Imputation is based on the Old Testament

[Episkopos]

Here again you don't seem to be understanding my post.

I do. You think that whatever is written in the bible is up for your interpretation. If it says the faith OF Christ...you will claim your faith as being that OF Christ.

Lots of modern religionists do that very thing. That's called..:"name it claim it".
You see something you WANT to be true for you in the bible...and then fight tooth and nail when the light comes to show you that you still haven't grasped the truth yet.

If you could let go of your self-interest in this regard for a while, you would see the enormity of your error.

The way of growth and to come to God's attention for elevation...is downward...humility and brokenness. So far you are fighting with religious pride. That's why the dissenters agree with you and you agree with them.

 

[Lizbeth]

Calvin held to an extreme position. He believed that divine grace trumped human responsibility. When he realized that people who saw themselves as under grace were slackers when it came to human responsibility...he sought to force holiness on people. He even condemned people to death. All this to support a false premise...that people were more advanced than they were...even himself.

If he believed in what he said he did...why did people need to be forced into seeming more holy than they were? Why try to play Holy Spirit?

The truth is that we know people by their fruit. No need to pretend.

Setting up lofty idealistic claims for the flesh is a condition prophesied in the bible. It's called...,"building our sepulchres on high" . Prophetically, this is "Shebna"...representing the modern church system and its adherents.

We can avoid that by waiting on the Lord...with "Eliakim", who replaced Shebna. Eliakim means "God will raise up".

Had Calvin waited on the Lord, and not try to force people to be good...he might have seen God at work.

The difference between what I teach and what my detractors believe....is that there is real power in the gospel and the faith OF Christ. There is no need to pretend someone is something they are not. That's why fruit is so important.

You will know them by their fruit, not by their pretensions and what they impute to themselves.

We need to discern the sign of the times.

Peace

Goodness, what do I have to do with Calvin? I hardly know anything about him at all. I haven't been bringing Calvin or anyone else, but just what the bible says.

 

[Mr E]

Gnostics purport, often secretively, to be in possession of a superior form of knowledge. You may know a few of them yourself. Their ego is six inches thick. Affable and quick of tongue, their friends readily affirm their selfhood knowing their action will be reciprocal. An easy sorta acquaintance.


Gnostics seek Eldorado. Sorta like Whitman in Leaves of Grass - the Grand Old Vision of Superabundant Life. Zion.... as if it's here.


I CELEBRATE myself, and sing myself....

 

[Episkopos]

Goodness, what do I have to do with Calvin? I hardly know anything about him at all. I haven't been bringing Calvin or anyone else, but just what the bible says.

Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. Don't make ignorance of history a virtue.

Likewise know the bible. Not just a few verses taken out of context that support a religious justification for uncrucified flesh.

Notice that ALL the verses that are misunderstood come from Paul's writings. Now see what Peter says about that.

 

[Lizbeth]

Again, being LED by the Spirit is not the same as being IN the Spirit. We can follow Christ at different distances under OUR own power. The wilderness walk is a testing ground for conformity to Christ...in death...so that we can fully surrender ourselves (rather than all this defending the flesh I'm seeing here) in order to satisfy GOD'S requirement and be translated into Zion.

Where is all the esteeming of being dead?

All I see here is the religious flesh flying around without any fear of the Lord. No reckoning of death there.

People will resist balance...ALWAYS...until they are dead. Otherwise it always looks like the opposite polarity is being championed so that a balanced person is rejected by both extremes.

I've been bringing balance brother, except you apparently aren't understanding what I've been saying.. And you continue to make assumptions about me which aren't true. Anyhow, I leave you to the Lord.

 

[Johann]

Again, being LED by the Spirit is not the same as being IN the Spirit. We can follow Christ at different distances under OUR own power. The wilderness walk is a testing ground for conformity to Christ...in death...so that we can fully surrender ourselves (rather than all this defending the flesh I'm seeing here) in order to satisfy GOD'S requirement and be translated into Zion.

Where is all the esteeming of being dead?

All I see here is the religious flesh flying around without any fear of the Lord. No reckoning of death there.

