Results 5941 - 5960 of 6029
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Results from: Notes Author: DocTrinsograce Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
5941 | Were all names once in the book of life? | Rev 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 206467 | ||
Dear unction, You asked, "Exodus 32:33 dose John Calivn turn over in his grave at that?" (sic) Am I correct in thinking you are speaking figuratively, or should I respond with the assumption that you are speaking of a literal rotation of a French corpse? :-) I guess I'll assume the former, despite all the literalism going on. I'll let Calvin answer for himself: "Inasmuch as God's purpose cannot be changed, the expression is merely adapted to human notions. They who have once been written in that book cannot be really blotted out; but because God's counsel is secret to us, those may be said to be 'blotted out of His book' whom He openly excludes from His Church. It is this open rejection therefore which is here meant, and the expression is equivalent to saying: 'Do not reckon them in the number of Thy people, neither let them be gathered with Thy Church.'" I can't quite make out what you're saying, but you ask, "Maybe not all 66 books but what is in all of them?" (sic) The Lord Jesus Christ is in them all (see post #173778 and #203598). You asked, "Why are you talking down this Qustion is it because it may through a monkey wrench toward calvin?" (sic) I thought I answered the question, explaining my reasoning along the way. (Is the use of the wrench literal here, or a figure of speech? I'd worry about a literal one, but I doubt Calvin would be much concerned, whether spinning or still. Folks actually chucked a lot of stuff at him in his lifetime.) By the way, why are you so obsessed with Calvin? In Him, Doc |
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5942 | Were all names once in the book of life? | Rev 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 206495 | ||
Hi, Unction... Thank you for explaining! I couldn't find where I'd mentioned Calvin in this thread, so the reference seemed to come out of left field. :-) We are all theologians. Every one of us. As believers we are called to study, learn, and know sound doctrine. In other words, we exert every effort to understand what God has disclosed about Himself to us. We refine that knowledge by the illumination of the Holy Spirit through the Word. Without an understanding of Total Depravity (moral inability), you can't quite grasp the doctrine of Unconditional Election. No one ever does anything outside of their own nature. For example, I have the nature of a man. I cannot choose to breathe water like a fish. My nature is man, not fish. Fish cannot choose to be like men. A dog follows its nature in being dog-like. It cannot choose to be like a bird, for the qualities of being bird-like do not reside within the dog. Now, what I do, like all men, is choose only those things that seem good to me. In fact, you cannot force me to do anything. If you hold a gun to my head, and order me to do something, this will result in an evaluation. I will see that disobedience might get me killed, a condition I deem as "not-good." Compliance might spare my life, a condition I deem as good. So I comply. You have not forced me, you have only adjusted the condition from which I make my decisions. (Of course, I have to have a sufficient understanding of guns, and enough certainty that the threat is real.) God looks down through the annals of time. What does He see? He sees that no one does good, that no one seeks Him, that no one seeks truth (Psalm 53:1-3). God is far from their thoughts (Psalm 10:4), and their highest, noblest efforts at righteousness are utterly foul in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). Man sins by choice and as a matter of course from his very nature. in fills every aspect of his being from head to toe (Isaiah 1:5-6). His heart and mind is filled with it (Ecclesiastes 9:3; Ephesians 4:17-19; Titus 1:15; 1 Timothy 3:8, 6:5). "The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). There remains no good in men (Romans 7:18). Man is basically evil, not good. His heart is as hard as stone (Ezekiel 11:19; Jeremiah 23:29). Man imagines that he is only sick, but the Bible says he is dead (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). Man feels he is, at worst, near-sighted, but Scripture says he is blind (2 Corinthians 3:14). Man shrugs off his vices as minor, but the Word says he is a slave (John 8:44; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:26). That is what God sees looking down through the annals of time. There is nothing -- nothing at all -- in lost people that make them worthy of salvation. Absolutely nothing. They deserve eternal damnation. Lost people are dead per the Fall. They are completely without God and, in fact, see God as an enemy, one who has usurped their sovereignty. They will never see obedience to God as a good thing, therefore they will never choose it. They utterly unable to make good, moral choices. God, also, cannot be different than His nature allows. He can