Results 1721 - 1740 of 2277
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Hank Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1721 | are we still caught in our own worlds? | Bible general Archive 1 | Hank | 56564 | ||
Rovlear, or Estelle, if you prefer -- Thank you first of all for your kind words regarding the posts of my friends, Makarios and Kalos, and of mine. The post about which you inquire was the product of my thoughts regarding the forum in March of this year. And you ask whether they still reflect my views today. By and large, I'd have to say that they do, at least in certain critical areas. By that I mean that posts continue to be added almost every day that are not and cannot be supported by Scripture. I am particularly concerned about two groups of people who may read error-laden posts and not be able to discern whether what they are reading is sound doctrine or falsehood. The two groups are the sincere seekers who do not yet know Christ, and those who do but who are not yet solidly grounded in the faith -- the "babes in Christ." From time to time I have been horror-struck as I read some of the truly outre things that have been entered on this forum. While all is not sweetness and light on the forum, Estelle, all is not sour and dark either, not by any means. We have two very positive things going in favor of the forum. The first I will mention is the tremendous asset of being blessed with a fairly large number of fine, reliable people, many of whom have been active users since the forum was in its infancy. They know Scripture, they are keen in recognizing false teaching and swift to refute it with the word of God. In their absence, the kooks would have a field day :-).... And the second thing I will mention is positive, even though at first blush one might tend to think of it as a negative. I'm talking about the "Report Abuse" feature that Lockman has wisely set in place. We have had, over the year and four months that I've been active on this forum, a generous share of users who did not comply with the standards of usage that Lockman has seen fit to establish. Their abuse was reported to Lockman by other users and in a certain amount of cases, the abusers' privilege to post was revoked. This is indeed a valuable feature, to be able to rid the forum of recalcitrant users.... So there you have it, Estelle. I don't know whether I've answered you fully or satisfactorily, but thanks for asking anyway, and I've had fun trying to respond in a manner that may make at least some sense. --Hank | ||||||
1722 | Corrected post! sorry for err! | John 1:1 | Hank | 56478 | ||
mbooker, your correction is joyfully noted! --Hank | ||||||
1723 | thanks hank | John 1:1 | Hank | 56476 | ||
You are very welcome, mbooker. By the way, a response is to be posted as a note, not a question. --Hank | ||||||
1724 | What did Jesus do for us? | Rom 5:6 | Hank | 56453 | ||
KnightEJV: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." [Rom.5:8]. What more could He do? --Hank | ||||||
1725 | Can sinnners inherit the kingdom of God? | 1 Cor 6:9 | Hank | 56408 | ||
billk, what troubles me about your question is this: "If we are confident of our faith in Jesus but are in sin(s) such as adultery...[etc.]." Being "confident of our faith" -- whatever that may mean -- is not necessarily saying that we have been reborn in Christ Jesus, that we are regenerate believers, that we are saved by the blood of Christ. In other words, our personal, subjective feelings, e.g., feeling "confident," are not always reliable. Among people we may be able to deceive, we can deceive ourselves easiest of all. So, the person who is "confident" of his faith and yet continues in a life of willful and sustained sin, such as the adultery you mentioned, may well be pulling a king-sized snow job on himself. It's high time for him to do serious business with the Lord. Consider these verses from 1 John 2:3-6: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar and and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked." --Hank | ||||||
1726 | What if you don't obey that command? | Rom 6:4 | Hank | 56404 | ||
Dear The Bible Is Right: "What if" questions always make me jittery, because they are usually somewhat hypothetical, and hypothetical questions don't invite concrete answers. Even so, I will rush in, this once, where neither angels nor wise men should tread, since I can lay no just claim to being either.... I have been a Christian for more than five decades and have known hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other Christian men and women and not once have I ever met a regenerate believer who did not obey the command to be baptized. Anyone who claims to be saved and continues to lead a life of sin and rebellion in open and willful disobedience to God's commands is a liar, a fake and a fraud. Now I don't believe for a moment in salvation by works -- salvation is an unmerited gift of God (grace) that is obtained through faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But I do believe most definitely in the new birth [regeneration], and that that regeneration brings about a profound change in the life of the new believer, not the least of which is a yearning to please God by living a life of obedience to His will. Following your "what if" one step further: If a regenerate believer were unable to be baptized because, for instance, he dropped dead before he had the opportunity to be baptized, the regenerate believer, by definition, would be saved because of what Christ accomplished on the cross..... Again, let me emphasize: Baptism is a command and I would never attempt to detract in any way from its importance. But it is an act of obedience, not a fact of salvation. But an outright, willful refusal by one who claims to be saved to obey such a clear command as baptism is not the hallmark of a truly born-again believer. --Hank | ||||||
1727 | Overcoming Addiction thru scripture | 1 John 5:4 | Hank | 56399 | ||
Hello, Sufficient Grace. Your question attracted my attention initially when I read that you are a part of the prayer ministry at the church you attend. So am I at First Baptist Church of my home city. Since it is a large church, we are able to staff it with volunteer members 24/7. Each member of the team chooses his hour during the week, and thus someone is engaged in prayer every hour of every day the year round..... If I had your assignment, I believe I'd key in on the word "faith" in 1 John 5:4 and build my talk around what the Bible says about the power of faith -- remember what Jesus said about having faith the size of a mustard seed? We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Surely He who is able to save us by faith alone in Him alone is able to free us from addictions as well -- if we are willing to believe and trust in His power to deliver us from them. I'd look up in a concordance the words "faith" and "believe or belief" and proceed to build my case on the solid ground of what Scripture says about faith and the power of an unswerving and abiding faith in God the Father and in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would emphasize that you are not talking about having faith in faith (that's humanism), but faith in the power of Almighty God to lead and direct our lives and rescue us from the prison of drug addiction. --Hank | ||||||
1728 | the great commission/evangelism? | Matt 28:19 | Hank | 56357 | ||
Coffee, there is a sense in which all Christians are called upon to be full-time evangelists. We either let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify God [cf.Matt.5:16] or we don't. Lip service alone is not a sufficient medium with which to demonstrate to the world that we are regenerate believers in Christ Jesus. Jesus asked, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and not do the things which I say?" [Luke 6:46]. Our faith must be genuine in order for the Holy Spirit to effect good works through us. Although the hyprocrite may get by for a season, fooling and deceiving man, he does not fool or deceive God, for as John Milton said, "For neither man nor angel can discern hypocrisy, the only evil that walks invisible, except to God alone." --Hank | ||||||
1729 | How do I honor God and my parents? | Ex 20:12 | Hank | 56356 | ||
Dear Sweetest Mami: You are right in your desire to honor your parents and you should make every effort to demonstrate to them that you love and honor them (if that is the case, and from the import of your message, I gather that it is). You have not been specific enough, however, in your question to allow me, and I should think, others to present any really meaningful suggestions to you beyond the suggestion that you would do well by yourself and your parents if you sat down with them and had a heart-to-heart talk, explaining to them in simple and plain language exactly wherein and for what reasons the differences between their convictions and yours lie. I'm curious to know exactly how God has spoken to you about your parents' denomination and relayed the message to you not to go back to a service there. It would indeed be helpful to know to which denomination your parents belong and to which you belong, if you would care to divulge this information without giving out any personal or private information. This is the best I can do with the general dilemma you have presented. Not to accuse or to pry, but I wonder whether either your church affiliation or your parents' might be considered unorthodox or even in some manner cultic. --Hank | ||||||
1730 | When I pray to God, what should I say? | Matthew | Hank | 56347 | ||
