Results 341 - 360 of 500
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Reformer Joe Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
341 | To judge or not to judge...??? | Rom 14:3 | Reformer Joe | 70151 | ||
The difference in the two situations is the matter on which the person is being judged. The whole thrust of Romans 14 is that there are some things that are neither sinful nor pleasing to God in themselves. These are matters of conscience, for which God has given no specific command. However, as a matter of conscience some feel free to engage in such activities, while others in the church as a matter of conscience see them as sinful. Examples in our day might include going to the movies, card playing, dancing, listening to secular music, and other things which have been debated on this Forum as well. In this instance, Paul is exhorting the "stronger" Christian (the one who feels free to engage in the non-forbidden activity) to not cause the "weaker" one to stumble by encouraging him to sin against his own personal conscience. At the same time, he encourages both sides to not judge each other on matters where God has not given a clear commandment. In 1 Corinthians 5, we have a different situation, one of clear-cut sin (sexual immorality). Paul makes it quite known that such sin among professing Christians must be judged, that the elders have a duty to discipline the sinning offender for the sake of the name of Christ and the sanctification of the other Christians, and for the sake of the possible repentance of the offender. This situation is not a "gray area" like we see in Romans 14; it is a blatant violation of God's law and it is the work of the church leaders to root out public, unrepentant sin from the flock. Hope this helps! --Joe! |
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342 | Visit other churches? | Rom 16:16 | Reformer Joe | 34216 | ||
Am I too late to answer? I have been attending my church for approximately the past six months, and I spent the previous four years or so at my previous congregation. Except for this last time, it has been relocation which has prompted me moving to another church. The church where I attend now is an excellent, biblically-functioning church. My wife and I are happy to serve God within the context of this congregation, which is the first denominational church I have attended in many years, actually. I did visit a Southern Baptist church over Christmas when I was visiting the in-laws, but when I am in town I am dedicated to worshiping with the congregation of which I am a part. --Joe! |
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343 | How long should a person be expelled ? | 1 Corinthians | Reformer Joe | 21262 | ||
Until true repentance is shown. We see all over the New Testament that Biblical church discipline of the unrepentant, open sinner is disfellowship: "This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme." --1 Timothy 1:18-20 "If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." --2 Thessalonians 3:14 However, there also seem to be circumstances in which the so-called "brother" is not really a brother at all and should be considered and outsider: "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." --1 John 2:19 It is very interesting to me that Paul refers to the individual in question as a "so-called" brother. From 2 Corinthians 5:10-11 it seems very clear to me that the over-arching goal of this type of discipline is doctinal purity in the church and purity of practice. It isn't simply that these people are preaching and practicing these things; they are preaching and practicing these things and at the same time proclaiming themselves to be of the household of faith. Whether they are false brethren or temporarily unrepentant, such activity has no place in the midst of those set apart for God's glory. So my understanding is that a person openly and unashamedly committing a God-dishonoring sin should be expelled from fellowship until they repent of their heresy/sin, and then restored. "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." --Galatians 6:1 Lastly, there are the very words of our Lord Jesus Christ on the procedure for confronting this sin: "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." --Matthew 18:15-17 How many churches stand up and glorify God by actually obeying Christ in this regard? We should, because as Jesus added, "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." And, yes, this is talking about church discipline, not prayer! --Joe! |
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344 | Creating converts to Islam? | 1 Cor 1:12 | Reformer Joe | 32466 | ||
Brian: The only way Christians foster an environment for spiritually "seeking" Islam is by failing to educate their members in the faith. I have met many Mormon missionaries who grew up in Southern Baptist churches. I have met many Jehovah's Witnesses who grew up at least nominally Catholic. One thing that seems to be common in the stories of their "conversions" to cults is the fact that the group in question "had the answers" that they were looking for, while the churches of which they were a part either told them that such questions about the faith were not to be asked, or the answers demonstrated a lack of understanding of the principles of the faith. Since God is sovereign over salvation, I will not contend that we humans can "mess up" his plans to save those whom He will. However, there are lots of people in very bad "Christian" churches today where the Word of God (particularly law and gospel) is not rightly preached (in some mainline denominations it is rarely preached at all!), where baptism and the Lord's Supper are not rightly administered, and where there is no sense of church discipline and training in the faith. I see no problem at all in evangelizing those who have grown up in a nominally Christian environment and who have no concept of the biblical gospel whatsoever. As long is it is a case of supplanting error with biblical truth instead of merely pointing out the error, I do not see how it would lead someone from "bad church X" to Islam. --Joe! |
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345 | Denominations is shameful? | 1 Cor 3:4 | Reformer Joe | 92541 | ||
