Featured Apostolic Uniqueness - total dependence on God

These are good thoughts.

It must also be remembered that to the Jew, salvation and communion with God took place through the offices of the priests, and more particularly the offices in performance duty at the temple.

Saul (Paul) was about as politically, socially, economically, and theologically tied in as an elitist of each area as one could become. This is part of the reason that hardly had he experienced conversion and the rulers of the Jews gathered seeking to kill him. He held great influential power. He could also out debate all Jews concerning the Scriptures (Jews enjoy debate of Scriptures) as validated by him entering multiple places of Jewish worship and leading untold numbers of the priests and leaders to the Christ.


Prior to the road to Demascus, Paul stumbled over the very problem the Apostles did (prior to the resurrection) by rejecting the thinking that the Messiah would die. Remember the anointing done at Simon the leper’s house?

The Jews were temple bound. It was there way to be redeemed, and the leaders held authority of inclusion and exclusion to the temple worship. To the typical Jews temple access was the ability to enter as sinless the kingdom of God. This is why Jesus said that the leaders prevented those entering from entering in Matthew.

A member of the BB misappropriated this verse to support the failed view of partial human ability. It is erroneously taking the verse out of the context of who and the cultural aspects of their thinking.

 

I'm sorry I just do not believe anyone can turn love on and off. There are a lot of people who have no idea what true love really is.When we love someone and it's real love I believe you will always love them. You just cannot help your self. Many get married for sex or for something other than love and when that something fades away they claim they no longer love them. But this is the fleshly love of self satisfaction It's not real. Someone needs to explain what love really is to this person.
Our prayer is just thoughts yet those thoughts some how get through and you know they did when your prayer is answered. God speaks to our hearts the same way. I don't mean that He prays to us but I believe He does send us thoughts. I can't explain it very well but I know instinctively when a thought is from God. I've been warned about things and I've been told Yes and No. The positive thoughts I really appreciate. My Prayers always get answered sooner or later God has his own time schedule.
MB

 

One cannot love as God would have believers love without attaining and remaining accordingly what is established by Peter in 2 Peter 1:3-11.

Human generated “love” is without lasting substance and is ultimately useless.

 

Imagine that we actually agree
MB

 

I'm asking for Jon's take, not because I don't know.

 

You know what, it's impossible for us to converse.

The Spirit guides through its operations in the body of Christ. Its first act in a believer is to open his eyes. The believer looks into the (Law delivered by a preacher) as he looks into a mirror and sees the cursed sinner staring back at him. The Spirit has guided the new believer into the Truth of who he is, and Who God is.

By God's Word at last my sin I learned,
Then I trembled at the law I'd spurned.

It isn't simply the act of comparing things with the Bible, it's believing it. Didn't tremble? Don't assemble with believers, because you aren't one.

This knowledge drives us to Christ for forgiveness.

Till my guilty soul, imploring, turned to Calvary.

But the outward manifestation of going to Christ is in going to his ministers for baptism, teaching and discipleship, and assembling where the operations of the Spirit are performed (Not talking about Pentecostalism, or charismania). In other words, obedience. It is a gradual and lifelong process of growth. One adds to his faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Truth.​

That's how the Spirit guides into all truth. It is not independent of his human ministers, living or sleeping. Except in the case of the Apostles, who were taught directly by Christ in person, and by direct, supernatural revelation.

 

Jon, what are you saying here?

 

I said this, only I gave specifics from the Scripture that you didn't.

"The Spirit guides in a spiritual manner." Lol. True, but not useful.

 

Which was your explanation, not mine.

Holy paraphrases, Batman! Anyone here see a difference in meaning?

 

How is that different? The latter specifying who, that is, "the believer" and in what "spiritual things in a . . . manner." The latter is claiming that "the Spirit guides spiritually," not being contrary.

 

I presume that is clear to you. I honestly fail to understand the distinction your are making. One statment is a generally true statement, is it not? The other specifies how that generally true statement is true. How does specifying make that generally true statement false?

 

Yes. But what I seem not to be understanding is a disagreement over the difference between two true statements.

 

Please explain to me the difference you are referring to. The Spirit guiding in specific spiritual matters is still the Spirit guiding. So what is the differences you are referring to?