Results 421 - 440 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# | |||
421 | How to deal with extreme evil | Titus 3:1 | Hank | 174049 | ||
Finder: While I see nothing intrinsically wrong with your question, I find myself deferring to Brad's judgment on this and hence deem the question more appropriate to secular discussions of such topics as ethics, war, civil disobedience, political science -- those sorts of things -- but not really within the purview of this particular Forum, which is committed to Bible questions and answers. Your inquiry raises questions about whether it was right for Dietrich Bonhoeffer to shift from his former position of pacifism to become involved in a plot to assassinate the leader of Germany's Third Reich. This and other issues incident to Bonhoeffer's position have been debated for more than 60 years without definitive resolution. Is assassination murder? Should the church, or an influencial church leader such as Bonhoeffer, engage in plots to overthrow existing civil authorities -- is this the mission of Christ's church? These and allied issues are enormously complex -- issues too involved and too controversial, in my judgment, to be dealt with on SBF. ..... However, that's just my view. If anyone has an answer to your question which he can document with appropriate Scriptures, he is, of course, welcome to respond. But let's not turn the question into an excuse for tooting our horns of pure personal opinion! Let's covenant to answer it biblically or let it pass. --Hank | ||||||
422 | Genesis - material for creating man | Gen 2:7 | Hank | 174030 | ||
Dear azure-law: Your question is an immensely deep one indeed, and the best man can do to answer it is woefully inadequate, because neither theologian nor scientist has possession of the incomparable and transcendent Creator's master plan! ...... The late Dr. Henry Morris, founder and sometime president of the Institute for Creation Research (icr.org) in El Cajon, California has written volumes on Genesis and was one of the most influential voices in modern times for biblical creationism as opposed to the godless, humanist theory of evolution, popularized by the atheist, Charles Darwin. In this post, the best thing I know to do is simply provide two quotes from Dr. Morris' annotations to two passages in Genesis, taken from his "Defender's Study Bible" (World Publishing Co., 1995). ..... The first annotation is of the phrase "dust of the ground" as found in Genesis 2:7, and reads as follows: "Man's body was formed out of the 'elements of the earth,' the same materials (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc.) from which both plants and the body of animals had been formed (Genesis 1:12,24). This unity of physical composition is a fact of modern science long anticipated by Scripture. ..... The second quote is taken from the annotation to Genesis 3:24, which includes the famous phrase, "dust thou art and unto dust shall thou return" which was God's pronouncement after the Fall. Dr. Morris' annotation: "The curse thus applies to man and woman, the animals, and the physical elements: God's whole creation. It is so universal as to have been discovered and recognized empirically as a general scientific law of increasing entrophy (in-turning). The famous Second Law of Thermodynamics is sometimes also called the law of morpholysis (loosing of structure). It expresses the universal tendency for systems to decay and become disordered, for energy to be converted into forms unavailable for further work, for information to become confused, for the new to become worn, for the young to become old, for the living to die, even for whole species to become extinct. One of the most amazing anomalies of human thought is the concept of evolution, which has never been observed in action scientifically, and is exactly the opposite of the universally proven scientific principle of entrophy. This theory is nevertheless believed to be the most fundamental principle of nature by almost the entire intellectual establishment." ...... Dr. Morris was called to glory a couple of months ago at age 88, but the organization, ICR, which he founded lives on and thrives, presided over now by one of his sons, Dr. John Morris, and a large staff of associate scientists, all of them committed Christians. I recommend the web site, www.icr.org, and the Defender's Study Bible, as well as the fine publications available from ICR. In my opinion, they do a remarkable job of refuting the theory of evolution that is being pounded as fact into the heads of students in America's public schools. This god-denying theory can be taught with impunity, but God's word cannot be taught. What a travesty to pretend for even a fleeting moment that this is one nation UNDER GOD! ...... Well, sorry, I didn't mean to preach, but then again I am not ashamed of God's word nor afraid to proclaim with all the strength within me the eternal and immutable truth that "In the beginning, GOD CREATED the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). From the hand of God's creation -- from His very breath -- man became a living soul, created in the image of God, not an evolutionary tadpole living in the green slime of some primordial swamp. --Hank | ||||||