"Does this verse speak against denominational christianity?" Some claim that it does, but in context it merely speaks out against unwarranted factions. These factions in Corinth were (a) within the same church, not different denominations, and (b) personality-based, not doctrinally based. "My Catholic spouse speaks against offshoots and chose to contend with me after 20 years of marriage, just because I found my own church just recently. " Well, he is making several assumptions that I would question. First of all, he implies that the Catholic Church of today is doctrinally identical to the apostolic church. Secondly, he apparently holds to the infallibility of the RCC. Lastly, he is erroneous in his assumption that one must be in communion with Rome to be part of what the New Testament refers to as the church. --Joe! |
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346 | What do you like about the ... church? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Reformer Joe | 95774 | ||
"What do you think is good and praiseworthy in say, the Roman Catholic Church?" --Trinitarian doctrine--Many valuable saints of God throughout church history --Officially pro-life --Many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are RCC --Don't treat the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper as merely empty symbols (despite the fact I would disagree with them as to what they DO do) --Joe! |
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347 | What does God say about lesbians? | 1 Cor 6:9 | Reformer Joe | 66084 | ||
Here is what God says: "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." --Genesis 2:24 "For the WRATH OF GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to DEGRADING PASSIONS; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." --Romans 1:18-27 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous WILL NOT INHERIT TEH KINGDOM OF GOD? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor HOMOSEXUALS, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such WERE some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. --1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire." --Jude 7 "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." --Acts 17:30-31 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." --Romans 3:23-26 "But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching," --1 Timothy 1:8-10 |
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348 | Are habitual sinners still Christians? | 1 Cor 6:11 | Reformer Joe | 81974 | ||
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God." --1 Corinthians 6:9-10 While we never will be sinless until we are glorified, God's work of sanctification in ALL believers works true behavioral change. If someone is living an unrepentant homosexual lifestyle, one could biblically question that person's state of salvation. A good book on this issue is called _The Same-Sex Controversy_ by James White and Jeffrey Neill. http://www.discerningreader.com/samsexconjam.html --Joe! |
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349 | Unbelieving spouse sanctified? | 1 Cor 7:14 | Reformer Joe | 76939 | ||
The spouse is sanctified (i.e. set apart). This ties into the discussion we were having before regarding being part of the visible church and enjoying the benefits of God's covenant community and yet being unregenerate. I think the best way to illustrate it is to look at the Old Testament example of Israel. The descendants of all of Jacob's sons were set apart as a nation for God's own possession. Circumcision of the males was the sign and seal of that separation from the Gentile nations. Does that mean that every single Israelite was saved? I think we would both agree that such was not the case. So we had sanctified people who were not justified people. As you ask, how is this possible? Apparently there is a biblical distinction between being outwardly sanctified in the 1 Corinthians 7:14 sense and being made more like Jesus Christ, which is what we most often think of when we come across the word "sanctification." I understand 1 Corinthians 7:14 to be saying that the family of a believer is set apart in a special way, that God regenerates individually but also works corporately among families and the church itself. Many argue that this is the basis for the household baptisms we see in the book of Acts, when all living in the new convert's household are "set apart" even though there is no indication in Scripture that anyone else but the head of household actually believed in Jesus Christ. A foreign concept to individualistic America, to be sure, but the question remains whether it is a Biblical one. --Joe! |
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350 | Does God REQUIRE new believer to divorce | 1 Cor 7:24 | Reformer Joe | 66180 | ||
You are not only not required to not get divorced; you are required to stay married. It is a complicated situation after divorce and remarriage occurs, but the fact is that the new Christian had already broken his covenant vows to their previous three marriages. Repentance is in order, for sure, but one cannot reasonably undo what has been already done in such a situation. The godly thing to do is to glorify God in one's present marriage, to honor one's vows. Also realize that such a scenario is not a new one. John 4 tells us how Jesus interacted with a Samaritan woman who had been married multiple times. And check out the verse at the top and read it in its context. --Joe! |
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351 | Does God REQUIRE new believer to divorce | 1 Cor 7:24 | Reformer Joe | 66181 | ||
One other thing: In the Law of Moses, God even insisted that if someone divorced his wife and she remarried, that he COULD NOT re-marry her. The new Christians should stay married. "When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out from his house, and she leaves his house and goes and becomes another man's wife, and if the latter husband turns against her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife, then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her again to be his wife, since she has been defiled; for that is an abomination before the LORD, and you shall not bring sin on the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance." --Deuteronomy 24:1-4 --Joe! |
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352 | isn'tr it different for the saved? | 1 Cor 10:5 | Reformer Joe | 48673 | ||
