Results 261 - 280 of 1444
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
261 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141634 | ||
P.S.: It was not the fall that converted Paul, it was his encounter with Jesus! God Bless! Angel |
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262 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141633 | ||
Hi! Though it could be probable, there is no definite proof that Paul was riding a horse--much of the travel was done by foot... even the Roman Empire did not furnish horses or other animals to all the members of their military... Don't forget that we can fall to the ground from our own two feet! God Bless! Angel |
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263 | Who goes to heaven? | Rev 20:12 | JCrichton | 141630 | ||
Hi, Tan! There are many who want to remove Christ from the Christian equation... some who prescribe to the "all the roads lead to Heaven" philosophy… The Holy Scripture is very precise when it comes to matter of Salvation; it leaves no room for second-guessing or progressive interpretations: you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured. ‘This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation; for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:10-12) Clearly, Salvation is not a matter of well-wishing... or of respecting popular beliefs... Salvation cannot occur in the absence of Jesus Christ!: Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die… (John 11:25) My children, I am writing this to prevent you from sinning; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the upright. He is the sacrifice to expiate our sins, and not only ours, but also those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2) Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. (1 John 4:10) Good works... They are necessary as they testify to our rebirth in the Holy Spirit! But acts of kindness (or seemingly, acts of kindness) alone can do nothing for us... Jesus Commands His disciples (all Believers) to not only love their relatives and friends (neighbors) but to also love their enemies--Matthew 5:43-48--(those who will see us as their intrinsic nemesis (John 15:18-19) due to our allegiance to Jesus) because we are Commanded to emulate our Heavenly Father; Jesus also clarifies that even the wicked are kind and courteous with their own, so we can surmise that good works onto themselves are as empty as the heart that wheels the intention: loving/serving selectively yields its own rewards; loving/serving others in God demonstrates our obedience and allegiance to Him! God Bless! Angel |
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264 | Did "betrothed" couples live together? | Matt 1:19 | JCrichton | 141591 | ||
Hi, KraZ4myKing! I think that part of the problem you, and most every other Christian, are having is that you are viewing ancient Hebrews through today's morally bankrupt standards! Not only is there a cultural difference among the Israelites of Jesus' time's, today's Israelites, and the rest of the world, but the devotion and conviction of people such as Joseph and Mary to Yahweh demolishes all of our preconceptions about worship, sex, marriage, family and extended family... not only were the betrothed couple obligated to their parents' authority but they also had to answer to the community at large! Marriages were arrenged withing the tribes and clans but once made official the whole community were part of the celebration... the couple may not have even had much time to "get to know" each other--specially in rural areas... Though Scripture does not reveal much about the actual ceremonies, we know that there was a preocupation with witnessing, if only after the fact, the consummation of the marriage--much could be lost if the husband would accuse the wife of being unfaithful during their betrothal period and the wife could not prove her innocence! Scripture tells us that when Joseph found out about Mary's pregnancy he decided to leave town in (most probably during the darkest night) secrecy. Why? Joseph, as attested by Scripture, was a just man (translation a pious believer) who, after weighing the consequences of denouncing Mary's pregnancy, opted to protect her and the unborn child by sneaking out of town... in this manner the town's people would conclude that Joseph took advantage of Mary during their betrothal period and then abandoned her: he would be known as a wretched and wicked man who deserted his "wife" and child; while, Mary and the child would escape the terrible punishment of death by stoning, at the hands of the town's people, and would be treated with empathy and kindness. Did the people of Israel commit the same acts (culturally and morally) as the rest of the nations around them? It is evident that they did! But within Israel there is God's Remnant, those Israelites who adhere (as the old Hebrew National hot dogs on the commercials) to a Higher Authority! At the incarnation of the Word, we meet several of these pios servants of the Almighty, Mary and Joseph included. Sadly, humanity is so intent in demystifying Scripture and the prophecies included within, that we contort reason, warp understanding, and blind intellect in an effort