gpatton{at}bayou.com wrote:

>
> The reason I put "With God all things are possible!" in parentheses
was
> because I was quoting the teachings of others, and I thought those
> teachings had merit. You have pointed out limits that they did not
> mention. Here is what they said:
>
> Matthew 19:26
> Mark  10:27
> Mark 14:36   And he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to
> thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou
> wilt."
>
Kenosis.  I personally do not think Jesus operated consciously with any
of His divine attributes.   The context is the garden and the impending
death.  What is more human than to cry that such an avenue be
by-passed.  But the plan of God has no tangential alternative paths
because there is no chance behind God.  What has been decreed will be
seen to fruition.  The is why the Christian is invited to pray in The
Name, a title.  We seek not our own will, but the revealed will of God
which has been determined since before the foundation of the world.

> 18:27But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
>
> Perhaps you, can find some compromise with Matthew, Mark and Luke
where
> you all can be in agreement on this important issue?
>
Context.  It cannot be stressed enough.  The context of these parallel
passages are not touching upon the immutability of God or His decree.
"For I the YHVH donot change" (Mal 3:6); "Jesus Christ, the same
yesterday and today, yes and forever," (Heb 13:8).

When the scriptures seem to indicate that God changes His mind, it is
an anthropomophic statement.  Nothing catches God by surprise because
He is not chronological.  He stands outside of the space-mass-time
continuum.  That everything stands before Him as an ever present, that
is, never past or future, to write that "the LORD changed His mind"
(Ex. 32:14;
Jer. 26:19; Amos 7:3, 6) is to use a figure of speach to relate His
ways to men.  God does not really change His mind for He knows the
hearts of men and is never caught unawares.

But again, you do not address the theological import of your premise.
God cannot act contrary to His own nature.  Therefore, the age old
theological mind play, "Can God make a rock too large that even He
cannot lift it."  Though the suggestion appears silly, the theology
behind it is serious.  In fact, this is a current trend in theology
today, to discuss whether God limits His omniscience.

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