Bible Study Who Can Lay This To 'REST'??

[Nathan]

Do you suppose that this desire is satan's counterfiet 'REST?' With No more STRIVING of the HOLY SPIRIT!

I do believe it is a 'counterfeit' rest. To say that we have all of a sudden become "perfect" in the flesh is absolute absurd. But in the 'wave' of deception to the other end is the idea that we are NOT in control of the flesh.

In both instances we see that the Spirit is left out, or is just a inanimate "seal", which does not do anything but "guarantee" us something. Does this sound familiar?

Gen 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Half truth's. Thats the 'name of the game' for Satan. Lord, but not Savior for the Jew. Savior, but not Lord for the Gentile.

Satan lied, but told the half-'truth' at the same time. They did not immediately die and they did know good and evil. But they eventually died, and while they knew good and evil, they could not distinguish between them. Only God can do that.

The Spirit in our lives is what 'leads' us to that rest.

2Cr 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2Cr 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Satan cannot touch the heart. He can only reach the mind. That is why it is the utmost importance to have the "mind of Christ". Where the mind leads, the heart will be soon to follow.

Hbr 4:9-11 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.

We have rest, the rest of not "working for" our righteousness. But our flesh must still be brought into submission each and every day.

Hbr 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hbr 7:22-25 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Hbr 8:6-12 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.

For he finds fault with them when he says: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more."

Hbr 9:1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.

Hbr 9:8-12 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Hbr 9:15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Hbr 10:10-18 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Hbr 10:21-22 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hbr 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Hbr 10:28-29 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

Hbr 10:35-39 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward (REST). For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, "Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hbr 12:1-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

"Weary", "Fainthearted", and "Struggle". Rest? Yes, in Christ, not in the flesh.

 

[Who Says]

1Cr 1:22-23 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, ---a stumbling block to Jews--- and ---folly to Gentiles---,

Why is there a designation between the Jew and Gentile? Why just a stumbling block to the Jew, but complete folly to the Gentile?

My gut says the answer lay in this:

Romans 3:1 ¶What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Romans 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

But what does that mean?

 

[Who Says]

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

This is prying at me:

We are told that after Adam sinned God said, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil"

Satan had told Eve, Genesis 3:5 "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Does "as one of us" = "as gods" ??? Evidently!

I assert that Satan did not lie about that then because God said Adam did.

But it was the choosing to exercise a free will that made Adam "as one of us, to know good and evil". And it is the knowing of (or the thinking that one knows of) good and evil so that they can choose between them, that is the exercise of free will.

Whispering...... does anybody see that?

And God pevented Adam from eating of the tree of life, saying that was the reason.

 

[Nathan]

My gut says the answer lay in this:

Romans 3:1 ¶What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Romans 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

But what does that mean?

It means that they have an accurate, or at least were given an accurate, account of who the Christ was/is. He simply just did not fit the bill of what they wanted Him to be at the time. Those waiting for a Savior and King found Him, they still questioned when He would take the role of King, but they found Him.

The Jews wanted a King, but not a Savior. Since He was showing Himself as Savior, the majority just could not grasp Him being a King. But the other hand is that Gentiles love the "knowledge" aspect of God. That is why they had so many gods. But the reason they had so many, was because when they wanted to "revel" in sin, they needed a god that would allow it.

So they like the idea of a Savior, someone who can "cleanse" the conscience. They are "ok" with that. But wait, when it comes to one way and one way only of living, nahhh....they do not want a King to be telling them what to do.

So you see Christ as complete foolishness to them in the "totality" of what He is, and to the Jew He is just a single "point" of stumbling. They are quite ok with having one God and one God only. But the sin nature of man says "I want to earn it myself". Its called pride.

So what have we done? We have "divided" Christ up in the "name of love". We can only truly see it from the Gentile perspective. Or at least I can. I am not in a predominantly Jewish place, so I do not know how Satan is at work there. But here, he is at work in bringing half-truth's to them who want to listen. We make this distinction that God deals with each one of us individually with regards to salvation. I got news for people, there is one way and one way only.