423 | can someone explain the holy ghost? | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173891 | ||
Dear david's daughter: Please permit me to suggest that you go to the following web site, gotquestions.org, use their search engine and type in the words Holy Spirit. This will lead you to a score of good articles on the Holy Spirit. Show them to your teenaged nephew and let him read them. He will discover among other things that the Holy Spirit is a Person, the third member of the Triune God, referred to by the personal pronoun "He" and never by "It" -- and decidedly not something you "catch" like a cold or the measles! "Holy Spirit," as you probably already know, is modern English usage for "Holy Ghost," which reflects the Jacobean English of the King James Bible of 1611. --Hank | ||||||
424 | Wheels? Why are these important? Meaning | Ezek 1:15 | Hank | 173889 | ||
Hi, Tim H -- The wheels of Ezekiel 1:4-28 were symbolic of God's presence, but the precise meaning of this mysterious imagery remains essentially unknown. Conjectures have been offered but lack clear and convincing exegeses. Reading the lone verse, Ezekiel 1:15, makes no sense at all. Reading the whole passage, Ezekiel 1:4-28, augments understanding. Chapter 10 has more about wheels and may help. --Hank | ||||||
425 | are there virses to back this up ? | Ex 20:12 | Hank | 173821 | ||
Dear TinCrutchfield: The Bible certainly never promises a blessing to those who disobey God! Whether one calls it a curse or something else, disobedience to God's commands always carries a consequence. Fifth Commandment has been called the Commandment with a promise, for it says, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you" (Exodus 20:12). God's plan for a solid social strucure centered upon the family involves proper order. See Deut. 21:18-21 and Eph. 6:1-4. ..... Paul in two of his letters lists "disobedient to parents" among other sinful practices that are hallmarks of the breakdown of law and godly living. Some of the ckinds of people named in Paul's sordid lists, right along with being disobedient to parents, are lovers of self, slanderers, lovers of money, boastful, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, inventors of evil, ungrateful, unholy, etc. (See Romans 1:30 and 2 Timothy 3:2.) Not very good company to be in, that's for sure! --Hank | ||||||
426 | clarity on evil men | Prov 4:14 | Hank | 173789 | ||
Dear head2heart: Thanks for your question, which is your first contribution to Study Bible Forum. We welcome you! ..... Here are three verses that may help you to work out God's answer to your question. ...... Proverbs 16:2, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives." ...... James 2:4, "Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?" ...... James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong moties, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." ..... Three more you may wish to look up: 1 Cor. 4:5; 15:32; and Phil. 1:17. ..... In studying these verses, as with all verses of Scripture, it is very wise to read them in the context of the passage of which they are a part. ..... It is hoped that these references will lead you to a fuller understanding of the connection between evil and man's wrong motives. If this post doesn't speak satisfactorily to your question, please feel free to expand on it; perhaps someone else will be able to provide you with another, and better, answer. We are all here to break the bread of life together and share insights one with another. --Hank | ||||||
427 | Correlations between OT idols and now? | Ex 20:3 | Hank | 173786 | ||
Dear Joe: Some of my learned colleagues of the Forum may indeed present you with a far better answer than ever I am capable of giving you. I have a penchant for keeping things as simple as possible, for it matches the furniture of my mind so much better than complicated things do. ..... The commandment that is given first place in the Decalogue is this: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). Idolatry is idolatry, in both the Old Testament and the New, no matter what its outward manifestations. It's putting anything in place of God or ahead of Him in our pecking order. So, dear friend, when we read about the silly business of the golden calf and say to ourselves smugly, "Aha, that was idolatry all right, and it was a stupid thing for God's chosen ones to do, but we don't do that sort of thing today, so we're home free, innocent as a lamb and as pure as the driven snow when it comes to idolatry" -- when we get to thinking that we stand on solid ground when it comes to idolatry, it is high time to take the more earnest heed. Idolatry, being anything under the sun that man puts between himself and his God, is no less a clear and present danger to us all now than it was to the worshipers of the golden calf of old. --Hank | ||||||
428 | Way was Mary chosen as the mother of Jes | Matt 1:18 | Hank | 173768 | ||
