the propitiatory sacrifice of the christ

the propitiatory sacrifice of the christ

Spirituality

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j

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21 Apr 09
2 edits

ToO wrote:

===========================
So one must be "born of the Spirit", i.e. God to "enter into the kingdom of God". Note the dichotomy used in 3:6 where one is EITHER "born of the flesh" OR "born of the Spirit". This is consistent with the dichotomy of "slave" vs. "free".
=================================


This is not a good interpretation of John 3:6.

In fact NO ONE who has not been first born of the flesh can possibly be born of the Spirit. That is why it is called there "born anew" or "born AGAIN."


And no one BORN in either case is instantaneously full grown and mature at birth.

k
knightmeister

Uk

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21 Apr 09

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
While the Bible seems to have quite a few contradictions, I find the teachings attributed to Jesus while He walked the Earth to be quite coherent. What do you see as contradictory?

Lets take a closer look at the second passage:
"Not everyone who says to me,'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father w ...[text shortened]... sistent with the dichotomy of "slave" vs. "free".[/b]
I don't see anything in the text that overtly points to or even hints at the idea that "iniquity" is limited to "people who deliberately do grossly sinful acts." If you consider that in the last sentence Jesus is speaking to those who do not do "the will of [His] Father", I think it is less ambiguous. Is any act of sin doing "the will of [His] Father"?
---------------------ToOne----------------------

But like all verses they need to be looked at in context. The context is Jesus's life and ministry and in that ministry he clearly saw the Pharisees and other like them as devious , hypocritical and wicked (ie full of iniquity).

The context is also that he knew the disciples were not sinless and perfect in love but still accepted them as his followers and did not ask them to depart from him because of their sins. Curious eh? The context is also that he would give all his followers the Lord's Prayer which explicitly includes daily confession of sin as an on-going process - a strange thing to do if his intention was that his followers were to be perfect after conversion.

The context is also that we know from looking at human behaviour that there are different levels of sin covering a whole spectrum from deliberate evil and wickedness through to sins of omission. Your theory takes no account of this.

There is also the context of the Judaic beliefs about different levels of sin which Jesus would have been aware of. I don't know if Jesus actually used the same terminology in those verses but we do know that the Jews understood the difference between wilful , wicked defiance of God and sins of human frailty.

Choose to see verses out of context if you like , but the fact remains that there are gaping holes in your theory that you will not address. Your theory has no wider context within Jesus's ministry nor can you support it with practical examples. What kind of theory is this that you think by just repeating isolated verses and ignoring anyone who challenges you it will become true?

j

Joined
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21 Apr 09
3 edits

Originally posted by jaywill
ToO wrote:

[b]===========================
So one must be "born of the Spirit", i.e. God to "enter into the kingdom of God". Note the dichotomy used in 3:6 where one is EITHER "born of the flesh" OR "born of the Spirit". This is consistent with the dichotomy of "slave" vs. "free".
=================================


This is not a good in nd no one BORN in either case is instantaneously full grown and mature at birth.[/b]
I wrote:

=========================
In fact NO ONE who has not been first born of the flesh can possibly be born of the Spirit. That is why it is called there "born anew" or "born AGAIN."
======================================


Perhaps there will be human beings who were aborted and were never physically born who will be born of the Spirit. But that is only my speculation.

Cape Town

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21 Apr 09

Originally posted by jaywill
Perhaps there will be human beings who were aborted and were never physically born who will be born of the Spirit. But that is only my speculation.
Well strictly speaking that is called 'still born'. Even when someone gives birth by cesarean section, it is still referred to as 'birth'.

The real question is what entity is 'born of the spirit' as a typical fetus in the early stages has no brain, so either this will develop by some mysterious process in heaven or we have all these 'born again' mindless entities floating around heaven.

T

Joined
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21 Apr 09
3 edits

Originally posted by jaywill
ToO wrote:

[b]===========================
So one must be "born of the Spirit", i.e. God to "enter into the kingdom of God". Note the dichotomy used in 3:6 where one is EITHER "born of the flesh" OR "born of the Spirit". This is consistent with the dichotomy of "slave" vs. "free".
=================================


This is not a good in nd no one BORN in either case is instantaneously full grown and mature at birth.[/b]
"In fact NO ONE who has not been first born of the flesh can possibly be born of the Spirit. That is why it is called there "born anew"or "born AGAIN."

