No one seeks for God?

[tonychanyt]

Psalm 14:

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

The verse does not assert that no one seeks God.

3They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Psalm 14 is poetry. It is not written in the language format of modern systematic theology. From the context, I gather that people are fools. They don't want to know God because they don't want to do good. By nature, people do not want to seek God.

Paul cited this psalm but changed the wording slightly in Romans 3:

10b For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one; 11no one understands; no one seeks for God.

Paul asserted that no one seeks God in the sense that Jews and Greeks are under sin. We are all sinners. Fortunately, Jesus seeks us. Luke 19:

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Moreover, Deuteronomy 4:

29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Matthew 7:

7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

From my own personal experience, I remember that when I was a little kid, I sought God, whoever he was. That was before anyone told me anything about Jesus. When I became an adult, I became more materialistic and wanted proof and stopped seeking God. I was studying at a university when I called myself a Christian. Finally, God stopped my running away and found me

Does no one seek God?

Some people seek God. Even if they do, they are still sinners because everyone sins. Those who seek God will not be disappointed.

 

[Mark Quayle]

Psalm 14:


The verse does not assert that no one seeks God.


Psalm 14 is poetry. It is not written in the language format of modern systematic theology. From the context, I gather that people are fools. They don't want to know God because they don't want to do good. By nature, people do not want to seek God.

Paul cited this psalm but changed the wording slightly in Romans 3:


Paul asserted that no one seeks God in the sense that Jews and Greeks are under sin. We are all sinners. Fortunately, Jesus seeks us. Luke 19:


Moreover, Deuteronomy 4:


Matthew 7:


From my own personal experience, I remember that when I was a little kid, I sought God, whoever he was. That was before anyone told me anything about Jesus. When I became an adult, I became more materialistic and wanted proof and stopped seeking God. I was studying at a university when I called myself a Christian. Finally, God stopped my running away and found me

Does no one seek God?

Some people seek God. Even if they do, they are still sinners because everyone sins. Those who seek God will not be disappointed.

Believers also seek God. Even those who have found him continue to pursue him, which to my mind is also seeking.

In a way, that is true seeking. Like with what some call obedience, which is really mere compliance with what they understand, if the person has not been born again, the 'seeking' is corrupt, selfish, etc.

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

(Even believers can be disappointed because they too can "ask amiss". For years, as a believer, and born again, I sought him, but what I sought was some modicum of success in my Christian walk —obedience, to be specific: living up to my conscience. But that was "asking amiss". It was years before I began to see an answer to what I sought, which was better than what I had thought I wanted. To begin to know him is better than performance.)

 

[TahitiRun]

As it pertains to the the flesh (i.e.: death), I would agree that the flesh is not able to seek or to please God. No one seeks God and His Kingdom until regenerated from above (Joh 3:3-5). The reason I believe this is found here:

Rom 8:5 For those who are according to flesh, the things of the flesh do mind; and those according to spirit, the things of the Spirit;
Rom 8:6 for the mind of the flesh is death, and the mind of the Spirit—life and peace;
Rom 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity to God, for to the law of God it doth not subject itself,
Rom 8:8 for neither is it able; and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

And until born of the Spirit (Joh 3:6), the flesh is all you and I have to work with.

However, the change of mind that is needed (repentance, if you will) occurs monergistically for those whom Christ call's out of death, or it will occur upon the Day of Division, where dust/flesh returns to the earth and breath/spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecc 12:7).

Paul gives us a glimpse into this concept, here:

Rom 6:7 for he who hath died hath been set free (Gk δεδικαίωται, declared righteous) from the sin.
Rom 6:8 And if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with him,

 

[Mark Quayle]

As it pertains to the the flesh (i.e.: death), I would agree that the flesh is not able to seek or to please God. No one seeks God and His Kingdom until regenerated from above (Joh 3:3-5). The reason I believe this is found here:

Rom 8:5 For those who are according to flesh, the things of the flesh do mind; and those according to spirit, the things of the Spirit;
Rom 8:6 for the mind of the flesh is death, and the mind of the Spirit—life and peace;
Rom 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is enmity to God, for to the law of God it doth not subject itself,
Rom 8:8 for neither is it able; and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God.

And until born of the Spirit (Joh 3:6), the flesh is all you and I have to work with.

However, the change of mind that is needed (repentance, if you will) occurs monergistically for those whom Christ call's out of death, or it will occur upon the Day of Division, where dust/flesh returns to the earth and breath/spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecc 12:7).

Paul gives us a glimpse into this concept, here:

Rom 6:7 for he who hath died hath been set free (Gk δεδικαίωται, declared righteous) from the sin.
Rom 6:8 And if we died with Christ, we believe that we also shall live with him,

I guess I need you to explain more, and probably to defend from Scripture, what you are talking about —this "Day of Division". Note that I'm a monergist.

 

[TahitiRun]

I guess I need you to explain more, and probably to defend from Scripture, what you are talking about —this "Day of Division". Note that I'm a monergist.

The Day of Division describes the events of the soul that take place in the Day of the Lord. The phrase "Day of Division", like the term "monergism", is not actually found in scripture, though it's clearly taught by Jesus (Luk 12:51, Mat 25:32-33 for example).

The Day of Division of the soul takes place "in" the earth (not on, but rather "in", Gk: ἐν followed by the dative, Luk 12:51) where Jesus "divides" the soul into two parts. When/after divided, flesh and spirit will stand before Christ in judgment (the Day of the Lord) as "nations" (the kingdoms of the soul, if you will) where they are "gathered together" and "separated" into groups called "goats" and "sheep" respectively (Mat 25:32-33). In judgment the spirit is called "blessed" and the flesh "cursed" wherein "all flesh perishes together" (Mat. 25:34-46 and Job 34:15).

This is, of course, dependent on the Hebrew understanding of the term "soul" (Heb: Nephesh, Gen 2:7), not the Greek understanding.

That's about as brief and simple as I can describe it.