Results 481 - 500 of 773
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: JCrichton Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
481 | i want to no the truth | John 8:58 | JCrichton | 135769 | ||
Hi, Mosa! I could offer you so many Scriptural passages... but this format limits how much material could be posted at any given time... I will offer you some passages for you to read and meditate on... if you would like a personal study on Jesus' Divinity drop me a line at: jcrichtonfs1 at yahoo.com... I would be more than happy to expand on these: Isaiah 7:14 -- Jesus is the Emmanuel/Immanuel which means God-with-us! Isaiah 9:6 -- all the titles given to Jesus, the Word incarnate (John 1:1-14), refer to His Divinity, including "God the Mighty!" In Luke 5:20-21 the Pharisees and scribes spoke the truth as they recognized that only God can forgive our sins; Jesus was allowing them to understand who He is--though they rejected the Truth even when it came out of their own mouths! This same type of situation occurs in John 5:17-18--here the Jews wanted to kill Jesus because it was very clear to them that He made Himself equal to God. Ditto John 10:30-33. John 1:1-3, the Word, Jesus Christ, is with God and He IS God! And Thomas, after his blunder, had nothing more intelligent to do or say but to recognize Christ Jesus as his Lord and God! (John 20:27-28) Jesus did not correct Thomas for calling Him his Lord and God (John 20:29); rather, he stated that blessed are those who not seeing Him still believe in His Divinity! Paul states in various ways that Christ is God; two examples are Romans 9:1-5--where he openly states that Jesus is God, and Galatians 1:11-12--where Paul emphasizes that no man taught him the Gospel; that it was through Jesus' own revelation that he came to truly know God! Now, from the Old Testament we know that there is only one Lord of Glory, Yahweh... yet, Paul now atributes that particular title to Jesus! (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) I could go on, but I think that these passages should be enough to get you started on your own personal study of Scripture... avail yourself of a good study Bible with built-in concordance (or get a separate Bible concordance) so that you can cross-reference Scripture from the Old and New Testaments... open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, 26) so that He may lead you to the total Truth (1 John 5:12, 20). God Bless! Angel |
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482 | i want to no the truth | John 8:58 | JCrichton | 135902 | ||
Hi, Mosa! I've just discovered that the system allows email addresses to be redacted without rejection... if you desire a further Scripture on Jesus Divinity, drop me a line at: jcrichtonfs1@yahoo.com God Bless! Angel |
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483 | Does Jesus HIMSELF specifically state... | John 10:11 | JCrichton | 132403 | ||
Hi, Sienna! There are many Scriptural passages where Jesus spoke about His impending death to rescue us from sin: just as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.' (Matthew 20:28) It will be Passover, as you know, in two day's time, and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified.' (Matthew 26:2) See also: Matthew 12:39-40; 17:12, 22-23; 18:11; 20:18-19; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34, 45; Luke 9:22, 56; 18:31-33; 19:10; John 3:14-21; 10:15; 12:23-31; The references do not always have the exact components that you are seeking, but through direct or indirect declarations they all refer to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who gives His Life for the sins of the world! (John 1:29) God Bless! Angel |
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484 | Are Jesus and God the same person or bei | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 123585 | ||
Hi, Doctor Ed! Jesus and the Father are one! Not in the sense that you are discribing as there are Three distinct Divine Persons that form the Holy Trinity. Yahweh revealed Himself to the the Israelites--a relationship He began with Abram whom He later renamed Abraham (father of many nations)... throughout the history of the Israel God let Himself be known to them as Yahweh (though the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ Himself were also present in various accounts) and He chose them onto Himself to be His holy people. Through the prophets God foretold about the coming of the Messiah (Jesus) who would be redeeming the world onto Himself. Jesus in turned revealed that He was the Son of God and that He and the Father were One! It seems contradictory to have Yahweh be the Only God, then Jesus be the Son of God who is one with God and who is God (John 1:1-3). It is conflicting to read Isaiah 43:10-11, where it is established that there is only one God, one Savior: Yahweh!: …No god was formed before me, nor will be after me. I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Saviour but me. Yet when we read John 20:28-29 we find somewhat of a spin on the entity of God: Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (John 20:28-29) Is Jesus telling Thomas that future generations will believe that Christ was nailed to the a cross and pierced on the side and that that particular knowledge