12.27.2007
The Work and the Faith meet in Spiritual Warfare
Sometimes I get a rush of a realization that warfare will be met with at death, and even prior. The real spiritual warfare that culminates in glorification. The forces of darkness are there. I got this feeling today not just thinking of the violence of suicide bombings and assassination of a political leader, but of thinking about how that political leader herself had no defense against such forces. She died, or let's say she is in recurrence with no connection to the Saviour or to the Triune God and His Kingdom.
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3 comments:
I wonder though, being in recurrence and theatrum mundi may imply a connection. Even for the wolves. It has to be a possibility for us all. It is only through recurrence that we regain that lost connection, such is the way to the stars. Maybe the wolves will tear us apart at death and the play is done. Or, a yet greater danger awaits. The hour flies, Gloria in Excelsis Deo
Yes, I don't - and Calvinists don't - say reprobate, but currently unregenerate. And with recurrence as your understanding it means that unregenerate at death doesn't necessarily mean reprobate at death.
But a person who dies regenerate at death - truly regenerate - most likely escapes that wheel of recurrence. Escapes it NOW even, being with Christ in the 'heavenlies'...
But I mean, the woman in question lived in Christian countries, was educated by Christian institutions, obviously knew 'Islam' by comparison, yet seemed to be still a muslim (or whatever, something in-between maybe, but certainly not a person with a new heart who knows the truth and lives and defends it).
I think regeneration is rare. It may occur more widely in different periods of history. During the Reformation there were most likely (most obviously) many more regenerated by the Word and the Spirit than at other times in history. It's like the history of 'schools.'
Regeneration I think is rare because with it you pretty much have to depart this realm, at death, but also in this life.
I think there is a category of being 'in the body of Christ' that is short of true regeneration, because they do the work of evangelization, such as it is ever done, and so on. But to get to that true level there is a separation from the world that is just different.
There's a tension in all theology, including the most on-the-mark Reformed/Calvinist, where there appears to be a 'second level' Christian experience vs. the general church level. This tension plays out in many ways within theology, it manifests in different ways, different disputes. The church level denies any such thing, and even mocks the notion, whereas the second level Christians just kind of grin and bear it because it's a matter of the Spirit that they have experienced.
It turns into Village of Morality vs. Christians on the Way. To use Bunyan's language.
Though not all at the church level need to be characterized in the negative way of 'Village of Morality.'
It is also a thing that separates out into 'family-oriented' vs. separated from the world.
I say all this to suggest further that regeneration, true regeneration, may be rare (at least as it manifests in time, in recurrence, i.e. it may not be rare ultimately for everybody but it seems to be in actual time and recurrence.
I do believe there are reprobates too who want to be in hell. Whether they are robots or not I don't know, but God is just with His creation and He deals with everybody in a way we can't judge or 'no better'...
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