Originally posted by twhitehead
No, it has always seemed to me to be arbitrary, ridiculous and in total contradiction to claims that God is just.
It is arbitrary since it seems that those that are chosen are chosen arbitrarily based largely on where they are born and the religion of their parents, or other similarly arbitrary factors.
It is ridiculous because the condition seems to b ...[text shortened]... d seems to be irrelevant.
The contradiction between the above and justice is painfully obvious.
It is arbitrary since it seems that those that are chosen are chosen arbitrarily based largely on where they are born and the religion of their parents, or other similarly arbitrary factors.
Your understanding of the situation is in err. You are imagining a scenario which simply doesn't exist. God's plan already considered any situation anyone can imagine, and even beyond the same imaginations. There are no weak links to His plan, not even that guy stranded on a deserted island and raised by the island iguanas--- God has it all covered, thank you very much.
It is ridiculous because the condition seems to be the acceptance of certain conditions yet an understanding of what exactly is involved seems to be irrelevant.
Well, if the "certain conditions" refers to accepting a gift for which one can do nothing in return, I guess you have a leg to stand on with the argument. However, I'm pretty sure most folks would say that the conditions of that scenario are pretty easy to both understand and follow.
The receiver of a gift doesn't need to understand all that gift entails; they don't need to know how the gift will impact their lives; they don't need to know or even understand the giver--- or the giver's intentions. The receiver can--- and often does--- simply receive the gift. Receipt (and receipt alone) is all that is necessary for the transaction to be considered complete.
The contradiction between the above and justice is painfully obvious.
Justice--- perfect justice--- is the name of the game. While the believer benefits from God's grace, our standing before Him, indeed, our entire relationship, is only possible because of justice. When God blesses me, He does so on the basis of justice.