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Being a follower of Satan is not just a matter of "how bad" I am.
something within would rebel if I was told I was a follower of Satan.
I would think "But I am not that bad. I am not that bad of a person, I do some good things."
But I was born with a nature to live independent from God.
And from that nature I need to be rescued before I follow Satan to his miserable eternal destiny.
So first the one following Satan in his thrust to be rebel from God's rule, is to have the One who is completely and totally DEPENDENT upon His Father - God, Jesus Christ, justify us by His redemptive death.
Then we must learn to live a new way. That is the way of the available and living Jesus Christ being implanted into us "organically" to live a blended life in union with Him and us together.
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Christ.
" ... the mystery of God, Christ, In whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. " (Col. 2:3)
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It has been strongly established that to the saved person the incentive to cooperate is given by Christ in relation to His second coming. I don't see any effective argument against this. Though i can see unbelief in it.
So, the redeemed man has his morality drawn up from a Perfect Person who has been dispensed into his being by the miracle of the new birth. He has RECEIVED Christ.
Having received Christ he is exhorted to learn to WALK in this One he has now received.
"As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him." (Col. 2:6)
We can receive Jesus by FAITH. The FAITHFUL GOD responds and Christ comes into our hearts.
We can go on to WALK in Christ also by the same principle of FAITH. And again... the FAITHFUL GOD responds to make Christ each and every matter in our living. This He will do until He effectively replaces our old way of walking and living.
It is a life long process.
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So on "Christian morals" what is normal? It is that the one who receives the resurrected, living, available Jesus Christ learn to WALK in the realm of this LIVING Person.
" As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,
Having been rooted and being built up in Him, and established in the faith ... " (vs. 6,7a)
To be "ROOTED" in Christ is an effective expression to indicate a LIVING relationship. The man is not as a dead stick in the mud. But as a living plant planted into soil. The roots draw up the nourshiment from the soil which in turn cause the rooted plant to grow by life.
" ... Having been rooted and being built up in Him ..."
A cultural "Christian" may simply be as a dead stick stuck in the mud.
The relationship is a planted plant with roots absorbing nutrients from the elements in the soil. What is drawn up then causes organic building and increase for the GROWTH of that rooted plant.
If you will, the morality of Jesus Christ is in Jesus Christ and is organically drawn up into the believer causes Jesus Christ to GROW in him. This increase of Christ in the parts of his soul is called "the growth of God".
God is perfect and needs no growth. But God imparted INTO human beings requires that God GROW into them. This addition of more and more God through Jesus Christ builds up the Christian as a new person in Christ. The addition of God in him is "the growth of God" not in God Himself, but in the saved Christian.
" ... holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God." (Col. 2:19)
The illustration of a living Body and of a planted plant are much the same.
The illustration of being ROOTED in Christ as the soil and the HOLDING to Christ as the Head are similar in principle. In both cases what we are planted into and what we are holding to firmly supplies the life element into us to cause God to grow in us.
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Christian morals then we can say is Christ Himself GROWING in people.
Christ growing in people is the growth of God in people.
God is the source of right living.
God in His incarnation as a man manifested the Divine / human union that establishes man on the growth path to a perfect living entity expressing perfect divine attributes and perfect human virtues.
Paul and his co-workers labored to present each one they led to Jesus Christ FULL- GROWN in Christ. That is mature in their ethical walking.
" [Christ] Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ." (Col. 1:28)
Christ full-grown in a man or woman will result in a radiant splendor which will be visibly glorious. It is not only ethically right but something of glorious splendor in the next age.
" ... God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles [nations], which is Christ in you the hope of glory." (Col. 1:27)
The believer has One growing in him who is invisible though manifest in our walk.
At the coming of the Lord and in the next age, the glory will be something marveled at.
So Christ is in the Christian as "the hope of glory".
This is not to be taken to a glorious place so much.
Rather it is the subjective glory to shine out from within one's being - "Christ in you the hope of glory".
Originally posted by @sonshipIt's not that I don't want to live a life dependant on "God" (whatever it may be that you happen to believe that means); I just don't believe the stuff you say about your god figure and about your ideology.
Anyone who wants to live independently from God is a follower of Satan.
I just think it's mostly nonsense, like for instance the stuff you say about "Satan" - which may appeal to your imagination, but I find your personal beliefs about 'him' preposterous.
So, to describe me as someone "who wants to live independently from God" is just a rhetorical gimmick and a very egocentric one too.
So, bearing all this in mind, do you believe I am a follower of "Satan"?
Originally posted by @dj2beckerAs I said...
You were putting sonship on the spot, but as soon as I put you on the spot you disappeared.
I never returned to the thread which is why I didn’t answer. It’s not a difficult question you were asking and I’m more than happy to answer it unequivocally with a yes or no answer but on one condition. That condition is that you also answer the question unequivocally with a yes or no response. Do you on your word as a Christian accept this condition?
To be clear, the question to each of us is: “in your opinion is FMF a follower of satan?”
Originally posted by @dj2beckerYou're a gutless wimp.
