I Started a Fight, Finally Concluded

Episode 5: Things Get Untwisted

(You may want to read Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3 and Episode 4 to learn the back story.)

The whole thing started when I went to my sister’s Bible study and said that God planned for humankind to fall and that he put the tree in the Garden of Eden as one of the means of the fall. The teacher, you remember, hadn’t liked this statement much. But he wanted to continue the discussion, so he and his wife had been invited to my sister’s home for Sunday night supper.

Sunday night rolled around and we had a pleasant supper. Then the time came for me to defend my “twisted theology.”

(If you are reading with a feed reader, now’s when you click through to read the rest.)

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Cross Quotes: April 7

By Christ Death Was Destroyed

Death used to be strong and terrible, but now, since the sojourn of the Savior and the death and resurrection of His body, it is despised; and obviously it is by the very Christ Who mounted on the cross that it has been destroyed and vanquished finally. When the sun rises after the night and the whole world is lit up by it, nobody doubts that it is the sun which has thus shed its light everywhere and driven away the dark. Equally clear is it, since this utter scorning and trampling down of death has ensued upon the Savior’s manifestation in the body and His death on the cross, that it is He Himself Who brought death to nought and daily raises monuments to His victory in His own disciples. How can you think otherwise, when you see men naturally weak hastening to death, unafraid at the prospect of corruption, fearless of the descent into Hades, even indeed with eager soul provoking it, not shrinking from tortures, but preferring thus to rush on death for Christ’s sake, rather than to remain in this present life? If you see with your own eyes men and women and children, even, thus welcoming death for the sake of Christ’s religion, how can you be so utterly silly and incredulous and maimed in your mind as not to realize that Christ, to Whom these all bear witness, Himself gives the victory to each, making death completely powerless for those who hold His faith and bear the sign of the cross? …Doubt no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, that by Christ death was destroyed, and the corruption that goes with it resolved and brought to end.

—Athanasius On the Incarnation

(I think this may be the same passage that Brandon Watson quoted yesterday, just a different translation. But I had this queued up already, so I’m going ahead with it.)

Other Cross Quotes

• Brandon has a quote from John of Damascus posted today. I’ll try not to copy that one.
• Update: Dorothy of Field Stone Cottage quotes a text of scripture.
• Update 2: Pam quotes John Murray at a rustling of leaves….

During this week in which Christians commemorate Christ’s death and resurrection, I plan to post daily quotes about Christ’s work on the cross. You are invited to join me. Just post a quote having to do with Christ’s death and/or resurrection and let me know about it in a comment here or by emailing me using the Contact link right below the header. I’ll link back to your post.

I think it’d be a wonderful thing to saturate our corner of the blogosphere and beyond with the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection.

I Started a Fight (con't.)

Episode 4: The Phone Call

(You may want to read Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3 to learn the back story.)

As we pick up the story, I am just waking on the Thursday morning after I attended an evening Bible study with my sister at her church. During the study, I had a short discussion with the teacher over the reason God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. The teacher had disagreed with me strongly, calling my view that God planned from the beginning for humankind to fall “twisted theology.” But it had been a short discussion and I hadn’t pushed my point much. I assumed, as I left, that the discussion was over.

But I was wrong. I woke Thursday morning to the sounds of the phone ringing. My sister took the phone call, and I could tell it was from the teacher of the previous night’s study. I could also tell he was at least animated, if not agitated, and he wanted to continue the discussion.

(If you are reading with a feed reader, now’s when you click through to read the rest.)

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