Results 321 - 340 of 350
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
321 | Reincarnation, scripturally founded? | Heb 9:27 | Aixen7z4 | 150799 | ||
Someone should say No, and say it clearly. Reincarnation is not an idea that comes from Scripture. What do we mean by the word Reincarnation? It is the idea that everyone dies and returns to this life in another form. That is what the dictionary says. Reincarnation: n 1: embodiment in a new form (especially the reappearance or a person in another form); "his reincarnation as a lion". Scripture does not teach that people die and come back in another form. Reincarnation: n 2: a second or new birth [syn: rebirth] Scripture does teach the need for a new birth. However, it is doubtful that this is what anyone has in mind when they use the term Reincarnation. We should make it clear that Jesus is calling for a new birth, which must necessarily take place while we are still alive. Reincarnation: n 3: the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that a person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings (god or human or animal or hungry ghost or denizen of hell) depending on the person's own actions It is this definition that is most worrisome. One should not get the impression that this is a point of agreement between Christianity and other religions. It is true that Scripture records some people saying that Jesus might be John the Baptist returned from the dead (Matthew 16). But as our brother Hank has pointed out, that was their belief. But they were wrong. It is as when the Bible records the fact some people believed in gods of wood or stone. It does not mean that the Lord sanctions it, or that the Bible teaches it. It is true that the Bible reveals instances of people telling lies. It is quite another matter to say that there are lies in the Bible. Jesus did say that John the Baptist was (another) Elijah. But that is quite different from saying that John was Elijah reincarnated. It had been said of that old prophet that “the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha” (2 Kings 2). Likewise, John the Baptist was preceding Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1). But Elijah was in heaven then, and he was not reincarnated as either Elisha or John. Even when he, and Moses, appeared with Jesus on the mount, it was not an instance of reincarnation. It is rather similar to a situation where an angel from heaven comes down to appear to someone on earth. They would appear and disappear. They did not come here to live another life, which is what reincarnation implies. God does not give us other chances at living a life on this earth. It is appointed unto man once to live this life, and then to die, and then to face the judgment (Hebrews 9). The next life will be for eternity, in heaven or in hell. Though some people believed Jesus was John, or Elijah, or some other prophet returned from the dead, it may not even be rightly said that they believed in reincarnation. Besides, there is no other record that I am aware of where anyone else spoke of someone else as having come back for a second chance at life, except in the rare cases of resurrection. And the folks who thought Jesus was someone else come back, they were certainly not acting under inspiration of God. Peter, the one who had been inspired by God, recognized Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah, who appeared once, to put away sin. There is a new birth, in this life, that is synonymous with being saved. There is a resurrection, which Jesus achieved, and we are assured of resurrection. But the Bible does not teach reincarnation. |
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322 | Reincarnation, scripturally founded? | Heb 9:27 | Aixen7z4 | 150800 | ||
Someone should say No, and say it clearly. Reincarnation is not an idea that comes from Scripture. What do we mean by the word Reincarnation? It is the idea that everyone dies and returns to this life in another form. That is what the dictionary says. Reincarnation: n 1: embodiment in a new form (especially the reappearance or a person in another form); "his reincarnation as a lion". Scripture does not teach that people die and come back in another form. Reincarnation: n 2: a second or new birth [syn: rebirth] Scripture does teach the need for a new birth. However, it is doubtful that this is what anyone has in mind when they use the term Reincarnation. We should make it clear that Jesus is calling for a new birth, which must necessarily take place while we are still alive. Reincarnation: n 3: the Hindu or Buddhist doctrine that a person may be reborn successively into one of five classes of living beings (god or human or animal or hungry ghost or denizen of hell) depending on the person's own actions It is this definition that is most worrisome. One should not get the impression that this is a point of agreement between Christianity and other religions. It is true that Scripture records some people saying that Jesus might be John the Baptist returned from the dead (Matthew 16). But as our brother Hank has pointed out, that was their belief. But they were wrong. It is as when the Bible records the fact some people believed in gods of wood or stone. It does not mean that the Lord sanctions it, or that the Bible teaches it. It is true that the Bible reveals instances of people telling lies. It is quite another matter to say that there are lies in the Bible. Jesus did say that John the Baptist was (another) Elijah. But that is quite different from saying that John was Elijah reincarnated. It had been said of that old prophet that “the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha” (2 Kings 2). Likewise, John the Baptist was