He may deal with each one on a individual basis according to the out working of sanctification, but in regards to salvation He requires that all come to obedience. In that obedience we find rest for our souls, yet our minds have to constantly fight the battle. And so what happens is we get "tired" and someone comes along and says "no worries, your a sinner, sin is what sinners do", and so we give into this notion because we want that 'rest' and 'freedom' that they are promising.

And its so closely related because guess what? Its ONLY through the knowledge of the law that death and slavery come. So the thing that God so lovingly gives us to keep our focus on Him, we turn into bitterness and weariness against Him. But, we know it should not be against God, so the enemy comes along and tells us to just direct it toward that "old" law. Yea, its the culprit. There is no freedom there, he says. Hey, get rid of the "law" and you do not have to fight the flesh anymore and you have "rest".

Half-truth. The half is he is correct. Get rid of the law and the flesh no longer "sins". Why? Because the heart has God's law inside it. But what about the falseness of it, that turns it into a LIE? Its the fact that we still sin, the flesh is under the curse, if even the "law" was to go away we still have the express understanding that there is a Holy God who is righteous and demands righteousness, and it is seen in His creation. The law in our hearts demands accountability for the wicked works of our flesh.

Now, take away the flesh, take away temptation, and leave the perfect-ed mind and heart in place, put them into a perfect body, and on a perfect earth; then you have rest. Some say that the Garden of Eden was like this. But wait. It was perfect, but there is one thing that was there that WILL NOT be in the new heaven and earth; Satan.

 

[Nathan]

This is prying at me:

We are told that after Adam sinned God said, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil"

Satan had told Eve, Genesis 3:5 "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Does "as one of us" = "as gods" ??? Evidently!

I assert that Satan did not lie about that then because God said Adam did.

But it was the choosing to exercise a free will that made Adam "as one of us, to know good and evil". And it is the knowing of (or the thinking that one knows of) good and evil so that they can choose between them, that is the exercise of free will.

Whispering...... does anybody see that?

And God pevented Adam from eating of the tree of life, saying that was the reason.

Right! He became liken too, but not exactly, because while he knew of good and evil at that point, he had no way of distinguishing between the two.

Sounds like semantics huh?

Its not. Only God can distinguish between the two. For example: I know what is "light" and what is "dark". But I have no clue about the absence of light or the absence of dark.

Hebrews puts it this way;

Hbr 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

See, we can understand what our thought is. Whether it is "good" or "evil". But our intentions? Well, yea, if we are the one's making up the "rules". It gets complicated, and I wish I could share my heart more, but I am at a loss for words myself. I think that this is taught only by the Spirit. Its on the side of only spiritually discerning, which Adam fortified when he disobeyed. He did not die physically, but he did spiritually.

His physical self could see good and evil. His spiritual self could not. Make sense?

 

[Nathan]

We can know for sure Satan DID lie because Christ NEVER lied.

Jhn 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

[Who Says]

It means that they have an accurate, or at least were given an accurate, account of who the Christ was/is. He simply just did not fit the bill of what they wanted Him to be at the time. Those waiting for a Savior and King found Him, they still questioned when He would take the role of King, but they found Him.

The Jews wanted a King, but not a Savior. Since He was showing Himself as Savior, the majority just could not grasp Him being a King. But the other hand is that Gentiles love the "knowledge" aspect of God. That is why they had so many gods. But the reason they had so many, was because when they wanted to "revel" in sin, they needed a god that would allow it.

So they like the idea of a Savior, someone who can "cleanse" the conscience. They are "ok" with that. But wait, when it comes to one way and one way only of living, nahhh....they do not want a King to be telling them what to do.

So you see Christ as complete foolishness to them in the "totality" of what He is, and to the Jew He is just a single "point" of stumbling. They are quite ok with having one God and one God only. But the sin nature of man says "I want to earn it myself". Its called pride.

So what have we done? We have "divided" Christ up in the "name of love". We can only truly see it from the Gentile perspective. Or at least I can. I am not in a predominantly Jewish place, so I do not know how Satan is at work there. But here, he is at work in bringing half-truth's to them who want to listen. We make this distinction that God deals with each one of us individually with regards to salvation. I got news for people, there is one way and one way only.

