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Satan's Great Lie

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Litebeam said:
CHOICE:

God is the author and creator of every single event, every circumstance that allows men to “chooseâ€Â. He knows what we will choose every time. He created our hearts. He created every single thing. Every circumstance, cause and event.

FREE WIIL:

Free will assumes we can actually supersede God's will and do what we want. That we can thwart His plans and He must respond to us.

Hello Litebeam:

Saying that God is the "creator of every single event" sounds very much like a claim that man does not make any "wilfull" contribution at all (zip, nada) to such events. Are you saying that God is a fully sufficient causal agent in respect to any and all events (including human decisions)? If you are, you cannot (legitimately, anyway) talk about God "allowing men to choose". Why? Because if God really is a fully sufficient causal agent, He has done "all the work" - there is nothing left for man's "choice" to affect. And choice without real effects or consequences in the real world is not really choice. In this regard, I agree with what SteveBolts has written.

About Free Will: Attributing free will to man does not necessarily mean that we can override God's will. This is a bit of a "technical point" - if man's free will is relatively weak in the sense that he does not have all that many real choices and yet is still truly free in those choices, God can still "work things out" to achieve his will. There is no contradiction here. Since God holds "almost all the cards" (not all of the cards since man has some limited freedom to act as an autonomous agent), he can "adapt" to man's free choice.
 
StoveBolts said:
Yes, God knows every hair on our body and he knows every choice that we will make. But we still have the choice to choose and it's not an illusion. From what I can tell, God has given us the authority to choose, and he holds us accountable for the choices we make. To be accountable is to have a certain amount of autonomy and we have the freedom to control our own fate within the boundries that God has provided.

Very well stated (and I agree with the content as well).

I would like to underscore the claim "To be accountable is to have a certain amount of autonomy". I take this as being so obviously true that I frankly do not know how to react to someone who thinks otherwise. We simply cannot even make sense of the notion of accountability if it is not paired with autonomy. Besides, I think that the notion of "choice paired with accountability" is repeatedly shown in the scriptures.
 
StoveBolts


I’m glad you see where I am coming from. You don’t quite seem to grasp the concept of God being Absolute Sovereign Lord of All creation, past, present and future.

Everything is transpiring according to His Will. Absolutely everything.

He is the author and creator of every life, mind and thing on this planet.

The majority cannot grasp this concept. THEY MUST HAVE FREE WILL OR ELSE THEY ARE JUST PUPPETS!

The majority cannot understand that WE ARE CREATED TO DO GOD’S WILL NOT OUR OWN.

We were created to be like Jesus, God’s Son.



John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

Revelation 2:26
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nationsâ€â€



You know Jesus, the one who healed the lame and sick, walked on water, fed the multitudes, caused THE BLIND TO SEE, even raised people from the dead.

We are supposed to be like Jesus, the majority “choose†to be like Satan. THEY MUST HAVE FREE WILL. They believe they chose God and are clothed in their own self righteousness.



Free will doctrine began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were convinced by Satan that knowledge of good and evil would make them LIKE GOD. That God did not have their best interests at heart.


You will not find my definitions of “choice†and “free will†in a dictionary. Only God’s Spirit can convince you they are true. That is who convinced me.





What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these things come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:20-23)


Our hearts are being tested. We will all be shown the truth of all scripture.


We will be shown that without God, we make very poor choices indeed.



Yes we have “choice†OK we all agree on that. Will you agree with ( Mark 7:20-23 ) that WE MAKE VERY POOR CHOICES WITHOUT GOD’S SPIRIT GUIDING US? Do you get it? WE MAKE POOR CHOICES, US, YOU AND I.

Just like GOD KNEW WE WOULD! WE DO IT!!!!!!! Is this clear?



God did not cause the serial killer to rape and murder His victim’s. That’s BS. That’s your interpretation not mine!


James 1:14
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.


James 1:14 is why. WE MAKE POOR CHOICES. WE WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IF WE ARE NOT IN CHRIST.





Do you agree with these scriptures?



Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.


Do you see the lessons being taught here? Are you in agreement with God’s word?





StoveBolts wrote:

I agree with most of what you have written until it gets to "He created every single thing. Every circumstance, cause and event"




Litebeam wrote:

The majority cannot and will not accept the concept that God is Absolute Sovereign Lord. THEY WILL NOT. Get IT?????

Listen carefully. It is not my intent to convince you or anyone else about these things. My prayer is that whoever reads these posts WILL DO THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION. That they will seek God with all their hearts and His Wisdom.





StoveBolts wrote:

God did not create the automobile, Man did.






Litebeam wrote:

Who made man? Who made everything that is? Do you disagree with God’s Word?


John 1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.



God spoke the creation into existence. The whole creation, everything, from beginning to end came from God’s Spirit. IT CAME FROM GOD’S SPIRIT! Out of God himself!!!

He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. GET IT???????


God created ALL THINGS! Even the car you are driving. He created Every mind and thought in existence. He knows our words before we speak them. He created EVERYTHING even our thoughts.

Please spare me the worldly view about how this somehow diminishes things or makes us automatons.


The majority have completely underestimated The Sovereign Lord.

GOD IS OMNIPOTENT.

GOD IS OMNICIENT.

GOD IS OMNIPRESENT.


If you do not agree that God is indeed all this and infinite besides, WELCOME TO THE VAST MAJORITY WHO ARE DEAD IN THEIR SINS, UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND GOD’S WORD.


It is no shock that the majority agree with themselves.


Do you want to agree with God’s Word, or with them?????



IF YOU START AGREEING WITH THE WORD OF GOD, OBEY GOD, PUT HIS WILL AHEAD OF YOUR OWN WANTS AND DESIRES AND TURN AWAY FROM SIN, YOU WILL NOT BE CONFUSED.


Satan rules the minds of the majority, guess why they are confused, guess why we are at 30,000 denominations and counting.


It is all in God’s hands. Absolutely everything, all of human history.


Some are being enabled by God to draw near to Him in the here and now through Christ and are taught by His Holy Spirit. They are being raised up to do GOD’S WILL.


If you are studying God’s word with an open humble heart and asking Him for His wisdom and understanding. If you are praying for him to enable you to flee temptation and resist evil. If you are indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit and are turned away from sin. If you are letting God rule your life and direct your life, you won’t have to worry about slacking off.