will make them blessed? If Jesus is not God then Thomas made a grave mistake by calling Him Lord and God… why didn’t Jesus correct Him then and there so that all the Apostles could understand that it was wrong to believe that Jesus is God? But there was no correction! Why would Jesus correct the Truth?: Jesus and the Father are One! ‘Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me… (John 14:10-11 ) THE FATHER LIVING IN ME! If we allow our finite understanding to limit our relationship with God, we will never come to know the fullness of the Father which is found only in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:19; 4:13; Colossians 2:9). Compare, also, 1 John 1:5 and John 1:9-14! So how does Jesus reconcile all these revelations?: ...You trust in God, trust also in me. (John 14:1) God Bless! Angel |
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485 | Are Jesus and God the same person or bei | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 123587 | ||
Hi, Doctor Ed! I just finished posting on the Holy Trinity and I thought you might compare with my previous response to your post: "This is the mystery of our God: Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all. On each one of us God’s favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it. (Ephesians 4:3-7) But how can there be just one Spirit?: You, however, live not by your natural inclinations, but by the Spirit, since the Spirit of God has made a home in you. Indeed, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But when Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is alive because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead has made his home in you, then he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you. So then, my brothers, we have no obligation to human nature to be dominated by it. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the habits originating in the body, you will have life. All who are guided by the Spirit of God are sons of God; for what you received was not the spirit of slavery to bring you back into fear; you received the Spirit of adoption, enabling us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Sprit himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are children of God. (Romans 8:9-16) Paul is telling us that the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ live in the believer; but not only that but that the Holy Spirit himself (He who is the Third Divine Person) lives in the believer and unites with the believer’s spirit to afford him/her to call God “Father.” Did Paul invent the idea that God, as the Holy Trinity, lives in the believers? Not at all! Our Lord Jesus bestowed upon him the fullness of apostleship (Galatians 1:11-12), so he is able to speak with the full authority of Christ who revealed that God, in Three Divine Persons, lives in the believers: I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever, the Sprit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you. Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. (John 14:16-17, 23) If God has chosen to reveal Himself as three distinct Divine Persons, how can a true believer contend to obey one Person but not the other two or to worship One without worshipping all Three? To believe is to have faith; to have faith is to hope in that which is not completely known (Hebrews 11:1-40). To know everything before we believe is devoid of faith, (hope, trust) in Him who commands that we place ourselves in His hands! The three Divine Persons of God may well be a mystery that will not be revealed totally till we meet God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12 and 1 John 3:2); till them we must obey Jesus and believe, not because we have full understanding--only the Holy Spirit knows the depths of God: 1 Corinthians 2:10--but because we trust Him and His Word: …Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. (John 20:28-29) God Bless! Angel" I hope you enjoy this copy! God Bless! Angel |
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486 | How did Jesus escape from Nazareth? | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 129696 | ||
Hi, Songbirdca! There are simple details that we seem to miss when we read Scripture: Luke 4 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Notice how verse 30 does not speak on Jesus performing some feat that blinded the crowd or that he pulled some McGiver stunt that drew their attention away from Him? He simply chose to walk away! I've had some Jehovah Witnesses query me about Jesus being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11); they are quick to quote Scripture and claim that Jesus is not God because He was tempted by Satan... yet in their fervor to declare the Creator a creature they fail to understand the very first verse on this particular passage: Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted--it was within God's Plan to allow this to happen! Further, they fail to understand the relationship between God and Satan: God commands Satan and Satan, though reluctantly, yields to God... this is exactly what happened: when Jesus had enough of Satan He commanded him to leave Him and Satan had no other choice but to acquiesce! Jesus, the Word, though He divested Himself of His Divine Authority and surrendered His Will to the Father, remained God! So, it is not surprising that when He decided to walk away from the crowd they had no power over Him--they could not find the valor to assault Him as it was not yet His time to die for us! God Bless! Angel |