Hi, Sandre. This is a very good topic to address on the forum, and I commend you for raising it! The best way to understand it is that God works on two levels. God chose the nation of Israel as His covenant people. Not all of them showed themselves to be His children (i.e. those God set apart as His own for redemption), but as Romans 3 puts it, the twelve tribes were entrusted with the oracles of God. Salvation until the time of Christ was almost exclusively limited to one particular nation, and those from the outside came into the covenant community for salvation. However, as I stated previously, not all of those who were in God's covenant community showed themselves to be the children of God. One only need to read books like Judges and Kings and Chronicles to see that God's covenant community as a whole was often set against the very God who called them out of Egypt. Within the nation of Israel were God's people chosen for salvation, the "true believers" if you will, but the nation of Israel and "the saved" were not precisely the same group. The Bible shows that not all of those who were among the nation of Israel were the saved: "But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel" --Romans 9:6 Paul distinguishes between a "physical" Israel made up of Jacob's descendants, and a "spiritual" Israel who are God's adopted children among the physical Israel. Jesus had the following to say when the Pharisees asserted that they were "children of Abraham": "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." --John 8:44 So we have physical children of Abraham who are the spiritual children of the devil, not heirs to the promise made by God to Abraham. The same is true of the church in the present day. There is a "visible church" that corresponds to the "physical" Israel of the Old Testament. This consists of all those who fellowship together in the name of Jesus Christ and hold to the "oracles of God" (i.e. God's revelation in the Old and New Testaments). However, all of those who find themselves in the visible church are not saved, just like every Israelite was not saved. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" --Matthew 7:21-23 Therefore, it is perfectly within reason for Paul to warn the church as a whole that they need to make sure that they are among the "spiritual" Israel, the heirs to the promises of God made to Abraham. We are not saved by our works in any sense, but those who possess true saving faith in Christ will be transformed gradually so that they will grwo to hate their sin more and more as Paul does in Romans 7. Peter tells us the way that we make our "calling and election sure" is by "adding" a list of virtues to our faith (2 Peter 1). Paul tells us right after that we are not saved by good works that we are saved for the purpose of good works (Epehsians 2:10). James 2 demonstrates that true saving faith is accompanied by God-honoring works. Romans 6 asks : How can those who have died to sin live in it any longer? Answer: they can't. Of course, the power to not sin comes from God, and those who are in the flesh are completely unable to please God in the slightest (Romans 8:7-9; Hebrews 11:6). But those who are truly His will be transformed in their wills to trust Him more (albeit imperfectly) and to follow Him by performing works that honor Him (albeit imperfectly) and to say "no" to sin (albeit imperfectly). It is a minister's duty to point this out to one's congregation, which is undoubtedly made up of those who are truly saved and those who think that they are Christians but really aren't. Works are not the basis of our salvation, but they are the evidence of it (Matthew 7:16-20). Therefore, I think this warning falls under the category of "live like a Christian to prove to yourselves that you are one." Just because you are a partaker in the visible church does NOT mean that you are truly a child of God. Menacing words? I think so, but we couldn't really call it a "warning" if it didn't have some unpleasantness to it, right? "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?" --2 Corinthians 13:5 --Joe! |
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353 | GOD willnotput moreonusthenwecanbear | 1 Cor 10:13 | Reformer Joe | 87761 | ||
See above. | ||||||
354 | Why not Brothers? | 1 Cor 11:3 | Reformer Joe | 49796 | ||
Hello, Rob. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, it was absolutely necessary for God the Father to be "greater than" Him. In order for Jesus to be our righteous representative before the Father, Jesus had to become everything we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Therefore, he became a human being (John 1:14; 1 John 4:2), born under the Law and fulfilling it perfectly so that His perfect righteousness and absolute submission to God the Father would be credited to all those who believe in Him (Galatians 4:4-5). The law of God only served to condemn us as sinners, because we could not submit ourselves to it (Romans 8:7-9). Jesus came to earth, setting aside His privileges as God (Philippians 2:6-11) to serve the Father as the perfect human being and representative of all of those who will trust in His sinless life, death, and bodily resurrection (Romans 5:12-19). Hope this helps! --Joe! |
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355 | scriptures about church member behavior? | 1 Cor 11:16 | Reformer Joe | 92130 | ||
The most thorough passage is 1 Corinthians 11-14, but almost every epistle has something pertaining to relationships among believers (e.g. all throughout James). --Joe! |
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356 | Joe, baptism required for Lord's Supper? | 1 Cor 11:27 | Reformer Joe | 63075 | ||
I think the first thing that someone professing faith in Jesus Christ should do is be baptized. The fact that there is such a concept as a "Christian who has not been baptized" is a sign of how little we regard the ordinances which Christ established and commanded to mark His people as His own. Baptism should precede partaking of the Lord's Supper; and my question for anyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ and wants to partake of the Supper will be "Why haven't you been baptized?" That having been said, I do not believe that is what Paul was writing to the Corinthians about. --Joe! |
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357 | Children at the Lord's Supper? | 1 Cor 11:27 | Reformer Joe | 69277 | ||
