Union with God

Theosis (also called divinization, deification, or transforming union) was one of the most important of early  Christian doctrines, but it has become such well kept secret that it is nearly unknown to most contemporary laymen.  It means participating in and partaking of God's Divinity.It is likely to sound so alien to our ears that we might quickly dismiss it as heresy, rather than realize it tis the heart of the Christian calling.
Yet, from the first chapter of Genesis, to Christ the Word of God, through the apostles, to numerous saints, theologians, and Christian writers throughout the centuries today and today, the message is clear: God made us to be like Him, wants us to become like Him. From the second-century St. Ireneaus, to the twentieth century C. S. Lewis, some theologians have used the most shocking language to bring home how shocking this gift of God is: "becoming gods", or even "becoming God".

"My dear people, we are already the children of god but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed , we shall be like Him because we shall see him as he really is>" 1 John 3:2.

Jesus answered: Is it not written in your Law: I said, you are gods? So the Law uses the word gods of those to whom the word of God was addressed, and scripture cannot be rejected. "John10:34-35

And when everything is subjected to Him, then the Son himself will be subject in turn to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be in all. 1 Cor 15:28.

Now you together are Christ's body, but each of you is a different part of it. 1 Cor. 12:27

But to all who accept Him he gave power to become children of God, to all who believe in the name of Him who was born not out of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God Himself! John 1:12-13.
You should pray like this:Our Father Jesus in Matt 6:9

God created man in the image of himself, in the image of god he created him, male and female he created them Genesis 1:27

--the Spirit and our spirit bear witness that we are children of God. And if we are children we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, sharing His sufferings so we may share His glory.

Becoming God does not mean we become all powerful, all knowing, or that we remember saying "let there be light". It really means becoming Christ, or becoming divine, that God's God-ness is experienced and known not as something outside and separate, but as part of our being. It means knowing God as Jesus knew the father , so likeJjesus, we are with Him, fully human and fully divine.