YOU WILL BE DOING THE WILL OF GOD.

You cannot have fellowship with God if YOU “CHOOSE†TO KEEP ON SINNING. It is a very poor choice.



Partial Salvation that you are referring to is a big topic which I am not allowed to address on this site.




God knew Adam and Eve would make poor choices, He knew I would, He knew you would He knew Satan would.

HE KNOWS EVERYTHING. HE CREATED EVERYTHING.


God is raising up Sons and Daughters with knowledge of good and evil. He is calling out His elect ones.


In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: Eph 1:11



Now I have read your reasoning on this scripture. Just READ IT! It means everything is transpiring according to GOD’S WILL. Period.


God has free will, we have choice. If you disagree with God’s word and insist on believing religious doctrine YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND. Period. You will not see that they are two different things. Period. You will believe that FREE WILL is more important than doing the WILL of God Almighty.

You will cling to your “beliefs†and religious doctrine and the teachings of men. JUST LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY.


You will lisen to the “voice of reason†Satan, instead of God’s Holy Spirit who can teach you the truth of all things.


Consider all these things very carefully and ASK GOD TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!!

It is a battle for your mind! Think hard and pray harder! READ ALL THE POSTS AGAIN AND THINK THINGS THROUGH.


God bless!
 
Drew


GOD ALMIGHTY, THE INFINITE ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGN LORD OF ALL CREATION, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA WHO SPOKE ALL OF CREATION INTO EXISTENCE FROM HIS SPIRT, THE OMNIPOTENT, OMNISCIENT, OMNIPRESNT GOD…..


DOESN’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO NEXT?????


Do you really think He has to run around responding to 6 billion of us, adjusting His plans around our petty sinful choices???


You are going round and round in circles. You are lost in worldly reasoning and religious doctrine. The teachings of men.


God made this very complex for many reasons, not the least of which is so that only those who are obeying Him and believing Him and listening to Him will ever understand.


God has free will. We have choice. They are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. Please read the post I just made to StoveBolts.


Please re-read all the posts on this thread and think things through. ASK GOD TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND.


You are assuming many worldly rationalizations are true instead of believing GOD’S WORD. That is why you fail to understand.



In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: Eph 1:11


Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.



Phi 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.



Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.


You are disagreeing with God’s Word. So you don’t get it. You are listening to the “voice of reason,†Satan instead of God’s Holy Spirit who will teach you the truth of GOD’S WORD.


It is a lot more than a bit of a technical point. It is denial of God’s word and several hundred scriptures that declare GOD IS SOVEREIGN LORD OF ALL CREATION!

Free will is an extremely powerful delusion that has THE MAJORITY FOOLED!




Study God’s Word like your life depends on it. Ask For God’s help and God’s wisdom, quit relying on what you think you know and pray for God’s understanding.

Job 37:5
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.



SEEK GOD’S WISDOM. Our own doesn’t cut it.

I am going to repost Satan’s Great Lie parts 1 and 2 after this post. Read it Carefully, think hard and pray harder.


God bless!
 
Satan's Great Lie parts 1 and 2




Christianity's inability to affirm what the very word they profess to be from God clearly states is the root of all their troubles. It is the cause of their double mindedness.


Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according
to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:


They cannot answer simply yes and agree with this scripture, nor similar ones because they are under the delusion that they have free will. They do not believe that God is sovereign in all things. Therefore they do not trust God as they should, or seek His will. They are more concerned with their own wants and desires.

They are every bit as much in the desert as the Israelites were for 40 years.

Whether you believe in the validity of this scripture or the dozens of others that proclaim God as sovereign, it is the cause of the majority of strife and division.

It is what separates Christianity from those that follow Christ, give Him their hearts, believe in Him and the One who sent Him, believe God's word, obey it and walk in love, forgiveness, and faith.

They are definitely the minority.

They know God is all things and controls all things.

They know everything is being worked out for their very best. Just like God's word says.

They trust God. No matter what their circumstances.

They are those that have peace beyond all understanding.

They understand that everything that is happening in this world is from God.

From the greatest evil will come the greatest good. Our suffering is very temporary compared to all eternity.

Because God has enabled them to walk by faith.

Free will is Satan’s greatest delusion.

It's like this, every life is Creator designed from beginning to end. Every single detail. There is no such thing as luck, random chance, etc. It is all happening exactly according to God's will. Yes He is that awesome. God is sovereign!

Suppose a person goes to a restaurant, sits down, has a meal, dessert menu comes along. There is apple pie and blueberry pie to "choose" from. Does God say you will eat apple pie? Not exactly. God knows us so intimately, every breath, heartbeat, even the number of the hairs on our head. He knows life has been stressful lately, or perhaps that things haven't been going to well at work lately, or the kids have been a little much to handle, as well as every other single factor in our lives.

It's raining outside the window, kinda cold out, and this person finds apple pie a little more comforting than blueberry pie. God knows it will be apple pie. He knows everything, about everybody. There is not one atom out of place. Can the world understand it? Not until God brings you there. He is the universe. All the universes and much more. No one shall see the kingdom of God unless He is born again of the Spirit of God. Until you start to realize how awesome He is these things are inconceivable. It's hard to believe He can be all around us and we can't see.

God is the author and creator of every single event, every circumstance that allows men to “chooseâ€Â. He created all that is in the world from beginning to end. Every life, mind, thing on this planet. He is God Almighty!

All the glory belongs to Him!

Satan has the whole world fooled just like God said He would. If you are not doing God’s will, you are doing Satan’s will, as God allows. Few are those that believe it though. How easy it is to forget that our so called “free will†is enslaved by sin.

Free will is Satan’s biggest lie.

THE MAN OF SIN SITS ON THE THRONE OF HIS OWN CARNAL MIND, IN HIS OWN BODY CLAIMING POWERS THAT RIVAL THOSE OF GOD HIMSELF! The man of sin claims a spiritual power so great that he believes it can literally thwart and dethrone God Himself from our hearts. This super-natural power of the will is assumed by nearly everyone in the whole world.


God really is in control of everything and everybody. We are not mindless automatons as some would claim. It is far more complicated than that.

We were created to do God’s will, not our own. The one true Living God, The Father of All Creation, The Lord God Almighty.

When we are eventually brought around to putting His will first and doing things His way, we begin to become like Jesus. The Son of God! Joint heirs with Christ. Rulers of God’s Kingdom for all the ages or times.


