Featured Spiritual death

But by your assertion, a sleeping soul can do what a dead soul can't. Both are lying down, unaware of their surroundings. Someone asleep can't eat, drink, either.

 

There is not a word of scripture to support your view that a person must be regenerated before they have the ability to believe, ZILCH.

You can repeat a falsehood a thousand times, doesn't make it so.

The scriptures do not show inability. If anyone would have inherited inability from Adam, then surely Cain would have gotten the strongest dose ever, yet God himself implied Cain could obey if he wanted to, and if he did so he would be accepted.

Gen 4:6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Whether you like it or not, this scripture implies ABILITY.

If Calvinism is true, then God lied to Cain. We know Cain is lost, so according to Calvinism God had decided from eternity past to pass over Cain. Therefore God KNEW that Cain could not do well, and he would never be accepted. It would have been a lie to imply that Cain could do well and be accepted.

This scripture PROVES Calvinism false, unless you believe God is a liar.

 

In reference to the original post, the poster is making an egregious error by misunderstanding what the word "dead" means.

Dead doesn't mean cease to be, or any variation of that thought. And dead doesn't mean separated, whether from God or any other train of thought there

Dead simply means useless, as it relates to an intended purpose.

Dead battery - useless for providing power
Dead electrical circuit - same as above
Dead body - useless as it relates to physical action
Dead end street - useless as a thoroughfare
Acoustically dead - useless for resonating sound waves. This is actually a good thing
Dead rail on a pool table - useless for rebounding balls properly
Dead weight - useless for the purpose of furtherance. Dragging down progress

Dead and asleep can be perfect synonyms, if one actually understands dead for what is meant.

If a security guard falls asleep on the job, he has become useless. He has become dead weight.

Dead faith - a faith which is useless for shining the light of Christ.
This is a genuine, saving faith, as described in James 2:12-3:1

As the context of Ephesians 5:14 shows, a "dead" or "slumbering" believer has simply fallen asleep on the job. His light isn't shining.

Verse 5 says that he has no inheritance "IN" the Kingdom. Not that he won't be there, but that he has no reward. See Colossians 3:23-24

 

Go to a morgue and proclaim "get up" for five hours and see what kind of response you get.

Go to church and proclaim" come to Christ", and if God hasn't begun a work in them, and see what kind of response you get.

Someone spiritually dead is dead to any righteousness whatsoever. What righteousness they have is as filthy rags...insert menstrual cloth here. Present that to God and see if He'd be pleased with it. That's why God gives us a new heart, eyes, ears, etc. We sought God showing our disposition has been changed by God, that a new birth has already taken place.

 

You can't go to a morgue and speak to dead people, because they are not there. You know that as well as I do, but present a false argument anyway.

Go to a revival and you will see many people come to Christ, I have many times.

Inability or ability has nothing to do with how righteous we are, no man is righteous. If men were righteous they would not need Christ.

You cannot present one verse of scripture that says men are unable to respond to the gospel. That would make the gospel powerless.

A person does not receive the Spirit and a new heart until AFTER they believe, not before. All scripture shows a person is "born again" AFTER believing.

Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Who does God give the POWER to BECOME the sons of God? To those who receive Jesus and believe on his name.

You are correct, men need a new heart, but they don't get it until they receive Jesus and believe on his name. Only then does God give them the power to become the sons of God.

You can repeat falsehood a thousand times, it will never make it correct. You do not have a word of scripture to support your view, it is man-made and completely contradicts all scripture.

 

Brother, no amount of debate will change your mind. You and I know that. I just like a good debate, though I know that very few on here truly engage the other's POV. It's more of "I'm showing you how wrong you are and how right I am" than anything else on here. But, until you take that picture of calvinism and erase it from your mind, you'll never truly see all it entails.

BTW, how much snow you got? We've had a bad winter here. But in Conn., y'all would call it fall...LOL...

 

Willis, it is not about opinions, it is about what the word of God says. You cannot present scripture that supports your view, because there is none. To the contrary, I could show you a dozen scriptures right now that say you must first believe to have life or be regenerated.

Regenerated means to "re" which means "again" be "generated" or made alive. It does not mean to be taught or enlightened, or to be enticed or drawn. It means to be made spiritually alive again. And why are we dead in the first place? Because of our sins and trespasses. So, nobody can be spiritually alive or regenerated until they believe, as we are justified by faith.

And this is what SCRIPTURE says Wills, forget about what men say.

Jhn 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

You must BELIEVE to have life Willis, plain and simple.

As to your snow question, we have been getting slammed, the other day we got about 12-15 inches of very wet, very heavy snow, and we are getting another 3-5 inches today. It is snowing very steadily right now. I am missing Florida where I grew up big time.