tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post7764535125750372371..comments2024-03-28T17:17:52.949+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: How is Jesus *necessary* to salvation? The process of resurrectionBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-65301383318807737582018-02-28T18:00:46.635+00:002018-02-28T18:00:46.635+00:00I guess my impression was that Eastern Christianit...I guess my impression was that Eastern Christianity allows for a degree of mystery (uncertainty) in spiritual status – as opposed to Western Christianity (Catholic and Protestant) where there’s a strong emphasis on certainty as indicated by the very specific and/or elaborated soteriology(s) of the Western Churches.Bruce B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16110868564307280515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-69396495964486193272018-02-28T13:04:21.264+00:002018-02-28T13:04:21.264+00:00@BB - Almost certainly not; but the EO denominatio...@BB - Almost certainly not; but the EO denomination is broken up into multiple warring factions (various alignments of liveral and traditional, and national churches), like everyone else. In the end, like it or not, every modern Man is forced to use his discernment. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-6157225419597838242018-02-28T12:26:14.660+00:002018-02-28T12:26:14.660+00:00Do you know if these views (what we discussed abov...Do you know if these views (what we discussed above) are compatible with Eastern Orthodox Christianity?Bruce B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16110868564307280515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-3610425527790495272018-02-26T21:52:23.400+00:002018-02-26T21:52:23.400+00:00@BB - Yes indeed. But people tend to regard the ac...@BB - Yes indeed. But people tend to regard the accumulation of sins as more akin to a long list of crimes making God The Judge more and more inclined to punish them with Hell - whereas the process is more of a cumulative self-corruption leading to the desire for Hell. In an approximate way we see this in mortal life - in private and in public life. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-38997635904960252062018-02-26T21:30:06.534+00:002018-02-26T21:30:06.534+00:00All these verses where we are told that if we cont...All these verses where we are told that if we continue in sin we are in danger of hell. Well maybe sin, especially willful sin hardens the heart and makes it more likely that at that critical moment, one will freely choose sin and hell rather than God.Bruce B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16110868564307280515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-75660109744861646372018-02-26T12:52:22.687+00:002018-02-26T12:52:22.687+00:00@BB - It need not be the same for everyone, so lon...@BB - It need not be the same for everyone, so long as it happens. <br /><br />I don't think anything is truly instantaneous - and as you say, we know from dreams that a lot of thinking and experiencing can be crammed into a moment of awake-time. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-51747370201934175882018-02-26T12:29:47.083+00:002018-02-26T12:29:47.083+00:00"everybody must be brought, after death, to a..."everybody must be brought, after death, to a situation in which he or she makes a fully-informed choice, with understanding of the consequences."<br /><br />Is it possible to imagine that this occurs at or immediately preceding the moment of death? Death seems to be instantaneous for us but maybe not so for someone experiencing it. Look how long dreams can see even though reserachers tell us they don't last long.Bruce B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16110868564307280515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-43152143674177131782018-02-23T17:58:55.130+00:002018-02-23T17:58:55.130+00:00@Lucinda - Very good comment - thanks.@Lucinda - Very good comment - thanks.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-38434707884834935842018-02-23T15:38:12.104+00:002018-02-23T15:38:12.104+00:00My perspective is that one of the essentials of li...My perspective is that one of the essentials of life is the experience and witness of unrequited love. To continue to love even when the love is not returned, or when the love inspires hate, seems to be one of the main 'jobs' of becoming like God. It would be torment to have to live like God, hated and unappreciated by so many of His children, if the experience of active loving did not outweigh the pain of rejection, and you cannot eliminate the risk of rejection without eliminating agency, which would be unloving.<br /><br />So what I see Jesus doing for individuals is setting this example of loving despite rejection (even the ultimate rejection of being ignominiously killed for loving others enough to share the truth), and making available the eternal life necessary to continue to love. To love Jesus, who loves with no requirement of love in return, is no particular accomplishment, and will certainly be easy enough for most once they have all the information, and I believe the vast majority of people will make that decision to love Jesus in return, even if they don't exactly want to love others like he does. <br /><br />But I think the experience of life is not necessarily to experience Jesus' love as much as it is to experience and witness the rejection of love and decide how we feel about it, in our true self. Do we enjoy loving enough to suffer rejection...for eternity? What Jesus has been for me personally is a reminder of the joy of requited love, a joy that can outweigh the pain of unrequited love.Lucindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01834799557675879450noreply@blogger.com