Hello Tambora!
Hope you don't mind me asking you to clarify.
When you say "a spiritual being" are you speaking of a being that is of the spirit realm or just a flesh man with spiritual thoughts?
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard," nor has it entered into the heart of man, "the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
1Co 2:10 But God has revealed them to us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of man within him? So also no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit from God, so that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God.
1Co 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one.
1Co 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Ephesians 2:5
The doctrine of regeneration, namely.
Regeneration of your whole body or just your mind?
We await new bodies 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
We are identified positionally in Christ. He gives us His Spirit and a new nature that 1) Wants to follow Christ and 2) the Holy Spirit's indwelling and prompting; starts to mold us toward God (godliness) Ephesians 2:10
In other words, do you think "born again" is only speaking of a renewing of the mind now, and the renewing of the body comes later; or is Jesus speaking of it as the renewing of the whole body?
It seems fitting Mark 12:30-31 'all of us' in the sense that we are inundated at the core of our being with a desire to be godly and love the body.
Me, personally, thinks a case can be made for both, as some scholars would reference it as an "already, but not yet" scenario.
Positionally we are fully 'in Christ' as believers. Baptism in water (not debating the do or don't, it happens spiritually/positionally at regeneration) is symbolism for the idea of being 'in' Christ by saturation, change, cleansing. He starts saturating us, changing us this side of glory to conform to His image. We aren't fully 'wet' until Glory 1 John 3:2
Case in point would be when scripture says we can already be a new creature even though we will also become a new creature in the resurrection.
Agree. We cannot judge another's salvation, by how much they are saturated in Christ (works mainly). We can encourage growth however. Ultimately, those who love Jesus, love His body according to the two great commands. I reckon some of the angst we see in debates such as on TOL, is one kind of 'gift' to exhort the body to righteousness. Teaching and dialogue is another. Our gifts will encourage proximal walk of others with Jesus. 1 and 2 Timothy talk about degrees of saturation with the more mature helping the lesser etc. We can become more malleable by 'renewing our mind' in scripture study, fellowship, and exhortation. Revelation 3:20
So I can agree with either way one wants to express it and do not feel the necessity to be forced to only choose one or the other as truth.
I think I'm following: You mean now 'in Christ' fully (saturation degree) Philippians 3:12-14
and future fully saturated? 1 Corinthians 13:11,12? When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