If I did think so would you prosecute me for thought crimes?
Originally posted by @dj2beckerI am completely willing to answer; I have my response typed and ready to post. I'm just waiting to see if you have the balls to accept my challenge.
You don't seem to have a problem with Dive's unwillingness to answer now do you? Why would that be?
Originally posted by @dj2beckerYou keep lying about this Becker.
I asked Divegeester the question. He dodged it. You don't seem to mind that.
You butted into a conversation between sonship and myself.
You butted in and asked a question.
I'll answer your question as soon as you state your position on the same question.
Do you think FMF is a follower of Satan or not?
Originally posted by @dj2beckerDo you think you are entitled to know what I think?
There are a lot of things that I think that I don't feel like sharing with everyone. Do you feel entitled to know everything that I think?
Jeez. 🙄
Originally posted by @dj2beckerYou can answer the question if you want to. Or you can carry on behaving the way you are about it. Whether I feel "entitled" or not "entitled" should not have any bearing on how you conduct yourself. If your answer is something along the lines of "my answer is a secret", just say so.
There are a lot of things that I think that I don't feel like sharing with everyone. Do you feel entitled to know everything that I think?
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Originally posted by @fmfIt's not that I don't want to live a life dependant on "God" (whatever it may be that you happen to believe that means); I just don't believe the stuff you say about your god figure and about your ideology.
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Don't be so sure.
One of the first ways man attempts to be independent from God is to disbelieve that God exists.
Of course if God is only the imaginary "god figure," well, who needs that ??
This too is from a deceptive evil force working in man's mind.
I just think it's mostly nonsense, like for instance the stuff you say about "Satan"
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The gospel, Paul says, is foolishness to those who are in the process of perishing.
He says that "the god of this world" (the deceiving evil spirit) has "blinded" their thoughts.
"For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." ( 1 Cor. 1:18)
" In whom the god of this age has blinded the thoughts of the unbelievers that the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the mage of God, might not [edited] shine on them. " (2 Cor. 4:4)
I am 100% sure that the thoughts of the atheist has been blinded by an evil antichrist spirit of ancient origin, not a guy in a red jump suit with a pitchfork.
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The one who has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving knows that God is. His job is to convince you that HE is God and the God is the Devil - that is to REVERSE things of reality completely.
Atheism is only a stage along the way to this grand deceptive reversal.
This temporary stage between making God seem as your enemy and Satan seem as your leader is to deny that both exists, especially God.
World history is just a story of this attempted reversal taking place to make God seem as the enemy of mankind and Satan (ultimately the Antichrist) seem as mankind's savior.
You are in that inbetween stage of denying that God Who is the Savior of man, exists.
- which may appeal to your imagination, but I find your personal beliefs about 'him' preposterous.
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Understood, but wrong.
Anyway, I am drawing much from Colossians in this discussion. And there Paul warns the believers not to be deluded by anyone's philosophy, especially an atheistic philosophy.
"Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philsophy and empty deceit, according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ." ( Col. 2:8)
You always attempt to dumb down things to what is familiar to you - the traditions of men in their fallen worldly philosophies. These philosophies kind of make the world go around, so to speak. These are the godless traditions of men.
Of course there are also exposed in this book religious traditions of men which are also deluding and carrying believers away from the living Christ. There is secular delusion opposed to Christ and religious delusion opposed to Christ as well.
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The Christian is warned against ALL delusions.
"Let no one defraud you by judging you unworthy of your prize ..." (Col. 2:18a)
So, to describe me as someone "who wants to live independently from God" is just a rhetorical gimmick and a very egocentric one too.
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Quite the opposite. To humble yourself under the Lordship of Jesus Christ is true humility.
The egocentric concept is arguing that it is only "I" that is necessary and "Christ" is not.
To place the "I" falsely in the throne of the universe is the deluded lie and deceiving philosophy. To confess Jesus Christ as Lord is to be brought into the comfortable reality of the real situation in the universe.
I am 100% sure of that.
So, bearing all this in mind, do you believe I am a follower of "Satan"?
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A person may feel insulted upon hearing that he follows Satan.
Others one day feel it is a RELIEF to know what the problem REALLY is, "I've been following the wrong one. THAT explains a LOT."
Whether you are annoyed or relieved depends on your attitude.
At any rate readers (beside FMF perhaps), it is good to READ the Gospels and notice that there was ONE - Jesus of Nazareth who throughout all His life FOLLOWED His Father.
The GOOD NEWS is that if we take Him into us we can learn to live as He lived, victoriously over that liar, the slanderer, Satan.
" As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me." (John 6:57)
Originally posted by @sonshipSo, despite the fact that I don't believe in the particular god figure or the "Satan" chatacter you talk about , you are 100% certain I am following "Satan"? Just to be clear. Is that what you mean?
[b] It's not that I don't want to live a life dependant on "God" (whatever it may be that you happen to believe that means); I just don't believe the stuff you say about your god figure and about your ideology.
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Don't be so sure.
One of the first way ...[text shortened]... e of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me." (John 6:57) [/b] [/quote][/b]