Results 241 - 260 of 7096
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Makarios Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
241 | What is an Apostle? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102046 | ||
Greetings Tim! Sorry, my mistake! You are right, it was the reference to Titus as an 'apostle' in 2 Corinthians, not Timothy. Makarios |
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242 | Can we disappoint the omniscient God? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102221 | ||
Greetings Radioman2! "Can we disappoint the omniscient God?" Yes! Proverbs 17:25 speaks of parents who are disappointed with a foolish son, and the Holy Spirit Himself is grieved when we sin (Ephesians 4:30). Our hardness of heart grieves the Lord (Mark 3:5; Matthew 14:9; Isaiah 54:6; 63:10; Psalm 78:40; Genesis 6:6), and our sin separates us from God (Matthew 27:46). Yet, with all of this grieving, does God not know our steps before we take them, even if we should fail? Yes! (Job 14:5; Psalm 139:15-16; Isaiah 25:1; 41:4; 46:11; Acts 17:26; Romans 8:28-33; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 1:11). But if He already knows, then why is He still grieved and disappointed in us when we fail? Why? Because God loves us and desires to see us succeed as any loving parent would (Matt. 5:48). God sees a great potential and value in us, calling us when He knows that we are not fully ready (Romans 5:8), but knowing that we can be of great potential for Him (Ephesians 2:7)! And when we are saved, that potential and value takes on an eternal significance, that whatever He gives us to do from now on until forever, when we are there with Him in heaven, that we will continue to glorify Him forever! And as a loving parent as He is, He being able to see both our beginnings here on earth in sin, and our glorious "ends" with Him serving Him for all time, cannot help but to shed a tear when we, who will eventually serve Him in love forever, find ourselves using some of this "free" time that we have here on earth to rebel against Him! I believe that that grieves Him the most- that we, who have already been irrevocably changed (Romans 11:29), would still find ways to cut ourselves off from Him through sin. Our love relationships with Christ always go both ways- when we sin, then both we and Christ know that there has been a severage of that relationship that has happened. And our Savior is very sensitive to that severage, regardless of His foreknowledge of our sin, loving us so much to want to gather us all under His wings if we would be so willing! (Matthew 23:37) Another way to look at this would be Gethsemane, or Christ's death on the cross. Why did God the Father forsake Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:46) if the Father knew beforehand of what was to come (Matthew 26:54)? It was the separation that occurred between the Father and the Son, due to our sin, that hurt them the most, even though that was His mission, ordained to Him before time began. Why did Jesus have such a hard time in Gethsemane, if He knew that He must suffer so that what has been ordained to Him before time began could come to pass? In Gethsemane, Jesus was about to take on the sin of all creation, for all time (1 John 2:2; Romans 5:6). That is what separated Him from any mere martyr- Christ was the Ultimate Martyr, in that when He was martyred, He also had to face separation from that which was His nature, His very being (Colossians 2:9), having His Father turn His back on Him, His only Source of strength at that time. And the world will never know a single greater moment of grief in time than that moment in time. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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243 | Please I'm looking for your opinion! | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102224 | ||
Amen, EdB! | ||||||
244 | Please I'm looking for your opinion! | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102226 | ||
EdB, I agree with Tim, most excellent post! And a verse that I would add is: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16 [ESV] Blessings to you dear Brother, Makarios |
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245 | Can we disappoint the omniscient God? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102232 | ||
Greetings Mommapbs! No, your question is not "too" controversial! Contrary to what many believe, it is "OK" for Christians to have questions and doubts, which are answered by studying His Word. Philippians 2:5-8 "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!" [NIV] I believe that Christ did not give up any of His attributes. His "making Himself nothing" ultimately boils down to 3 things: 1. A 'veiling' of His preincarnate glory 2. A voluntary nonuse of some of His divine attributes 3. Taking on the 'appearance' of a man 1. I believe that part of "making Himself nothing" involved veiling the glory that is His for all eternity as God, which would be necessary if He were to take on the appearance of a man. Christ never surrendered His glory (note the Transfiguration), but He simply veiled His glory so that He could dwell among His creation, "appearing" as one of His created beings to His creation, even though He was the Creator Himself. :-) If He had not chosen to veil His glory, then human beings would not have been able to associate with Him! Everyone would have been like John the Apostle in Revelation 1:17, or like Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5 (see also John 12:41) in relation to Him. 2. I believe that Christ voluntarily did not use some of His divine attributes on some occasions, so that He could accomplish everything that He came to do. I don't believe that He ever could have actually surrendered any of His attributes, since He would then have ceased to be God. But He did voluntarily choose not to use some of His attributes as the Son of God so that He could live amongst us humans and our limitations during His time here on earth. However, He DID use His divine attributes of omniscience (John 2:24; 