Results 41 - 60 of 266
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: John Reformed Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Thoughts and comments on USA Today story | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 81743 | ||
Hi Ed, As you know, there are good reasons as well as bad reasons for changing churches. The fact that people move around from church to church is not a bad thing in itself. I am suspicious anyway of secular media accounts. They oftimes have an agenda of there own. John |
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42 | Should Christians Pooh-Pooh Proof? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 81884 | ||
Dear Hank, We should praise God for each and every proof that God provides to us, whether from nature, or Scripture. My point is that the former evidence never saved anyone. God has chosen the foolishness of preaching the cross as the sole means of salvation. John |
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43 | Why do we pray if God already knows all | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 82065 | ||
Dear Lydia C, Phil 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. My understanding is that God is all-knowing and all-powerfull and has ordained to occur all things which do occur in heaven and earth. In other words God is absolutely soveriegn. Why then must we pray? God does not operate in a vacumn, but rather, He employs means by which things happen. Prayer is one of those means. He did not create us to be robots! Instead He has blessed us by creating us to be participants in His work. Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Prayer is an example of the good "works" we as His chosen ones have been commanded to perform. It is a great comfort to know that our prayers are fore-ordained by God. This knowledge should serve to dispel anxiety and foster hope as we go boldly before the throne of God. Matt 26:41 "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, John Reformed |
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44 | Was lazarus in heaven? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 82625 | ||
Question : If lazarus was in heaven, why did jesus resurrect him? wasnt lazarus happier there? Answer: It was God's will for Lazurus to be resurrected, not primarily for Lazurus' sake, but, so that Christ should be glorified. Question: "and if he was in heaven, why doesnt lazarus say anything about His experiences there?" Answer: Since it is not recoded in the Bible it must have been God's will for this Q to remain unanswered. You stated: " Some people who believe in the mortality of the soul say that lazarus was aware of nothing when he was dead." My response is that mere speculation is dangerous and foolish when it is done to form docrtrine. Doctrine must be founded on Scripture alone. Hope this helps, John Reformed |
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45 | Is there a Purgatory? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 84017 | ||
Dear Looking... The following is an excerpt from an article by Gregory Koukl. You may read it in it's entirety at: http://www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/purgator.htm "... if purgatory were somewhere in the Bible, don't you think it would be taught? Don't you think it would be told to us: You won't go immediately to heaven; you'll go to a temporary place in which you'll be transformed in the painful process of purging before you can be with the Lord. It's not there, that's what I'm saying. This is a foreign doctrine that is brought into the Scriptures and then someone searches for a hint somewhere to justify the doctrine." "In fact, the Scripture teaches quite differently--the same author to the same people. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul says, "I prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." No intermediate stage. Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." God Bless You and Your's, John Reformed |
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46 | Why did God create man? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 84087 | ||
Dear chocolate, God did not make mankind because He needed anything from man, for God is never needy. The Bible teaches that God made man to glorify God. Is 43:7 Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." Rev 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." The Bible was given to us by God for us to read and learn and to practice what is set down in it. It does not answer all our questions, but it does answer every question which God has deemed neccessary for man to know. Titus 1:9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. The way to discover the answers to your question is to read the Bible, attend a church where sound doctrine is preached and taught, participate in forums suchas this one, and most importantly, pray for enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. God Bless, John Reformed |
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47 | THe Spirit of Religion | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 86158 | ||
Well... There are two kinds of religion. True religion and false religion. and... True religion is fostered in the hearts and minds by the Holy Spirit. False religion is natural choice of fallen humanity and is the consequence of being their being spiritually dead. It is promoted by the world, the flesh and the devil. John |
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48 | Why does NIV OMIT verses in KJV? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 86410 | ||
Dear GeorJoy, You wrote "...I also feel that it is a truly inspired revision..." In theological terminology: Inspiration - that extraordinary or supernatural divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible. I take it that, when you used "inspired", you used it in a different sense and did not mean to imply that the NIV translation is perfect. Am I correct? God Bless, John |
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49 | Can the Bible be taken literally? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 86717 | ||
