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The Wrath of God Part 5
The Natural Man
Introduction
This article is a transcribed sermon given to a local fellowship group in June 2005 as part five of a five part series on a subject I’ve entitled; "The Wrath of God". I have decided to reformat these sermons into booklet form, but they can also be obtained on CD’s or audio cassettes. This article will address what is called, "The Natural Man". As most Christians are aware; the natural carnal fleshy minded man is his own worse enemy. The Bible explains that the "natural man" thinks that the Spirit and the things of God are foolishness (1Corinthians 2:14). The carnal fleshly minded man is hostile, in opposition, and in enmity against God, and is not subject to the law of God; and as explained in Romans 8:7 "neither indeed can be". This truth can only mean that the unconverted carnal minded natural man is UNABLE to please God, repent and obey God, believe God, have faith in God, and is UNABLE to receive the things of the Spirit of God. The natural man has a spiritual sickness; as this article will explain. Therefore he must be spiritually healed by God for the very reason so that he is ABLE to change his thinking, repent, and please God. This truth leaves us to conclude that God must heal, convert, and change the natural man; which in turn teaches us that the natural man is not able and cannot be converted and repent on his own so-called "free will". The so-called free moral agency of man is generally misunderstood, simply because man is not "free" from the overall plan and will of God; as this article will explain. I want to clarify that we are saved only by the works and faith of Jesus Christ, therefore our salvation does not depend on our own personal works of study on this subject. But we are to love God because He first loved us (Romans 5:8), and one way to love God is to love and study His original inspired words that explain the problem of the "natural man". Please read the following transcribed sermon very carefully…….
As you all know I am doing a series called the wrath of God. It’s like I am stuck on this wrath of God thing, but I had in mind to study and prepare on something else to present today. Who wants to hear about the wrath of God all the time, and I don’t blame you if you’re getting tired of hearing about this subject. I had every intention to talk about another subject today but as we know, the wrath of God is connected with many scriptures, and I found myself doing yet another sermon on this subject. So today will be part 5 on the wrath of God, and I want to talk about the natural man.
If you recall, I explained in a previous sermon that the word "wrath" has meanings that do not reflect what comes to our minds when we think of what wrath is. We normally think from our viewpoint and we know what the wrath of man is because we have it, but we have to keep it under control as best as can. But when we look at the wrath of God it is a type of wrath that is not at all the type of wrath that we might consider from our viewpoint. As I explained if you recall, the wrath of God is a reaching out in order to touch or to grasp something, or to desire something with violent passion. That is the objective of God’s wrath and it is in total control; which is not at all what the wrath of man is; which generally is not in control.
What I want to do today is show the scriptures that talk about the natural man and how the wrath of God is used in connection with the natural man. When I searched on the word "wrath" there are other words such as fire, jealousy, kindled, anger, burning, melting, flame, brimstone, indignation, destruction, wroth, consumed, and stubble. There is also the word "salt" which I find interesting. Keep in mind that the wrath of God in the Old Testament was manifested as physical punishment, such as putting away Israel in captivity; there was the example of Korah and his group going down in sheol in sudden destruction. There are other examples of the wrath of God displayed physically. God showed His wrath physically to ancient Israel, which only pictured His wrath in a future spiritual sense. These physical examples of the wrath of God were written for our admonition.
1Corinthians 10:6-11 KJV Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as [were] some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Admonition simply means for our warning or rebuke. "Ends of the world" are the ends of the ages. As we know, the word "world" is the Greek word aion no. 165 and it means age; and as Paul says there are ends of the ages. Most all translations say, "ends of the ages." In other words, God’s wrath, physical or spiritual, will be active in the time of the ages. The ages will end and then God’s wrath will also end because God’s violent passion and desire will have achieved its objective.
