Who is the One New Man Created on the Cross?

[Wingnut]

Tell me about your personal relationship with Christ, Samie.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

just an "aside".... up until just recently, I thought the participants in this thread, though in disagreement, were being very respectful and courteous to each other.  I hope it doesn't deteriorate into a "my opinion is the only opinion that is right" type of dialog.  That would be very unproductive...

 

[Samie]

1 minute ago, Wingnut said:

If you were to ask me about the importance of my personal relationship with Jesus and God, I would not be evasive.

I would say it is the most important thing in my life,  I would happily lose everything including my life, than lose my love walk with Him.  I talk to Him.  He talks to me.  I have known God since the earliest memories of my life.  This relationship is what I would wish on everyone.

Even your last post above speaks to a philosophical, theoretical relationship which all are somehow born into equally. 

This has nothing to do with a personal relationship with Christ.

Yes, you can talk and walk with Him, you are grown up. But infants can't. Why require the infants to do what you are doing? Why measure them with your own yardstick?  Would you be happy seeing your 20-year old son, lecturing and requiring his one year old brother to cut wood?

[Wingnut]

7 minutes ago, Samie said:

Yes, you can talk and walk with Him, you are grown up. But infants can't. Why require the infants to do what you are doing? Why measure them with your own yardstick?  Would you be happy seeing your 20-year old son, lecturing and requiring his one year old brother to cut wood?

Like I said, I am not going to be distracted.  Tell me about your personal relationship with Jesus.

[Wingnut]

12 minutes ago, rudywoofs said:

just an "aside".... up until just recently, I thought the participants in this thread, though in disagreement, were being very respectful and courteous to each other.  I hope it doesn't deteriorate into a "my opinion is the only opinion that is right" type of dialog.  That would be very unproductive...

 

Help Samie out Rudy.  Tell us about the importance of your personal relationship with Christ, and in so doing satisfy 1 Peter 3:15.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

[Samie]

7 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

Like I said, I am not going to be distracted.  Tell me about your personal relationship with Jesus.

I personally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was baptized in Nov 9, 1969. I was then 16 years old when I became a member of the SDA Church. Until now, I am still a member, and presently attending Sabbath worship services at AIIAS Church.  My lifestyle is one that is patterned after the lifestyle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Shepherd.

Aware that I am part of His Body, I know I have his power to follow Him. But just like some, if not many, of us, I too have my own shortcomings. Instead of using His power given me to do good, there are times when I use it otherwise. These, too, I need to overcome.

[Wingnut]

10 minutes ago, Samie said:

I personally accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was baptized in Nov 9, 1969. I was then 16 years old when I became a member of the SDA Church. Until now, I am still a member, and presently attending Sabbath worship services at AIIAS Church.  My lifestyle is one that is patterned after the lifestyle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Shepherd.

Aware that I am part of His Body, I know I have his power to follow Him. But just like some, if not many, of us, I too have my own shortcomings. Instead of using His power given me to do good, there are times when I use it otherwise. These, too, I need to overcome.

Thank you for that.  But that is more of a biography than a description of a personal relationship.  

Let us say you were describing your relationship with your wife.  Giving a biography of when you met her, the date you got married, how many children etc is not a personal relationship.  A personal relationship is how she completes you, how you could not do without her, how she laughs at your jokes, how you want to spend eternity with her - or not.

Or maybe I am being too personal, in which case I will give up and shut up.

What has Christ done for you that He has not done for a cannibal in New Guinea?

 

[pnattmbtc]

7 minutes ago, Samie said:

Aware that I am part of His Body, I know I have his power to follow Him. But just like some, if not many, of us, I too have my own shortcomings. Instead of using His power given me to do good, there are times when I use it otherwise. These, too, I need to overcome.

It feels like I went away for a moment, and then there is all this activity!  Like I just blinked for a moment.

I thought this part was nice.  I echo this. Paul said he counted all things but dung.  Seeing even a bit of Christ's loveliness is humbling.

The part that is a bit confusing to me is that if one has accepted Christ as one's personal Savior, inviting Him into one's heart, one should know of the importance of this event. What is more important in our experience than being converted?

[Samie]

5 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

Thank you for that.  But that is more of a biography than a description of a personal relationship.  

Let us say you were describing your relationship with your wife.  Giving a biography of when you met her, the date you got married, how many children etc is not a personal relationship.  A personal relationship is how she completes you, how you could not do without her, how she laughs at your jokes, how you want to spend eternity with her - or not.

Or maybe I am being too personal, in which case I will give up and shut up.

I think I have already long explained, like a broken record, that I can do NOTHING without Christ. That He is EVERYTHING to me. That I am dead without Him.  And I guess, that applies to all of us.

