Actually it is your interpretations that are confusing as to what you believe.
.
I know in Whom I believe, and He is able!!! --
It's definitely not anything in me.

Christ does not lead His followers from without, like a puppy on a leash -- of course not.
That would destroy the power of choice.

BUT
Christ is a PERSON, not some influence we look to inside ourselves.
He is a person outside of us that we invite INTO our lives. We invite Him into every aspect of our lives, talking (praying without ceasing) with Him, seeking His will. Reading His Word, the scripture to learn ever more about HIM.
Yes, He speaks to our minds --
That still small voice -- speaks to our minds. He isn't IN our minds.
But He speaks to our minds -- flashing thoughts into our minds as we read scripture and pray for understanding. He is there -- beside us.

He leads us, as a PERSON, Who loves us with tender love, and we walk with Him in trusting love.

I'm glad you realize Christ and the Father weren't literally inside each other!
That's a step in the right direction.
So what does it mean --

Christ was fully dependent upon God the Father while He was here on earth.
Christ and the Father are two distinct Beings, not literally "inside" each other, but in full connection.
Christ wasn't exercising His own "omnipotent" power while He was a man on earth, but depended completely upon the Father. This was part of the plan -- it was by connecting with a power OUTSIDE Himself, that Christ lived a perfect life.
Everything Christ did and spoke was according to the Father's will. Through night long prayers, and constant communication with the Father, Christ lived a sinless human life, (not by omnipotent internal power) but by depending upon the Father's omnipotent power.

The faith of Jesus, during His earthly life was a faith of complete trust in the Father, NOT looking within Himself (even though for Him, He had what we do not, for under the cloak of His humanity was His divinity) but we do not have Divinity within, but we can "lay hold" of Christ's Divinity and unite our lives with Him.

We are to "partake of the Divine Nature" in the same way as Christ partook of the Father's Divine nature.
We are to "lay hold"
"God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ,"
"So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us."
" And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. "It is written,"
"By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. DA 123

Here are some more scriptures for you to deny & reject with you human wisdom.

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me. 17:22 And the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 17:23 I in them, and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them, as you have loved me.

Here we have the Omega?s favorite verse to promote health, yet they totally miss the entire point of the Scripture, what blindness.

1Cor 3:16 Don?t you know (which you admit you don?t) that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 3:17 If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. (now here is some really good advice for you, although it is really a command) If any man among you seem to be wise in this world (think you are wiser that God & His Word), let him become a fool (realize that he/she is a fool), that he may be wise. 3:19 For the wisdom of this world (as promoted by the Omega) is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise (those who think they are wiser than God & His Word) in their own craftiness (presumed wisdom which is indeed foolishness). 3:20 And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise (those who think they are so wise), that they are vain (worthless, foolish).

Above we have God's opinion of your scriptural wisdom

2Co 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (thus the only people who are God?s people are those in whom He dwells ? only those with Christ in them through the spirit, have the hope of glory).

I am most anxious to see how you desecrate the word of God given above. Remember God is recording all of your unbelief and rejection of truth in His book which will meet you in the judgment. You see a temple is for the dwelling of God. He dwells within His temple not without. You see to reject God dwelling in His human temples is really a subtle attack on the Sanctuary, which I realize you will not understand.

So in your infinite wisdom, have at it.

PS: Daryl I am still looking for your response to my answer of your question.

Pilgrim

I do not deny scripture --
I deny YOUR twist to those scriptures which seems to increasing be urging the pantheistic view.


There is a huge difference in the pantheistic view of "god in us" and the Biblical understanding -- which does NOT cause people to look inside themselves to find God, but to reach out to God and invite Him into their lives, and submit to His leading.

John 17:20-21
--Christ is one with the Father, but Christ and God are two distinct personages. Read the prayer of Christ in the seventeenth chapter of John, and you will find this point clearly brought out. How earnestly the Saviour prayed that His disciples might be one with Him as He is one with the Father. But the unity that is to exist between Christ and His followers does not destroy the personality of either. They are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father (RH June 1, 1905).

Think of Christ, the adored of angels, in the attitude of a suppliant. He was a mighty petitioner, seeking at the hands of the Father fresh supplies of grace, and coming forth invigorated and refreshed, to impart His lessons of assurance and hope. Look at His kneeling form, as in the moonlit hours He pours forth His soul to the Father. {HP 76.2}

It is a law of the mind that it gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is trained to dwell. . In the reverent contemplation of the truths presented in His Word, the mind of the student is brought into communion with the infinite mind. Such a study will not only refine and ennoble the character, but it cannot fail to expand and invigorate the mental powers.--PP 596-599 (1890).


