Did Jesus Die on The Cross for The Just/Elect/Saved Whose Names Are Written in The Book of Life OR
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I understand.
1 John 4:6 NLT - "But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception."
Now that I know you refuse to listen, there is nothing I could ever do for you, not that you would want it in the first place. Best of luck.
1 John 4:6 NLT - "But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception."
Now that I know you refuse to listen, there is nothing I could ever do for you, not that you would want it in the first place. Best of luck.
The only problem with that is that the early Apostles were still working out the true Gospel, which is obviously recorded in the New Testament. They were all transferred from Spiritual death to Spiritual Life, though they were confused on the Saving Plan of Christ.
Studying each phrase and thought of the entire Bible is very helpful for interpreting it.
Studying each phrase and thought of the entire Bible is very helpful for interpreting it.
To best understand you instead of reading how some read you and change what you say:
- God created man with free will.
- God provides man with a choice [between eternal life or eternal death].
- God in sovereignty has determined where man's choice will ultimately take him.
- Man can go wrong by himself, by his wrong choice, which ends in eternal death.
- Man needs to choose God's will for man - God's way - if he has any hope of eternal life.
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I was going to let the argument of leadership go but, I think it is a pivotal point in understanding the fullness of God's Way. I think many have a mental block of any insight I might have to offer by a predisposition to consider it as inferior coming from a woman and all.
Thank you so very much for, more accurately, understanding the spirit of my writing! Otherwise, methinks I'd have lost any hope in any attempt to convey my thoughts on anything at all. Well, that is, if it not for the original Hebrew for "mother" being written with an aleph (that denotes leadership) as much as the word for "father" is also. I continue in wonderment at the distinction though, at father's alef being followed with a 'bet' and mother being followed with a 'mem.' Nonetheless, both spiritual illustrations of a leaders, authorities even, one of a house and the other of water (which is also often understood to represent life as well as spirit).
Thank you so very much for, more accurately, understanding the spirit of my writing! Otherwise, methinks I'd have lost any hope in any attempt to convey my thoughts on anything at all. Well, that is, if it not for the original Hebrew for "mother" being written with an aleph (that denotes leadership) as much as the word for "father" is also. I continue in wonderment at the distinction though, at father's alef being followed with a 'bet' and mother being followed with a 'mem.' Nonetheless, both spiritual illustrations of a leaders, authorities even, one of a house and the other of water (which is also often understood to represent life as well as spirit).
Actually Paul wasn't comparing the Natural Man with the Mature Christian; rather he was making a stark contrast between the two. And if we really want to get down to brass tacks, the Mature Christian was Paul and those who preached the gospel to the Corinthians, who Paul characterized in chapter 3 as worldly or fleshly -- "mere infants in Christ" (3:1).
In fact, Paul earlier contrasted the wisdom of this age -- this wisdom of the world that is foolishness to God that is spread throughout the world by supposed wise men, scholars, philosophers (1:20) to godly wisdom (gospel) that is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1:23).
Then Paul tells this church from whence "we speak" (2:6) this message of wisdom. He said that "|God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (2:10). So, right here is the contrast made with the godless "wisdom of this age". Paul further reinforced what he just said by saying "But we have the mind of Christ" (2:16b). Paul and the other preachers of the world did not speak by the "spirit of the world" but by "the Spirit who is from God.."that we may understand what God has freely given us" -- "in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (2:12-13).
Now...the vast majority of my translations begin vv. 14 and 15 with "But"! The Darby reads, for example:
1 Cor 2:14-15
14 But [the] natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him; and he cannot know [them] because they are spiritually discerned;
15 but the spiritual discerns all things, and he is discerned of no one.
Darby
But in the minority of translations that don't use the "But" (e.g. NIV and YLT), it's still very clear that contrasts are being made throughout the passage.
But someone may still be wondering why would Paul make such a seemingly extreme or odd contrast between the Natural Man (man without the Spirit) and the Mature Christian? I propose that the contrast is not as strange as it appears because both groups actually have something in common: Both are thoroughly entrenched in their respective worldviews. Both are mature! They have been at it for a long time (especially the Natural Man from birth, cp Ps 51:5; Prov 22:15) !) and both are convinced their view is the right one --- for different reasons they might be convinced, but they still are. And this is why the "natural man" does not receive the things of God: because they are foolishness to him! And he believes such -- because he is a lover of himself, lover of pleasures, lover of money, lover of the darkness, is under the power of the devil, the world and his flesh (sin nature), is in bondage to sin and as such is a naturally born rebel, enemy and HATER of God, thus he cannot receive the gospel truth. He is powerless (Rom 5:6)!
