You seem to me to be moving gradually further from
your original position on the condition in which we start out in
life, but I may just have misunderstood.
To your question about the
Light--not from deep within myself.
I was considering the verse from Proverbs quite
thoroughly, in fact, and thinking about its other half, which does not seem to
give this "candle" the function you assign to it. Also, the relation of the
candle to Yahweh is not unambiguous--at least in the English, and I know no
Hebrew; it is not obvious to me whether God is the source or the user of
the candle. Moreover, as you know, I do not understand the same thing by
"spirit" that you do...
I now brace myself for the barrage of "It means
what it says"es etc.
Debbie
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 4:28
PM
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] Adam - sin - and the rest
of us
>> 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
>
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