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Patristic theology, and traditional teachings of Orthodoxy from the Church fathers of apostolic times to the present. All forum Rules apply. No polemics. No heated discussions. No name-calling.


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TomS
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Post by TomS »

George Australia wrote:

So, if I believe that a cigarette butt I find in the gutter has the power to heal me, then I will be healed?

Possibly.

George Australia wrote:

So are you saying that God's power doesn't heal? Divine Grace doesn't heal? The only thing that heals is "positive thinking"?

God can heal anything. But whether He wants to or not is up to him. If it is not part of His plan - no amount of prayer or faith will change that.

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TomS
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Personally, I have never been a big believer in the "power of prayer" to change things. I tend to think that God has his plan and no amount of prayer will change that.

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George Australia
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Post by George Australia »

TomS wrote:
George Australia wrote:

So, if I believe that a cigarette butt I find in the gutter has the power to heal me, then I will be healed?

Possibly.

By this logic, it makes no difference whether we believe in Jesus Christ or Benson and Hedges as our Lord and Saviour- either way, we will be saved.

TomS wrote:
George Australia wrote:

So are you saying that God's power doesn't heal? Divine Grace doesn't heal? The only thing that heals is "positive thinking"?

God can heal anything. But whether He wants to or not is up to him.If it is not part of His plan - no amount of prayer or faith will change that.

No argument there. One conversation in the Gospel goes: "If You will, you can heal me." reply: "I will. Be healed."

But still, you haven't answered: Does God use inanimate, created objects such as handkerchiefs, aprons, spittle (Mark 7:27, 8:23), mud, water etc to convey His healing power and sanctification?

"As long as it depends on Monothelitism, then Miaphysitism is nothing but a variant of Monophysitism."

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尼古拉前执事
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Post by 尼古拉前执事 »

TomS wrote:

Personally, I have never been a big believer in the "power of prayer" to change things. I tend to think that God has his plan and no amount of prayer will change that.

This sounds a lot like predestination where God has set out the future and nothing we do will change that and we are damned or saved by his whims, not our actions.

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George Australia wrote:

But still, you haven't answered: Does God use inanimate, created objects such as handkerchiefs, aprons, spittle (Mark 7:27, 8:23), mud, water etc to convey His healing power and sanctification?

How should I know?

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Deacon Nikolai wrote:
TomS wrote:

Personally, I have never been a big believer in the "power of prayer" to change things. I tend to think that God has his plan and no amount of prayer will change that.

This sounds a lot like predestination where God has set out the future and nothing we do will change that and we are damned or saved by his whims, not our actions.

No. I said nothing about being SAVED. I am saying that if it is God's plan that something is going to happen, then it will happen.

But salvation is a choice.

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Post by 尼古拉前执事 »

TomS wrote:

I am saying that if it is God's plan that something is going to happen, then it will happen.

But salvation is something that is going to happen or not happen, no?

Do you think one can be saved by prayer?

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