Results 241 - 260 of 465
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
241 | What exactly is this Unforgivable Sin? | Matt 12:32 | Parable | 109412 | ||
My understanding is that one cannot receive forgiveness from another, i.e. actually accept that forgiveness in order to be healed by it, unless you can recognize that other person, accept the fact you have wronged them and that they may by their grace nullify the debt you owe them because of your offense. If you see the work of God as that of the enemy, or vice versa, then it is not possible for you, on your own, to recognize your offense against God. This makes it impossible for you to recognize God as the one you owe and to recognize His grace in His forgiveness. It's not that God WON'T forgive you, but rather that you cannot accept His forgiveness because you are blinded by the hardness of your heart. At some point, God lets us be the way we want to be, and if we reject Him enough, He will respect that and let us die in our stubbornness. It is a question of how forgiveness works rather than whether God chooses to forgive everything except what is described as the unforgivable sin. It is unforgiveable because we reject that forgiveness, not because the forgiveness is not forthcoming. |
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242 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191335 | ||
Before you can answer this question, you must know it means to forgive. This is hard to put into words, but here's what I believe is consistent with the biblical teachings on forgiveness: To forgive is to surrender your right to see justice done, or to be the one who brings justice to the transgressor. Forgiveness releases us from the mental/emotional attachment that binds us to the transgressor. Lack of forgiveness leads to resentment and bitterness, and these attachments often become a form of idolatry because they keep the transgressor foremost in your mind and heart, instead of keeping those places reserved for God. Forgiveness doesn't mean you condone or approve of what was done to harm you. It just means that you are separating yourself completely from any obligation you may feel to make things right. As Christians, we are blessed because we can forgive knowing that the Lord will address the wrongs that were committed, one way or another. By surrendering this to Him, we allow him to act according to His plan for that person. Thus, forgiveness witnesses to our faith in Him. Finally, forgiveness does not mean that you allow the transgressions to continue, and it does not mean that the other person has to apologize first, or ever,for that matter. Peace. |
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243 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191340 | ||
I agree that forgiveness is not optional for those who wish to be obedient. My point was to put it in specific terms that show God's wisdom in demanding this from us. As for references that support my definition, virtually every verse related to forgiveness demonstrates that it is a form of letting go and letting God. As for your second concern, to surrender one's RIGHT to see justice done does not imply that one abandons one's responsibilities to society by refusing to help the civic authorities in their duty to deliver justice as ordained by God. The difference between what I am talking about, i.e. forgiveness in one's heart, and what you are talking about, i.e. duty to society, is that personal forgiveness is within one's own authority while what you describe falls under the authority of the civic institutions ordained by God for such matters. Just out of curiosity, what is your operational definition of forgiveness? Be clear and specific, please. |
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244 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191355 | ||
Cheri, you have the gist of what I meant. Forgiveness relates to vengeance as well as justice. I feel like my "definition" is being scrutinized from a legalistic perspective, rather than from one of grace. For people who have been wronged, and there was nothing illegal about what was done, there is still a sense of wanting to make things "right", to fix things, or to have the other person get their just desserts. My application of forgiveness to others is entirely consistent with my understanding of what the Lord has done for me. That is, God could have exacted justice from me, yet chose to surrender that to the cross of his only son. p.s. I am male :) |
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245 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191356 | ||
I do not recognize the "levels" of forgiveness that you have described as being fundamentally different, because all require the person to let go of their right to justice for the wrongs that were committed against them. Perhaps I need to clarify that a right is another way of saying entitlement. I can demand an entitlement, but with forgiveness, by grace I release my claim on that. This doesn't mean I act foolishly or irresponsibly. | ||||||
246 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191358 | ||
No need to apologize! You complimented me, in the nicest way, by suggesting I was like you :) | ||||||
247 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191361 | ||
