tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.comments2023-04-14T04:28:54.000-04:00Reformed ApologistReformed Apologisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comBlogger2345125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-51680136851825739782021-10-01T21:56:54.884-04:002021-10-01T21:56:54.884-04:00Correct. You’re not following. Here are a series o...Correct. You’re not following. Here are a series of my posts on Molinism. https://philosophical-theology.com/tag/molinism/Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-74506420135893990222021-10-01T21:54:30.774-04:002021-10-01T21:54:30.774-04:00Faith without works is dead. The effeminate will n...Faith without works is dead. The effeminate will not inherit the KoG. Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-21514862250026530592021-08-14T07:26:32.277-04:002021-08-14T07:26:32.277-04:00Our entrance into Heaven is not based upon our beh...Our entrance into Heaven is not based upon our behavior but based solely on our trusting Christ as our atonement. Says it 98 times in the Gospel of John--believe in me for everlastinglife. 98 times andnot a word about repentance and submission and obedience. The Gospel of John th eonly book in the NT written to unbelievers requires nothing but belief. Living a full life of sanctification requires a lot but nothing but belief for eternal life.freegraceteacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02473939369581635748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-17130747039225156872021-03-02T23:46:53.417-05:002021-03-02T23:46:53.417-05:00I am not completely following your 10-step process...I am not completely following your 10-step process of refuting Molinism's claims. I am struggling with how you are using the term "necessary", particularly in the progression of steps 4-6. <br /><br />With that admission of my inability, I do have some very practical questions regarding implications of your view. But let me back-up for framing and for confirming understanding. <br /><br />I hear you arguing that since God has an eternal decree, any actual deliberation on his part is ruled out. And that all things decreed must necessarily flow from his divine character, and not from any lesser contingent source (such as a human’s free choice). Am I rightly understanding this much? <br /><br />You deduce that any uncertainty of foreknown actions by any individual is impossible. In other words, what God KNOWS in advance MUST necessarily happen. So you equate God's foreknowledge with His decree: God both foreknows and decrees every action of every person at all times. His foreknowledge and his decree are united (e.g. 2 sides of the same coin). All of this "necessarily". So I hear from both Calvinists and Open Theists that "God can only know what He has decreed". And from the Calvinist: "God has decreed everything, exhaustively."<br /><br />Not only do you deny Libertarian Free Will for any creature, but even to God Himself, as He is necessarily bound by His character which disallows Him to be fully free; at least in the sense of having the ability to do otherwise.<br /><br />Am I grasping this accurately?<br /><br />As I ponder this, I am thinking deductive arguments may be insufficient for such topics. (Just as 2D is incapable of accounting for 3D reality). <br /><br />If God (to quote C.S. Lewis) is "unbounded by time", and may be seen to interact with the world in His ever-present "now", then His interactions with us could seemingly be before, during, or even post any particular event. But, the Calvinist is pre-committed to defining God's sovereignty whereby He must deterministically control everything, as if all actions are playing out an unchangeable script -- one pre-written from eternity past. <br /><br />How is this truly different from fatalism? <br /><br />Why can we not re-envision God's sovereignty as interactive, real-time supervision toward an ultimate end rather than as absolutely prescribing every event? <br /><br />If God has pre-decreed every detail that happens in the world, how is He not then the "author of evil" and how is He not Himself realistically responsible for man's sinful activity (which He determined)? <br /><br />I can conceive of a different view wherein God DOES retain absolute freedom as one of His eternal attributes. God thus remains free at any moment to interact with people's choices while still knowing all things -- both actual and potential. <br /><br />An analogy: In guiding a 2-year old to sit on a couch, a Dad has a multitude of options: He may use reason (occasionally effective), direct commands (which may get direct obedience or defiance), rewards (food placed on the couch) or can pick the small child up and appropriately move the child to the desired destination. The Outcome is known, the process may be variable.<br /><br />Why would we deprive God of similar adaptive options of persuasion toward his desired ends? Why do you require that for God (in this analogy) to know how the child will move to the couch MUST be via one pre-determined way? Why Is God deprived of using a variety of variable intermediate steps toward ultimate outcomes? <br /><br />Viewing God as not having LFW to adapt in real-time to human agents but who merely watches the playing out of what was scripted from eternity past rather than shaping it moment by moment -- seems to reduce God to a being more akin to Deist imagination and distance. <br /><br />How is personal interaction with a personal God maintained if all is pre-determined? How does prayer meaningfully function if there is no impact on how God answers and engages? <br /><br />This rejection of Molinism seems to reduce God's capacity rather than enhance it.