Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things"
2Ti 2:7.

Monday, November 24, 2025

That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil

 

2Timothy 2
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

If God peradventure will give them repentance...
To whom does the pronoun 'them' refer:
- careless and foolish children of God, or
- those that are still dead in trespasses and sin?

(peradventure: an adverb, archaic: PERHAPS, POSSIBLY)

1. Who are those who oppose themselves?

2. In what ways do they oppose themselves?

3. Who are they that are taken captive by the devil at his will?

4. Who are they that may RECOVER themselves out of the snare of the devil?

5. How are they to recover themselves from the snare of the devil?

6. Are those still dead in trespasses and sins capable of being instructed concerning spiritual things?

7. What do you think of the idea of God giving repentance to them that are still dead in trespasses and sins?  What good will it do?

Please give some answers and the reasons for them. Thanks.

BE CAREFUL - God's own children may be foolishly OPPOSING THEMSELVES!

Please give some answers and the reasons for them. Thanks.
--------

Troy Thomas
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10

I cannot manufacture godly sorrow, but I can pray that God would grant me godly sorrow. However, this may bring on tribulation. I must learn to be comforted by HIS rod and staff. 

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
The verb translated "oppose" is a present participle in the middle voice which can have a reflexive sense in Greek, but used reflexively the subject may be understood to be acting on or for himself, and the latter seems to be a much more reasonable translation. It's in the accusative, answering the question of whom is to be instructed. Those who are opposing (the truth) are to be instructed.

YLT: in meekness instructing those opposing

What they are opposing is the correct handling of the Word of truth. We can gently instruct, but it is God who must give repentance. Our instruction is just the means by which he grants it. The people he is referring to are people ensnared by the Devil, doing his will and lacking a knowledge of the truth.

2Th_2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Since salvation is through the belief of the truth as in 2 Th 2:13. it would seem that the people referred to in Timothy do not possess this faith, although they may have professed it at some earlier point.

The word translated "RECOVER" basically means to sober up, and does not necessitate that they had ever been sober in the first place.

Sing
Daniel, it's the same problem again: you are incapable of distinguishing the eternal salvation given freely to sinners dead in trespasses and sins, and the temporal salvation experienced by such through believing the gospel truth.

There is NO need to go through the same thing again. I have no time for that.

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
If I'm unwelcome to give answers to questions you post, please just say so and I will not do so. If I am free to comment, please feel free not to respond to my comments. I also don't want to get into the same merry-go-round all over again.

Whilst there surely are different aspects of Salvation they need to be demonstrated contextually and exegetically from the text, not imposed on it. The Greek must also take precedence over the English in the KJV. Making points from the English word "RECOVER" should only be accepted if the Greek word possesses the same kind of assumption as the English, which, in this case, it does not.

Not having a capacity for a distinction and not being persuaded it by it are very different things. I'm very capable of distinguishing the concepts you propose, I just don't see any logical or exegetical necessity of doing so, as well as seeing a whole bunch of exegetical issues if we were to do so, which is why I asked you of the exegesis of certain texts which you haven't provided me with yet.

Exegetically, we have a decree unto salvation, we have the purchasing of the salvation (redemption), we have the timely application of the different aspects of the salvation that was (or would be in the case of OT saints) purchased (regeneration, illumination, justification, adoption, sanctification), culminating in the resurrection and our final glorification.

There is no reason to think that what is given is not experienced at the same time it is given and plenty that it is. Christ's righteousness was acquired FOR us, before we believed, but it was not given (imputed) TO us, before we received it by faith.

Ante Zivkovic
Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie, it's another pointless debate. Your Greek exegesis dismisses context. You don't know Greek, so don't lecture on how a word should be translated. Context is the church and Christians. Your exegesis is in contradiction to 1 Corinthians 1:18. Your assumption is that the Bible is not written only to the saved. You do not instruct those who think of the cross as foolishness.

