What Truly Is A Man

[HARDCORE]

5-9-2020

First and foremost: – “If an individual’s word is worth nothing, then that person is worth even less! And this includes anyone who has ever lived, past, present, and future alike!”

They also say that: “If a person can fool himself, all else is easy?” What they hesitate to add however, is that a liar has no honor, and where no honor exists, neither does the soul! It is also worthy to note that a title, education, or position alone, does not make anyone a real man. Rather, they merely diminish what is expected or required in some cases!

And above all: “To thine own self be true” (as long as that truth is not always self-serving), are also the most poignant words ever spoken. And a title in itself does not make the man, but rather, it still is the man who embellishes the title – and this I respectfully and emphatically believe!

“AND THUS IT IS AND SO IT MUST FOREVER REMAIN,
IF WE TOO ARE TO CONTINUE TO SURVIVE AS A SPECIES!!”

Hardcore

[Boats]

1. Imperfect Men in Perfect Societies: Human Nature in Utopia
By: Gorman Beauchamp - John Hopkins University Press
Re: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/222633/pdf

HC's post tends to religious tendencies rather than man himself.

Too long to post (15-pages) but discusses - HC's - What Truly Is A Man post.

Also;

2. Why are we made imperfect? Touch's more on ones religious conception of perfection in man.
Re: https://www.kcm.org/read/questions/w...made-imperfect

3. Hebrews 7:19 Was the Law of Moses Perfect or Imperfect: Religious Aspect of the question.
Re: https://defendinginerrancy.com/bible...brews_7.19.php

PROBLEM: The psalmist declared that the “law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps. 19:7). It reflects the very character of God (cf. Lev. 11:45). Yet the writer of Hebrews insists that “the law made nothing perfect” (7:19), and thus God brought in a “better covenant” (v. 22). This, he contends, would not have been necessary “if that first covenant had been faultless” (Heb. 8:7). So, who is right? Is the law perfect or imperfect?

SOLUTION: The law was perfect in its nature, but imperfect in its results. It was a perfect expression of God’s righteousness, but an imperfect means of making man righteous. Of course, that is not the fault of the law itself or the purpose for which God gave it. For the law was never given to redeem sinners (Titus 3:5–6; Rom. 4:5), but to reveal sin. As a standard and means of revealing sin, the law was an impeccable norm and teacher. But it was only “our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). Like a mirror, the law was intended to reveal our imperfections as we look into it; but it, no more than the mirror, was intended to correct our imperfections. So the law is perfect in itself, as a rule and revealer of sin, but it is imperfect as a means of empowering us to overcome sin.

4. Here's a Constitutional notation: By the Cato Institute
Re: https://www.cato.org/publications/co...orious-liberty
The Founders Were Flawed. The Nation Is Imperfect. The Constitution Is Still a ‘Glorious Liberty Document’ (written by Timothy Sandefur)

5. Lastly: God's Perfect Plan for Imperfect People ( Genesis 32:27-28)
Re: https://mikadobaptist.org/project/go...erfect-people/

Genesis 32:27-28 – “And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

Time and perspective have a tendency to romanticize things, don’t they? For instance, each generation tends to look back on their youth and remember it as “the good ol’ days.” The truth is, “the good ol’ days” have never really existed. In actuality, mundane activity, difficult times, and harsh reality kept the present from being very exciting. But time erases all of those things and leaves only exciting activity, lessons we learned from difficulty, and a magical nostalgia on our memory. Thus, “the good ol’ days.” This phenomenon happens with Bible stories, as well. How many sermons have you heard praising the lives of men like Abraham, Job, and Peter? All of those men have moments in their life where their obedience or faith in God is an extraordinary example to us as Christians. And yet, it’s easy to forget that those men were…well…just men. Abraham lied twice and got ahead of God’s plan. Job questioned God and was reprimanded for it. Peter denied Christ, utterly failing a test he was warned was coming. But time has a tendency to elevate the positive and eliminate the negative. The truth is, I’m convinced that if we were to meet most of the men and women in the Bible whom we consider “heros,” we might actually consider them “losers.” Think with me about a man named Jacob. How many sermons have you heard on Jacob, and how many people do you know who have named their son Jacob? Probably quite a few. Yet Jacob was a deceiver. His name literally means “supplanter” according to Strong’s. He tricked Esau out of the birthright, he obeyed his mom’s biased orders to connive Esau out of a blessing, he served God for what he could get out of it, he manipulated his father in law Laban, and he even used his least favorite wife as a shield when he feared for his life against Esau. What a loser! But you know who DIDN’T think Jacob was a loser? God. Because in Genesis 32, God shows up in Jacob’s camp and tells him, “Your name isn’t Jacob anymore. It’s Israel.” You know why? Because God doesn’t demand perfection FROM us in order to continue working ON us. Every step of the way, God was working on Jacob – not accepting his sin, but accepting him in spite of his sin. And God never gave up on Jacob, even when after the name change Jacob still reverted to his sinful tendencies.

I’ve heard so many sermons trying to guilt trip people into perfect behavior. “God won’t use you if you’re dirty.” And certainly this principle can be found throughout the Bible – God’s blessing follows the righteous (Proverbs 11), and God wants to use a clean vessel (II Timothy 2:20-21). But Jacob sure was dirty, and God used him for something pretty big (continuing His chosen nation to be exact). Guilt is not what God uses to motivate us, goodness and conviction are (Romans 2:4). If you have a hard heart that is indifferent to God’s desires for your actions, then beware! God may do something drastic to get your attention. But if you have a desire to do right, yet find yourself often failing – don’t allow guilt and shame to defeat you. Get up and ask God for the strength to live for Him His way because He hasn’t given up on you. He has promised to consistently work on us to accomplish His purpose, no matter how dirty we are.

Philippians 1:6 – “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”

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Personal note: HC - I believe in God (being raised Catholic) - but as far as being perfect hell I'm not. I've admitted that several times. I'm imperfect as so many other's are. Our lives are what we make of it. Our path's are "all different" and vary from issues of influence - to just plain falsehoods. I'd be the 1st to say I'm imperfect - (judging myself). Life has not been easy for me growing up as I did - I was confronted by many external influences some good and some bad. I've learned the hard way - there is no easy way in life for anyone anywhere.

I may spend a few centuries shoveling coal in the bowels of hell. I will never fly like an angel. I'm mediocre like so many. Never had money (that I didn't earn). I've made a truckload of mistakes in my life. To say otherwise would be lie. Perfect you tell me whats perfect! Even the Church is imperfect and they admit that.

Do I have regrets? Hell Yes - who doesn't. Have I fallen off the path - yet bet more than once. Will these statements make me imperfect - absolutely! HC - You pick some hard subjects of which very few will ever be as open as I. That's because you ask the right questions. Many will not respond to your post. Either they are embarrassed or just want to dodge the issues altogether.

Your Friend - Boats