Pilgrim: "Methinks you have simply iterated what you have been trying to advocate here from day one... "love" trumps all and is not inextricably bound to the intellect or will."

Wayne: Scripture does not tell me that “love trumps all” but it does tell me:
1. It is the most excellent way (1 Cor 12:31)
2. I am nothing without love (1 Cor 13:1-3)
3. Love never fails (1 Cor 13:8)
4. Love is greater than hope and greater than faith (1 Cor 13:13).
5. Love is a one word commandment that fulfills God's Law (Matt 22:37-40 & Rom 13:8,10)
6. Love is a motivating force that drives us to act a certain way (Luke 10:39, 2 Cor 5:14 & John 15:13)
7. Perfect obedient comes out of perfect Love (John 14:15, 21, 23, 24, 1 John 2: 5 & 1 John 4:12, 2 John 1:6)
8. God is Love (1 John 4:8 & 1 John 4:16)
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Pilgrim: "This is where we differ and are miles apart in our understanding of Scripture and more specifically to the doctrine of sanctification and possibly the entire doctrine of salvation."

Wayne: I would agree we are miles apart on our understanding of sanctification. However, I do not see how “miles apart” could be used to describe our understanding of salvation.
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Pilgrim:"I contend that Scripture (God) teaches that true faith, that faith which is wrought in the soul by the Spirit in regeneration is 'fiducia', i.e., a faith that has true knowledge, a genuine heart-felt desire/affection for God and all that is good, and the ability/will to do what is required to live a life of holiness before God."

Wayne: I would contend that what makes faith “truly Christian” is the object of the faith. The object of my faith is the finished work of Christ.
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Pilgrim: "In short, the intellect, the affections and the will are inseparably bound together albeit they don't always appear compatible due to the remaining sin nature of a true Christian."

Wayne: I do not agree or disagree with this and do not see the Bible giving clear knowledge of these being inseparable. I do see clear connections between the mind, will and intellect and I do see clear connections between the heart and emotions. (Things get less clear when I begin to consider the soul and the spirit!)
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Pilgrim: "To truly 'love' God is to obey Him; the keeping of His commandments (Jh 14:15,21; 15:10; 1Jh 15:2-4). One cannot claim to 'love' God and not strive after holiness. And one cannot 'love' God in ignorance of who God is and not desire to do that which is most pleasing to Him (Ps 1:2; 40:8; 119; Prov 18:2; Isa 55:1-13; Jer 9:24; Rom 7:22)."

Wayne: I believe true love is more than obedience. It is both a cause and an effect. While “in love”, I will want to be patient, I will want to be kind, I will not want to envy, I will not want to boast, I will want to be without pride, I will not want to be rude, I will not want to be self-seeking, I will want to not be easily angered, I will not want to keeps record of wrongs, I will not want to delight in evil, I will want to rejoices with the truth, I will always want to protect, I will always want to trust, I will always want to hope, I will always want to persevere. (1 Cor 13:1-7)
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Pilgrim: "God's love is and must be expressed else it cannot be called true love."

Wayne: I agree but I would add that “this expression” could be an expression “in the heart”.
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Pilgrim: "Lastly, I really feel compelled to remind you that "love" is NOT the primary nor predominate attribute of God, albeit statements which clearly say "God is love"."

Wayne: Thanks for the reminder! I do not claim to know God’s primary attribute. He is perfect and infinite in every way!
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Pilgrim: "If it is proper to segregate and prioritize God's attributes, then without any question, HOLINESS is the overwhelming attribute of God. All one needs to do is consult a concordance and see the sheer number of times "holy" appears in relation to God vs. "love"."

Wayne: I did a quick check and found out that the word love (and its different forms) appears almost as many time as the word holy (and its different forms). Both appeared over 500 times!
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Pilgrim: "If a man truly loves God, then he will desire, seek after holiness (Heb 12:14). It was Jesus' prayer that His own, those for whom He would sacrifice His life, that the Father would sanctify them in love:"

Wayne: Thanks for reminding me about this aspect of love!
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Wayne: You never responded to my observation in Rom7:25. Here, I believe “the occasion for rejoicing” is the new found ability to separate “my mind” from “my sinful nature”. Once this is done, I can reckon my sin nature dead and buried. What then can the mind do? It can plan its way with the help of the will. I contend that Paul provides 6:1-7, 6:8-14, 6:17-23 and 7:4-6 as the foundation for his rejoicing in Rom 7:25. I do agree that there will be times when I will fail to have faith and it will be at those times that I yield to sin (Rom 14:23). But as a new creature in Christ, (2 Cor 2:17) I can now use my will to replace bad habits with good habits. The process is similar to what a farmer must do once he has a seed. I must remove rocks and weeds from the soil and lay fertilizer and water in its place (Gen 3:17-19). And, motivated by love, I must also work hard as a “gate keeper” of my heart (Pr 3:1-3); letting the good in and keeping the bad out. Then, believing that “all things are possible with God” (Mark 9:23, Mark 10:27), I must pray for fruit to develop and good works to be done (Matt 5:16) by the power of His Spirit and not by the letter of the Law (2 Cor 3:6).