Can the natural man do good towards God ?

[Nanja]

The natural man cant and doesn't have the freewill ability to receive and understand any spiritual matters. 1 Cor 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Amen, all men by nature [in the flesh / not born again] are in spiritual darkness and void of understanding, regardless of how religious they may appear to be. For all their works, including the exercising of their imaginary freewill Dan. 4:35, are likened to filthy rags in God's Sight Is. 64:6.

John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Is. 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

 

[Nanja]

See the natural man doesn't have any Spiritual life. He's dead to the spiritual realm and as a result he can't see, hear, nor understand Spiritually.

Jesus once said to spiritually dead jews this Jn 8:43,47

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

A spiritually dead [unregenerate] person can't see, know and hear Spiritual things, of which the scriptures are 1 Cor 2:13 unless and until God intervenes on their behalf and gives him Spiritual Life to "hear", comprehend / understand His Words:

Prov. 20:12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

 

[beloved57]

The word hear in Jn 8:43,47 is the greek word akouō
and means:

1. to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf
2. to hear
   1. to attend to, consider what is or has been said
   2. to understand, perceive the sense of what is said
3. to hear something
   1. to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence
   2. to get by hearing learn
   3. a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn
   4. to give ear to a teaching or a teacher
   5. to comprehend, to understand
      
      See the word doesnt just denote audible hearing which even the spiritually dead can do, but it means spiritual hearing with spiritual perception, comprehension, understanding. This Jesus said these spiritually dead jews cannot do. However its not limited to the natural jew of Jesus time, but includes natural men of jew or gentile. Thats what Paul means in 1 Cor 2:14
      
      14 But the natural man[of any race and time] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

[Nanja]

The word hear in Jn 8:43,47 is the greek word akouō
and means:

1. to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf
   
2. to hear
   
   1. to attend to, consider what is or has been said
      
   2. to understand, perceive the sense of what is said
3. to hear something
   
   1. to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence
      
   2. to get by hearing learn
      
   3. a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn
      
   4. to give ear to a teaching or a teacher
      
   5. to comprehend, to understand
      
      See the word doesnt just denote audible hearing which even the spiritually dead can do, but it means spiritual hearing with spiritual perception, comprehension, understanding. This Jesus said these spiritually dead jews cannot do. However its not limited to the natural jew of Jesus time, but includes natural men of jew or gentile. Thats what Paul means in 1 Cor 2:14
      
      14 [FONT="]But [B]the natural man[of any race and time][/B] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: [B]neither[U] can [/U]he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
      [/LIST]
      [/LIST][/QUOTE]
      
      
      [COLOR="#006400"]Amen, and TY for expounding further.

 

[beloved57]

Now judging from Jn 8:47 its only those born of God who can hear and understand Gods words or Spiritual things.

47[FONT=&quot]He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Of God I understand to be born of God as Jn 1:13

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Which were [/FONT]born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

!Jn 3:9

[FONT=&quot]Whosoever is [/FONT]born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he isborn of God.

1 Jn 4:7
[FONT=&quot]Beloved, let us love one another: for love is [/FONT]of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 Jn 5:1,4,18

 

[Nanja]

Now judging from Jn 8:47 its only those born of God who can hear and understand Gods words or Spiritual things.

47[FONT="][B]He that is[/B][U] [B]of God[/B] [/U][B]heareth God's words:[/B] ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Of God I understand to be born of God as Jn 1:13

[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#000000][FONT="]Which were [/FONT]born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

!Jn 3:9

[FONT="]Whosoever is [/FONT][/COLOR][B][U]born [/U][B][U]of [/U][B][U]God[/U] doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is[B][U]born [/U][B][U]of [/U][B][U]God[/U].[/B][/B][/B][/B][/B][/B]

1 Jn 4:7
[COLOR=#000000][FONT="]Beloved, let us love one another: for love is [/FONT]of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

1 Jn 5:1,4,18

Amen Brother ! Before any person can hear, or wholly embrace the Words of Truth / God's Words John 8:47 which are Spiritual 1 Cor 2:13, they must first be made Spiritually Alive in new birth / Born of God. For this is the only Avenue to acquire the Gift of Faith / Believing Gal. 5:22, which scripture declares that without Faith it's impossible to please Him Heb. 11:6; and none can have it [Faith] unless they be Born of God, because Faith comes by the ability to spiritually hear God's Words Rom. 10:17.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The fact remains, that outside of being Born of God, a person is spiritually lost and dead; without any spiritual ability to even Love Him 1 John 5:1. For it's only the Sovereign Work of the Spirit that can make him Alive unto God Rom. 6:11.

 

[beloved57]

Amen Brother ! Before any person can hear, or wholly embrace the Words of Truth / God's Words John 8:47 which are Spiritual 1 Cor 2:13, they must first be made Spiritually Alive in new birth / Born of God. For this is the only Avenue to acquire the Gift of Faith / Believing Gal. 5:22, which scripture declares that without Faith it's impossible to please Him Heb. 11:6; and none can have it [Faith] unless they be Born of God, because Faith comes by the ability to spiritually hear God's Words Rom. 10:17.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

The fact remains, that outside of being Born of God, a person is spiritually lost and dead; without any spiritual ability to even Love Him 1 John 5:1. For it's only the Sovereign Work of the Spirit that can make him Alive unto God Rom. 6:11.

Amen Sister!

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

 

[beloved57]

By nature, men are haters of God and therefore cant do anything good towards God, of any Spiritual Good Rom 1:29-31

29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

 

[beloved57]

The natural man cant do anything good towards God from a Spiritual perspective because his natural heart isnt free from doing evil Gen 6:5

5 [FONT=&quot]And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his[man] heart was only evil continually.[/FONT]

 

[Nanja]

By nature, men are haters of God and therefore cant do anything good towards God, of any Spiritual Good Rom 1:29-31

[FONT=&]29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:[/FONT]

Amen Brother ! These haters of God, filled with abominations of the flesh, can do absolutely nothing good towards God and please Him Rom. 8:8 unless and until God Gives them a New Heart / Mind Ezek. 36:26-27 in New Birth to be in harmony with the things of God, which the Gospel is Rom. 1:1.

 

[Nanja]

The natural man cant do anything good towards God from a Spiritual perspective because his natural heart isnt free from doing evil Gen 6:5

5 [FONT="]And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his[man] heart was only evil continually.[/FONT]

Amen to that ! The natural man can't receive the things of God 1 Cor. 2:14 and has no potential whatsoever to do good towards God Rom. 8:8.

He's nothing but an empty vessel, totally destitute of all that is good, and full of all that is evil. And all his religious works of the flesh are an abomination to God Prov. 15:8-9.

 

[beloved57]

All that the natural man does towards God, even in their most sincere religious efforts and morality, its nothing but dead works, which leads tom death Heb 9:14

¹⁴ How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?