You assume to much. I made no such claim. The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is "born again", one is no longer of the "flesh" but purely of the "spirit". Hence, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." It's a metaphor that speaks to complete transformation. The distinguishing characteristic of being "born again" is that one is purely of the "spirit".

j

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21 Apr 09
2 edits

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
[b]"In fact NO ONE who has not been first born of the flesh can possibly be born of the Spirit. That is why it is called there "born anew"or "born AGAIN."

I made no such claim. The point is that once one is "born again" of the spirit, one is no longer of the "flesh" but purely of the "spirit". Hence, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and ng characteristic of being "born again" is that one is purely of the "spirit".[/b]
===================================
I made no such claim.
================================


Did you not say that one is either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit?

==========================
The point is that once one is "born again" of the spirit, one is no longer of the "flesh" but purely of the "spirit".
===================================


A person born of the Spirit may still walk according to the flesh. This would be a fleshly Christian. This would be one whom Paul discribed as a carnel Christian. That is unfortunate and not normal.

But this you probably will not accept because you may not accept Paul's epistles as New Testament Scripture.

Romans 8:4, in speaking to regenerated Christians, says
"That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not WALK according to the flesh but according to the spirit."

Here Paul indicates that it is important to "WALK" according to the regenerated, reborn human spirit. One may have been born in regeneration. But one must learn to WALK according to that new inner life.

Here again - "For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit mind the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace." (Rom. 8:5,6)

Verse 4 concerns the need to WALK step by step according to the regenerated spirit AFTER one has been born of the Spirit. Verses 5 and 6 concerning WHERE the believer is to set the mind. The mind should be set on the regenerated spirit in order to mind the things of the Holy Spirit. The result of the latter is life and peace. The failure to mind the regenerated spirit is spiritual death.

In other words - Once having been BORN AGAIN one has to through patience and practice LEARN to 1.) Walk according to that new life in the reborn spirit. 2.) Not walk according to the fallen flesh as he was accustomed to DO before regeneration. 3.) Set the mind on the regenerated human spirit where the Spirit resides so as to experience life and peace. 4.) Not do as he was accustomed to do before being born again - mind the things of the flesh.

If you chop away Paul's instructions, you do so at your own peril. If you say "I don't want to listen to the Apostle Paul" you will likely have some erroneous concepts about what Jesus taught.

Romans 8:12,13 continues the exhortation to Christians - "So then, brothers, we are deptors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh; For if you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live."

In short, the Christian brothers, who have been born again, do not owe the fallen flesh anything so as to continue to live according to it. They are now reborn and should live according to the "THAT" which has been regenerated in them, namely thier reborn spirit.

If they lag in this practice they will spiritually die. That refers to being in the wretched situation of the previous chapter 7. If they learn to WALK by the Spirit in thier reborn spirit and set their mind on the reborn spirit, they will live and have life and peace.

They entire chapter is EXHORTATION to Christians HOW to live. It is not a discription of something they have automatically without any COOPERATION on thier parts.

Even this passage is an exhortation to claim the rich inheritance that they have by faith - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you..." (v.9)

That is a word of encouragement. That is a word to "get up, stand up, be a child of God, be a normal victorious disciple of Jesus."

It is logical. One BORN must pass through the processes of GROWTH and maturity. One must LEARN to WALK.

Notice also that Paul says that those who are LED by the Spirit are the sons of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit, these are sons of God" (v.14)

If you read Romans 8 carefully you will see Paul distinguish between CHILDREN of God and SONS of God. The children stage is initial. The sons stage is maturity. One has learned to walk by the Spirit and be led step by step by the Spirit. As many as are LED by the Spirit as sons of God. They are coming into maturity.

