Christian Thought: Christian Theology & Philosophy
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • An Outline of the Bible
  • Verse Observations
  • The Ultimate Question
  • Theology
    • Cosmic Law >
      • Good & Evil/Pain & Suffering >
        • God Using Evil for Good
        • Sacrifice & Mortification
        • Judges: Irony & Meaninglessness
      • Spiritual & Physical//Natural & Supernatural >
        • Grace vs Work >
          • The Sabbath
        • Angels
      • (About) the Divine Plan/Fate & Free Will >
        • The Interwovenness of Human Lives & Their Inevitable Mutual Effects on Each Other – aka The Ripple Effect
        • Faith in God's Will >
          • Prayer
          • Tests to Determine God's Will or Approval
    • The (Actual) Divine Plan (Biblical History) >
      • Necessity of the Law & a Chosen Nation >
        • Importance of Sacrifices & the Nature of Holiness/Determination of Guilt, Under the Law
        • The Mosaic Law
      • Theological History >
        • Jewish Beliefs as Relates to Christianity
      • The Creation
      • Eschatology
    • The Attributes of God and His Character >
      • The Trinity
    • Sin & Salvation >
      • Original Sin
      • Predestination and the Elect >
        • Losing One’s Salvation/Falling from Grace/Apostasy/Perseverance >
          • Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
      • Sin & Guilt >
        • Collective Guilt/National Sin
      • Reward & Punishment; Mercy
      • The Afterlife >
        • Heaven/the New Creation
        • Hell
        • Purgatory & the Harrowing of Hell
    • The Christian Life >
      • Receiving the Holy Spirit
      • Persecution & Hardship
      • Christian Ethics >
        • Marriage & Celibacy
      • Demon Possession & Activity
    • Determining the Truth of Christianity >
      • The Sinlessness and Perfection of God — Accusations against God >
        • Concerning Reward & Punishment >
          • Sweeping the Innocent Away with the Wicked/Many Suffer for the Sin of One >
            • The Innocent Punished for the Sins of the Wicked (to Punish the Wicked) >
              • Punishing the Children for the Father’s Sin
          • Harshness
          • Manipulation of Free Will (to the Person’s Damnation)
        • The Law of God Flawed >
          • Sins against Love (Revenge Seeking)
          • Unjust Warfare/War
          • Racism & Slavery
          • Sexism >
            • Theology of the Sexes >
              • Women’s Gender Role >
                • Submission
            • Male Chauvinism >
              • Unequal Opportunity/Deprivation of Rights
              • Polygamy
              • Women’s Chastity
            • Rape & Sex Slavery
        • Sins of People in the Bible (that Reflect Poorly on God)
      • Can We Take the Bible Seriously? >
        • The Creation of the Canon
        • False Prophecy/Broken Promises
        • Contradictions in the Bible
        • False Reasoning
    • Ambiguous/Strange/Bizarre Passages of the Bible
  • Philosophy
    • Spiritual & Physical//The Natural & Supernatural >
      • Mind & Body
      • Thinking & Doing >
        • Work
    • Metaphysics >
      • Reality
      • Generalities vs Exceptions
      • The Problem of Relativity
      • The Problem of the Distribution of Goodies (Randomness) >
        • Natural & Inevitable Inequality/The Unequal Distribution Wealth >
          • Communism
      • Cause & Effect/Human Action & Reaction
      • Beauty >
        • Art
      • Mathematics & Logic
      • Science & the Natural Laws
    • Epistemology/Faith >
      • Atheism
      • Idealism
      • Asceticism & False Religion
    • Man >
      • Created in the Image of God (Comparing Humans & Animals)
      • Sinful Nature >
        • Levels of the Will
      • Psychology >
        • The Conscious & Subconscious
        • Personality
      • Stages of Life >
        • Death
      • Society >
        • Hermitism
      • The Sexes >
        • Men
        • Women
    • History of the World >
      • How Ideas & Knowledge Spread
    • Ethics >
      • Good & Evil
      • Happiness
      • Love >
        • Romantic Love >
          • Sexuality >
            • Homosexuality

Sacrifice & Mortification (see also Persecution & Hardship)

Picture
The Pilgrim sets out on his journey.
Verse Observations: Phil 1:29, 3:10, I Pt 4:1

I think I can put the tension here succinctly:
"My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Mt 11:30)
and yet:
"To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless" (I Cor 4:11), 
but despite it all:
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 
persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (II Cor 4:8-9)

Will there even be moderation in heaven?​
It seems that there ought to be. This is somewhat hard to stomach, however, because here on earth we often associate moderation with constraint, which isn't fun. I mean, isn't always sad when you get to the bottom of the potato chip bag? I know this may sound a bit sacrilegious, but in all seriousness, maybe it doesn't matter if you have an eternity. After all, even if in heaven you eat only 1 potato chip a day, you still get an endless number of days, and therefore a bottomless potato chip bag, and therefore, while there's moderation, there's no "constraint" (the no-fun part).

What’s the relationship between moderation and mortification?​

Why should the good things in life and God be at times mutually exclusive? (Mt 13:22 [parable of the 4 seeds]) Why is it that goodness often draws us away from the ultimate Good?​

How could Jesus’ afflictions be lacking? (Col 1:24)

I don't understand how you can suffer with Christ and yet have his joy. To me this is a really great paradox, and I think a uniquely Christian one. (I Pt 4:1, II Tm 2:3) Didn't even Jesus truly suffer? (Heb 5:8-9, 12:11)

On one hand Christ said, "I thirst" (to alleviate the suffering of being thirsty), but on the other he refused the painkiller. What's going on here? What does this tell us about the nature of pain and sacrifice?

God made us physical, and it's good that we're physical (though I don't know why, only that whatever God does is good), but what's the proper way to be physical, considering that we fast to mortify the flesh? (That is, God made us so that we have to eat, he made it so that we are to enjoy our food, so why give up a good thing?) Why are we so often condemned by the beautiful and good things in this world? What I'm really asking here is -- What is the correct balance? What is the proper perspective and attitude to have towards moderation and indulgence? (Mt 13:22)

The following question actually belongs in many categories (Grace vs Work, Good & Evil): If God gives his grace, why must we suffer (that is, through work, which requires perseverance and patient suffering)? That is, what is precious must be bought through suffering, since everything has a price, but the grace of God is free.

How would a “thorn in the flesh” keep Paul from being conceited? (II Cor 12:7)
I think this is really a subtype of the question (which I list elsewhere, so I won't go into it here) of: why does punishment work? 

God will often put someone through a hard time in order to make them a better person. However, he'll also give that person the necessary strength, wisdom, etc to overcome. Well then, why not just give that person all these virtues right from the get-go and forget about all that pain and suffering? But that's not how God does it. This isn't Lala Land. So what's the necessity of trials and tribulations?

Why did God grant Jabez what he asked for when what he asked for were selfish requests? Also, life is full of pain, it's the way of this world, and we must pick up our crosses if we want to follow Jesus. I mean, it sounds like this guy just got it too easy. I'm sure Job must have prayed this same prayer! (I Chr 4:9-10)
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.