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@sonship saidI don’t know you at all, but your posts read to me like they come from a person who very much enjoys reading them back to themself.
The spirit of man, I showed is called "the lamp of Jehovah". And the human spirit's function includes to illuminate all the innermost parts of the inner being of man.
"The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah, Searching all the innermost parts of the inner being." (Proverbs 20:24)
Along with this verse we are told that the spirit God places ...[text shortened]... itical things in his inner being. He may however have some honest self-criticism on a soulish level.
@fmf saidWhat a great question (sorry that I'm contributing late).
I know that honest self-criticism seems almost unheard of among writers at RHP
This opening sentence to an OP written by a very poorly behaved and seemingly incorrigibly sociopathic poster on a different forum made me laugh out loud for its irony and hypocrisy, but that isn't the point here.
Does honest self-criticism have a spiritual dimension? Can honest self-criticism modify or steer one's spiritual outlook?
Self Criticism (analysis?) - to be reviewing your own behavior/approach/thinking can be an aspect of spirituality, but you don't have to be spiritual to practice this.
Yes this can effect your spiritual outlook, and if you are honest (that's that difficult bit, honesty in self analysis/criticism) this should be the beginning of a path to help you iron out undesirable traits, and welcome in the ones that are more positive and desirable.
This line of thinking (FMF's opening post) possibly leads to the question of the difference between being spiritual and being religious? They aren't the same.
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@Mercury
I try to enjoy it while I am researching and writing.
Are you an old timer with a new name Mercury?
Now I hope you understood at least something about the spirit of man being deeper than man's soul. And that without a normal functioning spirit the self reflections of the soul are not adequate to thoroughly illumine a man to himself. Its true.
On one hand it is the deepest part of the trio spirit and soul and body.
On the other hand it is also the "highest" part of the tripartite man. We do not function completely without the full use of our spirit.
Now let me say this.
When Adam fell he lost a great part of the function of his spirit.
This I think is part of the meaning of - in the day he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would die. I think part of that dying meant the loss of the spirit to a large degree.
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen. 2:17)
We know physically he did not drop dead that day. But death began to work in him from the spirit out. Eventually his soul died and his body died.
Yet the capacity to self reflect and self examine according to his conscience seems to not have left him. This period from the fall of Adam to the time after the flood of Noah was a time when God allowed man to SEE if he could live without the full function of his spirit and under the direct command of God. It was a period of "anarchy" in the truest sense - "Just follow your conscience". This was a true period of libertarian freedom.
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There was no human government. The descendants of Adam did what was right in their own eyes. Capital punishment was forbidden (Gen. 4:15). God forbade that anyone would exact vengeance on Cain for murdering his brother.
"Now You have driven me [Cain] out this day from the face of the ground, and from Your face I will be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.
And Jehovah said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah put a mark on Cain, so that anyone who found him would not strike him." (Gen. 4:15,16)
Many Bible students believe this libertarian period of "anarchy" (in its truest sense) ended after the world became so corrupted with people going against their conscience that God had to wipe out that world with the flood of Noah. Then human government was instituted by God. Supposedly it is like this:
Okay, if you will all not live by your self-critical conscience ideally those who DO will be in charge of the society. Sometimes that work. Sometimes it failed also.
That's all for this post. I just wanted some of you to see how man's falling away, departing from fellowship with God and rule of God is unfolding in history.
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I don’t know you at all, but your posts read to me like they come from a person who very much enjoys reading them back to themself.
Mercury, I do not have anymore faith then anyone else. I really don't in myself have much faith in God.
But I have found out where to go in order to GET faith. The word of God will either produce faith in you or it will do something else. But with many of us reading the words of the Bible produces that ability to believe and trust.
Right here:
"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." (Romans. 10:17)
This miraculous thing within me called faith comes from HEARING the word of God - the word of Christ. So I will always both enjoy reading the and hearing the word of God and encourage as many as would to also HEAR the word.
I wrote a song about the spirit in man being the lamp of the Lord.
Here it is https://soundcloud.com/jack-wilmore/there-is-a-spirit-in-man-job-328-prov-2027
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@divegeester
So what?
Contribute something constructive to the thread besides snarks why don't you?
@sonship saidI’ve made many contributions to this thread sonship.
@divegeester
So what?
Contribute something constructive to the thread besides snarks why don't you?
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@mercury saidI said I CAN be hateful.
Why are you hateful?
I am capable of many negative traits of the typical fallen human being.
Paul told the Christians in Corinth -
"No temptation has taken you except that which is common to man;" [/b]
I am capable of falling to any temptation which is common to man.
Below this Paul added importantly to the believers in Christ -
"and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will, with the temptation, also make the way out, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13)
That "way out" is Jesus Christ living in me since I was born again.
That "way out" of sore temptation is a Person who was victorious, overcoming and conquering every and all temptation.
And this living "way out" God can install into you innermost spiritual being. This is GOOD NEW. Christ the Victor can live in us in His form as "life giving Spirit" and furnish us with Himself as our VICTORY.
"the last Adam [Christ] became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45)
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@FMF
Yes. That was easy.
" . . . the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7,8)
@sonship saidIn the pschodrama of your supernatural beliefs, why would you be "a willing follower of Satan"?
@FMF
Yes. That was easy.
" . . . the mind set on the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, for neither can it be. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:7,8)
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@fmf saidThe influence of God's enemy is in the fallen human body.
In the pschodrama of your supernatural beliefs, why would you be "a willing follower of Satan"?
This fallen humanity is called "the flesh" as the totality of the devil infested corrupted man from the fall.
The battle is to get regenerated and learn to set the mind on the Spirit that is joined to the human spirit.
"For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace." (Rom. 8:6)
You need first to be forgiven.
You need then to be regenerated.
You need then the light upon you real condition that the Holy Spirit can give but self criticism falls short of.
Then you need to learn, with patience, to live according to the life of Christ that God imparts into your inner man. And you learn to set the mind on the mingled spirit to walk by the Spirit of Christ.