[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ!

Scriptures are my highest written authority, so I'm going to quote them for anyone who wants to see what the Bible says. :)

Indeed. The words of God are spirit and life. The words of men are neither spirit nor life.

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

But only those who have the Father's gift of "ears to hear" can receive them.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: - John 10:27

Why do ye not understand my speech? [even] because ye cannot hear my word. – John 8:43

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. – John 6:65

The Spiritual man receives the words of God, the natural man cannot.

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.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

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. - I Corinthians 2:12-14

For that reason, when I repeat the words of God and get a blank stare - or an argument that they are not the words of God but of men - then I know it is time to move along, there is nothing more to be done.

And conversely, when I repeat the words of God and get a "tell me more" or "and it also says" or "but what about" or some other Spiritual connection, then I know it is fertile ground and we all stand to benefit from sharing the words of God.

The power of God is Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. The fruit is always His, never ours. Without Him, we can do nothing.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. - I Corinthians 1:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. – John 15:5

To God be the glory, not man, never man!

[Dr. Eckleburg]

The words of God are spirit and life. The words of men are neither spirit nor life.

AMEN!

From the excellent earlier thread...

THE CERTAINTY OF THE WRITTEN WORD OF TRUTH

"...The Holy Spirit Himself is given to the believer so that by prayer and diligent comparative study, knowledge of the Gospel and the will of God is made plain to him. It is this means alone, comparing Scripture with Scripture under the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit, that safeguards the renewed reader from the danger of imaginative self-centered mystical deceit and the errors propagated by religious fanaticism and cultic heresies. Natural men, those not made alive by the Holy Spirit and indwelt by Him, have only their darkened understandings to guide them..."

[Forest Keeper]

The words of God are spirit and life. The words of men are neither spirit nor life. ...... But only those who have the Father's gift of "ears to hear" can receive them. ...... The Spiritual man receives the words of God, the natural man cannot.

AMEN, AG, well said. These are excellent lessons to remember whenever we defend the scriptures. And speaking of scriptures, thank you for posting so many of them, always on point. :)