Results 2981 - 3000 of 3133
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Makarios Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
2981 | the angels that sinned | 2 Pet 2:4 | Makarios | 96757 | ||
Greetings New Creature, One thing that would help us to understand what or why angels would fall from their eternal station of service to the Lord to an eternal station of darkness, would be to examine the nature of angels themselves. Angels are spirits (Eph. 3:10; Col. 1:16) who are created by God (Gen. 2:1; Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16). They are immortal (Luke 20:36), do not marry (Matt. 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35), are obedient (Psalm 103:20; 1 Pet. 3:22) and worship God (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:6). If angels are in their very nature "spiritual" beings, since they are spirits, then I believe that some therefore committed a "spiritual" sin, and fell away from God (Jude 1:6, 2 Pet. 2:4). Sins of the spirit (pride, envy, and anger) are generally more dangerous than the sins of the flesh (sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust), since sins of the spirit causes the greatest deviation from the spirit of Christ. When we look at Jesus and His dealings with people's sins, we discover that his mildest reproach was for the people with sins of the flesh. Take for example the woman caught in adultery (John 8). Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." But to the people who were prideful and self-righteous, He had the harshest and most condemning words possible. He called them "broods of vipers," "hypocrites," and "whitewashed tombs ... full of dead men's bones" (Matt. 23:27,33), and He told them that in no way would they enter the kingdom of heaven. But you must understand, I am not saying that other sins are "greater" or more grevious to our Lord than others, since all sin is repugnant to the Lord (Gen. 6:5-7). It is of no coincidence then, that the one sin that is 'unforgivable' is a sin that is spiritual in nature (Matt. 12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10; 1 John 5:16,17; Num. 14:26-45; 1 Sam. 3:14). Therefore, if the angels then committed a 'spiritual' sin that forever separated them from God, then would could that sin be? Of those mentioned, pride, envy and anger, pride most fits the description of a sin that has moved God to swift judgment more often than any other sin in all of Scripture. C.S. Lewis likened pride to 'spiritual cancer.' Daniel 4:30-33 gives us a clear view of how God views the sin of pride. Proverbs 16:18 most certainly proved true of King Herod, who declared himself to be God and immediately paid for it (Acts 12:19-23). I believe that the angels that fell, along with Satan himself, fell from their stations in heaven because of their pride (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28). And Satan deceived a third of the angels of heaven (Revelation 12:4) into participating in a massive angelic revolt against God, all due to pride. And God cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Pet. 2:4). If you are wondering whether God's angels can still "fall" today, the answer is no. Following the massive angelic revolt, God "elected" or permanently confirmed the holiness of the angels who chose to remain loyal to Him (1 Timothy 5:21). To answer your questions: 1. Pride (Isaiah 14:13-14) 2. "..The Greek for "hell" is "Tartarus," the term used by the Greeks to designate the place where the most wicked spirits were sent to be punished. Why some evil angels are imprisoned and others are free to serve Satan as demons is not explained in Scripture." (1) 3. Yes (2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) The Zondervan NASB Study Bible, 1999, the Zondervan Corporation, Kenneth Barker, pg. 1824 |
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2982 | were angels saved by works? | 2 Pet 2:4 | Makarios | 97376 | ||
Greetings my friend, God did not "choose" Angels on the basis of works or on the basis of grace. God created angels for His purpose (Gen. 2:1; Col. 1:16). Therefore, angels are predestined according to His purpose, forever elected for eternal service to God as His chosen servants (1 Tim. 5:21). God created angels for the sole purpose of doing His work and obeying Him (Psalm 103:20). Therefore, there is no "choosing" involved. There is no "grace" involved either. God created His angels, who simply 'ARE.' Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2983 | Hell for devil and his angels? | 2 Pet 2:4 | Makarios | 108499 | ||
