Predestination is misunderstood...

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Dec 18, 2023
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After the fall man had a nature that was unable to be good, because the flesh dominates over the soul.
The flesh is the source of our depravity....

If God placed believers souls inside sinless bodies?
The total depravity of man would become a thing of the past.

The soul became a slave to the flesh.
Grace and truth liberates the soul from the depravity of the fallen flesh....

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him,
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set
you free.” John 8:31-32



grace and peace .................
can you provide scripture that says man was not able to do good after the fall.

It would be good be good if you could state your understandings of that scripture, and not just one.


It gets better and better this song 🙂

 

sawdust

Active member
Feb 12, 2024
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Have you read 1 Cor 2:14?
I've read all the Bible. What's your point? Did you forget about grace, again?

The Gospel is not presented as a spiritual issue. We don't comprehend it's spiritual ramifications until after we are saved. You had no idea you needed to be born again when you heard the Gospel. What it revealed was God is right and we are wrong and judgement between the two puts us on the losing side but the good news is Christ paid the price on our behalf. Believe it or not, the choice is yours because grace ensures you can make that choice of your own free will.
 

Genez

Junior Member
Oct 12, 2017
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i not alluding to how you believe I think what you assume.

So I suggest you realise what alluding means, because you've just assumed yet again.

If you want to claim otherwise than what I said, you need to not leave wide open undefined statements like you did.

In the mean while...

I took the opportunity to explain Biblically how what you claimed (without you explaining how) is truth.

In Christ.....
 
Dec 18, 2023
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If you want to claim otherwise than what I said, you need to not leave wide open undefined statements like you did.

In the mean while...

I took the opportunity to explain Biblically how what you claimed (without you explaining how) is truth.

In Christ.....
Im repeating what you said and asking you to make account of what you said, and not anything I said.

So post your scripture that says man was not able to any good with two understandings.

You see, you should, because I have a commandment of Jesus that says ye should.




🙂🙂
 

Genez

Junior Member
Oct 12, 2017
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can you provide scripture that says man was not able to do good after the fall.]

Man was able to do good.
But, only when the grace of God was with him.

In Genesis 6 we find this to be true.....


Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth,
and He was grieved in His heart.
So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth,
both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:5-8​



Please read that passage.

It says all people did evil.

All people except Noah...

Why did Noah find himself able to do good?

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:8​
grace and peace ............
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
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I do find it to be the Calvinist apologists who quickly ascribe a dissenter to some supposedly heretical class based on their holding one common belief with that group, and then howl most loudly when they get classified as platonists or gnostics or something else.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
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The image of God in man was corrupted in the fall. Salvation is about restoring the image of God in man...with some really cool upgrades.
You don't understand total depravity. It doesn't mean that man is completely corrupt. It means that every aspect of man...the whole of a person...has been corrupted. In other words, man's mind was affected in the fall. It still functions, but it is no longer as it was created. Man's heart has been corrupted. It, too, still functions, but not as intended in creation. And so forth.
So, man is not spiritually dead and in need of resurrection before he can believe or do good; but man is spiritually sick and needs a doctor to heal him so that he can believe and do good more effectively and consistently.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
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God did not create the knowledge of good and evil in man that came by the eating of the tree. God will rectify that as he will make a new world where just like in the beginning we will have no knowledge of good and evil. Just good. We will only know the God who says he is love and the God who says he is good.

Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
There are at least four ways of knowing. Being told something is evil is only one way. Discovering how to do the evil is another. Getting other persons' perspectives on the evil done is another. And recognising the evil's cascading effects on the whole is another.

If our memories are wiped of our experiences in this broken world, we will be back to the situation Adam was in in the garden before any command was given not to eat. Which is where we could have remained if God had not given Adam or anyone else a command to obey. How would a child turn out if they were never told what to do or not to do, but were always protected from the damage their ignorant actions should have caused.
 

Mem

Senior Member
Sep 23, 2014
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Isaiah 50:10 asks, "Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God."
This begins with a rhetorical question that answers the question in v.2, "Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called?" It is evident that we all walk in darkness and have no light as we all have gone astray, that is until we 'trust in the name of the LORD." And when we do this, then He lights our path. Suggesting that He lights our path and only then we trust Him disregards any need for the 'through faith' prepositional phrase. No, through faith, we walk into a dark room believing there is a present there, not really knowing whether there is or there isn't, but because we heard the word that it is there, and the light comes on and...we see!
 

Chaps

Active member
Apr 3, 2024
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I think you will find that those who believed Paul's preaching were limited to those who were ordained to eternal life (Acts 13:40).
The age old debate is if they were ordained to eternal life because God foreknew they would believe or because God preordained they believe. I believe the former because Scripture indicates that God desires all men to know the truth.
 