The spiritually dead have no true spiritual discernment. And in order to get spiritual discernment one must have the Spirit, as Paul and the other gospel preachers received. (And what would make us believe that Paul and the others did not have the Spirit when they first heard the gospel!?) And if one has the Spirit then this means he's been given spiritual life, since the Spirit is the Spirit of Life. And it's this Spirit of Life who sets us free the "law of sin and death" (Rom 8:2). And until the Natural Man is set free, he cannot escape from his spiritual tomb. The prisoner must be set free by a power outside himself! He doesn't get to walk out on his own, anymore than Adam was permitted to eat from the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24).
In closing, there is no reason whatsoever to not take this passage at face value -- to not take the easy-to-understand contrasts at face value. There are only two kinds of people in this world: Those with and those without the Holy Spirit. No reason to make the passage more complicated than it is. Adam died on the day he disobeyed precisely because the Spirit of Life that God had breathed into him on the sixth day was taken from him (Gen 2:7).
In fact, Paul earlier contrasted the wisdom of this age -- this wisdom of the world that is foolishness to God that is spread throughout the world by supposed wise men, scholars, philosophers (1:20) to godly wisdom (gospel) that is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (1:23).
Then Paul tells this church from whence "we speak" (2:6) this message of wisdom. He said that "|God has revealed it to us by his Spirit" (2:10). So, right here is the contrast made with the godless "wisdom of this age". Paul further reinforced what he just said by saying "But we have the mind of Christ" (2:16b). Paul and the other preachers of the world did not speak by the "spirit of the world" but by "the Spirit who is from God.."that we may understand what God has freely given us" -- "in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words" (2:12-13).
Now...the vast majority of my translations begin vv. 14 and 15 with "But"! The Darby reads, for example:
1 Cor 2:14-15
14 But [the] natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him; and he cannot know [them] because they are spiritually discerned;
15 but the spiritual discerns all things, and he is discerned of no one.
Darby
But in the minority of translations that don't use the "But" (e.g. NIV and YLT), it's still very clear that contrasts are being made throughout the passage.
But someone may still be wondering why would Paul make such a seemingly extreme or odd contrast between the Natural Man (man without the Spirit) and the Mature Christian? I propose that the contrast is not as strange as it appears because both groups actually have something in common: Both are thoroughly entrenched in their respective worldviews. Both are mature! They have been at it for a long time (especially the Natural Man from birth, cp Ps 51:5; Prov 22:15) !) and both are convinced their view is the right one --- for different reasons they might be convinced, but they still are. And this is why the "natural man" does not receive the things of God: because they are foolishness to him! And he believes such -- because he is a lover of himself, lover of pleasures, lover of money, lover of the darkness, is under the power of the devil, the world and his flesh (sin nature), is in bondage to sin and as such is a naturally born rebel, enemy and HATER of God, thus he cannot receive the gospel truth. He is powerless (Rom 5:6)!
The spiritually dead have no true spiritual discernment. And in order to get spiritual discernment one must have the Spirit, as Paul and the other gospel preachers received. (And what would make us believe that Paul and the others did not have the Spirit when they first heard the gospel!?) And if one has the Spirit then this means he's been given spiritual life, since the Spirit is the Spirit of Life. And it's this Spirit of Life who sets us free the "law of sin and death" (Rom 8:2). And until the Natural Man is set free, he cannot escape from his spiritual tomb. The prisoner must be set free by a power outside himself! He doesn't get to walk out on his own, anymore than Adam was permitted to eat from the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24).
In closing, there is no reason whatsoever to not take this passage at face value -- to not take the easy-to-understand contrasts at face value. There are only two kinds of people in this world: Those with and those without the Holy Spirit. No reason to make the passage more complicated than it is. Adam died on the day he disobeyed precisely because the Spirit of Life that God had breathed into him on the sixth day was taken from him (Gen 2:7).