Just like God said.


Praise the Lord!






God created the universe, He made you, He made the day you are experiencing, He made the restaurant you are sitting in, He made the sun, wind, earth and rain, He made the apple tree, He made the apples grow, He made the person that made the apple pie, He cleared the traffic jam in time for you to get to the restaurant and get the last piece of apple pie. He created it all, past, present and future. Everything!

He did not create the universe and go to sleep. He is intimately concerned and acquainted with every single detail, there is not one atom or molecule out of place, not one. Still with me? I hope so!

Now read this again very carefully…..

Suppose a person goes to a restaurant, sits down, has a meal, dessert menu comes along. There is apple pie and blueberry pie to "choose" from. Does God say you will eat apple pie? Not exactly. God knows us so intimately, every breath, heartbeat, even the number of the hairs on our head. He knows life has been stressful lately, or perhaps that things haven't been going to well at work lately, or the kids have been a little much to handle, as well as every other single factor in our lives.

It's raining outside the window, kinda cold out, and this person finds apple pie a little more comforting than blueberry pie. God knows it will be apple pie. He knows everything, about everybody. There is not one atom out of place. Can the world understand it? Not until God brings you there.


God creates the circumstances. All of them! Otherwise there would be nothing to choose from, would there? Understand, we have choice. We are free to choose! Apple or blueberry! The fact that God knows you so intimately cares about you so deeply as to have you sitting in that chair eating the last piece of your favourite pie hasn’t even entered your mind. We get all shook up because we don’t like the idea of not having free will.

Go ahead. Eat a slice of blueberry too. No one said you can’t have blueberry pie, or both kinds. You are missing the whole point.

God made sure you got an education, gave you the brains and the tenacity to work hard and hold down a good job, save a few bucks. He knows yesterday was payday and you’ve got $84.13 in your pocket. He knows you don’t have to worry about when you spend that money, or what on. He knows your restaurant bill is on $10.45. He knows you have money in the bank. He knows everything.

So, have the blueberry pie! He made it possible. Yes, He knows you prefer apple, He knows you’re too full to have blueberry pie, that your favourite apple pie filled you up. He knows everything!

Do you see how free you really are? Half the world has never seen pie, let alone had some. How blessed you are!

Now get out a mirror and look in it. Do you see the person that thinks God doesn’t have their best interests at heart? Do you see the person that thinks God is manipulating them and controlling them? Telling them what to do. Do you see the person that thinks they know better than God Almighty who created everything and everyone in existence, designed every life down to the nth detail, what is best for them? Do you see the person that doesn’t believe God is The Sovereign Lord?

Do you see the person that needs “free will†more than they need an intimate relationship with The God and Father of All Creation? Do you see the person who doesn’t trust God?

Hard questions, I know. It can’t be helped. If we don’t ask them of ourselves and admit to them, we remain deluded. We will continue to believe as the vast majority do.
We will listen to the “voice of reason†and believe the worldly views and cling to our “beliefs†until God enables us to break free. If we are so blessed.

Do you really want to know God’s truth? It leads to a lot of self examination. I’ve answered yes to the above questions. You can’t do it alone, no one can.

We need Jesus! God’s Holy Spirit teaching us, guiding us, enabling us to overcome the spiritual forces in this sinful, fallen world that are intent on keeping us deluded!


God bless!
 
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Choice = free will

God gave us a choice.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

This ain't rocket science... ;-)
 
I've tried to reply to as much as I could today. I will probably be shunned for this as a lot of it wasn't proof read and probably has some missing peices to it. But here it goes...

Litebeam said:
StoveBolts


I’m glad you see where I am coming from. You don’t quite seem to grasp the concept of God being Absolute Sovereign Lord of All creation, past, present and future.

I don't think I'd say that... Rather, I simply understand God's sovereignty differently than you do at this stage in my walk with Christ.

Everything is transpiring according to His Will. Absolutely everything.

I'd say that everything is working in according to his governance.

He is the author and creator of every life, mind and thing on this planet.

The majority cannot grasp this concept. THEY MUST HAVE FREE WILL OR ELSE THEY ARE JUST PUPPETS!

Perhaps you are not talking about free will...

The majority cannot understand that WE ARE CREATED TO DO GOD’S WILL NOT OUR OWN.

And God took into account our will...

We were created to be like Jesus, God’s Son.

Yes, and even Jesus was tempted. Jesus had CHOICE.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

We all have that Choice. It's about obeying and becoming a servent for God. Have you ever pondered what Jesus's will was? I suppose that Jesus's will, was to do God's will. I'd say he set a fine example for us all don't you?

Revelation 2:26
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nationsâ€â€

and this is to entice me... :-? Like I really want to have that kind of authority? If having authority and power is my motive for living for Christ, then I think I missed my calling.
Actually, Jesus overcame and he will rule with authority over the nations... I'm sure that was your point right?


You know Jesus, the one who healed the lame and sick, walked on water, fed the multitudes, caused THE BLIND TO SEE, even raised people from the dead.

Yeah, I'm getting to know Him much better every day. I think you will agree that many people know of Jesus, but few really get to know Jesus.

We are supposed to be like Jesus, the majority “choose†to be like Satan. THEY MUST HAVE FREE WILL. They believe they chose God and are clothed in their own self righteousness.

And what allows us that choice? (Hint, it was God) What you are saying is that GOD WILLED evil upon all humanity (the way I'm reading your post.) What I'm saying is that God allows evil, even directs it but we are the ones who choose to obey it or obey God's calling. God does not choose evil desires for us because his will for us is his desire for us. This has nothing to do with choosing God or God choosing you or I though. It has to do with how we respond to God's calling when we are confronted with evil temptations.
In closing, who does God call? I'd say that he calls ALL men, women and children in many ways, shapes and forms but ultamatly through the sacrafice of Jesus. To tell you the truth, it really irks me when some self righteous bible thumper uses verses out of context to promote their supposedly elite status by claiming that they alone were "called".


Free will doctrine began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were convinced by Satan that knowledge of good and evil would make them LIKE GOD. That God did not have their best interests at heart.

I'd say the fullness of God was uncovered... That is, the knowledge of Good and Evil...

You will not find my definitions of “choice†and “free will†in a dictionary. Only God’s Spirit can convince you they are true. That is who convinced me.