[Wingnut]

14 minutes ago, Samie said:

 

Aware that I am part of His Body, I know I have his power to follow Him. But just like some, if not many, of us, I too have my own shortcomings. Instead of using His power given me to do good, there are times when I use it otherwise. These, too, I need to overcome.

This bit I really think is on the right track, and I missed it before.  Tell me what this power does, and how it comes to you.

[Wingnut]

3 minutes ago, Samie said:

I think I have already long explained, like a broken record, that I can do NOTHING without Christ. That He is EVERYTHING to me. That I am dead without Him.  And I guess, that applies to all of us.

It applies to all of us who know him personally.

How could the same FEELING and LOVE for Christ be in anyone who does not know Him?

[Samie]

Just now, Wingnut said:

This bit I really think is on the right track, and I missed it before.  Tell me what this power does, and how it comes to you.

For me, it naturally comes, just like how a man's hand derives its power from the man himself. But maybe this is because I am aware of the fact that I am part of His Body. And others may yet find it quite difficult for them having not yet come to this realization. That's why I am into this discussion. Maybe others will know through this. And of course in my personal interaction with others in the real world.

[Samie]

3 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

It applies to all of us who know him personally.

How could the same FEELING and LOVE for Christ be in anyone who does not know Him?

Maybe just like the feeling of an infant for his mother.

[Wingnut]

1 minute ago, Samie said:

Maybe just like the feeling of an infant for his mother.

NOOOO!!!  You were doing so well, and now we are back to theory.  

OK Samie, at least I have established you DO have a personal relationship with Him, and a good one by the sounds of it.

Now that is what you need to go out and make sure everyone else has.  Nothing else will do.  The cannibal in Guinea has NOTHING like what you have just described, and he needs it.

[Samie]

1 minute ago, Wingnut said:

NOOOO!!!  You were doing so well, and now we are back to theory.  

OK Samie, at least I have established you DO have a personal relationship with Him, and a good one by the sounds of it.

Now that is what you need to go out and make sure everyone else has.  Nothing else will do.  The cannibal in Guinea has NOTHING like what you have just described, and he needs it.

Again, it's our Father in heaven who determines whether one has grown up into such level of spiritual maturity, like the eunuch, that he has to know Christ and Him Crucified. And He will use one of His "Philips" to do that. It could be me, who knows. Or someone else.

[Wingnut]

2 minutes ago, Samie said:

Again, it's our Father in heaven who determines whether one has grown up into such level of spiritual maturity, like the eunuch, that he has to know Christ and Him Crucified. And He will use one of His "Philips" to do that. It could be me, who knows. Or someone else.

You have Jesus, or you have nothing.  There are no levels of maturity without Christ.  Forget that crazy notion.

[Samie]

2 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

You have Jesus, or you have nothing.  There are no levels of maturity without Christ.  Forget that crazy notion.

Did I not emphasize that we are all in Christ, and that we are all members in the family of God?  And just like in the family, there are levels of maturity. This is why we are admonished to grow in Christ.

[Samie]

3 minutes ago, Samie said:

Did I not emphasize that we are all in Christ, and that we are all members in the family of God?  And just like in the family, there are levels of maturity. This is why we are admonished to grow in Christ.

 

^KJV Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

[Wingnut]

For many years I thought I "had Christ".  But all He did for me was make me feel guilty.

Over time I realised how much He loved me, did not condemn me, how he rescued me from death, how he rescued me from my own stupidity, how He opened my eyes to see my past errors, gave me better doctrines, and answered prayer.  I was beginning to "know" Him.

I don't know how people get up in the morning and face a day without Him.

We as mankind are not all family, do not have levels of maturity.  That starts when we learn of Jesus.

[Wingnut]

Have you seen a school of fish, or a pile of stones?  How important are these?  Not very.

People without Christ are of as little value as a fish or a stone.  Until and unless they know Jesus, they will be discarded like a fish or a stone.

And don't give me the For God so loved....  Unless it's reciprocated, you are a fish or a stone, and will be discarded.

[Samie]

3 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

We as mankind are not all family, do not have levels of maturity.  That starts when we learn of Jesus.

NIV Philippians 3:15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

[Samie]

2 minutes ago, Samie said:

NIV Philippians 3:15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

"All of us who are mature" looks like there are those not yet mature. And if others are mature while others are yet not mature, then, how could there be no levels of maturity?

[Wingnut]

Until a person loves Jesus, he/she has no intrinsic worth.

[Samie]

And I do think an infant loves his mother.  And there are infants in Christ.

[Wingnut]

1 minute ago, Samie said:

"All of us who are mature" looks like there are those not yet mature. And if others are mature while others are yet not mature, then, how could there be no levels of maturity?

You have to get onto the learning curve to have a maturity rating.  That starts with hearing about Jesus.  Then one responds.  Then one grows.  I know of many who warm seats in church who stopped growing after baptism.  They thought they had attained.