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Why can't I just trust the Gospel and what it says?
-CryptoLutheran
The question is, if natural man is totally rebellious against God and absolutely not in his nature to change his direction away from sin and toward God, and because of that is totally unable to do so, what do you think has happened to enable him to even think about repenting?Almost.... Natural man can repent, we have a choice to make, we are not completely absolved of not being able to make the choice. If there was no choice to make, the would have been no reason for anyone to preach to the lost (you and me at one time). However, no one can convince us, I agree, we need to listen to the Holy Spirit. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, He doesnt push it down, why? Because we need to respond. We are then given a new heart, not of stone but of flesh.
Im not sure that I follow " trust the Gospel", many have different views of the Gospel. You would have to define the Gospel.
The question is, if natural man is totally rebellious against God and absolutely not in his nature to change his direction away from sin and toward God, and because of that is totally unable to do so, what do you think has happened to enable him to even think about repenting?
By the Gospel I mean what God has done for us and the whole world through Jesus Christ His Son, by His life, death, and resurrection. Why should I look into myself when I have the word of God outside of myself which tells me about God's grace, kindness, and work to save me, what He Himself has done for me. What am I going to find in myself that could possibly add to what God Himself has already done?
-CryptoLutheran
What part of it bothers you?
Nothing you can do, did I say that it was of yourself other than you had a decision to make?
Romans 7 doesn't bother me. But it does fly against what you seem to be saying. When St. Paul writes, "the good that I want to do I don't do, and the evil I don't want to do I do", the Apostle speaks of the struggle, of the law of sin in his very bodily members at war with his conscience. The law of sin wreaking havoc, causing strife. There is no hope here for us inside of us, inside of ourselves there is only sin and death. The Apostle will go on to say, "But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ!" and "There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus" because of the gifts and working of God upon us, who has given us the Spirit. For God in the riches of His grace chose us before the foundation of the world, and has saved us. The good thing He began He will continue, as we look forward in hope to even the redemption of our mortal bodies in the future resurrection.
All of this screams loudly that we can't trust our own heart, which as the Prophet Jeremiah has told us is "wicked above all else and desperately sick, who can understand it?"
So instead of looking inside of ourselves, to the dry bones of decay, we look outside of ourselves to God's good work and promises: Jesus Christ crucified and raised from the dead, who has attained for us peace with God, victory, and life everlasting in the Age to Come.
-CryptoLutheran
Absolutely, you had a choice to make, you made it and all be thanks to God for what He has done!If it's up to me then it is of myself. That's how that works.
If my salvation is up to me, then I am hopelessly lost--for in myself there is nothing of merit, I am a hopeless and helpless beggar.
I give thanks to God that my salvation is not up to me, but that God in His infinite kindness has saved me in spite of myself. For He has won for me what I could never attain, and has given me all things in Christ that I might have life instead of death.
I am a dead man breathed back to life by Christ who will, in the end, even make whole these dry bones of death and share in His own glory (Philippians 3:21). World without end.
-CryptoLutheran
We know that not everyone who has the law shown him his sin has responded positively to it. Most responses to the sharing of the gospel have been "Phooey!" Any outreach worker will tell you that.Because the law has shown him his sin. He has to decide whether he wants to keep in it or turn to Christ for salvation.
We know that not everyone who has the law shown him his sin has responded positively to it. Most responses to the sharing of the gospel have been "Phooey!" Any outreach worker will tell you that.
So, what makes one person out of multitudes who take a "phooey" attitude, respond positively and want to know more about how to get saved?
Right, this does cause strife, in the bible sin is a noun, a "thing as it were. It is not you. Its referred to as the power of sin. Its attached itself to you, it is not you. You are new, the new man has come, the old has gone. It doesnt mean sin is gone, it means that the old you has gone. Sin has no power over you, do you war with it? YES, absolutely but it is not you.
If you came to me and said" hey, my foot really hurts" and we took your sock off and there was a parasite attached to you, we wouldnt say it was your foot that was causing the pain, it wasnt your foot that was bad, it was the parasite. Sin works the same way. Did you see in Romans where Paul says we are slaves of righteousness? Do you look at yourself and your sin and say how can that be? You are! You are obedient from the heart, what we all need is physical death to be separated from sin. That is why we wont sin in heaven, because what is attached to you will no longer be attached.
Absolutely, you had a choice to make, you made it and all be thanks to God for what He has done!
Oh, it's definitely me. The old man and the new man coexist in turmoil. Unless you seem to think that the body has already been raised, transformed, and glorified. It is not. I remain undoubtedly a mortal sinner, and one day my body will cease to function, I will breathe my last breath, and all activity in my brain will fade, this body will rot away, dust to dust. But that is not the end of our story, because the day is coming when God will raise up these flesh and bones and make them new, whole, and glorified. For this mortal must put on immortality, and this corruptible must put on incorruption, and then it will be said death has been swallowed up in victory, "Where O Death is your sting? Where O Death is your victory?"
The new man is a slave to God and His righteousness.
Romans 6:4 we HAVE been buried (past tense)
Romans 6:6 our old self WAS crucified (past tense)
Roman 6:18 and having been FREED from sin, you BECAME slaves of righteouness (past tense)
1 Corinthians 6:11 but you were WASHED, but you were SANCTIFIED, you were JUSTIFIED (past tense)
Colossians 2:10 you have been MADE complete (past tense)
I can keep going, the new is NOW, not later, all of these verses are past tense, he didnt say "one day you will". Death comes and the power of sin loses "its sting" because it is no longer attached, it is a technicality and a completion of this body and you will get a new body a resurrection body.
We are not slaves but heirs, seated in heavenly places. We are not God's slaves, sounds really humble but not scriptural.
Last I checked it was God who sent His only-begotten Son, not me. That was God's choice, not mine. So, yes, thanks be to God.
Ok, you have admitted the new is now, so if the old man is buried and the old self was crucified, how exactly is it still living?I didn't say the new man isn't now. I said the old and new coexist.
-CryptoLutheran
So if was all up to God and not to you, tell me, why is the bible around? Why Jesus? He could have lived, not died and just went to heaven, God pre-picked everyone so, what does it matter? If we had no choice, is it really love? Do you really love God when its all of Him and all of Him?
Im not sure if you missed the whosoever in John 3:16, whosoever denotes a choice.
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