preceding Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1). But Elijah was in heaven then, and he was not reincarnated as either Elisha or John. Even when he, and Moses, appeared with Jesus on the mount, it was not an instance of reincarnation. It is rather similar to a situation where an angel from heaven comes down to appear to someone on earth. They would appear and disappear. They did not come here to live another life, which is what reincarnation implies. God does not give us other chances at living a life on this earth. It is appointed unto man once to live this life, and then to die, and then to face the judgment (Hebrews 9). The next life will be for eternity, in heaven or in hell. Though some people believed Jesus was John, or Elijah, or some other prophet returned from the dead, it may not even be rightly said that they believed in reincarnation. Besides, there is no other record that I am aware of where anyone else spoke of someone else as having come back for a second chance at life, except in the rare cases of resurrection. And the folks who thought Jesus was someone else come back, they were certainly not acting under inspiration of God. Peter, the one who had been inspired by God, recognized Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah, who appeared once, to put away sin. There is a new birth, in this life, that is synonymous with being saved. There is a resurrection, which Jesus achieved, and we are assured of resurrection. But the Bible does not teach reincarnation. |
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323 | we are saints | Heb 10:10 | Aixen7z4 | 148254 | ||
Those who have come to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved, and are everywhere referred to as saints (Deuteronomy 33 to Revelation 20). Almost every letter addressed to believers contains a salutation referring to them as saints (Romans 1 to Jude). Indeed, the church is properly thought of as a called-out people and does consist entirely of saints -- them that are sanctified (1 Corinthians 1:2). They have been called out of the world’s system (Acts 26:18) and set apart to show forth his praises (1 Peter 2) and to serve him (Daniel 7:27). We are the ones he has raised up, as it were from the dead, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2). Before we were saved we lived according to the course of this world, and we were by nature the children of wrath. But we are washed, but we are sanctified, (made to be saints) we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11). |
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324 | Please Help I am looking | Heb 10:25 | Aixen7z4 | 102778 | ||
Hebrews 10:24,25. “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching“. I happened by and saw your question and I thought I'd help. Now please tell us: How are you going to use that information? |
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325 | explain: I Corinthians 9:24 | Heb 12:1 | Aixen7z4 | 145586 | ||
Hebrews 12:1 sheds light on it. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul is comparing the Christian life to that of an athlete. But an analogy is never perfect in every respect, and one must look for the essentials. The Christian life is like a race, and we must run to win. But it is not a race in which only one receives the prize. There is a certain crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (2 Timothy 4). It may be useful for us to think of our lives as bleievers in Christ as a relay race (See Hebrews 11 to 12). Many men and women of faith have gone before us and they have passed on a baton to us. They have not received the prize as yet. They are waiting for us, and we will all receive the prize together. “These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect”. This should discourage competition and division among us. Rather, it should teach us to value the lives of the saints who went before us, and to think of those who come behind us. It should remind us also to appreciate those around us, whose faith we can follow (as in Hebrews 13) and those who need our help (as in 2 Timothy 2). We can accept a baton and pass on a baton, and together we will win the race. I do not know if there were relay races in Paul’s time, or if he would have preferred that analogy. He seems to be searching for the best picture to illustrate the need for discipline and determination. In other letters he uses the farmer and the soldier as examples, and here he uses the athlete. But in the context of the passage, he is emphasizing togetherness, and devotion to the welfare of others (See 1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He is not encouraging selfishness or lonely individuality. Rather, he is focusing on the dedication shown by the athlete. He is asking us all of us together to run like that, to fight like that. The idea, as in Philippians 3, is to keep our eyes on the prize and to go for it. It is not to be the only one that wins. If we are following Jesus, we will all win this race. |
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326 | The shaking of heaven and earth | Heb 12:26 | Aixen7z4 | 130386 | ||
Revelation 6: 12 I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? It is the reason we preach the gospel. Judgment day is coming. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11). |
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327 | How much time spent on the Forum? | James 1:25 | Aixen7z4 | 133759 | ||
