Not By Works

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May 23, 2020
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I don’t have a team DorothyMae......how do you know God?
What does knowing God mean to you?...please explain.

For me personally.....I know God resides in my spirit.....I have my own personal relationship with him....I have taken up my cross and follow....I can only follow him...,because he is the light and truth...I am NOTHING without him!....I try and walk in obedience to him....but ask him to help me because I can’t do it on my own..I need his strength...I also ask him to help me trust him in certain difficulties in my life.
Dear JR

I will give you an answer later. I would encourage you to read the Bible testing your experience by its words. More later..
 
May 19, 2020
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I personally know hard core atheists who quit smoking. It’s much better to know what God does and what man can do and not attribute everything to God. He’s not so small minded that He insists He does it all for us all the time and we can do nothing.

You really aren’t understanding what I am trying to say.

DorothyMae,you rely on self and not God....no one can ever be set free from an addiction...only if it’s God’s will.

I will give an example.....I had an addiction...when I became born again.....as that is when I handed my life over to God......because I had made a mess of mine.

The Lord in his grace saved me......I would pray that he would set me free from this destructive addiction.....as I walked with the Lord,I have learnt over many yrs to put my trust in him,to lean on him in all areas of my life.

After 28 yrs.....of prayer,believing in him,walking in faith......he graciously set me free from my addiction .....2 yrs ago....I did my bit as I’ve just explained.

Do you understand that?
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
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From the context of Nicodemus and the rest of the Jews listening to Jesus then, do you think they understood "kingdom of God" as heaven?
i think He didn't tell him 'what is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit' for no reason.
Jesus was correcting their understanding.
 
May 23, 2020
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To anyone and all

It occurred to me after I posted that it reads like I came here to elicit negative responses. That’s not what I meant to say. I don’t write with the INTENTION of bringing out anger or other unpleasantness in others. Not at all. My desire is to present truth as I understand it.

But with years of experience I’ve seen that the arguments or basis for OSAS seems to be so weak that when confronted with superior arguments, the response is 95% of the time ad hominem. The answer is not “have you considered this...” but “ you are (insert nasty adjective.) The patterns I notice, such as this, I try to present not pinpointing anyone in particular but I’m not always successful.

In any case, my words never were INTENTED to irritate or anger. I’m not a troll or whatever people are called whose purpose is to do so. (Not sure of the nomenclature.) I do know from experience that the fruit of OSAS can be seen in how they treat opponents. Anyone can be kind to friends. Followers of Jesus are to be kind to those who oppose them.
 

SoulWeaver

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2014
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I personally know hard core atheists who quit smoking. It’s much better to know what God does and what man can do and not attribute everything to God. He’s not so small minded that He insists He does it all for us all the time and we can do nothing.
I only was able to quit thanks to God intervening so I definitely attribute it to Him... :)

Yes some atheists do quit... My mother who is a hardcore atheist is a good example. Quit smoking for a few years, and later went back to it again. One can get a demon out even without God telling them so, sometimes people do realize with their brains that something isn't good. But that demon will come back, if not through the same door, then come back through another door with another vice, because the infirmity was never healed, and vacuum cannot defend the house. When such a person quits they start nagging and being cranky, or getting addicted to other things like food. Because the irritation and restlessness in the flesh (which is the reason they smoke) has never really been subdued. I've seen that first hand. So I disagree on that... About the claim how atheist successfully quit smoking without God, just like Christians do. But is this really a success?

Luke 11:24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.
Luke 11:25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.
Luke 11:26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
 
May 19, 2020
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Please get me scripture for this. I want to base our discussion on scripture not the theology. I know the theology quite well.

What I mean is we follow the Lord and only him..we don’t follow false gods.

Scripture..talks about knowing the Lords voice and following him...were his sheep.
Not a wolf.
 
May 19, 2020
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She is nothing more than a divisive, accusatory troll that peddles a street organ playing false gospel!

Unfortunately for DorothyMae....she is either trying.. to save herself...or working to stay saved...

IMHO....she hasn’t a clue or understands what a born again is.....
 
May 23, 2020
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For me and most believers..God’s Kingdom is in Heaven....where Jesus sits at the right hand of his Father.
For me and the committed christians Gods Kingdom is now within when we do as the King commands “If you keep my teaching (do) then the Father will love you and we will make our abode in you.” That’s the King-dom (reigning) within.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
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Then how come Nicodemus didn’t think he meant washings but thought he meant birth?? N had never heard the term and it was “born from above” as well. I don’t believe that for a minute. I think you made that up. Jesus certainly wasn’t advocating a jewish ritual. The Romans had nothing against baptism nor judaism nor christianity until Nero.

I did study and I see no value in the above, sorry.

Do you know what linen is in Revelation? Study to show your understanding approved from above.[/QUOTE}>>

Washing is the descriptive word of baptism in the minds of the Nazarenes and they performed it often. Reborn or a new beginning. Not a new creation until Paul received revelation.

And yes I do know what WHITE linen means in Revelations. Is my goal.

Ive posted it here and there. (Facetious)

We don’t devalue the works of God at all by the security of the believer.

Forgive your hurt and be set free.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
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To anyone and all

It occurred to me after I posted that it reads like I came here to elicit negative responses. That’s not what I meant to say. I don’t write with the INTENTION of bringing out anger or other unpleasantness in others. Not at all. My desire is to present truth as I understand it.

But with years of experience I’ve seen that the arguments or basis for OSAS seems to be so weak that when confronted with superior arguments, the response is 95% of the time ad hominem. The answer is not “have you considered this...” but “ you are (insert nasty adjective.) The patterns I notice, such as this, I try to present not pinpointing anyone in particular but I’m not always successful.

In any case, my words never were INTENTED to irritate or anger. I’m not a troll or whatever people are called whose purpose is to do so. (Not sure of the nomenclature.) I do know from experience that the fruit of OSAS can be seen in how they treat opponents. Anyone can be kind to friends. Followers of Jesus are to be kind to those who oppose them.
The problem that I see in your post here Dottie is your reference to watching people over the years fall. You cannot base your observations as truth from scripture for only God is good. Or only God is pure and Holy.

Job 5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

It takes time for us to fully understand what we have been given. And the sprinkling of blood on our conscience is the remedy for our failures. It’s not our right to judge one another as far as our relationship with the Lord. But, we do judge whether the words we hear are according to truth.

Mercy and grace have kissed in this time period. God as much more of this for us His own then we can imagine.
 

stonesoffire

Poetic Member
Nov 24, 2013
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Please get me scripture for this. I want to base our discussion on scripture not the theology. I know the theology quite well.
What she is saying is that when we are born from above, we are alive in Christ and our love for Him is reflected in our life. Naturally. A new nature.
 
May 19, 2020
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What she is saying is that when we are born from above, we are alive in Christ and our love for Him is reflected in our life. Naturally. A new nature.

Because some don’t bear fruit......she doesn’t understand why they don’t?

I think it’s because the way some speak to her on this thread...I get the same on a non believer site.....if I put one word out of place.....they jump on me.......saying Jesus would never speak the way you do.

In other words because we are born again..they expect us to be perfect like Jesus was....they have no understanding of how God works in and through us.