Results 61 - 80 of 115
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Parable Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | how can we be more rich toward God? | Luke 12:21 | Parable | 114200 | ||
Forget ourselves, follow Christ. | ||||||
62 | The meaning in Luke 13:6-9 parable | Luke 13:6 | Parable | 41722 | ||
See Hard Sayings of the Bible, by Kaiser, Davids, Brauch and Bruce. If memory serves, according to the authors...The fig tree is Jerusalem, where Jesus and the disciples were going for Passover. The fig tree represents those who hear the Word but reject it, and bear no fruit, as the fig tree has been given water, sunshine and soil, but yields no fruit. It has the appearance of life, i.e. branches and leaves, but offers nothing to sustain others or produce more fig trees. The lesson is that because Jerusalem rejects God, they are cut off from Him, the source of life, and they are doomed to wither and die. This came to pass with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. |
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63 | Indiana Jones, what about Heb 10:26-31? | Luke 15:32 | Parable | 43773 | ||
It is important to remember that Hebrews was written to new Christian Jews, who were struggling to overcome centuries of Legalism. This is cited by bible scholars when explaining the contrasts between Hebrews and other NT books, which were written to a broad range of new Christians, who were not necessarily Jews. Given this, I am intrigued by the following analogies: In the study of near death experiences, e.g. the work of Dr. Gary Habermas, there are many classifications of death, with the ultimate called "biological death". The definition is "if you came back, you did not experience biological death". I mention this as a possible way to think about "falling away" as discussed in Hebrews. If you "fall away" and later want to come back, I wonder if you really did not "fall away" as much as you thought, or at least in the same sense that Hebrews is warning about. De-facto evidence of the truth of Hebrews' warning are those who fall away and do not come back, despite any theoretical possibilities we may postulate that they could have. That they DID NOT return to faith is consistent with the possibility that they COULD NOT, but it is not proof of this: they could have simply chosen to stay away. There is another similar situation in Scripture, i.e. the "unpardonable sin" of saying the devil is responsible for the work of the Holy Spirit, see Matthew 12:23. Anyone so hardened is unable to recognize the difference between God and the devil and therefore is completely lost. Its not because God won't pardon them if they repent, but rather they can't receive a pardon because they don't recognize God's authority to grant the pardon. If anyone worries about whether or not they have committed this sin, surely they have not, for if they had, they wouldn't care. Perhaps Hebrews is best understood in this context. More practically, what real difference does it make? That is, if we somehow "prove" that one can fall away and then return to faith, would it be more liberating than the freedom we received from Christ upon conversion? I think not. Alternately, if we "prove" that when one falls away, one is eternally damned, would that truth be more of a burden than our slavery to sin we suffered before we came to Christ? I think not. |
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64 | Could it be they're not true believers? | Luke 15:32 | Parable | 44043 | ||
Of course, logically, that's a possibility, as described in 4:2 -- "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." However, in those cases, the discussion about "falling away" in 6:4-5 does not apply because the text explicity applies to "...those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age..." In the end, the point is for us to know the gifts of faith and salvation are precious beyond compare and that all we need to do is accept them by accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. In that light, I believe God's grace cannot be undone by our "falling away", i.e. if we foolishly rely on ourselves and not Him. The nature of His redemption is precisely that He covers our debts, including our human weaknesses and inconsistencies. Yet also, He respects our freedom to choose and we cannot avoid the consequences of willfully rejecting Him once He is made known to us. At some point, He will give us over to our decisions. (see Exodus 9:12 for example) Whether He does this irreversibly only He knows; perhaps He allows us to do this to teach us how foolish we are, or if we repeatedly insist, perhaps He allows us to have our way for good. The whole meaning of salvation is lost unless there is a real alternative, i.e. judgement leading to damnation. |
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65 | Does God soften hearts, or do we? | John 3:16 | Parable | 43649 | ||
God knows our hearts. He calls us. We choose to accept his call or reject him. While it is we who choose to soften our hearts, it is the Holy Spirit who does this miracle in us. The other side of the sword is, if we choose to reject Him enough times, He will give us over to our decision. Otherwise, our choice would have no meaning. | ||||||
66 | Who is God using? | John 3:16 | Parable | 55775 | ||
While I agree with your basic theme, I disagree with your closing remarks. As I understand your exhortation, it is similar to Paul's instruction in Titus 3:9 "But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless." Your advice to stop the seemingly endless debate over technicalities has merit. However, you close with "Time is running out..." and "it seems to me that Christians are too busy rearranging the pictures on the wall while the house is burning down." Peter cautions against putting too much emphasis on external events, at least in our personal suffering for Christ. 1 Peter 4:12 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." As for world events, I believe there is nothing humanity can do to trigger Christ's return or in any way influence God's timing. Psalm 144:3-4 "O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." Jesus cautions against thinking we know when the end will come, for even He did not know. Matthew 24:35-37 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Finally, for us as workers in the Lord's field, there is at least one problem with assuming we are close to the last harvest. It is that we stop cultivating/sowing and focus solely on those ready to be harvested. Any farmer will tell you, if you don't plant for the next season, this year's harvest will indeed be the last. By proclaiming the end times, you proclaim that there is no point to invest in next year's fields. |