Dear Flowerforlife -- When I read your phrasing, "When I pray at night, I'm not sure of what to say to the Lord" I'm tempted to say, "Say to Him the same kinds of things you say to Him during the day." And this, believe me, is no attempt to be cute or ridicule your question in any way. My point is this: The Christian should -- he is commanded to -- pray without ceasing. This can mean, of course, that one should pray on a sustained and regular basis. But it can also mean that he should remain ever in an attitude of prayer, i.e., during every waking hour to be conscious of God's gift of salvation, God's providential love and care for His children, His awesome holiness, power and authority, and of man's total dependence upon the grace and mercy of God for all he has, all he is, and all that he ever shall be. Prayers need not be long and need not be formal. A child who has a loving and providing earthly father does not have to ponder what to say to his father..... "Daddy, I love you for being so good to me. Daddy, thanks for the neat gift. Daddy, I think you're great. When the little child has a problem, he doesn't blink at asking for counsel, for practical advice on what to do about it ...... These expressions of a child flow from an abundance of love, trust, and adoration for his father. The child has no problem talking to his daddy. He says little things to his father all day long. It might even be said that some children talk without ceasing! And, really, so should the Christian "pray without ceasing" to his Father. To praise God, to seek the will of God, and to petition Him on behalf of our needs and the needs of others -- these are the primary elements of prayer, and prayer can become -- indeed should become -- as natural, and essentially as easy and as frequently as breathing. No matter how clumsy and awkward our words may be, the Father hears and understands what our hearts are trying to say to Him, so long as our hearts are bent in true humility and our minds open to seek His will and not our own. --Hank | ||||||
1731 | When I pray to God, what should I say? | Matthew | Hank | 56346 | ||
Dear Flowerforlife -- When I read your phrasing, "When I pray at night, I'm not sure of what to say to the Lord" I'm tempted to say, "Say to Him the same kinds of things you say to Him during the day." And this, believe me, is no attempt to be cute or ridicule your question in any way. My point is this: The Christian should -- he is commanded to -- pray without ceasing. This can mean, of course, that one should pray on a sustained and regular basis. But it can also mean that he should remain ever in an attitude of prayer, i.e., during every waking hour to be conscious of God's gift of salvation, God's providential love and care for His children, His awesome holiness, power and authority, and of man's total dependence upon the grace and mercy of God for all he has, all he is, and all that he ever shall be. Prayers need not be long and need not be formal. A child who has a loving and providing earthly father does not have to ponder what to say to his father..... "Daddy, I love you for being so good to me. Daddy, thanks for the neat gift. Daddy, I think you're great. When the little child has a problem, he doesn't blink at asking for counsel, for practical advice on what to do about it ...... These expressions of a child flow from an abundance of love, trust, and adoration for his father. The child has no problem talking to his daddy. He says little things to his father all day long. It might even be said that some children talk without ceasing! And, really, so should the Christian "pray without ceasing" to his Father. To praise God, to seek the will of God, and to petition Him on behalf of our needs and the needs of others -- these are the primary elements of prayer, and prayer can become -- indeed should become -- as natural, and essentially as easy and as frequently as breathing. No matter how clumsy and awkward our words may be, the Father hears and understands what our hearts are trying to say to Him, so long as our hearts are bent in true humility and our minds open to seek His will and not our own. --Hank | ||||||
1732 | Is God still speak to man today? | John | Hank | 56134 | ||
Ivory 313: God's answer is this: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son .... [Heb.1:1,2a] The comparison is drawn between the occasional and fragmentary nature of the Old Testament revelation to God's final and complete revelation in His Son, Jesus. It is through the words of the New Covenant, i.e., the New Testament, that God speaks to man today. The Bible does not support any claim that God reveals himself by any other medium, written or oral, than by His written word, illumined by the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, any group or any individual who claims individual or special extra-biblical revelation is promulgating false and deceptive teaching. --Hank | ||||||
1733 | Was the cross inevitable? | Luke 24:20 | Hank | 55970 | ||
Simchat, you ask, If Israel had done what they were supposed to do, what would happen to the cross? .... I add, If Adam and Eve had done what they were supposed to do, what would have happened to them and to all their progeny? To both these hypotheticals I respond: I wouldn't touch either with a ten-foot pole! --Hank | ||||||
1734 | Why do JWs tell you what to think? | Acts 1:1 | Hank | 55947 | ||
kalos, the thought strikes me that the answer to your question pivots around that giant little word "if." As in, "If the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is from God..." .... If it is, then Cain's wife is from Bald Knob, Arkansas and dinosaurs live in motor homes and eat Girl Scout cookies. :-) --Hank | ||||||