only be what He is. His holiness is such that none can stand before Him at judgment and be counted righteous unless they are really and truly righteous, for God will never excuse the guilty (Exodus 34:7). Nevertheless, before creation, God decided beforehand to lovingly set apart a people for Himself, but not as a result of anything worthy in them (Amos 3:2; Matthew 7:23; John 10:14; Ephesians 1:4-5). Salvation is a gift of God (Romans 6:23) for which He alone receives all the glory, all the credit (Isaiah 43:11; Ephesians 2:10). Wages are given to people because they've earned the wage (John 4:36). If a person does something to earn a gift, it ceases to be a gift, but a wage. Even faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8). Because of the fallen nature of our hearts, there is a strong desire to garner at least a tiny bit of the credit for our salvation. It certainly is understandable why those sorts of teachings are popular. However, the teaching of "foreseen faith" has no Biblical basis, nor does it have a logical foundation. I could go on, but the explanations get more complicated. (Sorry, I have to get to my Saturday chores.) In Him, Doc |
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5943 | Were all names once in the book of life? | Rev 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 206496 | ||
Thank you for providing the definition, brother John. That was very helpful. | ||||||
5944 | Were all names once in the book of life? | Rev 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 206500 | ||
Dear unction, The world views friendliness as a kind of insipid, sweet tolerance. This is a Study Bible Forum. Rebuke is necessary part of instruction. The word rebuke, from Scripture, isn't the angry condemnation that the world brings to mind for the term. It means applying the truth of Scripture to a particular situation. Love rejoices in the truth. The correction of another person is one of the most loving things that you can do for them. If they are wise, they will love the correction (Proverbs 9:8-9). The human heart being what it is latches on to the superficial. We have a limited amount of time to study the Word in this lifetime. Instead of dissecting implications and speculations about Hebraic terminology, we ought to be digging into the clear teaching of the Word. The obscure stuff will take care of itself. I guarantee it! In Him, Doc PS I've been in some of those dirty old factories, working with computers. However, I have always appreciated you fellows who do the REAL work of making factories run. |
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5945 | Were all names once in the book of life? | Rev 3:5 | DocTrinsograce | 206501 | ||
I was mostly raised in Texas -- West of Austin. | ||||||
5946 | The Two Churches Distinguished | Rev 3:6 | DocTrinsograce | 243161 | ||
"We believe that we ought to discern diligently and very carefully, by the Word of God, what is the true church -- for all sects in the world today claim for themselves the name of 'the church.' "We are not speaking here of the company of hypocrites who are mixed among the good in the church and who nonetheless are not part of it, even though they are physically there. But we are speaking of distinguishing the body and fellowship of the true church from all sects that call themselves 'the church.' "The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognizing the true church -- and no one ought to be separated from it. "As for those who can belong to the church, we can recognize them by the distinguishing marks of Christians: namely by faith, and by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness, once they have received the one and only Savior, Jesus Christ. They love the true God and their neighbors, They love the true God and their neighbors, without turning to the right or left, and they crucify the flesh and its works. Though great weakness remains in them, they fight against it by the Spirit all the days of their lives, appealing constantly to the blood, suffering, death, and obedience of the Lord Jesus, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins, through faith in him. "As for the false church, it assigns more authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God; it does not want to subject itself to the yoke of Christ; it does not administer the sacraments as Christ commanded in his Word; it rather adds to them or subtracts from them as it pleases; it bases itself on men, more than on Jesus Christ; it persecutes those who live holy lives according to the Word of God and who rebuke it for its faults, greed, and idolatry. "These two churches are easy to recognize and thus to distinguish from each other." --Belgic Confession of 1561 (Article 28) |
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5947 | Hear what the Spirit said to the Church | Rev 3:13 | DocTrinsograce | 242878 | ||
