In this episode Adam, Brett, and Jason continue a series studying Article 11 of the Formula of Concord which deals with the topic of God’s eternal foreknowledge.
One Comment
Jason has used the analogy of a man trapped in a dungeon and released by both the royal decree of clemency and also the personal word of the kings messenger to represent our two-stage reconciliation to God (Him-to-us via objective justification and us-to-Him via subjective justificaiton) several times before, and it’s not a bad one, but I’d like to present something better.
Imagine a city under siege from an invading foreign army, which is intent on starving the citizens into surrender. You, a besieged citizen, are quite literally starving to death, but one day a despicable diseased ridden beggar gives you the news that the army is now magically gone and you’re free to go. The city officials do not corroborate this information. Do you believe?
The superiority of the analogy is that a jail cell is somewhere foreign where you will receive some measure of protection and care, while in reality, we’re currently exposed to danger while we’re suffering and dying, surrounded by the familiar and comfortable. Further, the decree that the insurmountable objective problem has been dealt with is given by the worthless of society whom you look down on, as opposed to the power of the king himself. I’m not saying the king-jail cell isn’t great, because it does a good job of pointing out how we’re saved by Christ’s death, but we must also be saved by the active work of the risen King right now by faith. But I am saying 2 Kings 7:6-9.
Jason has used the analogy of a man trapped in a dungeon and released by both the royal decree of clemency and also the personal word of the kings messenger to represent our two-stage reconciliation to God (Him-to-us via objective justification and us-to-Him via subjective justificaiton) several times before, and it’s not a bad one, but I’d like to present something better.
Imagine a city under siege from an invading foreign army, which is intent on starving the citizens into surrender. You, a besieged citizen, are quite literally starving to death, but one day a despicable diseased ridden beggar gives you the news that the army is now magically gone and you’re free to go. The city officials do not corroborate this information. Do you believe?
The superiority of the analogy is that a jail cell is somewhere foreign where you will receive some measure of protection and care, while in reality, we’re currently exposed to danger while we’re suffering and dying, surrounded by the familiar and comfortable. Further, the decree that the insurmountable objective problem has been dealt with is given by the worthless of society whom you look down on, as opposed to the power of the king himself.
I’m not saying the king-jail cell isn’t great, because it does a good job of pointing out how we’re saved by Christ’s death, but we must also be saved by the active work of the risen King right now by faith. But I am saying 2 Kings 7:6-9.