16:30), omnipresence (John 1:48), and omnipotence (one example - John 11). So, in whatever limitations that Christ may have had to endure when he 'made Himself nothing', He did not subtract a single divine attribute, or in any way make Himself less than God. 3. Third, Christ "took on the appearance of a man", literally looking like a man, taking up residence inside a body that grew from an infant to full grown adult, and being 'truly' human. And this humanity was also subject to temptation, distress, weakness, pain, sorrow and limitation. However, He was "made in human likeness": even though He was similar to humans, He was still different from us. Though His humanity was genuine, He was different from everyone else in that He had something that you and I don't have- He was perfectly sinless. But even though He was not sinless, He still "made Himself nothing" in a sense that He had to take on our likeness, which was a great condescension on His part. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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246 | Can we disappoint the omniscient God? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102234 | ||
Greetings again, Mommapbs, As for Matthew 24:26 in relation to Jesus and His omniscience, I believe that it was His choice not to reveal to us whether or not He knew of the date or hour, since that was not His focus in His First Advent. It is always possible that He could have known and revealed to us the exact date and time of His Second Advent, but He explicitly chose not to reveal to us what our limited minds and limited viewpoints could not accept. We weren't ready to know that information at that time, and we still are not ready to know or handle that information. He gave to us what we essentially need, and that only, even though He admonished us to ask for everything else in prayer. Could He have known the date and time on the calendar (which, as it turns out, would be turned upside down all over the world by His First Advent) for His Second Advent? Yes! Would He have told us? No! :-) And for good reason! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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247 | Can we disappoint the omniscient God? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102245 | ||
You are most welcome, my friend! All praise and glory to the Lord! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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248 | Can we disappoint the omniscient God? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102247 | ||
I apologize, Mommapbs, Here is a revision of my 2nd post to you.. "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Matthew 24:36 [ESV] As for Matthew 24:36 in relation to Jesus and His omniscience, I believe that it was His choice not to reveal to us whether or not He knew of the date or hour, since that was not His focus in His First Advent. It is always possible that He could have known and revealed to us the exact date and time of His Second Advent, but He explicitly chose not to reveal to us what our limited minds and limited viewpoints could not accept. We weren't ready to know that information at that time, and we still are not ready to know or handle that information. He gave to us what we essentially need, and that only, even though He admonished us to ask for everything else in prayer. I believe that perhaps this may be yet another way in which "he made Himself nothing", by carefully choosing when and where He used His divine attribute of omniscience. Could He have known the date and time on the calendar (which, as it turns out, would be turned upside down all over the world by His First Advent) for His Second Advent? Yes! Would He have told us? No! :-) And for good reason! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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249 | So Satan can take control of us?? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102249 | ||
Greetings Cheryl, Demon possession involves a demon residing in a person (Matt. 17:15-18), exerting direct control and influence over that person (Acts 19:15-16), with certain derangement of mind and/or body (Mark 5:1-20). Demon possession is to be distinguished from demon influence or demon activity in relation to a person. The work of the demon in the latter is from the outside; in demon possession it is from within. Now, can a Christian, who is perpetually indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), be possessed by a demon? No. There is not one single verse in all of Scripture that speaks of a Christian being demon possessed. There may be examples of Christians being 'afflicted' by the devil, but not 'possessed' by the devil. Christians have been rescued from Satan's deep, dark domain (Colossians 1:13), and the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4). If that is so, then a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. However, a believer can be 'influenced' or 'afflicted' by demonic powers (see Job 1-2), even though the affliction is always external to the believer, and not internal. Demons seek to work from outside the Christian to hinder him or her, they cannot work from within. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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250 | How does Satan operate in the world? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102251 | ||
