Debbie wrote: > Do you believe then that a sort of spiritual > neutrality is possible?
No. A spirit without illumination from God is a negative. Debbie wrote: > You also agree with me that it is our capacity > to recognize God and perceive the truth about > him and our relation to him that is most impaired. > But I am thinking that you believe this impairment > (if it is the same thing you are calling defilement) is > an after-effect of the act of sinning, and that sin, in > the beginning at least, attacks our spirit from without, > via the body. No, the impairment exists before sinning, but defilement makes it worse. The spirit and body are intertwined and connected, so I do not think it would be proper to speak about an attack on our spirit from without via the body. The carnal person has almost no distinction between spirit and flesh. Nevertheless, this perspective would take on more merit in a spiritual person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Debbie wrote: > "Not completely dark" is quite different from either > "most impaired" or "spiritually neutral": it's better than > the one and worse than the other. So I'm not sure what > you mean by it. I just mean that no matter how dark it is, there will be at some point the light of God made manifest to it. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. Debbie wrote: > But I think the verse from John tells me that any light > we have is from outside ourselves, from the true Light. John 1:9 (9) That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. This passage does not say anything about whether the light is from outside ourselves or inside ourselves. What it does tell us is that He is the light that lighteth EVERY MAN that cometh into the world. When you experienced this light, was it from outside yourself or was it shining deep within yourself, in your heart and spirit? Debbie wrote: > (And I don't think the Proverbs verse is > about any of this at all.) Prov. 20:27, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." You need to try to consider this passage a little more thoroughly. This passage shows a direct connection between the spirit of man and the Lord. The light given here is a candle, which is a diminished light. It is not bright like the sun, nor even like the moon, but like a candle. Nevertheless, it is a light. Where is this light of God? Within man. His spirit. Many call it the conscience. Peace be with you. David Miller. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