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67 | Which proposition is scriptural? | John 3:16 | Parable | 89054 | ||
Both are true. Romans 10:10a "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified..." "that YOU believe" means we do it, not God. However, we cannot believe without faith, which is a gift from God... Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- This means that faith is not a work, because all we can do to get it is accept it from God. However, once received, it is ours to embrace, or not, as we choose... 1 Cor 16:13b "stand firm in the faith" Parable. |
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68 | Greetings - (Jesus is Lord?)- instead of | John 4:38 | Parable | 51370 | ||
It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit is the only one who brings anyone else to the Lord. With that said, I offer this as an answer to your question: Everywhere we go, we are to demonstrate our relationship with Christ by everything we do. Often that includes witnessing to others by sharing the Gospel with them. However, sometimes it is important for us to sow seeds of faith and cultivate the soil rather than attempt to reap a harvest before it is ready. In John 4:38, Jesus said to the disciples "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." This implies that someone must do the hard work of sowing before the crop is ready for harvest. Hence, there are times we are called to prepare others to hear the Gospel so that when the evangelist comes, they will be ready to receive the message. Of course, we may indeed become the harvester, but not without first sowing and cultivating. Sometimes, it takes years before someone will be ready to listen to the Holy Spirit. For an excellent discussion of the importance of sowing, see "Finding Common Ground: How to communicate with those outside the Christian community, while we still can." Parable |
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69 | What light was created on day one? | John 9:5 | Parable | 100266 | ||
The traditional reading of the creation account in Genesis presumes a cosmic perspective at the beginning of time. However, in his book "The Genesis Question", Dr. Hugh Ross interprets Genesis in the context of an earthly perspective some time after the cosmos was created. By doing so, he has been able to demonstrate that the Genesis account follows the order of events that are proposed by planetary geology and biology. In the past, I have taken heat for suggesting that Dr. Ross may be on to something here, but I mention it now because I believe it is important to be aware of all the sincere opinions about how our understanding of creation and scripture either do or do not compare. Parable |
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70 | Whom should I direct my love and praise | John 14:5 | Parable | 47035 | ||
Christians believe that the one God is revealed to us in three persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. This idea of one God in three persons is called the Trinity and is central to our faith. As you learn more about Christianity, you will see the nature of the Trinity is one of the things that makes Christianity special and unique in the world of faith. Each person of the Trinity is fully God, yet each has a distinct role in our lives. Jesus is our representative with the Father, yet because Christ lives in us and we are adopted into God's family through Jesus Christ, we are welcome to come before the Father. Also, in my daily life, I often ask the Holy Spirit to work His will through me. The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to be with us after he went to heaven to be with the Father. You should feel free to speak to each or all persons of the Trinity. God knows your heart and your needs even before you ask, and he wants to hear from you. I suggest you pray for God to guide you in your prayer life. Praise God! Parable p.s. GK, please, please be careful not to reveal ANY information about yourself that might help someone bad (yes, even at a bible website) to identify you, and never engage in private email conversations with anyone you don't know and trust personally, and NEVER NEVER go anywhere to meet anyone you meet over the web who tries to arrange a meeting. If anyone ever tries to arrange a meeting with you, say "no" and report them to the police, OK? Stay safe by staying anonymous. |
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71 | Would you have recognized Christ? | John 15:16 | Parable | 46002 | ||
Yes! I would recognize Him by His recognition of me, just like today. "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." --John 15:16 |
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72 | recognize Christ? | John 15:16 | Parable | 46060 | ||
Yes to both, sort of. Not only has He given us the truth, He IS the truth. We can do nothing for ourselves apart from Him, He has done it all for us, but not because He is "responsible" to, but out of love for us, by grace. There's another interesting point here; it has to do with the word "recognize". In a personal sense, to recognize is to identify as familiar. In a political sense, as in a public meeting or diplomacy, to recognize is to grant formal status or standing. I think your question involves both the personal and political senses of the word, not only when Christ recognizes us as his children, but also when we recognize Him as Lord. |
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73 | Recognize Christ? | John 15:16 | Parable | 46164 | ||
Christ revealed HIMSELF to us. There is a 1:1 correspondence between what He said, what He did and Who He is. It is we who make doctrines in an effort to codify Christ, to organize His truth in a systematic way. Of course, some people such as Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, can do this with authority, but it is we who must read and understand what Paul wrote. Think about how different people remember the same event. Each person has their own view of it and each person interprets what they experienced in the context of their human condition. For this reason, I believe we are unreliable witnesses apart from God, and this explains why there are so many different ideas about what the Bible teaches. Even so, there are several fundamental truths that all Christians hold, if they be true Christians. Such include the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, the humanity of Christ, the forgiveness of sins, His resurrection, ascension and glorification. Regarding the interpretation of Revelation, I respectfully leave that to those who are much better qualified to speak about apocalyptic writing. |