Let me give you a little story here as I really like to use my past experiences... I was once a member of the Church of Scientology. I helped build ASHO in Hollywood Ca and I was stationed with the "Sea Org" for 6 months and worked beside some of the brightest minds in Scientology. L Ron Hubbard is a very smart guy, make no mistake and his technology produces some very smart people (gee, I guess I should have completed my training huh :wink: ). Anyway, he is pedantic with words and a master of the english language. This is the core of Scientology... Words... But this is also his downfall because he likes etemology where he can coin his own words from the derivations. Do you really know what Scientology means? How about Thetan or engram? They all have their words rooted in the language where you and I can research them out. Nothing is hidden for those who know how to use a dictionary and some basic etemology skills.
So what's my point? When Free Will no longer means "Free Will" according to ones native language, it tells me that sombody is trying to change the meaning of an established word. Some cults use this tactic to elevate their followers by creating esoteric meaning behind regular words... or they coin and mutate their own words for a higher esoteric class of elitism.
So here we are, I say Free will is as described per the dictionary... You say that Free Will is something else... Perhaps you honestly don't realize how you are twisting things here, but changing the basic meaning of any word is one of the first steps to becoming indoctrinated into ANY illicite establishment and is not only a downfall to any religion, but any business, group, cult or click around. Perhaps our Yes should mean Yes, and our No's mean No... Do you honestly not understand how one false notion breeds many false notions even if there is truth in one of the notions down the line? You speak many truths, but your foundation is false with truth in your premise.
Also, did you know that when we use words out of their defined terms, it creates not only chaos, but it created confusion. Let me give you an example. "Honey, would you get me a glass of milk?". She brings me back a glass of milk and I get angry, "No, I wanted Milk". She replies, "Here's your milk".. and I insist that she didn't bring me milk because I and my buddies decided that coconut juice was now Milk and hence we get into a chaotic argument.
God is not the author of confusion... His Yes means Yes and his No means No... Pretty straight forward I'd say. Do you agree?



What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these things come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:20-23)


Our hearts are being tested. We will all be shown the truth of all scripture.

And this is conveyed through communication... Parts of communication are Cause, Distance and effect with intention for attention... In other words, what is God's cause? Does he have a cause?. What is the distance? Is God far or near? What effect does this have on a person? What is God's intention and did he get your attention?
Yes, our hearts are being tested and we will duplicate Gods will and we will gain God's understanding. We do this by doing God's will by becoming servents.. We subject ourselves to His mighty authority and his soveriegnty becomse our reality.


We will be shown that without God, we make very poor choices indeed.

Yes we have “choice†OK we all agree on that. Will you agree with ( Mark 7:20-23 ) that WE MAKE VERY POOR CHOICES WITHOUT GOD’S SPIRIT GUIDING US? Do you get it? WE MAKE POOR CHOICES, US, YOU AND I.

Just like GOD KNEW WE WOULD! WE DO IT!!!!!!! Is this clear?

Just so you and I are on the same page, are you saying that it is God's will that brings man to accept his will... In other words, man does not make the choice to follow God, but rather God chooses Man to follow him? If this is utterly the entire case, why would God allow us to make choices at all knowing that we can only make poor choices? What defines God's Choices and Our Choices?
If man can only make poor choices, then man does not have the ability to choose God in any way shape or form period because in choosing God, one would be making a good choice right? But God made Man in His image... Does God have the ability to make poor choices? Was it a poor choice that Man was created? I'm serious here.
Well, according to Mark 7:20-23, these are just a few things that come out of mans heart. Are you saying that these things are exclusevly the only thing that can come out of a mans heart?


God did not cause the serial killer to rape and murder His victim’s. That’s oopsie. That’s your interpretation not mine!

Again, chaos and confusion derived on a lack of communication because you use esoteric nomenclature... I think you need to coin a new word and not use Free Will if you need to redefine the word to make it fit your premise.

James 1:14
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.


James 1:14 is why. WE MAKE POOR CHOICES. WE WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE IF WE ARE NOT IN CHRIST.

We are dragged away... From what? Our poor choices by our evil desires? :-? No, I believe we are dragged away by our evil desires from our good desires and that causes us to fall away from God.

Do you agree with these scriptures?

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

By nature yes I agree. But we can become righteous in the eyes of God when we accept His gift of salvation. In other words, through Jesus, we become righteous.

Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Correct, God seeks us and knocks upon our hearts. It is our choice that accepts him or rejects him.

Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Ok, so I know I'll get flack for this one...(and I could be wrong) Have you heard of the fruits of the spirit? Can sombody that rejects Christ produce joy, peace, self control etc? Of course they can, (but not to the fullness that God intended). I believe that when God created Adam, he left a piece of Himself in Adam and through that blast, that snuffing out of ones life, [5301. naphach] each and every one of us wether we accept or reject Christ has a piece of God in us. That is the knocking we hear for it comes from within our soul... It is obeying Gods desire, God's will that dwells within (emphasis on within) our very souls. It is for this reason that God dwells in the very nature of ALL mankind and it is for this reason that some that never heard the name Jesus (Indians, eskimo's etc) will have their names written in the Book of Life. To me, this is why choice is so very important because we have the freedom to choose to accpept the knocking and open the door, or we can reject His calling. If we reject His knocking, he is persistant for He is a part of our very essence wether we deny Him in us or not. But make no mistake, we are apart from God and it is through our will, that we are able to accept His will. This, I call Free Will.


Do you see the lessons being taught here? Are you in agreement with God’s word?

The way I understand it, yes. If not, I'm sure that I will be convicted of God's truth sometime in the near future.

StoveBolts wrote:

I agree with most of what you have written until it gets to "He created every single thing. Every circumstance, cause and event"

Litebeam wrote:

The majority cannot and will not accept the concept that God is Absolute Sovereign Lord. THEY WILL NOT. Get IT?????

Sovereignty is based on economy. Do you understand God's commerce?

Listen carefully. It is not my intent to convince you or anyone else about these things. My prayer is that whoever reads these posts WILL DO THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION. That they will seek God with all their hearts and His Wisdom.

And these are very wise words.

StoveBolts wrote:

God did not create the automobile, Man did.

Litebeam wrote:

Who made man? Who made everything that is? Do you disagree with God’s Word?

