How Do They Know?

That verse is pulled out of context. I explained this to you a couple of months ago. You have to read both chapters 1 and 2 to understand this specific verse.

1 Cor 1:17 For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

If you read chapter 1 you will understand 2:14 better. Paul is speaking of natural man. Yes, he is an unbeliever and does not have the Holy Ghost, but that is not the reason the gospel is foolishness to him.

You are well aware of this type of person. This is a humanist. They try to explain everything in natural terms, and assign a natural cause to everything. This is how the Greeks were. The Greeks were known especially for humanistic philosophy, the effects of Greece are very prominent in the world today.

The first thing 1 Cor 2:14 says it that the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. The natural man can hear the words and understand their meaning just as well as you and I do. You can hear people on TV make fun of the gospel. They understand who Jesus is, they know we believe he died for our sins. They understand what that means, but it is foolishness to them. Most natural men do not even believe in God, or believe that one religion is as good as another. So, they don't even bother listening to it. To them it is silly superstition.

Now that said, even if they did try to read it and understand it, they would have great difficulty. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals what the word of God says. It is difficult for Christians to understand the scriptures properly, it would be nearly impossible for them. It really will not make a whole lot of sense to them.

But the gospel is simple. The scriptures say a child can understand the gospel and be saved. God did not make the gospel complicated.

2 Tim 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Here Paul says to Timothy that he has known the holy scriptures from a child. And he says the scriptures are able to make a child wise unto salvation.

So, even an unsaved child can hear the gospel and understand, and if he believes it he will be saved. He had to be unsaved, because salvation is the last thing mentioned in the order shown.

Notice it does not say a person is regenerated by the Holy Spirit, it says the scriptures are able to make him wise unto salvation.

What does 2 Tim 3:15 show first? Faith? Nope, the scriptures. What next? Faith. What last? Salvation.

It is always #1 Word of God, #2 Believe, #3 Receive Holy Spirit and be regenerated. Always.

So, you can take 1 Cor 2:14 out of context and try to teach that it is saying it is impossible that the unregenerate can understand the scriptures, but that is not what it is saying.

 

That makes the score 2 to 0.

 

The natural man can understand the gospel. That is why I showed 2 Timothy 3:15

2 Tim 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Paul himself believed a child can know the holy scriptures which are able to make one wise unto salvation through faith in Christ.

The natural man cannot understand the meat of the word, be he can understand the milk.

Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

The Philipian jailer asked what he had to do to be saved. Paul simply said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house".

He heard and understood the word of God, believed, and was regenerated.

 

You are correct, the passage does not say anything about the meat and milk. But unsaved man can understand the gospel. The gospel is simple.

Many unsaved people know a great deal about the scriptures. There are Catholics that are not saved that nevertheless can discuss doctrine that would go right over our heads. Millions of unsaved people can tell you the Ten Commandments.

So, this does not mean that unsaved man cannot undertand the scriptures whatsoever. You would have to deny reality to say that. Go to some evolution website and see how they make fun of the six day creation account. They know quite clearly what Genesis 1 says and mock it. It is foolishness to them.

Here is an article from a Vatican astronomer who says the Creation account if superstition.

This is a perfect example of a natural man described by Paul. He is worldly and looks for natural explanations. He trusts in human wisdom over the revelations of scripture.

But this man probably understands a great deal of scripture but doesn't believe it.

 

So do the demons.
Salvation is not just an academic exercise.

 

And that's the mystery of it. We resist because man is naturally rebellious, but when God's grace sheds light on the darkness of a man's darkened soul, His love and mercy break the sinner and open the heart to respond.

Can man recieve this new birth apart from God? Can man in himself, darkened in his sin, seek God?

So many questions and so many scriptural answers that man can barely comprehend the magnificence of the work of the the cross.

 

He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

 

In #154 you quoted Jesus response to Peter's confession of faith, which was basically the revelation of God's Word, that which we have in God's Word today. So I ask you the same unanswered questions again:

How do you know the faith by which you believed was a gift?
And if it is a gift, how do you know it was given by God?
How can you be sure? What evidence do you have?

You claim that this "new birth" supernatural act of God is without faith.
How do you know when and even if it has taken place? What are the indicators? Is it a nice warm glowing all inside you? What happened?

Afterward you say that God gave you faith to believe in order to be saved. How do you know God gave you faith to believe? Maybe you were deceived into thinking that the faith you believed with was given by God. Why couldn't it have come from some other source?
I am not questioning your salvation. It seems that you are using your presuppositions to determine how your salvation took place, and yet can't explain your salvation experience.

 

That is right, and it is what I children. Salvation is by faith and faith alone. I know that I am saved because of the promises of the Word of God. But the Word of God does not differentiate between salvation and the new birth, and you do. The word of God does not teach that faith is given to the unregenerate and you do.
So truthfully, the Bible does not tell you so.

 

Why does God have to give a regenerated person faith? Don't they already have everlasting life the moment they are regenerated?

 

Salvation is appropriated by faith in Jesus Christ, upon hearing His gospel. (I Cor. 1:20-21 or so).

That is why the gospel is necessary. That is why the presence of Holy Spirit is necessary, prior to salvation. Call it "drawing" or regeneration or conviction, whatever. Without Holy Spirit, their is no coming to Christ in salvation.

It is part of the process of salvation that displays the "wisdom of God".

The Spirit transforms us so that we will believe the truth of the gospel.

After salvation, the Spirit indwells permanently.

peace to youraying:

 

That's not what I want to know. Calvinists are always accusing me of misrepresenting Calvinism, so I am asking you directly what you believe.

Why does a regenerated person have to have faith? Don't they already have everlasting life the moment they are regenerated?