Hank, In your first reply, you said "Are Christians duty bound to look the other way while a murderer, robber, rapist or terrrorist goes free and unpunished for his heinous crimes? That's the message I get from your post, and to substantiate it, friend, you will need to show wherein the Bible teaches Christians to behave in this manner." My post implies nothing of the kind, and we both know there are no scriptures to support such a silly view. One of the reasons I attempted to define forgiveness is because the bible does not, yet people in pain need to know in practical terms what it means. The bible describes instances in which forgiveness is granted, but it never actually tells us precisely what it is we are to do in order to forgive, or how we can know that we have actually done it. Other than your attempt to reduce my view to the absurd, what do you find so objectionable about my "definition" of forgiveness? Perhaps you can answer by providing one of your own, based on scripture of course, or better yet, list one from scripture, i.e. a DEFINITION per se, that I missed. I look forward to your clarification. |
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248 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191362 | ||
Here's another definition, from http://www.12ordinarymen.com/dictionary.htm "Forgiveness is canceling a debt; no longer liable for an account. The Lord Jesus has fully discharged all our obligations so that there is no legal ground for charges to be pressed against us anymore. Moreover He has given us a perfect standing before God so that we are fully acceptable in His sight." Comparing my view to this one, justice is a debt. Debts are entitlements. Surrendering one's right to justice is cancelling a debt that one is entitled to. Forgiveness on our part is possible only through the same grace that brought it to us. Clearly, the demands of justice have been met by Jesus on the cross, and that includes our individual demands for justice from others. So when we forgive someone, we really aren't doing anything accept agreeing with God that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient for the debts we hold against others, as well as the debts we owe to God. Are you cool with that? |
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249 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191372 | ||
Jer 31:34b "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Forgiveness here is associated with forgetting by the conjuction "and". So, Hank,are you suggesting that the definition of "to forgive" is "to forget"? I would not, because as I read this, not remembering is at best a consequence of forgiveness, not forgiveness itself. This is because the grammatical function of a conjunction is to associate two different things. Heb 8:12 and 10:17 are references to Jer 31:34, so these add nothing new to the discussion. |
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250 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191373 | ||
Steve, thank you for your thoughtful replies. Perhaps you take a risk and attempt a summary of all the verses you have cited, in the form of a definition of "to forgive"? This forum is an exercise in exposition, which necessarily implies interpretation. Since you say the definition falls short, please explain how, or define the ideal by which you are measuring. |
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251 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191374 | ||
I don't disagree with the differences you describe, but those are not related to the quality of the forgiveness, but rather are consequences of the decision by the transgressor not to seek that forgiveness. Forgiveness is unilateral and not dependent upon anything done or not done by the transgressor. As I said in another post, forgiving does not necessarily imply not seeking justice, but rather releasing one's claim of entitlement to it. I agree completely that vengeance is contrary to forgiveness, for vengeance is driven by the idea that vengeance belongs to onself, and clearly it belongs only to God. |
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252 | forgiveness | Matt 18:1 | Parable | 191426 | ||
So you are saying that scripture teaches that to forgive is to "not remember"? I don't disagree, yet also note that this "not remembering" means much the same as what I proposed, does it not? |
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253 | Should we leave our church? | Matt 18:17 | Parable | 191730 | ||
Before you decide to leave, you might attempt the procedure for addressing problems outlined in Matthew 18:15-17. This passage is about discipline with an individual, but perhaps the process applies equally well to the congregation and the leadership. That is, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." |
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254 | What if it's just a feeling I get? | Matt 18:17 | Parable | 191746 | ||
Your welcome, samnlucysmom. I agree that your feelings probably reflect as much about you as about your church. Given that, perhaps it would be helpful to consider your purpose for being there. Each of us is called to be discerning: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." -- Philippians 1:9-11 One path of action would be to make your concerns known, by speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). You could talk with the senior pastor or pastor who is charged with congregational care, or you could talk privately with individuals to see how they feel. How others respond will likely tell you what you need to know in order to decide what you will do. In any case, prayer, counsel, fasting and waiting for the Spirit's lead would be good ways to prepare yourself for whatever the next step may be. Ultimately, you will have to decide what is the right thing to do, and then do it. |
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255 | for what reason can a man divoce his wif | Matt 19:9 | Parable | 191339 | ||
