Understanding God’s election
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It does not take being spiritual for an addicted person to know he is a sinner.
It takes being spiritual to learn and understand about some doctrine like the Deity of Christ.
It does not take being spiritual to comprehend what it means when told Jesus died for your sins.
But, it does take being spiritual to understand that Jesus existed prior to his birth.
When I read the tract that was handed to me? I was a Jew.
I simply thought to myself that Jesus was a man who loved God so much he refused to sin.
That he loved God so much that he wanted us to love God in the same way.
So he died on the Cross so we can have our sins forgiven, and be able to be given access to
loving God as he did as a man!
I did not know Jesus was also God until after I got saved.
Before then, I simply believed he was a man that loved God so much that he refused to sin.
No regeneration was required to believe what I thought at that time.
And, God saved me without me knowing why I entered into a supernatural state that I attributed
to my period of drug use while in college.
All I knew is that I just wanted to believe it.
Only after regenartion was i given the power to know its reality and true.
Unbelievers can do what is required by God take note and baptize you into the Spirit.
Then, things begin to happen like never before!
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The vast majority of the world knows they are morally flawed human beings but they shrug it off and blame God, blame evolution, blame "mother nature' or whatever. (I don't think you'll find very many people who will claim they are morally perfect.) At the same time, the vast majority of the world still doesn't want to have anything to do with God, his Christ or the gospel truth. They hate all this and more.
Was Solomon in heaven when he penned Eccl 9:3? 
It appears Solomon had a pretty low view of his fellow man... And I for one am not surprised.
It appears Solomon had a pretty low view of his fellow man... And I for one am not surprised.
"Yea, also the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil."
Get the context to see what state of mind cynical Solomon was suffering with.
Ecclesiastes 9:1-5
So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good,
so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5
For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
Pretty dismal outllook?Solomon was reaping living outside of doing God's will for his life.
It was recorded for others to know that they too can end up there as long as they do not return to following the Lord!
Verse 5 is proof and can not apply to the faithful believer!!!!!
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You assume your regeneration came after because you believe fallen man is disposed to receive spiritual things. Not only doesn't he have the ability; neither is he so disposed.
Does this mean he doesn't understand the concepts of sin or redemption? No, but it does mean his understanding is corrupted and doesn't recognize his true predicament before God or the wrath to come. This is why in building His church Jesus employs the revelation of the Father to an individual of the person and work of Himself.
At the same time, it is the Spirit who is circumcizing the heart and renewing the mind that the volition is free to respond in spirit and truth. No different to what any Christian is able to do.
Apart from God...we can do nothing.
What you believe you thought yourself was in fact God discovering to you the person and work of Christ.
Does this mean he doesn't understand the concepts of sin or redemption? No, but it does mean his understanding is corrupted and doesn't recognize his true predicament before God or the wrath to come. This is why in building His church Jesus employs the revelation of the Father to an individual of the person and work of Himself.
At the same time, it is the Spirit who is circumcizing the heart and renewing the mind that the volition is free to respond in spirit and truth. No different to what any Christian is able to do.
Apart from God...we can do nothing.
What you believe you thought yourself was in fact God discovering to you the person and work of Christ.
I have it archived in a program. I have it on search right now.
Just so we are on the same page. And to keep it simple.
Luke 12:48~~But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Can we say?.......If he did commit things worthy of stripes He THEN shall be beaten? Or can he be beaten before he commits things worthy of stripes?
Just seeing if we can stick to the basics of simple language?
Just so we are on the same page. And to keep it simple.
Luke 12:48~~But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
Can we say?.......If he did commit things worthy of stripes He THEN shall be beaten? Or can he be beaten before he commits things worthy of stripes?
Just seeing if we can stick to the basics of simple language?
[Phl 1:29 ESV]
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
[Jhn 6:29 KJV]
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
[2Th 2:13 KJV]
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
[Jhn 6:29 KJV]
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
[2Th 2:13 KJV]
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
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That's because Solomon was observing and assessing life from strictly the horizontal perspective, i.e. everything UNDER the SUN. However, Solomon was justified about what he wrote regarding the sons of men. There's not a thing he wrote that is inconsistent with the anthropology of the bible. Man is evil! Period! There's nothing good in any unregenerate person. Nor do the unregenerate do any good ultimately! Nor do the unregenerate seek after God. Why would they? They hate him like their spiritual father does! Like father, like son!
But these verses do!
Eph 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
NIV
Acts 15:9
9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
NIV
Acts 18:27
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
NIV
1Tim 1:14
14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
NIV
1Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
NASB
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
ESV
1 Cor 4:7
7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
NIV
So...I have some really bad news for you. Since you do not believe you have received God's precious gift of faith which comes by His grace and, therefore, have absolutely nothing for which to be thankful to God, then you might want to take a deep dive into your own soul for the purpose of conducting a spiritual inventory.
Eph 2:8-10
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
NIV
Acts 15:9
9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.
NIV
Acts 18:27
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.
NIV
1Tim 1:14
14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
NIV
1Peter 1:3-5
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
NASB
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
ESV
1 Cor 4:7
7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
NIV
So...I have some really bad news for you. Since you do not believe you have received God's precious gift of faith which comes by His grace and, therefore, have absolutely nothing for which to be thankful to God, then you might want to take a deep dive into your own soul for the purpose of conducting a spiritual inventory.
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Acts 16:31
It says...
Someone wishing to believe what the Gospel says does not require regeneration to desire.
The Gospel, by design, relates to man on a very human level of understanding.
It says...
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved."
It does not say.... (which looks ridiculous)
Be saved so you can believe in the Lord Jesus.
Someone wishing to believe what the Gospel says does not require regeneration to desire.
The Gospel, by design, relates to man on a very human level of understanding.
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