However just to be born again is to be one of the children of God for the Holy Spirit bears witness with their regenerated human spirit that they are children of God - "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (v.16)


===================================
Hence, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." It's a metaphor that speaks to complete transformation. The distinguishing characteristic of being "born again" is that one is purely of the "spirit".
======================================


I would not say that this is totally wrong. Jesus is only speaking of the need to be born of the Spirit to enter into the kingdom of God. You have not even gotten to first base (so to speak) if you have not been BORN of the Spirit.

Do not underestimate the need for one EXPERIENCED like the Apostle Paul to put finer details on this matter of regeneration. And that he does in Romans 8. And he does so after laying a solid foundation for justification by faith in chapters 1 through 5. The turning point from judicial redemption to organic salvation in living really occurs in Romans 5:10:

"For if we being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled..." (Rom. 5:10)

To the Christian disciples, those who have been born again: They have BEEN RECONCILED to GOD through the death of His Son. They will never perish. They have been judicially reconciled.

As to thier future - the will MUCH MORE be saved in the realm and sphere of His indwelling spiritual Life, having BEEN RECONCILED.

That is the place Paul turns the corner. Now having extensively laid the foundation of redemption and reconciliation to God through the blood of Jesus, Paul now goes on to speak of WALKING and LIVING and being saved in the whole realm of the indwelling divine life of Christ.

j

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Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
[b]"In fact NO ONE who has not been first born of the flesh can possibly be born of the Spirit. That is why it is called there "born anew"or "born AGAIN."

You assume to much. I made no such claim. The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is "born again", one is no longer of the "flesh" but purely of the "spirit". Hence, "That which is born of ng characteristic of being "born again" is that one is purely of the "spirit".[/b]
======================================
It's a metaphor that speaks to complete transformation. The distinguishing characteristic of being "born again" is that one is purely of the "spirit".
=============================================


I have tried to show you more details about regeneration from Romans chapter 8 mostly. Now I will consider your thought here just in light of what else is in John's Gospel.

In chapter 15 there is the exhortation for the disciples to ABIDE in Christ the true vine. They can do nothing if they do not learn to abide in Him.

If being born again automatically implies uninterupted abiding then there need be no exhortation from Jesus TO abide in Him as the true vine. Had Jesus meant that all those born again automatically are the branches abiding in Himself as the true vine then He would not need to warn them or instruct them of the need to abide.

They are the branches. But they are exhorted TO abide.

Having become His followers and having believed into Him they need to ABIDE in Him. They need to remain in Him. This does not mean to remain BORN again. Once born one cannot become unborn. Rather it means that they must linger in His presence and under the influence of His life.

He does not FORCE or COERCE them to live accoding to Himself. The Spirit is depicted as a dove. A dove is gentle and easily chased away. A dove is gentle and not coercive. So the indwelling Christ is gentle. And one must learn to ABIDE in Him, remain in the sphere of His influence. And that on progressively deeper and deeper levels.

So in the Gospels, apart from the epistles, the exhortation to Abide in Christ shows that rebirth cannot mean automatic victorious living. It is the gateway.

The human is in the human kingdom because he has the human life. The animal is in the animal kingdom because it has the animal life. The Christian is the in the God Kingdom by virtue that she has the divine life of God through regeneration.

In each case growth and maturity is needed. While one is growing one is learning to overcome many things like sins, failures, mistakes, iniquities.

Again in chapter 13 Jesus instructs the disciples to wash one another's feet. This kind of ritual suggests that He knows that in their daily walk they will pick up some of the dirt of this sinful world. In love the reborn disciples must wash one another's feet. They should not condemn each other eagerly because of daily failures. In love and in fellowship they are to wash each other's feet so to speak.

There is not the thought in chapter 13 that just because they are His disciples (having believed into Him and been reborn) there will never be the need to wash from thier daily walk in this dirty world.

Born again is the entrance into the kingdom of God. The life of God is dispensed into the believers in a second birth of their innermost being - their human spirit.

Transformation is a process. And on the way they must learn to abide in Him continually and also to wash one another's feet in love.

T

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21 Apr 09
2 edits

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]===================================
I made no such claim.
================================


Did you not say that one is either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit?

