Results 561 - 580 of 1928
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Results from: Notes Author: Reformer Joe Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
561 | i want a in depth answer on romans 8:28 | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67636 | ||
You wrote: "I don't believe God to be supersticious and cross his fingers." That's very good to hear! As you may or may not know, there is a huge heresy in the church these days called open theism, which basically holds that God doesn't know the future because it hasn't happened yet! According to this false teaching, God beomes a really good guesser... "However, if God did not intend for ALL of mankind to be redeemed then why were ALL the sins of the world put on Jesus?" I disagree with many modern-day Christians, because I hold the historic Protestant position that he DIDN'T. "God is all knowing, why wouldn't he just put the sins of the people who would come to repentance?" I believe this is exactly what He did do. http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/doctrines_grace/tulip.html http://www.desiringgod.org/library/topics/doctrines_grace/romans_9.html You wrote: "To tell you the truth, I really don't know what to think of Romans 9. But I do know that God is love and that love does not divide by race or position. Pharoah's heart was probably not hardened because he was Egyptian or because he ruled over the Israelites." I absolutely agree. God saves from among both Jews and Gentiles (Romans 9:24), and Revelation clearly shows saints from every tribe, tongue and nation before the throne. "My best guess is that Pharoah was acting like the brother of the prodigal son. What I mean is Pharoah was probably thinking too highly of himself and jealosy and hatred for the Israelites, whom he more than likely considered lower than him, was welling up in his heart because he did not have even the most remote sense of love for them." You don't have to guess. Romans 9:18 explains God's thinking, and Romans 9:10-13 demonstrate that neither position, nor family nor works have anything to do with it. --Joe! |
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562 | i want a in depth answer on romans 8:28 | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67622 | ||
You wrote: "The Bible does say that God wishes than none shall perish, but for all to have everlasting life (John 3:16)." That isn't what John 3:16 says. You wrote: "So we were created in hopes that everyone would go to Heaven, unfortunately, not everyone actually does" What about Pharoah in Romans 9? Why was he raised up, according to Paul? Do you really think God is "crossing his fingers" that everyone will believe? You wrote: "In that respect, yes, we are all called to live eternally with God." Have you read the following verse (Romans 8:29)? Does it say that we are ALL called? A very specific group is effectually called: those who are foreknown and predestined to be justified and glorified. Verse 28 says that those who are called according to His purpose are the ones who love God. Those who hate God are obviously not called according to these two verses, because they are not justified, nor will they be glorified. --Joe! |
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563 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67619 | ||
Your proposed reason for Epaphroditus' sickness has nothing to do with the fact that he became sick as a result of faithful service to Jesus Christ. Being faithful was a condition that made him sick? But shouldn't he have "claimed" more energy or health to keep him going? Please show me where Paul criticizes him for "overworking." There is nothing but praise for Epaphroditus in Philippians 2. If the servant was sinning by overworking, why in the world would Paul say, "So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and HONOR such men"? Your explanation of the reason for his illness ("foolishly overworking") both contradicts the praise Paul gives him and the command of our Lord Jesus Christ to indeed give up our lives in service to him. And even if he did overwork, why did it get to the point of death before he "claimed his healing"? And what about Timothy? --Joe! |
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564 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67618 | ||
You wrote: "Just as you would have to appropriate your salvation made available through the blood of Jesus, you must also appropriate you healing." Please show me from Scripture where conversion is "appropriating" a universally available salavtion. You wrote: "We are saved because we believe that Jesus' blood has the power to atone for our sins" No, I am saved because Jesus actually DIED for my sins 2000 years ago. "Likewise, we are healed because we believe that Christ bore our infirmities and in His blood is the power to heal us." Does it not trouble you how man-centered all of these statements are? We are saved because WE appropriate something? We are saved because WE believe? We are healed because WE believe? Does God do anything anymore or has he just handed the reign of the universe over to his finite, sinful creatures? --Joe! |
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565 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67606 | ||
