Christianity Oasis Forum

[Netchaplain]

Thankfully, misunderstanding being reborn cannot detract anything salvific from the believer in Christ, but it will most definitely delay spiritual growth in learning to “walk in the Spirit” and in being “conformed to the image of Christ.” I say “delay” and not hinder because everyone reborn is undergoing the same “work” of God within that instills the saint with the “desire” and “ability” for His “good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).

In this passage, there are no given restrictions to those reborn (i.e. includes all reborn) concerning God’s “work in you.” This means there will always be within the believer the desire and ability for His pleasure! Hence, if one professing faith manifests the opposite lifestyle of this “work,” there can only be one explanation—God was not within, because He works this in all who are reborn. To refute this conclusion would be to admit that one could overcome God in His work to impart these elements.

By the believer God can be “quenched” (1 Thes 5:19) and “grieved” (Eph 4:30), but never “resisted” (Act 7:51), otherwise this “work” of God would never be received by any man, due to the sinful nature, which has to be offset by the new nature, via the Spirit (Gal 5:17; Eph 3:16).

This answers to the reason why there cannot be found any teachings among Bible commentators that support opposition to the permanency of faith and salvation!
NC