1 Cor. 3:16 Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
It is with our minds and "hearts" that we worship and communion with God. But too often our minds are filled with worldly thoughts, turmoil and with trivial ideas. We need the power of God to cleanse our minds that they be receptive to His voice.

It is to our minds that Holy Spirit speaks -- if they are dulled by sinful practices, the connection is broken and He can't get through.

The body is the only medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers. His success here means the surrender to evil of the whole being. .--Ministry of Healing, p. 130. {CME 46.1}

Sinful indulgence defiles the body and unfits men for spiritual worship. He who cherishes the light which God has given him upon health reform has an important aid in the work of becoming sanctified through the truth and fitted for immortality. But if he disregards that light and lives in violation of natural law, he must pay the penalty; his spiritual powers are benumbed, and how can he perfect holiness in the fear of God?--Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, p. 10. {CME 46.2}

A mind that is connected to the things of God, filled with the truths of scripture, and responsive to the Holy Spirit will be enabled to develop a godly character. (partake of the divine nature) and shine forth the glory of God.

And yes -- that is walking with God, as Enoch walked with God., not looking inside and thinking our minds are now omnipotent. It is ALWAYS reaching out to GOD and inviting Him into our lives.


Yes, we are to be LIVING STONES in the temple of God, but this does NOT replace the truths of the heavenly sanctuary, and our heavenly High Priest's work there -- without the work in the heavenly sanctuary there would be no human "living stones" in the temple (God's church) in which Christ is the corner Stone.

Wow

I guess God should have consulted you before He revealed the Scriptures to the Gospel writers. None of what you say negates any of the Scripture I have quoted.

Just a little fact which you are not aware of concerning Pantheism, It taught that God was in every man, without repentance & conversion, thus the point you promote to justify your rejection of these Scriptures is without merit or truth. If you would just consult the Holy Spirit, He would lead you into all truth. You see all Scripture is truth, not just some of it. You cannot use Scripture to deny Scripture, although that is what you are doing, it is a bogus argument and any with the Spirit would readily recognize it.

You see to be an expositor of Scripture, you must accept & believe all of it, for that is what the Holy Spirit does, He leads into all truth, not just some of it. When one denies any truth of Scripture, they deny Christ who is the truth. To teach a Christ who is not all truth, but just some of the truth, is to preach a "false Christ".

None of the human wisdom you have presented so far would convince any true believers of your perspective, for that is just what it is. It will only confirm those who already agree with you to reject truth. You see we are being judged on our acceptance or rejection of truth, which God sees as a reception or rejection of Christ. Every one here is being judged on what they do with the truth.

Here is another Scripture to confuse you further":

1Cor 2:12? Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.?
2:13? Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.?
2:14? But the natural man (unconverted by the Omega) receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.?
2:15? But he that is spiritual judges (discerns) all things, yet he himself is judged of no man (who is not converted).?
2:16? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.?

I realize that most of the things I share, most have never heard of them for the "Omega" never teaches them. You will never see them in the Sabbath School quarterly, or any Official church publications, for they expose the "Omega" for just what it is, the last apostasy prior to the return of Christ.

Pilgrim

Here"s another Scripture for you to reject:

Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might (that would be omnipotent power for it is His power) by his Spirit in the inner man; (which would be the heart which is inside us) 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 May be able to comprehend? the breadth, length, depth, and height; 3:19 And know (as to possess) the love of Christ (which is in us), which passes knowledge (cannot be known by those church members who have not the spirit of Christ dwelling within), that you might be filled with all the fullness of God (filled with Christ who is all the fullness of God). 3:20 Now to him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power (of the indwelling Christ) that works in us, (not outside of us)

It would seem that you just do not understand the abundance of His power, which I fully understand why you do not.

Pilgrim

The line of truth lies close to error.
Scripture can be twisted into error when it is not comparing scripture to scripture.

Pantheism is ERROR no matter if the person has previously come to Christ in repentance or not.
Justifying pantheism, (God in us, looking inside to find god) because one has at some point repented of sin, does NOT excuse the grave error of Pantheism. Waggoner drifted into pantheism after being a strong witness for God.

Salvation is by reaching out to Christ, yes, in repentance and turning from sin, accepting His forgiveness, His pardon, and inviting Him into every aspect of our lives. It is surrendering to HIS will, but it is not a "takeover" of the will. It is NOT merging into godhood. It's placing our will, under His will. "Not my will, but thine be done".

A person's thoughts are not thoughts that God's mind (which supposedly is now in them) is thinking inside them. That's making the expression too literal.
Though our thoughts are to be gleaned from study and prayer and communion with God. The more we KNOW God personally from searching scripture and prayer, and seeing Him work in our lives, the more our minds are changed to reflect on the things of God.