Greetings Sdtaylor99, There are several passages of Scripture that close close, but do not actually say that Hell was created for the devil and his angels.. Among those that are close are 2 Peter 2:4; 2 Thess. 1:9; Jude 6,23; Rev. 20:10. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2984 | I THINK ABOUT SEX 24/7 | 2 Pet 2:14 | Makarios | 67788 | ||
Greetings Bonner, Sexual sin is something that must be dealt with and repented of! You are "playing with fire" (Proverbs 6:27), my friend! Are you a Christian man? Have you given yourself completely over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? The Bible gives many examples of sexual abomination that leads to death. Please read Proverbs 5-7, 1 Thessalonians 4 and Matthew 5:27-28 for examples of how those who are not saved are slaves to lust (Ezekiel 23:17, Romans 7:5). However, if you are saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ, then you can be released from this bondage of sin, my friend! (Romans 7:6) To defeat the sin of lust, we must "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Romans 13:14). "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24) Lust "expands", or gets worse, by its nature. You will continually think more and more about sex, until you confront it. (Ephesians 4:19, James 1:15) Therefore, you must deal with it now, my friend, before you destroy the marriage covenant that you made with your wife. Please flee from the "evil desires of youth" (2 Tim. 2:22), and don't let lust lead you "as an ox goes to the slaughter" (Pr. 7:22) or down to the "depths of Sheol." (Pr. 9:13-18) Seek to abstain from lust (1 Peter 2:11), my friend, and remember the reward of those who keep themselves pure (Rev. 14:4)! Acknowledge the Lord in your thought-life, and He will make your paths straight (Pr. 3:5-6). Your thoughts determine your actions (Pr. 4:23) and you must control your thoughts (Ecc. 11:10). Continually evalute yourself (Haggai 1:5-6) and remember the relationship of thoughts and actions (Romans 2:1-11). Think on things worth thinking about (Philippians 4:8) and practice "thought control" (Colossians 3:1-12). The Lord knows our thoughts (Psalm 139:1-4) and we will be "renewed" by Scripture (Psalm 119:93, Lamentations 3:40, Ezekiel 36:26, Zephaniah 3:17). The Lord will revive your thought life with the "flame of renewal" (2 Tim. 1:6) when you dwell upon Him and Scripture! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2985 | Who are the mockers, evolutionists? | 2 Pet 3:3 | Makarios | 27551 | ||
Greetings Pastor John! Here's the commentary quote from Zondervan's NASB Study Bible.. "mockers will come. Perhaps the same false teachers described in ch. 2 (e.g., they follow their own evil desires; cf. 2:10, 18-19). In ch. 3, however, the emphasis is on Christ's return. These people may have been early Gnostics who resisted the idea of a time of judgment and moral accountability." Blessings to you, Nolan |
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2986 | end time fire, is it real or not? | 2 Pet 3:7 | Makarios | 107680 | ||
Greetings Big Mo, According to 2 Peter 3:7, God will bring a fiery destruction upon the world that exists today and upon those who reject Him. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2987 | is there a purgatory? | 2 Pet 3:7 | Makarios | 161775 | ||
Greetings Seyoung, The Bible nowhere mentions purgatory, nor even makes a slight reference that a place of purgatory may exist. In no way does 2 Peter 3:7 lend any kind of support for what is known as purgatory. --Makarios |
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2988 | Is prayer the only way? | 2 Pet 3:12 | Makarios | 13202 | ||
Hello Jules! Here is something that I have found in response to your question.. "One of the motives for holy conduct and godliness is expectation. "Hastening" means "eagerly desiring" that something will happen. Christians are not to fear the future day of God, but eagerly hope for it (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7; 16:22; 1 John 2:28; 3:3)." (1) I do not believe that we can in any way "hasten" the coming day of God by ourselves through prayer. We should only prepare ourselves and be ready for its coming when it happens. God had everything under control, and He will see to it that everything happens in His timetable and according to His grand design! Good question Jules! --Nolan (1) The MacArthur NKJV Study Bible |
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2989 | What does it mean to be Christ like? | 2 Pet 3:18 | Makarios | 106330 | ||
