April 17th, 2007
35 billion gallons of beer sell worldwide each year. It is over a $330 billion industry. And yet… one must be the best. But which one is the best of all? It is an interesting question; no doubt personal perception plays a role. Still, is the most popular beer really the best? How many people do you know that have tried Speckled Hen or Hop Head (and these are just some of the easy to pronounce and more popular ones)?
Certainly popularity does play a role, but people that are limited by few experiences should recognize the restrictions or their scrutiny. If Coors or Molson is the most exotic beer you’ve tried in the last few years you might just have to admit your limitations. And while I am not the most erudite of drinkers I do think that I have something special to offer you and I do believe that I have explored this world to an extinct far more diverse than is the average. And what precisely do I think I might have to offer my good readers? Well… faithful followers I, HaKohen have come to the following conclusion - Innis & Gunn – Oak Aged Beer is my personal favorite and is perhaps more importantly the greatest beer in the world.
In my humble opinion, you may not be able to find it at your local store, but you should certainly take a look.
Check ‘em out at http://www.innisandgunn.com/index.htm
It is well worth it!
April 6th, 2007
Universalism
Augments For Arguments Against
| An all-powerful and sovereign God could not create condemnation of His creations to everlasting punishment |
God will not do anything that contradicts his own attributes. In order to harmonize his perfect love and perfect justice, he has devised the biblically explained system of redemption. We must accept the biblical record and not our own finite reasoning. |
| To condemn the unsaved to everlasting punishment as a result of their relatively short life span on earth is unjust. |
God is the final standard of justice, not man. |
| If an all-powerful and sovereign God desires all people to be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4; Peter 3:9) then all will be saved. |
Although God desires salvation for all, a person must respond to Gods offer many simply do not. |
| The death and resurrection of Christ has acquitted all mankind of their sins before God, just as Adam brought all of mankind into sin (Rom. 5:18; 1 Cor. 15:22). |
The context of Both verses clearly shows that the benefits of Christs death are for those in Christ, just as the penalties of Adams sin are for those in Adam. |
| The theme of the New Testament is that of Love. If Gods love is the love of perfection then it must be overwhelming and therefore perfectly victorious. To say otherwise is to deny that Gods love is adequate and is to assume a finite God who would be no god at all. |
Although God has infinite and perfect love humans do not. God also has perfect justice and perfect holiness in addition to perfect love. He has already devised a plan consistent with all of his attributes. It is up to man to accept Gods plan or to reject it. |
| Christ has paid the penalty of sin for all (Heb. 2:9) therefore God cannot legally demand payment from us as well. |
The substitutionary death of Christ was sufficient for salvation of all (2 Cor. 5:19) however each person must believe in order for it to be effectual of his behalf (2 Cor. 5:19). |
| Gods all-encompassing attribute is love. His judgment is only a temporary measure to reform unrepentant persons, and hence is itself motivated by love. Ultimately all people will be reformed, whether in this life or the after-life, and hence ultimately all will be saved. |
Scriptures never refer to the abode of unbelievers after death as a place for reformation. This is merely eisegetical and wishful thinking. Instead it is always referred to as a place of destruction and punishment (Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31). The only reference to any encounter of Christ with unbelievers after their death is in 1 peter 3:19 and this passage is at most applicable only to unbelievers of Noahs day. |
| Ultimately all mankind will believe, whether in this life or the hereafter (Phil. 2:10-11; 1 Peter 3:19-20). |
Christs death made all people savable (2 Cor. 5:19), but man must believe in order to be saved 2 Cor. 5:20). According to Christs own words the gate to hell is wide and many pass through it. (Sheep and the Goats parable) |
| Many will not believe in this life, but in the after-life there may be a second chance. |
Although a simple answer would be there may not be a second chance, it is also important to point out that the constant scriptural references on saving faith clearly indicate that some will not believe (John 1:11-12; 3:18; 20:31) |
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The words of Jesus indicate clearly that some people go to eternal life and others to eternal punishment. Further in Matthew 25;46, the word for eternal AIONOS, meaning relating to the final order of things which shall not pass away tells us that this punishment or life is never ending. Of course, there can be no second chance in a final order of things which shall not pass away. |
| Warnings of lostness are merely hypothetical and constitute one of the ways in which God secures the universal salvation of all mankind. |
As John Calvin pointed out many other New Testament Scriptures point to the destruction of the non-elect (Rom. 9:22; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 21:8) |
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Christ and the apostles were constantly warning people of Gods wrath and perfect judgment on sin and urgently calling them to repentance. Hence, if universalism is true, Christ and the apostles were either ignorant or grossly deceptive. |