Infidelity and abandonment are the two reasons for divorce expressly stated in the bible. Also, in Matthew 5, Jesus explains that lust is a form of adultery. Since adultery is a legitimate reason to divorce, it follows that lust also is a legitimate reason to divorce. Yet to many people, lust alone does not seem cause for divorce. However, in this case, the biblical word for lust does not refer to a passing thought anyone might experience then immediately dismiss, but rather “sinful longing” (Eastons’ 1897 Bible Dictionary). This refers to a pattern of inappropriate thoughts that are indulged at the expense of another person for base gratification of prurient desires. In the economy of God, such thoughts are morally bankrupt and are form of infidelity. These high standards demonstrate what marriage is supposed to mean for us by showing us what it means to God. Also, in recent times, application of biblical principles leads to the conclusion that certain patterns of abuse are also legitimate grounds for divorce. Regarding Matt 19:9, this verse is often interpreted out of the context of Jesus’ response to the Pharisee’s question about divorces that we being granted for any and every reason, as derived from Deut 24:1-4. Jesus denounces the idea that merely providing a certificate of divorce is all the law requires, and as a result, anyone who marries a person “divorced” in this illegitimate way, commits adultery and makes the other person into an adulterer. Again, we see God's higher standard convicting those who were divorcing for any and every reason. It is important to remember that God knows about divorce firsthand. In Jer 3:8, God divorced Israel for her faithlessness (abandonment) and idolatry (infidelity). We can know that God identifies with our suffering because He has experienced divorce. This divorce was necessary because the marriage with Israel was dead from a break of faith. It is in the context of faith that we are to be married, and when that is no longer possible, due to the hardness of someone's heart, (Matthew 19:8) divorce is appropriate. Divorce declares the death of a marriage, and thus releases us to grieve that loss and move on in life. |
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256 | for what reason can a man divoce his wif | Matt 19:9 | Parable | 191375 | ||
My point with "lust equals adultery" reference was to show that strict interpretation in a legalistic manner quickly leads to an appreciation of just how high God's standard for marriage really is. that you have interpreted my post as diminishing that standard is remarkable to me. i regret that I must sign off for now as I am headed out of town, but I will consider your post and followup later. |
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257 | Judas betraying Jesus? | Matt 26:1 | Parable | 41438 | ||
I believe Jesus knew about Judas' betrayal far in advance. I think it may have been one reason why Jesus selected Judas as a disciple. Judas' betrayal was a necessary act that delivered Jesus to the cross. Jesus knew His earthly mission of salvation required His suffering and death for us. Yet, I do not believe Jesus caused Judas to betray Him, but rather, Jesus let him exercise his free will, knowing what Judas would choose, just as He wants all of us to come to Him of our own choice, knowing our hearts as only He can. There are many scriptural references that show He knew why He was with us and that He was in harmony with the will of the Father at all times. |
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258 | access to the tomb? | Matt 27:62 | Parable | 78146 | ||
How long was the tomb unguarded before the guard was posted? |
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259 | access to the tomb? | Matt 27:62 | Parable | 78326 | ||
Greetings Tim, This point IS important because it is ALWAYS raised by those who challenge the idea that the sealed tomb and posted guard preclude the possibility that someone, e.g. the disciples, could have stolen the body from the tomb. As I see it, our faith in the resurrection is based on the totality of the evidence, which I believe is sufficient. However, if we gloss over this detail, we appear insincere to those we witness to, especially when they discover it for themselves in scripture. In my opinion, that scripture has this "vulnerability" only reinforces my faith that it is true. That is, if you were making up a story, you would not have the risen Lord appear to women, who were considered unreliable witnesses in those days, and you would not provide a possible opportunity for the tomb to be raided. Answers that ignore this circumstance or suggest it is not relevant are not credible and do not help those who are seeking the truth of the resurrection. Regarding the idea that the guards would have opened the tomb to confirm the body was still there, this is conjecture. It can be likewise argued that they would not have opened the tomb before placing the seal on it. Parable |
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260 | access to the tomb? | Matt 27:62 | Parable | 78378 | ||
As always, no offense taken, Tim. I happen to agree it is reasonable to think the guard would confirm their charge was in their possession. However, scripture does not tell us this, and it is important to distinguish what scripture says vs what we assume or infer. I also agree that scripture creates a window of time in which Pilate was petitioned and the guard was posted. Depending on the meaning of the word "day" in "next day", it could mean that the window opens at sundown on Friday. In this case, the tomb could have been unguarded for a very short time, if any. Or, it could mean the "next day" began at sunrise on Saturday, in which case the tomb could have been unguarded throughout the night and even into the morning or afternoon, depending on when Pilate was petitioned. In any case, given that this situation was so politically charged, it is reasonable to think that Pilate was consulted as soon as someone thought to do so. Clearly, the window closes at sundown on Saturday, but this seems inconsistent with the urgent desire to prevent the disciples from coming "by night and steal him away". Peace, Parable |
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