==========================
The point is that once one is "born again" of the spirit, one is no longer of the "flesh" but purely of the "spirit".
================= n the whole realm of the indwelling divine life of Christ.
[/b]"Did you not say that one is either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit?...A person born of the Spirit may still walk according to the flesh."

You don't seem to understand the concept. Once again:
"The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is 'born again',one is no longer of the 'flesh' but purely of the 'spirit'. Hence, 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' It's a metaphor that speaks to complete transformation. The distinguishing characteristic of being 'born again' is that one is purely of the 'spirit'."

How can a person born of the Spirit "still walk according to the flesh" when Jesus explicitly states "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit"? Jesus is saying that it is not possible. A person is born of one or the either and therefore IS one or the other.

Paul taught a number of things that contradicted the teachings of Jesus. Why so many choose to follow the teachings of Paul rather than the teachings of Jesus is unfortunate. However it is understandable. The wide gate is always more attractive because the road is easy.

j

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21 Apr 09
2 edits

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
"Did you not say that one is either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit?...A person born of the Spirit may still walk according to the flesh."

You don't seem to understand the concept. Once again:
"The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is 'born again',one is no longer of the 'flesh' but purely of the 'spirit'. Hence, 'Th andable. The wide gate is always more attractive because the road is easy.[/b]
===================================
"The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is 'born again',one is no longer of the 'flesh' but purely of the 'spirit'.
========================================


The word "that" in the born again experience refers to that part of a human being.

IE. That PART of a man which is born of the Spirit is the human spirit. The person's human spirit is comatose, deadened, because of the fall of man. Though he has been physically born a first time his human spirit remains in a deadened state. In regeneration THAT deadened human spirit is born of the Spirit of God.

The person born naturally once now, in addition, has that part of him that was dead born.

I think you are not reading "that" but "he" as in [He] who is born of the flesh is flesh and [he] who is born of the spirit is spirit.

First of all, you couldn't mean that the flesh of the man born of the Spirit suddenly disappears. The man is not suddenly converted into a totally spiritual being as if the body were to drop off.

Try reading "that" without mentally inserting "he" or "the person".

The entrance into the kingdom of God, in this chapter, is dependent upon the person's human spirit being reborn by the Spirit of God. It is clearer when you see that the first Spirit is capital S, meaning the Spirit of God. And the second spirit is small s meaning the human spirit.

Of course this is not seen in the Greek. But the best translations render it so so as to make it clear - the human spirit is THAT part of man which is born of the Spirit which is God the Spirit.

Rightly, Paul writes "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17) meaning that the Spirit of God has united with the human spirit to make the two into one spirit. The second birth is the union of the Holy Spirit with the human spirit to enliven the human spirit, join to the human spirit and make the two spirits into "one spirit."

In the same way the Apostle John writes that Everything that is born of God overcomes the world - the everything or whatever meaning the innermost part of man, the human spirit:

"For everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world ..." (1 John 5:4)

The everything there specifically is the human spirit of the one who is born again. In other words one has to connect to that part of himself, that regenerated human spirit and live out from that overcoming source.

This whatever, this thing, the human spirit, is also called the inner man. Since the Christian has a regenerated spirit, ie. and inner man she must be strengthened into that realm, that chamber of her being:

So Paul prayed for the believers that they would be strengthened into the realm of their regenerated inner man:

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father ... that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man ..." (See Eph. 3:14-16)

That connection should not be weak. It should be strengthened. The believer has a born again inner man. Now he needs to be strengthened INTO that sphere.

As the born again person is strengthened by God's Spirit into his inner man Christ then spreads out and gradually makes His home in your entire heart - your mind, emotion, will, and conscience. Here again:

" ... to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith ..."

In short as the believer is reborn, there is the need that the Holy Spirit in his human spirit would excercise power to draw him to a stronger and stronger connection with his inner man, his regerated "that", the human spirit.

As he is made more secure in that realm, abiding there, lingering there, remaining there, reacting from there, living there, Christ then transforms him. Christ makes His home in his heart.

This done by faith. That really means that the believer has a ever deepening realization that Jesus Christ is living in his inner man. He really is one with Christ. Christ is really living in him. This takes a life time of ever deepening realization.

