Subject:
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Re: God and the Devil and forgiveness (was Re: POV-RAY orange color)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 19 Aug 1999 14:57:24 GMT
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Viewed:
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1185 times
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On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 06:00:41 GMT, cjc@NOSPAMnewsguy.com (Mike Stanley)
wrote:
> Jesse Long <jesse.r.long@gte.net> wrote:
> > That last question is pretty interesting. Would God forgive the Devil if
> > asked? It appears to me (without being a divinity scholar) that angels
> > (normal and fallen) have not displayed any freedom of choice since the
> > Rebellion. I don't know. It's not possible, so I haven't thought about it.
>
> Yeah, what if Satan just suddenly gave up? Admitted he was a jerk and
> wrong, and honestly (how could you hide it from God?) asked for
> forgiveness?
Hmm. Good question. I think the answer is, "nothing in the Bible addresses
this point". But to talk about it anyway: it's not enough to ask for
forgiveness. It's a condition for salvation, but not main cause of
salvation. The real reason humans are saved, is that Jesus Christ died to
pay for our sins. Asking for forgiveness, and accepting that Christ's
self-sacrfice is the only salvation is an added kicker.
Lucifer wouldn't necessarily be covered under the covenant. He might be, I
wasn't consulted on the details of agreement. But my guess is that he
wouldn't be.
> Or is he the pefectly arrorgant being some would paint him as, so
> arrogant that, knowing he's up against the ALMIGHTY, knowing
> everything God has ever wanted to do He did, knowing there's a book
> that details just how crappy this will all end up for him, knowing all
> that, he'd still keep going?
Maybe it's because of the way he's wired. See below.
> My father-in-law the preacher would probably have a heart attack to
> hear me say it, but in a lot of ways I find the concept of Satan as he
> is painted in Christian mythology much harder to accept than most of
> the happier stuff.
Hmm. You could say that the depiction is harder to accept because it's not
very human. You could also say that God, Satan, angels, et al, are as much
like forces of nature as they are like human beings. It's possible that
free will is the essential human characteristic.[1] So knowing that
defiance is futile, and keeping on anyway, may be part of Satan's basic
nature.
Then again, I know lots of people who struggle on in doomed ventures.
Or you could say that Satan has his own Book. Maybe that one has a happy
ending (for Lucifer). That isn't mentioned in the Bible, but it's not
ruled out.
Steve Bliss
--
1) Don't tell this to Calvinists, it'll burst their bubble.
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