It is a good question, and each of us needs to answer it for ourselves, I suppose. Interesting that you pose it in terms of time spent on answers and notes as opposed to time spent asking questions and reading answers. It suggests, as others have indicated, that much more time is spent in giving than in receiving. This seems to meet the approval of the Lord who has said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Act3 20:35). It also causes one to think of what he said in Luke 6: “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (v.38). In judging how much time we spend on anything, one may think in terms of the potential for profitability. Will the time be well spent? What is the probability that it will bring about the results we desire? And what is it, by the way, that we desire? Good when we can say like Jesus, that “I came … not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). It seems reasonable to suppose that those who give answers and write notes are trying to communicate information that they think others need. “Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved (1 Corinthians 10:33). One may spend time providing direct answers, then, and more time clarify and defending those points in response to questions and answers offered by others. One might like to exercise patience with those who have not seen the light, and take even more time as we follow principles such as that enunciated in Romans 15:2 to let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. Of course, as Jesus said, we will get as we give, whether we expect it or not, or want it. For example, many have found here the truth of what Jesus said in Matthew 7, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again”. But there is the issue of motive, why one would spend any amount of time on an activity. What exactly does one expect to gain from it? In this case, there is at least the satisfaction of knowing that we are communicating, and we may spend extra time and effort to ensure that. It has already been pointed out that one may spend lots of time not only posting but researching a topic in order to give quality to one’s post. This writer thinks it is worth the time to search the Scriptures on any topic, but especially when it is clearly related to the person of Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:39). The time to post is small and almost insignificant compared to the time comparing what others have said to Scripture and comparing Scripture to Scripture. It is possibly and hopefully true that some people spend some considerable amount of time on those activities even if they do not post. In the end there is the question whether it is worth the time. Is it worth it just to know that the point got over? Is it worth it to simply provide information if there is no indication or assurance that the facts served to information action? See 1 Corinthians 8:1. Even in the midst of writing this I must ask myself the question: if it is worth the time. How much good will it do? Our time really is not ours but God’s (Psalm 31:15) and we spend what he has given us. We do well to use it wisely and with his direction. |
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328 | The gates of hell... | James 4:1 | Aixen7z4 | 135405 | ||
I do not know what “the current ugliness” is, and I have no desire to look into it. Is this a good vantage point then, from which to answer the question? I hope so. Although I have not seen that “current ugliness”, I think I have seen ugliness among Christians often enough that I can make a suggestion. If I am wrong, then please ignore these comments. There are generally three sources of these problems, though I would be glad to agree with anyone who says they are really one. The first is the flesh, and we could talk at length about that. But consider this. James says that the flesh gives rise to wars and fightings (James 4). There are fightings within the individual, between the flesh and the Spirit, and too often the flesh wins out. Paul says that within our flesh there dwells no good thing (Romans 7) and we need to mortify the deeds of the flesh and walk in the spirit. The unfortunate things is that some of us have come to equate unkindness with spirituality and aggressiveness with zeal. The second source is the world. James says that friendship with the world is enmity against God. John says the same thing (1 John 2). Jesus talks about this native incompatibility with the world (John 15). The world teaches us many things, including the idea of surviving by fighting, and we have to be careful not to use such methods in doing the work of God. We suppose that we can be nasty and aggressive and the other man will back down, or quit, and we will have won. But ye have not so learned Christ. The third source is the devil. We need not talk at length about him, but we need to recognize him, because he is the one behind the other two. Satan is the ruler of this world system, and he knows how to exploit the weakness in our flesh(ly nature). Most of the chances we have to be ugly come when we talk to one another. James talks about the way we use our tongue. I will suggest that we can transpose that in these days and refer to the way we use our keyboards. The fingers are an unruly bunch. And the fingers are a fire, a world of iniquity: so are the fingers among our members, that they defile the whole body, and set on fire the course of nature; and they are set on fire of hell. OK. So I have no idea what I am talking about. I say again that I do not know what the current ugliness is. I have no idea why the catholic church is mentioned, and I do not know what doctrine is involved and I do not know who is right or wrong. And yet, I do believe that the fates of hell do have a part in it. What’s it doing in the body of Christ? I think Jesus said the gates of hell would attempt to prevail against it. We are more than conquerors and we can win. But first, we must recognize the enemy. And brothers and sisters, though I have mentioned the flesh among the three, I say it is not us. Therefore, Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. |
