>>A child has no ego, no sense of self, no "I". This is what I think to be as a child means in this passage.
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>ha - well that as close as I've seen so now I will jump in. I started to touch on this before but I'm kinda getting annoyed and having to correct Rick about his own religion.
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>First of all the bible never says to have childlike faith or to believe as children do.
>In Matthew 18:2-4 Jesus says that we must 'become as little children.' He wasn't talking about faith here, he was talking about humility. Whoever 'humbles himself' as a little child is the 'greatest in the kingdom of heaven,' and unless the christian is converted to become like little children, they can't enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said this when a disciple asked 'Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' There is no discussion of faith in this anywhere in this passage. Jesus is telling people to seek the humility of a child who is destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness. Children are characteristically humble and teachable.
>But the faith of children is not the kind of faith these christians are supposed to have. Children are easily fooled, tricked, led astray, etc etc.. Children tend to accept things unquestioningly, often missing truth while being drawn to myths and fantasies. Christians are not to have the faith of little children. What about where the bible says to “'test everything' and hold on to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21), comparing all things to the infallible 'word of god' and not automatically accepting everything we hear?? Hebrews 11:1 says that 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,' but that doesn’t mean to accept blindly like children do. True faith is characterized by 'assurance' and 'conviction,' not by blind belief for no reason. Childlike faith, while perhaps a good place to start, must mature into faith that leads to certainty.

It is the work of The Holy Spirit in the born again believer which affirms the things of God, for they are spiritually discerned.

God's saving man, it's a miracle, Victor. Both in love and mechanics. How does one say to a corpse, "Arise to life." ?? It's impossible. But that's what God does for / to us. He brings the dead back to life. A spiritual birth that we may now hear, know, and understand the voice of God.