The will, and the free will.
WILL
Perhaps see earlier section: SPIRIT & SOUL for background. In a non-Christian: genes culture education upbringing environment circumstances influences from people temptations from demons encouragements from God all feed into your soul. So your soul acts. 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 But it’s only your soul that acts. Your heart/spirit does not act.
soul heart/spirit mind emotions output line is thick because of the emotions
This is the will in action: It’s what advertisers, businessmen, politicians, etc, predict & manipulate. The will forms slowly, with experience.
Even neurologically complex animals each have a will. , , Perhaps see earlier sections: , , ANIMALS ,,, , , and: , , REACTING AND RESPONDING. ,,, Even an artificial intelligence has a will. (It seems like a free will. But, actually, it’s a will because it’s subject to the programmer’s free will.) , , Perhaps see seventh to ninth cell (starting To have to ‘lobotomise’) , , of earlier section: SELF-TEACHING COMPUTERS , , and the link within them. , , (This link does not open a new tab.)
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FREE WILL
If you’re bothered about the word ‘aliens’ in the next paragraph then see second cell (starting I reckon that God deliberately designed) of earlier section: WE ARE BETTER EQUIPPED NOW TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH. Beings (i.e. God, angels, demons, humans, aliens) each have: a will and a free will.
In a non-Christian:
world – and: God’s absence –							activates dampens	– will – free will.
In a renewed-mind Christian:
world – and: God’s presence – but: free will –							activates activates overrides	– will – free will, – will.
					Hence: John c8 v36: If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. KJV
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Inside a renewed-mind Christian: You (i.e. your heart/spirit) and: God’s Spirit inside you: are both right, both agree on everything, both say what they both want to say, both do what they both want to do, both fully express themselves – through your soul.
soul heart/spirit mind emotions output line is thick because of the emotions
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The will forms slowly, with experience. But free will comes into existence as soon as we decide whether to eventually become completely constructive or completely destructive: I write as soon as we make that decision because making that decision then gives a bias to every other moral decision.
Conversely, if that big decision could be affected by anything we know: then God would have made something that we then all know about or would have told us all something that we then all know, all in order to cause all of us to decide to eventually become completely constructive. But he didn’t: so the big decision cannot be affected by anything we know so we must make the big decision before we know anything so the big decision: must happen immediately before, or be part of, the first moral decision we make.
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YOU INHERIT THE QUALITIES BUT NOT THE PREVIOUS CHANGES
The changes a person makes in themselves show in their own life but not in subsequent generations. The qualities you get: are genetic, you pass them on. The changes you make to them: are not genetic, you do not pass them on.
Genetic qualities: Usually don’t have much rightness or wrongness about them. You pass them on to the next generation. Virtues or vices: Are the changes we make to those genetic qualities. You do not pass them on to the next generation.
Hence someone may inherit: Their father’s hastiness. But not his spontaneous generosity. Their father’s hastiness. But not his sudden anger. Their mother’s quietness. But not her callous plotting. Their mother’s quietness. But not her serving attitude. Only qualities like hastiness & quietness get inherited. Not the virtues or vices we make of them.
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				CHANGES A BELIEVER MAKES IN THEMSELVES
				Jesus died for everyone. But believing that he died for everyone makes you want to do right, and not wrong, out of gratitude: , , , , As compared to: obedience, duty, social acceptance, guilt, law, force, etc. , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: WHY CHRISTIANS AVOID SINNING: , , , , and , , , , the section after it: HOW CHRISTIANS AVOID SINNING. and out of a renewed mind: , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: WHAT IS A RENEWED MIND? , , , , and , , , , immediately after it: DOING MIRACLES , , , , and: , , , , immediately after that: WHAT IS A RENEWED MIND: SOME DETAILS , , , , and , , , , earlier section: YOU MUST RENEW YOUR MIND , , , , and , , , , earlier section: HOW TO RENEW YOUR MIND , , , , and , , , , immediately after it: HOW TO RENEW YOUR MIND: SOME DETAILS , , , , , and , , , , earlier section: PRAYING & FASTING. Believing that Jesus died for everyone: also makes your primary relationship – with God, your secondary relationships – with people. Believing that Jesus died for everyone: also makes your sin consciousness disappear, though not your wrong consciousness. , , , , See earlier section: , , , , THE CONVERSE DEFINITION OF A CHRISTIAN , , , , See section in webpage after this one: , , , , SIN CONSCIOUSNESS. , , , Hence you become a new creature. See: 2 Cor c5 v17 Gal c6 v15.,,
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				Perhaps see: YouTube: – The best description of the Gospel – Dan Mohler, , , , and: YouTube: – What believing the gospel really means - Dan Mohler, , , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: SINS NO LONGER EXIST to understand the difference between: Wommack & Mohler, and Hemans.
