So., I guess that includes Jesus.
" Did all the "descendants " of Levi get their descent from above? No" Right, but Melchizedek did. I find it highly improbable that the Holy Spirit, after giving many genealogies of obscure men in scripture to show connectivity, would leave out Melchizedek's, a King and Priest, so great that the father of the faithful, Abraham, paid tithes to him. I believe he had no human genealogy and that's why it isn't
Nope, the bible is first and foremost a history book, including prophecies, which are future events, that's where its authority and credibility originate. Every religion has its own set of instructions and rules, only Christianity accurately predicts the future and the direction of humanity.
But you are foolish enough to apply it to the spirit.
)
Not their souls itself.
God formed a body with the intention to make a living soul, which is a person. As I see it, the body is a part of the soul, as is the mind, and the spirit. The word for soul, "hannapes" is feminine, which is suggestive a designated quality of being that is receptive to seed, then nurture, and bear fruit.
So, let me get this right, you say scripture is NOT given for instruction in righteousness?!!??
You, as usual, are attributing to me things that I DIDN'T say. The human spirit God breathed into Adam was perfect but the spirit we received, by procreation, from Adam was affected by sin, deadening it to the things of the Spirit. We had enough life in our spirits to hear a sermon or a testimony from one who has received Christ as their Savior, sometimes over and over again( due to Gods' longsuffering with us). The Holy Spirit then convicts us our human spirits and through our souls ( minds, wills and emotions) we then repent and receive Christ as our personal Savior, if we are ready to surrender. We are then "born of the Spirit" who "quickens " or regenerates our spirits and we are then able to receive from God directly, Spirit to spirit. The more we receive from the Spirit and are obedient to His leading, reading and meditating in the Word of God (which is spirit and truth), praying , etc., etc. we grow spiritually. If we keep growing spiritually we are then led not by our souls (minds, wills and emotions) but by our spirits, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, THEY are the sons of God." Rom. 8:14. The Spirit of God connects with our spirits, not our souls, that's why the Bible tells us to renew our minds( which is part of our souls ). " And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of you mind." Romans 12:2. Our spirits are just like Jesus when we receive Him, " :because as He is, so are we IN THIS WORLD."1 john 4:18 and is sealed.But you are foolish enough to apply it to the spirit.
I showed you it can not mean that at all but actually mean to put something in place that was not there before, but please ignore I said anything, as is your want.
No, you're saying we are born with a dead spirit and as ONLY God gives that spirit you are effectively accusing Him of giving a not good thing. Your inability to see it is astounding.
The body without the spirit is spiritually dead. You are simply assuming it means physically dead but it never says that.
Matthew 8:22
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Maybe I'm the one who does understand and you are the one who doesn't.
Except it is not being used as an adjective when we speak of regeneration in the new birth. It looks like you are simply trying to make excuses now.
You say God gave us a human spirit at birth yet you also say it is dead, defunct, useless, no good. So much for all good things coming from God.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
(except our human spirit of course, it seems God can't get that right the first time and has to have a second bite at the cherry
I believe I agree with most of your post, not that that is a big thing to you
), but I would push back on one thing. Souls do not cease to exist even in the lake of fire, they are tormented forever " And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brim stone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night FOR EVER AND EVER." Rev. 19:20 If you continue to read down to Rev. 20: 15 you will find "And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the (same) lake of fire."God created (bara) two persons in Gen.1:27, male and female. Not sure where you get this idea of soul is "hannapes". The Hebrew word usually translated as "soul" in the Scriptures is nephesh. Both Adam's and Eve's body were not created (bara) they were formed/built (yitzer and banah respectively). Different words used because God was making different things. When they all come together, then you have a living soul, distinct from a soul that is not living (breathing) like the souls under the altar in Rev.6:9.
You are not listening to what the scripture says. Our spirit does not come from procreation. Flesh gives birth to flesh, Spirit gives birth to spirit. This is what I have been trying to get through to you all this time. Only God can generate the human spirit.
So, let me get this straight, you can only think in this-or-that binary mode? Has it ever crossed your mind that it could be both?
I'm aware of, and considered the possibility of, that almost universally accepted interpretation of what happens in the lake of fire. I would've readily accepted it also if it weren't for the possibility that "torment" could be translated as their "judgment (with the (obviously) negative connotation)." The original Greek is derived from the literal "blackstone" (as opposed to being given a white stone, with a new name written on it). If this is a reasonable conclusion, then the language may well just simply be saying that they will never even in the least be considered ever again for restoration to any form of life.I believe I agree with most of your post, not that that is a big thing to you
Don't worry about it. You have to know me to understand me.God created (bara) two persons in Gen.1:27, male and female. Not sure where you get this idea of soul is "hannapes". The Hebrew word usually translated as "soul" in the Scriptures is nephesh. Both Adam's and Eve's body were not created (bara) they were formed/built (yitzer and banah respectively). Different words used because God was making different things. When they all come together, then you have a living soul, distinct from a soul that is not living (breathing) like the souls under the altar in Rev.6:9.
If body, mind and spirit were all part of the same part then there would be no need to speak of them as separate entities as in Heb.4:12 or 1Thess.5:23. We were made (originally) spirit, soul and body but when Adam sinned his spirit returned to God who gave it and he died in his sin. He did not die intellectually, emotionally or physically, but spiritually. This then should indicate what part of our being has what function. Only when all three parts are in place can we function fully as God intended, in relation to Him (spirit), to ourselves and others (soul) and to the world around us (body).
Not sure what the rest of your post has to do with what was originally said regarding Levi being in the loins of Abraham.
So you're saying that all who reject Jesus as Lord and Savior will cease to exist? Torment, according to Strong's is translated from the Greek word # 928 basanizo- bas-an-id -zo; to torture:- pain, toil, torment, toss, vex & # 931 basano- bas-an-os: remotely from the same as 939 ( through the notion of going to the bottom) i.e. a TOUCHSTONE, i.e. (by anal) torture;-torment. # 939 basis- bas-ece (to walk); a pace (" base "),i.e. (by impl.) the foot. If satan, the anti-christ and the false prophet are to be thrown into the lake of fire FOREVER, then those who follow them into the lake of fire are destined for the same fate, forever. Just as the souls of the saints under the altar in heaven ( Rev. 6:9), the souls of those who reject Christ will FOREVER be in torment in the lake of fire. I don't know where you got that white stone and black stone from in connection to this. There is either eternal life, with God or eternal torment, in the lake of fire. " And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, Where THEIR worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:34-5. This shows that men, body and soul, will go into hell and later cast into the lake of fire and if the fire doesn't kill THEIR worm then it won't consume them either. Eternal torment.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance'
To Sawdust: The word born in John 3:6 is the Greek word ghen-nah-o and the first definition given is " to procreate (prop. of the father, but by extens. of the mother), and then regenerate, which means in this instance: bring into RENEWED existence, generate AGAIN: give a new and higher spiritual nature to. If given a new AND higher spiritual nature there must be an old and lower spiritual nature.
