(04/03/2018) Conversation In The World

A scene depicting the Prodigal son and the “riotous living” of youth.

Today, reply is on how aspects and stages of human development, sin, and repentance influence a person to embrace the operations of divinity that establish rebirth, discovery, growth, and Christian maturity.  Some of the most fruitful and productive Christians have been those “throughly furnished” who have had their “conversation in the world,” yet, were turned to serving GOD.  The benefits of receiving sacred knowledge and practice while we are young pertain to our development of empathy and compassion, our endurance of hardship and suffering, our ability to discern love and other spirit content from GOD as well as our willingness to continue existing and to survive.  Despite that our living substance permits expression of an animal, human, or divine nature, the character, makeup, and possibilities for living expression that we receive as our human endowment from the first pair (Adam) do not truly enable us to correctly recognize, reject and resist the operations of sin.  Even our practices for educating and socializing children often continue and introduce multiple flaws and infirmities that do not permit their true representation of the image of GOD that should appear.  With this in view, it becomes understandable to say, You must be born again from divine seed.  Children often grow up in the church as companions to their own parents, and leave the church before they are able to operate with adult accountability, balance, commitment, and stability.  Outside of the church community—in addition to challenges, disappointments, facing fears, growing pains and risk-taking with trial-and-error along with infractions and violations of divine law—youth will pass through a broad range of life experiences that provide little or no sacred benefit.  All must receive and build up their own endowment of spirit substance from the makeup of GOD whereby they then will exist as the new creation through Jesus Christ.  A fighter in the “Yahoo! Answers” forum using the ID “X” (Level 3 with 1,647 points, a member since February 21, 2013) posted the following:


Do most Christians first party a lot, have lots of sex and fun, and THEN decide to "become" a Christian when they are older?

Judging from some Bible passeges it seems that the reward is the same for everyone so is there a point in being a Christian when you are young?


THE GOLDEN ARROW:  If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:  Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;  And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.  And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die:  so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.  (Deuteronomy 21:  18-21, King James Version, KJV)


THE DOUBLE DAGGER:  I Am The Vine (03/20/2018); Repentance A Lifestyle Event (02/09/2018); Standards For Godly Behavior (02/01/2018); Choosing to be Reborn (01/29/2018); There Must Be Rebirth (01/21/2018); Porn, Prostitutes and Salvation? (06/08/2017); Why Is Lust Condemned? (07/20/2016); Flesh Against the Spirit? (06/19/2016); Growing Up Again? (12/09/2015)


“X”, it long has been normative and routine for the course of emotional, psychological, sexual, and social development of those who are youth to be very much determined by cultural factors outside their home and nuclear family (i.e., parents, siblings, grandparents, and trusted caretakers).  Similarly, growth and nourishment of their spirit content that first occurs within limited and secure settings such as the household of their father becomes transferred to their church schools and congregations as well as organized communities of faith.  When young people come to an age where they begin to demand independence for exploration and expression of their own self-interests, they often do so through distancing, separation, self-promotion, and immersing themselves in various alternative activities and lifestyles that have been forbidden and prohibited.

Given they have no income from employment, no savings, no self-discipline and reputation for accountability that would encourage others to extend credit, and are dependent upon the resources of others, most young people can be regarded as living in a condition of poverty that makes them vulnerable to consumerism, materialism, and their own growing sexual appetite.  Efforts by children and those who are immature who seek to throw off poverty can become frustrating and self-destructive, just as their efforts lacking guidance from experienced persons to manage gifts, great wealth, and money gained by chance and “windfall” repeatedly are disastrous.

The finite human tools of intellect, logic, philosophy, or science alone are not enough to establish the necessary willpower to always overcome desire, passion, and irrational impulse.  (Thus, there are college graduates, medical professionals, and scientists who also are sinners.)  The operations of sin oppose the continued existence of sacred law, the Lawgiver, and divine order for the entire universe.  While sin does not exist as a physical object you might keep in your pocket, sin may dominate consciousness and self-will in created beings and living creatures, for sin does not appear as contrary to ones own existence and makeup.  Until a sinner is “born again” and receives a fresh endowment of life essence from divinity (we say, breath, spirit, word), they will be comfortable thinking of sin as natural, normal, and an acceptable part of life experience.  The remedies for sin provided by divinity, therefore, include the imparting of spirit substance from the makeup of GOD that permanently changes sinners so they may benefit from sacred knowledge and practice.  Included are faith, forbearance, holiness, humility, longsuffering, lovingkindness, wisdom, and wrath against sin.  Consider again the following that uses language from the Bible:

(1.)  Luke 15:  11-14, King James Version (KJV):  11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:  12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.  13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.  14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

(2.)  Psalms 119:  9-11, KJV:  9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  10 With my whole heart have I sought thee:  O let me not wander from thy commandments.  11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

(3.)  Ephesians 2:  1-6, KJV:  1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:  3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.  4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

There is far more to be said, correctly examined, and spiritually apprehended.  (For example, (4.)  Ephesians 4:  22-27, KJV:  22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;  23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;  24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour:  for we are members one of another.  26 Be ye angry, and sin not:  let not the sun go down upon your wrath:  27 Neither give place to the devil.)  Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful.  Be it unto you according to your faith.

THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC