Posted by PS on January 17, 2003 at 10:14:26:
In Reply to: A Querry On Faith ( Yes Bill I Said Querry ) posted by Xavier on January 16, 2003 at 07:44:17:
I have thought a lot about these things. Briefly, here are some essentials in my faith:
1) God's benevolence: I hold the certainty that God is omni-benevolent and would do anything possible to bring his child home. If anything can/could be done, he will/would do it. Whatever pain we feel, He feels much more deeply. It is HIS child who is lost.
2) God's righteousness: God is the perfect judge, and He sees in a way we cannot. There are probably many who seem "lost" to us because of their offense at the church or the church's representation of God, and yet I suspect we will be surprised how many we see in heaven. True acceptance or full rejection of God is well beyond our capacity to discern.
3) The foundation of my faith: I choose God and want to be with him even if all of my loved ones reject him. (Abraham is a good example of this, as he left his family and homeland and all he had known to pursue God.) I would of course feel great pain for those I love who reject God's love, but it does not change my love for my Lord nor my certainty of his righteousness and benevolence in all things.
BUT:
It is OK to grieve.
It is OK not to understand.
It is OK to speculate that maybe our doctrine of God's work is not complete, and there are yet some surprises in store. (This openness is called heresy in some circles. So be it...)
We can talk more later, if you like.
Love ya, Tim!