Results 201 - 220 of 361
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Bill Mc Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | What do you think? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17194 | ||
Thanks, Steve. You write, 'Jesus never called on His Father to forgive sins.' But here in this passage (Luke 23:34) He does. So what did you mean? In the instances that you cited where Jesus forgave sins, do you think that He forgave just because He was God (Mark 2:7)? Or do you think He forgave the sins because He knew that He came to be the sacrifice for all sins for all time (Heb 9:15 says that His sacrifice even forgave the sins committed under the first covenant (Law)? | ||||||
202 | Steve, Christ bore sins in His body. | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17242 | ||
Dear Steve, please read all of this post and judge for yourself if what I write has merit and stands up to scripture. Please reply and let me know what you think. I do agree that, on the surface, it appears that there would be a big problem with Jesus (being God) bearing sin and dying. This is because, as you have said, God is perfect - without sin and He is immortal. But we do know that Jesus was fully God and fully man. Here is what I believe: 1. Man is, similar to God, a tri-part being. We have a spirit, a soul, and a body -1 Thess 5:23 - 'Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Your true identity, who you are at the deepest level, is your spirit. Your soul is your mind, will, and emotions (personality) and your body houses your spirit and soul. You are a spirit who has a soul who lives in a body. We are not human beings with spiritual experiences. We are spiritual beings with human experiences. 2. Jesus, being fully man, had a spirit, soul, and body. References for His human spirit - Matt 27:50; Luke 23:46; John 19:30. References for His human soul - Matt 26:38; Mark 14:34; John 12:27. I won't list references for His physical body. Most people accept that (unless they are Gnostics). 3. This verse is KEY to understanding how Christ bore our sins: 1 Pet 2:24 'and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.' He bore our sins in His BODY, not in His spirit or soul. Under the OT sacrifices, the animal being offered bore the sins in it's body (Animals don't have spirits but they do have souls). This is where, as you have stated, 2 Cor 5:21 says that He became sins for us. Want further proof? Heb 10:5,10 - 'Therefore, when He (Christ) comes into the world (incarnation), He says...a BODY You (God) have prepared for Me...By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the BODY of Jesus Christ once for all.' Christ bore our sins in His BODY, but His spirit, who He really was, and soul, His personality, DID NOT become sin. 4. Therefore, I don't believe that He stopped being God just because He bore our sins in His body. Paul says almost the same thing of the Christian in Rom chapter 7. There is a power of sin in the members of his body (vs.18,23), but it is not him, who he is (vs. 17,20,21). 5. Christ chose when to give up His human Spirit and, when He did, He died - Matt 27:50; Luke 23:46; John 19:30. 6. At the resurecction, Christ became a life-giving Spirit - 1 Cor 15:45 'So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.' Why? Because He came to give His physical life to bear our sins. And He now gives us His eternal spiritual life through the impartation of the Holy Spirit. Life begets life. Of course, He has His resurrected body now, too. Well, there's my take. I don't feel that it is necessary to strip Christ of His deity in order to have Him bear our sins in His body. What do you think, brother? In Him, Bill Mc |
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203 | What do you think? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17244 | ||
Dear kalos, please see my subsequent post to Steve. I don't agree with MacArthur here (John does write many good explanations, though). Christ DID bear all our sins in His body - 1 Pet 2:24, Heb 10:5,10. I respectfully submit that God is truth and He does not see something that is not there or not see something that is there. Scripture says that Christ bore our sins IN HIS BODY. I agree, Jesus was not a sinner. But to think that God just 'treats' people one way or another presupposes that God is pretending. I.e. God pretended to make Christ our sin sacrifice and God pretends to make us Christ's righteousness. Brother, I don't see it that way. Christ literally bore all my sins in His body and my spirit has, literally, been created in righteousness - Eph 4:24. My body is still unredeemed but my spirit has been baptized INTO Christ and therefore 'the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.' - 1 Cor 6:17. Christ is righteous, alive, and eternal and so is my spirit. In Him, Bill Mc |
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204 | Steve, Christ bore sins in His body. | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17290 | ||
Steve, I'm glad that you understand my side. However, I'm disappointed that you take the attitude of 'this has been debated by people with more study time than either of us. So let us leave it alone.' You're saying, 'My mind is made up, don't confuse me with scripture.' That is obviously your choice. Christianity has been debated for 2000 years and that is more time than either of us have. However, the Holy Spirit, through revelation of the scripture, is who enlightens us, not the amount of study time. You demonstrate much ignorance when your answer to a question is a flippant, 'Read your Bible.' The Pharisees knew their 'Bible' inside and out and Jesus called them sons of hell. Knowing scripture will not save you. Knowing the God of scripture does. The Holy Spirit ALONE knows the mind of God and He will reveal many things as we seek to understand the 'things that we are freely given in Christ.' I do respect your opinion and your right to have it. But your unwillingness to submit it to the truth of scripture demonstrates an unteachable spirit. I do not respect the answers that you have given me such as 'leave it alone, read your Bible, I'm done with you.' If that is your opinion, brother, then please follow your own statement and do not respond to my questions. I hold nothing against you but it is not edifying to anyone to give short, curt answers on this forum. Many people on this forum have challenged my beliefs and my understanding of scripture with a Christ-like attitude, in meekness and love. You would do well to learn from them. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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205 | How did the imputation of sins happen? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17314 | ||
