not sure what you are trying to say. Could you please re-say it in a different way?

I thought it was clear but I'll accommodate because maybe my speaking was faulty or maybe your hearing is faulty.

God's truth is not faulty and every man is.

You seem to be making the faulty argument that because God's servant's are faulty then you dismiss the truth. The truth is not made void by man' faults.

The good land was taken in spite of the fact that Moses could not enter because he was faulty.

The truth revealed to Peter (thou art the Christ) is not void just because Peter was a faulty apostle ("Get behind me Satan").

David was a faulty man but his offspring with the faulty Bathsheba was Solomon who built the Temple.

The biblical list goes on.

Now, bring it down to us. You are a faulty man and yet you would have us entertain your ideas even knowing that you are faulty. You don't eliminate yourself from advising others even though you know your ideas are faulty.

Everyone is faulty.... that has zero to do with whether faulty men, now possessing God's life, are being deified!

Drake

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Drake

I thought it was clear but I'll accommodate because maybe my speaking was faulty or maybe your hearing is faulty.

God's truth is not faulty and every man is.

You seem to be making the faulty argument that because God's servant's are faulty then you dismiss the truth. The truth is not made void by man' faults.

The good land was taken in spite of the fact that Moses could not enter because he was faulty.

The truth revealed to Peter (thou art the Christ) is not void just because Peter was a faulty apostle ("Get behind me Satan").

David was a faulty man but his offspring with the faulty Bathsheba was Solomon who built the Temple.

The biblical list goes on.

Now, bring it down to us. You are a faulty man and yet you would have us entertain your ideas even knowing that you are faulty. You don't eliminate yourself from advising others even though you know your ideas are faulty.

Everyone is faulty.... that has zero to do with whether faulty men, now possessing God's life, are being deified!

Drake

Now I see. I think. Basically you are pointing out that all men that God uses are faulty.

But the question wasn't, God using men. The question is deification. And if deified men are as faulty as every one else, what's the point of deification?

Maybe I don't understand your definition of deification. Please define it for this dummy. Tell me, for example, the fruit of it.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by awareness

Now I see. I think. Basically you are pointing out that all men that God uses are faulty.

But the question wasn't, God using men. The question is deification. And if deified men are as faulty as every one else, what's the point of deification?

Maybe I don't understand your definition of deification. Please define it for this dummy. Tell me, for example, the fruit of it.

Hi awareness

Post 314 and 316 explain my viiew of the process of deification according to the biblical revelation.

Thx
Drake

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Drake

Hi awareness
Post 314 and 316 explain my viiew of the process of deification according to the biblical revelation.

Thanks bro Drake. I went back to those two posts, and found no clarity. So let me ask. Those you listed from the Bible, Moses, David, Peter, Bathsheba, et al, were they according to scripture deified?

[Drake]

Originally Posted by awareness

Thanks bro Drake. I went back to those two posts, and found no clarity. So let me ask. Those you listed from the Bible, Moses, David, Peter, Bathsheba, et al, were they according to scripture deified?

The NT opened the path of divinization of humanity. However, I do not dismiss that ultimately all of God’s people will be divinized as the New Jerusalem depicts.

Drake

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Drake

For the moment, lets say your premise is accurate.

What does that tell us? That because God uses "faulty humans" the truth is void? nay, nay.

You're a faulty human... but that doesn't stop you from rendering your faulty advice, offering faulty opinions, and living a faulty life. If being a flawless human is the criteria for being used by God then there is only One who fits that bill. Therefore, with that logic no one should say anything about anything or about anyone.

But things don't work that way in God's economy. God uses faulty humans and it doesn't change that he used faulty humans to author the Bible. God reveals His will to faulty humans but that does not make His will or the things He reveals are not void.

Drake

Oh Drake, there you go again!

What is a "faulty" human? And how many times do I have to ask you to define "mistake?"

Do any of us really think that God would uses a "faulty" minister who appoints his son to rule with a rod of iron? Who protects his son when he molests the female staff. Who destroys the reputations of any who protest? And then God decides it's time to unveil the highest truths of the universe thru this "faulty" minister after all the "naysayers" are cast out, slandered, and quarantined?

Is that what you believe? Is that really how "God's Economy" works?

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Oh Drake, there you go again!

What is a "faulty" human? And how many times do I have to ask you to define "mistake?"

Do any of us really think that God would uses a "faulty" minister who appoints his son to rule with a rod of iron? Who protects his son when he molests the female staff. Who destroys the reputations of any who protest? And then God decides it's time to unveil the highest truths of the universe thru this "faulty" minister after all the "naysayers" are cast out, slandered, and quarantined?

Is that what you believe? Is that really how "God's Economy" works?

Good points bro Ohio. If God's economy produces followers that aren't really much different than nonfollowers, then what's the point of theosis?

If their theosis is just teachings, and different rituals -- ways of meetings -- then their theosis is just a claim and a platitude.

I just don't buy it.

I remember sitting in a conference where Lee stated that just by sitting in the conference we were being transformed into the image of Christ. That's all it took.

All it took to be transformed was listening to Lee speak. I guess he considered his speaking was like Jesus breathing on his disciples in John 20 ... I don't know ...

... but it wasn't so.

I was there, and sat thru all the meetings, soaked in his every word, wrote them down, and reviewed them in between.

Was I transformed? If I was I couldn't tell it. I did gain a bunch of teachings. Was that deification? What's deification like anyways?

Exactly what is it like to be God in life and nature? Are all bad thoughts gone? Is sinning gone? Is life perfect ; no bad things happen? Does it endow with the ability to see into the future? Does it mean there's access to privileged truths or revelations?

To put it simply, what's the gain in becoming God in life and nature? Can someone tell me? Then we'll talk about how to get there ... if it's possible, that is ... and more effective than listening to Lee.