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-32617085718704868242020-12-07T07:43:23.256-05:002020-12-07T07:43:23.256-05:00Not sure about North. The question of equity typic...Not sure about North. The question of equity typically pertains to the question of whether the penalty should be public and whether citizens ought to participate. Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-59566144149178017232020-11-15T18:21:22.273-05:002020-11-15T18:21:22.273-05:00So, God can pardon them he just can’t sanctity the...So, God can pardon them he just can’t sanctity them? Secondly, these men prove the Scriptures false on the effeminate not inheriting the kingdom of God? Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-5456663815967056532020-11-15T18:15:16.058-05:002020-11-15T18:15:16.058-05:00How do you distinguish John as writing to unbeliev...How do you distinguish John as writing to unbelievers? <br /><br />I’m not tracking the rest of what you wrote.Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-78677674188002314842020-10-16T11:18:42.602-04:002020-10-16T11:18:42.602-04:00Great response!
One quibble.
You write, "T...Great response!<br /><br />One quibble. <br /><br />You write, "The author will have a difficult time citing a single theonomist who advocates stoning . . ."<br /><br />Is it not true, however, that several prominent theonomists ─ including Gary North ─ advocate for the use of lapidation? Chris Mathewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00893801277708943538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-33315055590485195992020-07-07T00:28:57.992-04:002020-07-07T00:28:57.992-04:00Thank you for your responses. I hope you will cont...Thank you for your responses. I hope you will continue to empower women in the gifts God has given them. As a worship leader myself, it has been a very difficult road for me being limited by my gender. These type of posts reveal the pharisees we've become. It's very convenient that pastoral positions get power and pay, and that we've turned so many positions within the church into pastoral positions when Jesus Himself said not many of us should call ourselves teachers. We've not established any valuable roles for women that come with status and salary. We've decided men are the most important because clearly they are the only ones capable of teaching Scripture. <br />I consider myself to be a worship leader equal to any "worship pastor". Other women should do the same. What a sad thought that we would devalue humans that want to worship God and inspire others to do the same! Our very purpose. Your voice is very important because as a man, you have power. Other men will listen to you. They will not listen to women. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11403700438397273783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-30083260227611134642020-07-06T23:47:30.410-04:002020-07-06T23:47:30.410-04:00I think your taking that verse out of context and ...I think your taking that verse out of context and coming up with your own interpretation. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11403700438397273783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-74768610496565514272020-07-06T23:46:07.912-04:002020-07-06T23:46:07.912-04:00I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and appr...I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and appreciate your responses. I'm so glad the Lord has used You in the amazing roles you've had and I know He will continue to bless you and use your gifts for the advancement of His kingdom. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11403700438397273783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-60480526988692773352020-04-19T15:57:04.406-04:002020-04-19T15:57:04.406-04:00I believe with the ever-increasing evolving of tec...I believe with the ever-increasing evolving of technology, the challenge for us is to continue to capture the true essence of God in our individual lives. Even if one hour a day is spent on social media, that is enough fuel to change our whole perspective to life itself, for that individual day. Some of us are constantly leaning on a person we feel has a growing a sense of God's love, but we are not taking the necessary steps needed to receive the grace of God, individually.<br /><br />To only lean on someone else without ever making a selfless effort to seek God for our self is definitely a short-cut, which is why a lot of us are cut from that grace. The technology today does more harm than good in this sense because now the things we need are at our fingertips. With everything going on about COVID-19, I would think that this would be the opportune time to seek God directly for everything, because all else will fall into place. This is how it should have been prior to the virus, but this is something brought to everyone's desk and to our attention, now that it's here.<br /><br />Before closing this comment, let me leave with this. I believe God love us so much, because we are seen as good in his eyes. I see the same in people, that we are capable. With each one having counsel we can be more than we are capable of, and that kind of capability can become destructive, or it can feed the masses. Remember, all things good come from God (All GOOD things!). Thank youSkrypthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05987109131132321040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-64232158609329691132020-04-16T10:55:56.687-04:002020-04-16T10:55:56.687-04:00Great post! One thing, though:
