franz kiekeben
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Philosophy
  • Publications
  • Contact

GOD'S WONDERFUL PLAN

4/8/2016

3 Comments

 
Christians are of course familiar with the idea that God sent Christ into the world in order to save those who happen to believe in him and who accept his offer of forgiveness. What they may not be entirely aware of, however, is how the need for salvation came about in the first place. Sure, everyone knows part of the story: Adam and Eve sinned, which somehow caused everyone else to do so, thus making Jesus necessary. But did God plan all of this in the first place?

Most Christians say he did not. They argue that sin is due to our own free will, and therefore that God did not intend it so much as allow it.

But that's wrong, and one does not need to appeal to abstract philosophical arguments (which never work on believers anyway) to come to this conclusion: The Bible itself says that God planned it this way. He wanted human beings to be sinners so that he could then forgive some of them.

In Romans 11:32, Paul informs us that “God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.” This same essential message is repeated in Galatians 3:22, which states that “the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (NRSV, emphasis added.)

Paul is very clear about this: God made humans into sinners in order to then send Christ as a savior. Thus, it's not that God hates sin; it's that he wants us to need his forgiveness – for something he caused in the first place!

The only real mystery is why anyone considers that a good or just plan. 
​

3 Comments
HoiTemmie
4/12/2016 02:43:22 pm

“God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.”

Did this happen after the sins of Adam and Eve? The timeline is important to your claim. Was imprisonment our punishment?

Reply
Franz Kiekeben
4/12/2016 07:11:41 pm

The idea that the "imprisonment" here is imprisonment FOR our disobedience - which I've seen before as an attempt to evade the problem - is simply inconsistent with what scripture says. Not only is it clear in the two passages I quoted that Paul is referring to imprisonment IN disobedience and not FOR disobedience, one can also see this from the overall context and surrounding passages.

E.g., in Rom 11:31, it says "they have... been disobedient in order that... they may now receive mercy." How can that be referring to punishment?

Or consider the context of the Galatians passage: Paul tells us that "if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."

Reply
HoiTemmie
4/13/2016 08:37:25 pm

I see your logic. So the situation is that God imprisoned us so that we could then be saved. Its making a problem for people and them making them fix it. That's...really rude.




Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2022
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Atheism
    Creationism
    Determinism And Free Will
    Ethics
    Infinity
    Politics And Religion
    Presuppositionalism

    RSS Feed

Link to my author's page on Amazon