I agree that God made the elements [every last one of them] and set these natural elements in motion. I believe we call these axioms. God defined the rule book hence we have cause and effect. Is God liable if you choose to sin? God created the elements that make up iron, but he did not create alloy. Rather, he created the elements in a manner that they react to one another in different aspects with different results. Yes, God created the pieced to the puzzle and every part of the puzzle, but the puzzle can create many many different pictures. Each picture God is already aware of, but we still get to decide what picture we want to create with it’s pieces.

John 1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Absolutly!

God spoke the creation into existence. The whole creation, everything, from beginning to end came from God’s Spirit. IT CAME FROM GOD’S SPIRIT! Out of God himself!!!

He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. GET IT???????

Actually, Omega was not the end rather a numerical value. It is really quite fascinating. Have you ever looked at Sampi (900)and wondered why it’s usage stopped? http://www.fargonasphere.com/piso/numcode.html

God created ALL THINGS! Even the car you are driving. He created Every mind and thought in existence. He knows our words before we speak them. He created EVERYTHING even our thoughts.

He created them, but we control them.

Please spare me the worldly view about how this somehow diminishes things or makes us automatons.

automatons? Without Free Will, how could you not be an automaton without free will? Are you sure you read my posts? I didn’t think I alluded at all to anyone being a robot.

The majority have completely underestimated The Sovereign Lord.

GOD IS OMNIPOTENT.

GOD IS OMNICIENT.

GOD IS OMNIPRESENT.


If you do not agree that God is indeed all this and infinite besides, WELCOME TO THE VAST MAJORITY WHO ARE DEAD IN THEIR SINS, UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND GOD’S WORD.

Yes, and we can accept the salvation that only comes from Christ Today

It is no shock that the majority agree with themselves.

Do you want to agree with God’s Word, or with them?????



IF YOU START AGREEING WITH THE WORD OF GOD, OBEY GOD, PUT HIS WILL AHEAD OF YOUR OWN WANTS AND DESIRES AND TURN AWAY FROM SIN, YOU WILL NOT BE CONFUSED.


Satan rules the minds of the majority, guess why they are confused, guess why we are at 30,000 denominations and counting.

I don’t need to guess. It’s pretty apparent that different people see God differently and interpret God in different ways…Please notice how I do not belittle your faith in God
 
StoveBolts


I’m glad to see you are thinking about these concepts. The majority do not, their minds are all made up.

God is Absolute Sovereign Lord of All Creation. Failure to understand that leads to failure to understand many other things as well. As soon as we begin to disagree with God’s Word we are in trouble.

That is how Satan operates. THAT IS HOW SATAN OPERATES! If He can get us to disagree with God’s word on one point it is even easier to disagree on other points, it is a downward slide.

The majority believe that their “free will†is superior to God’s free will. We “choose†and God has to run around doing damage control, fixing things after our “poor sinful choices.†This is utter nonsense yet most believe it, hook, line and sinker. As I once did.

I have said many times that “choice†and “free will†are two different things. Examine it, study the subject, compare it to scripture, ask God to help you figure it out. Don’t just let it slide like most do.

God has free will, we have choice.

God is the author and creator of every single event, every circumstance that allows men to “chooseâ€Â.


Why you ask do we even have choice if God is in control rather than us being in control.?

Things are more complex than most realize. Only those who are humble and teachable before the Lord will be given God’s wisdom and understanding. If you are going around thinking “you are in control†you aren’t listening to the Holy Spirit. People insist they are directing their own lives, so in a sense they are.

Rather than being led by God’s Spirit, they are listening to “the Voice of Reason,†Satan.


Satan has the whole world fooled just like God said He would. If you are not doing God’s will, you are doing Satan’s will, as God allows. Few are those that believe it though. How easy it is to forget that our so called “free will†is enslaved by sin.


Satan is the ruler of this world until Christ’s return. He rules the governments, the churches and THE MINDS OF MEN.

IF YOU ARE NOT DOING GOD’S WILL, YOU ARE DOING SATAN’S WILL. Period! There is no in between on this. It is one or the other.




I too have no desire to be in charge of anyone or anything.



Revelation 2:26
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nationsâ€â€

To Him who overcomes and does my will to the end…..overcomes what do you suppose??? Perhaps your own supposed “free will?†Among other things.

It says to him who overcomes, I will give authority.

It says to Him that overcomes and does my will to the end, I will GIVE AUTHORITY over the nations. There are other scriptures that talk about Christ ruling, this one is talking about those who overcome, Sin and Satan.




God created all the circumstances, causes and effects. WE MAKE POOR CHOICES.

LIKE GOD NEW WE WOULD! This is choice, generally poor choice. It is not free will.



Free will as it is established means we can thwart the will of God. THAT IS WHAT THE MAJORITY BELIEVE. They believe their free will is superior to God’s will. THEY BELIEVE THEY CHOSE GOD.


Quit trying to rationalize it and just stop and think. God made this extremely complex so only those who listen to God’s Holy Spirit and obey Him and His word will understand. Ask Him for His understanding. WE CAN’T DO IT ON OUR OWN.





Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:


How is it that you think you can “choose†Jesus????? You are disagreeing with God’s Word!






You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (John15:16-17)


You are disagreeing with God’s word again. DO YOU SEE IT?????


YOU ARE DENYING GOD’S WORD!


You are believing church doctrine and the teachings of men YOU ARE DISAGREEING WITH THE WORD OF GOD.


That is why you are claiming free will. That is why the majority CLAIM FREE WILL.

They are not listening to the Holy Spirit, they are listening to Satan.


Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.



We all have to go through it, only the minority are enabled by God to overcome, the rest make poor choices and refuse to listen to God’s Holy Spirit as GOD KNEW THEY WOULD.



I have never said that God willed evil on humanity.


I said God gives us all the circumstances, causes and effects and WE “CHOOSE†TO DO EVIL. Do you see the difference yet?




MEN ARE EVIL

That is what God’s word says!




What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these things come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:20-23)



Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jer 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.



God’s word says it!!!!! Do you agree????? There are more scriptures to support this. Lots more.






Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:


We become righteous when we are enabled by God to draw near to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. When God enables us to truly come to Him, when we are truly born again.

NOT WHEN WE CHOOSE, WHEN GOD CHOOSES.


John 15:5 for without me ye can do nothing.

BY OURSELVES WE CAN DO NOTHING Get it??? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!


