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Ive never believed that we can intellectually
come to God on our own. Because we do not choose something based upon
our knowledge of it but because we want it. And if you look biblical
knowledge is a knowledge by experience.
So it goes like this. God
knows future event not just by a foreknowledge that these events will
take place but God in foreknowing the event knows it as if it happens
when He predicts that event. In other words if something is going to
become reality God must see it not in time but in one event in eternity.
So really there is no past or present or future with God but God is
immutably existent as if the future events had already happened.
God
not only knows the events but He knows each cell that is produced. He
knows each particle of dust that is part of the event. So in God seeing
or hearing.. or tasting or touching it is a form of speech in which it
describes His knowledge as He works in this world. When we say that God
sees its not like our seeing. But its His determination both in
punishing and saving at the same time. Because God only has one will.
This
is why our faith is a analogy of seeing God through God seeing. Or its
the description of believing and apprehending Gods purposes in this
world in our accepting that God has our best interest. Read that
carefully. When we pray we are involving Gods hands.. His feet... His
voice and His condescending pity as if there was a man who responded in
our prayers as He moves his body parts on our behalf. And in this sense
God is revealed through Christ as a faithful covenant keeping God as if
Christ work already determined how our lives would be lived to the glory
of God. We call this having fellowship with our Father.
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: The Real Gospel
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on: February 26, 2012, 01:18:56 PM
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Yes to some extent i side with you beacon.
Although lately Kk has been much better and not entirely in disagreement
with my position. Ive enjoyed reading Kk. But this truth is something
that has come about through much meditation. Although i agree that our
sin is taken care of in our position in heaven i do not see this as the
primary focus of knowing our identity in Christ. I think the reformers
were confronted with the catholic understanding of sin and the need for
self atonement. I do not think we can go back to that time.
I
believe the focus is on overcoming as a holistic goal of grace. That
being that we are aware of our circumstances by how we hear the
communication that is going on around us. So we are not just people who
are kind of search out personal sin in order to qualify in understanding
who we are. But rather in seeking wisdom on a daily basis we know
reality by applying that wisdom in how we are receiving truth in our
world and overcoming evil by exposing the false.
There is a
reveal language and a wisdom of man language. I do not believe these two
world views that stem from how we describe them are not just two
choices. But i believe that they are actively opposed to one another. In
this there is a cursed way of man and a blessed way of the righteous.
The world is actively using things and schemes through blame to force
their view on the revealed way. So we must get beyond just a concern for
sin and see that we are in a battle about what is real. I believe Satan
is always using these multiple schemes to get us to be self defacing in
some way so that we will not enjoy these new conversions.
There
is a tendency in the christian context to get caught up in this circular
self destructive way of dealing with each other and the problems we
encounter. The christian faith is naturally appealing to those who have
no hope. The new life experience is what changes their whole
disposition. But there is a tendency through wrong applications of truth
to remain in this infant stage. I believe its because we focus to much
on the battle with personal sin rather than seeing this as a holistic
struggle against the schemes of the devil and the communication wars
with the world.
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: The Real Gospel
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on: February 25, 2012, 09:55:40 AM
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This
is why our understanding of this world is only complete when we live in
His supernatural ability. That means that our sin and weakness are His
working beyond our understanding of our need in weighing the our
inability compared to His supernatural ability. So that we are made to rest in Him as really bad sinners. How can a sinner be accepted before a holy God?
He must not only be forgiven but His whole view of himself and his
circumstances must be transformed from the effects of his own guilt and
sorrow into an ongoing peace and joy that is produced outside of those
checks and balances. He must rise above himself and experience Christ in
him the hope of glory. For to me to live is Christ.
MBG
Would you explain what you mean by the phrase I highlighted above?
Are
you speaking of nonbelievers when they come to Christ? I am not
understanding who the "really bad sinners" are who "are made to rest in
Him."
b2
I believe we are completely
sanctified at our new birth. I do not see us able to argue for this
sanctification in ourselves in our corruption tho. I believe the bible
is clear about the direction we are to go in creating the soil for our
advancing in our sanctification. I believe that our direction is one of
hope and not two line mysticism. So on the one hand we have no shame
because when we sin we are given grace. On the other hand we are focused
on rewards instead of the dept we owe for our failure. Listen we are
responsible for our failure in living in blame. We have been given power
over sin... and this includes our reaction to our sins. lol. But
this is all anti thetical to what we live in of receiving payment for
our work. This is why the world is spiraling down. Because they do not
see that only hope of human ability is that God does everything. They do
not believe that God demands perfect obedience. One small failure and
they are cursed forever. They really do not live in the hope that God
has given them all things in this life. But they believe they are good
enough to demand rewards as being rich...having empathy for the
poor...being part of the healing process.. or trying in some way to
present themselves as important in some kind of system. Their identity
is in their ability rather than seeing that God works alone. God does
the work and gets the glory. So we see it is absolutely essential that
we acknowledge our own bankruptcy so that we might give God the glory He
deserves and that we might enjoy all of life in the pleasure that God
is pleased to gift us with all things by His grace alone. This is
thinking correctly.
