“Tell me how man is not totally depraved, and totally unable to believe prior to regeneration in light of these passages: Rom. 8:7; 1 Cor. 2:14, Eph. 2:1; and Col. 1:13. How would you reconcile the Greek work "nekros" in describing the sinners spiritual condition?”
This is a typical off the shelf deflection of truth posited over and over by various Calvinist accolades.
What does “totally depraved” mean according to Calvinism. It means we are in a spiritually dead condition, with dead meaning having no ability to discern "spiritual milk. Only after being made alive are we enabled to understand and believe the gospel. Does scripture anywhere ever say such a thing? No.
Matthew 23:13 has unregenerate men entering heaven, yet they are blocked by false teachings from false teachers. How could a “totally depraved” person using the Calvinist definition of the term be entering heaven without seeking the God who abides in that spiritual realm of heaven?
Once a person accepts that to be “spiritually dead” simply means to be separated from God and unable to do anything to obtain union with God, then the action to seek God becomes possible. No need to pretend the folks that receive the gospel (Matthew 13) with joy were “partially regenerated” just enough so they could do what scripture says they did, but not enough for God to credit their faith as righteousness. Again, this whole line of argument is from silence, When a person is put spiritually in Christ, then they are made alive together with Christ. So the only biblically based definition of being spiritually dead is to be outside of Christ, i.e. in Adam, or in the realm of darkness. The extra meaning (unable to seek God and trust in Christ) added by some is no where to be found in scripture. On the contrary, verse after verse tells us of folks seeking God, some through works but others through faith, such as Matthew 6:33, Luke 13:24, Acts 17:27, Hebrews 11:6, and of course Matthew 23:13.
Now a mind set of the flesh is not set on spiritual things. But a mind set on spiritual things is not set on the flesh. So the issue is not that a mind set on the flesh is unable to please God, the issue is whether an unregenerate, spiritually dead, separated from God person can set their minds on some spiritual things and seek God. Some say no, but Matthew 23:13 says yes. The mistaken view is that men of flesh, i.e. unsaved, unregenerate, and spiritually dead, are unable to set their minds on some spiritual things, some of the time, but like those in Matthew 23:13 some "men of flesh" do seek God.
Next scripture teaches that men in the flesh are men of flesh with their minds set on the flesh. In this condition men in the flesh cannot please God. So all this says is you will not seek God through faith if your mind is set on the flesh. It does not teach men of flesh cannot at any time set their minds on some spiritual things like the men of Matthew 23:13.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says the natural man, which refers to a spiritually dead unregenerate man of flesh, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. Here some mistakenly insert “all” into the text, reading it to say, does not accept all the things of the Spirit of God. The alternate reading, does not accept some of the things of the Spirit of God is seen as adding to the text, whereas “all” is implied by the text. This of course is sheer fiction.
Continuing in the passage, verses 15 and 16, we see that born again believers have the mind of Christ and are able to appraise all spiritual things. Then in verse 3:1, we see Paul had to speak to the new and immature Christians as if they were men of flesh or babes in Christ. They were not able yet to receive spiritual meat, but were able to receive the milk of the gospel. Thus the very passage cited by some to demonstrate men of flesh are unable to receive the milk of the gospel actually demonstrates they are able. Otherwise Paul would not have spoken using spiritual milk as to "men of flesh."
Ephesians 2:1 simply says we are dead in our sins before we are made alive together with Christ. The unstated assertion is to say being dead we are unable to seek God or receive the gospel. However, that definitional argument, defining “spiritually dead” to mean unable to seek God and trust in Christ, is not found in scripture. So the verse is non-germane, yet is cited as if it carried with it the bogus definition of being spiritually dead. This is simply doubling down of the assumption that men of flesh are unable to receive the milk of the gospel, now refuted by two separate passages, Matthew 23:13 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3.
Colossians 1:13 is yet another non-germane verse which teaches it is God alone who transfers us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His Beloved Son. That is simply saying we do not save ourselves by trusting fully in Christ. It is God alone who either credits our faith as righteousness, or not because He alone knows what is hidden in our hearts, and then if He credits our worthless filthy rag faith as righteousness, then He puts us in Christ.
