Here was the conclusion:
The effect of the Mind/Soul choosing to allow the Holy Spirit's supernatural influence to reflect in the life of the individual is Grace, Love, and Power.
In this post, we will look at the two decisions for which the Mind/Soul is ultimately responsible.
Decision #1: The Mind/Soul chooses to open or close the nucleus basalis.
Let's look at each effect...
-CLOSE
If the Mind/Soul chooses to close the nucleus basalis, the individual can only act according to the Model for Animal Thinking:
Choosing to close your nucleus basalis is choosing to act according to the flesh.
There are two implications from this choice:
1. Possession - This is how people become demonically possessed. When we close the nucleus basalis, we allow any influence into our Unconscious Brain. In order for a person to become possessed, he would have intentionally close his nucleus basalis and state his will to open himself up to the spirit realm.
Unfortunately today, there are a lot of "mainstream Christian" churches telling people to spend time opening themselves up to the spiritual realm while trying to remain unconscious. This is a New Age practice that has its roots in Eastern Religion. For example, Transcendental Meditation is done by first creating a word that has no meaning. Then, the individual repeats this word for 20-30 minutes with their eyes closed. Notice, the Conscious Brain cannot process this word as a stimulus because it has no meaning. Repeating this "word without a meaning" results in the nucleus basalis closing and the individual spending the time Unconscious...which is the main tenet behind Eastern Religions: trying not to be conscious. Today, these techniques are being taught in "mainstream Christian" churches, but instead of a word without meaning, people are encouraged to focus on the sound of a letter in "Christian" words...for example, the "a" sound in "amen", "abba", etc. The intent is the same: become unconscious.
2. Being Led By Feelings - When a person can't explain WHY he is doing something and states he just feels it is right, the individual is most likely being led by their flesh. The Unconscious Brain works according to feelings without words. My experience is that if a person says he is being led by God (or an influence) and he is unwilling to put the influence into words, then it is most likely he is being led by his flesh. This is especially true when the individual refuses to question the influence to find out the WHY.
Notice, choosing to operate according to the Flesh makes you PREDICTABLE.
This is FATE...DETERMINISM.
Choosing to close your nucleus basalis is choosing to give up your FREE WILL.
We covered this in detail in the post titled, "Third Dimensional Sin". Here is a brief review:
Choosing to open or close the nucleus basalis is actually a choice to think (open) or not think (close).
The individual CHOOSES to consciously think or not think.
If the individual chooses to think, the RESULT is an effect of CHOICE.
If the individual chooses NOT to think, the RESULT is fate...the individual is limited.
BOTH of these RESULTS occurred in the Bible. Consequently, Determinists and people who believe in choice can BOTH support their beliefs by pointing to EFFECTS in the Bible. However, a belief is a cause...not an effect. Calvinsim is not a belief...it is an effect.
If CHOICE didn't exist at all, then people would not be responsible for their actions and the DETERMINISTS can NEVER get upset at anyone...or attempt to convince, encourage, or educate anyone. This is the Ultimate hypocrisy, which is the Ultimate Second Dimensional sin. If Calvninists are right, they still aren't going to Heaven because they are hypocrites!
If someone attempts to say some choice exists, then CHOICE must be the First Cause, because CHOICE cannot be an effect of Determinism. That is contradictory.
Ultimately, Calvinism attempts to make CHOICE as a cause cease to exist by encouraging you to choose not to believe in choice. This is First Dimensional sin (deny CHOICE as a cause) and a Second Dimensional sin (encouraging others to choose not to believe).
Actually, choosing to believe in Calvinism denies you the effects of choice...it is choosing fate.
In our dispensation, the perfect decision is to let God work through you by the Holy Spirit. The Ultimate decision is to realize you are flawed and the ONLY way to be Righteous is for YOU to choose to let God direct your actions. This is GRACE.
The Holy Spirit is untamed...unpredictable...the OPPOSITE of Deterministic.
We have seen Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit occurs when someone observes a work of the Holy Spirit and credits it to demonic forces.
The Holy Spirit is the Ultimate example of CHOICE.
Claiming someone is being controlled by the enemy is the Ultimate example of Determinism.
Ultimately, denying the ability of the Holy Spirit AND attributing this Ultimate example of CHOICE to the enemy is the worst sin...because it is ultimately a Third Dimensional sin.
The second effect of Decision #1 is...
-OPEN
If the Mind/Soul chooses to open the nucleus basalis, then the Mind/Soul is able to make Decision #2...
Decision #2: The Mind/Soul chooses the influence from within the Conscious Brain.
Let's look at each influence...
