Did Jesus Die on The Cross for The Just/Elect/Saved Whose Names Are Written in The Book of Life OR

So, a fallen person can please God without knowing the gospel..

I never said that outward behavior couldn't be imitated, as you well know. And I believe as I do because of what I believe the Bible reveals.

God's choices are always better than ours. But when someone is actually yielded to God, there is no choice being made.
Do you know what it is to be yoked to Christ? You can choose to be yoked or unyoked, but while you are yoked you simply move as He moves. You have already made the decision to yield. You don't make a decision every moment to yield. The next choice you will make after being yoked is deciding to be unyoked.

In marrying your wife, you can became yoked. Do you decide daily to stay yoked?

Living life in your own strength must be very burdensome.

You said -
Cameron143 said:
"How are you going to imitate God apart from God living in and through you? You can imitate God? How? Like the way you show disdain for people? Is that walking in the Spirit?"

And this was in response to studier saying -

studier said
"Our Lord: Read and do My Word such as:

NKJ Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

So, you implied that it is impossible to imitate God apart from God living in and through you., and you were claiming this as a way to reject the idea that we can choose to imitate God.

I am showing that one can obey Paul's injunction without God unilaterally taking over our bodies and souls and doing ALL the living through us. And a responsible, sentient being obeying involves a CHOICE.

I'm just pointing out that imitating behavior is not the same as having identical motivations.
Since God not only considers behavior but also the intentions of the heart, what men consider acceptable is often unacceptable to God.
The Bible is replete with examples of God chiding His people for drawing nigh with their lips while their hearts remain far from Him.

Because it can be a novel and entertaining idea to give someone something to argue about.

Some people in their flesh are argumentative.

Just maybe?

Those verses were being directed towards a certain type of bad person. Not all men.

Y
First of all, the passage is speaking about Christians, who have the Holy Spirit. Second, do you really believe someone can love as Christ loves apart from Christ? If so, there must be a lot of people on this site choosing not to.

…but wasn’t @notmyown referring to faithful people?—those who have the faith to know that our Father will always be faithful to keep His promises to those who love Him?

True enough. But why does a Christian even want to make a choice when the Spirit can make them perfectly for us. Is there a better or more pleasing life we are going to live than the one Christ can produce in us?

What exactly is “the natural man”?

The natural man is stuck in that he leaves himself with nothing but the choice between accepting Christ's death for himself or death for himself. And it is God's grace that man has, indeed, been left with that choice.

I‘ve found the answer.
There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.

- 1 Corinthians 15:40-46

Thank you, sis.

Born once, and in need of a spiritual rebirth. Otherwise, will die twice. Those born twice die but once.

The natural man has been described in this thread with Biblical passages for many days going on weeks and likely months.

No. That was not involved in the context leading up to notmyown's comment. Actually, Ito be honest, I am not sure whether notmyown was agreeing with me or with my interlocutor.

Natural man and natural body are not th same thing. The natural body is the physical body we are born with that is enlivened by the blood. Remove the blood and the body is dead.
The spiritual body is the physical body clothed upon with the heavenly body received at physical death. Like Jesus' resurrection body of flesh and bone without any need for blood, but enlivened by the spirit, our resurrection bodies will also be enlivened directly from the spirit: a spiritual body. The seed sown is physical, and the plant that comes up after the seed dies is physical. So too, the natural body and spiritual body are both physical, but the latter has greater glory.

No. The natural man is the man (whether regenerate or not) whose physical body, with its instincts and emotions, is driving him for the time being. His mind is set on what his instincts and physical appetites consider important.

The spiritual man is the man (whether regenerate or not) whose spirit, with it's focus on abstract characteristics like love, peace, and truth, is driving him for the time being. That man can be discerning the evidence for God and be trusting in the light he has from God, the Light that lights every man who comes into the world. That man can please God by choosing to put his faith in the light he has been thus far given, even if that light does not yet include the gospel.

Rom. 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel ...

26Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.


Rom. 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.