				Perhaps see: One of Andrew Wommack’s TV programmes on spirit, soul & body. (link repeated from earlier).
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FEAR & AGAPE LOVE
For various reasons, God has had to do many unloving things. Perhaps see earlier webpage: The good & bad that God does.,,, But, actually, his heart towards us is one of love. Perhaps see earlier section: IN JESUS, THE FATHER REVEALS HIS HEART TO US. ,,, And it’s an unconditional, self-sacrificial, love called agape love. If you are a believer, who has renewed their mind: Then you love others with agape love. Also, God’s Spirit, who is inside you, Rom c8 v9, ,,, loves you, and others through you, with agape love.
Your agape love is not: Mere human love. A mere emotion amongst the other emotions. The will in action. Your agape love is: Your heart/spirit having renewed your mind with agape love that’s now throughout your mind. Free will in action. , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , DO THE EMOTIONS NEED RENEWING? , , , ,
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Fear may stop your mere natural, human, love. But fear does not stop your agape love. On the contrary: your agape love stops fear: 1 John c4 v18: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. KJV ,, ,, In the above Bible verse ,, ,, all three instances of the word love, ,, ,, are, in the original Greek, agape. ,, ,, Perhaps see: ,, ,, Interlinear Bible, showing the original Greek: 1 John c4 v18, ,,,,, ,, ,, and: ,, ,, Encyclopaedia Britannica’s definition of the word 'agape'. ,,,,,
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Technically speaking: It’s not: fear – stops – miracles. It’s: belief – causes – miracles &: belief – stops – fear, in detail: belief – causes – love & power – causes – miracles &: belief – causes – love & power – which stops – fear.
This assumes the believer has renewed their mind.
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		TO OUR HEARTS/SPIRITS – JESUS GAVE FREEDOM. TO OUR SOULS – JESUS GAVE REST.
		By getting God’s Spirit into us Jesus gave freedom, from the world, to our hearts/spirits. Our minds control our souls. But our hearts/spirits renew our minds. Hence our hearts/spirits take away, from the world, its control of our souls. Matt c6 v33 (Luke c12 v31): But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. KJV John c8 v36: (John c8 v32): If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. KJV John c14 v27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. KJV Gal c6 v14: [Paul wrote] The world means nothing to me. my abbn
		By getting God’s Spirit into us Jesus gave rest, from the world, to our souls. Our minds control our souls. But our hearts/spirits renew our minds. Hence our hearts/spirits take away, from the world, its control of our souls. Matt c11 v28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. KJV , , A yoke is the collar on a beast of burden (horse, ox) , , which is connected to the burden (cart, plough). Heb c4 v9-11: Let us rest from our earthly effort (which is hard) and do God’s work (which is easy). my abbreviation , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , SOME OLD COVENANT LAWS SERVE AS SIGNS, SHADOWS, , , OF THE NEW COVENANT. , , ,
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	GOD’S FREE WILL & OUR FREE WILL
	GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY
	I wrote this section particularly for the readers of the New International Version Bible. See earlier section: WHICH VERSION OF THE BIBLE TO USE. Before this Church Age: God was much like some of the kings & queens of old. Benevolent to his own nation, Israel, but decisively brutal to those that threatened it since only decisively brutal seemed to work. Exercising justice within his own nation, but it was often a harsh justice since only a harsh justice seemed to work. But during this Church Age: God is entirely loving, and a king to everyone, not only to the Jews. , , Perhaps see: , , YouTube: – Bill Johnson || DECEMBER 11, 2017 - , , What Jesus Accomplished Now || Teaching Truth. , , From: 37m 15s to: 47m 30s is particularly pithy. , , Perhaps also see earlier section: , , GOD DOES NOT CHANGE BUT HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH US CHANGES , , and earlier webpage: , , The Church Age , , and earlier section: , , IN JESUS, THE FATHER REVEALS HIS HEART TO US, , .
