Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Before I was born again, I thought humans were good. Some humans just hadn't learned to be good but when they were taught they could be good. This is what I thought before I was born again.
After I was born again, God began teaching me about the natural man and the sin nature of man and I saw there is no good until we are born again.
Man operates by his own flesh ... and by his own view of what is good ...
Gal. 5 tells us what the works of the flesh are ... 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
And in Gal. 5 we read about the fruit of the Spirit ... but we do not have the Spirit of God unless we are born again.
And even now, being born again, I don't know what is "good" unless God shows me what to do and when God is leading me I know that is "good" in the sight of God although often it doesn't look good to man.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
A few years ago, when I played bridge, one of my partners at Bridge Center said this to me: "You're really nicer than you seem to be." (I laughed.)
I didn't seem to be nice at all for I was usually not praising man like they were.
I Cor. 15 ... 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
So the first man is the natural man born of man with the sin nature of man.
The second man is the spiritual man born of the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice of Jesus which paid for our sin with HIS body and HIS blood.
The first man is of the flesh and does the works of the flesh by nature of man.
The reborn man, the second man, is born again as a new creature and is therefore able to deny HIS own flesh and operate in the Spirit of God which is now in him, thereby serving God rather than serving his own flesh as he once did.
And we are saved by grace, not by our works. Righteous works done by us can never save us.
I was baptized in water. I was not born again by my action. Later in life, God spoke to me about sin and I was born again. I was not saved by my works. I was saved by the will of God who revealed HIMSELF to me. Then I was changed. And since that time, I have been continually recreated in the image of God as I have gone through various trials of this life and God has shown me the way to go in the trial and I have chosen to go that way, setting aside my own preference often. But first I was born again by grace, by HIS will for me.
Romans 9 ... 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Jn. 3 ... Jesus said ... Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
I have blind people all around me who cannot see because they are not born again. Some have joined churches but they cannot see things of God because they are not born again.
So unless you are born again you cannot see things of God.