Time and the ages are not what we would call eternity. Eternity and God are uncreated and time and the ages were created. Eternity is alongside time and the ages but ages cannot mean eternity because the ages at some point will end, as Paul explained. Eternity has no beginning or ending. God has no beginning or ending; He always was and always will be; which is a truth we cannot comprehend in the flesh. Unless you can explain the beginning of God or explain who created God. The secret things belong to God, and that is why the Bible never addresses things we are not able to comprehend; such as what we would call eternity.
Oh, I know the translators used words such as forever and ever, eternal, everlasting, etc, but understand these words do not mean what we think they mean. They were written only from the translator’s perspective in how they thought Hebrew & Greek words could be used in the English language. There was one example in the Old Testament that "forever" lasted only three days.
Jonah 2:6 KJV I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
The word "forever" is the Hebrew word olawm, and means a vanishing point of time that is concealed. The Greek equivalent of olawm is aion. Jonah died and was captured in the belly of "hell", as Jonah said, for the concealed vanishing point of only three days. Then he was resurrected out of "hell" (sheol). There are many examples of olawm that have nothing to do with what we would call forever or eternity.
God and eternity are alongside time and the ages; which is how prophecy can be foretold and how predestination works. God is alongside us at all times and that is how prayers are heard. He is in total control of everything and manipulates things of the physical which is how miracles work, and also how all our works are seen and all our words are heard during the ages and they are all being recorded. Brian talked about this.
Matthew 7:21-27 KJV 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Is there any doubt that the many people Jesus Christ did not know (verse 23) is because they did not build their spiritual house on the rock of Jesus Christ? Both the wise and foolish heard the sayings of Christ but only the wise did the works of the sayings of Christ. Only the wise built their house on the rock of Jesus Christ and all the tests of an evil and deceptive world did not cause that house to fall.
The point is, both the foolish and the wise were builders of houses. The rain, the floods, and the winds are just symbols and are simply the things of an evil world that will test your spiritual house to see if it will stand. To build a spiritual house means you have to work; which the foolish also do. I repeat, building anything requires work; which the foolish also do. The foolish did all these wonderful works; they preached using Christ’s name; they even cast out devils and yes, they built spiritual houses all right; but they did not build on the rock of the REAL Jesus Christ.
The wise knew how to spiritually build on the sayings and words of Jesus Christ, but the foolish did not understand the spiritual application of Christ’s words; so they built according to their own understanding, or what I would call the "natural man", as we will see.
John 6:63 KJV It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are life.
You cannot build a spiritual house that will stand the tests with fleshly minds because the flesh profits nothing. The words of Christ cannot be received by what is called the natural man, as we will see. Christ’s words are spirit and they are life, and Christ’s words will quicken only if they are used to build your spiritual house. To understand the words of Jesus Christ you must compare spiritual with spiritual.
1Corinthians 2:12-14 KJV Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
In other words, you must have the Spirit of God to know the things of God. The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Recieveth simply means to accept. But notice something else; the natural man cannot know the things of God because he cannot discern things in a spiritual way. The Concordant Literal New Testament says he is not ABLE to know the things of God. The natural man means the animal in us or the beast in us, or governed by breathing. Strong’s Concordant says it can mean the animal sentiment principle only. By the way, just because it says natural man does not mean that you women are not also included. We are all natural; governed by breath, and we all are just like the beast.
Ecclesiastes 3:19 KJV For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Did you notice, a man has no preeminence over a beast; which means in gain or superiority. The sons of man are the Awdawm man no. 120. Here we thought we are so much better or superior over beasts. No, the natural man is not, but we know man is supposedly more intelligent than animals, but sometimes we even have to wonder about that.
This is a crazy mad world, and it is made up, influenced, and generally governed by the natural man; which is why it is a crazy, mad, and sick world. Why do our supposedly intelligent politicians make irrational statements and decisions that are not in the best interests of the people they are representing and governing? It is because we are ruled and governed by the natural man. Why do our supposedly intelligent judges and lawyers generally favor the criminals? It is because the natural man disregards the law of an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth. If the punishment would fit the crime then just maybe criminals, rapists, murderers, and thieves would think twice before committing their wicked acts.