"I agree that Isaiah 53 is in reference to spiritual healing. However, in verse 4 when it refers to our infirmites I think of physical ailment, which leads me to believe that it is also about physical healing." Well, you thinking of it as something doesn't make it so. Peter in his reference to Isaiah 53 in his own epistle directly ties the healing to our sinful conditions, not to any diseases. You wrote: "In reguards to Ex 21:24, that was part of the Law that was set up for government before the Messiah came." Both Paul and James use the moral law as normative commandments for Christians, quoting the Decalogue verbatim (Ephesians 6 and James 2). You are correct that Jesus redeems us from the law's CURSE, but that does not liberate us from God's commandments to follow His moral will, which is summed up in the Ten Commandments, and even more succinctly in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. You wrote: "Finally, we need to define Biblical prosperity. Biblical prosperity is all of your needs being met with enough left over to put some extra in the offering with your tithe." If this is your view of what prosperity is, then we are closer than what I thought on our definitions. You must admit, however, that many of the more well-known, so-called "prosperity doctrine" preachers are not preaching having one's needs met, but rather having one's lusts fulfilled. "Look at Matthew 9:13. If Jesus was not prosperous enough to feed Himself and the men who travled with him then how could the Pharasees say that the disciples never fasted." Fasting is not simply going hungry. It is a spiritual activity of willful abstinence. This passage is in no way a commentary on Jesus' level of financial means. Jesus and the 12 were PROVIDED FOR. There is a difference between being the recipient of God's providence (often through the generosity of others) and having a huge bank account to finance Kingdom work. The epistle of James acknowledges that the church is made up of both rich and poor. Nowhere are the poor chastised for any supposed "lack of faith." The poor among us are an opportunity for God to be glorified by the generosity of His saints. One can very easily look at it this way: how can brotherly generosity on the part of the church of Jesus Christ be demonstrated if no one among God's people has a need? In the Bible, God reveals that ones needs are met through a variety of means other than "claiming a promise": WORK "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must LABOR, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." --Ephesians 4:28 THE GENEROSITY OF OTHER CHRISTIANS "and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so."--2 Corinthians 11:9 "for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs." --Philippians 4:16 I believe Paul nails the coffin of prosperity doctrine shut with one of the most famous passages in Scripture, demonstrating clearly that our material needs are not always what we think them to be: "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." --Philippians 4:11-13 Where is Paul's reliance upon being prosperous? He says that he has learned, as a CHRISTIAN, to be content without it, in suffering from NEED and being in HUMBLE MEANS. The Christian life is NOT a ticket to material Easy Street, or Paul just didn't get it like you do. --Joe! |
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566 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67598 | ||
You wrote: "Jesus was prosperous." The Holy Spirit says: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." --2 Corinthians 8:9 'Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."' --Matthew 8:20 You wrote: "He had one man whose only job was to handle His finances, Judas." Where do you read that this was Judas' ONLY job? You wrote: "Now, I don't remember where it is in the Bible, but Judas regularly embezzled money from Jesus' ministry. Let?s say you were to steal a dollar from your work place every day. Would it be easier for you to steal from a place that only had 5 or 10 dollars or a place that had 1000 dollars?" Now you are just making assumptions about the amount of money that Judas had to steal from. Stealing a few dollars a day is quite easy if you are the only accountant and no auditing is going on. You wrote: "Also, remember that out of the money that Judas was in charge of came the funds to feed and clothe 13 men, Jesus and the apostles, for the 3 and 1/2 years of Jesus' ministry." Now you are assuming that all of that money was in the account at the very outset. For the past three years I have had enough to feed and clothe myself and my wife and our dog and to give us shelter and transportation. However, if my income had stopped three years ago (all other thinsg being equal), I wouldn't be able to make that claim today. Why are you assuming that Jesus started out with all of the money that they would use for the whole earthly ministry. We look at the feeding of the five thousand in John 5, and it is quite apparent that they don't have the money to buy everyone lunch on the house. Day-by-day reliance on the Lord for provisions is a very biblical concept. One petition of the Lord's Prayer is "give us this day our DAILY bread." God sent manna from heaven on a DAILY basis to the Israelites in the wilderness, and attempts to accumulate provisions were literally spoiled by God Himself. Jesus tells us NOT to lay up treasures on earth, but rather to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6). James tells the greedy rich to "weep and howl." (James 4:1) Over and over again covetousness and desire for riches is labelled as SIN. How much clearer can it get? You wrote: "Not only does that show that Jesus had enough money to support Himself and 12 other men, but that He could afford to give some away on top of that." I give money away as well, quite often to