David
Need there be an antithesis here? Surely power and authority are as
much gifts as any material thing. Therefore we can use "blessing"
provided we remember what this means. My concern with "mandate", even
though it is valid and has a long tradition behind it, is the rather
negative connotations it may have for many people: that of power without
effectual responsibility.
respectfully
Jonathan
David F Siemens wrote:
> Gordon,There is a small problem with your statement about God's
> blessing, for the verbs of those blessings are imperatives, commands,
> mandates, orders. Also, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
> says that "to bless" means "to endue with power for . . ." We think of
> blessings as benefits, not empowerments. Paul is correct in calling
> them mandates.Dave
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