Do you think wicked people would do wicked acts if there is that chance their fingers would get chopped off if they get caught, and that they would also have to make retribution in some way? But no, we are always told that would be cruel and unusual punishment, never mine the cruelty and terrible injustice done to helpless victims. Could it possibly be that judges and lawyers want crime and wickedness to continue?
Why do supposedly intelligent so-called ministers of God teach things about God that are not true? It is because the natural man cannot accept the things of God, as Paul explained. The natural man and the natural woman are not so intelligent after all. What is tragically missing in the minds of the natural man and natural woman? We are all governed by breath but we also have to be governed by the Spirit of God; which teaches us to compare spiritual things with spiritual, as explained in 1 Cor. 2:13 as we read. We have to compare the spiritual words of Christ with other scriptures to know what Christ meant. The rains, floods, and winds that Christ spoke about are symbols that explain the reality of spiritual storms that will test your spiritual house. The Spirit of God tells us what these spiritual storms are but the natural man does not know nor is he ABLE to know.
Psalm 39:5 KJV Behold, thou hast made my days [as] an handbreadth; and mine age [is] as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state [is] altogether vanity.
Notice it is God that made David’s days very short. "Handbreadth" simply means a very short measurement, and David’s age was as nothing to God. Notice it says every man; meaning no exceptions. Again, it is the Awdawm man. "Best state" is a very poor translation; it means to station, appointed, establish, set up, erected, to stand; and it was translated using these same words in many other scriptures. It is God that erected, appointed, established, and set up Adam man to be in the state of altogether vanity, or in the state of the natural man.
Isaiah 64:5-8 KJV Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, [those that] remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. 6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 7 And [there is] none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. {consumed: Heb. melted} 8 But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand.
These scriptures tell the story of the natural man, and all the righteousness that the natural man can muster up is like an unclean thing and as filthy rags to God. Notice Isaiah said in spite of our rejoicing and righteousness we are still unclean and as filthy rags, and he said something else; "we shall be saved." But we all must experience His wroth, as it says in verse 5. Wroth means rage or full of wrath.
But God does meet those that rejoice, work righteousness, and those that remember God’s ways, but He is still wroth because we still sinned. If we could just experience real genuine joy God will meet us in that state of mind. Isaiah continues and it sounds like there is no hope for the natural man. God even consumed us because of our sins, and the word "consumed" is melted. We are consumed and melted by the wroth or wrath of God. But now look at verse 8. God is our Father, but also the master potter and we are the clay, but what is important is that we all are the work of God’s hand. We are a work in progress and the master potter has to start with the natural man. I repeat, we are all a work in progress.
What does a potter do? He makes earthen vessels of clay, and all of us are earthen vessels of clay in the potter’s hand. Potter means squeezing into shape; to mold into a form; to determine, form a resolution. What is the master potter’s determination and resolution? Our Father is the master potter that has a certain determination; which means He has to squeeze, mold, and shape the clay to resolve what He is determined to do. We are the clay, and we have to be squeezed into shape. The point is, our Father the master potter, has to do that.
Romans 9:17-22 KJV For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22 [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.
Notice, God has the power to make vessels of honor but also vessels of dishonor of the same lump. Vessel of dishonor is the natural man that cannot and is UNABLE to accept the things of God. The natural man is fitted to destruction, and God is willing to show His wrath and make His power known, but He has to endure with much patience the vessels of wrath, because He is the potter that is shaping and molding the clay.
That word "fitted" in the Greek means to complete thoroughly, repair, or adjust. The footnote means that God made up, and has to complete thoroughly, repair, and adjust the vessels of wrath. At times during the Old Covenant He did not endure with much patience the vessels of wrath, and He did show His wrath and made His power known. God has the power to make vessels of dishonor of the same lump of clay, and the natural man has to be a part of that clay, and we will see who the clay is.
