You failed to include how I showed to whom the Father reveals truth. Matthew 11:25-28 says that Jesus praised God that He had chosen to hide these things (the truth Jesus was proclaiming earlier in the chapter) from the wise and intelligent and reveal them to infants because this way was pleasing to Him. This theme is continued in I Cor. 1 where Paul says that they preached Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. The Jew is not going to believe for one reason and the Gentile for another, but to the called, whoever they are it is the power of God. If all are called then it is the power of God to all. But since it is only to those who are being saved that it is the power of God (vs. 18) then the called must be a limited number and dont try to tell me that being called is conditional to believing. Then (back to Matthew) Jesus continues by saying that it is the Sons will that decides to whom the Father will be revealed. Not the will of the one reading the Bible or listening to preaching, but the Son.
These passages are not discussing what it philosophically true, that is, theologically true. It is not about getting insight on true concepts but knowing and understanding the spiritual realities of heaven with the eyes of the spirit. This is quite explicitly laid out by Paul in 1 Cor 1 to 4. It has nothing to do with believing whether or not the concepts of the gospel MESSAGE is true or not. It has to do with the unseen spiritual realities, not in human words of wisdom, but revealed by the Spirit to our spirit. Only those with the Spirit can see, or hear, they realities.
In Matthew 16:17 Jesus says that His Messianic mission and divinity were revealed to Peter by the Father. Now the Father did not reveal this to all as many denied the fact of Him being the Messiah and God.
You make it sound as if God waved his magic wand one day and did something to Peter to reveal that Jesus was the Christ. That is not what Jesus is talking about. God is the father of the spirits of all men. This spirit in us which returns to God upon death, is to be contrasted with the humanity of "flesh and blood." In other words, Jesus is saying that Peter did not come up with this notion dy deductive logic but by hearkening to the spirit within him. Also Peter did not receive the Holy Spirit until Jesus rose from the dead.
I John 5:20 says that Jesus has come to give us understanding so that we may know Him. Notice that He gives US understanding. Not all, US. Us meaning those saved since John then says and we are in Him who is true. So the US that is given understanding is the WE that are in Christ. He does not give understanding to all otherwise all would understand and be saved.
It seems again you think this knowledge is to know certain concepts are truth. No, this is a reference to knowing God through his Word Christ in a personal and relational way. Of course, only Christians have that reality.
I said How is it that we get from hating the light and running from it to loving it and coming to it? How can we believe in something that we hate? What is it that overcomes that hate?
Love. The Spirit of God is love and when the gospel is preached in the power of the Spirit it cuts the hearts of non believers. That is why Jesus said they should not do anything until the Spirit was poured out from on high.
Rom. 3:10-18 is written to prove that all are under sin. No man without exception is righteous
do you believe that? It says not even one.
That is actually NOT a reference to all human beings. You would find that in Romans 5:12-19. Here it is a reference to all Jews. See 3:9. Paul is prvoing all the Jews are sinners and that is who this quotation is about.
You should agree that all are born with a sin nature.
In addition to a human nature? No. That is a complete fallacy. Our human nature is flesh and flesh is under the power of sin and death. And that is all there is to it.
Thus none are righteous, the point being in and of themselves. If none means absolutely none in the first line then why confuse the second and third statements. I believe Paul is taking the lamentation of David and turning it into a point of doctrine. He is saying that it is only if none are righteous and none understand and none seek God that we can be justified by faith. And may I point out that Paul states this in light of John 12:32. Also let me point out that this is a portrait of a man on his own, but that once Christ has worked in him then he may indeed seek Christ (Matt. 7:7-8 were written to disciples and not to all men and Jeremiah 29:11-14 was written to Gods people Israel and I dont think it can be inferred that all men have the ability to seek God). Noah could certainly seek after God and live a righteous life once God had worked in him, but not before.
No one was born again before Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus was the firstBORN out of the dead. This is why the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John who was the greatest born of a woman.
John 5:39-40 shows that they look for eternal life, yet will not come to the only one who will give them life. Why not?
Because they, like you, believe that eternal life comes from believing theological concepts and is bound up in that.
No
it fits with the belief that they will always follow what they love. If they love human glory how will they come to love the glory that God gives? It is all about the desires. The will is free to do only what you desire. If they love the applause of men then that is what they will choose to go after.
Secular humans change what they love all the time in this manner. It is a matter of surrender.
Look at what you are saying
they can believe or turn back to the sin they love. Why will they believe if they love sin? If love of the flesh causes sin then how can one acknowledge the Creator? What I am saying is that this love of the flesh and love of sin must be overcome before we can believe. If you still love sin then how is it you can choose to do what will kill your sin?
There are many who believe the gospel message who love to sin. Of course, this is why someone needed to invent a unique kind of faith called "saving faith" as opposed to the mysteroius other kind of non-saving faith. Odd, since faith does not save; God saves.
The flesh does not need to be overpowered and this is where you go wrong. WE humans are mortal and so we have the capacity to choose to die. So God calls us to die with Christ and then he raises us up anew in his Spirit.
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You say that conviction is what causes one to believe while another doesnt. Who causes that conviction? John16:8 says that when the Spirit comes it is He who will convict those that do not believe in Christ. Now if conviction comes before faith and it is the Spirit brings conviction then the Spirit comes before faith not faith before Spirit. And what about John 3? It says the Spirit goes where He wishes using the analogy of the wind. According to you His going is dependant on our wishes as to whether or not we decide to have faith in Christ.
You see to be equating the reception of the Spirit with being born again. Is this so?
Also, when a preacher of the gospel is filled with the Spirit of God, this is how the Spirit convicts non-believers. It is not a wand waving act by God. God works through his servants. See Acts 2:4,37.
JMW