Pilgrim,
“Patronizing”? Nah, just having fun. I am curious what you mean by “simply the enticement of a (picture of some type of animal)”? I do not believe that I am being insincere in my responses, nor enticing. Mainly “stirring the pot”, to get a response to yours and Hodges thought on “Impeccability”. Also, trying to get you understand the possible implication of that thought. Most importantly, I could be wrong.
Remember Pilgrim, there were many supra’s present at the WCF and probably at the other councils. I believe much of what was adopted in the WCF was a compromise with the less palatable positions of eternal decrees of the supra’s. You say that you do not take yourself seriously, but you take “biblical doctrine and truth seriously”; well, so do I, but I do have enough reason in me to realize that the whole issue of the Impeccability or not of Christ has been an on going debate in Christendom for 2000 years. So, who is fooling who, over being to serious about a question of theology that may never be answered until glory by their dogmatism? Especially considering your position is probably a minority view amongst Reform people and most of the protestant world.
Though I do not pretend to understand the mystery of God’s sovereignty, I also do not pretend to understand the mystery of man’s responsibility. Yet, when it comes to eternal decrees set forth, Christ was the lamb slain before the foundation of the earth where the names of the elect were already established (Rev. 13:8), thus I reject the notion that the human aspect of our Savior could have failed, thus placing the whole drama of man’s redemption in jeopardy.
Now I have been a Reform person for many years and one of the things I have been guilty of in the past is a haughty attitude. Unfortunately, my subjective feeling is that a haughty attitude is and has been a stumbling block for many of us in the Reform tradition. May we never forget that any real truth we possess came from God.
Geomic