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Metaphysics
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 Without The Truth, Is One Corrected? The argument of authority is not to be taken to mean that there is no cause to preach - for faith comes by hearing and unless the gospel will be preached who will find Christ? Authority is not found in interfering in the place of God: God may be instructing the conscience of another through their appearance of weakness - we are not to injure the consciences of our brethren, that is true and taught in the NT plainly. There is every value in reaching those God has called and who are interested - else no one would ever be converted without direct divine intervention. The question as to whether the authority given the believer to correct another extends over the unrepentant is the crux of the matter. We can deduce God's authority is absolute and therefore so is Christ's, but not our own. We have no authority over people that do not care to be corrected. We are not converted to exercise vengeance, only the Lord may have that judgement. There are occasions where God has sent prophets to speak His words to correct the unbelief of others, and not to all in general but mostly to Israel alone. Israel was to remain separate and a light to the gentiles - In all things the temple and centre of Jewish life was maintained in terms that excluded other nations. The temple was off limits to foreigners and in almost every case in dealings with foreigners there was no acceptance into the temple for those that were not born into Israel. Does this exclusion of acceptance for those that refuse to be grafted into the body of Christ hold also for the authority to correct them? If they are left to a reprobate mind, without accepting correction - there must be authority over them because there is judgement or election, Christ is spotless and was baptised to fulfil all righteousness, some to the spirit into eternal life and all others to the lake of fire. Christ delivered the challenge to all nations to come to Him and be healed spiritually, not us. We can claim no authority over those we may not deduce will be later saved. What happens when someone tries to apply authority to the case of the unbeliever? We would begin to assume the unbeliever holds some set of virtues L(X) as positive, and for intents has a different law (with or without a god). by which they live their lives. In fact we may see that the virtues they hold are not the same or a subset of those always found in Christ - as some will have positive properties that exclude others, not being virtues themselves. We assume from the gospel that a believer will hold L(G),.. getting the believer to that stage is the domain of our authority - God's authority is to make an individual fruitful upon the planting of that seed. If the seed can not be planted, then we have exhausted our own authority - we are told to brush the dust of our feet against them and move on, taking nothing from them at all, merely leaving them with no place in the ministry of the gospel, for they received not even the least disciple in the name of a disciple - they should have no reward. What does it mean that a seed can not be planted? Jesus laid out the reasons in the parable of the sower, examined elsewhere in this metaphysics area (on ultraproducts). Clearly if there is no love of the truth then there is no similar gospel based on the OT law given for men to please God. There is no faith on Christ then, and there is nothing left but the assertion that laws made to please God are inconsistent theories without worth - then blaspheming the Holy Ghost and every work of God to redeem man to the same image of Christ. Clearly L(X) if it justifies the individual in themselves will not be fruitful without correction, but a love for the truth of the one gospel is required - not just a love of the truth which is up to the choice of the individual - relativism enters in, the absolute is lost. We are left only with the one authority over the unbelievers, to choose to remove yourselves from them so that they might have no part in the temple of God with you. In keeping our correcting influence within our fellowships we shine a light as would have OT Israel had they shown faith to the gentiles. The temple of God is to be kept spotless to the fullness of our ability, and that means that the light shines out, not the draught flickering the flame coming in. |
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