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487 | Is Jesus just the vessel, not prayed to? | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 131172 | ||
Hi, ForeverJoyful! Jesus gave us an example on how to pray (Our Father...); He never stated "pray this prayer only!" Following are four Scripture passages that have excellent afinity to your query: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me. (John 14:1) In John 14:1 Jesus lets Israel know that they can come to Him as to the Father--this also pertains to us and our prayers and requests! When that day comes you will ask in my name; and I do not say that I shall pray to the Father for you, because the Father himself loves you for loving me, and believing that I came from God. (John 16:26-27) In John 16:26-27 Jesus further explains the relationship between Himself and the Father: though we only have access to the Father through Him, that Father is aware of our Faith in Jesus and consequently His Love for us knows no bounds... so what we ask in Jesus' name, according to God's Will, the Father will grant us! Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. A large quantity of incence was given to him to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that stood in front of the throne. (Revelation 8:3) Revelation 8:3 depicts a little window into the Heavenly affairs... the prayers of all the saints are presented to God on a golden altar in front of God's throne... Then the angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear. (Revelation 22:1) Revelation 22:1 tells us that the Throne is shared by the Father (God) and the Son (the Lamb)... our prayer to God, be they directed to the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit are received at the altar located in front of the throne of God and of the Lamb--the Father and the Son are inseparable--in God there's no division; when we pray we honor the Father in the Son or the Son in the Father... and by honoring either the Father or the Son we honor the Holy Spirit! And lets not forget that it is the Holy Sprit who truly prays for us as we need His Divine Providence: And as well as this, the Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness, for, when we do not know how to pray properly, then the Spirit personally makes our petitions for us in groans that cannot be put into words; and he who can see into all hearts knows what the Spirit means because the prayer that the Spirit makes for God's holy people are always in accordance with the mind of God. (Romans 8:26-27) God Bless! Angel |
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488 | Should we rethink the Trinity? | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 135525 | ||
Hi, Says! I understand your concern for removing conflicting doctrines from Christianity... however, I believe that you are being simplistic: it seems to me that, unknowingly, you are removing the Holy Spirit from existence as He is the thrid Person of God, the Paraclete who was sent to us (the Church) by Jesus! If we were to follow with your suggestion, would we not be going against God's own Command that we Worship and Believe according to His Will?: ...go therefore and baptise... (Matthew 28:19) ... and he will abide in you, and the Father and I will abide in you (John 14:16-17, 23) ...it is not a new belief... though the word itself is not found in Scripture, God has identified Himself as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in numerous ways (Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:33-34); and the apostles understood this as Paul names Jesus as the Rock that gave the water of life to Israel (1 Corinthians 10:4), Peter reveals that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4)... we are also taught that we must worship in the three Divine persons (Romans 14:17-18; Hebrews 9:14)... My friend, to deny the Holy Trinity is to deny God His Will to reveal Himself to us as He pleases... are we stronger than He is, that we should challenge Him?: Because of that, I want to make it quite clear to you that no one who says 'A curse on Jesus' can be speaking in the Spirit of God, and nobody is able to say 'Jesus is Lord' except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) God Bless! Angel |
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489 | Please Explain Matt 28:16-20? | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 148457 | ||
Hi, Montyb! Matthew 28:16-20 is Jesus' great commission to His disciples... Jesus delegates to them the task of bringing all men to the fold, He reveals to them the Holy Trinity and encourages them to be strong and to fulfill their duties as He promises that He will be with them always! When we read the Holy Scripture and we compare the various texts (the Gospels and the Epistles, specially) we find, amongst other things, that: a) Jesus taught us that He and the Father are One, b) God is Spirit, c) God, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, indwels in the Believers, d) God, as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches the Church, e) Jesus, though no longer found in a physical state, comes to those who gather, in His Name... Since the Word is God, and God is Omnipresent, Jesus, as the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, can assure His disciples (all Believers) that He will remain with us forever--this makes His commission an easier task to perform... as long as we abide in Him! God Bless! Angel |