> "The aut...Great post! One thing, though:<br /><br />> "The author will have a difficult time citing a single theonomist who advocates stoning"<br /><br />I thought most theonomists (including myself) entertain lapidation as a possible means of capital punishment? Gary North even recommended it as the ideal.Chris Mathewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00893801277708943538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-68253736565959362872020-03-22T19:49:30.837-04:002020-03-22T19:49:30.837-04:00Why doesn't this young man ask the Lord Jesus ...Why doesn't this young man ask the Lord Jesus himself, whether he is loved by the Lord Jesus Christ ? <br />Surely the Lord Jesus Christ is old enough to tell him the truth. Paul Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15227545422232659930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-83835147556937841332020-02-28T05:43:33.774-05:002020-02-28T05:43:33.774-05:00You folks sound like Stephen Hawking. Nothing you ...You folks sound like Stephen Hawking. Nothing you say is understandable. It sounds important but it isnt. There are promises of salvation in the scripture and they are very clear. The entire book of John, the only book written for unbelievers mentions Belief 99 times and never mentions submit or confess or repent as a means of salvation. It says believe in me which means repent is synonymous with belief. God wrote this book through his holy Spirit and He means it to be simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-47518960804903512422020-02-24T13:08:01.071-05:002020-02-24T13:08:01.071-05:00Would you be interested in doing an interview on m...Would you be interested in doing an interview on my podcast (Revealed Apologetics)? I would love to discuss with you the nature of TAG for a popular audience. Let me know if this can work. (Revealedapologetics@gmail.com) -Blessings!!!Eli Ayala (Revealed Apologetics)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03439692956513773043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-50219368197610667352020-02-24T13:06:44.154-05:002020-02-24T13:06:44.154-05:00Hey Ron. I am a Christian apologist (Presuppositio...Hey Ron. I am a Christian apologist (Presuppositionalist) and have been really blessed by your content. I would love to interview you on my podcast “Revealed Apologetics”. I think what you have to say will be very helpful to a lot of lay apologist that are trying to get a handle on the presupp methodology. Let me know if this can work. My email is reveaeldapologetics@gmail.com <br /><br />-Blessings!!<br /><br />https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/revealed-apologetics/id1481500363?i=1000463944880<br />https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6Rt4GkPdHPdKm5IW0FVyQEli Ayala (Revealed Apologetics)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03439692956513773043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-24386065675486611752020-02-05T04:55:37.782-05:002020-02-05T04:55:37.782-05:00How do you know whether you love the right God and...How do you know whether you love the right God and not the wrong god ?? <br />Islamist love God also, do they love the right and true God ?Paul Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15227545422232659930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-38452908200841861222019-11-21T02:14:00.053-05:002019-11-21T02:14:00.053-05:00Philosophy: Is there anything that is not a matter...Philosophy: Is there anything that is not a matter of phenomenology?<br />go through https://www.cairn.info/revue-internation... http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?scri...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-55148482227965070232019-11-06T18:47:22.352-05:002019-11-06T18:47:22.352-05:00Hi there, just wanted to mention, I liked this blo...Hi there, just wanted to mention, I liked this blog post.<br /><br />It was inspiring. Keep on posting!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-85210240839875198032019-10-21T10:39:31.733-04:002019-10-21T10:39:31.733-04:00Two men who are partners and have been for thirty ...Two men who are partners and have been for thirty years and have served the church for thirty years and who believe Christ shed his blood for them in substitution and who express their appropriation of that belief will go to eternal life. It is a promise of the scripture. They wont get rewards or crowns and their life here on earth will not be as good as it could be for their continued behavior but they will have salvation. It is not commendable they are homosexual but they have salvationfreegraceteacherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02473939369581635748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-55156837262745227412019-10-16T04:07:46.281-04:002019-10-16T04:07:46.281-04:00Thank you for your helpful article. It particularl...Thank you for your helpful article. It particularly gives me insight into how to approach a situation wherein one party divorces the other for unscriptural grounds but does not engage in an adulterous relationship and claims to still be a believer. You have made it clear that a divorce on unscriptural grounds is a breaking of covenant, and therefore an act of unbelief. If the divorcing party will not repent then they are to be regarded as an unbeliever, 1 Cor 7:15 is applicable and the innocent party is free to remarry. Daniel Harpernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-24482539296995268032019-07-01T12:45:22.914-04:002019-07-01T12:45:22.914-04:00Van Til never said that nor thought it. You didn’t...Van Til never said that nor thought it. You didn’t get that from me. Ron DiGiacomonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-22628685062738853212019-05-23T12:59:32.844-04:002019-05-23T12:59:32.844-04:00Well, as I said, the PCA is well on its way.
