Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Sempiternal Purview...

I have lately been constructing in my mind, a...well, I don't know what else to call it. A concept. The Sempiternal Purview. First, I will endeavor to define this sempiternal purview.
A purview is a range, or extent. A horizon if you will. For example, the range of one's vision, or the extent of one's understanding or cognizance. It is a boundary that may or may not exist physically. Let me explain: If a person were to stand on a plane, that extended indefinitely in all directions, their would be a limit, or extent to what he could see. There is no physical boundary (outside of the person's ocular capabilities), yet there is a limit to what the person can see. If this person were to be encompassed by a wall, the extent of the person's vision would be reduced. One could also exemplify this concept by substituting cognizance or understanding for vision. The human mind is capable of accumulating vast amounts of knowledge, but there is no human being in existence who knows everything (excluding the third person of the trinity, Jesus Christ, the Son of God)
Sempiternal simply refers to a never ending duration. My understanding of this word is that it refers to something that has a beginning but no end. (the word "duration" implies a beginning) The soul is a good example. The soul exists only after conception, and thereafter never ceases to exist. Thus eternity and sempiternity differ in that something that is eternal had no beginning and will never end, and something that is sempiternal had a beginning but will never end.
The simplest definition, then, of a Sempiternal Purview is a limitless boundary, though that is not a perfect definition.
Picture a road, surrounded by void, so that a person cannot turn to the right or the left, but must remain on the road. On this road, the person is in progression, so that he cannot turn back. This road has many forks, but it is complete from beginning to end, so that no matter which combination of directions the person chooses to take, he will end in the same place. As this person is walking, he comes to a fork. He can turn either right or left. This is his choice to make. He is completely free to chose either way. No matter which way he chooses, he will eventually reach the terminus of his journey. He will eventually come to the end of the road.
Now tell me, who made the decision that this person would turn right or left? The one who built the road. This person is confined to the road that he is on. This road has a beginning, and an end, both of which have been predetermined by the builder. But, the person has a seemingly innumerable amount of choices. There are countless combinations of ways this person can get from beginning to end. Ultimately, though, the one who built the road is the one in ultimate control, because no matter which way our person goes, he is confined to the road, and the choices that the builder has given him.
I could carry this scenario even deeper. I have given you an example of one person. Now picture billions of people all walking on their own roads, who's paths cross in a truly infinite amount of combinations.
This is the Sempiternal Purview. The choices these people have are limitless but they are bound to the road that they are on. It is a limitless boundary.
I actually wrote the road illustration quite a while ago, to illustrate God's sovereign grace, and man's free will. But it seemed to fit in so perfectly with my concept of sempiternal purview. I think it illustrates both how God's sovereign grace coincides with man's free will, and a sempiternal purview. I am continuing to refine this concept, and would appreciate feedback.
~Jim

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