Featured Limited Spiritual Ability of the Fallen

“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.

 

Scripture says they were "entering" the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 23:13 (NASB)
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.​

1) I said "entering" not entered.
2) Humans cannot change their spiritual position, if a person is outside of Christ, "in Adam" or "in the realm of darkness" they can do nothing to change their spiritual location.
3) To be "entering" therefore refers to being in the process of coming to faith. It follows that false teachers sometimes derail this process.

 

The vast majority of English translations (leaving out the NIV, NLT , RSV and ESV) indicate your claim is wrong.
Luke 11:52 Woe you Lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering.”

Note that both the NIV and ESV translate the Greek here as "entering."

 

Thanks,
Here is what we are left with:
2) Humans cannot change their spiritual position, if a person is outside of Christ, "in Adam" or "in the realm of darkness" they can do nothing to change their spiritual location.
3) To be "entering" therefore refers to being in the process of coming to faith. It follows that false teachers sometimes derail this process.

 

Act 17:26 (NIV)
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

Act 17:27 (NIV)
God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Many scriptures teach God made us with the capacity to understand God's attributes such that we would seek Him, therefore confirming the biblical truth that fallen people have limited spiritual ability, able to understand and respond appropriately to spiritual milk, the fundamentals of the gospel.

 

Right, those chosen for salvation were prevented from going in by false teachers. Here we someone claiming to believe in irresistible grace posting a argument incompatible with their false doctrine. Go figure...

 

Right, and Paul spoke using spiritual milk as to men of flesh because your view does not stand up to study.

 

1Peter 1:10
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,
1Peter 1:11
seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

All through scripture are examples where people demonstrate limited spiritual ability, seeking to understand God's word.

 

Y1 now is posting absurdity, the people of Matthew 23:13 were prevented from entering the kingdom, so now he says, they were elect, and were just delay while under the influence of somewhat resistible grace. I kid you not...

 

Here we have a straight-up denial of 1 Corinthians 3:1.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ.

Paul spoke using spiritual milk as to men of flesh proving once again, and for the umpteenth time men of flesh can understand spiritual milk.