Hi Tim! Great to hear from you! To your questions! First, let me say that I don't know or understand everything about how God carried out the sacrificial work of Christ on the cross. What my mind cannot understand and figure out, I have to accept by faith. I'm not saying that as a copout, I'm just saying that I'm limited. 1 Pet 2:24 - and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. Heb 10:5,10 - "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME;" By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This is what scripture says. 'He bore our sins in (not on) His body.' I don't know exactly how this happened, anymore than I understand completely how, at the cross, I was crucified, buried and risen with Christ. I am not trying to sound stupid here but, just because I cannot explain it, does not invalidate it. I agree, Tim, that 'sins' are not physical things as such. But they are thoughts, feelings and acts that DO exhibit themselves many times physically. So how did our Lord bear these thoughts, feelings, and acts in His body? I don't know. (There I go, sounding stupid again.) But we do know that it happened and that His body was the sacrifice for ours. We do know that He was made to be sin so that we could be made righteous in Him. How was my 'old man', my old nature, crucifed there with Christ? I wasn't even born yet! But Paul says it was. He says that, through this act, we have been crucified with Christ, and are dead to sin. Nevertheless, I was trying to make the point that however you want to define 'bore our sins in His body,' that it was His body that became sin, not His divinity. Paul says that we have indwelling sin in us. But he makes the distinction that it is not us. Paul says, "I don't do it, but sin which dwells in me, does it" - Rom 7:20. Some of these things are hard to understand. Some of these questions will probably not be answered until we get home. How did Christ bear my sins in His body? I don't know? But I believe He did because that is what it says. Can you shed any more light here? Note 1: I do believe that these sins where imputed (credited) to Christ and His righteousness is imputed (credited) to us. But I don't believe that this is a 'pretend' or 'positional' truth. If you have no money in your back account and I impute 10,000 dollars to your account, it is not a pretend thing. You can, if you so desire, make actual withdrawals from that account. In other words, I can't say, "Tim, I've imputed 10,000 dollars in your account but its not really there. I've only written the deposit amount in your checkbook but I never really made the deposit." What good with that be? I would be lying to you. If I've actually imputed 10,000 dollars to you, then you HAVE it. It's yours. And it wouldn't make much sense for me to say, "Well, Tim, it's there but you can't use it until you die." You would have no need of it then. Note 2: Speaking of money, I checked on those reference materials I asked you about concerning Greek grammar, etc. Could you impute about 2,000 dollars to my bank account so that I can buy them? Thanks. I appreciate it. ;) Note 3: How did we ever get on this rabbit trail? My question was concerning who was Christ requesting forgiveness for? Now, we are over in 2 Imputations chapter 3 verse 12. ??? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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206 | How did the imputation of sins happen? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17351 | ||
Dear Tim, thanks again for your input! Once again you've given me something to look into and, if neccessary, adjust my theology to. Regardless, I don't believe that Christ's nature, as you called it, was ever made sin. And I agree with you that He was never a sinner. Your conclusion, 'He simply took our place and paid our debt,' may be simple (good for my level of understanding) but what a profound thing He did! Bless you, Tim. Bill (the lesser) Mc |
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207 | Tim, what is your understanding of this? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17372 | ||
Dear Tim, what is your understanding of these passages? John 1:29; Rom 3:25; Heb 9:26; Heb 10:4,11; 1 John 3:5. These all speak of Christ taking away sin (or sins). Hebrews especially makes a point that the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins but that Christ alone has done this. Obviously, Christ's blood has done something concerning sins that animal blood could not do. If you get time, could you share your understanding of the 'taking away' of sins? How is it different from the atonement that OT sacrifices executed? Also, my interlinear says that the literal translation of 1 Pet 2:24 is: 'who the sins of us himself carried up in the body of him onto the tree' It still seems to suggest that His sacrifice had something to do with our sins carried, bore, sacrificed IN HIS BODY. Isaiah 53:6 says that 'the LORD has caused the iniquities of us all to fall on Him.' Isaiah 53:11 says 'as He will bear their iniquities.' And Isaiah 53:12 says that 'He Himself bore the sin of many.' Scripture still seems to support that Jesus Christ was indeed 'to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' - 2 Cor 5:21. Gal 3:13 says that Christ became a curse for us. These are all pretty strong statements that seem to imply more than just that God pretended to see Jesus as sin. My NASB Study Bible says that Paul seems to teach that Christ's HUMAN (not divine) nature became sin. I don't know about that. I will have to study it more. But if Jesus did not actually bear our sins in His body, then why did He die have to die? Couldn't God just have 'imputed' death to Him without it literally happening? Please be patient with me. I am trying to understand. In Him (and always curious), Bill Mc |
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208 | Tim, what is your understanding of this? | Luke 23:34 | Bill Mc | 17476 | ||
Tim, very well explained! Thank you. If you have time, share your thoughts on my original forgiveness question at the top of this thread. Redeemed, Bill Mc |
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209 | What protects us from Judgement? | John 1:12 | Bill Mc | 13665 | ||
Romans 8:1,2 says that "there is now no condemnation (judgment) for those in Christ." Why? "For the law of the Spirit of LIFE in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." The law of sin and death says, 'the soul that sins, it shall die.' But Christ took our punishment (death, the wages of sin) and God judged all our sins at the cross. The verdict was guilty and Christ took the punishment. But, as you know, 3 days later He was raised again as a "life-giving Spirit" who now indwells the believer. So what protects you from judgment or condemnation? It has already been executed on your behalf. We believe it, have faith in it (as JVH0212 says) and appropriate it to our lives. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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210 | Are Christians under the Mosaic law? | John 1:17 | Bill Mc | 19841 | ||
Dear forum readers, This should be a fairly easy question. Is the Christian still under the Mosaic Law? I am interested to see what the general consensus of this forum is. John 1:17 - For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 7: 18,19 - The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. Hebrews 8:13 - By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. Hebrews 10:1 - The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. Romans 3:20 - Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 1 Timothy 1:8,9 - We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous... Galatians 3:19,24 - What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 2:16,21 - know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 3:11 - Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." Romans 7:10 - I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 1 Corinthians 15:56 - The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. Romans 7:5,7a,8b - For when we were controlled by the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For apart from law, sin is dead. Galatians 3:10 - All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Romans 10:4 - Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Galatians 3:13 - Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." Romans 8:3,4 - For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Galatians 3:24,25 - So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law Romans 6:14 - For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 7:6 - But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Galatians 3:1-3 - You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Galatians 1:6-8 - I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! Galatians 5:18 - But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 2:19 - For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. Galatians 5:1 - It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Under grace, Bill Mc |
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211 | Once Save; Always Saved? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15139 | ||
Dear J.D., Here is my two cents. If we really understand what salvation is, we will come to understand that we can't lose it. The plan of salvation is encapsulated in Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The wages (what sin earns) is death (separation from God). But, in Christ, we have the cure for death - LIFE. And it is a free gift. Paul makes it clear that we were born 'dead' to God - in trespasses and sin. What is the remedy for death? Not forgiveness. A forgiven dead person is still a dead person. The only remedy for death is LIFE. And that is exactly what Christ came to give us - "I come so that you might have LIFE and life to the full". We are saved by Christ's life, not His death. So, if Christ gives us His life - the Holy Spirit, what is the only thing that can make that Spirit depart from us? Sin, right? So, why doesn't He depart when we sin? Because the sacrificial death of Christ 'takes away' the sin issue between God and man - "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Christ's blood has washed away our sins so that the only thing which could make His Holy Spirit depart, sin, can no longer do so. He became sin for us and took our death, so that we become His righteousness and have His life. Remember the 'dead man' analog? Suppose cancer killed him. If you wanted to really 'save' this man from death, you would have to do 2 things: 1. Cure his death, by giving him life and 2. Cure what killed him - the cancer. If you just resurrected him without curing his cancer, he would soon die again. If you cured his cancer but didn't resurrect him, you'd just have a 'healed' dead man. You must cure his cancer AND restore his life. This is what Christ has done for us, my friend. He 'cured' what killed us, sin, and restored His life to us, resurrected us spiritually. How can you lose that? For eternal life to be eternal, by definition, you can't lose it. If you can lose the life of Christ in you, then it is only 'temporal life', not eternal. So Christ has 'saved' us from the wages of sin - death - by giving us His divine LIFE as a free gift. But, He IS the life. He does not despense it like a gumball machine. Eternal life is found only IN HIM. See 1 John 5:11,12,13. He is our life. And He has dealt eternally with what caused our death, sins, at the cross. That is why He can say, "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you." That is why eternal life is ETERNAL LIFE. What do you think? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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212 | What you are saved from? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15144 | ||
Dear Sister D, 'Once saved, always saved' is NOT dependant upon your ability to live to God. 'Once saved, always saved' reflects a correct understanding of what salvation is and what it is not. If we could 'live to God', we would not need a Savior. We cannot live APART from God. He ALONE is the source of life. The repentant heart that God seeks is concerning what you believe about His Son. Jesus said that the world's sin is that they do not believe in Him. That is the only sin that remains 'unforgiven' and that must be repented of. Christ has forgiven the believer ALL of their sins. The cross was an ETERNAL act of God. It took away ALL sins - past, present, and future. If all of your sins are NOT forgiven, then how are you going to get more forgiveness? Without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness. Are you going to ask Christ to come and die for you so that you can have more forgiveness? God NEVER calls you to live for Him. He calls you to come to Christ and find LIFE. Then He calls us to live out His life in our bodies - Romans 12:1. Please read my other post, dear one. Do you understand what you are "saved" from? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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213 | What are you saved from? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15145 | ||
Dear Sister D, 'Once saved, always saved' is NOT dependant upon your ability to live to God. 'Once saved, always saved' reflects a correct understanding of what salvation is and what it is not. If we could 'live to God', we would not need a Savior. We cannot live APART from God. He ALONE is the source of life. The repentant heart that God seeks is concerning what you believe about His Son. Jesus said that the world's sin is that they do not believe in Him. That is the only sin that remains 'unforgiven' and that must be repented of. Christ has forgiven the believer ALL of their sins. The cross was an ETERNAL act of God. It took away ALL sins - past, present, and future. If all of your sins are NOT forgiven, then how are you going to get more forgiveness? Without the shedding of blood, there is NO forgiveness. Are you going to ask Christ to come and die for you so that you can have more forgiveness? God NEVER calls you to live for Him. He calls you to come to Christ and find LIFE. Then He calls us to live out His life in our bodies - Romans 12:1. Please read my other post, dear one. Do you understand what you are "saved" from? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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214 | What is eternal life? What is saved? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15157 | ||
Dear Sister, I said what I said because I don't believe you understand what salvation really is. Did you read my other post? I agree, 'No unclean thing shall enter the kingdom of heaven.' So, the question is, did Christ make you clean or not? See Hebrews 7:25 - He saves us FOREVER. Ezekiel 18, while being holy scripture, is written to the house of Israel. Are you under the New Covenant or the Old, Sister? Dear one, if you think you are 'prone to lose your salvation' or 'prone to lose out with God' you have become victim to some erroneous teaching. Proof of this is in your statement, "if we turn from our righteousness..." That is exactly what Christ wanted the Pharisees to turn from. We have no righteousness. Our righteousness is God's righteousness - 'the righteousness that is FROM God' and it is a gift, it can't be earned. If you are IN CHRIST, you are His righteousness before God. So, Sister D, would you be so kind as to answer my question? What are you saved from? How can eternal life be eternal if it can be lost? In Him, Bill Mc |
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215 | What is eternal life? What is saved? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15180 | ||
Dear Sister D, I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. I agree with most of what you say in your prior post. What I don't agree with is that you do not believe in the eternal life that Christ offers us. You believe in a 'temporal' life - only good until you sin again - though you may not use those exact words. You don't believe that eternal life is eternal. In your view, it can be lost, or walked away from. That makes it temporal. And that makes your salvation dependant upon you and your actions instead of upon Christ and His actions. Though God makes it clear that it is eternal life, and that the Holy Spirit lives in us forever - 2 John 1:2, you don't accept that. Even though the Word of God says that we have been made alive in Christ, you think that we can still 'die in our sins.' You don't truly believe that when Jesus said, "It is finished," that He meant it. That, dear sister, is your choice. You'd do well, dear one, to choose to have faith in what God has done and said. Working out our salvation is 'living out' what God has already done for us. You seem to feel that salvation is 'not sinning.' You seem to imply then that one is never truly sure of being saved until they physically die. That's too bad, Sister D. 1 John 5:13 says that John wrote about eternal life so that we would KNOW (present tense) that we HAVE (posess) eternal life. What church I attend is irrelevant. I belong to the body of Christ, the church made up of born again believers throughout the world and the ages. Where I chose to attend has no bearing whatsoever to my identity in Christ. I am a child of God because He has shown grace to me and caused me to be born again by His Spirit. Go in grace. In Him, Bill Mc |
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216 | What is eternal life? What is saved? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15197 | ||
Dear Sister D, you said, "If I am wrong I am open to God to show me different..." Hmmm, I wonder how He would do that? :) | ||||||
217 | What is eternal life? What is saved? | John 6:37 | Bill Mc | 15209 | ||
Dear Sister D, you can 'hush' if you feel the need to. But, it's been a pleasure conversing with you. Keep seeking Him. In Christ, Bill Mc | ||||||
218 | Is truth relative? How do we know it? | John 8:32 | Bill Mc | 20432 | ||
How do we know when we are are taught the truth? There are many different denominations and they all claim to be right. There are many different guides on this forum and they all claim to be right. All these denominations and forum guides have scripture to back up their views. But they frequently do not agree. Jesus promised us that we would know it. So how do we know the truth? Many (not all) Baptists would say you've got to be immersed during baptism. Catholics and Methodists would say that sprinking is fine. Pentecostals would say that you need to be baptized in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Conservatives would say that those gifts have passed away. One church says you can't have musical instruments. Another says its fine. One church says you have to worship on Saturday. One says you need to worship on Sunday. One church says you need to confess your sins publicly. Another says that open confession is not necessary. One church says that anyone can partake of communion during the Lord's Supper. Another says that you can only if you are a member of that church. One church says they believe in the free will of man. Another says they believe that God is completely sovereign and man has no choice in the matter. Once church says you can't have female pastors. Another says that there is no male and female in Christ so it's OK. One church says that the Christian is no longer under Law. Another says that Christ in us enables us to fulfill the Law as He did. One church says that your salvation is secure because it comes from God. Another says you can, at some point, reject it and fall away. So how do you KNOW that we are being taught truth? Everyone - churches, denominations, pastors, forum guides have certain scriptures to back up their view. EVERYONE! So how do you know what the truth is? |
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219 | Is truth relative? How do we know it? | John 8:32 | Bill Mc | 20481 | ||
Dear Hank, Thanks for your responses, brother. I, too, love C.S. Lewis. 'Mere Christianity' is a staple in my library. 'The ScrewTape Letters' is excellent, too. That a Christian could have such insight into the diabolical mind shows us indeed where God has brought us from and how radical our translation from darkness to light truly is. My question, Hank, is not posed as a rally cry to eliminate denominations. Although, like you, I don't feel that their existance is the ideal, the fact of the matter is that they do. The fact of the matter is the we have to deal with them. And, I believe that in spite of all our man-made lines and boxes, God works His plan of salvation for any who will seek Him. I don't think that denominations pose a big barrier to Him for He looks on our hearts. My question is really centered in the fact that we DO have to search for God amongst this 'haystack' of man-made religion. And though God has no problem 'finding' us (PTL), we have many problems of knowing who to listen to. No denomination, no church, no pastor, and certainly no forum guide is going to say, "Listen to me. I will teach you false doctrine." Everyone believes they are right (even ME, beware :)). This puts a new believer in an awkward, sometimes overwhelming position. In another thread, I shared that, for me, the Word of God was my sole standard for knowing the truth. It is my plumbline. I was basically told that if that was my standard, then I could easily either start or fall prey to cultic beliefs. It was advanced to me that I need to be under a human teacher's teaching to know the absolute truth. While I realize that God does indeed work through the teachers, pastors, evangelists, elders, and other offices that He has given to the body of Christ, my question is how do you make the determination of who to listen to? If I cannot trust the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of God's Word to me when I am using correct interpreting techniques, and I must seek out a human teacher (for that is all the church offers at this point), how do I know who is teaching the truth? Or the truer truth? Any thoughts? (For the record, although God's Word is infallible, my interpretation of it is not. Therefore I will often check my interpretation up against what my pastor teaches, what other Christians think, what other men or women of God have written in commentaries and literature, and even, sometimes, what other forum members think. That's why we are here. So I do not exist or study in a closed vacuum. But my starting point is always trusting the Lord to illuminate His Word to me first. I feel that if God so 'dead' that He can no longer teach us from His own Word, we might as well close down this site and go play 'Solitaire.') In Christ, Bill Mc |
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220 | When did disciples receive the Spirit? | John 20:22 | Bill Mc | 15824 | ||
Did Christ's disciples receive the Holy Spirit before Pentecost? If so, why did He tell them to wait for it? |
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