Paul asked the question, who has resisted His will? Paul’s answer was; who are we to reply or dispute with God. Who are we to ask God; why have you made and formed the natural man? The potter has to start with the natural man; a vessel of wrath that is fitted for destruction. Remember God is willing to show His wrath but at the same time He has to have the longsuffering in the same way as a potter patently shaping earthen vessels.
These scriptures are not hard to understand; it is a matter of just believing what Paul said. But it can be confusing if we don’t study who the lump of clay is, or if we don’t believe God actually makes vessels of dishonor, or if we somehow believe the clay is able to resist the potter’s will to shape the earthen vessels the way He wants to.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 KJV The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it]. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
God told Jeremiah to watch what the potter did which caused Jeremiah to hear God’s words. The house of Israel is the clay that is marred, so the potter made another vessel that seemed good to make. God is determined and it is His resolution to take the house of Israel and do what that potter did; to take the marred clay and squeeze the house of Israel into the mold and shape that He wants. This is a beautiful word picture and illustration of God’s resolution that He will do.
Jeremiah 17:7-10 KJV Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and [that] spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9 The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked: who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, [I] try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, [and] according to the fruit of his doings.
Give to every man is a judgment of works. "Desperately wicked" is another very poor translation. I am in the habit of looking at the meaning of words. You might think this is just frivolous on my part. I don’t care what you think; you’re still going to hear the meaning of words and what I have say. I mentioned the last time and will mention again I like what Brian said; us speakers have a job to do. That job is to edify as best as we can.
We’re talking about the words of God, and I don’t have to tell you why God wants us to study to be approved of him. I am not going to be silent on the meaning of words. The word "wicked" in Jer. 17:9 is the Hebrew word no. 605 and means the heart is frail, feeble, sick, and incurable. In other words, the heart of the natural man is very deceptive and was created to be in desperate sickness that is incurable.
The word "melancholy" is also used to describe no. 605 and means a continuance, or habitual gloomy state of mind, depression of spirits induced by grief. Melancholy when extreme and of long continuance is a disease sometimes with partial insanity. It is an overwhelming grief. End of quote. The natural man can be wicked all right, but that is not the original word. The natural man is in desperate weakness, and is totally unaware that he has an incurable sickness.
Jeremiah 15:18 KJV Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
Incurable is the word no. 605.
Jeremiah 30:12 KJV For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.
15 Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.
Notice God caused this incurable bruise no. 605.
Job 34:6 KJV Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.
Job did not transgress to cause his incurable wound no. 605. God caused it. The heart of the natural man is diseased and incurable and he has no clue whatsoever of his sickness simply because he does not, and cannot, and is not able to accept the things of God. Unless we are caused to accept the things of the Spirit of God we will not understand what we really are, and why and how we have this incurable sickness. That understanding comes by the Spirit of God and the only cure of this kind of sickness of the mind of the natural man also has to come by the Spirit of God.
2Samuel 12:15 KJV And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
Very sick is the word no. 605. God alone is able to cure the natural man of his incurable sickness of the mind.
The natural man is the clay in the hands of the master potter that has to be squeezed into shape; something about him has to be consumed and melted, as we read in Isaiah 64:7. The natural man has to choose God in order to be cured. Choice is a beautiful thing. Everyone has to choose the way of death or the way of life. Mark gave a very good sermon a few weeks ago; he talked about making choices. I agree with Mark 100 percent. There is the choice of the way death and there is the choice of the way of life. Those two choices were clearly laid out for Israel in the Old Testament, as Mark explained.
Is there any doubt that most of Israel in past History as well as through out all of history to this present day have chosen the way of death? Only a very few of Israel have received and accepted the things of the Spirit of God and have chosen the way of life. Those that choose death are what is called the walking dead while still living. In the same manner, those very few that choose life are also living this physical life waiting the death of the body, but they are alive living for Christ.
The question is; why do most choose death, and why do only a very few choose life during this age? The cause that most choose death is they are not able to accept the things of God and they also live according to their own natural lusts. They are not able to spiritually discern why they think the way they do. The natural man does and thinks what he is and he is what he does and thinks.