He may deal with each one on a individual basis according to the out working of sanctification, but in regards to salvation He requires that all come to obedience. In that obedience we find rest for our souls, yet our minds have to constantly fight the battle. And so what happens is we get "tired" and someone comes along and says "no worries, your a sinner, sin is what sinners do", and so we give into this notion because we want that 'rest' and 'freedom' that they are promising.

And its so closely related because guess what? Its ONLY through the knowledge of the law that death and slavery come. So the thing that God so lovingly gives us to keep our focus on Him, we turn into bitterness and weariness against Him. But, we know it should not be against God, so the enemy comes along and tells us to just direct it toward that "old" law. Yea, its the culprit. There is no freedom there, he says. Hey, get rid of the "law" and you do not have to fight the flesh anymore and you have "rest".

Half-truth. The half is he is correct. Get rid of the law and the flesh no longer "sins". Why? Because the heart has God's law inside it. But what about the falseness of it, that turns it into a LIE? Its the fact that we still sin, the flesh is under the curse, if even the "law" was to go away we still have the express understanding that there is a Holy God who is righteous and demands righteousness, and it is seen in His creation. The law in our hearts demands accountability for the wicked works of our flesh.

Now, take away the flesh, take away temptation, and leave the perfect-ed mind and heart in place, put them into a perfect body, and on a perfect earth; then you have rest. Some say that the Garden of Eden was like this. But wait. It was perfect, but there is one thing that was there that WILL NOT be in the new heaven and earth; Satan.

That is beautifully explained :yes

There are so many good points I hardly know which to comment on. So I will begin by saying the only way God deals with us individually is in how he breaks us down. But there is only one way he builds all back up into what he desires.

I have for many years gone around telling everyone that Paul at Romans chapter seven is speaking of the man BEFORE he reaches maturity in Christ.

When Paul said, Romans 7:25 "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin", I believe what he had in mind is what he said also here: Philippians 3:12 "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

And I feel we desperately need to see it as Paul there. We need to stop taking it for granted that we are saved EVEN well into our walk to the perfection of our maturity.

That allows humility to protect us.

 

[Who Says]

We can know for sure Satan DID lie because Christ NEVER lied.

Jhn 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

I am not saying (or did not mean to say) Satan did not lie. They were half truths just as you said. Because it is ridiculous to think Adam as a god is truly like God. Adam had not the knowledge or wisdom to be so when it comes to deciding good or bad.

But that is all the more reason that I believe what God was looking at was Adam's seizure of free will to make such choices. That is how Adam made himself "as one of us". It could not have been by his ability to actually do so.

I figure that God has free will but we cannot as we are made in his image.

For us to consistently image him our will must match his at all times. But if we truly had free will, one moment we would image him and the next minute not as our wills would differ at moments in time. We can only have his will in us to consistently image him.

That being said, How do we match our will up with his (sycronized will)? Is That not what we are doing in Christ?

Yes, that is what God created man to have, Syncronized Will,,, NOT Free Will.

So now we see what happened to us !!! Adam tossed away that sycronization!

Free Will was definitely a wronful seizure. So we need to correct that view, also.

 

[Who Says]

Right! He became liken too, but not exactly, because while he knew of good and evil at that point, he had no way of distinguishing between the two.

Sounds like semantics huh?

Its not. Only God can distinguish between the two. For example: I know what is "light" and what is "dark". But I have no clue about the absence of light or the absence of dark.

Hebrews puts it this way;

Hbr 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

See, we can understand what our thought is. Whether it is "good" or "evil". But our intentions? Well, yea, if we are the one's making up the "rules". It gets complicated, and I wish I could share my heart more, but I am at a loss for words myself. I think that this is taught only by the Spirit. Its on the side of only spiritually discerning, which Adam fortified when he disobeyed. He did not die physically, but he did spiritually.

His physical self could see good and evil. His spiritual self could not. Make sense?

Yes that does as it coresponds to Paul's thoughts I believe in 1 Cor chapter two. He has only limited ability to see if he is blind in the spirit. The spirit is where we see deepest. It is our true eye-sight. Sounds silly to many

 

[Elijah674]

We can know for sure Satan DID lie because Christ NEVER lied.

