
The Four: A Survey of the Gospels

Defending Constantine: The Twilight of an Empire and the Dawn of Christendom

From Behind the Veil: The Epistles of John

Deep Exegesis:The Mystery of Reading Scripture

1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary

The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter

A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons

Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature

Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen

The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism

A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel

From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution

Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy

Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper

A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament

Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature

Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays

Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life

The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
Creatures by definition depend on something outside themselves to remain in existence. Does this then mean that they are in danger of slipping into non-existence? Do they, as one scholar suggests, retain “a potency for nonbeing” and do they “risk passing out of existence, if separated from the source of its being”?
The qualifying conditional phrase tells it all: Can any creature be separated from the source of being? Does God, once creating, give up on it? And, does the creature have “potency toward non-being”? Where would that come from? It seems that it could only come from God, since all its potencies come from God.
So creatures neither sustain themselves by their own powers, nor are they in danger of slipping into non-existence “by their own powers.” Their being or not is utterly in the hands of God. Creatures are neither puttering along on their own, nor straining against God to snuff themselves out. Whether they live or die, they are dependent on the Lord of life and death.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Friday, December 4, 2009 at 5:54 pm
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