the poor; I am not rich. That is an unnecessary conclusion to draw. The only thing that one can reasonably conclude is that His Father provided for His NEEDS. Which is precisely what God promised us as well. You wrote: "Also, you see that in this verse, Jesus is distinguished from the poor because if you were giving to the poor then chances are you're not poor." So explain the widow in Mark 12:12 and Luke 21:2, or the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5? Genrerosity is commanded of all, not only of the filthy rich. "So if Jesus wasn't poor, why should we be?" Aside from the fact that Jesus WAS NOT RICH, why would you think that you would deserve any privilege that the sinless Son of God would have enjoyed? You are a sinful human being and in no sense of the word does God owe you anything but eternal damnation. Your very salvation is a merciful GIFT. I simply cannot understand how anyone who claims to understand the gospel would try and lay claim to anything at all on this earth, considering the price that God paid to buy my sorry soul from the hell I so deserve. --Joe! |
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567 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67597 | ||
Hello, Jesified. You wrote: "I struggled with these questions too, until I went to Bible School. Read Isaiah 53:4-5. The same blood that was poured out for our sins was poured out for our healing also. Peter references this verse in 1 Peter 2:24." Yes he does, but how do you draw the conclusion that he must be talking about physical infirmities here? That view doesn't fit with the rest of the verse at all: "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." --1 Peter 2:24 It is apparent that Peter is talking about our spiritual conditions here; he doesn't say "AND by His wounds you were healed," but rather "FOR by His wounds you were healed, connecting the clause to the idea which he had just expressed: Jesus having borne our sins in his body on the Cross. You wrote: 'So you see, the question is not, "Is God willing and able to heal us?" The question is, "Are we willing and able to be healed?"' Was Lazarus willing and able to be raised from the dead? Was the demon-possessed man willing and able to claim his deliverance? Was the slave in Gethsemane willing to have his chopped-off ear healed? There are indeed many places in which one's healing is connected to one's faith, but there are also many others where Jesus acted independently of the faith of the one who received the healing. We get into some very dangerous theological waters when we suggest that the sovereign God of the universe is in any way hampered by something we do or do not do. You wrote: "Now on prosperity, read Jeremiah 29:11, 3 John 1:2, Isaiah 1:19, and Philippians 4:19. God desires to prosper us." Jeremiah 29:11 is addressing the covenant people of Israel. Even if we include Christians in this promise, it is not a promise of immediate wealth. It is the nation as a whole God plans to bless, not necessarily the individuals hearing this message. How do you conclude that John's prayer for prosperity in 3 John is for wealth? It doesn't mesh with the rest of the epistle. Isaiah 1:19 again is a covenantal promise to Israel. Blessings follow obedience for the nation of Israel, just as blessings generally follow obedience for the church. However, on an individual level, obedience may not lead to material blessing but martyrdom. Stephen was faithful, wouldn't you say? How was his faith and obedience his key to the material pleasures that you seem to link to faith? Philippians 4:19 says that God shall supply all our NEEDS, not our material lusts. You wrote: "Besides, how would a poor man or woman be able to fulfill the great commission, Mark 16:15, and preach the gospel through out all the world." One person ordinarily couldn't, which is why the CHURCH is commissioned with extending God's kingdom. And, by the way, God is spreading the gospel all the time, often using little or no material resources at all. Do you think that native evangelism among tribal peoples is a multimillion dollar enterprise? You wrote: "If you live in poverty, you can't afford to fly to Africa should the Lord call you to the African mission field." No, but the Lord will provide the means from His unlimited resources to accomplish His purposes. One does not need to be Bill Gates before one can be a missionary. Most missionaries are not supported by wealthy benefactors, but by the combined efforts of people with limited means giving sacrificially. There's more... |
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568 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67566 | ||
Okay, then. What about persecution of a material nature? The writer of Hebrews mentioned that the property of Christians was being seized: "For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one." --Hebrews 10:34 If this is persecution, it is also a diminishing of their prosperity as well. It is God's will that they be persecuted in this way, or could He not stop what these enemies of Christ were doing? --Joe! |
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569 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67558 | ||
In your view, is it God's will that we be free from persecution as well? --Joe! |
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570 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67528 | ||