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: The Real Gospel
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on: February 23, 2012, 12:36:21 PM
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We cannot do one good thing so He loves us as
much as we possibly can take. This love comes through pure grace not
intermingled with human defects. When we stand in the name of Christ we
stand as being substituted for as the agent for all of our ability and
sustenance. For our joy is our needing Him. Without Him we have no
power.. no purpose... no understanding of ourselves or of God the
Father.
This is why our understanding of this world is only
complete when we live in His supernatural ability. That means that our
sin and weakness are His working beyond our understanding of our need in
weighing the our inability compared to His supernatural ability. So
that we are made to rest in Him as really bad sinners. How can a sinner
be accepted before a holy God? He must not only be forgiven but His
whole view of himself and his circumstances must be transformed from the
effects of his own guilt and sorrow into an ongoing peace and joy that
is produced outside of those checks and balances. He must rise above
himself and experience Christ in him the hope of glory. For to me to
live is Christ.
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Forums / Main Forum / Re: And now for something completely different
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on: February 21, 2012, 08:48:49 AM
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People like to write about their own
experiences. One of the things i find about people and their experiences
is that whatever is the best for them is going to be opposed in the art
of defining what their experience is by anyone who proves his own
experience as what is rite. So this is why there is so much miss
understanding in our world today. People just assume by communication
that their identity is defined by someone elses beliefs enforcing the
truth of their own experience.
So the evil in opposing
experiences is intended to prove that one person is rite and therefore
truth is in that persons experience. But the bible is the only
communication that tells a person who he is in order for him to
understand himself. I do not think we can understand the nature of the
evil of the opposition to identity in these opposing experiences and how
they enforce a dogma of enforcing the evil in forcing their experience
on another person unless we put it up to the light of divine
communication.
We are all born to be blind to who we are. This
is why the bible is the only word of deliverance that delivers us from
our old image of knowing ourselves in light of the experiences of
others. We have a very short window of being created to understand our
identity in our very young yrs. But all of us must face ourselves in the
only hope of being delivered from our own false understanding of our
identity on whatever level we understand ourselves from those infant
yrs. The only way we can do this is a continuous focus on the real image
of the real Man. That is the only image of deliverance that distinguish
us from the confused imagination of knowing ourselves by the
experiences of others and our own experience. This ones for anyone who
wants to try to figure this out... lol.. LOL.
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1577
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: The Real Gospel
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on: February 21, 2012, 07:49:18 AM
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This is why we can say that all of our acts are corrupted and not acceptable to God.
Because the grace not only provides the basis for God alone giving us
the ability but the grace argues that all of the goodness in this life
is only acceptable because Christ has already accomplished all the good
that is of value. Our goodness is what we are in Christ. Or we are good
by His name. Or He proves Himself faithful ... good... and glorious by
exalting His name through corrupted people. The word is not just the hope of goodness but it is separated from us as that by which all good is accomplished.
Who are you talking about here MBG? I assume nonbelievers, right?
beacon
thanks for a response... but i cannot take part in setting someone up
to be terribly disheartened in light of how death reigns on this earth. I
often tell people that i am trying to seek God in such a way that i
want to walk up to heaven on some kind of levitation. But every time i
advance through extreme prayer i find it harder and harder to resist the
opposition. But at least i have a lot of good memories although it
doesnt seem like a joy in the middle of the struggle. But there is
nothing on this earth like calling out to God.. approaching the throne
with ancient arguments...and i might say ...the arguments that were
designed by God before the foundation of the world to keep Christ in His
humanity in the perfect will of His Father. And it becomes more of a
joy to approach God with the confidence of Christ who has already
obtained the victory. I would encourage anyone who has charge of the
souls of people to memorize these prayers and to learn how to be drawn
out into a realm that is beyond explaining. God indeed has a word
universe that He rules from the heavens. Let me say that after
getting lost in that passion i regress to my point. lol. But i really
believe that salvation is all of grace. I do not see any hope for a
person to trust in his own good deeds or his own confidence even in
eternity. But Christ who is the Lamb of God will be the focus of all of
these real attributes of power.. wealth ... wisdom and strength ...
