 Heavenly Father, let all men turn from evil, seek God's righteousness, and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. Recently, I had a discussion with someone on X.com (Twitter), who said that God must "regenerate" us, or give us a new heart, before we can believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. He used 1 Corinthians 2:14 below to support his claim: "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." His supposition was that all men are "natural" men, born into sin, which is true: we are all sinners. Therefore, he said that we cannot see past our darkened hearts, to believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, unless God first regenerates our heart, or gives us a "new heart." When asked to quote scripture that says God first regenerates our heart before we can accept Jesus, he could not, but kept quoting the same scripture, 1 Corinthians 2:14, and debating his understanding of it. First, is his understanding of 1 Corinthians 2:14 flawed? We should read 1 Corinthians 2, in its entirety, to understand the context of what Apostle Paul is talking about. Here, Paul is preaching to the sinners at Corinth, of which many confessed belief in Christ, but practiced all manner of immorality. They blindly followed the misguided men of Corinth, and believed that their behavior was normal and acceptable to the Lord. In verse 5, Paul tells them that their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So, he is telling these sinners at Corinth that until they put their faith in God, instead of the world, they will remain "natural" men, unable to discern God's Word. The Bible further tells us that God wants ALL men to be saved, not just the ones He picks and chooses to give a "new heart": "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 All men. Whosoever believes. Now, the "knowledge of the truth" mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:4 above was promised by Jesus, after His death and resurrection, just before He ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven. Jesus told His disciples that He would pray the Father to send the Comforter to guide believers John 14:16-17. "The knowledge of the truth" comes from the Spirit of God (the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, all one in the same Spirit of God): "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." John 16:13 Although the twitter poster's understanding of 1 Corinthians 2:14 may be flawed, is it entirely inaccurate? The short answer is, Yes, it is entirely inaccurate. We can only receive the "knowledge of the truth," or God's Spirit, spoken of in 1 Timothy 2:4 above after accepting and believing in Jesus Christ, not before. Let's look at the specific scripture that tells us about man's new heart, Ezekiel 36:25-26: 25 "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." We can see, when taking verses 25 and 26, in context, that God will indeed "regenerate," or give us a new heart, but not before sprinkling us with clean water. Jesus is the water of life referred to in Ezekiel 36:25: John 4 13 "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The key, however, to understanding 1 Corinthians 2:14 is knowing that we must first seek God's righteousness: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 Seek God's righteousness. Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind: Romans 12 2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Draw close to God (seek God's goodness), and He will draw close to you: "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." James 4:7 Some men will never repent of the sin in their lives. Their hearts are dark and evil, and full of every abomination. The Light of Jesus, and the Word of God, hurts their eyes and ears. It offends them. It is foolishness to them. 1 Corinthians 2:14. These "natural" men are drawn to evil because they have submitted themselves to it: Romans 6 16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 The children of God. And, children of the devil: 1 John 3 10 "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." God sent Jesus to save all men who believe, and all men have a choice to seek God's goodness, and be called the "children of God," or live in darkness, and be called the "children of the devil." God searches the heart and tries the reins (He allows us to be tested [by Satan]), and gives us the faith of which we are worthy (Romans 12:3 above): Jeremiah 17 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. 11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." Again, God wants All Men, Whosoever Believe, to be saved. To prove this, His Word tells us that, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14 Some men may never repent of the sin in their lives, but we will all have a chance to be saved. We can all hear the gospel preached, if we seek the goodness of God. Let's look at the example of Cain and Abel, the intrinsically evil man versus the intrinsically good man (read more about Cain and Abel here): "The [intrinsically] good man produces what is good and honorable and moral out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart; and the [intrinsically] evil man produces what is wicked and depraved out of the evil [in his heart]; for his mouth speaks from the overflow of his heart." Luke 6:45 AMP Cain was an intrinsically evil man, a child of the devil: "Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." 