1735 | unfaithfulness the unpardonable sin? | Matt 5:32 | Hank | 55564 | ||
Perhaps few passages in the entire Bible have been more abused, confused, and ill used as Matthew 12:15-37, wherein the "unpardonable sin" is clearly defined and clearly illustrated. There is no earthly reason to extend the interpretation of this passage to mean any and every sin or to attempt to make it fit any and every age. In point of fact, many Bible scholars believe that since the special circumstances involved in this blasphemy cannot be duplicated today, thus this sin cannot now be committed. In any event, marital infidelity, although a sin to be sure, is not even close to being the (or an) "unpardonable" sin. --Hank | ||||||
1736 | Can a person push God too far?? | 1 John 1:9 | Hank | 54938 | ||
Hello, justme. Before I attempt to answer your question, I express my heartfelt admiration for your kind spirit and your tenacity in plugging along faithfully and joyfully in spite of chronic health problems. You are in my prayers, my friend. ..... Now to your question. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. No mention of any limitations that God imposes on the number of times he will forgive us, or that he gets tired of hearing our confessions. ..... I'm not clear on what you mean by the phrase "fall from grace." If you are speaking of a regenerate believer "losing" his salvation, then no, he doesn't "fall from grace" when he sins..... But if you are talking about fellowship with God, let's examine verse 6 of 1 John 1: If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not [practice] the truth...... Walk in darkness means walking in sin. John may be describing people who claim to be enjoying a close relationship with the Lord, but the sin in their lives indicates otherwise. Such a conflicting state of affairs, John says boldly, is not possible; such persons are lying. --Hank | ||||||
1737 | Code to the Bible? | Bible general Archive 1 | Hank | 54881 | ||
GeeVee: There have been many articles published about arcane "Bible codes," but the one to make perhaps the biggest splash was published in 1997. Called "The Bible Code," it was authored by Michael Drosnin, and attempted to prove that there are encrypted messages contained within Scripture. I read the book and was neither impressed by it nor convinced that it made any sense. Does it not strike you as singularly odd that God would so encode His word that it could be broken only by a modern-day computer? That would mean, of course, that His people in many centuries past were not made privy to this code and had to make do with what He said in intelligible language. Well, I'm one Christian who is quite content to "make do" with what He says clearly and I am still working to understand better what Scripture clearly says. --Hank | ||||||
1738 | can women be pastors | Bible general Archive 1 | Hank | 54686 | ||
Minister 71: In the Archives of this forum lies a beehive of information on your subject, buzzing with views that run the gamut from a resounding 'yes' to an absolute 'no.' I used Search, typed in _women pastor_ and came up with 163 posts on the topic. I hope your venture will yield you some thought-provoking material! --Hank | ||||||
1739 | 10 percent Tithe on yourself? | Deut 14:23 | Hank | 54640 | ||
Geevee, the verse [Deut. 14:23] sounds almost incongruous at first blush, doesn't it? Read in context -- the verse before it and those following it, we get the sense that what is being taught is that the tithe was to be carried to the central place of worship, the sanctuary, where the worshipers were to eat a portion in fellowship with the Lord. In a sense, perhaps, we have a counterpart in Christian churches today. As an example, the elements of communion, the bread and the cup, are purchased out of "tithe" funds and certainly constitute the means of obedience to His command, as well as fellowship with the Lord...... I note your comment in advocacy of a more liberal use of gentleness on the forum, even when rebuking other members. Thank you kindly and with gusto for taking the time to point this out. You are absolutely right. There is much too much acrimony and much too little gentleness exhibited on this forum, and few there be who can truthfully claim innocence! Tim Moran, among the volume posters, is my nomination for gentleness. We would all do well to read his posts to see what grace and gentleness under fire is all about! --Hank | ||||||
1740 | Where is the Key of David in his story? | Rev 3:7 | Hank | 54632 | ||
The phrase 'key of David' appears in Isaiah 22:22, is metaphoric, and means the authority entrusted to the king's servant Eliakim to admit or forbid admittance into the king's presence. In Rev. 3:7 Jesus applied the term to Himself as one who could determine who would enter his future Davidic kingdom. You asked why it appears in Isaiah and Revelation. Would "Because it does" be o.k.? :-) --Hank | ||||||
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