The world does not understand creation properly. The things of God are quite beyond the majority. They are trying to put an infinite God into their known parameters that they think they understand.

That is what you are doing as well. We are CREATED BEINGS, everything comes from God, everything we ever saw, touched, smelled, tasted, did or thought. Every time we get up or sit down, the energy comes from God. We can’t scratch our nose unless God gives us the energy. Everything comes from God. He created it all, past, present and future, from the beginning of human history to the end of human history, every day, everything. ALL OF IT!


Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.







James 1:14
but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Your answer was fine, perhaps it is more of being dragged away from what God would really like to see us do, such as “flee temptation†and “resist evil.†Instead of listening to God, we are listening to Satan, so we sin. Until we are enabled by God to know better. It is a process, an incredible process that takes place in the lives of true believers.




Jesus is the Son of God. He knew no sin. We however are enslaved by sin. We cannot save ourselves. WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES.


How easy it is to forget that our so called “free will†is enslaved by sin.




Fortunately these things were never up to us. Everything is working out perfectly, according to God’s plans. Many are called. Few are called and chosen.

For many are called, but few chosen. (Matthew 22:14)






What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these things come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’ (Mark 7:20-23)



Our hearts are being tested. We all will be shown the truth of all scripture.


This is being conveyed by SHOWING US WHAT POOR EVIL CHOICES WE MAKE WITHOUT GOD AND BY SHOWING US THE TRUTH OF EVERY SINGLE WORD OF GOD. Clear???




StoveBolts wrote:

automatons? Without Free Will, how could you not be an automaton without free will?




Job 37:5
God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.


That is how! Clear? WE ARE CREATED TO DO THE WILL OF THE ONE TRUE LIVING GOD, doesn’t that sound better than having “free will?†Think hard.



If you try to figure these things out on your own you won’t do it. Only God’s Spirit can teach you the truth of all things. If you are disagreeing with God’s word you are NOT LISTENING TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. Guaranteed! Study God’s word like your life depends on it! He will make sure you have the time you need if you are trying to obey Him.



I pray I am not offending you. I realize how difficult these concepts are and the battle that takes place in overcoming the spiritual forces that are trying to delude us. I am trying to help you and anyone who may read these posts. God knows who that will be, if anyone at all. Only God can convince anyone.

I appreciate your grace in regards to my faith, I am not trying to belittle yours either. I hope you will see where the majority are getting messed up in their reasoning. May God increase all our understanding.


I pray I have been of some service.


God bless!
 
My friend, the gospel is for everyone... For it is the Good News! It is not complex at all for it was meant for all mankind to understand. By your own understanding, you know that God knows my heart and he knows your heart. God knows that I am a rational man and he knows your aberrations as well. His Will is being carried out in this very thread, wouldn’t you agree?

1 Corinthians 7:22-23 For he that is called in the Lord , being a servant <doulos = a slave >, is the Lord's freeman <apeleutheros = one freed away >: likewise also he that is called , being free <eleutheros = unrestrained , not a slave , >, is Christ's servant <doulos = a slave >. Ye are bought <agorazo = to purchase; specially, to redeem > with a price; be not ye the servants <doulos = a slave > of men.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Free Will…
1. The ability or discretion to choose; free choice: chose to remain behind of my own free will.
2. The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

So you see, we regain our free will when we receive God’s grace which had to be purchased by His Son.

In reality, choice carries more weight than free will any day of the week for our reward (freedom) is based upon our choices granted through God’s grace.
In closing, Satan's Greatest Lie isn't about Free Will... It's about getting us to believe the lie is true... Any Lie… And here's a secret just for you. Satan does not deceive.. (Now watch my hands closely, this is magic) Satan sets the stage for us to deceive ourselves like he did in the garden years ago. You see, Eve had a choice as did Adam... But instead of taking responsibility, they cast blame... And Satan was the cause so some would say... And Satan has gotten many people to believe this lie and the lie has gotten extremely complex through the ages. But the truth of the matter is that it was mans choice that was to blame and it was man's decision through his choices to disobey God's word regardless of how you rationalize it and man through his own self induced yoke, became a slave to himself for it was free will through God, that allowed them to violate God’s commandment in the first place... And all it took was that one single bite.
 
I am coming into this late and I have not read the entire thread but I have a question. Please forgive me if it has already been answered.

2 Peter 3:9 (New King James Version)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The way I understand this is it is the will of God that all should come to repentance and be saved.

We are also told that not all will be saved.

Matthew 7:14 (New King James Version)
14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

So we have a choice to make. Believe in and follow Jesus or not.

So here is the question:
For those people who choose not to follow Jesus, who's will were they using?
There own or Gods who wants that none should perish.
 
StoveBolts wrote:



My friend, the gospel is for everyone... For it is the Good News! It is not complex at all for it was meant for all mankind to understand. By your own understanding, you know that God knows my heart and he knows your heart. God knows that I am a rational man and he knows your aberrations as well. His Will is being carried out in this very thread, wouldn’t you agree?






Litebeam wrote:

I most certainly agree. His will is being carried out in all things. Everything is transpiring according to God’s will. Every single detail. There is no such thing as luck, random chance, etc. It is all happening exactly according to God's will.

So it is very nice to meet you. I am enjoying our conversations.







StoveBolts wrote:


Free Will…
1. The ability or discretion to choose; free choice: chose to remain behind of my own free will.
2. The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

So you see, we regain our free will when we receive God’s grace which had to be purchased by His Son.

In reality, choice carries more weight than free will any day of the week for our reward (freedom) is based upon our choices granted through God’s grace.
In closing, Satan's Greatest Lie isn't about Free Will... It's about getting us to believe the lie is true... Any Lie… And here's a secret just for you. Satan does not deceive.. (Now watch my hands closely, this is magic) Satan sets the stage for us to deceive ourselves like he did in the garden years ago. You see, Eve had a choice as did Adam... But instead of taking responsibility, they cast blame... And Satan was the cause so some would say... And Satan has gotten many people to believe this lie and the lie has gotten extremely complex through the ages. But the truth of the matter is that it was mans choice that was to blame and it was man's decision through his choices to disobey God's word regardless of how you rationalize it and man through his own self induced yoke, became a slave to himself for it was free will through God, that allowed them to violate God’s commandment in the first place... And all it took was that one single bite.
_________________







Litebeam wrote:


Very interesting. You say we regain our free will when we receive God’s grace. So in other words we never had free will.