Greetings Cheryl, Satan is a highly intelligent being (Ezekiel 28:12) who has literally had thousands of years of experience in dealing with human beings, and by this "experience" only can he seem to 'plant thoughts' and impulses in our minds.. Satan tempts believers to sin (Ephesians 2:1,2; 1 Thess. 3:5), to lie (Acts 5:3), and to commit sexually immoral acts (1 Corinthians 7:5), all deeds of which separate us from God (Micah 3:4; Romans 8:7). He accuses and slanders believers (Revelation 12:10), hinders our work any way he can (1 Thess. 2:18), sows 'weeds' among us (Matt. 13:38,39), and incites persecutions against Christians (Revelation 2:10). Moreover, Satan has access to a vast network of demonic spirits who answer to him (Revelation 12:4,7). Satan seeks to wage war against believers (Ephesians 6:11,12), opposes us with the ferocity of a hungry lion (1 Peter 5:8), seeks to plant doubt in our minds (Genesis 3:1-5) and foster spiritual pride in our hearts (1 Tim. 3:6), leading us away from "the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). No wonder our Lord found it necessary to provide us with 'spiritual armor' to protect us from Satan (Ephesians 6:11-18). But we have Jesus in our defense against Satan, making intercession for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Certainly Christ's intercession for us includes the kind of intercession He made for His disciples in John 17:15, where He specifically asked the Father to keep them safe from the evil one. Also, effective use of the Word of God is especially important for spiritual victory, since Jesus quoted the Word to defeat the devil in the wilderness (Matthew 4). We must be alert to Satan's attacks (1 Peter 5:8) and his tactics (2 Cor. 2:11) so that we can stand firm against the devil (Ephesians 6:13,14) and resist him (James 4:7). Jesus has given us a great example of what to pray in the Lord's Prayer by teaching us to pray "deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:13) and in Luke 22:31,32. Satan is "on a leash", and has an end in sight (Revelation 20:7-10). Blessings to you, Makarios |
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251 | Telepathic communication? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102268 | ||
Greetings Cheryl! I believe that Satan has no bearing on our "state of grace", since nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:28-39). His Holy Spirit has sealed us until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30) and placed us into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). He purposes to keep us in spite of what Satan may do (John 10:28-30). I do not believe that Satan can communicate with us at all "telepathically", even though his intelligence and experience with us is highly advanced and deceptive, and he was one of the most powerful angels that God had ever created. Satan cannot 'plant' thoughts into our minds. We plant thoughts into our minds, and any sinful thoughts that are there are there because of our sinful nature (tendency to sin). But we have power over the sinful nature as believers, and we are admonished to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and to present our bodies as "living sacrifices" to God (Romans 12:1). Satan has no power over us. I do not believe that "thought waves" or anything thereof (or responding to them) is consistent with Scripture. But we have power to resist Satan and live a life and think thoughts that are in accordance with the Holy Spirit. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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252 | in the bible is divorcement aloud | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102381 | ||
Greetings Pandy, I have searched the entire text of the New American Standard Bible for the word "divorcement" and have not found any occurrences of that word. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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253 | What ways is it possible to love other, | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 102743 | ||
Greetings Littlebaby, You stated, "In what ways is it possible to love others as much as Jesus loves us? In what ways is it impossible. You may find Matthew 10:42 useful as you consider your answer" Since you have already provided the "means" to answering your own question, then I believe that you are very much so prepared and on your way towards answering that question for yourself. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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254 | about taking someone to court | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103012 | ||
Greetings Joel K! Some refreshing words.. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full." Luke 6:24 "And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:23-24 See also Matthew 13:22; Luke 16:25; Mark 10:23; Luke 18:24 About losing your job: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life." Matthew 19:29 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Matthew 5:31-32 "He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 About taking someone (a nonbeliever or believer) to court: See 1 Corinthians 6. About continuing your witness: "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." Matthew 10:32 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 Don't let this minor, temporary set-back dampen your zeal for Christ! For you will face opposition whereever you go when you light your light so shine in this darkened world! Blessings to you dear Brother, Makarios |
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255 | Are we supposed to observe the Sabbath? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103250 | ||
Greetings Lazola, For Answers regarding the topic of "The Sabbath Day" please see the following posts and their ensuing threads: #215, 405, 1895, 3360, 18597, 31481, 42207 (Type in one of the numbers above in the "Quick Search" box, and you will be able to view each thread in its entirety.) Blessings to you, Makarios |
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256 | WHY DID GOD SEEK TO KILL MOSES | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103546 | ||
Greetings KIMC, I've written two posts on this topic in the past that might help: #10562, 10568. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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257 | Are we supposed to observe the Sabbath? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103553 | ||
