Greetings rstrats,
When Paul was confronted by the risen Jesus on the way to Damascus, he changed his belief to accept that Jesus was the Christ.
Kind regards
Trevor
You're welcome. So how about answering my question to you in post #58?Thank you for your participation.
Are you saying that you think that you have the ability to consciously engender a new belief, i.e., to be convinced, without doubt, that someone or something exists or that a certain proposition is true? If so, perhaps you can help me. I have never been able to consciously choose any of the beliefs that I have and I would like to be able to do that. I wonder if you might explain how you do it. What do you do at the last moment to instantly change your one state of belief to another? What is it that you do that would allow you to say, "OK, at this moment I have a lack of belief that ‘x’ exists or is true, but I choose to believe that ‘x’ exists or is true and now instantly at this new moment I do believe that ‘x’ exists or is true?
Maybe you could use something like leprechauns to demonstrate your technique. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a leprechaun is "a fairy peculiar to Ireland, who appeared in the form of an old man of minute stature, wearing a cocked hat and a leather apron." and who stores away his gold in a pot at the end of a rainbow, and If ever captured has to grant three wishes to the person who captures him.
So, assuming that you don’t already have a belief in them, how about right now, while you are reading this, choose to believe - be convinced without a doubt - that they exist. Now that you believe in leprechauns, my question is, how did you do it? How did you make the instantaneous transition from lack of belief to belief?
OK, perhaps someone else might be able to demonstrate their ability to consciously engender a new belief in something.Not going to take time to read all of this.
I think on a terrestrial level we start off believing everything our teachers, parents and guardians tell us.OK, perhaps someone else might be able to demonstrate their ability to consciously engender a new belief in something.
The short answer is - you have a choice to pick up a bible and read it; then think for yourself and decide to believe in the message that is sends.
No one will be able to because it cannot be done. Even the word translated faith, pistas, is something given by God and does not have its origin in and cannot be found within a human person. We can believe many things, and as GA says, children believe what their parents say because they trust their parents etc. When we are talking about biblical faith, or faith as it is used in the Bible, we have to use it as the Bible uses it. It is not something conjured. It cannot be conjured, and even if we think we have conjured it through mantras or whatever, it is not true faith. True faith has something beyond belief attached to it, and it resides in our heart (metaphorically), because it has been placed there by God. It is unshakable and unmovable. Not simply something we decided to follow.OK, perhaps someone else might be able to demonstrate their ability to consciously engender a new belief in something.
Free WIll----Those who are elected may be seeking Jesus/GOD and as of yet not found Him...OR they have be studying a different theology that the right one?I disagree with it being unmovable or unshakable ; people can leave the faith in my opinion considering a lot of the context of what the Bible says about people leaving or walking away from faith. Some people may not believe it ; which would be those who believe once saved always saved.
That is my opinion though and open to the possibility to be wrong but the Bible is open to the possibility of people walking or falling away.
Take care.