1 Cor. 5:5
Gilbert L. Rice
glmrice at ixpres.com
Sun Nov 22 00:38:02 EST 1998
Allow this expression of appreciation to Trevor Peterson. I appreciated the
expressions on the above text in his recent post. I do think, apparently
with him, that Paul did mean to suggest that God would overrule in the
affairs of a wayward individual who had once espoused the principles His
savior taught. The overruling would be to an extended degree where one
would eventually be caused to yield the fleshly life in a test which would
find that one loyal in faith to principles again found precious, the result
of which would be a spiritual life in resurrection.
I appreciate Trevor's apparent acknowledgement that there is such a thing
as annihilation. I find this a much more satisfying concept as it reflects
upon a God of love and justice, than the concept held in some places of a
never-dying soul that if unrepentant, suffers for time unending.
His 2 Thess. 5:9 is doubtless intended to be 2 Thess. 1:9. Perhaps those
words of Paul were written particularly with natural Israelites in mind
who, along with other natural Israelites elsewhere who did not accept the
message about Jesus their Redeemer. Acts 17 records the persecution of Paul
and others by such in Thessalonica.. Pertaining to 'everlasting' in that
verse: seeing as how in LXX the Hebrew olam is often represented by
aionios, it would seem reasonable that the Greek here means 'to a vanishing
point,' to the end foreseen by God --not time infinitum.
His cited 1 Tim. 6:9 brings up another dimension of thought. Perhaps the
destruction is complete but not eternal--that as Jesus has it in John
5:28,29 and Paul in Acts 24:15, there will be a resurrection of all -- all
being divided into but two groups.
Years back I sent to England for a copy of "The Mystery of Salvation," A
report by the Doctrine Commission of the General Synod of the Church of
England, Church House Publishing, London, ISBN 0 7151 3778 6 Published
1995, copyrighted The Central Board of Finance of the Church of England
1995.
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