People are going to differ on this one, I am sure, but here is what I consider to be biblical. Because 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 tell us that participation in the Lord's supper is participating in the body and blood of Christ, and because Paul also warns us that we are to discern the body rightly, children who partake of communion should be examined to determine that they have made a reasonable profession of faith. In other words, they should believe in Jesus Christ. Secondly, of the two rites that Jesus specifically instituted as signs and seals of God's redemptive work, baptism is the one that initiates the individual into the visible church. If the child has not been baptized, that should come before partaking of the Lord's table. In my denomination, the elders of the church actually have a class that children attend for several weeks, examining them in their knowledge and belief and also making sure they understand the significance of communion. Upon satisfactory completion, the children become full communing members of the church. --Joe! |
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358 | communion: symbolic or something more? | 1 Cor 11:29 | Reformer Joe | 84965 | ||
There are four principle views on the Lord's Supper: 1. The memorialist view that you mentioned 2. The Roman Catholic view of transubstantiation 3. The Lutheran view of consubstantiation 4. The classical Reformed/Calvinist "real presence" view I personally have my problems with the first view because of verses like the one you have mentioned. It seems that in communion, just like in baptism, something more than just a memorial takes place. Paul says that our partaking of the elements is a participation in Christ's body and blood. Sounds more than a mere "picture" to me. I do not hold that the Scriptures warrant a transubstantiational view. The elements are still referred to as bread and cup, not the actual substance of Christ's physical body. In addition, Jesus' human nature is just as finite as our own, so I think that saying that everyone participating in the Eucharist right now is physically partaking of Christ's flesh and blood would be contrary to the New Testament and the church's own Definition of Chalcedon. Likewise, I hold that the Lutheran idea of Christ's body being "in, with, and under" the elements to be somewhat novel. It seems pretty confusing, and we see no evidence at all of such a view prior to Luther. Calvin and some of the other Reformers held that there is a union between the elements and the body and blood of Christ. In other words, the two are linked in a special way (just like the water in baptism is linked to God's sanctifying grace), but one does not become the other. That avoids either extreme (i.e. either a "bare memorial" or a substantial transformation of the bread and wine) and also poses the least amount of biblical difficulty, as far as I can see. That is why I believe that I am partaking of the divine life of Christ through the sacramental union between the sign (bread and wine) and the things that they signify (the body and blood of Christ). --Joe! |
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359 | episcopal church | 1 Cor 12:14 | Reformer Joe | 25462 | ||
Some good, some bad. I think that the best ones are those which adhere to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England from whence it came. It would be a good thing to ask the priest. http://web.singnet.com.sg/[TILDE]kohfly/articles.html *Replace [TILDE] with the little squiggly thing that goes above the Spanish "n" (above the tab key) --Joe! |
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360 | Prerequisite-infallibility? | 1 Cor 12:27 | Reformer Joe | 12651 | ||
The office of apostle was a foundational one...people particularly used by God to initially establish the church. We see that the apostles were indeed "larger than life" in the sense that they possessed special gifts which were not displayed by other believers (e.g. healing)--we never see anyone but Jesus and those he specifically sent out displaying true "signs and wonders" in the NT. This is not saying that God does not miraculously heal today. However, He isn't doing it at the behest of the Benny Hinns of the world! Another thing that needs to be pointed out from church history (something that all believers should study to get themselves some perspective): this sudden "apostolic movement" is clearly a product of the 20th-century Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. Even those who claim to be apostles today do not say that the office of apostle has been occupied since the first century. Rather, they claim that the office is something that God has "re-established" for the last days. In other words, this "essential" office for the functioning of the church has gone unoccupied for centuries! Doesn't seem like our omnipotent, sovereign God would allow that if it was such a necessary office for the body of Christ to function. The apostles were mere men, but they were especially set apart by God for a particular purpose at a particular time. And the power that God manifested in them was so powerful that they often were feared by other believers (check out Acts 5 for a good example of why that was the case). Show me one individual legitimately displaying the kind of signs and wonders on the scale of the apostles of the Bible. On a side note, Martin Luther did not re-introduce grace. The Catholic church has always held that grace is necessary for salvation. What Luther and the Reformers contended was that salvation was by God's grace ALONE (no merit on our part), and that we are justified by faith ALONE (no works at all on our part). Therefore, it was not a "new" thing in any sense of the word. Martin Luther was indeed a man used by God, but he certainly did not consider himself to be an apostle. The contrasts between Luther and the present-day "super-apostles" demonstrate the difference between what the church needs today (Reformation) and what our over-stimulated American society selfishly craves (a "revival" complete with all the smoke and mirrors). The Holy Spirit is alive and well and working in His church! Let's do the studious work of discerning what is truly of Him and what is just fabricated nonsense. --Joe! |
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