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490 | Information on Koran vs NIV Bible | John 10:30 | JCrichton | 155224 | ||
Hi, Bro John! Though there are similarities since the Koran uses some of the Old Testament information as the basis for their religious roots... Yahweh is not Allah. The Hebrews' God revealed Himself to His people and His Covenant was made with Abraham and his descendants Isaac, Jacob...David...Jesus (He who is both the inheritor of the Promise and the originatator of the New Covenant)... Yahweh has one One High Priest and King: Jesus Christ... the Word incarnate, the Prophet of prophets, Who came in the likeness of man to Save the world from the wages of sin. Again, though similarities are there... that's all there is! God Bless! Angel |
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491 | did jesus have people wait on him? | John 11:1 | JCrichton | 130977 | ||
Hi, Jim! You must remember that though He was not seeking human glory, Jesus was a venerated Rabbi (master/teacher) as such many of the disciples throughout the cities and towns that He traveled would jump at the chance of serving Him (Matthew 27:55-56); many cultures around the world show respect for teachers (specially religious) through attentive hospitability. On the issue of Mary... there are several women identified with that name... since there are several views on who/which Mary, I enlisted the aide of an online encyclopedia: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001. Mary, persons in the Bible in the New Testament. 1 Mary, the Virgin. 2 Mary Magdalene. 3 Wife of Cleophas. 4 Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and Martha. She sat at Jesus' feet while Martha served. She has come to symbolize the life of contemplative love of God. Some identify her with St. Mary Magdalen. 5 Roman lady saluted by Paul. 6 Mother of St. Mark. 7 Mother of Saint James the Less. Mary Magdalene formerly, and still in Magdalen College, Oxford, and Magdalene College, Cambridge, hence maudlin, i.e., tearful) (traditionally Greek of Magdala), Christian saint, a woman widely venerated in Christendom. The name Madeleine is a French form of Magdalene. She appears in the New Testament as a woman whose evil spirits are cast out by Jesus, as a watcher at the Cross, as an attendant at Jesus’ burial, and as one of those who found the tomb empty (Mat. 27.56,61; 28; Mark 15.47; 16; Luke 8.2; 24; John 19.25; 20). A universal tradition identifies her with the repentant prostitute who anointed Jesus’ feet (Luke 7.36–50). Some also identify her with the sister of Martha (Luke 10.38). Because of the legend (held completely improbable by the Roman Catholic Church) that St. Mary Magdalene lived in penitence at Sainte-Baume, W Var dept., France, the grotto there became a place of pilgrimage. The principal aspect of her cult is as the penitent, hence the word Magdalen. Artistic representations deal particularly with her repentance, with her bathing of the feet of Jesus, and with her meeting with Jesus after the resurrection. She appears in representations of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. Frequently she is shown with red hair. Feast: July 22. Cleophas in the New Testament, husband of one of the Marys who stood at the foot of the Cross. This is apparently Mary the mother of St. James the Less, but the father of James the Less is Alphaeus. An explanation is that Cleophas is the Aramaic form and Alphaeus the Greek form of the same name. Some identify Cleopas with Cleophas. God Bless! Angel PS: I had to remove several symbols as the server would not allow them, if you need to see the unedited version go to: The Ameican Heritage Dictionary of the English Language at www.bartleby.com |
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492 | US go... even we, the disciples? | John 11:6 | JCrichton | 121548 | ||
Hi, Ray! We have to look at Thomas' comment in light of Jesus previous response (John 11:1-6) and the peril which awaited Jesus (and consequently his disciples) in Judea (John 11:8). At this particular moment in the disciples' fellowship they were not completely devoted to the cause. True they followed Jesus and were eager to learn from Him, but there were as human as we are with all the doubts and incredulousness as we have. Their one certainty was that Jesus had been threatened with physical harm (imprisonment or death) and they, as His disciples, would be subjected to the same reception. Thomas, being true to his name, spoke in human understanding--if we go now since Lazarus is dead, what are we to gain but death at the hand of those who are persecuting Jesus?