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NASB | 1 Corinthians 2:14 ¶ But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 2:14 ¶ But the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters]. |
Subject: How can anyone be saved? |
Bible Note: Dear Ed, Reason is the handmaiden of theology. In other words: God said it. I believe it. Ask: "What is written?" and then yield your reason captive unto the obedience of Christ, of His Word and of faith. (2 Cor 10:5) "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ," When all is said and done, this fact remains: Jerry the reprobate is free to act after the desires of his own wicked and God hating heart. It is also true that he is unable to do otherwise and unless God gives him a new heart, Jerry will not turn to Christ. I know that this is an upsetting doctrine because it upset me terribly! I was taught to believe that salvation was my choice and that it was up to me whether or not to recieve God's free offer of grace. And I did believe it for many years. Now it is true that many of the things I read were confusing to me. But I figured that sooner or later if God was willing He would clear them up for me. I must say Ed, with God as my witness, when I surrenderd to God's Written Word and put reason in it's proper place many of those puzzling passages became crystal clear. I discovered that I had been sujecting God's Word to the "Court of Human Reason" and then demanding that it comply with what seemed fair to me. I am not saying that I now have perfect understanding (God forbid such arrogance and presumption) for I am still a sinner and as such continue to impose my own sense of right and wrong upon Scripture. But sanctification is a process and because of His grace I have hope for tommorrow. John |