On Thu, 18 Jan 2001 17:56:31 -0500 "Vandergraaf, Chuck"
<vandergraaft@aecl.ca> writes:
in part> Jon,
>
> Maybe a bit of both;
>
> Theological:
> Not sure if I would know how to deal with ETL, for the reasons often
> cited:
> would these creatures be with or without sin? If intelligent, but
> without
> sin, how would we interact with them? If sinful, did Christ die for
> them
> and, if so, why did He pick this earth? If not, was His atonement
> not
> universal? How does one define "universal?"
>
The question of the atonement seems to keep coming up even though it has
been addressed earlier. While kosmos in John the Baptist's declaration
may apply to the universe, Paul connects Adam's death with Christ's life
(I Corinthians 15:22)--indicating that the redemption is for Adam's
descendants. I don't see how ETL can be Adam's progeny.
It is certainly possible that intelligent creatures may not have fallen
and so need no redemption. This is the case, apparently, with the angels
who did not fall. But the fallen angels have no redemption in
Christ--unless we make major revisions in the biblical revelation. But,
if there were a corporate fall, then it seems that one of their
individuals would have to be their redeemer, as a man had to be our
redeemer. This would have to be a different incarnation--or
in-whatever-their-living-matter-may-be-tion--unless God provides a system
for salvation for them that is in no way like ours, something other than
a substitutionary atonement. The one way that I can imagine this
possibility is if the penalty for the ETL fall were something other than
death. But my imagination isn't good enough to figure out what that might
be.
Dave
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