Consider 1 John 5:4 again now:

"For everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory which has overcome the world - our faith."

This is not John speaking mere theology. This is him speaking from personal experience and the experience of mature companions who share this experience. The victory that overcomes the world has to do with faith that his spirit has been born of God and Christ lives in him. Ephesians 3:16 and 1 John 5:4 are very much related.

The inner man is the that which is born of the Spirit. The inner man is the human spirit now born again by the Holy Spirit of the believer in Christ. The believer needs to be strengthened into that realm and that sphere. There is the victory over the world. That regenerated spirit which is one spirit with the Lord Spirit does not sin. It cannot sin. There, out from that source, the Christian must learn to live.

========================================
How can a person born of the Spirit "still walk according to the flesh" when Jesus explicitly states "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit"? Jesus is saying that it is not possible. A person is born of one or the either and therefore IS one or the other.
============================================


It is not desireable or normal that there would be Christians who are born again yet who are still walking according to the flesh. But it is a fact of life that it happens. This is why Paul says that he prays for the believers that they would be strengthened into the inner man by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If there were no need for them to be strengthened into the inner man then there would be no need for the Apostle to pray for it.

You should not take this explanation as an encouragement for Christians to live fleshly lives. I have no interest in excusing immature disciples.

My interest is to show that BIRTH is only the beginning. It is rather ironic when I consider the whole tenor of your teaching. On one hand you are criticizing Fundamentalist for making the new birth meaning that nothing else is needed. But on the other hand you are doing the exact same thing yourself.

"Once born, that is the end. You are sinless and purely a spiritual being." I don't see much difference in Fundamentalist error of neglecting walking in righteous living once having been born again and your concept of neglecting growth.

=====================================
Paul taught a number of things that contradicted the teachings of Jesus. Why so many choose to follow the teachings of Paul rather than the teachings of Jesus is unfortunate. However it is understandable. The wide gate is always more attractive because the road is easy.
=======================================


To make this kind of statement impresses me that you must not read the New Testament. This sounds like the kind of statement one makes upon having read some critical or skeptical book about Paul instead of having READ Paul's epistles carefully for oneself.

I do not get the impression that you are a person who actually has arrived at your thoughts because you yourself have read the New Testament well.

j

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=================================
Paul taught a number of things that contradicted the teachings of Jesus.
=====================================


Such as what ? Can you specify a few? You said "a number of things".

Give me examples.

Cape Town

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Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
While I can see how you might say that it seems ambiguous, I don't see anything in the text that overtly points to or even hints at the idea that "iniquity" is limited to "people who deliberately do grossly sinful acts." If you consider that in the last sentence Jesus is speaking to those who do not do "the will of [His] Father", I think it is less ambigu ...[text shortened]... t where Jesus is quite explicit, I don't know that there is any ambiguity to speak of.
I personally find it improbable that the words are Jesus' exact words anyway. I believe the text was written long after Jesus' death by someone who had never met Jesus in person. This comment however would still apply even if Jesus himself did say it. I think the writer chose to say 'work iniquity' for the sake of emphasis and did not mean 'each and every possible sin'. In fact I find it rather unlikely that Jesus (or the writer) did classify every possible act into either sinful or 'the will of the father', in fact there are presumable a whole range of actions that are neither, and when it comes to lack of action we of course enter a whole new dimension.
I think that you are over analyzing the specific words and reading meaning into it that the writer did not intend. But that is only my opinion as I have no real way of knowing what the writer intended.

k
knightmeister

Uk

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23 Apr 09
2 edits

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
"Did you not say that one is either born of the flesh or born of the Spirit?...A person born of the Spirit may still walk according to the flesh."

You don't seem to understand the concept. Once again:
"The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is 'born again',one is no longer of the 'flesh' but purely of the 'spirit'. Hence, 'Th andable. The wide gate is always more attractive because the road is easy.[/b]
The point is that it is a dichotomy: once one is 'born again',one is no longer of the 'flesh' but purely of the 'spirit'. Hence, 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' It's a metaphor that speaks to complete transformation.

