What the Church (and the world) need is another Gregory of Naziansus. He was one of the great Cappadocian Fathers of the Fourth Century and instrumental in the formation of the Creed.
What strikes me about Gregory’s life is not only his sublime orthodoxy, but his reluctance to take the seat of power. He was hesitant to become a bishop and took posts in ‘one horse towns.’ Only his friendship with Basil the Great brought Gregory influence.
Gregory was strong, convinced in the power of Christ’s salvation to heal humanity through His holy life and divinity, and best of all—humble. While he was not afraid to ‘mix it up’ with heretics, at the end of the day it was the Holy Trinity that got the glory.
great stuff, father stace, in the last couple of posts. more more! i’d like to hear more about gregory…can you go into more detail?
Caleb,
Who’s father stace?
Gregory’s feast day (yesterday) is close to my b-day (today) and so he is close to my heart. His theology on the atonement is profound. Basically, it goes something like this: Jesus took all of humanity into himself from conception through resurrection, healing us completely in the process. He assumed our nature to bring about our restoration. In his writings (especially the Theological Orations) there is little about guilt and payment and much about Christ’s ability to heal our sinful nature–to ‘deify’ our nature through his power.
all of humanity?? how does that square with the great white throne judgment?
Take a breath Anny. Yes, all of humanity. Remember he is the ‘propitiation for all of our sins, and not only ours only but the whole world,’ as the apostle John would say.
That doesn’t mean Gregory, John, or I believe in universalism. However, we can certainly hope and pray that all are saved can we not?
the two don’t add up. how can you wish for something that scripture plainly makes clear is not truth. and are you serious!! that you have actually personally prayed for something that is opposite of revealed truth in scripture?? there is or is not a great white throne judgment. not maybe there will be depending on our wish and prayer. when i read your judas journal again now i can see why your church authority has such problems by wishing and praying!! for something that is not truth. ask any true believer no matter their church affiliation and they will tell you that such a wish and prayer is not only silly but also not in keeping with God’s revealed truth.
Anny,
Breathe my friend, breathe. Yes, there is a Great White throne judgment. Yes, there is a hell. Yes, it will be populated. Yes, salvation is only in Jesus Christ who said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.’
And yes, we can still hope and pray that God will save everyone. Is that not God’s desire? ‘That all should be saved and come to repentance?’ Is not salvation in Jesus that all-encompassing?
The record of the faithful is clear; they remain for us even still, as a great cloud of witnesses!
“That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly, they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in Hell.”
-Thomas Aquinas
“The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of the saints forever. . .Can the believing Father in Heaven be happy with his unbelieving children in Hell. . . I tell you, yea! Such will be His sense of justice that it will increase rather than diminish his bliss.”
-Jonathan Edwards
“What bliss will fill the ransomed souls, when they in glory dwell, to see the sinner as he rolls, in quenchless flames of hell.”
-Isaac Watts
“There are babies a span long in hell.”
-John Calvin
“When thou diest, thy soul will be tormented alone; that will be a hell for it, but at the day of judgment thy body will join thy soul, and then thou wilt have twin hells, thy soul sweating drops of blood, and thy body suffused with agony. In fire exactly like that which we have on earth thy body will lie, asbestos-like, forever unconsumed, all thy veins roads for the feet of pain to travel on, every nerve a string on which the devil shall forever play his diabolical tune of ‘Hell’s Unutterable Lament.'”
-C. H. Spurgeon
Did I say there was no hell?
“There are babies a span long in hell.”
-John Calvin
Calvin was kinda twisted, no?
i don’t see how it’s twisted to call a spade a spade. another way of saying the same thing is that he (calvin) spoke the truth of the *whole* gospel. wishing, praying, hoping, whatever you want to call it, won’t make a difference. you said it yourself, hell will be populated, so why waste your energy on something that won’t, can’t, come to pass. i find it almost laughable that a person would say we should pray and hope for an outcome that the same person doesn’t believe can or will happen. so who’s really twisted?
Babies in hell is the ‘whole truth?’ How can you be so sure of something that the Scripture is ambiguous about? I think we’re all a bit twisted don’t you? None of our doctrine is perfect, not even yours Anny!