Re: [asa] The Old Testament God is ..

Iain,=20

It's not a matter of God's inability but of human need. Think of it
as =
God's accommodating himself to the people and situation he had to work =
with. Was God "in control" when Genesis 1 was written in such a way
as =
to give a clear impression to almost everyone that the world was made
in =
six days? Was God "in control" when his chosen people time and again =
ignored his laws and lusted after foreign gods? Shouldn't we expect
an =
omnipotent God to have done better? =20

We can trust he chose the best way possible to get the result he
wanted. =
  As often happens, there were bad side effects. =20

Jesus as a man was in some ways limited, and he himself acknowledged =
that. Every human must be to some degree a product of his culture, or =
he wouldn't be human. It's impossible for us to distinguish in every =
case what was limited and what was not. Recall that "[Jesus] could
not =
do any miracles there...." Mark 6:5. Consequently, I can believe that =
Jesus was God incarnate but still as a man didn't have all his facts =
right.=20

  Jesus raised in 21st century America likely would have adjusted a
few =
of his teachings. Too bad we don't have an opportunity today to hear =
his response to a few carefully selected questions. Given his ability =
during his life on earth to put down opponents, challenging him is =
something one should not undertake lightly. =20

And then there's the possibility that the gospel writers may not have =
gotten everything right. =20

Don

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Received on Thu Oct 5 23:12:43 2006