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Ante Zivkovic, my knowledge of Greek or lack thereof is irrelevant to the truthfulness of my statement. Yes, the context is the church and false teachers within the church. They are not to be regarded as true possessors of faith.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

My exegesis is not in contradiction with 1 Cor 1:18. You do not understand neither Greek nor English tenses and how they are used. Unlike the English perfect, which indicates a completed past action, the Greek perfect tense indicates the continuation and present state of a completed past action. The participles in 1 Cor 1:18 are in the present tense, not the perfect tense. In Greek, the present tense, especially in the indicative mood denotes actions taking place or going on in the present time.

Sing
Daniel @ "Exegetically, we have a decree unto salvation, we have the purchasing of the salvation (redemption), we have the timely application of the different aspects of the salvation that was (or would be in the case of OT saints) purchased (regeneration, illumination, justification, adoption, sanctification), culminating in the resurrection and our final glorification.

There is no reason to think that what is given is not experienced at the same time it is given and plenty that it is. Christ's righteousness was acquired FOR us, before we believed, but it was not given (imputed) TO us, before we received it by faith.

=====================

There is enough agreement stated above:
You agree that there are indeed distinct aspects of salvation:
a. Eternal salvation DECREED for ALL the elect,
b. Eternal salvation ACCOMPLISHED for ALL the elect,
c. Eternal salvation APPLIED to EACH elect, who is in his native state of sin and condemnation and death, at God's own appointed and accepted time,
d. Eternal salvation EXPERIENCED by EACH elect who is called out by the gospel.
e. Eternal salvation CONSUMMATED for ALL the elect at glorification.

I will keep (c) and (d) distinct and separate, because even though eternal salvation is applied to each and every elect of God, yet NOT every one to whom it is applied FREELY will be brought to experience that salvation through a saving knowledge of that salvation by the gospel ministry.

Not every child conceived and born into this world grows up to have an experiential knowledge of their parental love.

You insist that (c) and (d) be fused together.

You entertain a fable that those who do NOT HAVE the righteousness of Jesus Christ (just what is the spiritual state of a man WITHOUT the righteousness of Jesus Christ, maybe, you may like to tell us!) are already regenerated, and are capable of spiritual activity like believing. Or you have a perverse IDEA that a regenerated man does not ALREADY have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him; or a perverse idea that a regenerated man is not yet SAVED by God but needs his act of believing in order to receive that salvation.

The solution to all your perverse fables is simply to recognise that though the eternal salvation is APPLIED freely, believing the truth of that salvation is needed to experience it; believing the truth of that salvation IS NOT to obtain that salvation, believing the truth of that salvation is not in order to have the righteousness of Christ imputed to you.

In other words, you entertain the stupid idea that EVERY CHILD born will also grow up to have a conscious knowledge and experience of parents' love.

The CRUX is stated here:

"There is no reason to think that what is given is not experienced at the same time it is given and plenty that it is."

No, you are INCAPABLE of reasoning. If you are, there is EVERY REASON, to keep the two distinct and separate. The Scriptures are full of concrete examples that the two are distinct.

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Yet, none of the examples of Scripture you give a remotely convincing to me, as are none of the answers you give to my objections.

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Sing @ "I will keep (c) and (d) distinct and separate, because even though eternal salvation is applied to each and every elect of God, yet NOT every one to whom it is applied FREELY will be brought to experience that salvation through a saving knowledge of that salvation by the gospel ministry. "

Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me SHALL COME TO ME; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Sing 
Do you even understand this Scripture?
Kindly peruse this article, "
The Two Comings to Christ!"
Here: 
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-two-comings-to-christ.html

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Sing, your traditions blind you to your eisegesis.

Sing
Daniel: So, why waste time here interacting with a man blinded by traditions?

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Why waste your time with me? I'm happy to comment even if you don't respond. If I'm unwelcome to comment, I will not.

Sing
Because you come to my page and shit here! Where is your manner, sir? You are shameless... I said that you are wasting time here, but you persist in hanging around and littering here.

Do you notice, I don't go to your page and litter around?

Where are your manners, sir?

Daniel-Kenneth Mackenzie
Sing. if that is what I did may the Lord deal severely with me. If you are the one judging falsely may the Lord grant you repentance leading to the truth.

Sing
May the Lord have mercy upon you and open your eyes.
So, begone now. And good-bye.