Bottom line, once again the usual support for the mistaken view of some has been fully refuted by many scriptures, contextually considered.
This is a typical off the shelf deflection of truth posited over and over by various Calvinist accolades.
What does “totally depraved” mean according to Calvinism. It means we are in a spiritually dead condition, with dead meaning having no ability to discern "spiritual milk. Only after being made alive are we enabled to understand and believe the gospel. Does scripture anywhere ever say such a thing? No.
Matthew 23:13 has unregenerate men entering heaven, yet they are blocked by false teachings from false teachers. How could a “totally depraved” person using the Calvinist definition of the term be entering heaven without seeking the God who abides in that spiritual realm of heaven?
Once a person accepts that to be “spiritually dead” simply means to be separated from God and unable to do anything to obtain union with God, then the action to seek God becomes possible. No need to pretend the folks that receive the gospel (Matthew 13) with joy were “partially regenerated” just enough so they could do what scripture says they did, but not enough for God to credit their faith as righteousness. Again, this whole line of argument is from silence, When a person is put spiritually in Christ, then they are made alive together with Christ. So the only biblically based definition of being spiritually dead is to be outside of Christ, i.e. in Adam, or in the realm of darkness. The extra meaning (unable to seek God and trust in Christ) added by some is no where to be found in scripture. On the contrary, verse after verse tells us of folks seeking God, some through works but others through faith, such as Matthew 6:33, Luke 13:24, Acts 17:27, Hebrews 11:6, and of course Matthew 23:13.
Now a mind set of the flesh is not set on spiritual things. But a mind set on spiritual things is not set on the flesh. So the issue is not that a mind set on the flesh is unable to please God, the issue is whether an unregenerate, spiritually dead, separated from God person can set their minds on some spiritual things and seek God. Some say no, but Matthew 23:13 says yes. The mistaken view is that men of flesh, i.e. unsaved, unregenerate, and spiritually dead, are unable to set their minds on some spiritual things, some of the time, but like those in Matthew 23:13 some "men of flesh" do seek God.
Next scripture teaches that men in the flesh are men of flesh with their minds set on the flesh. In this condition men in the flesh cannot please God. So all this says is you will not seek God through faith if your mind is set on the flesh. It does not teach men of flesh cannot at any time set their minds on some spiritual things like the men of Matthew 23:13.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says the natural man, which refers to a spiritually dead unregenerate man of flesh, does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. Here some mistakenly insert “all” into the text, reading it to say, does not accept all the things of the Spirit of God. The alternate reading, does not accept some of the things of the Spirit of God is seen as adding to the text, whereas “all” is implied by the text. This of course is sheer fiction.
Continuing in the passage, verses 15 and 16, we see that born again believers have the mind of Christ and are able to appraise all spiritual things. Then in verse 3:1, we see Paul had to speak to the new and immature Christians as if they were men of flesh or babes in Christ. They were not able yet to receive spiritual meat, but were able to receive the milk of the gospel. Thus the very passage cited by some to demonstrate men of flesh are unable to receive the milk of the gospel actually demonstrates they are able. Otherwise Paul would not have spoken using spiritual milk as to "men of flesh."
Ephesians 2:1 simply says we are dead in our sins before we are made alive together with Christ. The unstated assertion is to say being dead we are unable to seek God or receive the gospel. However, that definitional argument, defining “spiritually dead” to mean unable to seek God and trust in Christ, is not found in scripture. So the verse is non-germane, yet is cited as if it carried with it the bogus definition of being spiritually dead. This is simply doubling down of the assumption that men of flesh are unable to receive the milk of the gospel, now refuted by two separate passages, Matthew 23:13 and 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:3.
Colossians 1:13 is yet another non-germane verse which teaches it is God alone who transfers us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His Beloved Son. That is simply saying we do not save ourselves by trusting fully in Christ. It is God alone who either credits our faith as righteousness, or not because He alone knows what is hidden in our hearts, and then if He credits our worthless filthy rag faith as righteousness, then He puts us in Christ.
Bottom line, once again the usual support for the mistaken view of some has been fully refuted by many scriptures, contextually considered.
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