Greetings RLopez! The real secret of an abundant, victorious Christian life in which one can be considered as "Christ like" is no secret at all! Just as one begins his physical life as an infant and then grows to maturity, so it is true with his spiritual life. One must simply "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ" (KJV, 2 Peter 3:18). The sustenance for spiritual growth is the Word of God. There is absolutely no short-cut and no substitute for systematic, life-long study of the Holy Scriptures. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). Of course, one must not only study the Bible, but also believe and obey it, or else he will remain a spiritual babe. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). Through prayerful, obedient study of God's Word, not only do we grow in the "knowledge" of Christ (and it is only there, of course, that such knowledge is found), but the Holy Spirit also is able to fill and shape our lives into 'likenesses of Christ', increasingly, with His grace. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2990 | John1:1-6 | 1 John | Makarios | 71849 | ||
Greetings Sweet! Another excellent contribution that the apostle John has given us is the book of 1 John, where he shows his determination to expose the false "shepherds" of Gnosticism, and the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2991 | the blood shall never lose its power | 1 John | Makarios | 101221 | ||
Greetings JamesGraves, If we look together at the book of 1 John, I believe that we can see several things about sin and forgiveness. We, as believers in Christ, still do sin (1 John 1:8-10) even though sin no longer has any mastery over us (Romans 6:11), and we can avoid it (Romans 6:12, James 4:7). So, if sin does not continue to have mastery over us, then why do we still find ourselves sinning? I believe that Paul explains this best in Romans 7:15-25. Our standard is to "Walk in the Light" (1 John 1:7). What can prevent me from sinning? 1) The Word of God (Psalm 119:11) 2) The intercession of Christ (John 17:15) 3) The indwelling Holy Spirit (John 7:37-39) What are the penalties for sin in a Christian's life? 1) Loss of Fellowship (1 John 1:6) 2) Loss of rewards that we may receive at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 9:25) 3) Perhaps even church excommunication (1 Cor. 5:4-5) 4) Chastisement (Heb. 12:6) 5) Sometimes even physical death (1 Cor. 11:30) What is the remedy for a Christian when we sin? 1 John 1:9 explains that we must confess our sins to Him. Now, does His blood ever lose its power? Is there a "limit" to this 'unlimited reservoir of forgiveness' that we have the privilege of drawing from? This question is answered "No" in 1 John 2:2. There is no so-called "limit" as to how far we can draw from His unlimited account of grace, because "He died to sin once for all" (Romans 6:10): He has already died for and forgiven you for all of the sins that you have committed or will ever commit! (Hebrews 9:12-14) However, even though we do have access to Christ's unlimited "account", access given to us by His grace alone, we still do not have "license" to sin anytime we so desire. The Bible clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an excuse for sinful living and carnality (Romans 6:15-22; 13:13,14; Gal. 5:13,16,17,25,26; Titus 2:11-14). Blessings to you, my Brother in Christ! Makarios |
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2992 | Salvation is of the Lord... | 1 John 1:1 | Makarios | 61133 | ||
Greetings GJH! It is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of our salvation through the testimony of God's Word. John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, that he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life. And he does not come into condemnation, but has passed from death into life." [RSV] John 6:37-40 "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and he who comes to me I will, no, not cast out. Because I have come down from heaven, not so that I might do my will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all that he has given me I would not lose from it, but I will raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that every man who sees the Son, and believes in him, may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." [RSV] John 10:27-30 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they will, no, not perish into the age, and not any will snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given to me, is greater than all, and not one is able to snatch out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." [RSV] Please also see Romans 5:9-10; 8:1,31-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; Eph. 4:30; Heb. 7:25; 13:5; 1 Peter 1:4-5 and Jude 24. I pray that these scriptures work for your encouragement! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2993 | Can a born again sin as they did before? | 1 John 1:8 | Makarios | 67602 | ||