Jhn 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Nate:
satan did indeed lie. No 1/2 truth either! What would have happened to Adam & Eve had God not 'afterwards', not 'given' them a way out?? (you got that right!) All of the Godheads [Eternal Plan] of Gen. 3:15's was now CONDITIONALLY REQUIRED for SALVATION. (and that include's even CONDITIONAL immortality as in eating of the restored to us, tree of life for immortality! Rev. 22:2) Rev. 14:6 & Heb. 13:20

Yet, we see these of Rev. 17:1-5 having most of them teaching that satan told the truth (or 1/2 truth) & that God did indeed lie.

--Elijah

 

[Who Says]

Nate: satan did indeed lie. No 1/2 truth either! What would have happened to Adam & Eve had God not 'given' them a way out?? (you got that right!) Gen. 3:15's Eternal PLAN which was now needed for SALVATION. Rev. 14:6 & Heb. 13:20

Wow!!! That's right!!!

Us being human makes us feel foolish sometimes.

It is like, How did we not see that?

No wonder God wants us to learn to funtion and think in unity as one body.

 

[Nathan]

Nate: satan did indeed lie. No 1/2 truth either! What would have happened to Adam & Eve had God not 'given' them a way out?? (you got that right!) Gen. 3:15's Eternal PLAN which was now needed for SALVATION. Rev. 14:6 & Heb. 13:20

Right. I call it 1/2 truth, but we know that it really cannot be that at all. I just say that as a "metaphor" ;).

1Jo 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.


So, even if it was 1/100 of truth, it still would be a lie. To be truth, something has to be 100% right.

 

[Nathan]

Yet, we see these of Rev. 17:1-5 having most of them teaching that satan told the truth (or 1/2 truth) & that God did indeed lie.

--Elijah

Right!!!

Yes, please do not think that I meant it like it sounded. It should have not been taken that way in the context of the whole post I made. But that is my fault for not making it completely clear. Anyone who thinks that God has EVER lied has some real issues. I would hope people would check their brains a little more than to think God is capable of that.

You are right though, and people do not like it when you call them on their "1/2 truth".

 

[Who Says]

Right!!!

Yes, please do not think that I meant it like it sounded. It should have not been taken that way in the context of the whole post I made. But that is my fault for not making it completely clear. Anyone who thinks that God has EVER lied has some real issues. I would hope people would check their brains a little more than to think God is capable of that.

You are right though, and people do not like it when you call them on their "1/2 truth".

We know that Satan is cunning.

In reality I think we all know that a half truth is like a little bit pregnant.

 

[Elijah674]

Right!!!

Yes, please do not think that I meant it like it sounded. It should have not been taken that way in the context of the whole post I made. But that is my fault for not making it completely clear. Anyone who thinks that God has EVER lied has some real issues. I would hope people would check their brains a little more than to think God is capable of that.

You are right though, and people do not like it when you call them on their "1/2 truth".

No problem from this end, you were just a good sounding board, (that was alright wasn't it?) and it did give me an opportunity to get 'my' posted message out, huh?;)

Originally Posted by Elijah674
Nate: satan did indeed lie. No 1/2 truth either! What would have happened to Adam & Eve had God not 'given' them a way out?? (you got that right!) Gen. 3:15's Eternal PLAN which was now needed for SALVATION. Rev. 14:6 & Heb. 13:20



​

 

[Nathan]

No problem from this end, you were just a good sounding board, (that was alright wasn't it?) and it did give me an opportunity to get 'my' posted message out, huh?;)

Originally Posted by Elijah674
Nate: satan did indeed lie. No 1/2 truth either! What would have happened to Adam & Eve had God not 'given' them a way out?? (you got that right!) Gen. 3:15's Eternal PLAN which was now needed for SALVATION. Rev. 14:6 & Heb. 13:20



​

Friend, you know its always alright. You know me, I like to make things clearer than the average crystal if I ever think someone might not understand me.

 

[Who Says]

I cannot say that I understand the joke myself. But thats taking it to the level that "flesh and blood" would be living eternally in hell, and at least the people who preach eternal torment do not believe in that. I understand thats not what you meant.

There is a site (or used to be anyway) on the inet called "The Mad JW". I may not agree with all they teach but that guy is the funniest person I have ever read on the web.

I was just remembering him and doing a poor job of imitating the character he portrays.