The Importance of Fairy Tales

Awakening moral imagination The notion that fairy tales and fantasy stories stimulate and instruct the moral imagination of the young, is of course, not new. The Victorians certainly held to that notion when they brought the fairy tale into the nursery. In our day we have seen a resurgence of in terest in the fairy tale. The renowned psychiatrist Bruno Bettelheim gave this an important impetus twenty years ago with his publication of The Uses of Enchantment. The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales---"It hardly requires emphasis at this moment in our history " Bettelheim wrote that children need "a moral education (that teaches) not through abstract ethical concepts but through that which seems tangibly right and therefore meaningful--The child finds this kind of meaning through fairy tales. " Literary criticism on fairy tales and modern children's literature is a relatively new enterprise that has not as yet accumulated a substantial or impressive corpus of interpretation, and the studies done by psychologists and educators mostly address the special concerns of these disciplines. One would have thought ethicists would have done better.Yet religious and philosophical ethicists have not reflected a great deal on children as moral learners nor written much on children's literature. Perhaps this is because they consider children to be at a pre-moral stage and that socialization rather than moral formation is more appropriate to their kind. The American writer Flannery O'connor spoke a simple but profound truth when she said "a story is a way to say something that cannot be said any other way--You tell a story because a statement would be inadequate. The great fairy tales and fantasy stories capture the meaning of morality through vivid depictions of struggles between good and evil where characters must make difficult choices between right and wrong, or heroes and villians contest the very fate of imaginary worlds. ASlasdair Macintyre sums this up eloquently: "It is through hearing stories about wicked stepmothers, lost children, good but misguided kings, wolves that suckle twin boys , youngest sons who receive no inheritance, that children learn or mislearn what a child and a parent are, what the cast of characters may be in the drama into which they have been born, and what the ways of the world are." Musing on the wisdom and ethics of the fairy tale, G. K. Chesterton observes that the genre sparks a special way of seeing that is indispensable to morality. Chesterton writes "I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life , which was created in me by fairy tales, but has since been meekly ratified by mere facts". Moral living is about being responsive and responsible toward other people. And virtues are those traits of character that enable persons to use their freedom in morally responsible ways. The mere ability, however, to use moraql principles to justify one's actions does not make a virtuous person. Mere instruction in morality is not sufficient to nuture the virtues. It might even backfire, especially when the presentation is heavily exhortative and the pupil's will is coerced. Instead, a compelling vision of the goodness of goodness itself needs to be presented in such a way that it is attractive and stirs the imagination. The Greek word for character literally means an impression. Moral character is an impression stamped upon the self. Character is defined by its orientation, consistency, and constancy. Today we often equate freedom with morality and goodness. But this is naive because freedom is transcendent and the precondition of choice itself. Depending upon his character, a person will be drawn towards either goodness or wickedness. Moral or immoral behavior is freedom enacted either for good or for ill. The great fairy tales and children's fantasy stories attractively depict character and virtue. In these stories the virtues glimmer as in a looking glass., and wickedness and deception are unmasked of their pretensions to goodness and truth. to be. "Beauty and the Beast" is one of the most beloved of all the fairy tales just because it contrasts goodness with badness in a way that is appealing to the imagination. It is also a story that depicts with special force the mystery of virtue itself. Virtue is the "magic" of the moral life for it often appears in the most unexpected persons and places and with surprising results. At the beginning of the story, we are told that a very rich merchant had three "daughters [all of whom] were extremely handsome, especially the youngest; [so she was) called `The little Beauty.'" But nothing more is said about Beauty's physical attributes. Instead, the story draws our attention to her virtuous character. Beauty's moral goodness her "inner beauty" — is contrasted with her sisters' pride, vanity, and selfishness — their "inner ugliness." Although Beauty's sisters were physically attractive they "had a great deal of pride, because they were rich ...[they] put on ridiculous airs ... and laughed at their sister [Beauty], because she spent ...her time in reading good books." By contrast, Beauty was "charming, sweet tempered .... spoke ...kindly to poor people," and truly loved her father.(8) Because she is virtuous, Beauty is able to "see" the virtues in Beast that lie hidden beneath his monstrous appearance. At her first supper in the monster's castle, Beauty says to Beast: "That is true [I find you ugly], ...for I cannot lie, but I believe you are very good-natured." And when Beast tries her the more with his repeated self-deprecatory remarks, Beauty responds emphatically: "Among mankind ... there are many that deserve that name [Beast] more than you, and I prefer you, just as you are, to those, who, under a human form, hide a treacherous, corrupt, and ungrateful heart."(9) The sharp contrast between Beauty's goodness and her sisters' badness, which is masked by their physical attractiveness, parallels the irony that the Beast who is repulsive physically is good and virtuous. "Beauty and the Beast" teaches the simple but important lesson that appearances can be deceptive, that what is seen is not always what it appears to be. Similarly, this great fairy tale also bids us to imagine what the outcome might have been had Beauty's sisters been put in her position? No doubt they would not have recognized or appreciated the goodness beneath Beast's monstrous appearance. Nor does it seem at all likely that they would have made Beauty's courageous and fortuitous choice. The story portrays the paradoxical truth that unless virtue is in a person she will not be able to find, appreciate, or embrace virtue in another. "Beauty and the Beast" embraces one last important moral truth: a person's decisions in life will define what kind of person she becomes. In this sense also our destinies are not fated: we decide our own destinies. At the end of the story, the "beautiful lady" who has visited Beauty in her dreams appears at Beast's castle and brings with her Beauty's entire family. The fairy then says to Beauty: "Beauty ... come and see the reward of your judicious choice; you have preferred virtue before either wit or beauty, and deserve to have a person in whom these qualifications are united: you are going to be a great queen."(10) Beauty's sisters, however, are unhappy in their marriages because they chose their spouses solely upon the basis of good looks and wit. Through greed, jealousy, and pride their hearts have become like stone. So they are turned into statues, but retain their consciousness that they might behold their sister's happiness until they admit their own faults. Like all the great fairy tales, "Beauty and the Beast" invites us to draw analogies between its imaginary world and the world in which we live. It supplies the imagination with information that the self also uses to distinguish what is true from what is not. But how, we might ask, is the imagination itself awakened, and how is it made moral? These are important questions for the moral educator, and they are not so easily answered. Buber's frank discussion of the mistakes he made when he first taught ethics helps us to see how difficult awakening and nurturing the moral imagination is. Buber's mistakes are not uncommon. They are often committed today, especially when the role of reason in human conduct is overestimated and the roles of the will and the imagination are underestimated. This hazard is increased by a utilitarian and instrumentalist ethos that has seeped to the moral tap roots of our culture. Despite the overwhelming evidence that we are failing to transmit morality effectively to our children, we persist in teaching ethics as if it comes from a "how to" manual . IP Address: Logged

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The Nature of Eucharist!

