Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | starfire | 150892 | ||
Hello! I'm confused! In John 3:16 we are told: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. So God(The FATHER as He gave His SON) LOVED the world, but we are NOT to love the world or the love of the FATHER is not in us! If we love the world that HE loved, that doesn't make sense to me?? I mean if we are to model our lives after God, especially Christ, who gave his very life in such a sacrificial way for those of the world... (and there was obviously plenty of evil in His day as well), then this confuses me. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Any help would be appreciated. Also, I was a bit frightened by something I heard the other day from a telecast minister. He said that IF we cannot understand the bible, that the Holy Spirit is not within us because those whom the Holy Spirit indwells, He teaches and suddenly the bible will have meaning, that the bible itself becomes it's own best commentary. I know the Holy Spirit is within me, but am I somehow doing something wrong that I'm not able to understand many passages? (If the Holy Spirit should be enlightening me, perhaps somehow I am not being responsive??) If this is so, and you have any similar experience, I'd love some guidance. Thank you |
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2 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | JCrichton | 150914 | ||
"IF we cannot understand the bible, that the Holy Spirit is not within us " Hi! Jesus never taught that! Not a single Apostle/disciple ever taught that! Our spiritual growth does not depend on our personal abilities... it is God, the Holy Spirit, who chooses to give to some one Gift or another (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Kwoing God is not a choice that we make; God reveals Himself to us according to His Will (John 6:44); hence, knowing God is never contingent upon any human power or understanding... we have an excellent example of this in John 15:27 thru 16:15: 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. ...4I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. 5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. In the above passage, Jesus speaks of things to come... He credits the Apostles with the witnessing they will do since they were with Him from the beginning; while at the same time He explains to them that His absence is to their benefit... the disciples, with the exception of Judas, were eager to know Jesus, to know God's mysteries... they wanted to get closer to God by being part of Jesus' intimate companions--did they understand everything? No! Was it required of them? Emphatically, NO! Not only did the disciples not understand everything, but Jesus tells them flat out that there are things that they could not comprehend even if He were to reveal them to them... He sends the Holy Spirit, the other Paraclete, who will come to reveal the fullness of truth! The Holy Spirit is in the world... we are at the last days when His Spirit is given to the world, and it is He, the Holy Spirit, that teaches and leads all to Christ... it is He, who reveals the mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)... and those who have the Holy Spirit do not demonstrate this by their abilities (human/superhuman) of speaking strange languages, walking on hot coals, playing with serpents or taming tigers, and lions, and bears! Here's the quintessential prof that you are in Christ and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you: Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3) 20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. (1 John 2:20-25) ...more proof that it is not what we know but who we know?... read Acts 8:14-17; 10:34-48 On the above passages, some were received into the Body of Christ through preaching and baptism (knowledge and awareness) while others through direct interaction of the Holy Spirit; these new Believers were not rejected because they did not know enough or because they did not offer some physical demonstration of the Holy Spirit working in them! God's Holy Spirit cannot be contained or restrained; He determines who receives what, when, and in what measure. So, be at peace! God will reveal to you everything that He wants you to know at His appointed time... we are commanded to seek God; not to worry about who gets to "home plate" first or how often! Anyone who attempts to teach you differently than Jesus, he/she is wrong! (Matthew 20:1-16) God Bless! Angel |
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3 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | DocTrinsograce | 150915 | ||
Dear Brother Angel, As to assurance of salvation, I've already posted a number of times on this topic. As to the necessity of the Holy Spirit in understanding the Word of God, I would like to recommend the following verses: The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. (Psalms 98:2) For God gives wisdom and knowledge... (Ecclesiastes 2:26a) At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight." (Matthew 11:25-26, see also Luke 10:21) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26) These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:13-14) ...which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 3:5) ...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:26-27) These are only a few passages on this subject... I'm sure a bit more digging would reveal many more. In Him, Doc |
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4 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | JCrichton | 150972 | ||
Hi, Doc! Sorry... but I can be obtuse at times... I don't follow you! ...are you saying that all Christians have complete understanding of the Holy Scripture?, or Anyone not having complete understanding of the Holy Scripture lack the Holy Spirit? We can be confounded by Scripture when we view the Word at extremes... there are congregations stipulating that to be "saved" or that to "have the Holy Spirit" a person must (no exception), a person must speak in strange languages; others stipulate being impervious to venom; others, that we cannot use modern technologies, doctors, medicines, coffee, tea... Understanding of the Word of God is through Divine Inspiration--does that mean that only a select few are capable of reading the Holy Scripture? Jesus never stipulated a point grade level to His disciples... and there is no teaching in Scripture that having the Holy Spirit guarantees complete and unabridged comprehension of God or God's Word... Every element in Christ's Body operates in his/her capacity as the Holy Spirit deems it... there are no "division of classes" in Christ's Body... every member is a codependent element in the Body; not all are Apostles, not all are preachers, not all are teachers... some will have basic understanding and some will have deeper understanding; some will have litte faith and much knowledge; some will have much faith and little knowledge... it is the Holy Spirit who convicts both the Believers and the world... To exclude poeple from the Body on the grounds that they lack the Holy Spirit because they lack full understanding of the Holy Scripture is not only an irresponsible act, but it is a stumbling block to those whose faith is not strong and to those who are mere beginners! Saul was very knowledgeable about God (Philippians 3:4-6)... still, he was not receptive to the Holy Spirit... God chose him to lead the missions to the gentiles; though we cannot claim Paul's miraculous conversion, our conversion is just as important as his--and it was through his submission to Christ's Authority that allowed the Holy Spirit to enlighten his mind and spirit!: the man that knew much was blind; the man that confided in God saw the Light! God Bless! Angel |
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5 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | DocTrinsograce | 150973 | ||
Hi, Brother Angel... No, what I am saying is "that our full persuasion and assurance of (the Scripture's) infallible truth and divine authority is the outcome of the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts." Without this inward work a person will not understand. Lack of even rudimentary understanding is a common traight of the lost. In Him, Doc |
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6 | Jn3:16 ;1Jn2:15 Do/don't love the world | John 3:16 | JCrichton | 151021 | ||
Hi, Doc! I agree with you completely! The problem I have is with those who are purporting to being spiritual or advanced and pass judgment on all who do not have the same intimacy with Jesus or the same understanding of the Word... it is the Holy Spirit who gives to one the ability to know God and to other the ability to be intimate with God... We find that not even the twelve had the same understanding nor the same receptiveness nor the same intimacy with Jesus... Peter is always at the ready, outstripping everyone else in zealousness for Christ; yet, it is John who experiences the greater intimacy with Christ! As with any relationship, our relationship with God grows stronger the more we employ our time with worship and study of the Holy Scripture... yet, knowing God for a very long time does not equate to receiving greater abilities or understanding... we find that human frailty can diminish our relationship with God--even to the point of being detrimental to our spiritual wellbeing: ie: Aaron's and his wife's jealousy of Moses' relationship with Yahweh--they actually thought that they could dictate who God would choose to bring into His intimacy! Further, we are called to lift those who are weak in faith--we are not called to tear them down by removing the slightest hope and strength that they may possess! God Bless! Angel |
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