kstraig1: Thanks for your two-part question, or, more properly, your two separate questions that were somewhat related to one another. To each you have received sound, scripturally-oriented answers, so I won't touch directly on either of them in my post, but rather opt to write a few words in indirect response to your question, "Why was Mary chosen as the mother of Jesus?" ...... I'm aware that kalos has responded to that question and his response is quite good, and what he says is true. ..... Let's think some more about this subject of the sovereignty of God. If we can catch even a pale understanding of what the idea of the sovereignty of God really means, it will, I submit, spare us from asking so many questions that are prefaced by such phrases as Why did God, or Why didn't God, do thus and so? Why, for example, did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? Clearly this falls within the broad spectrum of questions that can, should, and indeed can only be dealt with merely by citing the sovereignty of God, unless, of course, we are willing to allow ourselves to fall prey to the temptation to engage ad infinitum in pointless speculation. ...... Sovereignty means God is the supreme Ruler over all. For want of a better word, we use 'transcendent' to describe the nature and attributes of God -- meaning that there is nothing else in the finite, created universe with which to compare Him who is infinite; He who is not created but the Creator of all things. ..... All creation is subject to His will and purposes; everything is subject to His judgment. Man is not a puppet on a string but a free moral agent; still and all, man is subject to God's will and purposes. God is ultimately in control of all His creation. Even Satan is powerless to oppose the work of God unless God so permits. Satan could not attack Job until he got permission of God (Job 1, 2). ...... Christians should find a great deal of comfort, peace and joy in the knowledge that God is in control of every circumstance in their lives. But some, alas, appear all too eager to take over the helm for themselves. Echoes of Eden. ....... A fitting way to close this brief comment on the sovereignty of God are the lovely words of Ephesians 1:7-12 "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things to him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the council of his will" (ESV). ..... Some of the ideas expressed on the sovereignty of God have been adapted from the footnote on Ephesians 1:8, King James Study Bible, Thomas Nelson, publisher. ...... "(God) works all things according to the council of his will" .... therein lies the answer to a host of questions that begin with "Why did God?" (do thus and so). It may not be exactly the answer you were looking for and would like to have in regard to why God chose Mary, but, dear one, it's the only answer we have this side of glory. --Hank | ||||||
429 | What was this Stairway? | 2 Chr 9:4 | Hank | 173675 | ||
dviss: It was not the stairway only which dazzled the queen of Sheba; the text shows that it was a composite of a number of things that overwhelmed the queen, including Solomon's wisdom, his house, his food, his servants, etc. She found herself in the presence not only of the wisest man in the world but an enormously rich one as well. I think it safe to say that in Solomon the queen of Sheba had met her match and then some. References: 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 and 1 Kings 10:1-13. | ||||||
430 | What is romans chap 3 about? | Rom 1:16 | Hank | 173674 | ||
Dear srabbers: Thanks for your question. It's always a pleasure to welcome a brand-new registrant. You asked what chapter 3 of Romans is about. In order to understand c.3 of Romans, it is necessary (1) to understand the theme of Romans, which Paul lays down quite clearly in 1:16,17, and (2) to study Paul's careful development of his theme which begins with 1:18. I suggest you read and study these two opening chapters and try to digest them before moving on to c.3. Paul's development of his theme in Romans is so well organized that it lends itself readily to an outline; therefore, I highly recommend that you try outlining as much of the book as you can, and especially the opening chapters. By the time you have studied and outlined your way through the first 3 chapters, you should have begun to get a fairly clear idea of what c.3 is about. The advantages of learning it this way instead of having someone tell you what c.3 is about are manifold, not the least among which is that you will be using your own noodle instead of slavishly depending on someone else who used theirs. Of a truth, study is hard work, and there is no royal road to learning. So go to it, and be sure to check back with us in a few days and tell us instead of ask us what Romans Chapter 3 is all about! --Hank | ||||||
431 | where were you b4 u were born | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173649 | ||
5377: You mention being in a youth group and you appear by your use of language to be very young. Are you under age 18? How young are you, please? --Hank | ||||||
432 | Distinction between Christian/disciple? | Acts 26:28 | Hank | 173623 | ||
