Originally posted by kirksey957 I am curious to the fact that this idea takes away your hope, but give me hope. Any ideas?
If God is supposed to be perfect by definition, then there can be no imperfect being who is God; the act of changing one's mind strongly implies imperfection (e.g., rethinking a former decision on the grounds of its being problematic); hence, if a being with pretensions to Godhood changed his mind, he might be sorely disappointed to find out that he was a lesser being.
Originally posted by DoctorScribbles It seems like it is, though. Didn't you read the verses I cited? Many say that he does in fact repent.
No. There are several verses to choose from that say "God repented" which appear to imply God changed his mind, but you didn't provide any specifics. Which one do you want to talk about?
Originally posted by Coletti No. There are several verses to choose from that say "God repented" which appear to imply God changed his mind, but you didn't provide any specifics. Which one do you want to talk about?
Let's take the first one:
Genesis 6:6 -- And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Did the Lord repent here? Did he regret his decision to make man on earth?
Originally posted by kirksey957 I am curious to the fact that this idea takes away your hope, but give me hope. Any ideas?
Very interesting. Perhaps it is this very kind of conflict that points out our true ignorance of the Spirit. I would say that when there is doubt, the variables are in the individual. Most people want to see hope. Early on they choose what to see hope in, and when something contradicts the thing that is envisioned as the holder of hope, all they can see is chaos and dispair.
Originally posted by DoctorScribbles Let's take the first one:
Genesis 6:6 -- And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Did the Lord repent here? Did he regret his decision to make man on earth?
It does say the God was not happy, and that the object of his sorrow was the men He created. But you have to look back at the earlier verses and the following to make it clearer. God is responding to the sin and disobedience of men.
(Gen 6:5 NASB)
Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
But verse 6 does not say God changed his mind. And we have not really explained what is meant by "changed his mind."
The word "repented" in verse 5 is the Hebrew nâcham and it does not translate well to English. It can also mean comfort. It seem it has something to do with the the process of grieving.
BTW, what sense did the Flood make anyway? Since Man is by nature "vile" and "depraved" what difference would it make if God knocked all the pieces off the board and then set it up again with equivalent ones? Besides showing that he's capable of a hissy fit, what was the point?
Originally posted by no1marauder BTW, what sense did the Flood make anyway? Since Man is by nature "vile" and "depraved" what difference would it make if God knocked all the pieces off the board and then set it up again with equivalent ones? Besides showing that he's capable of a hissy fit, what was the point?
The point is to impress upon us how utterly dependant we are on Him because He could wipe us out with a sneeze; for our sake, He takes Claritin.
Originally posted by KneverKnight The point is to impress upon us how utterly dependant we are on Him because He could wipe us out with a sneeze; for our sake, He takes Claritin.
That's as close as many people get to understanding it. (Except for the Claritin part 🙂 )
Originally posted by Pawnokeyhole If God is supposed to be perfect by definition, then there can be no imperfect being who is God; the act of changing one's mind strongly implies imperfection (e.g., rethinking a former decision on the grounds of its being problematic); hence, if a being with pretensions to Godhood changed his mind, he might be sorely disappointed to find out that he was a lesser being.
I am not versed in logic like you, but I am wondering if I am giving God human-like traits where you may be giving God transcendent qualities.
And despite you implied insult to RBHill and Blindfaith, they have a more biblical understanding of God's character and basic biblical truths than you do. So I'll stick with them.
I wouldn't go that far. They really don't know anything. They just blindly parrot what has been told to them.
Come to think of it parroting requires some thought because you must memorize peoples statements. They cut and paste.
To anyone who is thinking of responding: You really owe it to yourself to first read the few posts between Col and I at the link I gave. You find that I listed many translations of the verse, all of which supported the idea of regret and not of just sorrow.
As for me, I'm not getting back into it. I admire Col's stamina on this issue. I'm tuckered out.
Originally posted by Coletti No it thinking in terms of omni. A God that changes his mind is either not omnipotent, or not omniscient. And one would entail the other. Making God wishy-washy like people makes him more appealing to some, but it is lowering him down to a human scale. That is not the God of the Bible.
And despite you implied insult to RBHill and Blindfaith, they have ...[text shortened]... erstanding of God's character and basic biblical truths than you do. So I'll stick with them.
I in no way insulted them. If anything, I give them some credit for reading past posts of theirs and remembering what they say. You use the term "wishy-washy" to imply that any change of direction or intent is wishy washy. If anything, it implies thoughtful consideration.
Originally posted by kirksey957 I am not versed in logic like you, but I am wondering if I am giving God human-like traits where you may be giving God transcendent qualities.
Week 3 SAB Study: Does God Ever Repent?
27 May '05 17:03
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