With that I will agree. I agree that choice carries more weight, in fact all the weight. Choice is all we have. We will be shown what poor choices we make without God guiding us. Those who are not in Christ will be held accountable.


Satan is a liar and He is always trying to deceive us. Why would you say Satan does not deceive? If I lie to you am I not deceiving you?

Satan was certainly the cause of the fall in the Garden of Eden. Who creates the causes? God Almighty!

God knew full well that Adam and Eve would choose poorly and fall from grace, as He knew Satan would fall, as He knew I would and you would.

There is no random chance involved here. God planned everything from the very beginning. He is raising up Sons and Daughters with knowledge of good and evil.

Everything is transpiring according to God’s will. It was not man’s decision to disobey God. It is God's will.




1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.



Why is Satan looking for someone to devour. It is because those who are solidly grounded in God’s Word and born again of God’s Spirit cannot be deceived. They know His ways.

If Satan can get you to disagree with just one scripture YOU ARE IN TROUBLE. You will soon disagree with many scriptures. You will be doing Satan’s will, you will disagree with God. You will be Satan’s slave.



You are absolutely right, it only takes one little bite.



Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.





THE MAN OF SIN SITS ON THE THRONE OF HIS OWN CARNAL MIND, IN HIS OWN BODY CLAIMING POWERS THAT RIVAL THOSE OF GOD HIMSELF! Our man of sin claims a spiritual power so great that it believes it can literally thwart and dethrone God Himself from our hearts. This super-natural power of the will is assumed by nearly everyone in the whole world. …showing himself that he is God."




Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:




In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: Eph 1:11


It says all things, it means all things.
 
This is a formal warning to the heretick Litebeam,

Rule 16: No debating Universal Reconciliation
Due to the disruption caused by the topic Universal Reconciliation, it will no longer be debated or discussed on this board.

This still goes!

The opportunity was given to the UR supporters for a second time when discussions re-opened, so that they might produce evidence that universal reconciliation can be taken seriously. However, the unanswered questions have only been evaded and have led to more unanswered questions. Their distortion of scripture has been made readily apparent. They have take verses out of context, even ignoring key words within those verses that give them the very meaning that God intended. By doing so, they are making a mockery of what God's Word says. They have made it clear, that they deny the Word of God as Whole.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

As a result, the disruption that they've caused will no longer be tolerated. UR is a false doctrine and it will be treated as such. Therefore, there will be no promoting of it or debating it any longer. It has been exposed for what it is and it's being used by Satan now to cause distraction from discussing the Truth's of God's Word. UR doctrine is now banned permanently.

Lets all get back to discussing topics that are beneficial & essential
to grow in the Word of God."
 
Litebeam said:
You have delved straight to the heart of the matter, personally I believe that God will eventually save everyone. This is a huge topic that we are unfortunately not allowed to discuss on this site do to the overheated debate which has been ocurring.

Actually its non-topic that exists in the vanity of the minds of men unwilling to receive the light of God.

And praise the Lord, it will blow away as the useless chaff it is.

And contrary to it being unfortunate that discussions of this false folly doctrine are not allowed on these boards, it is actually a blessing.

In love,
cj
 
Some will not doubt call me crazy for this post.
I not doubt tend to lean toward the UR doctrine. However, I do not embrace it as I see much corruption in it and in the words of those who promote it... Truth mixed with lies..

My take on Free Will

God is the only one with Free Will right?
1. God created man
2. Gen 2:7 God breathed
naphach
a primitive root; to puff, in various applications (literally, to inflate, blow hard, scatter, kindle, expire; figuratively, to disesteem):--blow, breath, give up, cause to lose (life), seething, snuff.
The Breath
neshamah
from 5395; a puff, i.e. wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect. or (concretely) an animal:--blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.
Of Life (You have to go to the hebrew text or you get the wrong hebrew word chay. The original word is CHYYM.
Chyym
Lives... Plural. Let me know if you want me to look it up in my lexicon again, or, you can trust my word.

So you see, Adam was created perfect with Free will. For in God's naphach, Adam was snuffed out.. made dead... as you and I must become dead, so that through Christ we might be made alive. It is through this death, that we have union (become one with God... hence regaining our Free Will as we are truely ONE with God and no longer seperated)

Now, Because we were created in God's image (tselem , which is a mere shadow if you search the word out beyond strongs) AND we were snuffed out by God's naphach through his neshamah (devine inspiration) you should begin to actually see how we are saved through the death, burial and resurection of Christ... And the union is once more achievable. However, please know that it was God's naphach that was used to bring life to man... and I believe that it is that naphach through the giving of chyym that leaves me to believe that we all have a part of God in us that is fused to our very beingness... and this is what is called back to God and is part of the struggle that Paul so often wrote about...

So now then, the next question has to be asked, if Adam was made perfect, what was the purpose mankind knowing of Good and Evil?

So it would seem that in the beginning, that God would have the knowledge of good and evil [not as in duelism]... and though we lost our innocence in the garden, we were exposed to the reality of death... hence another reality in the fullness of God... So, maybe the purpose was to bring about the knowledge of the fullness of God... and the meaning of Christ's atonment for our sins brings about a new demention? perhaps this gives a clue to the awsome plan of salvation that was known before the ages... and perhaps knowing about death, allows us the knowledge of the fragility of life, that we might respect it, and one another.
 
Doesn't sound crazy to me...

God's calling and restitution of his servants to himself is nowhere in the bible easy. Rather, it is a path of suffering, of death, of pain and perseverence. Paul, Peter, Moses, David, Jesus himself. Torture and suffering. Nothing like the "abundance preaching" that we see in so many of today's "consumer churches".

I certainly hope for the restitution of all things to and with and in God, but this is no easy, fluffy, hippy-dippy, cop-out. Those whom he loves he chastens. There are many arguments for and against Arminianism, for Calivinism, for Reconciliation, but to those who say Reconciliation is too "easy", I ask "have you worked out your salvation with fear and trembling?" Has your walk been "easy"? Joyful, yes, abundant manytimes, but "easy"? When does crucifying yourself daily become easy? In some ways, Churchill paraphrased Christ when he told the British in WWII "I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat, toil and tears". This was the way of the Lord, and the servants are not greater than the master.
 