Greetings Chipper, 1 John 1:8 tells us, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Since this epistle was written to Christians (1 John 5:13), then it seems pretty clear that we cannot truthfully make the claim to have attained total sinless perfection in mortal life. However, we must make the effort to "disown" that sin and repent of it. We must not make the conscious choice to "live in" our sin perpetually, which will stunt our spiritual growth. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2994 | Are christians sinners or not? | 1 John 1:8 | Makarios | 69154 | ||
Greetings "The Criddler Frab"! John the apostle wrote his epistles to the church. In John's first epistle, he writes, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." [1 John 1:8, RSV] Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2995 | Confess or ask forgivness of our sins? | 1 John 1:9 | Makarios | 35108 | ||
Greetings farout! I agree, 1 John 1:8-2:2 would be of some help. Even believers sin, and if we deny that we have sinned, then we are only deceiving ourselves. Forgiveness and fellowship within the family of God is restored when we confess and say the same thing about sin that God does. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2996 | Did Christ die for the world? | 1 John 2:2 | Makarios | 6751 | ||
Tim, I agree with this premise and applaud you for this approach to the discussion of exactly whose sins where paid for by Christ's Blood on the cross. This question, and my answer to this question is the very basis for my belief on this subject and all other topics that are related to this topic.1 John 2:2 states that He is the propitiation for not only the sins of the people of whom John was writing to, but also for those (sins) of the whole world. In my line of thinking, this verse makes it clear that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world on the cross. Ryrie's NASB Expanded Study Bible comments concerning this verse, "propitiation equals satisfaction. Christ is the only offering that satisfied God concerning sin (cf. Romans 3:25). Christ died for the sins of the whole world, the entire human race." In Zondervan's NASB Study Bible, 1 John 2:2's commentary reads as follows: "Forgiveness through Christ's atoning sacrifice is not limited to one particular group only; it has worldwide application (see John 1:29). It must, however, be received by faith (see John 3:16). Thus this verse does not teach universalism (that all people ultimately will be saved), but that God is an impartial God."Nelson's NKJV Study Bible comments concerning 1 John 2:2, "The sacrifice of Jesus' sinless life is so effective that it can supply forgiveness for the whole world (see 2 Cor. 5:14,15,19; Heb. 2:9). Christ's death is sufficient for all, but efficient only for those who believe in Christ. Not everyone will be saved, but Jesus offers salvation to all (see Rev. 22:17)." | ||||||
2997 | When is all not all? | 1 John 2:2 | Makarios | 6805 | ||
Dear brother Tim, I am in exact agreement! Yes, these verses demonstrate the love of God, how He holds out His hand to all humanity, even though He sovereignly knows who will respond and who will not. And yes, that is the worst tragedy of all- that many will be lost! I am willing to only view the verses in which you have stated (which is Ok with me!), since you originally intended to limit the scope of verses as to focus on this single concept.. But I could also suggest Luke 19:10, John 1:29, John 4:42, 1 Timothy 4:10, Hebrews 2:9 and Romans 5:18, even though we both know that there are plenty of verses that merely say 'friends' or 'many people' or 'the church'- which would seem to support limited atonement. So the question that we come to, since it is evident that there are verses that seem to speak of both limited and unlimited atonement, is: Is there any way to reconcile the two? Is there any way to read both 'sets' of verses in a harmonius way without sounding contradicting? I believe that seemingly restrictive references can be logically fit into an unlimited scenario much more easily than universal references can be made to fit into a limited scenario. No one denies that Christ died for God's 'sheep' and His 'people'. It is only refuted that Christ died exclusively for them. Certainly if Christ died for the whole of humanity, there is no logical problem in saying that He died for a specific part of the whole.I think that I should stop right there- to avoid 'raising the ire' of those who think differently on this issue. I have already grossly mishandled this issue once (Romans 5:6 thread), and I do not want to ruin your thread and your discussion.. :-)Thanks again dear Brother in Christ!Nolan Keck | ||||||