to twist God's Word, as the Serpent in Paradise, to match our finite wisdom and our corrupt principles! Jesus was very clear on this issue... that is why He warned that we cannot serve two masters! Do not allow your professor's intellectual accomplishments dissuade you from the Truth: The Word is God (John 1:1-14), and for our sake He became man (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), so that those who Believe in Him would have eternal Life (John 11:25-26)... this Jesus (the Emmanuel: God-among-us), did not have a human origin as the rest of His brethren, He was born of the Virgen Mary by the Power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38); hence, at the age of twelve He was found at the Temple perplexing the Masters of the Law and when questioned about His disappearence He revealed a small bit of information by relating to Mary and Joseph that He was to involve Himself in God's Business! (Luke 2:42-50) Please, guard yourself against the doctrines of the world... the best way to do this is prayer and Bible study! God Bless! Angel |
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265 | How do we know that we are truly saved? | 1 John 3:24 | JCrichton | 141583 | ||
Hi, Aixen7z4! I understand your position! Yet I must also caution that to trust in the Lord does not just mean that we quote His Gospels! Too many "Christians" trust in Jesus in the sense that we trust in one another (proof, verification, material gain, enhancement of social status... in essence the ole "Quid pro quo!"); yet, trusting in Jesus goes beyond our normal word-usage of the phrase "trust in!" Trusting in Jesus means Believing in Him. Trusting that He means it when He says: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) "If you love me, keep my commandments!" (John 14:15) If you do not abide in me you will be removed, thrown out, and burnt--reworded for greater impact; you will find the Biblical text in John 15:1-6. Then, many will say to me, "Lord in your Name we did this and that and that other thing..." I will tell them begone from me you children of eniquity!--again reworded for effects; you will find the Biblical text in Matthew 7:21-27! It is not enough to rely on a quote from Scripture... Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus with great ease and control... yet, Jesus refers to him as a Murderer and a Liar! Jesus didn't call us to learn Scripture or to memorize certain passages, He calls us to Live His Gospels (John 6:63); this is why He did not simply teach that all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved! He taught that those who did the Will of His Father would be saved! (John 6:40) And while the Father's Will is that we Believe in Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, Jesus is clear about what He means when He says Believe in Me (John 14:1; 12:44; 15:4-6; 15:7; 9-10); Jesus makes it clear that it is not about chanting hymns and enunciating prayers or formulas (Matthew 7:24-27: which means Love God above all and your neighbor as yourself). Jesus challanges all those who were listening by commanding them to Love their enemies, to uphold the Sacrament of Matrimony, to be generous with what God has provided for us--everything belongs to Him, hence, we are mere stewards! ...in the end, it is not those who appropriate His Name or perform certain feats that will be saved but those who abide in Jesus, those who Trust in Him to obey His commandments, those who are not simply content with owning a "guarantee of salvation" which they have done nothing to merit! (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46; Matthew 25:31-40)... James puts it simply in his admonishion to Christians to be doers of the Word and not mere hearers! (James 1:22-23)! So, I admonish you, as I admonish all Christians, to not just rely on the articulation of "feel-good" words... we are called, by Jesus, to change our ways, to obey Him, to Believe in Him and to Love Him: by obeying Him we demonstrate that we love Him, by loving Him we love ourselves, our neighbors and even our enemies! The Word did not become flesh to guarantee us a secure and safe passage (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:23-28); He became one like us to rescue us from Death and to serve as the perfect archetype of humility, obedience, and dependence! (Philippians 2:5-8; Isaiah 42:3; John 12:27; 13:3-15)... So, to borrow Paul's admonishion, we should not boast that we have a secured place in Heaven--as the elected Remnant of the Tribes of Israel--(for neither are we God nor have we been removed from the flesh); rather, we should boast of Jesus, and Him Crucified for our Salvation: it is He who secures our Salvation--without Him we are nothing! God Bless! Angel |
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266 | Please explain | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 141511 | ||