Christ wants to CHANGE us --
He died to justify us (forgive the repentant sinner of our sins and give us a clean slate to live for Him)
He also wants to sanctify us -- wants to change our characters, our thoughts, our desires, our actions. He doesn't control us, taking over our minds and emotions -
He calls us -- woos us, He wants US to fill our minds with thoughts of Him and truth, though Bible reading, study and prayer. The Holy Spirit (if we respond) can help us bring scripture to mind, to see them in deeper meaning, and see ever new truths in the Word and nature etc. , He speaks to our minds, and the more we listen the more He can empower us- His will for us is to respond to Him freely.
He doesn't want to turn us into robots.

2 Peter 1:3-11

3 His divine power (Yes it is HIS power) has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, How? through the knowledge of him who called us In John 17:3 it says "TO KNOW HIM is life eternal." to intimately know HIM,
For those who respond, God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. All of this is available to us when we came to know God (through faith in Christ). knowing God, the source of all life, is the only path to being fully equipped to live as God calls us to live.
And He has called us to his own glory and excellence,
Jesus sets the standard for what is good and glorious, and calls for us to follow/ He fully equips us to make the journey. But we have a choice about whether or not we'll really use those spiritual tools. This requires effort on our part. The "equipping" comes in the form of promises.

4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature.
Promises that lead us to escape (escape by repentance, turning to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing, and growing the fruits of a godly nature)

5 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith the faith that KNOWS God, responds by making an effort to supplement the faith with virtue, moral excellence and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
God gives all the resources, yet we must chose and claim the promises and make an effort. The greatest effort however is TO KNOW JESUS, to intimately know Him. These ALL flow as we come into a vital Knowing (relationship) of our Lord Jesus Christ
8 For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The biggest 2 letter word in the Bible ?IF?, it's not a magic take over, we are morally responsible beings. But again that ineffectiveness stems from not really living in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
We must remember that we are bought with a price, we are His cherished treasure, and when we KNOW HIM all He has done and is doing we can see beyond the present into eternal realities.
10 Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; Again the word IF -- If we keep ourselves in that intimate relationship with Christ, KNOWING about Him. and KNOW Him in personal daily fellowship of study and prayer it will keep us from falling.
11 so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

IN OUR HEART

Of course the word "heart" does not refer to the literal organ. It refers to our love or desires.
Non spiritual expressions often refer to "heart" in connection with love and desire. Two people fall in love and say "He has my heart" They may part for a season assuring each other that "I will keep you in my heart". ETC.
When true love is shared by two people, it CHANGES them! Their thoughts are constantly about each other, they WANT to do things that please the other. They'll give up things in order to make the other happy.

When we say Jesus is in our hearts -- that's what happens in a greater way. It is LOVE for HIM, and for His ways, that is in us. It is desire for Him and righteousness that is in us. And the more we get to know HIM, the more we love Him and want to please Him and be happy WITH Him, and be more and more like HIM.
And this results by KNOWING Him.

LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU
When we read the whole passage in PHil. 2, we find that this doesn't mean Christ takes over our minds, but rather as we get to know Christ and what HE DID,our minds need to change to think of things more and more like He thinks -- we are being urged to THINK like Him.
The more we KNOW Him the more we will think like HIM!

The power of God isn't forced on us, it doesn't "take over" God doesn't wrest the controls from us,
It isn't like one preacher's parable of a car driving down the freeway and a big freight truck comes right at him -- so the driver jumps in the back seat and asks Jesus to take the wheel. No, Jesus doesn't take the wheel when we give our lives to Him, instead He puts His arm around us and tells us which way to steer.
I physically experienced this in my car many years ago, when an RV pulled right across in front of me. I thought it was curtains for me. But a voice shouted "turn sharp right", then "straighten the wheel"," turn sharp left". I obeyed, and found myself safe on the road on the other side -- There was no one else in the car. The voice did NOT come from inside me, the way of escape didn't even seem possible to me. It confirmed God's presence to me.
He does change us from inside out, when we invite him into our lives. Without Him we can't do anything.

As we get to KNOW Him, we are changed, the things of the carnal nature (carnal character) are put "to death" through the working of the Holy Spirit who brings all these truths to our minds, and the things of the divine nature (character) take their place.

JOHN 5:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
15:2 Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every [branch] that bears fruit, he prunes it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
15:3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, you [are] the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.
15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you.
15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples.
15:9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love.



Notice -- we abide IN Him (but we are not literally in Him) we are to be connected to Him, receiving from Him, in communication, drawing from, clinging to...