"Processing the content of Scripture dogmatically, however, is not just the work of one individual theologian, or of a particular church or school, but of the entire church throughout the ages, of the whole new humanity regenerated by Christ. The history of dogma and dogmatics is therefore to be regarded as a mighty attempt to appropriate the truth of God revealed in Christ and to fully understand the essence of Christianity. In evaluating that agelong dogmatic labor, people have erred both to the left and to the right and in turn been guilty both of overestimation and underestimation. The history of church and dogma has been disdained by all schools of thought that in the name of Scripture opposed all creeds, by Socinians and Remonstrants, by rationalistic and supernaturalistic, mystical and 'biblical' theologians." --Herman Bavinck (1854-1921) |
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5948 | are we free? | Rev 3:16 | DocTrinsograce | 140492 | ||
How has any man ever "made Jesus Christ Lord and Savior?" I do not find any scripture to suggest that humans have the power to make Jesus anything at all. He *is* Lord (Act 10:36; Heb 1:8ff) and He *is* Savior (1 Tim 4:10, Act 5:31). No man can declare Christ Lord outside of the power of the Holy Spirt (1 Cor 12:3). These things are not matters of the will of man, but they are entirely matters of the will of God (John 1:13, Eph 1:11)! Please let me know if you can find scripture to the contrary. In Him, Doc |
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5949 | Can we afford to be neutral? | Rev 3:16 | DocTrinsograce | 140493 | ||
Amen and amen, brother Ed! Thank you for those very inspirational words! I appreciate the reminder of what our focus really should be! | ||||||
5950 | are we free? | Rev 3:16 | DocTrinsograce | 140505 | ||
Hi, Lionheart! Sometimes it might sound like quibbling... but I was hoping you meant something different than what you were actually saying! :-) Nowadays there is so much false doctrine out there... or just plain ignorance... it is incumbant upon us to state things carefully. By the way, be sure to jump on my case (which won't be the first time for me on this forum or outside of it) if I mistate something! :-) Thank you also for your gracious spirit! In Him, Doc |
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5951 | God's Gracious Care of His Children | Rev 3:19 | DocTrinsograce | 170835 | ||
"As a skilful physician, from a variety of herbs and plants (some of which are in their own nature poisonous) by a judicious mixture of them together, compounds medicines for the use of man -- so God causes all things, even those which are seemingly hurtful, to conspire for the good of His elect." --Augustus Toplady (1740-1778) | ||||||
5952 | Repeating Our Repentance | Rev 3:19 | DocTrinsograce | 243978 | ||
"You will never be done with repentance -- at least, not until death or Christ's return. While it is something you should be doing frequently, it is not something you just 'get used to.' Repentance requires a daily intentionality. And let's be honest; you will have more to repent of by the end of the day than you can possibly remember. So, where should you start? "It will be helpful to think of repentance in three parts: revulsion, resolution, and repetition. Revulsion is finding something offensive or distasteful. In this case, it is seeing the heinousness of sin and pulling back from it. Sin, your sin in particular, should make you recoil. Revulsion will come only when you see the holy, just, and good character of God in contrast to yourself. Until you understand that your sin, all of it, is a self-destructive rebellion against God that betrays your purpose and denies his worthiness, you will not experience revulsion. "Resolution is purposing to walk in righteousness, delighting in God's law, laying off the old self, and walking in newness of life. Repentance is more than feeling sorry for what you are and have done. It is having the resolve to live for the glory and pleasure of God. "Repetition is the ongoing nature of this work. Without repetition, it is all for nothing, for as long as you continue to sin, you need to repent. If your repentance is not continual, it means, at the very least, that you are simply choosing some sins to deal with, while ignoring others. "The deepness and consistency of your repenting will have a direct impact on the liveliness of your faith and the brightness of your confidence. This is not because you repent so well, but because in repenting you know the darkness and trouble of your own sin, and the great work of grace in Jesus that overcomes it all." --Joe Thorn (2011) |
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5953 | Rev 3:20 | Rev 3:20 | DocTrinsograce | 142182 | ||
Hi, brother Kalos! There is another passage that refers to Christ being at the door and that is James 5:9. It is quite possible that this is an idiom for Christ's return as judge. (We might have discussed this one once.) Christ's return as judge is our hope as well something to spur us on! (1 John 2:28) In Him, Doc |
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5954 | Rev 3:20 | Rev 3:20 | DocTrinsograce | 142190 | ||