People will resist balance...ALWAYS...until they are dead. Otherwise it always looks like the opposite polarity is being championed so that a balanced person is rejected by both extremes.

Believers have the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the Comforter who proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20) and “intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:27). He also leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18) and produces His fruit in those yielded to Him (Galatians 5:22–23). Believers are to submit to the will of God and walk in the Spirit.

A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it—we are to make consistent forward progress. The biblical norm for all believers is that they walk in the Spirit: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, KJV; cf. Romans 8:14). In other words, the Spirit gave us life in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in the Spirit.

To walk in the Spirit means that we yield to His control, we follow His lead, and we allow Him to exert His influence over us. To walk in the Spirit is the opposite of resisting Him or grieving Him (Ephesians 4:30).

Galatians 5 examines the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. The context is freedom from the Law of Moses (Galatians 5:1). Those who walk in the Spirit “eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (verse 5) and are free from the Law (verse 18). Also, those who walk in the Spirit “will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (verse 16). The flesh—our fallen nature under the power of sin—is in direct conflict with the Spirit (verse 17). When the flesh is in charge, the results are obvious (verses 19–21). But when the Spirit is in control, He produces godly qualities within us, apart from the strictures of the Law (verses 22–23). Believers “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (verse 24), and now we walk in the Spirit (verse 25).

Those who walk in the Spirit are united with Him and are the bearers of the fruit the Spirit produces. Thus, those who walk in the Spirit walk in love—they live in love for God and for their fellow man. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in joy—they exhibit gladness in what God has done, is doing, and will do. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in peace—their lives are not defined by worry or anxiety (Philippians 4:6). Those who walk in the Spirit walk in patience—they are known for having a “long fuse” and do not lose their temper. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in kindness—they show tender concern for the needs of others. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in goodness—their actions reflect virtue and holiness. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in faithfulness—they are steadfast in their trust of God and His Word. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in gentleness—their lives are characterized by humility, grace, and thankfulness to God. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in self-control—they display moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to the flesh.

Those who walk in the Spirit rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them in thought, word, and deed (Romans 6:11–14). They show forth daily, moment-by-moment holiness, just as Jesus did when, “full of the Holy Spirit, [He] left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” to be tempted (Luke 4:1).

To walk in the Spirit is to be filled with the Spirit, and some results of the Spirit’s filling are thankfulness, singing, and joy (Ephesians 5:18–20; Colossians 3:16). Those who walk in the Spirit follow the Spirit’s lead. They “let the word of Christ dwell in [them] richly” (Colossians 3:16, ESV), and the Spirit uses the Word of God “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Their whole way of life is lived according to the rule of the gospel, as the Spirit moves them toward obedience. When we walk in the Spirit, we find that the sinful appetites of the flesh have no more dominion over us.
In his Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes Interpreter’s house, which Pilgrim entered during the course of his journey to the Celestial City. The parlor of the house was completely covered with dust, and when a man took a broom and started to sweep, he and the others in the room began to choke from the great clouds of dust that were stirred up. The more vigorously he swept, the more suffocating the dust became. Then Interpreter ordered a maid to sprinkle the room with water, with which the dust was quickly washed away. Interpreter explained to Pilgrim that the parlor represented the heart of an unsaved man, that the dust was original sin, the man with the broom was the law, and the maid with the water was the gospel. His point was that all the law can do with sin is to stir it up. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can wash it away.

“The power of sin is the law,” Paul declares; “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56).

To be led by the Spirit is the same as walking by Him (vv. 16, 25) but carries additional emphasis on His leadership. We do not walk along with Him as an equal, but follow His leading as our sovereign, divine Guide. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,” Paul says (Rom. 8:14). The converse is also true: Those who are sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Believers do not need to pray for the Spirit’s leading, because He is already doing that. They need to seek for willingness and obedience to follow His leading.

When Christ enters a person’s life, the Holy Spirit enters simultaneously (cf. Rom. 8:9). And the moment He enters He begins to lead God’s newborn child in the way of freedom (Gal. 5:1), holiness (5:16), truth (John 16:13–15), fruitfulness (Gal. 5:22–23), access to God in prayer (Eph. 2:18), assurance (Rom. 8:16), witnessing (Acts 1:8), and submissive joy (Eph. 5:18–21).