I happily follow the words of Jesus Christ here: "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." --Mark 6:14-15 By the way, there is nothing saying that this is a "Christians-only" forum. Inquiries with the motive of understanding the message of Scripture are most welcome. What is out-of-bounds are attempts to DISCREDIT the Scriptures. If you have your mind made up that the Bible could not possibly be true and nothing will convince you otherwise, then a site like beliefnet is a much more accommodating place. If, on the other hand, you are wanting answers to what Christians actually believe and how the trickier parts of our 66-volume standard are dealt with, I see no problem in you continuing as a participant. But, like you, I am not the owner of StudyBibleForum, so that decision is not mine. I will be looking for you on beliefnet, and feel free to email me (address in profile) any time you want to wrestle with the Christian world view! --Joe! |
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571 | Operate on faith or endure? | Heb 11:1 | Reformer Joe | 67473 | ||
Great. If this is what you believe, then we are on the same page! --Joe! |
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572 | Operate on faith or endure? | Heb 11:1 | Reformer Joe | 67467 | ||
" I believe that once you have renewed your mind in a particular area (I say particular area because right now I believe renewing our minds is a lifetime process)" I agree that the renewal of your mind is a liftime process, but why do you seem to state that Romans 12:2 is talking about us renewing our own minds? I hold the view that by not conforming to this world (the opposite road to mind-renewal), the Spirit works through our study of God's revealed will (i.e. the Bible) to renew our minds. In Christian terms, the preaching and study of the word is a "means of grace," an avenue by which the Holy Spirit works to renew our minds Himself. "then you can 1. prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God 2. ask according to His will" Again, I agree. However, why do you hold the will in Romans 12:2 to be anything but God's revealed will in Scripture? --Joe! |
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573 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67465 | ||
And the funny thing isthat people are still saying things like this about the Bible today. Too bad that a lot of them profess to be Christians nonetheless... --Joe! |
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574 | Immaculate Conception, mary, how? | 1 John 1:8 | Reformer Joe | 67391 | ||
Fierce? :) Well, at least give me credit for knowing the difference between the Immaculate Conception and the Virgin Birth! That's better than a good number of Protestants I know! --Joe! |
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575 | What is the people sin? | NT general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 67369 | ||
You wrote: "[My response]1. No one MADE Adam and Eve sin. Nor are we victims when we sin. We sin because we want to sin. They can sin because they are been created if not they cannot so again no one will suffer here and in hell" You are right: if we were never created we couldn't sin (or do anything else, for that matter). That doesn't change the fact that you sin because you desire to do so. You wrote: "[My response]2. If the way to stay out of hell is by following God's commandments, then we are all going to hell (Romans 3:23). That is why i find that I am a victim, being born is not man choice, but if the man born he already a victim of battle of God and satan." Again, you sin because you want to. Your being born in sin is a result of Adam's rebellion against God. Basically, our first parents declared war on God. You didn't ask to be born in a state of war against the Creator, but you yourself have participated quite willingly in your rebellion against the good King. "It is likely that God pleases with the outcome of His creation? Too many die in wars, sickness shortage of food is He very happy of what the world today?" God was pleased with His creation when He created it. He is not pleased with man's rebellion and all of the results of that. Humanity is under a curse because humanity as a whole is at war with God. "He pleases with the suffering here and there, killing rape, extortion and other form of evil that we have now all over the world?" Did I say this? God hates sin, including yours. God was pleased with His creation at the outset. He is pleased with how the entire creation will be at the end of the age, and the Bible says he was also pleased to provide the means for redeeming His rebellious creation. Speaking of Jesus Christ, God says: "But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand." --Isaiah 53:10 You wrote: "God did this because he created man, I think it His responsibilities to save His creation and besides it is all His ideas to create." Do you blame your mother for your sin, too, because she gave birth to you? After all, if she hadn't conceived, you couldn't sin, either. Then there are your grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Humanity being created did not mean that humanity HAD to sin. Speaking of responsibility, you need to start taking responsibility for your own guilt in your WILLING disobedience to God. You are the perpetrator, not the victim. And God is not REQUIRED to save His rebellious humanity, although in his KINDNESS he provided the means by which we can have peace with Him and have His justice satisfied at the same time. Again, God sent His Son, "whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation [a sacrifice to appease the just wrath of God] in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." --Romans 3:25-26 Either Jesus Christ died for the sins that you willingly committed, or you will pay for them for them in hell. If the former, it will be a gift from God in His grace. If the latter, it will be what you deserve. I encourage you to embrace Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as payment for your sins, and have peace with God (Romans 5:1). --Joe! |