-------------------ToO-------------------------------------------

But that transformation can surely only be completed fully when one dies. Until that point we are bound to live spiritually but encapsulated within our bodies (flesh). I don't see how it is possible to be "purely" spirit because we live in the flesh. Living in a body has all the problems associated with it (like tiredness , stress , pain , illness , fear, disability etc ) and make sin more likely.


For example........
A man lives in a body (the flesh) , and a man's brain is programmed by evolution to respond in certain ways to the female form. This makes a person vulnerable to stray thoughts and desires which will need confession as sin , so that even a man faithful to his wife and committed to the Spirit is inevitably susceptible to sin.

It's yet another big practical problem with your theory. Your theory remains , erhem.....a theory....with no practical application or examples forthcoming from you. You have never been able to relate your theory to actual human behaviour or real life examples. It remains a toy plastic phone that cannot actually be used in any useful way.

You talk in metaphors , verses and interpretations .....but no substance.....you might as well discuss how many angels there are on a pinhead...it's pure bunkum. You won't even properly define or talk about sin and what it actually is in any constructive way and yet it is the centrepiece of nearly all your posts. Whitey has asked you to do this and you don't seem to have addressed it.

You obviously have no coherent answer to any of my points and I note that you have stopped responding to me since I asked you to furnish out your theory with evidence or examples. I knew this would happen because you have no answer to any of this and the points I am making don't even register on your radar. You seem to not even understand the idea that spirituality has to be PRACTISED and RELEVANT and have EXAMPLES that can be LIVED.

Your whole philosophy is just one great big chocolate teapot and it's one that you don't even have the courage to testify to or witness to yourself. No-one here knows whether you even propose to live by that which you preach. You just seem content to quote verses endlessly and produce copious amounts of intellectual verbiage and as soon as anyone like me questions it they become a liar or you ignore them.

Cape Town

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Originally posted by knightmeister
For example........
A man lives in a body (the flesh) , and a man's brain is programmed by evolution to respond in certain ways to the female form. This makes a person vulnerable to stray thoughts and desires which will need confession as sin , so that even a man faithful to his wife and committed to the Spirit is inevitably susceptible to sin.
If the attraction to women is lost after death then are you still you?

T

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23 Apr 09
1 edit

Originally posted by twhitehead
I personally find it improbable that the words are Jesus' exact words anyway. I believe the text was written long after Jesus' death by someone who had never met Jesus in person. This comment however would still apply even if Jesus himself did say it. I think the writer chose to say 'work iniquity' for the sake of emphasis and did not mean 'each and every . But that is only my opinion as I have no real way of knowing what the writer intended.
"I personally find it improbable that the words are Jesus' exact words anyway. I believe the text was written long after Jesus' death by someone who had never met Jesus in person."

I hope you understand that this is completely irrelevant. Please reread the issues.

"In fact I find it rather unlikely that Jesus (or the writer) did classify every possible act into either sinful or 'the will of the father', in fact there are presumable a whole range of actions that are neither, and when it comes to lack of action we of course enter a whole new dimension."

I don't understand this comment at all. Once again, what is germane is what Jesus says about the relationship between committing sin and entrance to "the Kingdom of Heaven". How is such a classification relevant? Jesus never made a claim of such a classification and I certainly never did.

"I think that you are over analyzing the specific words and reading meaning into it that the writer did not intend. But that is only my opinion as I have no real way of knowing what the writer intended."

On one hand you claim that I am "reading meaning into it that the writer did not intend." On the other you say, "I have no real way of knowing what the writer intended." Aren't these contradictory?

If anything, you are reading things into it that aren't there. I don't know how you can support your claim that "iniquity" is limited to "people who deliberately do grossly sinful acts." If you can support it from the text, I'd like to see it. If someone says, "Acts of terrorism will be punished", would it be reasonable to assume that it is limited to "egregious acts of terrorism"? I think you have to assume that all acts of terrorism are included unless there is evidence that only a subset is to be included.

k
knightmeister

Uk

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23 Apr 09

Originally posted by twhitehead
If the attraction to women is lost after death then are you still you?
Yes , if I meet my wife in heaven then that's cool! LOL