Chaps

Active member
Apr 3, 2024
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California
I would stick with the secon case if I were you, because it will harmonize with all of the other scriptures.
I’ve studied the Scriptures many years as well as the arguments of Calvinism and Arminianism. I have no trouble harmonizing Scripture. If there are passage you feel cannot be harmonized with my view, I’d be happy to discuss them. However, my guess is I am familiar with them and not only feel they fit well with my view of Scripture, but likely argue against the viewpoint you are arguing for when viewed in their full context. Either way, I am happy to learn if you have some viewpoints or Scriptures I have not considered.
 

PaulThomson

Well-known member
Oct 29, 2023
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The age old debate is if they were ordained to eternal life because God foreknew they would believe or because God preordained they believe. I believe the former because Scripture indicates that God desires all men to know the truth.
Or whether they had been ordained to aeonous life a sabbath earlier when they had received the gospel and had been exhorted to continue in the grace of God.
 
Dec 18, 2023
6,402
406
83
Man was able to do good.
But, only when the grace of God was with him.

In Genesis 6 we find this to be true.....


Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth,
and He was grieved in His heart.
So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth,
both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:5-8​



Please read that passage.

It says all people did evil.

All people except Noah...

Why did Noah find himself able to do good?

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Genesis 6:8​
grace and peace ............
good morning 🙂

So what your actually saying is man was not able to do any good after the fall,

You do realise that what your suggesting is total depravity.

Now also what your proscribing is hyper grace and Calvinism.

So this morning I want you to provide scripture that says man was not able to do any good.

What you've provided here in your answer is what man could do.

So now I have hundreds of scriptures that says that say man was able to do Good before the flood.

So could you provide it.


Hopefully this will ring some bells 🙂


 
Dec 18, 2023
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The verses answer the question. You just don't like the answer.
I provided you with an understanding Of God creating a human nature in man before the fall and provided you with understanding that the same human nature was still there after the fall.


What you've provided is scripture that there was nothing Good about man after the fall without even providing understanding of the scripture you posted, despite numerous requests.

Also was you ever free to reject Jesus as your lord and saviour


Because another question I'm asking you the morning is,

If .Jesus payed the debt for all sin why is anyone going to hell.

So was you able to reject Jesus.

The answer should be yes Jesus payed the debt for sin but I could have still rejected him.

Well could you have rejected him.


So also I'm still waiting you for you to provide two understandinge of the scripture you posted.

Oh and the fact is, I'm not going to let you get away with teaching total depravity that strips people completely of God 🙂


Heres a nice opening 🙂

 
Dec 18, 2023
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Good morning 🙂

Heres the scripture you posted

God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.


What I'm asking you is why does God look down from heaven to see if there is any that seek, if they where not able to.

If nobody seeks God why would God look to see who is seeking God.

Can you see how your interpretation of This scripture is only seeing total depravity.

As your going of this verse

Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.


So it's here there is none That Do Good.

So does this say there is none that are not capable of doing Good.

So can you see how your implying total depravity.

Stroll on 🙂


 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
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I've read all the Bible. What's your point? Did you forget about grace, again?

The Gospel is not presented as a spiritual issue. We don't comprehend it's spiritual ramifications until after we are saved. You had no idea you needed to be born again when you heard the Gospel. What it revealed was God is right and we are wrong and judgement between the two puts us on the losing side but the good news is Christ paid the price on our behalf. Believe it or not, the choice is yours because grace ensures you can make that choice of your own free will.
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
You say that you have read 1 Cor 2:14, but your comments proves that your interpretation of it is false, and will not harmonize with the other scriptures. So, what is your interpretation of 1 Cor 2:14?
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
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All mankind are born into this world totally depraved by inheriting the sin of Adam. They are dead spiritually, until God, by his sovereign grace quickens them to a new spiritual life (Eph 2:5).
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
8,441
1,213
113
I've read all the Bible. What's your point? Did you forget about grace, again?

The Gospel is not presented as a spiritual issue. We don't comprehend it's spiritual ramifications until after we are saved. You had no idea you needed to be born again when you heard the Gospel. What it revealed was God is right and we are wrong and judgement between the two puts us on the losing side but the good news is Christ paid the price on our behalf. Believe it or not, the choice is yours because grace ensures you can make that choice of your own free will.

But don't you see that those who are not born again cannot discern the gospel (1 Cor 2:14).
 

ForestGreenCook

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2018
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1,213
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I would stick with the secon case if I were you, because it will harmonize with all of the other scriptures.
The inspired scriptures are directed to those who have already been born again to instruct them as to how God wants them to live their lives as they sojourn here in this world. If you keep the scriptures in context, they are, for the most part, letters written to the churches.

It would be useless to preach to the natural man, who has not been born again, and cannot receive the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:14).