No wonder Paul rejoiced that “what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3–4).

What Does It Mean to Be

The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Galatians 5. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opp

www.gty.org

I don't see a distinction between being led, or walking in the Spirit.

 

[Episkopos]

I've been bringing balance brother, except you apparently aren't understanding what I've been saying.. And you continue to make assumptions about me which aren't true. Anyhow, I leave you to the Lord.

There is no balance in "assumed righteousness". It is purely a human thing to do...with its desire for self-preservation.

Waiting on the Lord is something else entirely. In that case a person considers himself as nothing...and it is God who comes down and raises that person up. When that happens, there is an actual encounter and walk with the Lord. The pretenders risk being cast away with..."I never knew you".

So then we must conclude that an assumed righteousness is self-righteousness. Until God approves...no one should say anything. Judge nothing before its time.

 

[Episkopos]

Believers have the indwelling Spirit of Christ, the Comforter who proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit assists believers in prayer (Jude 1:20) and “intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:27). He also leads the believer into righteousness (Galatians 5:16–18) and produces His fruit in those yielded to Him (Galatians 5:22–23). Believers are to submit to the will of God and walk in the Spirit.

A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it—we are to make consistent forward progress. The biblical norm for all believers is that they walk in the Spirit: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, KJV; cf. Romans 8:14). In other words, the Spirit gave us life in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in the Spirit.

To walk in the Spirit means that we yield to His control, we follow His lead, and we allow Him to exert His influence over us. To walk in the Spirit is the opposite of resisting Him or grieving Him (Ephesians 4:30).

Galatians 5 examines the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. The context is freedom from the Law of Moses (Galatians 5:1). Those who walk in the Spirit “eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (verse 5) and are free from the Law (verse 18). Also, those who walk in the Spirit “will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (verse 16). The flesh—our fallen nature under the power of sin—is in direct conflict with the Spirit (verse 17). When the flesh is in charge, the results are obvious (verses 19–21). But when the Spirit is in control, He produces godly qualities within us, apart from the strictures of the Law (verses 22–23). Believers “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (verse 24), and now we walk in the Spirit (verse 25).

Those who walk in the Spirit are united with Him and are the bearers of the fruit the Spirit produces. Thus, those who walk in the Spirit walk in love—they live in love for God and for their fellow man. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in joy—they exhibit gladness in what God has done, is doing, and will do. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in peace—their lives are not defined by worry or anxiety (Philippians 4:6). Those who walk in the Spirit walk in patience—they are known for having a “long fuse” and do not lose their temper. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in kindness—they show tender concern for the needs of others. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in goodness—their actions reflect virtue and holiness. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in faithfulness—they are steadfast in their trust of God and His Word. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in gentleness—their lives are characterized by humility, grace, and thankfulness to God. Those who walk in the Spirit walk in self-control—they display moderation, constraint, and the ability to say “no” to the flesh.

Those who walk in the Spirit rely on the Holy Spirit to guide them in thought, word, and deed (Romans 6:11–14). They show forth daily, moment-by-moment holiness, just as Jesus did when, “full of the Holy Spirit, [He] left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” to be tempted (Luke 4:1).

To walk in the Spirit is to be filled with the Spirit, and some results of the Spirit’s filling are thankfulness, singing, and joy (Ephesians 5:18–20; Colossians 3:16). Those who walk in the Spirit follow the Spirit’s lead. They “let the word of Christ dwell in [them] richly” (Colossians 3:16, ESV), and the Spirit uses the Word of God “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Their whole way of life is lived according to the rule of the gospel, as the Spirit moves them toward obedience. When we walk in the Spirit, we find that the sinful appetites of the flesh have no more dominion over us.
In his Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan describes Interpreter’s house, which Pilgrim entered during the course of his journey to the Celestial City. The parlor of the house was completely covered with dust, and when a man took a broom and started to sweep, he and the others in the room began to choke from the great clouds of dust that were stirred up. The more vigorously he swept, the more suffocating the dust became. Then Interpreter ordered a maid to sprinkle the room with water, with which the dust was quickly washed away. Interpreter explained to Pilgrim that the parlor represented the heart of an unsaved man, that the dust was original sin, the man with the broom was the law, and the maid with the water was the gospel. His point was that all the law can do with sin is to stir it up. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can wash it away.

