zach wrote:

>
> All right then... did Saul/Paul have a choice in whether or not to
> become an Apostle of Christ, or was it God that chose him and that
was
> that?
>
Only when God shines His great Light on use can we ever say with any
certainty, "Ah.  This is as it truly is."  In fact, we don't conclude
it at all.  It is simply acknowledged.  Judgment necessarily comes into
the individuals life as soon as this Light is made manifest to us.  It
cleaves the inner man from the outer man.  It cuts away the soul only
to leave the spirit.  The visitation of God into the life of the
individual is unprecidented and without anyother life experience to
compare it to.  Only here and then is man revealed to himself.  Only
here is the depravity of man made manifest without any objection (Rom
3:19).  It is only as we stand in this light do we realize how
pervasive self is.  How much which was done for the Lord was, in the
final judgment, done for self.  This is exactly where Saul stood.  We
extend ourselves over everything.

Only the Scriptures as illuminated by the Spirit have the capacity to
now expose man.  Only it is left to us to remove from our self oriented
consciousness all self oriented activity.  Everything by it is made
clear and we realize that the self actually involves so much, including
activites so numerous and monolithic.  We think that many things done
were done in the name of the Lord.  But His illumination is that which
reveals that it was all of the flesh.  Ony as we see this will we
spontaneously condemn the outer man.  The things that we see under the
light of Scripture will be condemned by us when they surface again and
again.  By our very spirit we will find them repugnant (2 Pet 2:21-22).

There is no controversy here, only whether one has had the visitation
of the Lord or not.  No man stands in the presence of God.  All knees
bow and all crowns are laid at His feet confessing that it is "all from
Him, through Him and to Him."

Also, "free-will" ONLY pertains to man's ability to save himself, to
move one micro meter towards God.    Yet the Scriptures clear reveal to
those who are standing in the Light that man cannot even incline his
thoughts (Rom 3:11) toward God unless the Spirit enlightens and
regenerates the inclination.  For man is wholly and only inclined to
himself.

"Free-will" does not involve anathetical choice.  Choice is the
extension of inclination and inclination is singular in objective only.
So choice only chooses between ultimate equals.  "For all sinned and
fall short."

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