The cause that only a very few choose life is that they first have to called by God. They are then caused by God to love the word of God; which causes them to accept the things of God, and then that causes them to obey God; they are caused to repent and be cleansed in baptism; then the gift of the Holy Spirit is in them to cause them to grow in grace and knowledge. There cannot be "uncaused" choices.
Man can choose all right; he makes choices every day and those choices are all caused by forces beyond our control. This gets into the sovereignty of God. Those that are caused to choose death will die in their sins, and their souls will die, but their spirits return back to God where they came from. They will all be resurrected to face God and be judged according to their works. Some works might even be good works.
There are people that we call unbelievers that have better works than those we call believers. We see it all the time. Remember we’re talking about a judgment of works apart from grace. If the unbelievers are already condemned for eternity when they die; what possible reason would there be to resurrect them and judge them according to their works? Every man’s work will be tried by fire; even the believers that chose life. I talked about this in my last sermon. The law of cause and effect is the most basic law in the universe in which there cannot be any choices without some situation, force, or a cause. Choice is only a response to a cause. There cannot be an effect anywhere in the universe, or on earth, or in the mind of man that does not have a cause. All is of God as explained in certain scriptures, and He alone is responsible for the natural man, but man is accountable for the choices he makes in this life. Once man is judged apart from grace and has given account of his works good or bad; then God is responsible to burn the bad works up. So what is left? That is how and why every man is still saved; yet so as by fire, as explained in 1 Cor 3:15.
God is the universal cause of all things and therefore responsible for everything. God is God and He has to be in total control of His creation and it is His will to save and restore His creation. It is impossible for man’s will to stop that. One of the most basic of all fundamental Christian doctrine is that salvation is the work of God. It has to be; man cannot save himself. If man has what is called "free will" or free moral agency then why does he not choose and use his free moral agency to cease from sin? A believer finds that he is not able to cease from sin simply because his will is not FREE to do want he knows he should.
What do we mean by free will? Free from what? Is man’s will free to independently apart from God’s will, and free from any causes or restraints able to determine his own eternal destiny? That is what modern day Christianity believes. The concept of free will is that man’s will must be free from any causes to control it in spite of what God’s will is. It is God that has free will; not the other way around. Is man’s will sovereign or is God’s will sovereign? Weak, sick, natural man is not able to know of the causes beyond his control put there by his maker. Weak, feeble, incurable diseased man is able to make choices all right; even a computer makes choices that are caused by data in its memory. Feeble natural man is also caused to make choices.
What makes us think that the choice Adam & Eve made in the Garden of Eden did not affect all of us? It is all cause and effect. What makes us think that we did not inherit biologically and spiritually the result of what our first parents chose to do; under the supervision of an all powerful God? But understand, God does not choose for us; He is not squeezing into shape and forming robots; He only provides the causes.
Herbert Armstrong once said that a man without the Spirit of God is not "all there". He has a point. God’s Spirit causes man to gain his sanity and a sound mind. God caused the natural man and God causes, by His Spirit, the new man. We had no choice in the matter of inheriting sin and death, and we will all die in that sin and death condition; if and I stress IF, if we are not caused to choose the things of God and then caused to build our spiritual house on the words of God. The natural man is very able to choose to rebel against God simply because he is caused to do what he naturally thinks, is, and does.
Romans 8:5-8 KJV For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
This scripture says to be carnally mined is against God and is not subject to God’s law. In other words, the carnal minded man cannot obey God and he cannot please God. The Concordant Literal New Testament says the carnal man is not able to be subject to the law of God, and he is not able to please God. So my question has to be; if a carnal minded man is not able to love God and is not able to be subject to God’s law, and he is not able to please God; then how is he able to choose to love, obey, and please God with his carnal mind? We just read that it is not possible for him to obey God and he cannot please God, or is simply not able to in that fleshly carnal condition. God has to change him; he cannot change on his own so-called free will in that fleshly carnal condition.