“The power of sin is the law,” Paul declares; “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56).

To be led by the Spirit is the same as walking by Him (vv. 16, 25) but carries additional emphasis on His leadership. We do not walk along with Him as an equal, but follow His leading as our sovereign, divine Guide. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,” Paul says (Rom. 8:14). The converse is also true: Those who are sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Believers do not need to pray for the Spirit’s leading, because He is already doing that. They need to seek for willingness and obedience to follow His leading.

When Christ enters a person’s life, the Holy Spirit enters simultaneously (cf. Rom. 8:9). And the moment He enters He begins to lead God’s newborn child in the way of freedom (Gal. 5:1), holiness (5:16), truth (John 16:13–15), fruitfulness (Gal. 5:22–23), access to God in prayer (Eph. 2:18), assurance (Rom. 8:16), witnessing (Acts 1:8), and submissive joy (Eph. 5:18–21).

No wonder Paul rejoiced that “what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3–4).

What Does It Mean to Be

The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Galatians 5. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opp

www.gty.org

I don't see a distinction between being led, or walking in the Spirit.

The Israelites in the desert were led by the Spirit...in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Yet these did not enter into the Promised Land. They were supernaturally saved yet their unbelief caused them to wander in the desert until they perished...without having entered into God's rest.

We see much unbelief here on the thread...thinking that an initial salvation is all there is...and now we are to "improve ourselves" into holiness....which of course will never happen. Just people going in circles perpetually.

In this thread we have those who would claim to have a walk in the Promised Land (by "imputation") when they are in fact still walking according to the flesh. Although one can indeed follow Christ from any distance....in one's own strength. Not that that is a bad thing. It's just we shouldn't confuse the two.

 

[Keturah]

Goodness, what do I have to do with Calvin? I hardly know anything about him at all. I haven't been bringing Calvin or anyone else, but just what the bible says.

Yep that's what they do call truthers Calvinist bc they don't know what Calvinist believe and I assure you that is the devil's theology also.

It is called the Word of God, I live by and his name ain't Calvin,Luther nor Episkopos.

 

[Keturah]

I've been bringing balance brother, except you apparently aren't understanding what I've been saying.. And you continue to make assumptions about me which aren't true. Anyhow, I leave you to the Lord.

Amen......the Lord will pass the final judgment but we must NEVER BE DECEIVED BY LIES OF OTHERS WHOM THINK THEIR WORD .......USURPS GOD'S HOLY WRIT !

 

[Lizbeth]

We see much unbelief here on the thread...thinking that an initial salvation is all there is...and now we are to "improve ourselves" into holiness...

That's more horsefeathers, I'm afraid....you're continually misrepresenting some folks here. Whether that is honest misunderstanding, or it is deliberate twisting of what is being said, or you're subconsciously reading into things according to what suits you, I will leave for the Lord to decide.

To start with this thread is about imputation, not about the perfecting of our faith per se......and as for me, I've been talking mainly about the beginning of our walk of faith and what has been transacted between us and the Lord in order to come to faith, with regard to imputation. Basically repeating myself now to say that the journey after coming to faith and how we walk is every bit as important as the beginning. The Lord is very involved with our walk, as we WORK OUT OUR SALVATION....we are HIS workmanship....HE is the potter, we are the clay. Completely unjust to assume people are talking about "improving ourselves."

Hoping to leave the topic of imputation alone for a while and sometime maybe look past the beginning of our faith, into holiness and what it means to work out our salvation, and go on to perfection, etc, Lord willing and helping.

 

[Episkopos]

That's more horsefeathers, I'm afraid....you're continually misrepresenting some folks here. Whether that is honest misunderstanding, or it is deliberate twisting of what is being said, or you're subconsciously reading into things according to what suits you, I will leave for the Lord to decide.