Hi, Janae! Do you believe that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent? If you believe as I do that God is all of the above... and more!, you would agree with me that it would not have taken Jesus much time to rescue us from sin! Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) did not hold on to His Divine Power and Existence (Philippians 2:5-11)... and though we are not able to fully comprehend God's Way (Isiah 55:8-11), Jesus did leave us with enough information to understand what we must (John 10:30; Mark 9:23; Mark 10:27; John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15)... so it is a matter of Faith that we understand that Jesus is God and that as the Lamb of God He did not come to demonstrate God's full Authority and Power... yet even in this diminished capacity, as the Lamb of God, Jesus has full Authority over Satan and his minions (Matthew 4:10-11; 8:28-29; John 16:33; 14:30)... ...it is also a matter of Faith that we accept Jesus' Word as Truth and that we allow the Truth to reveal itself as God intends to reveal it and not as we would have it be, in a more comprehensible and palatable way... time is irrelevant to God... to Him a day could be as 1000 years and vice versa (2 Peter 3:8)... hence, our Redemption on the Cross did not have to take Jesus more than a billionth of a nanosecond! We find that Redemption took place and that the Father was separated from the Son in that instant in which Redemption took place (Matthew 27:46-53)... and we know that Jesus' Glory would return to Him in a fraction of time because He promised one of the men crucified with Him that that very day he would be with Him in Paradise! (Luke 23:38-43)... Remember, just as man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man, our limitations do not apply to God! God Bless! Angel |
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267 | Salvation is a gift to be accepted | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141371 | ||
Hi, Tim Moran! The "many" are just that: many members of local/regional congregations are taught that Christians are above the Law hence anything they do is beyong any need of repentence and confession! At one interchange, while coming right out of a religious service, I got into a heated debate about Christians the Law and Grace... one of the the members, who was clearly under the influence of a chemical stimulant, continued to state that those who are under Grace can do anything they please! The term "sin with impunity" may not have been stated by them... but that is precisely what they have determined: somehow, a Christian can transgress the Law because God's Grace affords them the freedom to do all... of course, this is not taught by Jesus nor any of the Apostles! Quite the contrary, we are called to emulate Christ who being of Divine Nature subjected Himself to becoming like man in order to teach us, through example, complete obedience to the Father! ...on several Bible forums I've had lively exchanges with more than one member who profess that the difference between a non-believer's sin and a Christian's is that the non-believer is not in Christ; thusly, while the "Christian" can refuse to confess his/her sins and die while refusing to repent from them (since Christ already forgave them their past, present and future sins), the non-believer exercising the same "right" will not be automatically saved as are "Christians!" ...these too have not stated the exact words "Christians can sin with impunity," yet, their theologies equate to exactly that... so instead of striving to "be perfect" Christians can just coast through choosing to sin or not to sin at will, and choosing to repent or not also at will... I equate those theologies to sinning with impunity! Never do I subscribe to such theologies! Never do I state that Scripture provided for such interpretation! ...habitual sin... is there a difference between committing the same sin over and over or many but different sins? Is habitual transgression of one/few sin/s seen by God as a problem, while transgression of multiple but unsimilar sins is seen as acceptable by God? Sin is sin and we are commanded to repent and turn back to God! (Isaiah 1:18-20; John 15:1-6; 1 John 1:1 through 2:6; Luke 18:10-14) "'he who is born of God' may be a reference to Christ Himself," That is an interesting conclusion... yet, that interpretation would make void the second part of that verse: the One who was born of God keeps him safe!: 18We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. (1 John 5:18) Thus to interject: Christ does not sin; Christ, the one who was born of God, keeps him safe... I would rather interprete this verse in the following manner: Christians are called by God to be free of sin (be perfect/holy); the One born of God keeps them safe and the evil one cannot harm them... ...but this of course in light of John 15:1-6 and 1 John 1:5-7)--we must abide in Jesus, the Light, in order to gain Salvation! God Bless! Angel |
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268 | Salvation is a gift to be accepted | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141365 | ||