honor glory and praise. When we look upon Christ we cannot find anything
worthy of this vision. When all things are actually put under His feet
there will be no opposed reality that tries to blind our minds to His
effects of His glory. But until then we will suffer the effects of sin
and death as that opposition that is real and necessary because God
ordains us to these effects. Our hope is not on this earth and the
corruption of the earth enforces the power of free grace to be our only
hope. Do not trust in your own confidence.
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1580
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST IN OUR SALVATION... Thomas Goodwin
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on: February 19, 2012, 05:36:34 PM
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as the Psalmist speaks of himself), and to
have their souls 'made sick,' as Solomon speaks of ' hope deferred'),
and are ready to grow weary, and give over waiting for the Lord any
longer. Now in such a case, who is it that giveth those poor souls (who
make the greatest number of believers) patience of hope to wait? Lam.
iii. 29, 'He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope,'
and causeth them to wait (as there it is also said), and causeth them
to wait on till God shall reveal himself to their souls (which is the
thing I cited this place for, and have opened as I have done). It is
even the Spirit. And for his great honour, it is added by the apostle,
'We, through the Spirit, wait.'
It is
one of his greatest works in us to hold our hearts constantly fixed to
this righteousness, and to settle our whole expectation upon it, and to
continue so to do, that we may look unto no other righteousness for
justification and salvation.
These Galatians having at
their first calling embraced Christ nakedly, and him alone, for
justification, as ver. 7 and 8 insinuates, 'Ye did run well,' says he ; '
who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion
cometh not of him that calleth you.' One true cause that so many of them
afterward had fallen to the doctrine of works was that they would not
wait by pure faith, at which this place also glanceth.
They
would see something in themselves, as a ground of a believing on
Christ, and so had recourse to themselves, to their own doings and
actings, for a foundation of it; at least to join them in commission
with Christ to justify them.
A new convert in
Christianity, such an one especially, is in a great danger of thus
diverting; for the spirit that is within us would of itself go that way,
unless powerfully detained from it by this other blessed Spirit in us.
The law is ingrafted in every man by nature, and was in pure nature of
innocency, which knew no other way for justification but by a man's own
righteousness, and it was the law of nature to be thereby justified. And
this new nature that is begotten in a Christian is, in the groundwork
of it, materially a conformity to the same law ; and the law is
continued under grace to be a tutor to instruct it how to walk in truth
of holiness. And hence the heart is apt to listen to the other dictates of it even in the point of justification also. And
again it is man's own righteousness which Paul, after many years'
experience of the righteousness of faith, was yet by reason of the
propensity of nature to it, afraid to be found in, Phil. iii. And the
dispositions of righteousness that are renewed in us, and the duties we
perform, do often offer their help to supply the room of faith, giving
us confidence ere Christ comes. And Christ, to try us, stays often long
(as Samuel did his coming to Saul) ere he reveals himself.
And as Abraham, waiting long for a child, turned aside to Hagar, so do we to works.
Now
in all these hazards, who took thee by the hand, and taught thee the
way of sheer faith, and then afterward the way of bare waiting upon God?
Who instructed thee by a strong hand, and would not suffer thee to go
in the way of the law, but strengthened and secretly supported thy
spirit in waiting till God should 'rain down righteousness,' as the
prophet speaks? It was this good Spirit; and nothing else could or had
been able to have done it in thee, but that Spirit who moved on the
chaos when it was darkness, and but one step from nothing, and newly
come out of nothing, and ready to return unto nothing again; and who by
his almighty power upheld, hatched, and supported it from falling into
nothing, Gen. i. It is the same good Spirit who enliveneth and
inspiriteth such a soul in its confessions.
It was he who fostered and maintained and kept up this resolved purpose
in thy heart, to remain comfortless for ever, otherwise than by such
comforts as Christ and his righteousness should afford thee.
And
though thou didst vehemently hunger and thirst after righteousness of
justification, as well as of sanctification, yet thou wouldst have
starved rather than have lived upon thy own bread; that is, have trusted
to thine own righteousness; and none but Christ, and his righteousness,
who is 'the Lord our righteousness,' and his alone, was it would
satisfy thee; yea, that none else should was the fixed resolve of thy
heart. It is the Spirit guides and leads thee, thus ver. 18 of this 5th
chapter,' If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law,' which
is spoken in point of justification. He took thee by the hand, and
gently led thee the right way therein, as well as (according to what is
spoken in respect of sanctification) he led thee to walk holily.