Hello, Makarios, good friend and cherished 'little brother'... Along with Doc, I don't see any distinction that Scripture makes between Christians and disciples of Christ -- or followers of Christ, or His sheep, or saints. They are all the same, that is, various phrases that are used in Scripture to describe those who have been reborn in Christ. ...... Doc mentioned the Engle Scale. I don't think much of it. Frankly, I think it, along with any other theoretical point systems, or "scales," are man-made contrivances that, when weighed in the balance, are found wanting! I find it ridiculous to assume that Paul and Silas led the Philippian jailer to salvation along the 10 steps of the Engle scale. The jailer wanted to know what he must do to be saved and Paul and Silas told him forthrightly what he must do. There is no record of their having led the jailer first to point 1, thence to point 2, point 3, etc. all the way to point 10 of Engles's scale. Matter of fact, I see no evidence of a soteriological point system having been used in any conversion in all of Scripture. If you want to read more about this Engle scale, which I view as useless and inane, Google the two words, Engle scale. Good to hear from you, Makarios, and blessing to you. --Hank | ||||||
433 | Will Power and God | John 7:16 | Hank | 173586 | ||
Jason, young friend, I wouldn't get carried away with this "will power" thing and would be extremely wary of the mantra, "Where there's a will, there's a way," which has shades of meaning too uncomfortably akin to the superlatively unscriptural poem "Invictus" by William Henley. A comment on "Invictus" that you may find interesting is this: Timothy McVeigh, the heinous rebel bomber who murdered 167 souls and wounded some 500 others in Oklahoma City in 1995, was executed in 2001. At the end McVeigh chose not to make a "last words" statement from his own lips, but through a spokesman expressed the following sentiment taken from Henley's "Invictus": I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul." McVeigh, the master of his fate and the captain of his soul, is dead and his ashes scattered over the dust of the earth from which he came. Master? Captain? How much "free will" did he have, how much power did he possess to control his destiny? Read what Jesus said about the best laid plans of man in His parable of the rich man, Luke 12:16-21. ...... We've got to get our priorites straight and be sure we have things in their proper pecking order, my friend. There is no such reality as "a personal goal that you can control," to use your terminology. God is absolutely sovereign, absolutely omnipotent, absolutely in control. We are dependent solely on Him for each breath and each hearbeat. ...... I knew a man in his early forties. He worked hard and made a lot of money. He told me he "had it made" and was going to retire in a couple of years, at age 45, take it easy and enjoy life while he was still in his prime. Six months later the man was dead, the victim of an extremely virulent strain of cancer. ...... Jesus laid it down clearly for us in the Sermon on the Mount how we should live. He warned us against laying up for ourselves treasures on earth and taught us instead to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, pointing out that our hearts will be where our treasure is. He taught us that it is impossible to serve two masters. We cannot serve God and riches. And He taught us not to worry, but to look at how superbly God takes care of even the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, and asks which of us can add to his stature by worrying. He teaches us that our heavenly Father already knows our needs, so seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added. Reference: Matthew 6:19-34. ....... The Book of Ecclestiastes is the account of a king going through what we might call a mid-life crisis, an enormously rich man who had seen all and done all, and yet through it all did not find happiness or fulfillment, but only vanity and grasping for the wind. Solomon of old was not unlike modern man today. He wanted happiness and satisfaction in life, but he, like Frank Sinatra, wanted to do it his way. And he found, as modern man ultimately finds, that there is a huge void when one tries to do things his way, and so masw the profoundly gloomy and dismal observation, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." But in Chapter 12, just before the Book of Ecclestiastes ends, the king comes to his senses and puts things in their right pecking order, wrapping up the book with these words, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13). ...... In conclusion of this post, Jason, I wasn't able to find much of anything substantive in Scripture about any good things that human "will power" can do, but it says much indeed about the power of Almighty God. And about the wisdom of trusting in Him and His Word. --Hank | ||||||
434 | should we know grow and mature as Jesus | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173583 | ||
Wisdom: Your question is curiously phrased, viz., "...what gives us the right to speak against maturing in Christ Jesus...? Being totally unaware for over half a century that such a "right" existed, I'll ask of you whence it came and when and from whom you learned about it. Perhaps you erred in inadvertently asking the Forum an assumptive question when a plain, unvarnished question would have fit the bill much better? You are welcome to revise your question and submit it anew if you like. --Hank | ||||||
