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No I don't believe that necessarily. He has told us things that can prolong our lives and also things that can shorten them. Eph 6: 1-4 , 1 Pt 3:10, The choice is with us many times with our destiny so I don't think we can say God plans everything that actually happens.In the early parts of my life I kind of assumed it was just bad luck if someone died but the more I lived the more I realized we don't control when we go. I now realize that God actually controls when we go and I personally believe he planned out every little detail of our lives. What do you guys think?
I've had that twice in my life....maybe more that God knows about and not I.Amazing isn’t it? I was talking to someone recently about how several times in our lives we could have died, but were spared. I think everyone has those, but it’s nice for a believer to see God's hand of protection and the blessing of more time.
If you believe God is involved in every element of your life then you are free to act authentically without worry about saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing for you know God is in control. Or you could just not believe God is in control and then you have a battle on your hands because you have to figure whos running the show, but I can assure you if you take that path it's not you.
So you don't believe God uses means to accomplish his ends?No I don't believe that necessarily. He has told us things that can prolong our lives and also things that can shorten them. Eph 6: 1-4 , 1 Pt 3:10, The choice is with us many times with our destiny so I don't think we can say God plans everything that actually happens.
Depends on the context of how you're meaning this.So you don't believe God uses means to accomplish his ends?
I mean that God planned it all, and accomplishes it through agency. My point being, that the things we do, (in this context, the things that shorten or lengthen our lives), don't deviate from God's plan for us, though they may deviate considerably from his command for us. He is USING us, for his good purposes, just as he used Joseph's brothers, who had little concern for lengthening Joseph's life.Depends on the context of how you're meaning this.
Agreed. If not why tell us HE cares for the sparrow more than us if HE is not actively involved in, directing our lives?I mean that God planned it all, and accomplishes it through agency. My point being, that the things we do, (in this context, the things that shorten or lengthen our lives), don't deviate from God's plan for us, though they may deviate considerably from his command for us. He is USING us, for his good purposes, just as he used Joseph's brothers, who had little concern for lengthening Joseph's life.
I'm guessing you wrote that wrong. He didn't say he cares for the sparrow more than us.Agreed. If not why tell us HE cares for the sparrow more than us if HE is not actively involved in, directing our lives?
But then isn't this 'different mechanism' part of the organism? So if it is part of the organism and it is allowing it to grow (ie doing the literal opposite of dying) then you can't say its dying.Per your description and my understanding, it seems a different mechanism is engaged in early life to compensate for necessary growth which I assume leaves quickly once optimal growth is achieved. Therefore I must stand on my original post.
Yes, everything was put in place in creation. What I was eluding to was that every cell is less perfect with each successive regression. Expiration is built in.But then isn't this 'different mechanism' part of the organism? So if it is part of the organism and it is allowing it to grow (ie doing the literal opposite of dying) then you can't say its dying.
Its still subject to the forces of decay (entropy & 2nd law of thermodynamics) but this 'different mechanism' allows it to overcome that law and grow and develop (the literal opposite of dying).
Its like saying that a planes wings aren't really part of the plane but an artificial mechanism to allow to to climb and stay up. The 'real' airplane (aeroplane?) is just the fuselage and it will fall as soon as the wings fall off!
You original post said
"Of course, we all start dying from the moment we’re born."
Well you realize that there is nothing special about being born? Its just the process of leaving the mothers body because
1) the baby is too big to remain
2) It needs to undergo developmental processes that have to occur as it lives in the world
So the development that began at conception continues uninterrupted until about early to mid 20's.
During that time the organism (person) is literally doing the opposite of dying, ie they are growing and developing.
After that, because genetics has determined that we are now old enough to reproduce and live long enough to bring the next generation to adulthood then those repair mechanism (which are as much a part of us as any of your cellular/biological mechanisms) start becoming less effective, now we do start decaying or dying. In other words our repair machinery is designed to last for 25 years or so in optimum condition, after that its out of warranty.
Here's a couple of analogies
Cannon ball in cannon
The cannon ball sitting in the cannon feels the force of gravity but when the cannon fires so much force is imparted to the cannon ball that it climbs, even accelerates, all the while under the force of gravity. It completely overcomes gravity by using the energy imparted to it.
So the ball climbs, ie the literal opposite of falling. The ball can not be climbing & falling at the same time, it is either climbing or it is falling. When the initial energy has got it a high as it can go then the ball starts falling (the literal opposite of climbing).
So gravity = force of decay (or 2nd law of thermodynamics etc)
falling = dying
climbing = growing
climbing does not equal falling
Plane flying
Rather than one big shot of energy at the start, the plane applies energy for its whole voyage. At first it applies enough energy so that it climbs into the air (literal opposite of falling and can't be climbing and falling at the same time). Once it reaches its cruising altitude it reduces the amount of energy its expending to keep it aloft but eventually as it has a limited supply it must at some point yield to gravity and come back down, in a controlled manner in the case of an airplane.
We are like a mix of both, our initial cells are so good that they propel us to adulthood in 20 something years, ie they allow us to defy dying & we develop & grow. So for the 1st part of our lives we are in the climbing phase, to use the analogies, the exact opposite of falling.
Thereafter we begin a slow glide back to earth with the force/law of decay having more & more effect.
Now occasionally a plane may malfunction shortly after takeoff while climbing with the result that it crashes. In that case it no longer flies or climbs but yields to gravity and falls.
So too occasionally an unlucky child will experience a malfunction (disease, injury etc) that will cause their growth trajectory to be affected or stopped so that they then start dying.
But just like most airplanes climb all the way up, so most people grow all the way up before the dying starts.
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