The
Spirit is the leader and conductor in both, as the coherence with his
former and his immediate foregoing discourse do shew, and do suit this
of these works to be the scope of these words in common to either.
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1581
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: Commentary on Genesis - Volume 1 J. Calvin
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on: February 19, 2012, 05:23:24 PM
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1. In the beginning. To expound the term
“beginning,” of Christ, is altogether frivolous. For Moses simply
intends to assert that the world was not perfected at its very
commencement, in the manner in which it is now seen, but that it was
created an empty chaos of heaven and earth. His language therefore may
be thus explained. When God in the beginning created the heaven and the
earth, the earth was empty and waste.35 He
moreover teaches by the word “created,” that what before did not exist
was now made; for he has not used the term יצר, (yatsar,) which
signifies to frame or forms but ברא, (bara,) which signifies to create.36
Therefore his meaning is, that the world was made out of nothing. Hence
the folly of those is refuted who imagine that unformed matter existed
from eternity; and who gather nothing else from the narration of Moses
than that the world was furnished with new ornaments, and received a
form of which it was before destitute. This indeed was formerly a common
fable among heathens,37 who had received only an obscure report of the
creation, and who, according to custom, adulterated the truth of God
with strange figments; but for Christian men to labor (as Steuchus
does38) in maintaining this gross error is absurd and intolerable. Let
this, then be maintained in the first place,39 that the world is not
eternal but was created by God. There is no doubt that Moses gives the
name of heaven and earth to that confused mass which he, shortly
afterwards, (Genesis 1:2.) denominates waters. The reason of which is,
that this matter was to be the seed of the whole world. Besides, this is
the generally recognized division of the world.40
God. Moses has it Elohim,
a noun of the plural number. Whence the inference is drawn, that the
three Persons of the Godhead are here noted; but since, as a proof of so
great a matter, it appears to me to have little solidity, will not
insist upon the word; but rather caution readers to beware of violent
glosses of this kind.41 They think that they have testimony against the
Arians, to prove the Deity of the Son and of the Spirit, but in the
meantime they involve themselves in the error of Sabellius,42 because
Moses afterwards subjoins that the Elohim had spoken, and that the
Spirit of the Elohim rested upon the
waters. If we suppose three persons to be here denoted, there will be no
distinction between them. For it will follow, both that the Son is
begotten by himself, and that the Spirit is not of the Father, but of
himself. For me it is sufficient that the plural number expresses those
powers which God exercised in creating the world. Moreover I acknowledge
that the Scripture, although it recites many powers of the Godhead, yet
always recalls us to the Father, and his Word, and spirit, as we shall
shortly see. But those absurdities, to which I have alluded, forbid us
with subtlety to distort what Moses simply declares concerning God
himself, by applying it to the separate Persons of the Godhead. This,
however, I regard as beyond controversy, that from the peculiar
circumstance of the passage itself, a title is here ascribed to God,
expressive of that powers which was previously in some way included in
his eternal essence.43
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1590
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Forums / Theology Forum / Re: The Real Gospel
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on: February 16, 2012, 12:58:26 PM
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I was thinking about this concept which flies
in the face of progressive thinking. I think that the natural course of
the world is for men to think they are gods. Of which the real course is
God bringing man to His senses. I really am a reductionist. I think the
most simple things of the gospel are neglected because of the arrogance
of man to make his own way. Its not really in just trusting that God
does everything. So this is what is anti intuitive to simplicity and
that is defiance not a need for transformation.
This is why our
longings should be a return for all that communicates a patriarchal
society. You know that the gods of this earth want us to believe that
through the process of success we can achieve utopia. This is what the
course of death. No man can process himself to success but he will stand
in the position that he is a god. He will be cursed and crushed under
the weight of his own success. But we long to be avenged in the gates of
the daughters of Zion. Its the nation of lambs... the nation of peace
among the weak. That peaceful patriarchal protection of God as kind of
like a mother figure. For there is the place where God leads us by
protecting us from the dangers of process in the world. God is in the
business of reducing men not playing with them by making them
successful. This is a women and childrens world. I promise you that God
will crush you on behalf of trying to crush them. He promises to reduce
you to hell. This is the gospel way. If God is going to speak it is
through these regenerated desires.
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