Greetings Kathy, The almost universal observance of a seven-day "week" is one of those habits so ingrained in man that most of us don't stop to realize how remarkable it is. The month and the year have an obvious basis, in astronomy, but this is not true of the week. The seven-day week was not simply adopted in the Western world because of the Christian Scriptures, as is obvious from the fact that the days of the week all have pagan names. Although not all nations have observed a seven-day week, the practice existed long before the Jewish nation was formed and the Ten Commandments were given. The only really satisfactory explanation for this very ancient and almost worldwide custom is found in Genesis 2:1-3. God Himself established the sabbath as a rest day commemorating creation! "Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." [KJV] God ordained in the beginning that one day out of seven should be observed as a day of rest and worship. When God established Israel as a covenant nation, and gave the Ten Commandments, the fourth of those divine laws was: "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: ... For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8-11, KJV). Therefore, from the very beginning the seventh day was set aside by God as a day of commemorating the completed creation, and of fellowship with its Creator. If people needed such a day in the Garden of Eden, we certainly need it much more now in our fallen condition. As Jesus said: "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27, KJV). Observance of the sabbath day was especially important for the people of Israel, so important, in fact, that breaking this law was punishable by death (note Numbers 15:32-35). Later, as Israel fell into deep apostasy, their desecration of the sabbath was a basic cause of God's judgment upon the nation: "If ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, ... then will I kindle a fire in the gates hereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched" (Jeremiah 17:27). "What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?" Nehemiah said to those that had returned to Jerusalem from their exile: "Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath" (Nehemiah 13:17,18). Although the sabbath was a day of rest, it was not intended as a day of lethargy, but rather of worship and study of the Scriptures. A time of such spiritual refreshment is really the most satisfying and fruitful way to rest from one's daily labor. Christians today are no different in this respect. In fact, human nature is such that we need the sabbath day. It was made for man. He must spend at least one day in seven in rest from his job and in spiritual renewal, or he will inevitably deteriorate both spiritually and physically, sooner or later. It is significant that every one of the Ten Commandments is repeated at one place or another in the New Testament and is stressed as applicable in the Christian's life. Christ has fulfilled the Law and redeemed us from its curse (Galatians 3:13), but it is still "holy, and just, and good" (Romans 7:12). The sabbath and its fulfillment in Christ is discussed in Hebrews 4:1-10, and it specifically says "there remaineth therefore a rest (literally 'keeping of a sabbath') to the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9). The new sabbath of which the Scripture speaks here is a more meaningful sabbath than that of the Jews, because now it commemorates not only the completion of God's work in creation but also the completion of His work of salvation! The Christian's sabbath, therefore, is pre-eminently a time of rejoicing in the work of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is still a rest day, but it also is the Lord's Day! (continued) - Makarios |
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258 | Are we supposed to observe the Sabbath? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103554 | ||
(continued) Kathy, It is probably pointless to argue about whether we should observe this sabbath day on Saturday or Sunday. The Orthodox Jews today follow a calendar which was established only in about the third century A.D., and we have no real assurance that their present "seventh day" is the same as the original seventh day of Creation Week. The status of sabbatical chronology prior to the exodus of Israel from Egypt is completely uncertain, and the confusion of other ancient calendars and chronology is notorious. There was even one day in history (the long day of Joshua 10:12-14) which was two days long! It is probable that our present weekly succession dates back to the time of Christ, but it is very doubtful before that. There are many people whose jobs require them, in fact, to work on both Saturday and Sunday. These people need, and should take, a real "sabbath" day on some other day of the week if necessary. The word "sabbath" basically means "cessation" or "rest," not "Saturday" or "Sunday." The point is that every "seventh" day is to be taken as a sabbath day. Normally, this should be on our modern Sunday, since this is the day when most Christians gather in their local churches to praise the Lord and study His Word. This worship on the "first day of the week" (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) follows the practice of the early Christians, who evidently began it in commemoration of Christ's resurrection on that day (Luke 24:1; John 20:19,26). This day is highly appropriate, since the completion of His great work of redemption was demonstrated on that day. Sunday, therefore, circumstances permitting, should normally be observed (all day long!) as a day of spiritual fellowship with God's people in the church and with one's family in the home, in praise, and in study of His Word. Anything less is dishonoring to His remembrance, and harmful to one's own soul. Blessings to you, Makarios |
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259 | Are we supposed to observe the Sabbath? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103555 | ||
Excellent post, Kathy! - Makarios |
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260 | Are we supposed to observe the Sabbath? | Bible general Archive 2 | Makarios | 103556 | ||
I agree, Kathy, there was no need to tear up your post! Your Brother in Christ, Makarios |
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