LOL
No, sir. I believe the Passage of Christ our Lord raising His Beloved Friend from the dead is a Picture of what Christ will do for all His beloved Friends at His coming. He will Raise the Dead to Life.
If one says that this is a picture of regeneration and then continues to use the analogy of a dead man to explain regeneration, i'd say they have a faulty premise in their Theology :)
If "Any Man" Thirst
Discussion in 'Calvinism & Arminianism Debate' started by Pastor_Bob, Feb 1, 2018.
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Pastor_Bob Well-Known Member
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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HankD -
The only reason so do is that they have been regenerated, aka, born again. Like a new baby doesn't need instruction regarding feeding from its mother's breast, new Christians hunger and thirst for Christ. Prior to regeneration, no man desires God or things of God. -
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the Woman at the Well follows John 7:37
She was an unregenerate woman satisfying her thirst with men. Christ offered His Living Waters and quenched her heart's thirst.
You are correct, that the unregenerate man does not thirst for God, however, when the Preacher (Christ Himself) says, "Come, Taste and See that the Lord is Good," one can prove the Word of the Lord to be True :)
Also, (edit)
Christ didn't say, "If anyone's thirsts for God..." notice he didn't qualify it...He just says if anyone thirsts... -
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And certainly, Christ's follow up statement about "anyone believing on Him" must have to do with the imperative of "Come to Me". If you are thirsty, come to Christ--Believing He is the one who would satisfy your soul. And then John 8 Gives us a fine picture of this. -
Folks, did or does Jesus call any one a friend of those who were lost?
Did he not have Lazarus as a friend?
So when His friend died physically, what estate was that friend (Lazarus) placed, hell or Abrahams bosom?
Remember the parable of the rich man, desiring to return? Was there any allowance for any person of that estate of torment to again walk the earth?
What man from that place of torment was ever raised or seen to walk upon earth yet both in the OT and NT the redeemed dead are seen to be raised to walk among the living.
Some might point to the child that was raised by the prophet, yet do not Baptist claim that a child is "safe" until accountability?
Some might even point to the dead soldier who sprang from the prophet's grave. Yet, there is no indication that the man was not redeemed or lost, just that he was killed in battle.
There is nothing in the passages presented in the OP that refutes the thinking of those who embrace the Particular thinking. -
InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Jesus heard about Lazarus being sick yet he stayed where he was for two additional days and then decided to go to Bethany. Why? Because he wanted to use Lazarus as an example of the resurrection. Jesus deliberately tarried so that Lazarus could die. In fact, Jesus told his disciples that Lazarus was asleep, they didn't understand he meant that Lazarus was DEAD. Even Jesus' disciples didn't grasp the alleged, "dead in sins" analogy.
So, if as you claim, that Lazarus is an analogy for people being spiritually dead why did Jesus not teach that very lesson? Why would he couch his words to his disciples to make them think that Lazarus was only sleeping? If your analogy holds, why would Thomas say, "let us go there and die also?", i.e. Let us all go there and be dead in our sins?
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) "said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
40 Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Note there is no "allow me to give you a new heart, to figuratively "make alive" your "dead in sin body", and then you can see the glory of God. No, it was, "believe and you will see the glory of God."
The lesson of Lazarus is not that people are "dead in sin", the lesson is that Jesus holds the literal power over death through the resurrection! -
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Edit, very well said -
If not for righteousness, what other non-physical thing could He have been referring to? -
In the Beatitudes, Christ qualifies His statements of those who are blessed, as they hunger and thirst, "For Righteousness."
Context is key...(as always) ....John 8 tells us what Christ meant concerning the Thirsty Soul. -
Pastor_Bob Well-Known Member
Matthew 26:50 And Jesus said unto him [Judas], Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. -
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Mark 10:20-22 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. -
That's God's word. We either accept it and believe it or we deny it and disbelieve it.
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"
You were dead, then He made you alive.
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