1 John 3:12 Even though Cain was wicked, he also had God's Word stored in his heart, or at least knew right from wrong, as shown in Genesis 4:7, when God says to Cain, "If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. . ." So, he knew to do well, and what the consequences were. He was, however, of that "wicked one," or a child of the devil. God wants all men to be saved, even Cain. And, what does God tell him to do to be accepted? Do well (or seek goodness)! Now, the day after this conversation on twitter about 1 Corinthians 2:14, God was not yet finished with this lesson, and I saw a "random" post on twitter that said basically the same thing as the previous poster, that no one can come to Jesus except God draw him near, and he posted John 6:44 "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." Now, when I first read John 6:44, I thought to myself, Was I wrong? Was I listening to myself and not God? Then, I read John 6, the entire chapter, especially verses 44 and 45: John 6 44 "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." "Every man therefore that has heard and has learned of the Father, comes unto me." Therefore, any regeneration of man's heart before believing in Jesus comes from seeking God's goodness, hearing God's Word preached, or reading it, which things "prepare" man to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and to receive God's Spirit. Following, see Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers on John 6:44: Quote: (44) No man can come to me.—The subject is still the mystery of the varying effects of His revelation on the minds of men. These depend upon their present mental state, which is itself the result of acceptance of, or rejection of, divine influence. The Father which sent Him had, by law, and prophets, and worship, been preparing them. The history of each individual life had been a succession, in every conscious hour, of influences for good or for evil. The mind stood between these, and willed for one or other. He who day by day, with all his light and strength, however little that all might have been, had sought the pure, and true, and good—had sought really to know God—was drawn of God, and he only it was who could now come to Him whom God sent. Others were drawn of evil, because they had submitted themselves to its power. They had chosen darkness, and could not now see the light; they had bound themselves in the silken cords of sin, which had hardened into fetters of iron; they had lost themselves in the labyrinths of what they thought wisdom, and did not recognise the true and living way which was opened for them." End Quote. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/6-44.htm As explained in Ellicott's commentary, "The Father which sent Him [Jesus] had, by law, and prophets, and worship, been preparing them" [to believe in His Son]. John 6:45 "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." Seeking the righteousness of God, and hearing His Word, "prepares" us to believe in Jesus Christ, who was sent by God, the Father, to save us from our sins, even with eternal life. This is why Jesus' last instruction to His followers after His death and resurrection, before ascending into heaven, was: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 The hardened heart of the "natural" man referred to in 1 Corinthians 2:14 cannot be softened unto salvation, which is Jesus Christ, unless he first seeks the goodness of God and the gospel. In one of my first testimonies about "My Walk With God (part 1)," I tell the story of my daughter, and how all odds were against her becoming a Christian, and, yet, she came to Christ before I ever returned to Him. We were chatting the other day, my daughter and I, and I mentioned how she found God without any guidance, at least from me or her dad, and she told me something I never knew. She said she was introduced to the love of Jesus when she went to a youth group with one of her friends from school. Plant the seed, and God will do the rest. Finally, let's look at the Bible story of an Ethiopian man (Egyptian), who sought God, and sought to understand His Word, and found salvation, through the preaching of the Word by a stranger, an Evangelist. Acts 8:1-40 Philip, the Evangelist, and the Ethiopian Stranger (biblehub.com) Acts 8 Quote: "In obedience to a Divine summons, Philip had betaken himself to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza. And if at first he may have wondered why he should have been called upon to leave his rapidly progressing work in Samaria for a desert road, he was not for long left in doubt as to what was required of him. For as he walked along he was overtaken by an Ethiopian stranger returning in his chariot from Jerusalem. This man, who was the chamberlain or treasurer of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians, had heard somehow in his distant home, of the Jewish religion, and had undertaken this long journey to make further inquiries regarding it. We are not told how he had been impressed; very possibly the actual fruits that he witnessed were very different from what he had expected. But one treasure at least he had found, a Greek copy of the prophecies of Isaiah, and this he was eagerly searching on his return journey, to see if he could find further light there. One passage specially arrested his attention, the touching passage in which the prophet draws out his great portraiture of the Man of Sorrows. But, then, how reconcile the thought of this Messiah, suffering, wounded, dying, with the great King and Conqueror