"Meat puppets"? Did I say we were "meat puppets"?
Sorry. Just a term I heard once that I got a kick out of describing theoretical human beings who are controlled, and therefore don't make choices, discernments or decisions. The puppetmaster does. Marionettes may have been more tasteful.
Bad news for you. Yes, you didn't "choose sin" but you and I are born "SINNERS" because of our fore father Adam. So guess what, we sin naturally from the day we are born, for we are all born sinners. And no, you are not an automated programmed human and you will be held accountable by God regardless of your rebellion and hate to this information that's written in the Holy Bible. You ain't going to run far from a Holy and Righteous God when He comes for you.
No disagreements here. Frankly, I thought only Catholics and Orthodox believed in original sin. There may be something to work with here. A seed. [/QUOTE]
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As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God." (Romans 3:10,11);
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1,2)
If the Word declares, "there is none that seeketh after God", you can be dead (no pun intended) sure that you never ever loved God even though you claim you have. A unregenerate sinner can never seek after God let alone even say he loved God. Your rebellious words against the Holy Bible speaks volume of what is written in Romans 3:10,11 to be very true.
There is hope from this last statement of yours that you can come to understand these scriptures you keep posting. I will ignore the personal attack against me in particular, as you have absolutely no knowledge whatsoever about the depth of my belief and respect of the Holy Scriptures of God, so this is just mean hearted talk, which I give the benefit of the doubt to you as being used in hyperbole. But here's the hopeful part of your interpretation of these two passages, (prooftexted, and used without reference to audience, the Psalms they are based on, etc.). You use the word "unregenerate". The would indicate that you have some understanding of the regeneration of the human soul offered in grace to those who will receive it. If there can be unregenerate, there can be regenerate by the grace of God. As Jesus said a few times, "Let him who has ears hear". That we can be cleaned, and yes, love God. In fact, this uncoerced love of God by the acceptance of God's love and grace from the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ is what many denominations of Christians think about as being "born again", in which they are no longer unregenerate sinners. I've said in every response to your posts that God calls those He chooses, but not all respond. That is, forced love is not love at all. This is why eternal life with God and the beatific vision is free to all, but one must pick up their cross daily and follow Jesus to continue to receive the sanctifying grace. I have had great and productive debates with brothers and sisters who are of the Once Saved/Always Saved camp, and we usually just find that like the English and the Americans we are one people separated by a common language, and that we simply have different words for the same concepts, and are not as far apart on actual theology as we may think we are. But your philosophy and understanding of man seems to be a completely different thing from other Christians of all stripes whom I have spoken with along my journey. There SEEMS to be a kind of a nihilism or darkness to your understanding of the scriptures. Let me ask you clearly, so I can at least get a better sense of your understanding of things: Can a person change, by the grace of God, from the state of being a reprobate, unregenerate sinner, to a repentant sinner who is now able to love, and have hope of Heaven through Jesus Christ? If not, what is Christianity in your estimation? If so, does man have any choice at all in calling on, and accepting the gift of God's grace, and having a purposeful amendment of one's life, so that there is some standard by which he can be judged by God? Or is everything fixed, so to speak, and we are just character living out a play designed by a divine author, which ultimately we have no say in? (If this were the case, by what measure would we be judged at the end of our live, if we are just playing out roles, and not making any choices.)
And finally, how do you interpret the scripture passage, "God is love, and all who live in God, live in love" if man can not love. Wouldn't this negate the idea from Genesis that we were made in the image and likeness of God?
I am open the possibility as well, that I don't really understand anything you're trying to explain to me. In which case I thank you for whatever time you've invested, but don't really see a possibility in reaching an understanding of your biblical interpretations, and I apologize for any waste of time I've presented.
Yours in Christ,
Steven