	But is God your loving king? Do you subject yourself to him? Can he do anything through you? During this Church Age: God no longer acts by himself or, perhaps, with people. , , , , As he did in the Old Testament and in the four gospels. God acts through people, principally through believers. Jesus is the head, believers are the body: Col c2 v9-10: For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: KJV Eph c1 v19-23 & 1 Cor c12 – c14 combined: Jesus is now the head. And you, the church, are now the body. Hence you, like Jesus, have been given the Spirit so that you too can have the gifts of the Spirit including doing miracles. my abbn , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: CONTINUING THE SON’S WORK.
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	God’s sovereignty is: God being more powerful than anyone else. But, unlike us: God doesn’t necessarily use that power. God can do anything. But he doesn’t necessarily do anything. We want to do more things than we can do. Our tightest limit is what we can do. God can do more things than he wants to do. His tightest limit is what he wants to do. (Hence I often use the word want, for God, as one would use the word can, for a human.)
	God’s sovereignty is also: God being more intelligent than anyone else, and: God knowing more than anyone else, having the greatest database (even past & future). Hence each being has a free will. Yet God can, and does, often get us to do his free will. For example: God designed the universe so that Satan would encourage people to crucify Jesus (if you hate something you attack it, destroy it). , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , , IN WHAT WAYS DID GOD MAKE THE UNIVERSE SECOND CLASS? , , , , and perhaps see earlier section: , , , , WHY WAS JESUS EXECUTED? Only after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection did Satan realise that God’s kingdom, ways, plan, was counterintuitive, opposite to the world, etc, and that he’d actually helped God. So, God had got Satan to do what he, God, wanted even though Satan had retained his own free will throughout. , , , , See item 2) , , , , of earlier section: , , , , HOW DO DEMONS SEE THE FUTURE? , , , , .
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	Hence, likewise, in your life, God can, and does, turn the victories of: nature (perhaps see earlier webpage: The design of everything) and the world, the flesh, & the devil (demons), into the victories of: God & believers Rom c8 v28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. KJV For God: o Sees the future better than demons do. Perhaps see earlier webpage: Time travel occurs in Heaven. o Is much more able than demons. , , Perhaps see earlier section: GOD: THE CONSIDERATE DELEGATOR. Indeed, God weaves his activities into demons’ activities: uses demon’s activities, and our failures, in conjunction with his own activities. Or, as Wommack says: “God is like a master chess player.” , , See earlier section: PATHS & DETOURS. ,,,,,
	So, bad things were never given to you by God. , , See earlier section: , , SO, WHERE DO TODAY’S BAD THINGS COME FROM?. ,,,,, , , and its subsections. God wants to correct bad things or may wants to use those bad things, for good. , , See earlier section: , , GOD IS ALWAYS CONSTRUCTIVE IN THE LONG RUN. ,,,,,
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	All this makes sense only if you see that God does not run this place: God gave this place to us. But we then we gave it to Satan. , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , , THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN,,,,, , , , , and third cell , , , , of earlier section: , , , , THE KINGDOM OF THE WORLD & THE KINGDOM OF DEMONS. ,,,,, Hence this is enemy territory. , , , , Perhaps see whole of earlier section: , , , , THE KINGDOM OF THE WORLD & THE KINGDOM OF DEMONS. ,,,,, John c18 v36 (John c8 v23): Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world … ctd KJV The Earth is God’s, the planet is God’s, nature is God’s. But the world is not God’s. The world is Satan’s. The world is enemy territory and God has to invade it to be in it. Hence God is on a rescue mission. , , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , , WE ARE BETTER EQUIPPED NOW TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH. Hence God, Father Son & Spirit, is automatically undercover. , , , , See earlier section: , , , , WHAT’S WRONG WITH A VISIBLE SOLUTION? See: C.S. Lewis: Enemy-occupied territory. ,,, All this becomes obvious when you consider the resistance that Jesus met.
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	God the Father first designed matter, then created matter, then made us out of matter. Perhaps see first half of earlier webpage: Making the universe. So, God is the overall planner.
