Search results

That is an interesting proposal, but consider what Luke actually records. Gabriel says: "You will conceive in Your womb and bear a son ... He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." From that, you are suggesting that Mary immediately inferred: "This child cannot be...

I appreciate the clarification. If you do not desire the death of the offender, then I think we may be closer in agreement than it first appeared. I have never denied that civil authorities may impose penalties or that Romans 13 recognizes their authority to do so. My concern has been with...

I've answered your question repeatedly. I acknowledge Christa Pike's guilt, the state's authority to punish crime, and the legal sentence that was imposed. What I have not conceded is your assumption that justice is exhausted by execution. That is the point under discussion. Disagreeing with...

I don't think I've been lacking in honesty or transparency. In the opening post I explicitly identify myself among those who disagree with the position being challenged. What I meant by saying the thread isn't about my beliefs is that the discussion is focused on whether your interpretation...

In Luke 7, the anointing is an expression of repentance, love, and gratitude. In John 12, the anointing is an expression of devotion and preparation for Jesus's burial. Different motivations do not require different women. The question is not whether the motivations were identical. The question...

Then you’re calling your own logic silly, because if Matthew “does not correct what unbelievers said anywhere,” then the crowd’s statement in Matthew 13:55–56 that Jesus is “the carpenter’s son” must be treated as true — which means Joseph is Jesus’s biological father. But Matthew 1:18–20...

I agree that Romans 13 teaches that civil authorities possess authority from God and do not bear the sword in vain. What I think is often missed is that Romans 12 and 13 address different subjects. Romans 13 discusses the authority and responsibilities of civil government. Romans 12 discusses...

You're still assuming the point under dispute. You say justice is "already defined," but you haven't actually defined what justice is. Instead, you're treating the execution itself as the definition of justice and then asking whether justice should be carried out. That's circular. The very...

I don't disregard inferences a priori. I am questioning whether this particular inference is demanded by the text. There is a difference between: "This is a possible inference from the passage," and "This is the inference the passage requires." My challenge concerns the second claim. What...

I'm not appealing to what I've been taught. I'm appealing to what Luke actually wrote. While I believe Mary knew Isaiah's prophecy, Her question is not presented as an appeal to that prophecy. In fact, if She already understood that Gabriel was announcing a virginal conception, it's not clear...

Thank you. But I think that concedes my point. You acknowledge that Luke does not tell us why Mary would understand the conception to occur immediately. Therefore the claim that Mary understood an immediate conception is not coming from Gabriel's words themselves. It is an inference being...

I think you're assuming your conclusion. You keep saying that justice either prevails or it doesn't, but then you define justice as carrying out this particular execution. That is the very point under discussion. I've never denied Christina Pike's guilt. I've never denied that wrongdoing has...

I don't disagree with what Matthew says about Joseph. Joseph initially did not understand Mary's pregnancy, and the angel later revealed to him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy. But I'm not sure how Joseph's later reaction answers the question I...

"Answer yes or no" only works if the issue is actually binary. My entire argument is that you're conflating "the state has authority to execute" with "execution is the only just or Christian response." Those are not the same thing.

No, my position is not that the sword is held in vain. My position is that you are defining justice so narrowly that anything other than advocating execution becomes opposition to justice. I have repeatedly acknowledged Christina Pike's guilt, the legitimacy of civil authority, and the right...

If Mary's question arises from Isaiah's prophecy, then why does Luke not present Her as appealing to the prophecy? Instead, Luke presents Her as appealing to the fact that She "knows not man," and Gabriel responds by addressing that very point.

But where does Luke tell us that Mary understood the conception would occur immediately? Gabriel says: He does not say: Nor does he say: Those details are being supplied by the interpretation, not by the text itself. My point is that Mary's response is not phrased as a timing question...

I don't think I've abandoned justice. I think we've disagreed from the beginning about what justice entails. You seem to define justice exclusively as carrying out a prescribed punishment. I agree that punishment can be part of justice. What I disagree with is the idea that justice is...

But that's precisely the question at issue. I'm not claiming it would have been culturally ordinary for a betrothed woman to expect lifelong virginity. I'm asking why Mary responds the way She does in Luke's narrative. Gabriel announces that Mary will conceive and bear a son. If Mary expected...

I think you're still answering a different question than the one I'm asking. I've never denied that Genesis 9 or Romans 13 recognize the authority of civil government. I've acknowledged that repeatedly. What I'm asking is why Christ's own example toward guilty sinners should not shape what...