435 | Advice on how it should not be practiced | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173455 | ||
The burden of proof is upon the promoter or practitioner of the 'slain in the spirit' antics. Ask him to produce incontrovertible scriptural proof that justifies the practice. Scriptural proof. Not what Benny Hinn says or does! Benny Hinn's opinion on theological matters is no better than mine, and mine isn't worth a cup of yesterday's coffee :-) The word of God, and that only, is the authority, the SOLE authority, for our faith and practice. Scripture alone -- not the opinions and practices of TV charlatans or anyone else -- is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine (teaching), for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. See 2 Timothy 3:16. We all of us have need to be a Berean, (see Acts 17:10,11) and search the Scriptures daily in order to ascertain whether what we are being taught and asked to believe is so. If the doctrine we hear is not to be found between the covers of God's word, we may rest assured that that doctrine is false, bogus, ascriptural, and totally worthless. Of such is the deceptive 'slain in the spirit' foolishness. --Hank | ||||||
436 | Respecting and Neighbors | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173454 | ||
NightJay: This is a departure from your usual Bible-oriented questions, so I don't know what to tell you about your dilemma, not at least, anything based on Scripture. ..... What can we say? Walk softly and carry a big stick? Be careful of things that go bump in the night? Install a pad under your carpet if your budget will bear the cost? I really don't know...perhaps someone else has a head full of answers for you. But I confess your question was so inviting that I simply couldn't resist it, though it doubtlessly would have been better if I had. :-) ..... As a rule, we tend to make short business of questions that are not primarily Bible oriented. But you have been a faithful, long-term questioner and so we will perhaps be forgiven for making an exception in this instance. There is a verse in Proverbs that might help you and your mom get along more amicably with your choleric neighbors: "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger" (Proverbs 15:1). --Hank | ||||||
437 | Is being slain in the Spirit biblical? | Bible general Archive 3 | Hank | 173448 | ||
No, being "slain in the Spirit" is not a biblical term, and there is nothing in all Scripture that supports the practice of this garish farce. If it belongs anywhere at all, perhaps it would be at a Barnum and Baily circus or in a freak show at a carnival. But in an assembly of God's people? Never! --Hank | ||||||
438 | weeping | John 11:35 | Hank | 173276 | ||
Why, you ask, did Jesus weep? The verb translated "wept" is used only here, John 11:35, in the entire New Testament, and it means a shedding of tears, an expression of deep sorrow, of intense grief. Jesus was God No one could affirm that fact any better or more incontrovertibly than John did in the prologue to his Gospel (see John 1:1-14). Jesus was also a Man. John records this vivid description of a distinctly human emotion: Jesus wept. He wept because He felt genuine grief in the death of His friend, Lazarus; and He was no doubt moved to compassion for Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha of Bethany, who also grieved in the loss of their brother. John was no Docetist: he affirms in this passage, as he did in other passages of his Gospel, the full humanity of Christ. And, as stated, he also affirms in his Gospel the full Deity of Jesus Christ. ..... The segment of your question that asks: "weeping is not glorifying? God dislike?" frankly doesn't make a great deal of sense to me, and strikes me as being rather impertient and presumptuous, not to mention fatuous and inane. I'll leave it to you to ponder just how God Incarnate could possibly do anything unglorifying to Himself or could dislike His own behavior. --Hank | ||||||
439 | call upon name of Lord you and house sav | Acts 16:31 | Hank | 173270 | ||
Luke (Acts 2:21) and Paul (Romans 10:13) quote Joel 2:32 "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." However, these passages do not contain a reference to "your household." but Acts 16:31 does: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." This was what Paul and Silas said to the Philippiann jailer in response to his question, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). If you question turns on the word "household" as I suspect it may, you may wish to compare the usage in Acts 16:31 with John 4:53 as well as with Acts 11:14. And, as always, it is best to read all these passages in both their immediate context and in the broader context of what the Bible teaches on the subject of soteriology. --Hank | ||||||
440 | Did Enoch die physically? | Heb 11:5 | Hank | 173232 | ||
Scripture makes it abundantly clear that both Enoch and Elijah went to heaven without dying. References: Genesis 5:21-24; 2 Kings 2:1-12; Hebrews 11:5. --Hank | ||||||
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