Dear Timla6, Unless God called you at a very young age, you probably had dozens of excuses and rationalizations as well. I know that I did. I applaud you for your desire to find someway to bring him to Christ. But it is of utmost importance to remember that, evidence from nature, history, philosophy and science are powerless in themselves to raise the spiritually dead. That kind of power is found solely in the Gospel! My suggestion is to continue to pray, asking God to draw your brother to Himself. Jesus said "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44) The fact that it is God alone who can raise the dead does not excuse us from not using every tool which God has provided. Afterall, He does not act in a vacumn, but has chosen to employ means by which His will is done. Unbelievers can be quite ingenious in taking us down innumerable bunny trails. What I try to do is to answer their objections as quickly and honestly as possible (or confess that I don't have the answer at all); then return to proclaiming the gospel! Rom 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek". Our part is to give them the gospel. God's part is giving them spiritual eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart that will embrace Christ. Eph 2:4,5 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)," May the Lord answer your prayer, John Reformed |
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50 | Once saved are you going to heaven? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 86866 | ||
Hello Rob, First of all I would point out that the names of the saved have been written down even before God created the universe. (Rev 13:7,8). In my view, this is of great importance. It is the difference between a man-centered and God-centered perception of the Bible. Think about it...If you were saved because of a decision which YOU made, that would make YOU the master of your own fate and the captain of your soul. Those who teach that we save ourselves by an act of our own, "accepting" Christ, must also (if they are to remain consistant) believe that one who accepts Him through an act of free will can reject Him also by free will. I believe that it is GOD who has saved ME! I was lost and had neither hope or God in this world. The last thing I wanted was Christ. What caused the change in my heart? Was it a pure desire for God that was hidden way down deep inside? No! It was a miracle of grace and mercy which took away my heart of stone and placed a new heart in it's stead. To God be the glory for the things which He has done. Knowing that I have been saved because God has chosen me, assures me that He will also keep me. He adopted me into His family. Mark 13:20 "... but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose..." John 13:18 "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen..." Do a word search on "chose". It may change your perception of salvation...God willing. Bless you Rob and thank you for your service to our country. John Reformed |
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51 | Attitudes or Beattitudes?? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 87096 | ||
What's up with the attitudes?? Dear Curt, I think your expectations are a bit unrealistic. Strongly held beliefs elicit strong emotions which at times lead to intemporate reactions. This is indeed regretable but not surprising. We are imperfect people. I do not offer this in an attempt to justify mean-spirited remarks that meant to beat back an attack on one's theolology. But rather to remind us to pause and consider our speech before we punch the send button. Rom 7:15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Thank you for your post, I'm sure that you sent it out as an admonition to all of us and in the hope that our discourse with one another will be such that it will glorify our Saviour. May God grant each one the grace to consider others as better than ourselves. 1 Cor 9:27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. God Bless, John Reformed |
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52 | Was Jesus tattooed in Rev 19:16? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 87786 | ||
Hi Erica, No. I believe this verse is symbolic. The Bible also says in Ruth 2:12 "May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge." I mean no disrespect but this does not mean that God is a bird! It is important to recognize poetry and symbolism as opposed to didatic (straight forward and literal texts). Hope this answers your Q. John Reformed |
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53 | doe not keep company with sexuarly immor | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 88028 | ||
Dear Answers, Paul is dealing with "so-called brothers", which tells me that they're behaviour was so bad that he was unsure even of their salvation. Be that as it may, strong action had to be taken to prevent this "leaven" of sin from spreading throughout the entire church at Corinth. If they were "weeds sown among the wheat" the only remedy would be to pluck them out and cast them into fire (so to speak). If they were true believers, their ex-communication would be a painful chastisement from the Lord, which may be the means by which He has purposed to bring them repentance. These troublemakers, whatever they were (mere professors or true believers) certainly were not struggling with their sin but were embracing it with joy. Our modern church would do well to re-visit this chapter themselves. Church discipline has almost disappeared in the USA and unless it is restored, we may find scandals in the evangelical churches surpassing those the Roman Catholics are plagued with today. Your thoughts? John Reformed |
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54 | Can true Christians lose their faith? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 88463 | ||
Dear Yampa78, The short answer to your question is...NO! Joesph and Tim have done the Lord's work in exhorting you to trust in Christ's ability. Make no mistake, He is able to keep His own from falling away so as to be lost for all eternity. He is the Good Shepherd is He not? John 10:4,5 "When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers." Good grief Charlie Brown! What kind of shepherd let's His sheep wander off and kill themselves. That fellow would be a laughing stock and likely would be fired. Therefore, if a mere human keeper of sheep is expected to preserve his flock, how much more GOD ALMIGHTY himself! You are not the first christian who has experienced a crisis in his faith. If the truth be known, you are probably among a great number who God has chosen to refine by fire. In my personal walk with Christ, I to have fallen into the "slough of despond". Up to my neck in the muck of fear doubt and confusion. Had not the Shepherd pulled me out, I surely would have sunk into oblivion. Despite the advise that some would offer, place your trust in the word of Christ and lean not to your own understanding (i.e. human wisdom). True reason will confirm the truth of Scripture, not refute it. As to others who rip verses fom there context so as to support their personal doctrines...If you truly are among the flock of God, you will not follow the voice of the stranger. May God bless you my friend, John Reformed |
