The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum God's Sovereignty

Pilgrim
You said:
That reminds me of something the late John Gertzner (sp?) once said. He said that when we get to heaven, even the fact that some of our loved ones are in hell, will not bother us in the slightest. This is hard to fathom when we are still on this earth, but it is true none the less.

Tom

I agree, what could the answers that have all been trumped by the life in the eternal state in the presence of the Lord, add.

What I was saying about imago dei, was that we have a unique privalege to share in the inheritance of the Son of God. Paul said that we are his if indeed we suffer with him, and when we look at the "Covenant of Works" given Adam, there is a sense in which he was made "elohim" governor. The things that were put in his charge is the heritage of the Lord and as an underseer, he was responsible, just like, or in the image of the Governor. This unique relationship is carried out by Him making our will to be the causal agent of our actions. It is true then that the disposition of the heart is the determiner of the actions, and because of that, the heart, "the will," is responsible.

When JEdwards spoke of the will acting in accordance with the object that is in its "highest good in its veiw," is that not talking about what is external to man, that is then operated upon by what is internal to man. JEwards, fully understood that the character of the action was determined by the character of the actor, (see his discussion on virtue). That is, that righteous character will always choose that which is of the highest virtue in the mind at the time of the choice. So that, that which is external to man is subject necessarily to the nature of chooser in as much as he sees it to be the highest good or not.

In the fall, was it not that Eve "saw" the fruit to be good, and that is why she chose?

God had created man like him in this sense, governor. In his righteous image, the nature of man was created good, and the will follows that which is in the minds eye the greatest good just as in God all that He decrees is always in His view the highest good.

So, by this man is made responsible such that the outcome should be in kind, like that of the nature of the one who acts.

We are told that our first parents were deceived, and seeing that which was in view of their mind the highest good, ate. But God, who is by nature Governor, and creator of governors, holds them responsible just as he is responsible. Paul said that "I fill up in my flesh that which is lacking in Christ." Not that Christ's works were not perfect, but that we being one with Him, we share in all thing like as He. Then Jesus could truly say that we are in Him, He in us and we are in the Father. It is in fact this issue of responsibility that is at the heart of our confession. We must claim the responsibility for our action, just as He does of His, yet he is without sin. Through conviction of sin we come to know our sin and take full responsibility for it. Knowing we cannot atone and under the weight of the penalty for sin which is death, we are caste upon His mercy, the only recourse, so that the Father draws (elko: to drag or, to make to be by necessity) us to that which He has richly provided in Christ for those who believe that He has borne the grief of our actions.