No, I'm just arguing that a choice to follow Christ is "accepting him." What makes drawing logical conclusions "carnal?"
Making logical conclusions from Scripture, is making sense of what is quoted:
Neh 8:8So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
No, I'm just arguing that a choice to follow Christ is "accepting him."
Arguing about the meaning of words not found in Scripture, is unscriptural.
I have given the Scriptures that we must be accepted by Christ. No Scripture says Christ is accepted by us.
If Scriptures call for us to "believe in Christ" the principles of the English language indicate we are being asked to "accept Christ.
That includes a non-Scripture argument about principles of language.
Since you can't give any Scripture speaking of any man accepting Christ, then perhaps you can show in Scripture where believing in Christ is accepting Him.
This is going much farther than what I said. I said we "accept God." We "choose God."
And so, we see how any teaching without Scripture, if left unchecked, will always lead to teaching against Scripture:
Jhn 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you...
Adding choosing Christ to accepting Him, forbids any man accepting Him, since He says no man chooses Him to do so.
I said nothing about our need to make God "acceptable to us."
Do you separate accepting someone, from someone being acceptable to us? Is Christ accepted because He is acceptable to us, or unacceptable? Or, neither?
In this case, it's not just language principle, but also Scripture, that says willingly accepting someone into one's heart, home, ranks, or life, is because they are acceptable to us, and accepted of us.
Lev 22:20 But whatsoever hath a blemish,
that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
God does not accept what is unacceptable to Him, but only accepts what is acceptable to Him.
Deu 33:24 And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
Man also only accepts them that are acceptable to us. We do not accept Jesus Christ as brother, but He only accepts us as brethren by repentance for His sake.
Isa 49:8Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
And He only accepts us at a time acceptable to Him, not at a time of man's will and choosing and acceptance.
Both in the Bible and in the English language, accepting something or someone not acceptable to us, is not acceptance at all, but is home invasion.
What we are told is that God will embrace us when we embrace Him.
Once again, Where in Scripture does God say this. Without Scripture, it's just another traditional saying that sounds good and acceptable.
He reaches out to us, proposing that we accept Him.
No Scripture is yet given for such a proposal from Jesus Christ.
And also, all such things like accepting and embracing Christ are vague, and leaves open any person's idea about exacltly how to do so.
Acts 2:37Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?...Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
There is nothing vague about this. All men that sin are made enemies of the crucified, buried, and resurrected Christ of God, and must repent of sinning against Him, that we may find mercy and be accepted of Him.
Scripture is being replaced by traditional Christian speak.
When we comply and accept Him, we benefit from that.
When we comply to the command to repent of sinning against Him, we are mercifully converted to Him by His Spirit of grace and faith, and accepted by the Father.
We don't choose to accept Jesus Christ (especially without repentance), as men choose to accept a religion and by will become members thereof.
Jhn 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
This Scripture rebukes any belief in being born of God by the will of any man, that chooses to accept Christ and become sons of God.
We repent to recieve Him, and He comes by His own will and at His own time. Not when we determine the time is acceptable to us.
I believe this is also the cause and error of sincere believers, that go through all manner of sweaty antics to 'recieve' the baptism of the Holy Ghost. They want to accept Him now, and they think by their oft repeated prayers and girations, that He must come in answer to their state will.
"Baptize him now in your Holy Ghost, O Lord!" "Baptize me now in your Spirit, O God!"
Yep. I been there and done that too, with full faith, that was shaken when He did not come at my beck and call to accept Him. He did however come at a time acceptable to Him, when I did not even ask to recieve Him.
The simple problem of preaching accepting Christ, especially choosing Christ, that it becomes the will of man with power to make Him come and be Lord and Savior. Is that not also what is said about accepting Him? Making Him our personal Christ and Savior...?
In accepting Him we are adopted by Him.
Same again. No Scripture speaks of God's adoption by our acceptance of Him as Father.
We do not accept, choose, nor adopt Christ, for God to become our adoptive Father, that we should become His adopted sons at a time acceptable to us.
Eph 1:5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Scripture and language principle also agree accepting someone is adopting them. And no man adopts anyone not acceptable to them.
Predestined or not, my point was that we do accept God. God proposes we accept Him, and we can either comply or not. I personally believe the Bible teaches Predestination.
I know the Bible does, because Scripture says so.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
He predestinates what is predetermined, not who is prechosen.
He has predestinated whose image we must be conformed to, not who will repent to become conformed to the Son Jesus Christ.
We are given a choice to repent of our deeds for Jesus's sake. It is only His choice to have mercy and accept them who do so acceptably by His will.
Mat 22:14For many are called, but few are chosen.
Once again, it is only Jesus Christ the righteous, that chooses who is acceptable to be adopted by the Father.
No, both can be true. He can choose us, and we can choose Him, as I see it.
Not according to Jesus' words on the matter:
Jhn 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you...
Again, He can choose us 1st, and afterwards we can indeed choose to follow Him.
This is exactly right. And only them chosen by Him with repentance, have the power to choose to serve and obey Him or not.
Jhn 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Choosing to serve Him, after being chosen and accepted of Him, is not accepting Him. It is accepting the conditions of His service.
And His service is more than acceptable to them that repent of evil, and are chosen to become sons of God with power to do good at all times.
But no man chooses Jesus Christ, and make themselves His servants. That is choosing and serving religions of man, not the body of Christ Jesus on earth.
Jhn 1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
If any recieves Christ, he recieves His power to become sons of God. If any man wilfully chooses to accept Him, and He comes accordingly, then becoming born sons of God is by the will of man.
The will of man becomes the
initiator of becoming adoptive sons by choice.
