The fact that this way out is available suffices to show that God does, in fact, have a choice in the matter, so you don't get to claim that eternal damnation is just some kind of inevitable "consequence" of sin that God couldn't prevent. This raises the question, if Jesus' death on the cross provides a way out then why is it necessary for people to also choose to turn to Christ to get access to that way out? Is it an inevitable consequence of the 'mechanics' of how that works, or is it an 'arbitrary' additional step that God introduces?
I don't know the answer to that. I don't think the mechanics of these things is spelled out in great detail in the Bible (if at all) because there is no real need for us to know that sort of stuff. It could be an inevitable consequence.
If it's not then I don't think it can be right to blame God for the problem of sin (you could blame him for creating you at all I suppose, but personally I'd rather have existed) when he actually has provided a way of dealing with the problem at great personal cost.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-29 12:00 am (UTC)This raises the question, if Jesus' death on the cross provides a way out then why is it necessary for people to also choose to turn to Christ to get access to that way out? Is it an inevitable consequence of the 'mechanics' of how that works, or is it an 'arbitrary' additional step that God introduces?
I don't know the answer to that. I don't think the mechanics of these things is spelled out in great detail in the Bible (if at all) because there is no real need for us to know that sort of stuff. It could be an inevitable consequence.
If it's not then I don't think it can be right to blame God for the problem of sin (you could blame him for creating you at all I suppose, but personally I'd rather have existed) when he actually has provided a way of dealing with the problem at great personal cost.