From: rpitts@emperor.gatech.edu (Richard Pitts)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: 12/20/92   God's Promise in Titus 1:2
Date: 21 Dec 92 20:50:20 GMT
Organization: CERL-EE, Georgia Institue of Technology

In article <1992Dec21.163230.11166@bnr.ca> ingrcfb@bnr.ca (Charles Board) writes:
|In article <BzJDuI.AEu@acsu.buffalo.edu>, psyrobtw@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Robert Weiss) writes:
||> 
||> 	In hope of eternal life,
||> 	which God, that cannot lie,
|                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
||> 	promised before the world began;
||> 
||> 	Titus 1:2

Where did it says that God lied in these passages below?  Aren't
these primarily references to the people's reactions to God's
promises?

|2 Thess. 2:11 : For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that 
|threy should believe a lie.

    2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NIV)   and in every sort of evil that 
    deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they 
    refused to love the truth and so be saved. {11} For this reason 
    God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the 
    lie {12} and so that all will be condemned who have not believed 
    the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 

This passage, as another below, is much like Job's testing.  God allowed
events to conspire, but we are responsible for our reaction.  Here
the people REFUSED TO LOVE THE TRUTH and they HAVE NOT BELIEVED THE
TRUTH BUT HAVE DELIGHTED IN WICKNESS.

God's rule is that we reap what we sow.  If you come to him, he
gives eternal life, but if you reject him, you reap death.

|Ezek. 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I 
|the Lord have deceived that prophet.

This passage is in the middle of what of a question by the Prophet
Ezekiel to God.  It pertains to the people running after idols and
then also asking God's prophet about God.  God says He, Himself,
will do the responding, if this happens.  If the prophet responds
with a prophecy, then it is the Lord who caused him to say it.  However,
the Lord said he will answer and I would take that to mean that
the prophet does not answer.  

|Jer. 4:10 Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people..

This passage deals, agian, with the call of God for the people to
repent.  The rest of the verse goes something like "'You say there
shall be peace', but the sword is at out throat or near our heart."

The connection here is that the Lord promised peace in the future,
but yet the people were not coming to him and so demise was at their 
door.  Yes, there will be peace, but not today.  If I understanding
it correctly, the promise of the Lord in this passage is peace, but it 
is a future peace and the people wanted it then - they could fell
decieved, but they are the ones who turned from God.

|Jer. 15:18 Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar....?

This is Jeremiah's question to God, for he had thought God had
lied to him, for he was suffering.  However, God responded and said
that Jeremiah was to continue to speak worthy words and let the
people come to him - he was not to go to the people.  Jeremiah
was wondering if God had deceived him, but He had not.

|1 Kings 22:23  Nowtherefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in 
|the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil 
|concerning thee..

Here is an example of God allowing for "bad things" to happen
that are within his control, as all things are.  In the verse
just before this one, we see a spirit coming and telling the
Lord that he will deceive the prophets (not God's prophets, but
the Kings prophets) by causing them to lie.  This is much like
the situation with Job - God allowed it.  The above spirit told
the Lord that he was entice them to lie - the Lord said go, for
it will work.

|..... among many.

..... among many others out of context I would assume.

For Christ and His Kingdom,
Richard Pitts
-- 
rpitts@cerl.gatech.edu      |  Love and Worship God, the Creator of the Earth. 
                          --|--   
Pro-Life!              -|-  |  -|-    Come bow down in worship, let us kneel
Pro-Responsibility!     |   |   |     before the Lord Our Maker.  Psalm 95:6 
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