Transubstantiation---postulates that , through consecration by the priest, one set of substances (bread and wine) is exchanged for another (the Body and Blood of Christ). , or that, according to some, the reality of the bread and wine become the reality of the body and blood of Christ. The substance of the bread and wine do not remain, but their accidents (superficial properties like appearance and taste) remain.

Consubstantiation--some Lutherasn use this term to refer to the philosophical explanation that the "body and blood of Christ are present in, with, and under the forms" of bread and wine. Luther illustrated his belief about the Eucharist "by the analogy of the iron put into the fire whereby both fire and iron are united in the red hot iron and yet each continues unchanged", a concept he called sacramental union.

Transfinalization--the view of Christ's presence in the Eucharist that the purpose or finality of the bread and wine is changed by the words of the consecration, they are said to serve a new function, as sacred elements that barouse the faith of the people in the mystery of Christ's redemptive love.


Transignification--=The view of Christ's presence in the REucharist which holds that the meaning or significance of the bread and wine is changed by the words of consecration, the consecrated elements are said to signify all that Christians associate with the Last Supper, they have a higher value than merely food for the body.



Where do you stand--or fall-- on this issue?

Why Satan fell

Pramable: I am writing the following becaue I enjoy reading it. Others may not. But if you can get through it  then I think a great lesson is to be learned! This discussion is based on A Lesson in Spiritual Theology from Aquinas' S Summa Theologiae.

Aquinas asks if God created the angels in beatitude; in other words, were the angels in the state of eschatological bliss that comes from gazing on God's essence from the first moment of their creation? Aquinas then answers (like you would if you were Aquinas) that there are two kinds of beatitude. First there is a beatitude that is a rational nature's perfect operation; that is it's perfect knowing and loving of created truths and goods; this is what we might call natural happiness. For rational natures this means the contemplation of God as creator. Yet this beatitude is incomplete--it sdoes not have a vison of God in His essence of trinity.

Besides this happiness Aquinas avers there is still another --whereby we will see God as He is. This bliss is beyond the nature of every created intellect. This kind of engaemnet occurs only without  supernatural grace, and this is a happiness for an angel that consists simply in being fully an angel.

But there is another happiness, which an angel cannot experience fully by flourishing as an angel from the resources of his natural created powers; this is  a happiness that come's from seeing God's essence. For angels to see this they need a gift beyond the first gift of a created nature--a second gift of deification in which the angelic mind and will turn towards God. as their perfect truth and good. It seems strange to speak of angels being deiform  in glory, but this is what Aquinas is saying.

The angel needs to be able to know and love God in norder to be fully in bliss, and yet his powers of knowing and willing are important in taking him there. We might say that God has to open up the capacities of mind and will beyond their created abilities. God has to extend their reach.The only supernatural agent is God, of course, since the angels even though not corporeal, are as natural and created and as in need of theological virtues as humans. So God takes abode in the soul of the angel, which means God's knowing and loving, his very self, takes into its current of life the angelic knowingand loving, so that the angel can know and love God like God knows and loves Himself.
So this stae of sanctifying grace is the mid-point between the "purely natural" created life of the angel--which exists for Aquinas in theory alone3--and the vision of glory that is the angel's eschatological destiny.

Aquinas thinks the pride which caused satan to fall. He assumes , without argument, that the devil wanted to be like God. And in this wanting to be like God, without destroying either himself or God, the devil made his fatal error.
He decide  he would reach his deificatrion in his own time and by his own efforts. He did not want to wait for the work or the timing of God.  To try ro seize glory by the creature's own power , to try to give oneself the gift only God can give, is sinful and indeed the sin of pride; it e;limintes the distinction of creator and creature, of the giver of gifts and the receivers.

This then gives us the pedagogy of patience in the Spiritual life. The pilgrimage that begins with the Christian turning to God by God's initial grace, continues in meriting of beatitude through the presence of God working within her by sanctifying grace, and consummates in the final glory of beatitude which she enjoys when she sees the Word in His essence. What is distinctive about this journey is that it is a journey through time . The Orthodox theologian Olivier Clement has written "Time is the HGod-give opportunity to learn to love". Aaquinas would agree!

