Can We Really Exercise Free Will?
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Yep. Most people don't realize.....we are NOT the main actors in this drama. The angelic host take precedent, we are actually 3rd place....not even second.
yes ... and vs 23 ... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
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Beautiful song....
Ephesians 3:8-11 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord
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I have no idea what you are on about? I never said angels manifested in flesh, I said they appear as men. They do not come in the flesh as Christ did in the Incarnation. It is a totally different thing.
If I don't understand you it is because you are not very clear in your meaning. What has "angel/man hybrid offspring giants" got to do with the Gen.18&19 story or your comment about Jesus being 7 feet tall? I have no idea how you are trying to squeeze those things in.
You come from strange places with your thinking sometimes Mem and I do not know how to answer you so maybe it's best we stop before it gets messy.
Nope our church fathers have took an oath, we have a law in place in England, that if the church fathers of any particular church want to abstain from from man made laws of the land, then they can do so.
Our church does everything according to God's ways when it comes to marriage.
So you can't put our reformed church in your little box, of how you see reformed churches.
But still you need to correct to what you wrote, as which ever way you think you wrote your remark you still implied God is a rapist if he goes against a person will. You also said that's how I must view God.
Both remarks should never have been said.
And so far I haven't one single apology from you , and I won't get one for the way you've once again spoken to me with ill intent here, .or any of the other times you've spoken to me with ill intent either, which makes you a very dangerous person.
Man did not need angels to join in on the orgy to garner judgment. I submit that Lamech was a celebrity rapper (and I'm not the first to think of this idea), Snoop Dog, for example, had nothing on him. I haven't verified the rumors but in contrast to those days, there such that began as the fallen 'men of renown' but rather are ending up as sons of God. If at least two people get what I'm laying down here, then I'll be satisfied, even if you don't.
I submit that Satan believed that he succeeded in corrupting the seed when he influenced the fall of Adam and by consequence succeeded in usurping the throne of God. Satan tested Jesus not because he believed that Jesus was Him because if (they) had known Who He was, as scripture tells us, they would not have crucified Him.
No worries, this entire discourse began with speculations on the Nephilim, so it really was an attempt to wrap it up anyway. Shalom sis.I have no idea what you are on about? I never said angels manifested in flesh, I said they appear as men. They do not come in the flesh as Christ did in the Incarnation. It is a totally different thing.
If I don't understand you it is because you are not very clear in your meaning. What has "angel/man hybrid offspring giants" got to do with the Gen.18&19 story or your comment about Jesus being 7 feet tall? I have no idea how you are trying to squeeze those things in.
You come from strange places with your thinking sometimes Mem and I do not know how to answer you so maybe it's best we stop before it gets messy.
We defend God against false doctrine and in order to reveal it for what it is, it needs to be strip of its fancy veneer.
The god of "TULIP" is outside of scripture, but those who have been indoctrinated attempt to insert Him into the Bible, but their hermeneutic is deceitful.
There is only one Truth, one plan of salvation.
You always want to be apologized to.
And, while you come across as a very prissy man.
You might not be, But that is how you come across.
And, prissy men wear their feelings on their sleeve.
Apology is not needed.
Snapping out of your sense of self-importance would be helpful.
You keep failing to recognize that you have been crucified with Christ.
And, want others to abide by how you feel about yourself.
I am sure some here will come to your aid out of their dislike for me.
But it is what you need to grow up.....
The Church of England is in deep trouble right now.
You need Bible doctrine so you and the Spirit can walk as one.
I tried.
grace and peace ........
the devil knew Jesus was the Son of God ...
Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
The word "if" is not satan questioning His Sonship ... it is more in the line of "since" ... "since You are the Son of God ...". Satan did not question the deity of Jesus; satan challenged the Lord Jesus Christ to prove it through a miraculous work.
devil spirits knew Who Jesus was ...
Matthew 8:28-29 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
"if (they) had known Who He was, as scripture tells us, they would not have crucified Him" ... the verse you refer to does not state that if they had known Who He was ... the verse states that if they had known the mystery (which was hid in God from the foundation of the world until it was revealed to Paul) they would not have crucified the Lord of glory:
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
This "hidden wisdom" is not the gospel. The gospel was never hid by God. The gospel is revealed in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
The Gospel is the Gospel which is proclaimed throughout all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
The mystery is the mystery.