http...Well, as I said, the PCA is well on its way.<br /><br />https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/may-web-only/greg-johnson-hide-shame-shelter-gospel-gay-teenager.html?fbclid=IwAR1UITn2doFaw1OgNi9BOnct8wMezAQ64wk3BMfHiknftbk3ybfjgFMnnxYReformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24271776.post-75133774461857093052019-04-09T09:13:23.418-04:002019-04-09T09:13:23.418-04:00“I think you and Mark need to read Clark's rep...<br /><i>“I think you and Mark need to read Clark's reply to Reymond in Clark Speaks From the Grave and the supposed role sensation plays in knowledge acquisition. Clark allowed no role for sensation in the acquisition of knowledge at all. Intelligible ink scratching does not give rise to knowledge.”</i><br /><br />Sean,<br /><br />Mark and I are familiar with the book and we also believe we’ve internalized the position. Clark’s writing the book actually presupposes that he believes that the senses play a role in knowledge acquisition! His issue with the role of sensory perception was that it is not what some make it out to be. It’s a medium and no more. Again, I’ve pointed this out above so I won’t rehearse it again here. Even if we disagree on Clark, you might want to decide for yourself whether your senses played any role in your salvation. Remember the verse: “How can they hear without a preacher?” Did your ears or eyes play no part in your coming to know your savior lives? <br /><br /><i>“You wrote:<br /><br />‘Induction involves asserting the consequent, sensory perception does not.’<br /><br />I never said you were asserting the consequent, just begging the question. You say the senses are reliable, but this you have not demonstrated.”</i><br /><br />The reason I pointed out that induction involves asserting the consequent and that sensory perception does not was because you asked how I can know something by seeing it once but not know something else when the evidence is repeated over and over again. My answer was an attempt to point you to the realization that when I know something by looking at it once, I am not drawing an inductive inference – therefore, I am not in those instances asserting the consequent.<br /><br />A common mistake Clarkians make is that they do not grasp that although I can’t *know* [from induction itself] that the red sheathed coil caused me pain I can know that the sheathed coil is red and that I am in pain. *Induction* cannot yield knowledge of the causal relationship, but sensory perception aids in knowing the two discrete events that are rationally maintained as causally related. [That said, from an externalism perspective, which I also hold, it’s possible to know through the occasion of inductive inference. God acting immediately upon the mind in such cases. After all, the proposition - (p) the burner caused me pain - exists. Why would it be strange that God persuades us of the truth of such propositions? Hence my externalism at play too.]<br /><br /><i>That's all I have time for right now, off to the beach!</i><br /><br />Don’t let the sun fry your brain! :)<br /><br />Also, if you don't advance anything new, I'll probably refrain from publishing your remarks. <br /><br />Stay cool,<br /><br />Ron<br />Reformed Apologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17398596496540697639noreply@blogger.com