Hi, brother Lionheart! You're right... I think this is because we get much of our theology from things like paintings. I'm as sentimeental as anyone, I suppose, but paintings, T-shirts, posters, wooden plaques, and popular poetry are not the best source of theology! :-) The mental images in minds of the masses do endure, though, don't they? Yes, context is everything! Some time back someone in the forum pointed out that Matthew 18:20 was not about prayer. I took exception! Then I went back and looked at the context. :-) He was right! I love it when someone helps me replace the wrong stuff in my head with right stuff! In Him, Doc |
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5955 | A Sanctified Day | Rev 3:22 | DocTrinsograce | 242811 | ||
"Neither is there any ordinary means of gaining strength and grace in the inward man like this, of due observing the sabbath. For this is God's great mart or fair-day for the soul, on which you may buy of Christ wine, milk, bread, marrow and fatness, gold, white raiment, eye salve, -- even all things which are necessary, and which will satisfy, and cause the soul to live. It is the special day of proclaiming and sealing of pardons to penitent sinners. It is God's special day of publishing and sealing your patent of eternal life. It is a blessed day, sanctified for all these blessed purposes." --Henry Scudder (????-1659?) |
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5956 | Theological Terms | Rev 4:11 | DocTrinsograce | 150928 | ||
What is the origin of individual souls? There are three views that represent the majority of opinion today: 1. Creationism -- This view holds that God creates a new soul for each individual. He places the soul into the individual's body in the womb sometime from conception to birth. 2. Traducianism -- This view holds that the soul is inherited from the parents of the individual just as the body is inherited from the parents. 3. Pre-Existentianism -- This view holds that the souls of individuals exist in heaven before their bodies are conceived. God unites the souls with their bodies in the womb. Creationism became the prevailing view in the Roman Catholicism and is shared by many Protestants. Traducianism was held by Martin Luther (and is embraced by most Lutherans today). Although John Calvin held to Creationism, some later Calvinist theologians have favored traducianism (including Jonathan Edwards and A. H. Strong). Pre-existentianism has no Scriptural basis. It is similar to some views held by Eastern Religions and is consequently favored among the so-called "New Agers." Elements of this view are also held by Mormons. Personally, I rather favor the creationism view. Further details on this subject are not explained in the Bible, so speculation, though interesting, is probably not very profitable. In Him, Doc |
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5957 | Theological Terms | Rev 4:11 | DocTrinsograce | 150975 | ||
Dear Brother Tim, Good question, brother Tim! God maintains a continuity in His creation. We see this in passages like Hebrews 1:3. Since God decreed that Adam would be the federal head of the human race and that in Adam all men sinned, He does not have to do anything with the souls that He creates. By His pre-temporal decree, all flesh (seed of Adam) fell in Adam and inherit that fallen nature. However, God had to do something special in the conception of Jesus Christ. Jesus, being virgin born, did not inherit this sin nature. Furthermore, He committed no sin, following the law in perfect faithfulness. God uses both primary means and secondary causes. In Him, Doc |
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5958 | Theological Terms | Rev 4:11 | DocTrinsograce | 200268 | ||
Dear Sister Azure, The reference with which I am familiar was from "The Theology of Martin Luther" by Paul Althaus. He states, "As far as the origin of the individual soul is discussed, Luther inclines to follow Augustine's theory of traducianism without wishing to make a dogma of it." Althaus cites "D. Martin Luther's Werke" (kritische Gesamtausgabe), but I can't find an English translation in order to provide you with the particulars. Sorry, ma'am! :-( In Him, Doc |
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5959 | Redeemed! | Rev 5:9 | DocTrinsograce | 175178 | ||
"Your time is redeemed; use it as a consecrated talent in His cause. Your minds are redeemed; employ them to learn His truth and, to meditate on His ways. Thus make them armories of holy weapons. Your eyes are redeemed; let them not look on vanity; close them on all sights and books of folly. Your feet are redeemed; let them trample on the world, and climb the upward hill of Zion, and bear you onward in the march of Christian zeal. Your tongues are redeemed; let them only sound His praise, and testify to His love, and call sinners to His cross. Your hearts are redeemed; let them love Him wholly, and have no seat for rivals." --Henry Law (1797–1884) | ||||||
5960 | How should the word "epi" be translated | Rev 5:10 | DocTrinsograce | 231016 | ||
Hi, Tim... I notice that the word epi is sometimes a prefix. What comes immediately to mind is epignosis. I may be far outside the context of the question, but would you tell how -- if at all -- the word is related there? In Him, Doc |
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