What don't you understand...
But I do; You just think I don't understand. And I would say the exact same thing of you, Spiritual Israelite. And that's not meant in any kind of disparaging way. We should be able to leave it at that, or at least leave it at that after having discussed it once or twice, which we have... and more.
You're making yourself look bad here...
<
eye roll> This is not quite as bad as calling me a liar like you did a couple of posts ago, but still... <
eye roll> <
chuckles>
with the way you are interpreting 1 Corinthians 12:9.
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
What are your answers to the questions Paul asked in this passage? Yes to all of them?
Here's a challenge for you.
Oh, it's always... challenging... <
chuckles> ...to converse with you, SI. <
smile> But yeah, sooner or later, after repeating the same things at least two or three times ~ and I would again here ~ one just says, "You know, enough is enough."
Paul very clearly indicated that not all Christians have all of the gifts of the Spirit and here you are denying that. Unreal.
No, I'm not denying it at all, I'm saying ~ over and over again ~ that you are attributing something to his comments here than is
just not the case, outside of the context in which he is saying what he's saying. Yes, I can and do wholeheartedly agree that, just as you say here,
not all Christians have all of the gifts of the Spirit, just as you said here, word for word, but Paul's context is of
being specifically and particularly gifted by the Holy Spirit in these things. You disagree, I get that; fine. But again, in the context of what I'm saying (yet again),
both are true. Your context is ~ and I'm just talking about you, here ~ the Paul is meaning that specific Christians
can do maybe one or two of these things but
cannot do the rest... have absolutely no ability to do the rest. There is quite a difference between merely talking about the ability to do things and being gifted at those things; that's irrefutable. And one has to acknowledge that, because to deny that is really... well, we'll just call it stubbornness. <
smile> Again, we can be knowledgeable, have wisdom, be able to teach and/or preach, and ~ particularly germane to our... "conversation" here... <chuckles> ~ have faith ~ ...and you and I both have a measure of all these things... but not be particularly and specifically gifted by the Holy Spirit in these things ~ which is Paul's context both in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 ~ and it is the Holy Spirit Who, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:11,
"empowers them all and apportions to each one individually as He wills." I mean the language there is so simple and clear that it's really impossible to misconstrue. But yet... <
chuckles>
Show me where he mentions "particular" gifts of the Spirit or even hints at such a thing.
<
HAHAHAHA!!!!> I've never even talked about that, SI! Never. Although he is talking about particular gifts of the Spirit, knowledge and wisdom and faith and teaching and the like. My goodness. What I've talked about is
individual Christians being particularly gifted by the Spirit to do... and in each individual case one or maybe two of the... particular <
chuckles> ...spiritual gifts he mentions. Again, we can have ~
in the case of faith, or wisdom, or knowledge ~ or merely have the ability to do ~
in the case of preaching, teaching, and healing, and even speaking in tongues ~ these things
without being particularly gifted by the Spirit in or with them ~
in the case of faith, or wisdom, or knowledge ~ or merely have the ability to do them ~
in the case of preaching, teaching, and healing, and even speaking in tongues ~ and thus to help others in those areas by bearing their burdens with them and to help to build them up in the Lord, which is our duty and our joy to do (or at least should be), and why God has given us each other.
Maybe not, but it can't be ignored how dishonestly you are dealing with...
Ah, calling me a liar again... <
eye roll> <
chuckles>
When Paul says salvation is "not of yourselves", he's not saying that it's not of God's grace through our faith, he's saying that it's "not of works" that we could boast about.
As I've said, the funny thing is, even though I've said many times that I agree with you... we see eye to eye on this; we really do... you keep saying I say otherwise, or deny it. And on top of that, even though Paul does say "not of yourselves" here, and we agree on what that means, you keep saying ~ in the same breath, many times ~ that it is of ourselves in that we give ourselves faith, which is in that case to say, in effect, it is our works ~ our willing something is a work in and of itself ~ that save us.
Faith isn't something we can boast about.
I
totally agree. Always have and always will. But... well, two things:
- according to you, this salvific faith we manufacture for ourselves, give ourselves ~ which, again, turns the very definition of faith given to us in Hebrews 11:1 on its ear. More on that in a moment, but...
- because we ~ again, according to you ~ give ourselves faith, that makes it into a work, something we do, which I know you don't mean to do, but you do in fact do that, again, even while saying "it's not of works," which is just astounding.
To the second point, something we do is a work of our own, pure and simple. Yet again, the faith that we have is a work of God... given to us by God, to the first point above
"(His) assurance (given to us) of things hoped for, and (the Spirit's) conviction of our hearts of things unseen." And yet again, this is not just me saying it, it's word for word what the Spirit says in Hebrews 11:1. And all this is in keeping with what John says in John 1:13, that we have been
"born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God," and what Paul reiterates in Romans 9:14-18, that
"(God) says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.' So then He has mercy on whomever He wills, and He hardens whomever He wills." Here again, the language there is so simple and clear that it's really impossible to misconstrue. These things are absolutely clear and cannot be misconstrued, But yet... <
chuckles> ...they
can be, ah, "massaged" into something other than they are, and... unfortunately, many do just that...
If God gives people saving faith then it also makes a mockery of Jesus for marveling at the faith of the centurion whose servant Jesus healed. As if Jesus, who is God, would ever marvel at anyone's faith if He gave it to them? As if He forgot how much faith He gave the centurion?
<
eye roll>
We've already been over the fact that you don't understand what Hebrews 11:1 means multiple times. Did you forget? You have no understanding of Hebrews 11:1 whatsoever. Look at it in context. You seem to always forget to look for context in scripture.
<
eye roll>
Grace and peace to you, Spiritual Israelite. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Ohhhh... that's probably too "holier than thou" to you... <
eye roll> Goodness gracious. <
chuckles> <shaking my head>