--disclaimer: my words on his thoughts; there is no Biblical passage that makes this statement! The people seeking Jesus to cause Him harm did not act in front of witnesses for they feared the repercussion their action would have as the many followers of Christ would no doubt turn on them in a violent rage. Traveling by day light would asure Jesus and His disciples some safety (John 11:9-10). Courage comes in different forms... Peter vs. the other disciple, which one was more courageous?: Superficially it would seem like the other disciple was the most courageous since he did not deny Jesus. But when we look deeper into the event we find that Peter was an unknown character who resembled those who were seen with Jesus, and, to his detriment, he was from Galilee (Matthew 26:69)--as we know there are various distinctions among the various residents of the US (speech, manerisms...); these distinctions are geographical at times. So Peter would standout amongst non-Galileans! On the other hand, the other disciple who just walked right through the main entrance and paraded about nonchalantly had a history with the people and the place (John 18:15-16). Logic dictates that Peter was at risk while the other disciple had no reason to fear the people around him. This said, we know that the disciples accompanied Jesus to Lazarus' grave and did witness Lazarus resurrection--not only the disciples but also many followers (John 11:14-15, 43-45); consequenty Lazarus became a secondary target for the religious elite (John 12:10-11). As their desire to "get Jesus" grew so did their efforts to control Jesus followers; so it is logical that fear grew in the hearts and minds of the disciples, and the followers at large. Today, we do not face the same persecution. Today's persecution is insidiously subtle since it does not always attack Christ directly and since much of it is being done from within the "Christian" culture. It has not escalated to the point of Christ's disciples fearing death on the count of the Holy Name of Christ (at least not in the US--yet). But the assaults are getting more and more constant and more and more abrasive while Christians are becoming more and more complacent: we are allowing society to dictate what Jesus commandments mean and how and where we can witness to Christ! Honor the Lord your God, it is not an option! Thou shall not kill, it is not an option! Living an immoral life and teaching others that God's ok with it, it is not Biblical! Being a friend to the world, it is being an enemy of God! So, Ray, have we, as Christians, failed Jesus?, did we leave Him on the garden?, do we deny Jesus when society demands that we comform the Bible to "modern ways?" Sadly, I have witness this from too many "Christians" who have allowed the world to defile Jesus' Word! Just look at the ordination of women and homosexuals into the priesthood... look at the unchallenged education that society is giving to the next generation of "Christians!" It is not enough to recognize the Light and claim to be of the Light; we must Live in the Light! God Bless! Angel God |
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493 | Hebrews 6:4 -Am I a useless cause? | John 11:25 | JCrichton | 120927 | ||
Hi, formereverything! Have you tried Jesus? Many people get caught-up in the "musical chair" syndrome: going from one congregation to another as the whim hits or seeking a theology that agrees with their desire to serve God on their own terms. Jesus warned us about this: 'If anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ," or "Over here," do not believe it: for false Christs and false prophets will arise and provide great signs and portents, enough to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. Look! I have given you warning. (Matthew 24:23-25) Yield humbly to God and come near to Him and He will come near to you: But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says: God opposes the proud but he accords his favour to the humble. Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers. Appreciate your wretchedness, and weep for it in misery. Your laughter must be turned to grief, your happiness to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. (James 4:6-10) And do not think that God has rejected you forever... it is the ancient serpent confusing your thoughts and your heart: So in future, House of Israel, I shall judge each of you by what that person does--declares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone--declares the Lord Yahweh--so repent and live!' (Ezekiel 18:30-32) True, the wages of sin is death, but the grace we receive in Christ is everlasting! (Romans 6:23). God does not desire that you, I or anyone else die... He has offered us Life in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Begin your efforts anew. Search the Scriptures from early morn till late night! Seek humbly, patiently, prayerfully, stedfast on Jesus' promise: "those who come to me I will not reject!": Everyone whom the Father given me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me. (John 6:37) God Bless! Angel |
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494 | disciples would never die | John 11:25 | JCrichton | 123785 | ||
