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    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 2239 
    1. Categories:
    2. Regeneration

    The Holy Spirit and Regeneration

    When regenerated, man’s spirit is made alive through the incoming of God’s life. The Holy Spirit is the prime mover in this task. He convinces the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment (John 16.8). He prepares human hearts to believe in the Lord Jesus as Savior. The work of the cross has been fulfilled by the Lord Jesus, but it is left to the Holy Spirit to apply this finished work to the sinner’s heart. We ought to know the relationship between the cross of Christ and its application by the Spirit. The cross accomplishes all, but the Holy Spirit administers to man what it has accomplished. The cross grants us position; the Holy Spirit gives us experience. The cross brings in the fact of God; the Holy Spirit brings about the demonstration of that fact. The work of the cross creates a position and achieves a salvation by which sinners can be saved; the task of the Holy Spirit is to reveal to sinners what the cross has created and achieved so that they may in fact receive it and be saved. The Holy Spirit never functions independently of the cross: without the cross the Holy Spirit has no proper ground from which to operate: without the Holy Spirit the work of the cross is dead, that is, it produces no effect upon men even though it is already effective before God.

    While it is the cross which achieves the whole work of salvation it is the Holy Spirit Who operates directly upon men for their salvation. Hence the Bible characterizes our regeneration as a work of the Holy Spirit: “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3.6). The Lord Jesus explains further on that regenerated man is “every one who is born of the Spirit” (v.8). Believers are born anew because the Holy Spirit brings to bear the work of the cross upon them and communicates God’s life to their spirit. He is none other than the Executor of God’s life. “We live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5.25). If whatever men know comes through their brain without the Holy Spirit regenerating their spirit, then their knowledge will help them not one whit. If their belief rests in man’s wisdom and not in God’s power, they are merely excited in their soul. They will not last long, for they are not yet newly born. Regeneration comes just to those who believe in their heart (Rom.10.10) .

    Besides bestowing life to believers at new birth, the Holy Spirit executes a further work of abiding in them. How regrettable for us if we forget this! “A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you ... and I will put my Spirit within you” (Ezek. 36.26-27). Note that immediately after the clause “a new spirit I will put within you” there follows this one of “I will put my Spirit within you.” The first statement signifies that believers shall receive a new spirit through the renewal of their deadened spirit by the incoming of life. The second has reference to the indwelling or the ...
    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 9090 
    1. Categories:
    2. Regeneration

    The Aim of Spiritual Work

    Spiritual work aims to give life to man’s spirit or to build up the life in the spirit. Our labor will be nil in worth or effectiveness if it is not directed towards the spirit lying in the very depths of man. What a sinner needs is life, not some sublime thought. A believer needs whatever can nourish his spiritual life, not mere Bible knowledge. If all we communicate are excellent sermonic divisions, wonderful parables, transcendent abstractions, clever words, or logical arguments, we are but supplying additional thoughts to people’s minds, arousing their emotions once again, or activating their will to make one more decision. With a moribund spirit do they come and with just as moribund a spirit do they depart despite our heavy labors on their behalf. A sinner needs to have his spirit resurrected, not to be able to argue better, shed profuse tears, or make a firmer resolve. Likewise a believer does not require outward edification, since his real lack is inward life more abundant—how he can grow spiritually. Should we focus our attention on the outward man and neglect the inward man, our work will be utterly vain and superficial. Such work equals no work at all, and perhaps it is even worse than no work, for a lot of precious time is undeniably wasted!

    Man can be moved to tears, can confess his sins, can consider redemption reasonable, can profess his interest in religion, can sign a decision card, can read the Bible and pray, can even testify with joy; but still his spirit has not received God’s life and therefore remains as dead as before. Why? Because man’s soul is capable of performing all these things. To be sure, we do not despise these motions; nevertheless we recognize that except the spirit is quickened these pious acts are but rootless blades which will be totally withered beneath the scorching sun. When a spirit is born anew it may display these same manifestations in the outward soul: in the depth of its being, however, it receives a new life which enables the person to know God and to know Jesus Christ Whom God has sent. No work possesses any spiritual effectiveness save that which quickens the spirit into an intuitive knowledge of God.