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329 | Faith | 1 Pet 1:9 | Aixen7z4 | 74597 | ||
Peter says the end of our faith is the salvation of our souls. When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the result is that we are saved. That is the end. Faith is the means. | ||||||
330 | What's the proper response to injustice? | 1 Pet 2:19 | Aixen7z4 | 153057 | ||
Waiting for an answer, as to what can be done about injustice, and waiting for justice, are alike, both painful processes. One is interested in what the brethren think, and what God feels, and thinks, as he looks on. “Our transgressions are multiplied …, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; … “Judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment“ (Isaiah 59). The sight of injustice may arouse our emotions. It may arouse the most common feeling, fear. It may give rise to anger or, as has been suggested, angst. Or it may leave us apathetic. As always with God, there are choices, and for our choices there are consequences. When we see injustice, we can ignore it. But the Lord says, “He that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey“. In other words, “Those who turn away from evil make themselves victims”. (GW). We should think about that. We can condemn it. The Lord says, “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression”. But showing God’s people their transgression can but much like placing a picture before a blind man. The psychologists call it denial, but it seems we need a stronger word. A brother protested to me recently that there is no prejudice in the church, in America. One who complained about a young man being denied an opportunity to use his gifts in the church was described as “envious”. One man took another man’s wife, and they both continued in the church. The one who lifted his voice to “cry aloud” was taken aside and counseled to be quiet. We can work against it. But then the pronoun “we” is hardly apt, for such a person often has to do that work alone. One may feel quite the Lord’s man then, and identify with the Lord himself, for it is he who “saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him“ (Isaiah 59:17). Of course, we can continue doing as we are doing now. That might include one of the choices mentioned above, but it could be otherwise. I am not sure whether an “intercessor” in this case is one who prays or one who takes some action, intervening. Either way, the Lord looked and wondered, because there was no intercessor. There was no one who prayed, and there was no one who did anything, about injustice. So he took action himself. It is in that vein that he said: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified“ (Isaiah 61). That is what Jesus did when he was here. He did not only speak it; he also did it. He began to say unto them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). What a message! And what a program of liberation! And as he was leaving he said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father“ (John 14:12). We are here now. We are his body. We are to do his work. And one of his apostles said, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). This does not suggest that we attempt to fix things in the world. We preach the Gospel and call people out of the world and into the church. Then we should do what we can to ensure that there is justice, if not in the world, then surely in the church; if not for ourselves, then surely for our brethren, in the church. |
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331 | Are Reformed people lost souls? | 2 Pet 1:10 | Aixen7z4 | 99490 | ||
Dear John: It was good to hear from you. When I logged in today and saw the notice, I was afraid we might have lost you. I supose we have all seen the notice, to wit, "NOTICE: Pushing one's denominational bias and engaging in debates, such as Calvinism/Arminianism, (is) strictly forbidden on this StudyBibleForum. Failure to comply may result in revocation of your privilege to post to this Forum". But now I am not sure I can respond to your question because I fear it will renew the debate and I myself may be a castaway. It was with a desire to end the debate that I made a call for reconciliation. I do believe that it is better to try to reconcile the two positions than to doggedly stand for either extreme. Now, if you cannot see the logic in the statement you have cut and pasted above, there is nothing more that I ccan say. If God is either irresistible or unapproachable, then my words are also likely to be incomprehensible. Two things more, or three, I hope are now allowable. First, you are correct that I do not know much about those who use he name “Reformed”. It is really not important to me, and I do fear that those who cling so tightly to such a label should have given that kind of attention only to Christ himself. It seems to be quite important to them and I wonder whether it is the object of their faith and their hope of salvation. Secondly, I was really not aware that Luther and Bunyon and Spurgeon were Calvinists. It may be that with further digging I will find that they were, but I do not think they said so, and I do not think it is worth the while to find out. I am more familiar with the modern proponents such as Harold Camping. He makes his stance quite obvious. The third point is the most important. I suppose that importance of personal salvation is so great that no one should despise the chance to reconsider it. Obviously, no one can determine whether another person is saved, but it seems strange to me that a person should become defensive when he has a chance to look again at his salvation experience. I welcome it. For me, salvation is personal and primary. It does not reassure me to associate myself with others then. I have to walk that valley all by myself. The BibleStudyForum is a good thing. I hope to see you there, discussing important topics such as personal salvation. It is my hope that the goal of each participant in each discussion would be reconciliation of the viewpoints and resolution of the issue. |
