Scripture's presentation of the gospel message is intrinsically disagreeable. It does not initially soothe man or comfort him or reassure him in his path, but violently opposes the anthropocentric conditioning of his mind, which is universally bound in slavery to the sinful nature. Where divine truth grapples with human deceit, the natural instinct of conservation within man causes him to hide behind his misconception of self-sufficiency, self-congratulatory achievement and pseudo-religiosity in order to protect and preserve against the divine charge. The Word of God and the mind of man are diametrically opposed and only the Spirit of God can unite them by imparting faith. In much the same way, God's holiness and man's unrighteousness can only be bridged by the central theme of this work: the atonement of God's Son, Jesus Christ. ? The enigma faced by anyone who tackles a subject like this is that the same question can be asked from within either an anthropological or a theological framework, with not necessarily comparable results. The approach I have tried to sustain has tended more towards anthropology, but from a particularly Theocentric position. I readily acknowledge the difficulties this may present to some, even those of my closest friends and from backgrounds not dissimilar to my own but, in this case, I believe the means are justified by the end. The message of the Bible is such that God is the centre, root, foundation and cause of all things. To Christians, this not an oracle that we are encouraged to proffer mere mental assent to, but we are required to demonstrate the truth of such a doctrine in the practicalities of how we conduct our lives. ? Because of the stimulation to search extensively beyond the parameters of my normal reading circle, I have discovered that each differing view is substantially preconditioned by a partiality that often owes more to constitutional allegiancl6
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