DIvine Seed

Originally posted by Rajk999
Where in the Bible is the 'seed' used interchangeably with 'spirit', if you dont mind me asking.

Seems to me that the most likely interpretation of 'seed' is the 'word of God' as Jesus used it in the parable of the sower. If the 'word of God' = 'teachings of Christ, is truly within a man, then that man will refrain from sin.

Originally posted by Rajk999
You said that seed and spirit is used interchangeably. Do you have a reference to demonstrate this?

Originally posted by Rajk999
May very well be. The parallel to what the Bible says is that people have the knowledge of good and evil and this is what the conscience is all about, telling them right from wrong.

Originally posted by checkbaiter

http://www.revisedenglishversion.com/1-Peter/chapter1/23[/b]

“seed.” The Greek word is spora (#4701 σπορά ), and it means “the sowing of seed,” and by extension, “seed” or that which is sown. When a person acts on Romans 10:9, and confesses that Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead, he is “born again.” This birth is real, and involves God spiritually sowing his nature (or His seed), holy spirit, into the individual. Like God who gave it, the spiritual seed is “imperishable.” This should be a great source of comfort to every Christian, because the New Birth is irrevocable--it cannot be undone, and it guarantees salvation and everlasting life. God sows His imperishable seed into each Christian by creating it in him, which is why, upon being born again, each Christian is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Taken from Lie Study of 1,2,3 John by Witness Lee
[my bolding]

http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=22CA16C7F7

The Divine Birth and the Divine
Seed

Another marvelous verse is 3:9: “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.” In this verse, John speaks of those who have been “begotten of God.” John's writings emphasize the divine birth, our regeneration. It is a great wonder that human beings can be begotten of God, regenerated of Him. As believers in Christ, we have not only been begotten of our father—we have been begotten of God. Whoever is begotten of a human being automatically becomes a human being. In the same principle, whatever is begotten of a dog is a dog. The point here is that a certain kind of life will always beget that kind of life. I would not say that because we have been begotten of God, we are God. However, according to the Scriptures, we can say that because we have been begotten of God, we are children of God with the divine life and nature. God is our Father, and we are His children possessing His life and nature. Just as we have been begotten of our parents to have the human life and nature, so we have been begotten of God to have the divine life and nature.

Cont. above - Life Study of 1,2,3 John by Witness Lee,
http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=22CA16C7F7
[my bolding]

...

According to 3:9, everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him. To practice sin is to live in sin habitually. Because we have been begotten of God, we do not practice sin. For example, a cat practices mouse-catching because it has such a life. However, a dog, having a different kind of life, does not have that practice. Anyone who practices sin is not a child of God. No one who is a child of God habitually lives in sin.

The reason someone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin is that God's seed abides in him. The seed in this verse is God's life, which we received when we were begotten of Him. This divine seed abides in every regenerated believer. How marvelous that God's seed abides in us! What a tremendous revelation this is! I cannot say how far this revelation goes beyond the teachings of Confucius concerning the highest learning. Because we have been begotten of God, His seed abides in us. Do you not have the sense that there is something living and organic moving and growing within you? Sometimes we can sense the activity of this seed, and at other times we can sense that it is blossoming.

In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 we see that the Lord Jesus came as a sower to sow Himself as the divine seed into the human heart. Our heart is the soil where the divine seed grows. This seed is nothing less than God Himself. A wheat seed is wheat, and a carnation seed is a carnation. In the same principle, God's seed is God Himself. Through regeneration God has become an organic life seed growing within us. Eventually, this seed will blossom and bear fruit. Because this seed is divine, it does not practice sin.

Originally posted by sonship
Cont. above - [b]Life Study of 1,2,3 John by Witness Lee,
http://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=22CA16C7F7
[my bolding]

...

According to 3:9, everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him. To practice sin is to live in sin habitually. Because we have been begotten of God, ...[text shortened]... eed will blossom and bear fruit. Because this seed is divine, it does not practice sin.

[/b]

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I like this. Many people think verses that say we do not sin means zero tolerance. What it means is habitually.
The sin nature habitually sins, while the new nature is bent on the opposite.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I like this. Many people think verses that say we do not sin means zero tolerance. What it means is habitually.
The sin nature habitually sins, while the new nature is bent on the opposite.

I like this. Many people think verses that say we do not sin means zero tolerance. What it means is habitually.
The sin nature habitually sins, while the new nature is bent on the opposite.

" There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,

For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 8:1,2)

Originally posted by Ghost of a Duke
So there is an internal battle in a theist between the 'sin nature' and the 'new nature'?

"You are of God, little children; and you have overcome them because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

Originally posted by sonship

I like this. Many people think verses that say we do not sin means zero tolerance. What it means is habitually.
The sin nature habitually sins, while the new nature is bent on the opposite.

Many times resolving to not sin has the opposite effect. Sin, as a evil rebellious "person" in the fallen nature will rise up and rebel on general ...[text shortened]... r innermost being and act as a LAW when we turn our hearts TO Him, trusting Him, relying on Him.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
In simple terms [b]if the Law said don't think of an apple for example,
humans by nature did not even consider an apple, but now, try as hard as they might, they can't help but think of an apple.
This is why the Law "killed" us. It was not possible to not think of an apple and why we needed Jesus Christ.[/b]

Originally posted by sonship
Very much so. I noticed this as a small child. Before I read [b]Romans chapter 7, I realized that I could not always control my mind.

This law of life will take from all the way to be conformed to the image of the Firstborn Son of God.

There is a key factor. It functions best in an atmosphere of oneness and horizontal love between the brothers ...[text shortened]... nd transformation. See Psalm 133 where God commands the blessing, even life forevermore.[/b]

Originally posted by Rajk999
Well that makes sense that the seed is the word of God, and whoever is born of God, has the word of God [seed or divine seed] within him and therefore he cannot sin.

However sonship and checkbaiter are using the expression 'divine seed' ro mean something else. Not sure how to express it. Lets hope they contribute.

The divine seed is Jesus Christ Himself in a form in which He can be dispensed into man's innermost spiritual being.

John 14 is all about Jesus Christ coming to live in the lovers of Christ.

Before chapter 14 we have the same matter expressed in John 4 to the sinful woman by the well.

" But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water gushing up into eternal life." (John 4:14)

" ... If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.

But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39)