Subject: How? |
Bible Note: Dear Irish Eyes, I hadn't meant to imply that you had "done the plucking." I figured you had simply been the beneficiary of teaching rooted in that practice. (The "second blessing" notion is very commonly taught, particularly in the last 100 years, in America.) You see, most of us are recipients of second-hand theologies. (That's a good thing, really, for we even get into more trouble when each one of us simply invents our own theologies!) Anyway, the unique challenge we all face, as individual believers, is to bolster in our minds the sound doctrines (Titus 1:9) and jettison the errors and lies (Ephesians 4:17-21). It is a tedious process, made more difficult by all the distractions, the concerted efforts of the Enemy, and the weaknesses inherent to our old natures -- to say nothing of the sheer volume of stuff we've got to work through! Praise God we aren't left to ourselves in this task! Let's see... you want an "unequivocal statement." I thought I had done, but, if not, I'll keep trying. By the way, if you need a definition of a particular phrase or term, please ask. I'm not using them in a unique fashion. You can find independent corroboration from any of a number of theological glossaries available online. The work of the Holy Spirit in salvation is fourfold: (1) regeneration (Timothy 3:5; Ephesians 2:1; 1 John 5:11-12); (2) indwelling (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22); (3) baptism (I Corinthians 12:13; Matthew 3:11); and (4) sealing (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22). These are the indicatives I've been talking about. They are objective truths. Every Christian has all of the Holy Spirit he will ever have at the point of salvation. Experientially, individual believers will yield themselves more or less throughout their lives to the leading influence of the Holy Spirit (Romans 13:12-14). Our concerted efforts yield the fruit of the Spirit -- Christ-likeness -- because the Spirit is at work in us (Romans 8:13-23). (See that same seeming contradiction in Paul's statement of 1 Corinthians 15:10.) "If we live by the Spirit [indicative], let us also walk by the Spirit [imperative]." (Galatians 5:25 ESV) The topic of the doctrine of "carnal Christians" ( commonly taught by Bill Bright and others) is misleading, if not downright erroneous, depending on the context. That is particularly so among my own Baptist circles. If there is no fruit of righteousness, we have absolutely no Scriptural basis to assert that a person has been saved. Romans 8 makes it clear that carnality and lostness are synonymous (see particularly verse 9). Believers are never "out of fellowship with the Lord" because of imputation. We could start a new thread to discuss that, if you like. I'd posit that no believer, during this life time, entirely fulfills "the first of all the commandments." Christ certainly did and believers in glory certainly have, but the living Christian does not -- otherwise there would be no struggle with our fallen natures. Indeed, the struggle itself is evidence of salvation. Thank you for pushing me to re-articulate all this stuff. It's good practice. Assuming, of course, that I'm actually increasing in clarity! :-) In Him, Doc |