Knowing that God exists is true for all people, even for those who deny His existence. As Romans 1 says. Romans 2 says by conscience we also know God exists. And Ecclesiastes 3 says we know of the existence of God because He has placed eternity in our hearts. But simply knowing of the existence of God is insufficient for salvation, otherwise everyone would be saved. While all experience God as Creator, not all experience Him as Savior. What causes one individual to reject the gospel and another individual hearing the same message to be saved? Why does one find it to be foolishness while the other finds words that work life into them?
I asked these questions in light of the fact that Jesus tells saved people they can do nothing apart from Him, yet some here are proposing that unsaved people can do things apart from Him.
You are correct that God is intimately involved in salvation. But this is an admission that man alone cannot do anything apart from God. So let me ask the question a little differently: is there anything in the natural man that must be overcome to enable him to believe? If so, what is it? And how is it overcome?
“yet some here are proposing that unsaved people can do things apart from Him.”
Every human lives thier lives constantly talking and doing thing d thier whole life . This is true of an Islamic man who Denys Christ or a Christian man who accepts him
every man has a life’s work regardless of what they believed. Some men live life in a bad way hurting people taking advantage ect they can do this if they believe in God or are an atheist
and sone also love good decent imperfect of course but good decent lives also Thisnos true of believers and non believers . I’ve known some amazing selfless decent people in my time who would argue with me for hours how silly it is for me to believe in Jesus . But they see a man in need and they’ll go help him . They are honest and peaceful ect
ive also known professing believers who are truly selfish people who lie cheat and steal only considering themselves in life taking advantage of everyone around them ect
God is not forcing them to do these things or doing these things through them . Gods work in a Christian is to
heal them so that they can now do being healed and quickened by his spirit.
“
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
John 6:63 KJV
to “ quicken “ is like sort of um ….a seed has life within it already but it’s dormant it’s not active. To “quicken “ is the process tbat causes the seed , to sprout the life that’s inside of it outward to make tbat life active or to activate that dormant life. The seed has life in it but it was never a living plant until it was “quickened”
“
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”( his word can change us internally where the issue of a sinner is )
Hebrews 4:12 KJV
Our problem is here this is the source of man’s sinful behaviors
“For
from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:21-23
That’s the condition of mankind after the fall in Eden taking the forbidden knowledge of good and evil caused this corruption
within us
“I find then a
law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For
I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
Romans 7:21-23 KJV
That’s why we’re called captives to sin or slaves ect or “sinners “ Man wasnt created to have this inner conflict God forbid the knowledge of good and evil because it caused that problem in us. We aren’t supposed to decide for ourselves what’s good and evil , we were created to simply listen to what God said about all things and believe him and live
We changed from what he created us to be by transgressing what he said through disbelief by following satans idea instead of Gods command that was to preserve and keep man safe
“And the LORD
God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and
now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: ( this is when man lost his right to the tree of life and entered into the curse of death )
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Genesis 3:22, 24 KJV
Gods work in the gospel is to teach us the truth of Gods Will and to teach us to be as we were meant to be , repent and then listen to what God tells us about things , believe him and follow like he says to do.
Walk by faith is man’s original design hesr and follow what God said is right and good and keep from those things he said will cause death.
Gods work isnt to excuse us because we are just sinners enslaved by Satan and can’t do anything else . It is to tell man the truth , just like he did Adam and then of course satan is going to come after and tell us his word about the matter …..if we accept what God said making that our belief we’ll change but as Christian’s we are in a war within our own self it began here
“And the LORD said,
My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that
he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
Genesis 6:3 KJV
And now as Christian’s this is what Jesus and Peter and Paul and John and the others taught them who believes in Jesus
“For,
brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only
use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh,
but by love serve one another. ( there’s an option there for the person hearing it )
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and
ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And
they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:13, 16-17, 19-26 KJV
His work in us is as we accept the doctrine he is changing our Will over to be in line with his so that we will want to and also do those things that are his good pleasure and will for mankind.
mankinds inherancy in creation assures that they can do things apart from God every time they sin they are doing the opposite of his Will.
I Can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
verses
christ will do all things for me and I don’t need to do anything
we all have an independent will brother each human . With it we will serve the lords will or satans Will. This happens through corruption or redemption
jesus came to heal the issues in us that make us unable to walk after his Will as is mankinds purpose and design to be free from the sin and death and walk in his life and spirit