So-called free will is an allusion, brothers and sisters. I don’t care if you disagree with that statement, but be careful not to disagree with the apostle Paul. You can put your own interpretation on what Paul really meant, but why not just believe what he said? God has to cause the natural man to think different and God has to draw him.
John 6:44-45 KJV No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
This does not sound like free will at all. No man can choose and come to Christ unless it is caused by the Father drawing him. That word draw means to "drag off." It is only when the natural man has learned and is taught of the Father that causes him to choose and come to Christ.
1Corinthians 2:14 KJV But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
Here again the natural man is not able to know the things of the Spirit of God because he is not able to discern spiritual things. So how can he on his own so-called free will choose to know and understand the things of God? Even Jesus Christ could do nothing on his own. He most certainly had no will of His own or what we would call His own free will.
John 5:30 KJV I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 8:28 KJV Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am [he], and [that] I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
We also have to be taught of the Father, and we also can do nothing of and by our own self or so-called free will. God has to do His will, His determination, He has to squeeze into shape His earthen vessels; and some are for honor and some are for dishonor. We are only the clay in the potter’s hand.
When the Father drags and yanks a natural man out of his natural state of mind a miracle happens. Initially the natural man might kick and scream by being DRAGGED from his natural state, but God is saving the natural man from himself. You say that is FORCED obedience. No, God is very able by His Spirit to entice, persuade, and cause obedience and respect. Christ foretold of the Apostle Peter’s conversion (Luke22:32). Peter had no control over his conversion; nor did he by his own so-called free will decide or choose to be converted. The Holy Spirit of God converted Peter.
Conversion is a miracle, and I don’t have to tell you the miracle that you all experienced when you understood who Israel is. You automatically felt joy and gladness and you started to think different and you were caused in some way to act on that knowledge. God caused all this. But here’s the problem; we could lose the experience of the miracle of conversion; the joy and gladness will leave if it didn’t already for some of us; and this Israel thing could very well lose its magic with us. This could all happen if we refuse to grow in grace and knowledge, and the natural man could take charge again. Again, it is all a matter of cause and effect. God does not force you to grow in His word. You have to choose not to lose interest in His word. God could cause the natural man in you to not accept the things of God anymore; and you will not even know the difference.
You say this is all double talk on my part and that I'm contradicting myself. Why would someone choose to allow the natural man to again take control after the Spirit of God caused him to repent and accept the spiritual things of God? Let me explain why this is not a contradiction or double talk in the way I explained "free will" and that God has to cause the natural man to choose the things of God. As I stated before, God is not molding and squeezing into shape "robots". All this molding of Godly character takes time and is not an easy task on our part to "work out" our salvation; which means we are under spiritual pressure. But it does not say to work "for" our salvation (Philippians2:12). Our salvation is already secure; but it depends if we are saved as firstfruits in the first resurrection, or if we are saved during the white throne judgment of works in the lake of fire.
Overcoming is not easy and many times in a converted man's life he will revert back to his former ways, but please understand, the law of cause and effect still applies. That is why I mentioned that God could CAUSE the natural man to again take control simply because it is a NECESSARY part of the learning and overcoming process in the life-long salvation process. The "outward man" does not perish instantly, nor is the "inward man" created instantly, but is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians4:16). The point is, the outward man is still being CAUSED to perish, and the inward man is still being CAUSED to be renewed on a daily basis.
This is why the following questions that I now will ask are very valid questions and are not double talk on my part. Are we being caused to receive and accept the things of God? Are we being caused to renew our minds? Are we being caused to overcome the natural man? Are we being caused to study God’s written word, and then being caused to believe the words so as to build our spiritual house? God help us to resolve these questions. Do not ever think you are somehow exempt from the deceptions of the Christian world that we were all born in. We are called to overcome these deceptions and this evil world, the devil, and the natural man so we should choose to respond to that calling by "working out" our salvation, so as to be chosen by God as firstfruits to rule with Jesus Christ.
Questions or comments?... Email: mrwickey7@gmail.com