2998 | What is the will of God? | 1 John 2:17 | Makarios | 227344 | ||
Greetings Julia, You asked, "This might be a very basic question, but what is the will of God? Thanks to all" This is an excellent question! Jesus said that those who do the will of God are part of His family (Mark 3:35), and born of the will of God (John 1:13). Jesus described the will of God as seeking the glory of God over and above your own glory (John 7:17-18). And Paul says in Acts 22:14 that he, at least, was appointed to know God's will, which is "good" and "acceptable" and "perfect" (see Romans 12:2). Primarily, I believe that the will of God is salvation for all who will believe (Matthew 28:19; Acts 28:28). But God's will for each individual believer could possibly mean different things, for instance: Romans 8:27 describes God's will as intercession for the saints. 2 Cor. 7:10 describes the will of God as producing sorrow, and therefore, repentance. 1 Thess. 4:3 describes the will of God in terms of sanctification. But perhaps through our 'readiness' in the way of a renewed mind in Christ can we reflect God's will to others, in spite of our imperfect selves! (Romans 12:2) So, each one of us, who truly seeks to do His will, must do that which we are called to do, or else face judgment (Romans 14:12). Who wants to live forever? We must seek to glorify Him in whatever way possible that we can! Or perhaps God's will can be best described by His love for us: "nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39) This is the kind of love that no human could ever reproduce or duplicate - the perfect love that can only come from God. And, at our very best, we might be able to show some of that to our fellow creation here on earth. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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2999 | What is "the anointing"? | 1 John 2:20 | Makarios | 28399 | ||
Greetings Hank! I really do not know what some of these TV preachers and teachers mean when they speak of "the anointing" or "the divine anointing", but as far as 1 John 2:20 goes, here's what I think that it means in the context of this verse... "2:20 you have an anointing from the Holy One. I.e., you have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus can discern between truth and error. See also note on 2:27." (...) "2:27 you have no need for anyone to teach you. The Spirit whom they had received would teach them how to distinguish truth from error (John 16:13). The Spirit may use human teachers to accomplish this (Eph. 4:11-14)." [Ryrie Expanded Edition Study Bible] John 2:27 "As for you, the anointing which you recieved from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." I'm not sure what John 2:27 has to do with TV preachers, but it is a good verse! :-) Blessings to you, Nolan |
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3000 | The anointing of the Lord. | 1 John 2:27 | Makarios | 97395 | ||
Greetings Howie, 1 John 2:27 "But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything- and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you- abide in him." [ESV] Here's a bit of commentary on this verse: "2:27 anointing. See Note on v. 20 [2:20 anointing. The Holy Spirit (see v. 27; Acts 10:38).] have no need for anyone to teach you. Since the Bible constantly advocates teaching (Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11; Col. 3:16; 1 Tim. 4:11; 2 Tim. 2:2,24), John is not ruling out human teachers. At the same time when he wrote, however, Gnostic teachers were insisting that the teaching of the apostles was to be supplemented with the "higher knowledge" that they (the Gnostics) claimed to possess. John's response was that what the readers were taught under the Spirit's ministry through the apostles not only was adequate but was the only reliable truth. .." (1) "2:27 anointing. ... John is not denying the importance of gifted teachers in the church (1 Cor. 12:28; Eph. 4:11) but indicates that neither those teachers nor those believers are dependent on human wisdom or the opinions of men for the truth. God's Holy Spirit guards and guides the true believer into the truth (see vv. 20,21). If God is true (cf. 2 Chr. 15:3; Jer. 10:10; John 17:3; 1 Thess. 1:9) and Christ is the truth (cf. John 14:6), so is the Holy Spirit (cf. 5:6; John 15:26; 16:17). .." (2) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) Zondervan NASB Study Bible, 1999, Kenneth Barker, the Zondervan Corporation, pg. 1833 (2) The MacArthur Study Bible, 1997, Word Publishing, John MacArthur, pg. 1967 |
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