This is because in speculating on why the devil fell seems to make the astonishing claim that the devil fell because he lacked patience! The devil rejected the necessity of taking time in the spiritual journey into God. Sanctifying grace is a seed in the soul which brings one to Glory in God's time.

Each step of the journey is also of God's time--so wanting our destinies, our jobs, our mates, our families outside of God's timing can be detrimental to the success of our journet--or at least an impediment to it -leading to pain and suffering and grief. The devil lost what would have been his had he patience to wait instead of running after it in his own timing!

Pray for the patience and the wisdom to operate in God's timeline in all your doings . Amen!

Theosis and the Second Coming

Theosis has eschatological implications which are seldom addressed.Chris is returning and His parousia (literally presence, but usually mistranslated as "coming") will be bodily. But--His body has changed--we are His body. Is the man-sized form of Jesus of Nazareth the central part of His return , or does it have something to do with a divine manifestation of HIM throughout his whole body, a body of millions and milions of members, a body which covers the earth, which he longs and prays for to become more and nore perfect, more holy, manifesting Him more clearly, for the purpose of ultimately bringing in everyone?

A Pentrecostal minister J. Preston Eby examines this idea in depth. "Looking for His Appearing" is a seies on the subject.
Eby contends that many of the end time prophecies concerning the return of Christ are fulfilled by the ultimate revelation and perfecting of Christ's presence in us. Eby's insights are sometimes astounding, He points out that the word Astrape translated as lightning in Matthew 24:27 (one of the main proof texts andthat supposedly show the parousia od Christ a sudden event) is the same word translated as "shining" in Luke 11:33. With this in mind, context indicates that the image is not of lightning but of sunrise. A better translation would be :

If then they say to you "Look He is in the desert", do not go there, "Look He is in some hiding place" do not believe it; because the presence (parousia) od the Son of man will be like shining (astrape) in the east and illuminationg (phanetai) far into the west. (matt 24:26-27) Jerusalem Bible!

When the mistranslations are corrected the emphasis shifts from suddenness to the gradual dawning of the presence of the Lord. Thinkign He may be here or there is contrasted with His presence manifested unmistakeably everywhere.

Matthew Fox , an Episcopal priest known for his many works on Christian mysticism agrees. The final section of his masterwork "The Coming of the Cosmic Christ" is titled "SA Vision of the second coming" and considers the coming of the kingdsom of God to be the work of God's childres acting in their divination , restoring the Earth and rebuilding all human institutions to eliminate hunger, hopelessness, and violence.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalm 27:1

Classic Commentary:

David’s subjects called him the light of Israel, 2 Sa. 21:17. And he was indeed a burning and a shining light: but he owns that he shone, as the moon does, with a borrowed light; what light God darted upon him reflected upon them: The Lord is my light.

God is a light to his people, to show them the way when they are in doubt, to comfort and rejoice their hearts when they are in sorrow. It is in his light that they now walk on in their way, and in his light they hope to see light for ever. "He is my salvation, in whom I am safe and by whom I shall be saved.’’

"He is the strength of my life, not only the protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, but the strength of my frail weak life, who keeps me from fainting, sinking, and dying away.’’ God, who is a believer’s light, is the strength of his life, not only by whom, but in whom, he lives and moves.

In God therefore let us strengthen ourselves.

(Adapted from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible - Complete)

A Thought to Keep
Rather than rely on mere human knowledge and strength, Christians rely on God who gives divine light, salvation, strength, and courage.

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Disclaimer No claims of absolute originality are made for this material. As one man said, "I milk a lot of cows, but I churn my own butter." Please use these sermons as the Lord leads, but nothing on this site may be used for profit without my expressed, written permission!