Until God revealed the mystery, the hidden wisdom to Paul, the mystery, the hidden wisdom was kept secret since the world began:
Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began
Until God revealed the mystery, the hidden wisdom to Paul, the mystery, the hidden wisdom was not made known:
Ephesians 3:4-5 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit
Until God revealed the mystery, the hidden wisdom to Paul, the mystery, the hidden wisdom was hid in God from the beginning of the world:
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ
Until God revealed the mystery, the hidden wisdom to Paul, the mystery, the hidden wisdom was hid from ages and from generations ... BUT NOWmade known:
Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints
hope/pray this info helps ...
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Nowhere does this Truth purport as you do that God is unfair to do what He does.
You do need to align yourself better with Scriptural truth. For instance:
Scripture says, the world cannot receive the spirit of truth. Your view is, it can. Scripture says the man of flesh (unregenerated) cannot submit to or obey God. Your view is, he can. Scripture says the natural man cannot receive the spiritual things of God. Your view is, he can. Scripture says the natural man cannot understand the spiritual things of God. Your view is, he can. Scripture says a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Your view is, it can. Scripture says the natural man is opposed to the spiritual things of God. Your view is, he is not. Scripture says the gospel is hid. Your view is, the gospel is not hid. Jesus said not everyone hears. Your view is, everyone hears. Scripture says flesh serves the law of sin and brings forth fruit unto death. Your view is, the flesh can choose to make a decision a plethora of Scriptures say it cannot, to please God and bring forth fruit unto life. Scripture says the devil has taken people captive to do his will. Your view is, man has a will that is free. Scripture says no man can come to God unless God draws them. Your view is, divine intervention is not necessary. Your view is, man has everything he needs to come to believe. Scripture makes plain certain things are only known through the Spirit and revelation which you continually denigrate. Scripture shows over and over again from Genesis all the way through to Revelation that God reveals Himself differently from one person to the next. Your view is, God is unfair if He were to reveal Himself in any way differently from one person to the next. Your view is those you disagree with should preach in cemeteries, then you lie about conflating spiritual death with physical death. Your view is to not only blaspheme God yourself, but agree with those who blaspheme God in other ways. Along with other free willers, you come across as despising God's sovereignty, and call Him doing things for His own purposes doing them for no good reason. No matter how you look at it, your theological stance on this issue directly contradicts and outright denies what the Bible explicitly articulates in a number of places, and you are not likely to change it any time soon because to bring your view into line with what Scripture actually teaches would bring your whole house of cards down, and demolish your vain self-exalting stance. You cannot have that, since you are far too attached to your ear-tickling doctrine. One could even say you were in love with it. You certainly love it more than the Truth of Scripture.
Stick both your hands on top of your head, and you'll find out.
Which is what @Kroogz said. It is based on God's character, not on the object of His love.
I have still that ear wash if you're interested.
Perhaps a few swigs of that stuff will help you.
You must have one heck of a pogo stick to leap to the conclusions you do.
Give me one verse in scripture that EXPLICITLY teaches that God loves the wicked. (Jn 3:16 doesn't count since you read your assumptions into the Gr. term "kosmos" which has about 9 different meanings.) I have given a whole slew of verses in the past that teach that God does not love evildoers, that he does in fact love the righteous, loves those who trust Him, loves those who fear Him, loves those who love Him and obeys Him...And hates, detests or loathes the wicked. Your argument that God's holy, righteous character requires him to love sinners doesn't hold a drop of water! God even loved his own Son on the condition of His obedience!
Yes, God is Love -- and his love is moral in nature. Therefore, He CANNOT love whatever is evil -- such as the hearts of God-hating sinners.
And, yes, God does need an object in order TO express His love. And He has had two for all eternity. (Are you smart enough to figure out who they would be?) When you say that He doesn't need an object for his love, you reduce him to the level of sinful mankind that loves ITSELF! God love, by nature, is selfless and sacrificial, unlike sinful man's love that is selfish!
You like to hear yourself give long speeches or sermons in your echo chamber, heh? Couldn't distill God's love down to a couple of succinct sentences, could you? That's OK because I did that in my 20,257 to Genez. I distilled the difference down between divine love and human love.