He has no doubt influenced some of my thinking. But I cannot help and like him, he is hilarious.

 

[Elijah674]

Nate: I still can't send through by provider, so will send through this site!
______________________________________________________

'There is a site (or used to be anyway) on the inet called "The Mad JW". I may not agree with all they teach but ..'

The highlites above are my emphasis of what is said. But, do you 'see' that NO where has this post/man in the past has laid out any of his doctrinal beliefs that I have found? (other than 7th Day Sabbath 'REST'?)

Surely Christ has Virgin 'Doctrines'?? Psalms 77:13 + 2 Tim. 3:16's Doctrine. (and Matt. 28:20) But [his word] here sound's close perhaps to what he holds to in belief??? And this does come close to telling us finally what Doctrine he agree to? (but not all he says)

---Elijah

 

[Who Says]

Nate: I still can't send through by provider, so will send through this site!
______________________________________________________

'There is a site (or used to be anyway) on the inet called "The Mad JW". I may not agree with all they teach but ..'

The highlites above are my emphasis of what is said. But, do you 'see' that NO where has this post/man in the past has laid out any of his doctrinal beliefs that I have found? (other than 7th Day Sabbath 'REST'?)

Surely Christ has Virgin 'Doctrines'?? Psalms 77:13 + 2 Tim. 3:16's Doctrine. (and Matt. 28:20) But [his word] here sound's close perhaps to what he holds to in belief??? And this does come close to telling us finally what Doctrine he agree to? (but not all he says)

---Elijah

I am just searching to be sure I have learned God's truth and never allowing myself to be so prideful so as to think that I have become perfect in knowing all that these are at this present time.

I take that attitude in obedience to Paul's counsel at 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him."

Why would you want to see it about me as you here describe?

The very reason you have never heard me speak similarly toward you as what you here do about me is that I love God's law and first and foremost do seek to be obedient to it.

Thank you for revealing the secret talk that goes on about me by first saying, "Nate: I still can't send through by provider, so will send through this site!"

Ironically I only last night was looking at the locker rooms and the thought occurred to me wondering what must go on in them in this very regard, not that they are the channel you speak of but that the spirit even moved me to consider such a thing as I do not usually concern myself about.

Anyone on this site or anywhere else can in having me as their friend know that I am never speaking negatively about them behind their back to anyone else.

I am a true friend by virtue of my love and obedience to Christ and God's law.

*****************

As though I have a hidden unworthy agenda, you told Nate: "The highlites above are my emphasis of what is said. But, do you 'see' that NO where has this post/man in the past has laid out any of his doctrinal beliefs that I have found? (other than 7th Day Sabbath 'REST'?)"


Look through all of my posts Elijah; I have in no way been secretive. If there be doctrines you have not yet heard it is only that opportunity for me to present my views on those doctrines has not yet arisen (or, that as a side point as related to a particular discussion it would only be getting off topic.

But I have clearly said in my posts that I do not believe in a literal eternal torment of hell fire.

I have clearly said in my posts that I believe Jesus is the highest "a god" but that his Father is greater than he and his Father glorifies him with the power he has because of Jesus' perfect love and obedience to the Father so that the Father loves him dearly.

I have said many things that you or anyone ought to know what I believe.

Do I lean toward Jehovah's Witnesses as having the truth? More so than other religions that I am familiar with.

Why then am I not a Jehovah's Witness? I have been wondering about that myself lately.

But I see things about them that I know are not right and that they would never allow for anyone who becomes a member of their church to believe about them. And I refuse to lie to them about what I believe (any more than I would to you or anyone else) just to become a member with them.

So I am caught yet sojourning by myself in the wilderness, knowing that all things are in God's hands. I wait for God patiently knowing he is working all he purposes.

 

[Wings]

Hello there Elijah 674,

Coming back to your original question,
I thought of what our Lord Himself says
about His resurrection body in Luke 24:39:-

'Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is I myself:
handle me, and see;
for a spirit hath not flesh and bones,
as ye see me have.'

* Interesting isn't it? (Flesh and bones / not flesh and blood)

* Don't you think that maybe our resurrection body will be like His,
not 'a spirit' but consisting of 'flesh and bones' as His own is ?

In Christ Jesus
risen and glorified

Wings