Mark

Cheryl,

I wonder if we have very different understanding of what a ‘conservative’ theology is. Numerous times you have hinted that a opinion of mine may be getting near ‘liberal’, and thus the assumption is made that your view is the conservative one. But then you go and make all these comments about the sovereinty and pre-determined plans of God (or lack of in your view) and expect me to think that you do hold a conservative option to the scriptures.

It is obvious that you do not have a proper undersanding of the reformed conservative position of divine sovereignty. This is clear in your statements. Now i’m not sure you would wish to delve down that path, but since you brought it up i will.

I thought you said you believed in God’s sovereignty (which of course means God is in complete control of everything that happens…even the hairs on your head) yet you define it as God ‘allowing’ it to happen. This is not a belief in the sovereignty of God at all, it’s just ip service.

Let me illustrate on something in Gen you said

“So God willed the serpent to deceive the woman? And God willed Adam to disobey God?”

Now what do you mean by willed? I would most definately say that it was God’s plan for the fall to happen. We know this is the case because Jesus was chosen before the world was even made to be the lamb without blemish and to be the one to redeem his people (1 Pet 1:19-20). Now how could God choose Jesus to save his people before the world, if the fall was not part of God’s plan.

To say that God’s is not in control of something in His world or that it happens as not part of his plan is really to deny the sovereignty of God. Your view is an oxymoron! You need to actually understand the conservative reformed position before making these sorts of comments about predestination. It has revealed alot about your theology.

I will respond more later and deal with your supposed Jeremiah proof text to deny pre-destination.