To start with this thread is about imputation, not about the perfecting of our faith per se......and as for me, I've been talking mainly about the beginning of our walk of faith and what has been transacted between us and the Lord in order to come to faith, with regard to imputation. Basically repeating myself now to say that the journey after coming to faith and how we walk is every bit as important as the beginning. The Lord is very involved with our walk, as we WORK OUT OUR SALVATION....we are HIS workmanship....HE is the potter, we are the clay. Completely unjust to assume people are talking about "improving ourselves."

Hoping to leave the topic of imputation alone for a while and sometime maybe look past the beginning of our faith, into holiness and what it means to work out our salvation, and go on to perfection, etc, Lord willing and helping.

On a thread about imputation it doesn't help that there is a religious tradition being cited here that has no biblical basis. That has to be addressed as it is foundational in knowing where we stand with God.

What I am addressing is a real problem that is holding people back from knowledge of God's ways.

As I have previously stated, all the errors come from a misreading of Paul. And there is a dire warning from Peter about this....that is not being addressed. If people prefer being deceived...that's one thing....but this thread is meant to bring light to error. Those who hate that light should just stay off the thread. This is a place of discussion...but not a peddling of propaganda that has no support in the Bible....apart from misreading Paul.

I invite people to express their understanding from other authors of the bible besides Paul...if they dare try to. Out of the mouth of 2 witnesses...

 

[Johann]

Amen......the Lord will pass the final judgment but we must NEVER BE DECEIVED BY LIES OF OTHERS WHOM THINK THEIR WORD .......USURPS GOD'S HOLY WRIT !

I think the same holds for you and I @Keturah, not being facetious.
J.

 

[Johann]

As I have previously stated, all the errors come from a misreading of Paul. And there is a dire warning from Peter about this....that is not being addressed.

Are you saying you have the Pauline epistles under control, fully comprehendo what Paul wrote?

2Pe 3:15 And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,
2Pe 3:16 Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.
2Pe 3:17 Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!
AMP.

This warning goes for you too brother.

 

[Keturah]

I think the same holds for you and I @Keturah, not being facetious.
J.

Definitely.......
But I think YOU need to go first in judgment......so I can watch.

Nobody is without flaws & failings but to mis-handle and abuse the word is begging for a FIREY judgment!

 

[Johann]

Nobody is without flaws & failings but to mis-handle and abuse the word is begging for a FIREY judgment!

That what you think I am doing? Mishandle and abuse the d'var of YHVH?

 

[Episkopos]

Are you saying you have the Pauline epistles under control, fully comprehendo what Paul wrote?

2Pe 3:15 And consider that the long-suffering of our Lord [His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation (that which is conducive to the soul's safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,
2Pe 3:16 Speaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those [epistles of Paul] that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as [they distort and misinterpret] the rest of the Scriptures.
2Pe 3:17 Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind].
2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!
AMP.

This warning goes for you too brother.

Of course it does. That's why I look at the whole of scripture rather than foolishly rely on what obviously people can easily misinterpret. The foolishness is in thinking one understands Paul's message to be the very opposite of the rest of the bible including the words of Jesus....who is relegated to having an obscure opinion that has no weight next to Paul.

 

[Lizbeth]

On a thread about imputation it doesn't help that there is a religious tradition being cited here that has no biblical basis. That has to be addressed as it is foundational in knowing where we stand with God.

What I am addressing is a real problem that is holding people back from knowledge of God's ways.

As I have previously stated, all the errors come from a misreading of Paul. And there is a dire warning from Peter about this....that is not being addressed. If people prefer being deceived...that's one thing....but this thread is meant to bring light to error. Those who hate that light should just stay off the thread. This is a place of discussion...but not a peddling of propaganda that has no support in the Bible....apart from misreading Paul.

I invite people to express their understanding from other authors of the bible besides Paul...if they dare try to. Out of the mouth of 2 witnesses...

Confusion isn't light. The carnal mind is enmity with God. If we keep relying on that to try to resolve what appears to the natural man to be contradictory it will for sure lead us astray.