Stovebolts, I follow your reasoning, but there is much missing and thus your conclusion is short.

"Eating" is a matter of becoming constituted with what you have eaten.

We need to always be aware that God's way is not our way, and therefore in our reasoning, if it seems to make sense, then more often than not the reasoning is flawed.

God breathed a spirit into man, a spirit that was most certainly a part of Him, just as everything else mam was made of was/is a part of Him (the dust of the earth, Who spoke it into existence?). But having received a spirit does not mean that Adam received God's life. Adam had physical life, but not divine life; this was what the Tree of Life was for; so that Adam could freely choose to eat from it and thereby be constituted with this divine life its "fruit" contained.

In His manifestation, God is Spirit,..... but in His essence God is life (love and light). Thus, when Adam received a spirit from God he was given the capacity to manifest God,...... but manifest God through and in what?

Life.

And not knowledge.


You, like many here, consider knowledge to be a type of understanding that you have accumulated in your mind. In a limited sense it is, but in another sense it is not.

There is a divine principle, believe it or not, that is applied when a company requests that a job applicant have "experience" as well as "knowledge" of the job requirements.

The reality is, when Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he himself became constituted with both the good and the evil that comes with this knowledge.

And by "constituted" I mean "one with",...... Adam became both good and evil according to knowledge, in his very being.

Adam in fact became a creature that God did not create, after eating from that tree.

And this is why we must die. For everything that is not of God (all corruption) will be removed from His creation.


But, in His love He has given men an opportunity to be transferred from the state of corruption into the state of perfection. And this is by believing and receiving (taking and eating) His Son, who is the reality of the Tree of Life.


I'll stop here, but there is so much more to come into as this is the center of the revelation of the entire bible.


God became man, so that man could become God in life and nature, but not in the Godhead.

God will always be the Head of all things, but the many sons of God, the many believers who are the body of the Son, who is God, will one day be manifested as God is in life and nature, and even will become His very expression, His very glory.

The bible tells us that believers are a new creature in God's creation.

In love,
cj
 
That was a very good post cj, it shows many insights, wisdom and truths found within the body.
I would like to continue the dialog when time permits. Please excuse my inability to post further at the moment.

Jeff
 
Sorry for the delay in my response. I have been away and very busy so if you do reply, I hope that I can reply in a timly manner. That being the case, I do look forward to your response.

cj said:
"Eating" is a matter of becoming constituted with what you have eaten.

And both Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge.. Hence they became aware of good and evil correct? Who else has this awareness? More importantly, doesn't Satan have to ask permission from God before he goes galavanting around or do you think so only in certain cases? I'm curious.

cj said:
"God breathed a spirit into man, a spirit that was most certainly a part of Him, just as everything else mam was made of was/is a part of Him (the dust of the earth, Who spoke it into existence?). But having received a spirit does not mean that Adam received God's life. Adam had physical life, but not divine life; this was what the Tree of Life was for; so that Adam could freely choose to eat from it and thereby be constituted with this divine life its "fruit" contained.

A more literal translation clears can enhance this if I am rightly understanding. Keep in mind that this "Breath", took the life out of Adam... and what did it get replaced with? It became replaced with a spirit with many lives. Now, it could be argued many, as in Eve came from Adam or it could be that once we die, there is another form of life... Take your pick, but perhaps there are many forms of life within one lifetime as we now have the ability to die each day correct? So the question goes, What constitutes 'life' for there in lies the fruits contained in the original bite.

cj said:
In His manifestation, God is Spirit,..... but in His essence God is life (love and light). Thus, when Adam received a spirit from God he was given the capacity to manifest God,...... but manifest God through and in what?

Life.

And not knowledge.

But knowledge is a part of life and God is manifest under every rock, twig and glimmer in the heavens. Knowledge is a manifestation of awareness and in His spirit, we become aware of who we are.
And who exactly are we? We are God's choosen creation... The apple of His eye.

But we are more than that, for we were created with the very essence of who God is and that would be life (love and light). Yes, God has given us the ability to create life, but it started with that single breath that snuffed out our own.


cj said:
You, like many here, consider knowledge to be a type of understanding that you have accumulated in your mind. In a limited sense it is, but in another sense it is not.

With all due respect, I do not view knowledge as anything I have accumulated per say. Rather, I feel that knowledge is all around us, but those who are granted access are allowed to expand their awareness of the reality that is there.

cj said:
There is a divine principle, believe it or not, that is applied when a company requests that a job applicant have "experience" as well as "knowledge" of the job requirements.

The reality is, when Adam ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he himself became constituted with both the good and the evil that comes with this knowledge.

Yes, but it was in God's perfect plan for this to occur. How else (no, I don't challenge God), but how else could we gain the understanding that you speak about? How else could we the ability to gain the 'experience'?

cj said:
Adam in fact became a creature that God did not create, after eating from that tree..
But God created the environment with the foreknowledge of what was to occur. Without choice and consequence, free will would mean nothing for we would be as silent as the tree in the forest or the rock under your foot.

cj said:
And this is why we must die. For everything that is not of God (all corruption) will be removed from His creation..

So, your saying that God supplies the ingredients, but it is up to us to make pudding or pie... Dare I say this, and please reply in a humble manner, but here is my question.
We read that the wheat will be seperated from the chaff because the chaff is worthless. But wait, the chaff was a vital component in bringing the grain to harvest! Without the chaff to protect the kernal, the precious kernal inside wouldn't have a chance to mature and there wouldn't be any harvest.
That being the case, would it be safe to say that in dying, we are loosing the chaff (corruption) that surronds us, leaving a kernal for harvest; which would be an offering to our Lord? Hence, this corruption spoken about, is it not the seperation of what we were constituted with?
Then comes the matter of this tree... For it was through God's initial breath that brought about our death which gave us life, but it was through our life, that Eve choose to cause her own death, that we may again find life through the tree that brought about mans death, this comes full circle as spoken in Revelation 22.
This being the case, it becomes apparent to me that death is and has always been a must, and it has always been a must that we would truly have the ability to find life.


cj said:
"But, in His love He has given men an opportunity to be transferred from the state of corruption into the state of perfection. And this is by believing and receiving (taking and eating) His Son, who is the reality of the Tree of Life.

Agreed and well stated. I hope this comes across in the right manner as I have not had time to proof it and seek things that could be misunderstood.

Jeff
 
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