    We ought to perceive that it is quite possible to exercise “false faith” and experience “false regeneration.” Many confuse understanding with believing. The former simply means the mind understands the reason of the truth and reckons it believable. The latter, according to the spiritual sense, involves being united; that is, by believing that the Lord Jesus died for us we unite ourselves with His death. People can understand doctrine without necessarily believing in the Lord Jesus. What we stress is that men are not saved by their good deed, rather do they obtain eternal life through believing the Son of God. Men must believe in God’s Son. Many believe the doctrine of atonement but fail to believe in the Savior ...
    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 2285 
    1. Categories:
    2. Judaism

    The Jews killed Jesus, and this is a perfect example of the unrepentant Jew. What horrible misreading of Romans 3.7 and other verses by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.



    The Jews killed Jesus and after two millennia, I see little repentance in the nation of Israel for what they did to Jesus on the cross prodding at the hands of the Romans to put Him to death.
    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 4825 
    1. Categories:
    2. Calvinism

    "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1.3).

    God did NOT make beings to do evil, but certainly created the option to do evil so that we have true free will.

    "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things" (Is. 45.7). To be understood more clearly the NLT reads,

    "I am the one who creates the light and makes the darkness. I am the one who sends good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things."

    Why would God send bad times? Because it is the proper response to evil and sinfulness.

    For example, God hardened the Pharaoh's heart, after the Pharaoh hardened his own heart first and in so doing increases the likelihood the Pharaoh would repent without forcing the Pharaoh to repent or infringe on his free will.

    And we all know what happened during the 10 plagues as well as what happened to Pharaoh's army in the Gulf of Aqaba.
    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 1199 
    1. Categories:
    2. Spiritual Christian Life

    Numbers 7.1-9: "And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who [were] the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle.

    "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.

    "And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders."

    The purpose of the wagons was to move all the components of the Tabernacle, including the Ark (which holds the components of our spirit in the Holy of Holies of our innerman or innerwoman) as the Israelites moved on their way to the Promise Land. The whole congregation needs to participate and supply whatever is needed.

    What struck me when I read this portion of Scripture was 1) we each have our job today and 2) each need certain goods or funds to accomplish that task. There is no need for excess. Those who work in the secular world supply the need of the spiritual workers and the top echelon of spiritual workers really need very little because "the service of the sanctuary belongs unto them" which is simply what "they should bear upon their shoulders."

    As I write this I really feel like I am the latter person, because even when I was wealthy, but now I am poor, I never bought anything, never needed anything, just the enjoyment of God's word. I don't understand it, but I feel it intuitively in my spirit's innerman, and that's how I know it is right, since it is in agreement with God's Word. I am drawn to be like this because this is where the Holy Spirit is moving me. It's quite contrary to my previous attitude of trying to get ahead and excel in the world. Such ambition though in the backdrop of eternity seems so foolish now!

    The world doesn't understand this, or even if they do they don't care anyway. But I think what those in the Church fail to realize is we will all have to go through this consecration one way or another before the New City arrives. Better we consecration ourselves and take care of our ark which is our spirit as God would have it to walk by sooner than later, because it is unto rewards and loss of rewards for the millennial kingdom. Praise the Lord! Amen.
    by Published on 12-15-2009 07:56 AM     Number of Views: 3254 
    1. Categories:
    2. Dead Sea Scrolls

    At least 18 passages are found in the Dead Sea Scrolls for the New Testament and are a MUST before 68 AD because the Essene community at that location were wiped by that time. The passages are from Mark, Acts, Romans, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter and James. Not enough time for legend to develop or he said, she said.

    by Published on 12-15-2009 06:56 AM     Number of Views: 4180 
    1. Categories:
    2. Clement of Rome

    CLEMENT OF ROME 1ST EPISTLE (1st century)

    CHAPTER 5 -- NO LESS EVILS HAVE ARISEN FROM THE SAME SOURCE IN THE MOST RECENT TIMES. THE MARTYRDOM OF PETER AND PAUL.

    But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours, and when he had finally suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience.

    http://www.earlychristianwritings.co...t-roberts.html

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