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576 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67325 | ||
You wrote: "What makes you think I don't believe in God?" Because you say so every time you sign your "name": "ateo" Try checking my occupation under my user profile. "P.S. Your sarcasm is childish and unbecoming." Well, I find it dishonest to impersonate a Christian on a forum specifically designed for Christians to study the Bible. Ever time that you send a post, you agree to the following terms: "2. This post is not intended as a personal attack on the authority of the Bible or on other users of this forum." If you wish to debate with Christians on the authority of Scripture and the tenets of Christianity, there is no shortage of forums on the Internet for that purpose. The owners of this Web site determined from the outset that this is not one of them. I recommend carm.org or beliefnet.com (you will find me posting quite regularly on the latter under the same name; I welcome dialogue with you there). This is simply not the place to be declaring that the Bible is false because of a cubit and a half. --Joe! |
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577 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67276 | ||
You wrote: "Thus, I wouldn't have a beef if the circumference was given as 31.5 cubits." Well, I am sure the God you don't believe in is distressed by your "beef." :) You wrote: "I don't expect God to give an approximation that was worse than ones already found by mathematicians at the time." Well, God does all kinds of things we don't expect. Rounding off is not unbiblical. :) "Being a graduate student in math, I suppose I take this a little too personally." As a side note, speaking of math and precision and the design of things, you might enjoy a book entitled _Intelligent Design._ It is by William Dembski, who holds two Ph.D.'s -- one in mathematics and one in philosophy. http://www.discovery.org/crsc/ --Joe! |
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578 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67237 | ||
Again, nonsense. The number 7 would be a bad approximation for pi, not 3. In any case,how do you definitively determine that the Old Testament is fudging on pi at all? How are you certain that it is not the diameter of the sea that is being approximated, or the cirumference, or both? How precise does a recorded measurement of a circumference have to be to its diameter times an irrational number in order for it to meet the great atheist's standard of precision? After all, it does have the same number of significant figures as measurement of its diameter, so I would have supposed it would have met your keen scientific standards. :) Do you really think that something pitiful like this proves the Bible to be unreliable? I suppose that if I said that I lived 400 miles away from my parents, but actually lived 412 miles away, then I suppose I couldn't be trusted to give an accurate representation of the facts. Seriously, take a few steps back (or 3.1415926 steps back, if you prefer), and think about how silly your argument is. Then, I recommend that you go read the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which is perhaps the best summary and explanation of what the doctrine of inerrancy is and isn't. In it, you will find this paragraph: "So history must be treated as history, poetry as poetry, hyperbole and metaphor as hyperbole and metaphor, generalization and approximation as what they are, and so forth. Differences between literary conventions in Bible times and in ours must also be observed: Since, for instance, nonchronological narration and imprecise citation were conventional and acceptable and violated no expectations in those days, we must not regard these things as faults when we find them in Bible writers. When total precision of a particular kind was not expected nor aimed at, it is no error not to have achieved it. Scripture is inerrant, not in the sense of being absolutely precise by modern standards, but in the sense of making good its claims and achieving that measure of focused truth at which its authors aimed." And the whole document (a good read for all, IMO) can be found here: http://www.jpusa.org/jpusa/documents/biblical.htm --Joe! |
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579 | Is anything in the bible proven untrue | Ps 119:160 | Reformer Joe | 67140 | ||
Estimations are not untruths. --Joe! |
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580 | Teacher, when were the 11 rebaptized? | Romans | Reformer Joe | 67105 | ||
"*Don't forget, My church has baptizing every Sunday; does yours? of course, doesn't everyone!" No, everyone doesn't. I doubt very seriously that at your church you have individuals being baptized EVERY Sunday as well. We had about nine this morning, I think, but some weeks we go without any. As in Acts, we baptize as the Lord adds to our number. By the way, how does your church handle those who have been baptized and fall into sin and then repent. Do they have to be rebaptized? "Thanks for your response!" You are welcome! --Joe! |
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