whom the Jews at Jerusalem had been expecting! Could it be that he had anything to do with our Jesus of Nazareth, of whom he had also heard, and whom, because of the Messianic claims He had put forward, the Jewish leaders had crucified on a cross? Oh, for some one to help him! Help was nearer than he thought. Prompted by the Spirit, Philip ran forward to the chariot; and no sooner had he learned the royal chamberlain's difficulties than he "opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus" (Acts viii.35). We are not told on what particulars Philip dwelt; but, doubtless, starting from the prophetic description of the Man of Sorrows, "despised and rejected of men," he would show how that description held true of the earthly life of Jesus. And then he would go on to show the meaning and bearing of these sufferings. They arose from no fault on the part of Jesus; but, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities." And yet that was not the end. The life which had thus ended in shame had begun again in glory: the cross had led on to the crown. And as thus he unfolded the first great principles of the Christian faith, Philip would press home on the eunuch's awakened conscience that they had a vital meaning for him. "Repent," can we not imagine him pleading as Peter had pleaded before, "and be baptised . . . in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts ii.38). The eunuch's heart was touched, and he asked that he might be baptized. Satisfied that he was in earnest, Philip agreed to his request. And when they came to a certain water, "they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him." Thus "the Ethiopian changed his skin," and "went on his way rejoicing" to his distant home, to declare in his turn to his countrymen the tidings of great joy." End Quote. Seek God's Goodness: The Eunuch sought God: ". . . had heard somehow in his distant home, of the Jewish religion, and had undertaken this long journey to make further inquiries regarding it." Hear the Gospel Preached: "...and no sooner had he learned the royal chamberlain's difficulties than he "opened his mouth, and beginning from this scripture, preached unto him Jesus." Then, "The eunuch's heart was touched, and he asked that he might be baptized." "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 Seek God and you will find Him. Seek God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Praise God. Amen.
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 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son, Your Word and Your Holy Spirit. Let Your Words flow through me, and let Your Children hear. In Jesus' Mighty Name. Amen. "The Lord is not slack," or slow, regarding His return. He is waiting for His children to come to repentance. There is a lot of debate or argument on social media concerning the meaning of "repentance." Discernment [understanding God's Word] comes from Holy Spirit. Debate, arguing, conflict, strife and doubt come from Satan. To avoid misunderstanding, let's look at the definition of "repent" from the King James Bible Dictionary: Repent REPENT', verb intransitive [Latin re and paeniteo, from paena, pain. Gr. See Pain.] 1. To feel pain, sorrow or regret for something done or spoken; as, to repent that we have lost much time in idleness or sensual pleasure; to repent that we have injured or wounded the feelings of a friend. A person repents only of what he himself has done or said. 2. To express sorrow for something past. Enobarbus did before thy face repent 3. To change the mind in consequence of the inconvenience or injury done by past conduct. Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return. Exodus 13:17. 4. Applied to the Supreme Being, to change the course of providential dealings. Genesis 6:7. Psalms 106:45. 5. In theology, to sorrow or be pained for sin, as a violation of God's holy law, a dishonor to his character and government, and the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence. Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. Luke 13:3. Acts 3:19. End of Excerpt of Definition. So, "repent" means to feel sorrow and/or pain for our sins, and to "change our minds" about those sins in our lives. If we continue to willfully sin, we repeatedly commit "the foulest ingratitude to a Being of infinite benevolence" [infinite goodness]. Repentance: A change of mind that leads to a change of heart that leads to a change in actions. This change involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God. "The Lord is not slack." He is not slow. He has not changed His mind. He didn't lie. He has not forgotten about us. He has not forsaken us. He is waiting for us to repent before He executes His righteous judgment, and sends His promise: Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12 How do we make sure now that we will receive our good "reward" when Jesus returns? By doing God's Will, seeking His Will and purpose for our lives. God's Promise: "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36 What is the Will of God? There are several scriptures that tell us God's Will, but let's look again at 2 Peter 3:9: God is "not willing [the Will of God] that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Do you not know that "God's kindness leads us to repentance," and to seek His purpose for our lives? Romans 2 AMP 4 "Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]? 