Featured The Arminian Dilemma

We have been through this. When a man is "carnally minded" he cannot obey the law of God. But scripture shows men can think spiritually.

Mat 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Men are not always carnally minded. Here Jesus says the disciples were "willing" to be obedient in their spirit, but the flesh was weak.

Man is more than flesh, he is spirit, soul, and body. In his spirit man can be willing to be obedient. This is what Paul is describing in Romans chapter 7. Paul is speaking from the perspective of an unregenerate man because he says he is "sold under sin" and "captive to the law of sin". This describes an unsaved unregenerate man. He also never mentions the Spirit in this chapter, not once.

Yet, Paul repeatedly says it is his will to obey God in this chapter.

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Of course, you will never admit this is Paul speaking from the perspective of an unregenerate man because it absolutely refutes Calvinism.

 

Do not confuse me with Skan, I believe men are condemned the moment they commit their first sin. But I believe God does not impute sin to a man until he understands right from wrong before God (Age of Accountability).

But I disagree with you that men are UNABLE to obey God's laws. They are able, but that does not mean they will obey God's laws.

Again, I have never jumped off a ten story building, but that does not prove I am unable to do so.

Just because all men sin does not prove they are unable to obey the law.

 

Actually, it is quite easy to explain why men sin. Men are born into a very sinful world with thousands of temptations. They also have the influence of sinners all around them.

When a baby is born, the baby must obey his fleshly lusts to survive. So he cries when he is hungry or needs sleep, or has a dirty diaper, etc...

Before a child is old enough to understand right and wrong, he has already spent several years satisfying his flesh whenever it had a desire. He has already formed a strong habit that will tug and pull him toward sin.

So, when you take all of these factors into consideration it is very easy to understand why all persons will sin. What is remarkable is that Jesus lived 33 years as a man in this world and never sinned.

 

No, you have to be guilty of sin. Faith in Jesus saves you from SIN.

Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

We know from Rom 9:11 that babies have not sinned. They are not lost;

Mat 11:13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.

Luk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

If Jacob and Esau had died in the womb, they would not have been sinners. They never went astray, and they would not need repentance.

But all men will surely sin when they come of age and understand right from wrong.

But that is not the issue, the issue is ABILITY. No where do the scriptures ever teach that a man cannot obey any commandments. Just because all men sin does not prove inability. These are two altogether different issues, you seem unable to comprehend that.

 

I agree with you, that while a man is carnally minded he cannot please God, it is impossible.

But men are not always carnally minded. Cornelius was not saved, nor did he have the Spirit, and yet the scriptures call him "a devout man".

The 3000 men/women saved at Pentacost were also called "devout". They were not rebellious, they traveled from many different countries to come worship God in Jerusalem.

Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven

These Jews weren't saved, Peter said they were guilty of killing Jesus with wicked hands. Yet, at this moment they were devout, they came to worship God.

Their sins were not yet forgiven, and they had not received the Spirit either at this point.

 

Cornelius was in the flesh according to Romans 8:9. He did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit, yet he was able to believe in God and do good works.

This shows your interpretation cannot be correct.

You can't pull out a single verse in scripture and completely isolate it from all other scripture and then teach doctrine from that one verse.

That is what you CONSTANTLY do. You focus on one verse you like, and ignore the many other scriptures that refute your personal interpretation of scripture.

 

But if you break any law then you have failed at every point of the law and thus stand condemned if you remain under that law and refuse to accept the truth. He thinks that is proof that God can and DOES justly condemn men for their inability to believe. He is equating man's inability to fulfill the full demands of the law with his dogma that men are unable to trust in Christ, who fulfilled that law for us.

What biblicist doesn't seem to understand is that because of Christ's atoning work, no man perishes for lack of atonement, but only their own unwillingness to believe and accept God's gracious provision.

 

One has to deny that Christ provides atonement for all men in order to maintain the view being propagated in the OP.

 

Cornelius did not have the indwelling Spirit until he heard Peter preach the gospel and believed it.

There are many accounts of OT saints who did not have the Spirit, and yet they were able to obey the commandments.

Luk 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

The scriptures show John the Baptist's parents, Zacharias and Elisabeth both kept the commandments of God.

This was before Jesus was even born, yet we are told believers would not receive the Spirit until Jesus was glorified after his crucifixion (Jhn 7:39).

The difference between me and you is that I can show a multitude of scriptures to support my view, where you must isolate a single verse to teach your view.

 

Oh brother.