Hi Four Squares! I hope you understand that Jesus was talking about the world to come... God is Spirit, we are made in God's image and likeness... God calls us to be holy, to be perfect, to be as He is... through Jesus, who is the Resurrection and the Life we can achieve this holyness and perfection... we will be as He is!: Now we are seeing a dim reflection in a mirror; but then we shall be seeing face to face. The knowledge that I have now is imperfect; but then I shall know as fully as I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) My dear people, we are already the children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed; all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2) God is Spirit and God is Eternal! God Bless! Angel |
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495 | To what is jesus the "faithful witness" | John 11:25 | JCrichton | 145114 | ||
Hi, maggie18! It is not clear what Jesus is the faithful witness to... but we can surmise that Jesus is the Father's Faithful Witness--the One who is there during Creation, and during the Salvific Restoration... the One who is there at the imparting of the Holy Spirit... the One who witnesses our entering into fellowship with the Father... the One who will be there at Judgment Day! And He is the One who was dead and now lives forever and ever... He is the Firstborn from the dead since He is the resurrection and life! Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Biginning and the End, as such He must be first in all and everything must end in Him! There were some who were resurrected (brought back to life) prior to Jesus' death and resurrection, but these were not resurrected into a spiritual existence, they came back to life and were as limited as we (corporeal existence). It would be Christ Jesus who would return from the dead in a different body; a body changed into a spiritual being, One that would not be limited as we are (John 20:1 thru 21:14; Acts 1:2-3). And even at His death, those holy men that were brought back to life stayed in the cemetery till Jesus' resurrection, allowing Him to be First in all (Matthew 27:50-53). The Apostles speak of a change that will come, where we will be gathered to Jesus and we will be as He is (1 Corinthians 13:12; 15:51-54; 1 John 3:2-3)... He is the Firstborn! There's realy no other explanation other than God's Will to perform certain functions in the way that He desires it so... Jesus, being God, did not have to be baptized; yet, He commanded a somewhat displeased John to baptize Him in order to fulfill the Scripture (Matthew 3:13-15)... Jesus did not need to have the Holy Spirit descend upon Him since He sends the Holy Spirit to the world (John 15:26; 16:7)... still, Jesus is seen visited by the Holy Spirit to testify that it is He whom the world awaited (Matthew 3:16-17; John 1:31-34), and to face Satan as he will attempt to tempt Jesus into revealing, before time, His true identity to the world (Matthew 4:1-11)... God's Way is not our ways... but we can see His constancy: always the First (Beginning/Alpha) and always the Last (the End/Omega)... as our passage into the Kingdom of God, Jesus is Firstborn from the dead to insure us our place with God (Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23). God Bless! Angel |
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496 | is it ok to pray publically? | John 11:42 | JCrichton | 139062 | ||
Hi, Jenn! What many people fail to understand is that Jesus was not censuring prayer in public--rather He spoke agains the practices of both the Jews and the Gentiles who boasted and pumped their "prayers" and "connection" with their respective deity... Jesus was warning His disciples not to follow the lead of these vacuous pretenders who were out to perform for the public rather than communicate with God! Another example of feign adoration is Jesus' teaching about the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:10-14)--both were in the temple, yet one was patting himself on the back for being much more righteous than others, while the other was opening his mind and heart to God! It is not the place nor the number that matters to God... it is the state of our hearts: our humility and obedience! God Bless! Angel |
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497 | Meaning of John 12:24-25 | John 12:24 | JCrichton | 126139 | ||
Hi, me! Minor was as they say "is on the money!" I want to add... our death is not necessarily a physical death. If we do not die to our old selves we cannot be Christ's disciples. This is a test that we face every single day of our lives. As society revolves, exponentially, about anti-Christian values we are called to witness to Christ. Our eternal life is dependent of our faithfulness to Christ, for as Minor said: if we deny Him, He will deny us in front of His Father! Nothing that we give up to serve Christ is anything compared to everything that Christ gave up for us, in order to rescue from our sinful state, when He incarnated into a body in the likeness of ours so that He may die in our stead! As we serve Him, faithfully, He gives us the power to be coheirs in the Kingdom of God! God Bless! Angel |
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498 | What did Jesus mean? | John 12:27 | JCrichton | 135138 | ||
