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Escape is something the New Testament teaches SHOULD be normal. Peter says by partaking of the divine nature we Christians escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. There is a lot of things even on this Internet designed to stir up man's lust. You do not have to go looking for these things. The medium forcefully advances them.
The Christian can practice being snatched away in her or his heart from this corruption TO an near ecstatic enjoyment of Christ as the empowering supply and grace to overcome.
Here we see "escaping" through the divine nature.
" .. you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust." (2 Pet. 1:4b)
By partaking in the implanted "divine nature" - God's nature - a God-man may ESCAPE the corruption. And having escaped he or she also increases the enjoyment of that nature.
This is cycle of escaping though God's nature to more deeply partake of that nature we could also express as "GRACE UPON GRACE" (John 1:16)
"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace." (John 1:16)
We have to receive that divine nature through regeneration.
Then we have to learn to turn to that indwelling divine nature in order to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By building up a habit of utilizing this escape we prepare ourselves to be raptured in the physical sense mentioned in Matthew 24:40-42.
I recommend my thread on 'Calling Lord, Lord" as one way to practically partake of that grace in the divine nature by setting the mind on the living Jesus Christ to be empowered.
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The entire passage is helpful to view on escaping via "the divine nature".
"Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who has called us by his own glory and virtue.
Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these [promises] you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2 Pet. 2,3)
I referred to the thread 'Calling Lord, Lord" as practical in touching the divine nature. Because Christ is that divine Person Who can come into our being and strengthen us to live godly.
In reference to the "precious and exceedingly great promises" through which we can become "partakers of the divine nature", I recommend the thread "Prayreading the Word".
This I outline as an excellent way to ingest, digest, masticate, assimilate, appropriate for one's self the "precious and exceedingly great promises" of God's word.
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-Removed-No. I doubt it. I have gone quite far to be at peace with him. He refuses to be at peace with me.
Why don't you ask him if he will apologize for saying I "brown nosed" a servant of God through whom I owe quite a lot of my spiritual progress ?
Why don't you ask him if he will apologize for saying I teach that it is acceptable for a Christian to call on the name of Jesus and then go pursue a life of sinning ?
Why don't you ask him to apologize to me and other Christians here who he says are enthusiastically encouraging the living in sin?
Why don't you ask him to stop his misrepresentations and twistings of what those who believe in eternal redemption teach ? Did you ever ask him if he would stop lying about what I encourage people to do just because I write about the assurance of salvation ?
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It could be that someone will attempt to evolve this thread into a personality centered discussion.
Before that happens I want to write something else about the escaping - pre-rapture and rapture.
I tried to show that the Rapture should be another instance in a Christian's life who daily experiences ESCAPE through the nature of the divine and of grace. Paul says that in every temptation God gives a way of escape.
" No temptation has taken you except that which is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will, with the temptation, also make a way out, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Cor. 10:13)
In my earlier spiritual life I thought that this verse meant that God would arrange circumstances so that you have an escape from a tempting situation if you go to those other circumstances.
But latter I realized that this was probably too superficial an understanding. "[T]he way out" is not many different ways out. It is THE ONE WAY out of temptation - that grace of Jesus Christ empowering one from within. The way out of the temptation is to not struggle to fight it by your own power but to turn definitely to Jesus Christ for grace.
God will "with the temptation, also make the way out, ..."
The one way out is Jesus Himself. The Christian has to learn how to avail herself or himself of the Christ dwelling in their spirit. They have to pray or call or cry out or turn the mind to the Spirit in their spirit.
Preferably they should not WAIT until a difficult tempting situation occurs. Rather than have the habit of running TO Jesus when tempted, they should learn to WALK with Jesus moment by moment daily.
This means things are not bad - You enjoy fellowship with Jesus.
Things take a turn for the tempting? You have already been abiding in His presence.
You already posses the flowing of grace, like "power steering" energizing you, empowering you to live Christ.
The way out is the Person Jesus. God, in the Christian, in every Christian, has made THE ... way out. That is the indwelling of the life giving Holy Spirit of Christ indwelling them -
"the last Adam became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45)
Repeat this verse. Stand upon this verse. Don't want until temptations come to stand on this verse. Stand upon this verse all along so that you may be READY should a tempting situation occur.
Originally posted by sonshipThose are all true accusations. There is no need to apologise for speaking the truth.
No. I doubt it. I have gone quite far to be at peace with him. He refuses to be at peace with me.
Why don't you ask him if he will apologize for saying I "brown nosed" a servant of God through whom I owe quite a lot of my spiritual progress ?
Why don't you ask him if he will apologize for saying I teach that it is acceptable for a Christian to cal ...[text shortened]... ying about what I encourage people to do just because I write about the assurance of salvation ?
You however do not know what you are saying and how it comes across. You basically said that your life as a Christian is made easier knowing that those not Christian will be tormented for eternity. You denied that you said/implied that and then you reiterated your position and it sounds the same.
You dont know what you are saying. Maybe that comes from talking too much.