First I just want to say that I'm not arguing for or against the traditional understanding of the trinity in this post, I just merely want to engage the applicability of the aforementioned rule, that if "X" cant exist in the mind then "X" cannot be believed, to biblical belief in any doctrine.
Steve previously said:
"To believe something, one must first think it; if something cannot exist in the mind, it is incapable of being believed."
Steve, I see where you go with your argument but I don't find it convincing. Your telling me that as long as something can exist in my "MIND", that is the only way it can be believed? what does that mean exactly? To what extent do I have to understand to believe? Can I even really believe in God at all then? Even though "I Believe" what the bible says about him I cannot at all conceive of where he is right now or that he is Omnipresent, Omniscient ect. If I thought about so much of that long enough and applied your logic then up in the air go both my hands with the concept of God at all.
what about a new christian who has hardly any concept of who God is in greater detail but yet they still believe? I think your definition of what constitutes belief seems to fit better with non-biblical belief in non-biblical items. I don't think this same logic should be applied to holy writ.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, right? why is it that I cannot convince a non-regenerate to believe and persevere to the end with my "own" words of wisdom? That's because God alone is the only one that can truly change a heart, not me. Without the Holy Spirits ministry in the process of salvation we would not be able to come at all because our minds are still darkened in their understandings (Eph 4:18). I understand that the prior post wasn't intended to be explaining in detail salvific belief, I just don't feel that belief in anything biblical can be put on the same shelf with "HOW" we believe anything else.
Steve, I fundamentally struggle with the idea that something in the "BIBLE" has to be conceptualized intellectually before belief of it can be true.
In Christ we stand!
--More to follow--
Comment of the Day
Tuesday January 13, 2009
Categories: Comment of the Day, Theology
Eric Glover continues the discussion of the Trinity:
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About The New Christians
Tony Jones is the author of many books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. He is a leader in the emergent church movement and a renowned expert on postmodern theology and the American church landscape.
Find out more about Tony, his books, and his speaking schedule at his website.
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