Hi, younglos! Jesus Christ, the Word, became incarnate to rescue man from sin (Romans 6:23)... when John the Baptist introduces Him to those about him, he rightfully calls Him the Lamb of God (John 1:29); in Jesus Christ God is redeeming the world, Jesus is the Suffering Servant who takes onto Himself the sins of the world (Isaiah 52:13 thru 53:12); Jesus, while explaining to His disciples this relationship that He shares with the world, alluded to Moses' serpent (John 3:14-21)... We know that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness (1 John 1:5), and we know that God is Spirit (John 4:24) and that Jesus is Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17); but, as the Lamb of God, Jesus is also a Man (John 1:1, 14)--the Lamb of God that came to offer His Life for the ramson of many (Matthew 20:28)--must be separated from the Father for the very first time of their existence (John 16:32)... so, since God and Jesus are Spirit they can exist beyond our comprehension (Omnicience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence), but because God is Light and no darkness (sin/unrighteousness) can exist in Him, Jesus, when taking on the sin of the world, would be separated or forsaken by the Father for an instant (micro-nanosecond or even smaller!--remember that to God time is inconsequential: 2 Peter 3:8)... clearly Jesus was never rejected by the Father at any particular time... His separation from the Father was as consequence of the purging of our sin! God Bless! Angel |
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499 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | JCrichton | 145037 | ||
Hi, iktoose! Knowing God is like figuring out a zillion-piece jigsaw puzzle: there are so many variants... so many similarities... so many seemingly-exact hues... Jesus tells us that the world did not know Him (He as God) and that once He left He would send another Paraclete (advocate) who would teach us all and bring us more knowledge of God; yet, He warns that the world would not know Him (the Holy Spirit) and they cannot know Him not the things of God for they have rejected Jesus: 15“If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:15-17, 26) 26“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. (John 15:26) 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[a] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. (John 16:7-15) Jesus explained to His disciples that the Son of man (the Lamb of God) must perish in order to bring Salvation onto the world (Matthew 12:40; 17:12; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 20:28; 26:2; 26:24; 26:45; John 3:14-15)... it is the fulfillment of Scripture!: 27“Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. (John 12:27) It was also appointed, in Scripture, that one of His own would betray Him (John 6:64, 70-71; 13:2, 10-11, 21-30; 17:12; 13:18; Acts 1:16-17, 20; Psalm 41:10, 55:12-14)... Judas, though one of the twelve, was chosen for the purpose of betraying His Master... just as Jesus did not reject His task (John 12:27; 3:14-15; Isaiah 52:13 thru 53:12), it was required that Judas betray Him in order for the fulfillment of the Scripture! The Scripture is God's Word and the Word of God is not inane! God Bless! Angel |
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500 | How about the other sheep | John 14:6 | JCrichton | 107991 | ||
Hi, newoldstock! First parameters must be set: are you talking philosophically or are you defining Christianity? Philosophy: anything can be your goal since anything is a god ergo do what you want to do. Christianity: John 14:6. There's no other way to be saved! When we read the Bible, everything points to Jesus! He died for our salvation; and though it is free for the asking, Jesus demands that we change our lives and Worship God above all else! He said that the Father calls all humanity to Him (Christ) so that we can all be saved. Alas!, not all decide to answer God's call. Hence not all will be saved. You mention several religious groups--and the people from such organizations that risk their life to believe in Christ... Even today there are places in the world that if a person is caught with a Bible or a page from the Bible they could be imprison indefinitely or even killed; these are the true martyrs. They are subjugated or put to death for His Name: No one can hurt you if you are determined to do only what is right; and blessed are you if you have to suffer for being upright. Have no dread of them; have no fear. Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their accusations. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong. Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, (1 Peter 3:13-18). Here's our hope in Christ: Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26) Religion does not save! The Masters of the Law, the Sadducees and Pharisees were very religious--but they did not believe in Christ! If you follow anyone for the sake of fellowship and not because they follow Christ it would be like the blind leading/following the blind. Jesus tell us that there will be a selection made and God will choose between people that are together in various situations: (Luke 17:31-36--check 17:34!). If you are a Christian, study the Scriptures inexhaustibly; if you are not, give yourself to the Lord--begin as soon as you read this message! Jesus, is the Light of the world (John 1:1-18), seek Him and He will grant you Life! God Bless! |
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