	But, God is not controlling everyone: For example, God chooses us but only like Jesus chose his twelve disciples: Independently of Jesus choosing his twelve disciples, eleven of them chose Jesus, one chose Satan. God foresaw that Judas would choose Satan. Zech c11 v12-13 God knew it when Judas was choosing Satan. But God did not make Judas choose Satan. , , Perhaps see earlier webpage: We choose where we go., , , , , ,
	We make the, spiritually intuitive, choice – to believe. And, from then on, God guides us. Perhaps again see earlier section: PATHS & DETOURS. God the Father didn’t automatically tell Jesus everything. He didn’t tell Jesus, in advance, that there’d be no fruit on the fig tree. Matt c21 v17-22 Mark c11 v11-25 He didn’t tell Jesus who it was, in the crowd, who had touched him. Mark c5 v25-34 Matt c9 v20-22 God only told Jesus what he wanted him to know at that time. And we should expect the same treatment.
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	You may argue that, in Rom c9 v1-25, Paul does say that: God is sovereign, controls everything & everyone. But I say that Paul wrote Rom c9 v1-25 because he could not see hearts/spirits. , , See earlier sections: , , THE THIRD REASON PAUL PREACHED ONLY FORGIVENESS WAS THAT HE DID NOT SEE HEARTS/SPIRITS , , and: , , SEEING HEARTS/SPIRITS , , and: , , SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTIVE & SOCIALLY DIVISIVE. This meant that: Thinking of God as completely controlling was the only way Paul could understand people’s behaviour. This was exacerbated by him: Having killed Christians. Then changing 180 degrees due to God’s intervention. More about seeing hearts/spirits in the section after next.
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	REGARDING MIRACLES, GOING TO GOD IS BEST.
Arranging things so that the sick must go to Jesus, or must go to a believer, means that there are fewer cynical, unbelieving, spectators because there are fewer spectators. This stops the patient ‘catching’ unbelief from cynical spectators. , , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , , UNBELIEF IS A BREAK IN THE CIRCUIT , , , and perhaps consider , , , earlier section: GOD’S SPIRIT GROANING. A healing service is best. , , , Though perhaps see earlier sections: , , , UNBELIEF, & LACK OF BELIEF, WITHIN THE CHURCH , , , and: , , , GREAT FAITH , , , and: , , , GOOD RELIGION & BAD RELIGION, , , , Either that, or a random public place, before a crowd of cynics gather.
Conversely, this is one reason why, when Jesus went to the equivalent of a hospital of his day, he healed only one of the many sick people there: John c5 v1-9: Jesus visited the pool of Bethesda where many sick people lay. (They were all waiting for a rare moment when the water moved, all on its own, and the first one in it got healed.) But, Jesus healed only one of them, a cripple. my abbreviation , , The last seven words of v3, and all of verse 4, are, I reckon, forged. , , So I omit them in my abbreviation. , , Perhaps see earlier section: BIBLE VERSES THAT I OMIT, , Jesus was not able to separate: the cripple (who had some unbelief) from the other patients (who had even more unbelief). Not like he was able to separate: the surrounding crowd from the synagogue ruler’s dead daughter. Mark c5 v35-43 , , , nor: the blind man of Bethsaida from the town of Bethsaida. Mark c8 v22-26. , , ,
If Jesus had physically carried the cripple out, away from the others, perhaps needing help to do so, it would’ve given the cripple the impression that Jesus could not heal him. That would have increased the cripple’s unbelief even more, perhaps putting his healing beyond reach. , , See fourth and fifth cells , , (starting Hence, if there was unbelief) , , of earlier section: UNBELIEF IS A BREAK IN THE CIRCUIT.
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GOD’S KIND OF LOVE (AGAPE LOVE) AND MERE HUMAN, NATURAL, LOVE
For various reasons, God has had to do many unloving things. Perhaps see earlier webpage: The good & bad that God does.,,, But, actually, his heart towards us is one of love. Perhaps see earlier section: IN JESUS, THE FATHER REVEALS HIS HEART TO US. ,,, And it’s an unconditional, self-sacrificial, love called agape love. If you are a believer, who has renewed their mind: Then you love others with agape love. Also, God’s Spirit, who is inside you, Rom c8 v9, ,,, loves you, and others through you, with agape love.
Your agape love is not: Mere human love. A mere emotion amongst the other emotions. The will in action. Your agape love is: Your heart/spirit having renewed your mind with agape love that’s now throughout your mind. Free will in action. , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , DO THE EMOTIONS NEED RENEWING? , , , ,
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You can have agape love even if you have no normal empathy & love. Psychopaths, for example, have no normal empathy & love in their emotions. , , See 30m 55s to 46m 30s , , of: YouTube: – Ch4, PSYCHOPATH NIGHT! [Channel 4], , , , , , , , But, if they become believers, and renew their minds, then they acquire agape love in emotions and mind.