-CONSCIOUS BRAIN
If the Conscious Brain is itself the influence, then there is a possibility a stronghold from the enemy could actually be making the decision. The devil cannot put ideas into your Conscious Brain against your will. However, the devil can get ideas into your Conscious Brain through Deception (Right What with a Wrong (or no) How/Why)...through the individual choosing to allow the information from the devil into the Conscious Brain.
We studied strongholds during the Spiritual Warfare Series. Here are several posts that give more details on how strongholds are formed:
Forming Strongholds: Emotions
Forming Strongholds: Facts
Strongholds: The Flesh
-MIND/SOUL
If the Mind/Soul is itself the influence, then this is a work in our own strength. If the Mind/Soul is in pride, then the individual can believe what he is doing is right and beyond question. However, this is idolatry...putting one's self in place of God. This is easier to do than most people realize...
In Genesis 1, during the first five days of creation, God initiated His Will. There was nothing preceding God's creation for each of the first five days. On the sixth day, God created humans:
"26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food:
30 and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food: and it was so.
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day." (Genesis 1:26-31)
Notice, in verse 26 God stated "let them have dominion" and in verse 28 God told them to "have dominion". If at that very moment, Adam and Eve took dominion over everything, there would have been a conflict: God had initiated His Will for six days...and was now stating that humans could initiate their will. Both God and humans couldn't actually be initiating their will at the same time...otherwise, we would have the contradictions religious people disagree over today: If God can initiate His Will, then why is there evil in the world?
Genesis 1 concluded with God stating that everything He had made was very good. So, whatever the arrangement God created, not only was it good...it was very good. Let's look at the very next verses...
Genesis 2
"1 And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3)
Wayne Swokowski has taught me the definitions and etymology of the key words in these verses. When it stated that God rested, this means God "ceased from His occupation of being a First Cause". God ceased having dominion...God ceased initiating His Will. From the seventh day on, God responds through justice. Man is a first cause...specifically, the Mind/Soul is a first cause.
The reason Determinism isn't true is that humans are currently a first cause (with their Mind/Soul). For those who would point to Prophecy, we've covered both Simple Prophecy and Complex Prophecy...how God knows the future effects if the causes have already exist. Here are links to these posts:
Prophecy Introduction
Simple Prophecy
Complex Prophecy
This idea of "rest" continues today. Here is an excerpt from Joel Swokowski's Bible Commentary covering Hebrews 4:3-6...
3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he hath said somewhere of the seventh day on this wise, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works;
(God rested on the seventh day from His work. The word "rest" in this verse is katapausis. Rest comes after work; rest without work is sloth. Furthermore, for six days God initiated His Will. God was "All-Powerful"...everything He did was a "first cause". God created man on the sixth day...and then God stated, "let them have dominion" over everything: Genesis 1:26. On the seventh day, we have an apparent contradiction: God has dominion and man has dominion. Only one can truly act as a first cause and initiate their will. Paul referenced Genesis 2:1-3 which stated on the seventh day, God rested from all His work. In that passage, rest meant "ceased from His occupation of being a first cause". During the seventh day, God chose to stop initiating His Will so that man could initiate his will. Throughout this Bible Commentary, we have seen that from the seventh day even until now, God does not initiate His Will...God responds through Justice. God being "All-Powerful" means that God has complete control over everything that does not have a will: the weather, animals, inanimate objects. Paul stated that those who believe also enter into the same rest that God is currently resting in. Christians ought to be resting like God is resting. What does that mean? This is critical because Paul stated believers ought to be doing this...)
5 and in this place again, They shall not enter into my rest.
(However, Paul again referenced Psalm 95:7-11...which he had referenced repeatedly in the previous chapters. This passage was referenced to show that not everyone will actually be saved...)
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some should enter thereinto, and they to whom the good tidings were before preached failed to enter in because of disobedience,
(Paul stated the reason people fail to enter into the same rest as God will be due to disobedience. Again, understanding what this rest is critical to being a believer.)
When we rest from our work...when we take direction from the Holy Spirt (Grace), then we are able to be saved...which leads to the third option of Decision #2...
HOLY SPIRIT
In the previous post, we covered the result when the influence from the Holy Spirit is followed.
Here is a diagram showing Decision #1 (denoted by the "1") and Decision #2 (denoted by the "2"):
Ultimately, these two decisions are really a choice by the Mind/Soul to follow the Flesh or the Spirit:
Notice, the Mind/Soul and Conscious Brain could do a work and intentionally choose to do something in opposition to the flesh (signified by the dotted line to the right)...or it can intentionally choose to sin (signified by the dotted line to the left).
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, the Mind/Soul makes two "first cause" decisions:
1. The Mind/Soul chooses to open or close the nucleus basalis.
2. The Mind/Soul chooses the influence from within the Conscious Brain.
Next, we have a special Weekend post to conclude this Series...
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