Featured Did You Love the Light or the Darkness?

Those described in vv. 3,5,7,8, i.e., those born from above/born of the Spirit.

 

I was fortunate in that I grew up in the church, and, in all honesty Jesus Christ has been my hero from my earliest memories. That's not to say there weren't periods in my life where I've wallowed in the darkness and my deeds were evil, but the goodness of God has always prevailed and drawn me back to the light.

 

Did Nathanael 'love the light' prior to coming to Christ?:
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! [ref Romans 2:29]

Did all those devout Jews at Pentecost 'love the light' prior to hearing the gospel?:
5 Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Acts 2

Did the Ethiopian eunuch 'love the light' prior to Philip being sent to him?:
27 And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship;
28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. Acts 8​

Did devout Cornelius 'love the light' prior to Peter being sent to him?:
1 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. Acts 10

Did Lydia 'love the light' prior to hearing Paul?:
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul. Acts 16

What was it that drew Nicodemus 'to the light' that faithful night? [ref John 3:1-2]:
38 And after these things Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took away his body.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, he who at the first came to him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Jn 19

...and no doubt there's many more examples...

 

No. I understand it.

Question for you:
6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Mt 5

Is it possible that those prostitutes and tax collectors were hungry and thirsty for righteousness PRIOR to becoming followers of Christ, and THEN they were filled? Even when they were wallowing in their sin, is it possible that they were longing for something else?

Yes. I'm convinced that's exactly the case.

 

Calvinist answer: These people were already regenerated.
Non-Cal response: Where does it say that in scripture?
Calvinist counter response: How do you know they weren't?
and so on and so forth...

 

I'm no Calvinist, and, you've 'Calvinist' on the brain. Lol, be bery bery careful, there's a Calvinist hiding behind every bush.

 

Here are some more examples of people that didn't hide from the Light of the World, didn't hate God:

The Magi sought out the Christ child.
Zaccheus sought out Jesus.
The Centurion sought out Jesus.
Blind men sought him out.
A DEMON POSSESSED man sought him out.
Jairus sought out Jesus.

etc. etc. etc. etc.

 

Churches are filled with lost people every Sunday seeking God.

So you say with no Biblical evidence.

 

Now THIS is your Calvinist response, right out of the play book:

 

Egad man, what do you think that Lydia and Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch and Nicodemus etc. were doing?

26 and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us:
28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Acts 17

The fact that someone is seeking is evidence that they are ALIVE. BORN FROM ABOVE. [Galatians 4:26].

 

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K. No problem with that. Did you somewhere perceive I was disputing that?