N.B. Psychopathy & sociopathy: Are in the mind, which is in the soul, are not in the heart/spirit. So they are flesh, not spirit, temporary, not eternal, of this life, of no eternal significance. So, don’t worry if you are a psychopath or a sociopath.
Peter, before & after becoming a believer, was a psychopath. (Proof in next section.) And Saul (later named Paul), before & after becoming a believer, was, I suspect, a high-functioning sociopath. ,, , See: Acts c9 v1-2 2 Cor c9 Philemon note v18-19 , , (N.B. If Paul had been a psychopath , , he wouldn’t have written 1 Cor c13 NIV.) Hence Peter (& perhaps Paul, to a degree) before & after becoming a believer, had no normal empathy & love. Psychopaths don’t love other people. They own other people, or not, as the case may be. And those they own, they can use; life is a game you can win, and they get a dopamine kick from winning, from getting what they need & want, from others. So, when Peter became a believer and eventually renewed his mind, he made his whole mind constructive regardless of its psychopathic configuration. Indeed, with no other persons in his mind, not even God, only things, & yourself, (as is the way with psychopaths), Peter had much more focus than other Christians would. In short: agape love, throughout their minds, & therefore their emotions, more than made up for the absence of normal love & empathy that a normal person has in mind & therefore emotions.
Peter & Paul had controlling personalities before & after becoming believers. But, when they became believers and renewed their minds, Jesus’ lordship transformed their controlling into good, strong, Christian leadership.
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Empathy, which is in the mind, which is in the soul: is helpful for seeing other people’s souls but vital for seeing other people’s hearts/spirits. Empathy = continuously putting yourself in other people’s places. Continuously asking yourself: “Why do they think/feel/act the way they do?” “Would I think/feel/act that way?” “If not, why not?” though non-verbal, high-speed. Your focus continuously going to & fro: to them, to you, to them, to you, building pictures of their interiors, seeing whether they’re inside out or not: something you either see straight away or not at all. So, ironically: though empathy is in the soul, it enables a few people to see the heart/spirit. It’s a natural ability. Not a supernatural one, not miraculous, not a discerning of spirits. 1 Cor c12 v4-10,,, , , Perhaps see earlier section: , , CAN WE SEE THE HEART/SPIRIT? , , If you think you can see people’s heart’s/spirits , , then you must see earlier section: , , FOUR REASONS WHY WE SHOULDN’T TRY TO JUDGE , , OTHER PEOPLE’S HEARTS/SPIRITS. , , , ,
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Most people, by far, cannot see other people’s hearts/spirits. Peter & Paul even more so. Hence Peter & Paul (& many others I’m sure) assumed, & felt, that they could not see their own hearts/spirits either. Hence when they looked inside themselves, they thought: they were looking inwards at their hearts/spirits, when it was actually: their hearts/spirits looking outwards at their souls. , , , , See (diagrams of) , , , , first section of earlier webpage: Looking inside yourself , , , , and of , , , , earlier webpage: How God Forgave us all. Hence they concluded, wrongly, that: just as: you judging yourself ends with you hating your heart/spirit so also: God Judging you must end with God hating your heart/spirit. Blue text copied from earlier section: THE THIRD REASON PAUL PREACHED ONLY FORGIVENESS WAS THAT HE DID NOT SEE HEARTS/SPIRITS, , , ,
Hence psychopathic Peter, on first seeing God’s kindness, suddenly saw his own sin and concluded that God/Jesus had it in for him: Luke c5 v1-8: A miraculously huge catch of fish prompted Simon [i.e. Peter] to say to Jesus: “Get away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” , , [Whereas other sinners immediately warmed to Jesus’ love for them.] my abbn Consequently, Jesus later prayed against this weakness in Peter: Peter’s loveless, self-conscious, lack-of-God-conscious, state of mind. Luke c22 v31-32: And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you [disciples], that he may sift you [disciples] as wheat [i.e. relentlessly mention your faults to you] : But I have prayed for thee [Peter], that thy faith fail not: and when thou [Peter] art converted, strengthen thy brethren. KJV
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MORE ABOUT PETER, PAUL, & PSYCHOPATHY ETC
I reckon that psychopaths, & to a lesser degree sociopaths, don’t possess empathy-facilitating mental models of other people & of God. That they instead have mental lists of other people & of God. So it’s not that they don’t love other people (they don’t hate them either). It’s simply that, for them, other people don’t exist. Not as people anyway. Everyone else are things: potential possessions, working toys, that they understand the workings of but don’t personally relate to: Hence psychopaths & sociopaths like people who have a lot of buttons to press. However, God is a person too, with buttons. Hence, if psychopaths & sociopaths: have good hearts/spirits, believe, and have renewed their minds, then their faith is particularly focussed & therefore particularly powerful. See: Acts c5 v12-16 & Acts c19 v11-12. ,,,
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Psychopathic (& sociopathic) believers, if spiritually immature, try to be in control of even the way God relates to them: They insist, more than most: that they are not unconditionally loved, that they must do something, that Forgiveness is not entirely free. But, when they finally believe, in their hearts/spirits and minds, and so have the real God (i.e. God’s Spirit) in them, then their God complex can’t help but vanish. I show this change, in Peter & in Paul, in the next two cells.