Hi, Mark! I followed your post till you made this statement: "We are saved by Christ's righteousness, not by good works as you claim!" Where did I claim that Salvation is earned by works? ...perhaps you read another one of my posts where I speak on certain congregation that believe that they can become gods if they work hard enough to obtain salvation and deification!--observing that there are those congregations out in the world does not make me a member of their religious belief! ...or perhaps you've read where I have stated that though God's Gift is free man can still refuse to partake of Salvation by rejecting God: 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” (John 3:14-21) If Christians choose to sin and allow their pride to blind them by refusing to seek Christ's mercy (repenting and confessing their sins) they are willfully rejecting Salvation! (1 John 1:1 through 2:17) God would never take back His Gift, but man must comply with Jesus in order to be partaker of Salvation! (Luke 6:46-49; John 15:1-6) God Bless! Angel |
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269 | idolatry of Jesus | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 141262 | ||
Hi, luk154! Is your instructor against having images (there are certain relegious groups that cannot stand images of Jesus) statues, paintings, pictures or is he against worshipping Jesus? (there are congregations that want to be saved but they think that they can manipulate God to save them through their own salvific plans)... Rejecting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior... demoting Him to a demigod, a glorified prophet or an angel is the shortest and surest route to damnation! He is the Alpha and the Omaga, the Beginning and the End, the One that was and Is, the Eternal Father, God the Mighty One, the Resurrection and Life... everything that is, both the visible and invisible was created by Him and for Him! (Revelation 1:7-8; 21:6; 22:13; Isaiah 9:6; John 11:25-26; 3:17-20; Colossians 1:16-20) Idolatry does not depend upon an image or statute or any other relic... normally we keep pictures and other mementos of our loved ones (inclusive of jewelry and ashes)... as long as we do not worship them instead of God there's no problem! But if we start placing them above God... we are committing idol worship! Worshipping Jesus is not idol worship as He is God Eternal! (John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:5-11) May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and spirit! God Bless! Angel |
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270 | How do we know that we are truly saved? | 1 John 3:24 | JCrichton | 141261 | ||
Hi! Part of our problem is finding a specific clause that guarantees Salvation... there's none! We know that we are saved if we abide in Him! (John 15:1-6) We know that we are saved if we believe in Him! (John 11:25-26) We know that we are saved if we are born again of the Holy Spirit! (John 3:3) We know that we are saved if we are baptized in Him! (Matthew 21:28-32 and Luke 7:24-30) We know that we are saved if we believe Him! (John 3:17-21 and John 14:1) We know that we are saved if we depend on Him totally! (2 Corinthians 12:9; 13:4) Jesus did not come to offer us a simple "your in kid!" He came to bring us to the Father... to teach us that we are to emulate Him: Love, Obedience, Service! (John 14:21, 31; 15:10-14; and Matthew 25:31-46) We know that we are saved if we stand till the end! (Revelation 2:7, 10-11) God Bless! Angel |
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271 | Salvation is a gift to be accepted | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141260 | ||
Hi, Chris! You are not alone... Scripture seem contradictive sometimes... I mean, if we attempt to make sence of Scripture through our own means we fall short every time! This particular passage (1 John 5:18) is specially confusing... I've heard much from: "Christians do not sin" to "Christians' sins, past, present, and future, are automatically exonerated in Christ--even if we willfully refuse to repent from them..." But John did not mean to have his words separated from the rest of Scripture! He makes it known that we do sin (yes, even those who are born of God, 1 John 1:8, 10)... but he does not say that we can sin willfully because we are saved... rather he says that Jesus is the propriation for our sins (1 John 2:2), that if we confess our sins He is Faithful and Just and able to forgive us! (1 John 1:9)... Sadly, many believe, and preach, that we can sin with impunity since Christ did it all for us! Pride does not allow them to humble themselves before God and repent from their transgressions! Somehow, they have equated Salvation to the Monopoly Game card "get out of jail free": once you have it God can't do anything but allow free and clear entrance to even the most rebellious of Christians! How sad for them... I liken them to the guest of the wedding banquet that did not bother to put on the proper attire for a wedding feast: he was cast out! God Bless! Angel |
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272 | Who are these apparitions ? | Matt 24:24 | JCrichton | 141259 | ||
