Who is responsible for our sanctification?

fhansen

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Well, nice sentiments, but scripture nowhere says that all are His children. Believers are given the right to be called His children, and Jesus said some are the children of the devil.
Ok, but I guess He wants none to perish anyway for some reason.
 
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Wordkeeper

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Well, nice sentiments, but scripture nowhere says that all are His children. Believers are given the right to be called His children, and Jesus said some are the children of the devil.
Acts of the apostles 17
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’29“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

Also the phrase "children of the devil" is meant to refer to the lost sheep, persons who have got caught up in worldly ways, not demoniacs. Even Peter was called satan, when he allowed his worldly side to surface.
 
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Hammster

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Ok, but I guess He wants none to perish anyway for some reason.
He wants none of the elect to perish, as is the point in the verse you allude to.
 
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fhansen

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Acts of the apostles 17
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’29“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.
Yes-this is the bigger picture. This is who we know God to be as to His nature and will in general, the better we know Him.
 
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Hammster

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Acts of the apostles 17
24“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’29“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.

Also the phrase "children of the devil" is meant to refer to the lost sheep, persons who have got caught up in worldly ways, not demoniacs. Even Peter was called satan, when he allowed his worldly side to surface.
You miss the point Paul was making. He was using their arguments to show that God wasn’t a man-made idol.
 
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JacksBratt

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The Holy Spirit works through the True Church.
The Holy Spirit lives in me and any other Christian... It needs no church. It was sent as a comforter for us in Jesus stead.
 
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Oldmantook

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You are reading into the text something that’s not there.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
— Galatians 1:3-4

He groups them with those of whom God is their Father.

He never says that they have lost their salvation. And he refers to them as brethren.

For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
— Galatians 1:11

This is why context matters.
Indeed they are brethren/saved which is precisely why Paul wrote that he is "amazed" that despite being saved/called some of them were apostatizing by turning away to follow another gospel. Plain English. If they were unbelievers, no big deal as that would be expected. They were believers who obviously chose not to continue in the sanctification process and instead chose to follow another gospel. "Called" only reference believers - never unbelievers.
 
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98cwitr

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The immediate audience were disciples.

Correct, so it stands to reason that the same message would be to the disciples also reading that verse today. So obviously, God is not willing that any disciple of Christ's should perish, but all of them come to repentance. That includes all the elect from all ages. If it were not the case, then God's desires would truly fail, His Omniscience at a minimum challenged and at maximum completely demolished, and 1 John 5:18 be nothing more than wishful thinking.
 
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fhansen

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Correct, so it stands to reason that the same message would be to the disciples also reading that verse today. So obviously, God is not willing that any disciple of Christ's should perish, but all of them come to repentance. That includes all the elect from all ages. If it were not the case, then God's desires would truly fail, His Omniscience at a minimum challenged and at maximum completely demolished, and 1 John 5:18 be nothing more than wishful thinking.
So you would say that everyone who's heard those words and applied them to themselves down through the centuries were necessarily numbered among the elect?
 
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JacksBratt

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The Holy Spirit works through the True Church.
Actually, the true church is every believer. The true church is the body of Christ. The true church is made up of every single Christian and they each are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.

So the Holy Spirit does not work only work through this true Church.. but the true Church is empowered by the Holy Spirit as He lives in each and every member.

So, I change my mind. The Holy Spirit does work through the church which is every believer and they do the work of Christ.
 
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Hammster

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Indeed they are brethren/saved which is precisely why Paul wrote that he is "amazed" that despite being saved/called some of them were apostatizing by turning away to follow another gospel. Plain English. If they were unbelievers, no big deal as that would be expected. They were believers who obviously chose not to continue in the sanctification process and instead chose to follow another gospel. "Called" only reference believers - never unbelievers.
They were being deceived. Paul never said that they lost their salvation. That’s why they were still brethren.
 
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98cwitr

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So you would say that everyone who's heard those words and applied them to themselves down through the centuries were necessarily numbered among the elect?

Eh not in those exact words, but simply stated: Those who heard, believed, and were reborn in Spirit by the power of God are counted among the elect, yes.
 
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