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332 | Are Reformed people lost souls? | 2 Pet 1:10 | Aixen7z4 | 99505 | ||
Is a Reformed person a lost soul? How can we know? More importantly, how can they know? How can they even know if they know? And then, what would it matter anyway, if they cannot change? What if they are offended if we even ask them to consider the possibility? What if they equate that with judging? I am afraid it gets too muddled. One would think that each of us should be able to stop and review this important matter. One would think that we would want to. But then I suppose that method of thinking would not allow us to. Are Reformed people lost souls? Who knows? Does a Reformed person have personal assurance of salvation, and do they not care to be asked about it? If they do and it they don't, then perhaps we had better leave the matter there. |
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333 | Are Reformed people lost souls? | 2 Pet 1:10 | Aixen7z4 | 99560 | ||
Was all of this worth it? I hope that somewhere, at some time, someone will see what was attempted up above and learn from it. An attempt was made to change the question of salvation from a group focus to an individual focus and this writer thinks that was important. Our salvation depends on our individual repentance and faith and not on the doctrine of the group to which we pay allegience. My lonely battle with these two men may seem now to have been a waste of time. I trust that the record of it may yet be of some benefit to someone. |
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334 | Are Reformed people lost souls? | 2 Pet 1:10 | Aixen7z4 | 99662 | ||
It is a matter of personal redemption. We are a part of group. Human beings. Males. Females. Rich. Poor. Educated. Uneducated. Tall. Short. And sometimes the Bible seems to put us into classes. Jews. Gentiles. The Church. Them that are without. The just. The wicked. They that are wise. But also, we are individuals. Every man shall give account of himself to God. We are to bear one another’s burdens. But each man shall ear his own burden. It may be that this is an issue worth considering at this point, and potentially, elsewhere. The influence of the group is strong. We are born into families, into society, and all of it seems sometimes to be arrayed for one purpose, to get us socialized. We are pressured into conforming, and those who accede are given desirable consequences; a sense of belonging, approval, promotions. Those who resist those pressures are faced with severe consequences. Ostracism. Ridicule. Prison. Within the family and within the church similar pressures are exerted on the individual to conform. Adherence to group norms is rewarded with social reinforcements: smiles, pats of the back, words of praise from the platform, applause. We are each a part of some group, maybe of many groups at once. But sometimes we are alone. “We” shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. But “every man” shall give account of the deeds done in the body. “They” were judged before the great white throne, but it is “whosoever” that was cast into the lake of fire. The church is a wonderful institution and the fellowship and sharing are God’s design. But God is not granting group salvation. It is individual. All those who are in Christ will be saved (are saved) but it is the individual who is added to the body of Christ. It is not even two by two, as with the animals entering Noah’s ark. It is one by one. Many statements are made in scripture about groups of people because they are found doing the same thing. There are “those” who repent and “those” who refuse. There are “those” who believe and “those” who don’t. So, in some sense it does matter what group we belong to. But we become a part of that group because of our personal response. In the end, God will hold us personally responsible. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. Let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's. |
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335 | Are Reformed people lost souls? | 2 Pet 1:10 | Aixen7z4 | 99723 | ||
I think I am free to respond or not respond, but I am not sure. Since I am responding, I guess I have that freedom. But in so doing I seem to have lost the certainty about my freedom to not respond. What is clear to me is the fact that others have stopped responding. I do not know if they have more freedom than I do, or less. I seem to be irresistibly drawn to olive branches., or what I perceive as such. I do not seem to be able to ignore the possibility that I am falling prey to, as you put it, a ploy. I shall yet see whether or not there will be a restatement of the doctrine you hold. I am not asking for it. I am trying not to provoke it. I am hoping it does not reappear. So we’ll see. Reconciliation is important to me, as I think it is to God. We are to be reconciled to him, and we are to be reconciled to each other. I agree that I may have lost some of my fervor for this inter-human reconciliation when no one took me up on the offer. I think it always takes two, and if they are both believers in the Lord Jesus Christ I believe it can be done. But it does not take one saying come let