Hi, Chris! "There have been hundreds of sitings confirmed by the Catholic church as authentic." I think you are speaking on religious dogma--as defined by the Catholic Church, the acceptance of even those aparitions that are held to be authentic are not mandatory for Salvation... By contrast, some televangelists, and others, claim that salvation is theirs and that all others are facing hell... because they have seen God and He has spoken to them... the problem lies in which denomination's "way" is the right way... to how many of them has God given contradicting statements? ...how is their brand of salvation different from Christ?... Can Satan use signs to deceive people? Yes! Does he? Yes! Much of the division among Christians is due to schisms caused by pride or extremist actions... Luther attempted to correct some errors in the Church and through his own interpretation of righteousness he dissected the Bible and rearranged the books that comprised the original compilation brough about by the various Councils (Rome A.D. 382; Hippo A.D. 393 and Carthage A.D. 397)during the 4th century... still some of his own disciples broke away from his teachings... and so on... and so on... is Satan causing chaos and rivalry amongst Christians? Definitely! Has the Catholic Church, among other Christian congregations, suffered Satan's assaults? Affirmative! Are there prophecies in Scripture that speak of signs from God that will come towards the final days? Yes! Do we know exactly what those signs are? Some, yes! All, no! Is Satan taking advantage of that great divide that exists among Christians to further weaken Jesus' followers, and to further erode the world's morality, and to expand and deepen his hold on humanity? Yes! Yes! ...and... a resounding: Yes! Do you personally believe that the Virgin Mary comes to humanity as a sing of God or do you believe that it is Satan's manipulation? How certain are you of either--what criteria do you use to base your belief? "since so many people pray and show reverence to Mary" Have you noticed how some ministries are proud to bring "certain" speakers to their congragations... and how so many congregants gather to witness the occasion? Are these people paying homange to God or are they following the individual's celebrety's status? If they are seeking God, why do they not attend regular service with the same enthusiasm? "And although tele evangelist can get off track, the consequenses are monitarily not eternal Luke 4:8" Is your understanding that Catholics worship Mary?--if this is your understanding, please speak to a Roman Catholic Priest in your township... he will no doubtedly tell you something different! ...or... are you saying that if televangelists, and others, masquerade as higher spiritual being than what they are and convince their congregation that their salvation is guaranteed by sending money, touching radios, television sets, financing radio stations or other congregational projects (inclusive of a lavish lifestyle for their "prophets")... that that brings no eternal consequences?, ...that Jesus is actually endorcing their claim?, ...that people who are taught that their salvation is granted by their minister's "special" relationship with God and their personal contributions, rather than thier personal relationship with Christ... that these people are not being lead astray, that their eternity is secured? Signs do not save nor condemn... neither can one man guarantee another's salvation! Jesus is the Resurrection and Life, only He can guarantee Salvation and He calls us all to abide in Him, to be one, to love one another! God Bless! Angel |
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273 | Do you control your thoughts? | James 1:14 | JCrichton | 141140 | ||
Hi, lionheart! It happens... sometimes I am kickout numerous times (fire walls and servers do not get along well sometimes!)... be assured that you are include in my prayers! God bless! Angel |
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274 | Did God experience what human did in O.T | Gen 1:26 | JCrichton | 141139 | ||
Hi, chair! There are many examples in the Old Testament that attests to God's perception of humanity... He called to the people of Israel wishing to shelter them as a hens her chicks... He chose Israel as His Bride... He is Jealous of Israel's attention to non-gods instead of staying faithful to Him... He sympathized with Abraham when he queried about putting away the destruction of the wicked city... He called Moses His friend... He was proud of Job... He called Enoch to His side... He tested Israel's (Jacob) strength... He instituted Laws to protect the orphans and widows... He instituted a Commandment to care for His servants in their old age... He listened to Moses and others when they pleaded for Israel... He suffered the loss of Abel at Cain's hand! God Bless! Angel |
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275 | What is the truevinein John 15? | John 15:5 | JCrichton | 141138 | ||
Hi, Ellie50! Jesus is the True Vine! Remember that He is speaking to the people of Israel... though God's people their faith had been polluted by their religious leaders through eons of circumvention of the Mosaic Laws... Jesus is assuring Israel that He is the True Vine as He is the Good Shepherd that comes to rescue the lost and scattered! God Bless! Angel |
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276 | In Matthew 21:42-44. Please tell me what | Is 28:16 | JCrichton | 141136 | ||