A great sermon on dwelling with Christ, which is to be in a very close, connected, sanctifying relationship with our Lord and Savior, which changes us and produces fruit.
(WITHOUT the "god inside us" slip into new age)

The power of Abiding, by Doug Batchlor

Yes, the sap that is in him, that would be His very nature flows through us, that would be in us, It cant flow through us unless it is in us. If we are connected to Him, with his very nature flowing in and through us, then we are joined to Him, and one with Him.

Time for more human reasoning.

Yes, that is human reasoning, adding one's words and how they understand it--
I see your reasoning as leading into the "new age" type of thinking. That is what Waggoner did as he drifted into "pantheism".
There is a fine line in the terminology, but the difference is huge.

The "sap" is spiritual life giving power, not a character.
"The sap of the vine, ascending from the root, is diffused to the branches, sustaining growth and producing blossoms and fruit. So the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Saviour, pervades the soul. AA 284

1. The true -- we always depend and seek after Christ HIS WORD, knowing it is NOT us. Never depending on self and looking inside for the power and strength. Knowing we must "abide" stay connected, seek after, a PERSON that is NOT us. He gives the power and the strength when we are connected to Him.

2. The counterfeit believes Christ is inside, thus seeks Christ inside and thinks they have all power, and all strength within themselves.

Just a study on 1 Corinthians 2:10-16

2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
God has revealed things to us, that is to the ones searching for His truth.
It is the Holy Spirit that reveals them, for the Holy Spirit searches, that is, understands, all the deep things of God. He knows the deep things of God and reveals them to the ones searching for His truth.

God and the Holy Spirit are far above anything or anyone that shares their understanding of truth.
As Isaiah writes in Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

2:11 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God

To help us understand what he is saying, Paul points us to a human comparison. Your own spirit (that is your thoughts, feelings, emotions, motives, of the real you, etc) no other human really knows or understand. You alone, among humans know what is going on in your heart and mind.
An inadequate comparison -- yet the point made is that only the HOLY SPIRIT knows the deep things of God.
Through the Holy Spirit God reveals --

2:12? Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.?
How did "we" the apostles, get the divine truth which they proclaimed and wrote in what is now our scriptures?
Not from the "spirit" of the world. What spirit animates and hugely influences the whole world?
Ephesians 2:2 "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience"?

It is the HOLY Spirit that reveals the deep things of God. Divine Truth is received from the Holy Spirit who knows all the deep things of God and Who is called "the Spirit of truth".

2:13? Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
2:14? But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.?

Again we see that the Holy Spirit TEACHES.
Paul is not depending on human wisdom, he is depending upon the Holy Spirit Who brings truths to his mind to compare spiritual truths with spiritual truth, to lead him into truth.

Notice also that there are at least three different "spirit" references.
1. The Holy Spirit, who has full knowledge of all the deep things of God.
2. The spirit of this world, mainly satan's kingdom of self centered living.
3. The spirit of man -- which both the Spirit of God and the spirit of the world are seeking to draw. It's the battle for our minds and hearts. The spirit of man naturally responds to the spirit of this world, but when he, with his spirit (his heart and mind) in response to the Holy Spirit, seeks after God, the Holy Spirit reveals, teaches etc. the things of God -- deeper and deeper.
The natural man, whose spirit is comfortable responding to the spirit of this world, and refuses to respond to the Holy Spirit, sees the things of God as foolishness (they don't support the selfish drive that is the key ingredient in the "spirit of the world".

2:15? But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man
The spiritual man, is the one who is responding to the Holy Spirit, and now can investigate and value things. Testing things to see if it is truth. Through scripture (which was inspired by the Holy Spirit) and through dependence upon the Holy Spirit, the spiritual person searches for truth, and sorts out false teachings and movements from true..
Connected to the Holy Spirit, they begin to correctly discern God's will.

However, they will not be understood correctly by others.
Thus we read in Col. 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in what you eat or drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath day

No ruling power that would compel man to obey the dictates of the finite mind should be exercised.

2:16? For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.?

Who knows the mind of God? We need to go back to verse 10 (at the beginning of this post) for the answer.
"the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." It's not us that knows the deep things of God, we only know what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us and us to understand -- it is not yet perfect understanding, for even in eternity we will be learning more about the deep things of God. The things of God are much higher than our finite minds can grasp.
We constantly need to realize this so that the Holy Spirit may instruct us further. We are to have the "mind of Christ" -- Philippians 2 tells us what it means. "Have this mind in you which was also in Christ"
For He who was God in the highest sense, became human and placed Himself as a humble learner under God the Father, was lead by the Holy Spirit, and humbled Himself even unto death.