me explain my side further so you can come over to it. It takes mutual respect and the recognition that it is the Holy Spirit who brings conviction, and things like that. Since you were disappointed in my last response, I offer this in compensation. I can only hope you find it conciliatory. Since you were expecting a kinder answer, I hope this is it. As you had hoped, I do accept the possibility that you were sincere in wanting to clear up any mis-conceptions I may have had. I would like to assure that I am not aware of any misconceptions and I do not sense the need to have anything cleared up. I believe you will allow me to be the judge of my own needs this time and stop offering help. It is my hope that those who are believers in the word of God would abandon extreme positions which divide and seek to reconcile in our own minds statements which seem to be contradictory. When we seek such reconciliation we should not allow one passage to expunge the other from scripture or explain it away. We should hold them all. Again, this is not an invitation to have the doctrine restated. I hope you are not offended when I say now that we have heard it often enough. It is not that we have not heard it. It is not that we do not understand. It is not that we need a misconception cleared up. It is that we think it needs to be reconciled, modulated, combined with the other teachings in the Bible. I use the term “we” because I think I am not alone in wishing for reconciliation. I speak for those who have fallen silent because I have read their previous posts. Look, there are those who will read this response and say I am wasting my time. They think you will respond and restate your doctrine yet again. Prove them wrong. You have noted my fervor for reconciliation. You have suggested that your last post was not a ploy. Show your real motive now, not in words but in action. Or inaction. Let me say like you did. Please feel free to not reply to this post. In response to your question, “Are Reformed people lost souls” I think I should have given only one answer, as I eventually did above: It is a matter of personal redemption. With that you have agreed, You said, “Your main premise ‘It is a matter of personal redemption’ is quite true”. Perhaps we should leave it there. |
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336 | Where is God? | 1 John | Aixen7z4 | 142008 | ||
It is perhaps the most important question. God complained when his people did not ask it (Jeremiah 2:6,8) and he responded positively when Elisha asked it (2 Kings 2:14). It is his desire that we seek after him and find him (Acts 17:27). He asks directly that we seek him (Isaiah 55:6). We understand that the Lord is someone we will find when we seek him (as in Matthew 7:7). But you seem to need some more information, since you have been seeking and not finding. God says that you will find him only when you search for him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). It is evident that some of us seek God while neglecting to deal with the question of sin. Sin is like a cloud (Isaiah 44:22) that separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). God hides his face at the sight of sin (Deuteronomy 31, Ezekiel 39, etc.). But we cannot get rid of sin by ourselves. We need forgiveness. And we should know that in Jesus Christ we are offered forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:38). Now, in regards to the steps you have taken is seeking God, you have mentioned reading the Bible, attending church, and baptism. Some churches place a strong emphasis on baptism, even suggesting that our sins are taken away in the water. They wrestle with passages like Acts 22:16 and 1 Peter 3:21 which seem to say or not say that. But in this case it seems clear that baptism did not take away sin, which is the thing that separates us from God. And why would baptism take away sin? What if the person has not repented? How could baptism take away sin if the person has not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ? What we find is that a person draws nigh to God when he turns his back on sin (Isaiah 55:7). When he turns to God like that and he will have mercy upon him, and he will abundantly pardon him. This pardon is necessary in order for us to have fellowship with a holy God. And again, this pardon is possible because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. When we repent of sin and come to God through him. That is when we find him. There are many people in church who feel the way that you do, that they are seeking and not finding God. They may try then to create the feeling of nearness to God by being with the people of God and doing many things for God. One can hear them crying out with words such as “I’m desperate for you”. But God says he is not far from any one of us. But to find him we must come to hate sin, and we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism comes after that. Now, who among us will say that they found God in a pool of water? The statistics say that most people find him and get saved in a place other than church. We tend to find him in some quiet place, on our knees, with the help of one friend or family member who knows him, and sometimes alone. But it does seem, when you get to know God, that he leaves no doubt about it as he floods your life with his presence. In your place I would seek the Lord in his prescribed way. But those of us who know him must seek him yet, just to see him. “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple”. For protection: “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock”. He invites us to seek him. He says, “Seek ye my face”, and we accept. Our heart says, “Thy face, LORD, will I seek” (Psalm 27). For direction: He will show us the path of life. For the joy of it, because “in his presence is fullness of joy; at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm 16). |