Hi, StarleyJim! Jesus is the Stone on which all builders (beleavers) must built! (1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20-21) To reject Jesus is as our Lord and Savior is to throw ourselves against the Stone--surely, we will be broken by the impact (fall short of Salvation)... to ignore and blaspheme Christ is to have Judgment passed on us as the Word will testefy against us for we refuse to Believe in Him who is the Resurrection and Life--there will be no excuse for those who see ignored and blasphemed Jesus, at Judgment the Stone will fall upon them and they will be crushed! There is no escape! We must humble ourselves and submit to the Builder... accept the Foundation, Jesus the Corner Stone, and build (abide) on Him! God Bless! Angel |
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277 | Salvation is a gift to be accepted | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141135 | ||
Hi, JAL! You are so correct we sin through willful acts and through omission, daily... some of us almost incessantly! I liken our Salvation to the Promise: * both eternal * both free Gifts * both greater than the object they comprise (man) * both Perfect * both perfecting the intended object * both secured by God * both inclusive of all who Believe * both conditional! The people of Israel were granted Salvation through the Promise... clearly, God would never take back His Promise! Those who Believe in Jesus are granted Salvation through Jesus Sacrifice on the Cross--clearly, God would never take back Christ's Sacrifice in our stead! Yet both Yahweh and Jesus warn that it is not the object of Salvation that merits Salvation but that God is Willing to Save! Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament God calls on man to repentence and to abide in Him! It is not a security blanket that is being offered! It is not a contractual obligation that binds God to Save man! It is a Gift given to those who willingly accept God as their Lord and Savior! A Covenant where God agrees to be our God and we agree to be His people. But if we willfully choose to live in the flesh... if we, like the people of Israel, turn our backs to God (rejecting His Gift, refusing to humble ourselves to His Authority, refusing to repent from our sins, refusing to ask His forgiveness), how can we expect to hold Him accountable for our Salvation! Christ did not come to grant us easy passage into the Kingdom of God! His Sacrifice was not to enable us to sin and rebel against God with impunity... He came to bridge the gap between sin and God, this is why John tells us that if we confess our sins He is Just and willing to forgive us! (1 John 1:9) "So I ask you again, how many times in your christian walk have you been saved?" When I wake up till I fall asleep Jesus Christ is called on to Save me from the world, from Satan, and from myself countless numbers of times! I am Saved by His Grace even when asleep--as I some times must battle evil in my subconscious state and I call on to Jesus or read the Holy Scripture in order to push back Satan or his minions! Salvation is not a state of having! Salvation is a state of receiving! Jesus saw this state of confusion when He called us to abide in Him... when He succinctly made it known that without Him we are nothing! (John 15:1-6) Paul tells us to put away the old nature and to put on Christ! (Ephesians 4:17-32) Our freedom in Christ is not to continue a life of sin but to submit our bodies to God: 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Slaves to Righteousness 15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to everincreasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:12-23) Paul is not speaking to unbelievers, attempting to convince them to join the fold... he is speaking to Believers (those who have heard Jesus' Gospels and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior and have been baptized and have become part of the fold); clearly, Paul is not assuring them that they can sin because their salvation has been guaranteed; quite the contrary! He is reminding them that they are to walk in the Light in order to claim that they are of the Light! (1 John 1:7; 2:10) God Bless! Angel |
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278 | Does it say this in the Bible? | Luke 2:14 | JCrichton | 141049 | ||
Hi, W12pawsplus! There is no specific Scripture that tells us that the angels sing to the Lord or that there are choirs of angels... We do have many Psalms that call for us to praise God and His Name and His Dwelling Place... Psalms that speak on the various musical instruments to use... King David himself appointed several choirs to worship God through song... if the earth, sea and all life and inanimate objects are called to praise the Lord, it is quite conceivable that angels do sing praises to the Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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279 | Gods Will and Natural Disaster? | Rom 8:28 | JCrichton | 141048 | ||