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74 | Christ and doctrines revealed to us? | John 15:16 | Parable | 46181 | ||
We do believe in progressive revelation, such as the foreshadowing of Christ in the OT followed by His Incarnation. In that sense, different groups (in time) receive different revelations. Perhaps it would help if you provided some examples of Bible doctrines that are "different" or somehow conflict in your mind. |
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75 | inmyheart, could Paul be sarcastic? | Acts | Parable | 49032 | ||
My first inclination is to say that no, Paul is not being sarcastic. When written, sarcasm is often misunderstood, even by those readers who are intimately familiar with an author and the situation under consideration. In sarcasm, the meaning is opposite the literal interpretation of the text and is hard to identify without extra-textual information, such as tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, etc. Perhaps it would help to know if there are any cases in which it is generally accepted that a biblical author has used sarcasm. Do you have any other examples? Parable |
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76 | WILL FAMILY ACCEPT MORMON SPOUSE | Acts 1:1 | Parable | 43645 | ||
Seek counsel from a qualified, experienced pastor. You also may benefit from a good secular counselor who can help you address some of the issues that are not matters of faith per se. It sounds like your first husband was negligent and abusive. No doubt you were hurt deeply over many years and unfortunately, sought relief from your pain in ways that are all too human. Given that you will seek professional help, here are my thoughts on your situation. Your story is not uncommon and you are not alone. Christ knows this and has compassion for you. So much that He paid for all your sins on the cross, even the ones you commit after accepting Him as Lord and Savior. Earnestly seek Him. Ask for His gracious forgiveness, accept it and do your best to follow His commands to love Him and to love others as He loves you. Follow the example given in John 8:1-11, that is, know Christ does not condemn you and with that knowledge, go and sin no more. Regarding your husband's religion, see 1Cor7:14a "For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife..." There is hope that you may help bring him to Christ. Christian education classes you take together might be a good way for him to learn the truth about Christ and for both of you to become more involved in your church, fellowship and spiritual growth. I encourage you to focus on God's truth and in that light, let Joseph Smith's lies be seen for what they are. Regarding your brother's refusal to allow your husband to family functions, perhaps Matthew 5:23 applies. Also, from your note, its not clear if your brother's decision is a result of your husband's religion or the issues of your divorce and premarital sex. It would seem that if the latter, he would not allow you to attend as well. If his concern is Mormonism, then perhaps your brother might be persuaded to see family functions as testimony to what Christ has done for your family. Indeed, this is the case now, for better or worse. If your brother's decision is righteous, it should stand. To determine if it is, follow Christ's instructions given in Matthew 15-17. |
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77 | Why carry on like a playground dispute? | Acts 1:3 | Parable | 44349 | ||
For an excellent discussion of how the Genesis account is consistent with current scientific understanding of planetary geology, see The Genesis Question, by Dr. Hugh Ross. For a list of scientific accuracies in the Bibe, see The Complete Book of Bible Lists, by Harold L. Wilmington. I agree with you that we must work to remove this "conflict". It is a stumbling block for many who might otherwise come to faith. We can be confident that the truth of God's Creation cannot be contrary to His Word. The question for us is, have we done our science right and have we divided the Word rightly? |
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78 | Would his heart not be humbled? | Romans | Parable | 191899 | ||
To the Gentiles, Paul said: "I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another." Romans 15:14 To the Jews, he said: "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?" --Romans 2:21 The gentiles had no attachment to the Jewish law or any sense of entitlement to it or to God's grace. The Jews felt they owned the law and salvation was their due. |
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79 | What does "being a homosexual" mean? | Rom 1:19 | Parable | 91595 | ||
I have a problem with the statement "it is not possible for a homosexual to carry out God's will". Jesus said "...with God all things are possible." -- Matthew 19:26 Paul said "...in all things, God works for the good of those who love him." -- Romans 8:28 A person may be a homosexual and love God, even though their walk with him is hindered by their conduct, just as is true for anyone who struggles with sin, i.e. all of us, 1 John 1:8. Finally, God can use even the most hard-hearted person to further his purposes, "for I have hardened his heart....so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them." Exodus 10:1 Peace, Parable |
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80 | is homosexuality a sin? | Rom 1:27 | Parable | 49309 | ||
Sexual immorality is a sin. It has been suggested the original reason for this is sexual immorality is a form of idolatry, i.e. worshipping false gods or putting something before God. The basis for this suggestion is that in many pagan rituals in biblical times, sexual acts of all kinds, heterosexual, homosexual, bestial or involving children were common as part of the worship. However, the prohibition is not just against doing what pagans did, as if the intent behind the act were the only problem, but rather against the act itself because it is inherently immoral, like murder, etc. It then follows we are not to be sexually immoral so we can remain pure and holy before the Lord, with our bodies as a living sacrifice in faithful obedience. The question then becomes, is homosexuality a form of sexual immorality? The scriptures are clear, it is. As for masturbation, this issue has been debated at length on this forum, so much so that there was an appeal for the dialogue to stop, message 47652. My original opinion on masturbation may be read in message 41781, but be advised there are numerous others that offer a different understanding. To view those messages, click on "search" and go from there. Parable |
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