The bible wasn't written for intellectuals and the intellect, it was written to be received by little children with the mind of Christ. Not many of us were wise in accordance with the world's way when we came to faith. God didn't write His word for the "wise and learned" but for those who would receive it like a child. I and many others see no contradiction between Jesus and Paul because the true light of the Holy Spirit helps us to see. Too much splicing and dicing of God's word renders it down into a hash of a mess, it dismantles and disintegrates it to the point of losing it's essence of SIMPLE truth.

 

[Johann]

Confusion isn't light. The carnal mind is enmity with God. If we keep relying on that to try to resolve what appears to the natural man to be contradictory it will for sure lead us astray.

The bible wasn't written for intellectuals and the intellect, it was written to be received by little children with the mind of Christ. Not many of us were wise in accordance with the world's way when we came to faith. God didn't write His word for the "wise and learned" but for those who would receive it like a child. I and many others see no contradiction between Jesus and Paul because the true light of the Holy Spirit helps us to see. Too much splicing and dicing of God's word renders it down into a hash of a mess, it dismantles and disintegrates it to the point of losing it's essence of SIMPLE truth.

Beautiful.
Second Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Sometimes we make the gospel so complicated that even adults can’t understand it but it is really so simple that a child can know it. The gospel has been described as so deep that a theologian could drown in it yet shallow enough that a child could wade through it. There is nothing that complicated about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not so much a plan of salvation as it is the Man of Salvation.

Proverbs 14:15 “The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps.”
It is one thing to see the simplicity of Christ and the cross but it is yet another thing to simply believe everything you hear. That is the same thing as being gullible. This happens with so-called theologians or self-proclaimed scholars debunk the veracity of the Bible. Only the simple will believe in human opinion and take that as truth over what God’s Word says like “the law of the Lord is perfect” (Psalm 19:7). The prudent gives thought to a matter and to the steps that he or she will take and doesn’t believe everything they read or hear but the simple leaps before looking and tragedy is sure to follow.

Second Corinthians 1:12 “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”
I cannot brag or boast of anything but my Jesus Who saved me even though I was unworthy. It is by His work at Calvary that I am seen as having the same righteousness as Christ (2 Cor 5:21). How simple that is. I bring only my sins and at the cross I fall and thankfully it is not by wisdom that I was saved but by the simplicity of the cross of Christ.

For-I-decided-to-know

Proverbs 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?”
Keeping things simple is good in regards to biblical knowledge but here Solomon warns those who love being simple but the Hebrew word for “simple” is “pĕthiy” and means “simple-minded” or “naivete” or “foolish” and to reject the salvation that is offered is the most foolish thing that anyone could ever do.

First Corinthians 1:22-23 “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”
The Greeks were all about seeking wisdom but “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18) and “since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21). This shows how the wise of the world miss the message of the cross. They see it as foolishness but it is foolishness to those who are perishing because they have rejected the only way to placate the wrath of God (John 3:36b).

Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”
If you read the Bible the Bible gives you light and the more light you obey, the more light that is given. The simplicity that is found in the Bible imparts understanding, even to the simple. The gospel is simple and the simple is marvelous or to say it this way; the message of Christ is marvelously simple and simply marvelous.

First Corinthians 2:2 “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
If I know anything at all, it is that Jesus Christ was crucified for me. I see no need to split theological hairs over non-essentials but this I do know; there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It cannot be any simpler than that.

Conclusion
I am glad that the main things are the plain things in the Bible and they are so simple that a young child can understand them but for some reason many adults reject it. The only mystery to me is in trying to understand why people don’t believe God. I prefer to believe what God says in His Word the Bible and not what man thinks or says. There is simplicity in the cross of Christ but there is foolishness in rejecting the only way that we can be saved and that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins.

Article by Jack Wellman

Top 7 Bible Verses About Simplicity

Here are 7 Bible verses that speak about simplicity. Second Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your

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[Johann]

We see much unbelief here on the thread...thinking that an initial salvation is all there is...and now we are to "improve ourselves" into holiness....which of course will never happen. Just people going in circles perpetually.

The simplicity of the gospel is all there is brother, you are complicating things here.