Hi, JRM! I think that you are tackling various points simultaneously... * Biblical Record vs. Historical Record * God's Wrath (which includes natural disasters)unleashed on those who stubbornly are in constant rebellion and denial of His Authority * God's Power as Creator and Guardian Biblical Record... Scripture is Salvation History, hence much of what we would want to find in Scripture is missing (historical accounts, recepies, technical, medical, and scientific information, rituals (baptism, marriage, birthdays, commerce, social intercourse...); much of what is found, outside of direct pertinent matter (Worship, genealogies, Israel's History as it pertains to God's Promise, the various prophecies, the Messiah, the Coming of the Kingdom, Salvation in God, the struggle of the flesh against God's Will...); yet, within Scripture we will find basic information that will lead us to understand that there are rituals and other occurrences which the people of God have experienced or will experience! God's Wrath -- Throughout the Old Testament we find Yahweh warning Israel about the suffering that will befall them if they abandon the One True God... there are many direct statements that foretell of Israel's future disobedience and the loss of God's Protection! This is where man-made disasters and natural disaster converge: God removes His Protection from the people so that the rebellious and wicked fall by the sword, famine and other disasters without the Protection that God had provided in His Mercy and Patience! More than once we hear God tell us that He does not desire the death of anyone... more than once we hear Him plea with Israel to turn back to Him before it is too late and disaster falls upon them... He speaks of decades of suffering through mankind's disobedience, of exhausting His Patience allowing man to turn to Him... He is our Creator and our Benefactor; He is our Guardian and our Provider... but, He is also our Judge and our Teacher who sets boundaries and goals for our corporial and spiritual existence... Jesus foretold of wars (man-made disasters) and famines and earthquakes (natural disasters) that would befall the earth... yet, as our Guardian and Benefactor God will not allow all of these disasters to transpire all at once... it is His Patience and Mercy revealing themselves for the sake of the elect (the ones to be saved in Christ: those who Believe in Him!); it is the Lord's Power that sustains the world and all of its ecological systems; it is His Will that keeps humanity, specially those who Believe from being iradicated from the face of the earth! Just recently the world suffer an assault... terrible as it was, once released, there was nothing humanity could do to stop it... I see the hand of God not in the indiscriminate destruction that occurred, but in the individual people that survived--creatures as fragile and as vulnerable as those that perished--that by shear logic should not have been spared... perhaps as a warning to Christians and the world God decided to Protect them... it is His Might that Saves both from physical death and destruction and from spiritual death and destruction! Note that Christ was not so much concerned with the various periods of disasters that we would face but that we would understand our total dependence on God! (Matthew 24:13) As you said, those who die do not necessarily have committed graver sins than those who are alive... but God does Protects those He Loves! God Bless! Angel |
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280 | once saved always saved? | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141017 | ||
Hi! Following are excerpts from one of my previous posts on this topic: "I offer to you two Scriptures that speak on our abilities to fail God: 1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Christ promised that, in Him, we are granted Eternal Life; this promise does not grant us immunity to defile ourselves and God while simply relying on some special voucher that allows people to do as they please! It is not in vain that Jesus says that not all who call Him Lord will be saved but those who do the Will of His Father! (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)" Though many choose not to heed even Christ's own warnings, Scripture does not provide a contractural obligation on God's part to grant Salvation to all who claim to belong to Christ... Even as early as Peter's ministry there were those who accepted Christ, were baptized, began fellowship, then decided that they knew better and began to twist Scripture in order to appear more spiritual/all-knowing (2 Peter 2:9-22)... God calls us to be perfect (to emulate Him) and part of that process is to give up our old nature and take on the nature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-32), for Scripture attests that the flesh cannot please God! (Romans 8:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 11:6).. Scripture also testefies that we are to inherit the Kingdom of God(Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 1:14 thru 2:1) , and that nothing unclean would enter into the City, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10, 22-27)... It would be simple pride that would convince us that Christ died on the Cross so that we can live a live of sin, yet be eternally saved... any who choose to believe that all of our sins are automatically cleanse in Jesus, regardless of our desire to repent from them or not I liken them to the Pharisees and Sadducees that rejected Jesus citing that they were descendants of Abraham: children of the Promise hence "saved!" God Bless! Angel |
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