5 But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are [deliberately] storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]: 7 to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life. 8 But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]." So, God is waiting for us to repent, turn away from sin, and awaken to the Power of His Son, Jesus Christ. When we remember who we are in Christ, then we will receive God's promise: Hebrews 10 ERV 35 "So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. 36 You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you. 37 He says, 'Very soon now, the one who is coming will come and will not be late. 38 The person who is right with me will live by trusting in me. But I will not be pleased with the one who turns back in fear.' 39 But we are not those who turn back and are lost. No, we are the people who have faith and are saved." In 2 Corinthians 10:6, Apostle Paul gives us a direct comparison regarding how God is waiting for us to turn to obedience [repentance] before He revenges His honour and glory only upon such as will not turn to obedience [repentance] ("the Lord is not slack"): "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." 2 Corinthians 10:6 See Matthew Poole's commentary on 2 Corinthians 10:6 following: Matthew Poole's Commentary (biblehub.com): Quote: "The apostle certainly means by this, excommunication; which was the rod which he had before mentioned, asking them if they would he should come unto them with a rod. This rod he here threateneth them with; telling them, that he had another weapon of his warfare, of a spiritual nature too, to be used against such as preferred themselves to be believers, but walked disorderly; only he at present spared them, because though a great part of them were obedient, yet there were some amongst them of whose obedience he could not yet glory; but yet he hoped well, and therefore should wait until, by the use of all fair means, (such as exhortations and arguments), he had reduced as many of them as he could unto obedience. But that being done, God had intrusted him with another weapon, with which he would, in the name and by the authority of God, revenge his glory upon the disobedience of others. Herein the apostle hath set a rule and a pattern to all churches, where are multitudes that walk disorderly; not to be too hasty in excommunicating them, but to proceed gradually; first using all fair means, and waiting with all patience, for the reducing them to their duty, who will by any gentle and fair means be reduced; and then revenging the honour and glory of God only upon such as will not be reclaimed." End Quote. Let's look at Hebrews 10:36 above again: "You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what he promised you." What does God want us to do in order to receive His promise? Believe in His Son, have faith in God, repent (regret the sin in our lives, turn away from it, and turn to God): Believe: "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts 16:31 Have Faith: "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God." Mark 11:22 Repent: Jesus said, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke 13:3 Again, scripture even tells us that God's goodness leads us to repentance: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Romans 2:4 Believe. Have Faith. Repent. This is also why some of Jesus' final words after His death and resurrection, right before He ascended into heaven, were, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. Because God's children must awaken and repent, awaken from our sleep of Spiritual complacency, before God will give mankind what He promised: Romans 13 AMP 11 "Do this, knowing that this is a critical time. It is already the hour for you to awaken from your sleep [of spiritual complacency]; for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed [in Christ]. 12 The night [this present evil age] is almost gone and the day [of Christ’s return] is almost here. So let us fling away the works of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light. 13 Let us conduct ourselves properly and honorably as in the [light of] day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and irresponsibility, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for [nor even think about gratifying] the flesh in regard to its improper desires." Of course, Satan does not want us to awaken. Satan can only control us when we are asleep, or in the dark about God's Power. “And he [Jesus] cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?” Matthew 26:40 God did not leave us stranded in the darkness with Satan. He gave us His Son, His Word, and His Holy Spirit, so we can overcome this world, as Jesus overcame it, and walk in His Light. “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Ephesians 5:14 "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." Matthew 4:16 God also gave us a way to escape the temptations Satan puts in our path. God wants us to overcome and endure until the end, like Jesus did: 1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." God makes a way for us to escape temptation. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21:36 Let God's goodness change your heart. "The Lord is not slack." He is waiting for us! May God watch over and protect you. May He shine His Light upon you. May His Holy Spirit guide you. In Jesus' Name. Amen. God bless you. Jesus loves you. |
Melanie GarciaFaithful and humble servant to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Archives
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