After our pastor used it in the sermon this morning, my wife and I are having a debate about Jeremiah 29:11 (you all know the verse) and whether it is broadly applicable to Christians today.
My position is that it was a specific promise to Jews in captivity in Babylon and it is inappropriate to claim it as a promise for all Christians today. It might be usable to demonstrate the general character of God (here is one defense of that position ), but even then, I would prefer to use other verses that state that more clearly and generally.
For example, the entire book of Obadiah is a warning to Jews that they are about to be invaded by Edom. I haven't seen anybody take that verse as applicable to what will happen to them today, but I believe the Jeremiah passage is no different as it's a prophecy of one group to people about something specific that is going to happen.
My position is that it was a specific promise to Jews in captivity in Babylon and it is inappropriate to claim it as a promise for all Christians today. It might be usable to demonstrate the general character of God (here is one defense of that position ), but even then, I would prefer to use other verses that state that more clearly and generally.
For example, the entire book of Obadiah is a warning to Jews that they are about to be invaded by Edom. I haven't seen anybody take that verse as applicable to what will happen to them today, but I believe the Jeremiah passage is no different as it's a prophecy of one group to people about something specific that is going to happen.
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