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Originally Posted by Heidi Guedel
No. Actually, if I could speak with God, I would say "Please tell me you didn't go to all that trouble to inspire hundreds of pages of nonsense. If you did, then please explain why you wanted people to struggle and argue over it endlessly. Better yet, please just talk to me directly, OK?
You've apparently misunderstood me when I've indicated that I do not understand. I have no problem understanding and comprehending the words in the scriptures themselves. They indicate, however, things that I do find irrational and/or unbelievable. Some scriptures are even shocking in their instructions to perform acts that I consider ignorant, depraved, cruel and primitive.
I have trouble understanding why any present-day, probably reasonably well-educated and rational person would believe everything that is written in the Bible. I do not understand how anyone with a rational mind can convince themselves that the Bible was inspired by god... whether you call "god" - YHWH or Jehovah or whomever.
How very clever that the scriptures themselves include a statement to the effect that normal ordinary people (natural man?) will often find the scriptures unbelievable ("foolishness") - and that if they do, it means they just don't understand the mind of "YHWH". I don't understand why you don't recognize how ridiculous that is.
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Here is a quote from Matthew Henry on the subject and is how I would interpret "natural man." He gives a very good definition here. You may find this to be rediculous, but YHWH does not. Normal ordinary people is not what this passage is referring to as you will see by Henry's commentary on the subject. Some normal ordinary people understand Scripture very well because the Holy Spirit indwells them and enlightens them to the truth of YHWH's word. They are no longer wordly minded, but Spirit minded. Henry seems to understand very well what YHWH meant.
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1. The natural man receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, I Cor 2:14. The natural man, the animal man. Either, (1.) The man under the power of corruption, and never yet illuminated by the Spirit of God, such as Jude calls sensual, not having the Spirit, Jude 1:19. Men unsanctified receive not the things of God. The understanding, through the corruption of nature by the fall, and through the confirmation of this disorder by customary sin, is utterly unapt to receive the rays of divine light; it is prejudiced against them. The truths of God are foolishness to such a mind. The man looks on them as trifling and impertinent things, not worth his minding. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not, John 1:5. Not that the natural faculty of discerning is lost, but evil inclinations and wicked principles render the man unwilling to enter into the mind of God, in the spiritual matters of his kingdom, and yield to their force and power. It is the quickening beams of the Spirit of truth and holiness that must help the mind to discern their excellency, and to so thorough a conviction of their truth as heartily to receive and embrace them. Thus the natural man, the man destitute of the Spirit of God, cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Or, (2.) The natural man, that is, the wise man of the world (I Cor 1:19, 20), the wise man after the flesh, or according to the flesh (I Cor 1:26), one who hath the wisdom of the world, man's wisdom (I Cor 2:4-6), a man, as some of the ancients, that would learn all truth by his own ratiocinations, receive nothing by faith, nor own any need of supernatural assistance. This was very much the character of the pretenders to philosophy and the Grecian learning and wisdom in that day. Such a man receives not the things of the Spirit of God. Revelation is not with him a principle of science; he looks upon it as delirium and dotage, the extravagant thought of some deluded dreamer. It is no way to wisdom among the famous masters of the world; and for that reason he can have no knowledge of things revealed, because they are only spiritually discerned, or made known by the revelation of the Spirit, which is a principle of science or knowledge that he will not admit.
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