I Corinthians 2:14-3:4 WHO ARE YOU? Intro: We are all the time trying to shove people into categories. Economically people are classified as rich or poor. In the social realm we speak of people as being cultured or uncultured. Academically we speak of the educated, the intellectual and those who are illiterate. People are always trying to shoe you into a box and classify you. Even the Bible classifies people. Note 1 Cor. 10:32 - Everyone is either a Jew, a Gentile or part of the church; 1 Cor. 1:18 - Everyone is either saved or perishing. This passage also introduces to other categories into which every person int his room can be classified. Here, Paul speaks of the Natural Man, the Spiritual Man and the Carnal man. This passage breaks all of humanity down according to their spiritual response to the things of God. Now, every person in this church will fall into one of the categories I just mentioned. That is, either you are a natural man, a spiritual man or a carnal man. I think it is very important for you to find out for sure which one you are. So, as the Lord gives liberty this evening, I want to look into this text and ask this simple question: Who Are You? Let's examine these three categories of people and see which group we fit into. I. 2:14 MR. NATURAL (Ill. The natural man is a person who lives naturally. He lives a "soulish" life, that is, he lives his life in the old adamic nature. Simply put, the natural man is a lost men! He may be a church member, he may be a good, moral person, but he is lost. This passage shows us two truths about the natural man.) A. He Does Not Appreciate The Things Of God - The things of God are foolishness to the natural man. The word foolishness gives us the English word "Moron." To the lost man, the things of God, and spiritual things are moronic. He doesn't understand or appreciate any type of spiritual expression. When he is exposed to the things of God, or to spiritual expression, he becomes very uncomfortable and will usually respond in one of three way. He will either drop out, move out or lash out. B. He Does Not Apprehend The Things Of God - This literally means that he is not equipped to receive the things of God. He is spiritually dead in his sins, Eph. 2:1 and therefore he simply cannot grasp spiritually things. A man who is physically dead cannot respond to physical stimulus. By the same token, a person who is spiritually dead cannot respond to any spiritual stimulus! (Ill. Man is a triune being - 1 Thes. 5:23. The natural man is two parts alive, body and soul, but the primary part, the part of him that can know and respond to God is dead! Ill. Gen. 2:17.) Could you be a Natural Man this evening? II. 2:15-16 MR. SPIRITUAL (Ill. The spiritual man is one who live supernaturally. That is, he lives a "spiritual" life. He lives his life not in the old dead nature, but he lives his life in the power of the Holy Spirit. The spiritual man, and every saved person for that matter, has two natures. The old fleshly adamic nature and a new spiritual nature. The spiritual man is one who allows Christ to rule his life. Jesus is not just present, He is preeminent. Jesus does not just reside in the spiritual man's life, He presides over that life. These verses reveal certain characteristics of the spiritual man's life.) A. He Is Capable Of Discernment - The word "judgeth" means "to examine, to discern." The spiritual man is alive in the Spirit, equipped by the Spirit and is open to the truth of God. It is not foolishness to him, but it is a fountain of life. It is like food to his hungry soul. He delights in the things of God! (Note: This ability to receive and understand the deep things of God does not depend upon I.Q. or upon academic ability. This is accomplished through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the yielded believer, John 16:13. There are simple country folks who know more about God than some preachers with multiple doctorates.) The spiritual man is drawn to the things of God and to the truth of God like a moth is drawn to a flame. B. He Is The Cause Of Amazement - The phrase, "yet he himself is judged of not man", means that the lost and worldly folks around him can't figure him out. He , and his life, are a mystery to the natural men around him. He baffles and bothers the man of the world! He has peace, joy and faith in the midst of trial. He has standards and convictions, yet he just lives them out and isn't obnoxious and overbearing about them. The spiritual man is a constant source of amazement to the natural man and to the carnal man. Could you be a Spiritual Man tonight? III. 3:1-4 MR. CARNAL (Ill. The third category offered in this text is that of the carnal man. This kind of person lives his life unnaturally. He lives a "sensual" life. Everything his life is decided by how it affects him and how it makes him feel. He lives according to his flesh. The carnal man is a believer, Ill. 1 Cor. 1:7. The Corinthians were gifted but carnal. He has two natures just like the spiritual man, but he is dominated by the old nature. He quenches the influence of the Spirit of God in his life. Often, the carnal believer cannot be discerned from the lost sinner! A good example of this was a man my the name of Lot. If you had seen him in Genesis 13 and 19, you would have concluded that he was a lost man. But, when you read 2 Pet. 2:7, you discover that he was a righteous, but carnal man. This section of our text tells us all about the carnal man.) (Note: Carnality in the life of God's children is the reason the church lacks power and influence in the community!) A. The Maturity Of The Carnal Believer - Paul says that the carnal man is a baby. He has started out the right way; he has been born again, but he has progressed no farther. (Ill. Babies are cute and precious, but they are designed to grow up and become adults. The same is true in the spiritual realm.) It is fitting and normal to start out as a baby, but is tragic to remain one! The carnal believer suffers from "arrested development". They haven't grown as they should. By the way, how long you have been saved has nothing to do with your level of maturity. I have seen believers who have been saved a short time who have grown substantially in the Lord. By the same token I have seen others who have been saved for lengthy periods of time, yet who have not gotten out of the nursery spiritually. They are still crying, griping, whining and calling attention to themselves. The tragedy of this is that God did not save us to stay babies. He saved us to grow into the image of Jesus, Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:13.) B. The Menu Of The Carnal Believer - The carnal believer is still on milk spiritually. Milk is fine for babies, 2 Pet. 2:2, but as we mature, we are supposed to move beyond the milk of the Word into the meatier places of the Word, Heb. 5:12-14. Here is the very reason some people are not growing in the Lord. They do not want to go any deeper in the things of the Lord than they already are! You try to lead them deeper in the book and they get spiritual indigestion. They do not want to go. They want to come to church, put their mind in neutral and never have to think! In other words, as long as you stay simple and feed the "gospel lite" they are happy. You know, tell a few stories. Tell about the time you visited so and so and what happened in this place or the other. Talk about your life, talk about the Lord, talk about the church, but keep it lite! But, when you begin to preach the deeper truths of the Word that call for commitment and a change of life, they get and upset stomach and they will spit up all over you! Friend, you will never get out of the nursery until you begin to dig your spiritual teeth into the deeper truths of the Word of God. C. The Marks Of The Carnal Believer - There are three tale-tell characteristics of the carnal believer. If these are evident in your life, then you are carnal and need to change. You are a baby spiritually and need to grow up. 1. Selfishness - Babies are by nature selfish creatures. They care about no one but themselves. They don't care how tired mom and dad are! They don't care about anything else in the world but themselves! As long as they are the center of attention and their needs are being met they are fine. But, when something is wrong in their world, they cry, whine and complain until someone does it their way. The same is true in the life of the carnal believer. The focus is always on themselves. It doesn't matter what's best for the church, all that matters is how it affects them personally. And, when a carnal believer is unhappy everyone knows it! How? They act like a big baby, calling attention to themselves! 2. Strife - Babies want their way and they are prepared to fight for it! They don't care to take by force what they think is theirs. You get a couple of babies together and there will be strife, discord and dissension. Friend, you mark it down, anytime there is trouble in the church, you have a baby on your hands! Someone didn't get their way and they want everyone to know it. Someone got their little feelings hurt and they want someone to pay for it. I don't care where they are found in the church, you can count on spiritual babies to be at the center of every disturbance! With a baby believer, it's always about them. They are always complaining about someone else or something. They are always tattling. They are always pointing their pudgy little fingers at everyone else. They never can see that it might just be them! They might be the problem. They might be easily offended. They might be the ones in the wrong. If you find that you are always offended at someone for what they have said or done; if you think you are always getting the short end of the stick; if you always think you are right and everyone else is wrong, mark it down, you are a baby and you need to grow up. I just want to remind any babies that are listening tonight, if you come to me to tattle on someone else, either you will give me names, dates and specifics which I will take to the person alone with your name, or I won't listen to your whining, complaining and gossiping! 3. Splits - Another trait of the carnal believer is that he brings division everywhere he goes. The carnal believer always carries a divisive spirit within him. He is easily offended and always responds by being offensive. As a result, the carnal believer kills everything he touches, Rom. 8:6. A carnal believer will kill a Sunday School class, a committee, a choir, a testimony service, etc. Everything the flesh touches dies! Conc: Who are you this evening? Are you saved, or are you still a natural man? Are you spiritual? If you said "Yes" then you probably aren't! Are you carnal? We all are from time to time, Ill. Paul - Rom. 7:14. If you can see within your present condition the fact that you are lost, a natural man, please come to Jesus and be saved! If you can see that you are carnal, that you act more like a baby most of the time and you act like Jesus, then please come and deal with the problem. Let God begin to mature you tonight. Who are you? (Ill. Man who lives at the foot of the mountain& never saw the view from the top. What are missing by not climbing higher?)