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55 | origin of NASB | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 89985 | ||
Seeking The Truth, It is of the utmost importance to examine ourselves to see if indeed we are of the faith. Our good works are a means by which our assurance of salvation is confirmed. No works proves a dead faith which is no faith at all. John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." Our work is to have faith in Christ and on that which He has done in our place and for our sakes. Our good works are the result of God's working in us. Phil 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. If I give a glass of water to a thirsty person, I see it as a manifestation of God's eternal purpose for both that person and myself. The work itself is a fruit appearing on the branch. But, the branch bears the fruit which would not have burst forth, except for the root; Christ. John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John Reformed |
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56 | creationish, traducianism and human life | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 90123 | ||
Dear Mel, This is a bible study forum. Creation, the origin of the soul and life itself are addressed by the Bible. However, given the nature of the forum, your question should be based on a text(s) which raise the question for which you are seeking an explanation. We are not a philosophical debating society :-) John Reformed |
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57 | creationish, traducianism and human life | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 90124 | ||
Dear Mel, This is a bible study forum. Creation, the origin of the soul and life itself are addressed by the Bible. However, given the nature of the forum, your question should be based on a text(s) which raise the question for which you are seeking an explanation. While questions of philosophy do arise, we are not a philosophical debating society :-) Please pose your question from your reading of Scripture and we can take it from there. John Reformed |
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58 | "Both of these positions have problems" | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 90144 | ||
Dear Hank Jr., Welcome to the Forum! 2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. "patient toward you". "You" are those also called "beloved". This is a very strong indication that Paul has true believers in view. Assuming that there are weeds amongst the wheat does not alter the fact that the "beloved" are the elect. Elsewhere Paul has exhorted his audience to search their hearts to be certain of their calling and election. It is clear (at least to me) that the message is for believers alone. Paul knows already that the natural man is incapable of discerning spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14) so I see no need for him to point out the distinction between the two groups. "But the mystery of God’s dealings with humanity is best seen if this tension is preserved. Otherwise, either God will be perceived as good but impotent or as a sovereign taskmaster. Here the idea that God does not wish for any to perish speaks only of God's desiderative will, without comment on his decretive will." THe conclusion reached by the writer is worse than weak. It is meaningless! What does God care what people's perceptions are anyway. And after having presented the gospel, why should christians wring their hands over the blasphemies spewed from those who who are perishing. Yes we should plead with them and shed tears, pray for God's grace in their behalf. But merely presenting God as one that reflects their own values saves no one. They will simply find another rationalization for despising Him. John Reformed |
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59 | Searching for the truth | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 90572 | ||
Dear Robert, I believe you have started out with an error. "From the various comments received recently,it is gathered that the following sequence of events will take place after death. 1.A human has 3 spiritual parts: Body- soul- spirit" The following is from an article by Kim Riddlebarger: One of the most difficult problems any theological tradition faces is that there are often fundamental differences at critical points between the "official doctrine" affirmed by the divines and academics of that tradition, and those doctrines actually believed and practiced on a popular level by the rank and file. There is, perhaps, no greater illustration of this than the popular notion of trichotomy. Rejected by virtually all major theologians in all streams of the Christian tradition as a speculative Greek philosophical notion rather than a Biblical conception, trichotomy is very likely the reigning notion of human nature in American Evangelical circles today. With few exceptions, the Christian church has affirmed, with one voice, that human nature is two-fold. As men and women, we are necessarily a body--the physical element of our nature--and we are also a soul-spirit--an immaterial aspect described in the Bible as either soul or spirit. These two are united together as one person; as a psychosomatic unity. This is simply known as dichotomy. Trichotomists, however, contend that human nature is tri-partite, that is, as men and women we are body, soul and spirit. But while the theologians of Evangelicalism, following the historic precedence, overwhelmingly reject the notion of trichotomy, the popular teaching and literature of Evangelicalism abounds with trichotomistic views of human nature in one form or another. To read this article go to: http://www.modernreformation.org/mr95/julaug/mr9504trichotomy.html John Reformed |
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60 | Are you your brother's keeper? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 90627 | ||
"I know that this is an open forum...." The nature of the forum permits for disagreements among those who participate. I for one, appreciate the freedom we have been given to post within the guidelines. "But how come there is not an overseer of this forum?" What would you expect an overseer to do? "I don't know where I would be with some of the feedback that came back to me." Can you provide an example? John Reformed |
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