Peter, before Pentecost: o Was the only disciple to walk on water. Matt c14 v29 o Angrily refused Jesus to, humanly speaking, fail. Matt c16 v22 Mark c8 v32 o Argued against Jesus washing his feet. John c13 v1-17 o Peter, though standing next to Jesus and having heard all of Jesus’ preaching on loving your enemies, tried to cut someone’s head off. Though Peter was a fisherman, he had a sword, and cut off the ear of one of those sent to arrest Jesus. He was probably aiming for the head or neck since it’s hard to cut off an ear. And the sword was sharp so Jesus’ command to stop was timely. John c18 v10-11 and Luke c22 v35-38 & v47-51 combined. o Peter led the other disciples in confessing allegiance to Jesus. Matt c26 v31-35 Mark c14 v27-31. Luke c22 v31-34 John c13 v36-38. o But later, after following Jesus to his accusers, came out with the lie that he didn’t even know Jesus, in order to save his own skin. Matt c26 v69-75 Mark c14 v54-72. Luke c22 v54-62 John c18 v15-27. Peter, after Pentecost: o Was the first to miraculously heal & preach. Acts c2 o Continued in that fashion. Mind you, Peter’s change and growth were not instant: o Acts c5 v1-11: Peter, by the power of God’s Spirit, punished Ananias & Sapphira, for lying to God, by making them drop down dead. my abbreviation , o Peter was readily sucked into legalism, ‘man pleasing’, which led to a rebuke from Paul Gal c2 v11-16 which, it seems, Peter accepted 2 Pet c3 v15-16, , , , , ,
Paul, before his Damascus road experience: o Was a destroyer of the church. 1 Cor c15 v9 Acts c22 v4 o Oversaw Stephen’s killing with satisfaction. Acts c7 v54 – c8 v1 Acts c22 v19-20 , , o, Also click on Bible references in fifth cell , , , (starting Peter, before & after becoming a believer,) , , , of previous section: , , , GOD’S KIND OF LOVE – AGAPE LOVE, AND MERE NATURAL HUMAN LOVE. , , , (This link does not open a new tab.) Paul, after his Damascus road experience: o Was (one of) the leading builder(s) of the church. o Readily suffered persecution (as promised by God Acts c9 v16) perhaps more than any other believer. 2 Cor c11 v16-33 , , , Perhaps read about Christian ‘violence’ , , , in: Wommack’s online commentary on Matt c11 v12, , , , , ,
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To conclude, the apostle Peter, being psychopathic, when he was a new Christian: was not the kind of person that most Christians today would invite round for tea. Ask him to heal your sick or raise your dead. Acts c3 v1-8 Acts c9 v32-43 But, other than that, steer him away from your home. Peter had already been changed by God’s Spirit Acts c2 – c 3 when, by the power of God’s Spirit, he killed Ananias & Sapphira. N.B. This is not the New Testament way. See first two cells of earlier section: THE CHURCH AGE.,,,, Either that, or he approved of God doing it. Acts c5 v1-10,,,,,
But, happily, Peter eventually mellowed & quietened down. Perhaps see the cell, starting For example: with the perspective, of earlier section: THE EFFECT OF THE BIBLE WRITERS ON THEIR OWN WRITING. Perhaps also see Peter’s epistles: 1 Pet c1 – c5 and 2 Pet c1 – c3. ,,, So, Peter must have gradually changed, must have managed his psychopathy. Indeed, he eventually loved people with an agape love. (His epistles are brilliant.)
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