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337 | God not around sin how satan go to him | 1 John 1:9 | Aixen7z4 | 74585 | ||
It seems that those who harbor sin cannot abide in his presence; but they can visit. Also he will visit them with judgment. Because of his sin Satan was cast out of heaven. Because of their sin Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Our sin and our iniquities hide his face from us. If we habitually practice sin we do not have fellowship with him. If we say we do, we are lying, John says. But we can come to him confessing. In a similar way, Satan can come to him accusing. But then he has to leave. Makes sense? |
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338 | If our sins are forgiven, why repent? | 1 John 1:9 | Aixen7z4 | 152265 | ||
Sin comes into our lives every day, and we have to deal with it. It is not that we are seeking salvation again. That has been accomplished once and for all and we must trust the Lord and thank him thereafter. We do not have to ask him to save us again. But we make mistakes. I made a mistake in addressing my response at first to someone else, when I wanted to send it to you. And I will probably get into trouble for that. What’s to be done? Admit it. Confess it. And move on. The scripture passages for that are included below. It is true that our sins are forgiven at the time of salvation. It is because we repent of sin and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:5). All of our sins are forgiven at that time (Colossians 2:13). When we have repented, we have turned away from sin, and it is no longer a habit (1 John 3:9). But we do sin (Galatians 5:17). Even David sinned (1 Kings 15:5) and needed to confess it (Psalm 51). Even the apostles sinned, and needed to admit to the fact and to confess their sins (1 John 1). It is quite like a person who has bathed himself thoroughly and yet finds at the end of the day that his feet are dirty (John 13). He needs to have his feet washed in order to maintain fellowship with the Lord (Isaiah 59). What shall we do then? Shall we tolerate the sin that has come into our lives? (As in 2 Peter 2:22). We should rather seek to be cleansed from it lest we allow it to continue and to grow (as in 1 Corinthians 5). The way to be cleansed from it is to confess it and forsake it (Proverbs 28:13). Or shall we say that that sin is already covered since we are saved? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (See Romans 6). Then we might well ask ourselves whether we do in fact have an abhorrence of sin that would have led us to repent in the first place. Sin ought to make us sad, and we should be sad about the fact that we still sin. We should resist the devil and draw nigh to God so we can live with him in holiness. Some say we should simply thank God that our sins are forgiven. We should thank him always and forever, for our salvation with the forgiveness of sin, the washing, and all else that it entails (Revelation 1). But the occasion of sin is not the time for that (James 4). There is a time to weep (Ecclesiastes 3). Some say we should confess our sins every day. Better perhaps to say we should confess every time we pray. When we come into the presence of a holy God, we recognize also our sinful nature (Isaiah 6). It is an opportunity to be touched and cleansed again. The fact is, we sin without knowing it (Psalm 19:12). We should not justify ourselves, but rather avail ourselves of searchlight of the word of God (Psalm 119) the knowledge of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8) and the love that causes the Lord to wash our feet. It is a good example that the apostles set for us in 1 John 1, and that David set in Psalm 139. David has a prophet who would come to him, and we have the Holy Spirit who lives within. We can do even better than he did (2 Samuel 12) and confess our sins immediately, as we are convicted without the need for human instrumentality (John 16). Sin, after we are saved, will not keep us from heaven (Romans 8). But it will continue to beset us, and we must strive against it (Hebrews 12). We can overcome it too (1 Corinthians 10), but is not by ignoring it or by minimizing it. While we are here on this earth, we are in the presence of sin (John 17). We spare ourselves some trouble, and save ourselves from God’s judgment and chastisement by recognizing and confessing and forsaking sin (1 Corinthians 11). We can copy a prayer of confession, I suppose, as Jonah did. Even when we are not aware of any particular sin, we can say as David did, in Psalm 139: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting“. |
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339 | Sharing my faith | 1 John 3:13 | Aixen7z4 | 153857 | ||
But sanctify the Lord God in your heart: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. Have you tried that? |
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340 | How do we know that we are truly saved? | 1 John 3:24 | Aixen7z4 | 141565 | ||
Anyone who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself. Anyone who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he does not believe the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record: God has given to us eternal life. This life is in his Son, and anyone who has the Son has eternal life. Anyone who does not have the Son of God does not have eternal life. These things have I written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that ye have eternal life. |
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