Results 221 - 240 of 532
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Robert Nicholson Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
221 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | Robert Nicholson | 64500 | ||
FTimA: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" 1 John 1:7 When a lost sinner rests their all or puts their trust in the finished work of Christ on the cross their sins are forgiven and they are cleared of all guilt before God. Rom. 5:1 All our sins are forgiven, not in part, but the whole and God as he looks on the big picture sees us "in Christ in the heavenlies" Eph. 1:3 From a practical view Christians cannot live a perfect life "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1:8 1 John is written to children in the family of God and chp 1 is speaking of fellowship with God. He has given us his Spirit to make us overcomers 1 John 4:4. As in any family relationship if a child disobeys his father it can result in a loss of communication or fellowship until the problem is resolved. Likewise, when a child of God sins, it can mar fellowship with the father, but we are reminded that "if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins...: 1 John1:9 and in 1 John 2:1-2 we are reminded that "if any sin we have an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. You are correct in your last statement. "Sin separates us from God..." When God by his grace saved us our sins were forgiven and we are cleared of all guilt because Christ is our substitute and was made sin for us. All my sins were future when Christ died and he has paid the price in full. "We are bought with a price and we are not our own" and as such it should be our desire to live a life that would glorify him. Robert |
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222 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | Robert Nicholson | 64457 | ||
FTimA: The book of James is written to Christians. You have referred to James 5:19-20 regarding the erring brother. "Brethren if any of you do err(wander) from the truth, and one convert him (or turn him back) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" The example given by James is a brother who has received the truth, but has gone astray. When a saint goes astray and gets away from the Lord, those which are spiritual have a responsiblity to try and restore such a person back to the truth and to God. Sin in a Christian's life does not put them outside the family of God, but clouds our daily fellowship with God and with fellow believers. When a person is restored they are prevented from carrying on sinning and away from God, thus a multitude of sins are prevented from happening at all. To save their soul from death does not refer to eternal death which the unbeliever will suffer, but rather physical death which can be a result of persistent disobedience and dishonor to the testimony of Christ. The Lord loves us too much to allow us to carry on without discipline. we read "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Heb. 12:6 Examples of this are seen in Acts 5:5-10 regarding Ananius and Sapphira who lied to to God and thought they could deceive him. The second example is found in 1 Cor. 11: 27-30 regarding those who partaking of the Lord's supper unworthly and Paul writes "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you and manny sleep.(are dead) It is a serious business to purposely dishonor the Lord and rather than allow us to carry on in disobedience he may see fit to take us home to heaven. In 2 Peter 3: 17,18 This is also written to "beloved" saints who are born again. First, he gives them a word of warning v. 17 and in V. 18 an exhortation. Paul wants them to stay focussed on Christ and not to be turned aside by the false teachers of the day which we cover in Chapter 2. The Christian is not exempt from the three fold enemy the world, the flesh, and the devil. None of the three can ever take from us the life which is eternally ours in Christ, but they can spoil our life for God on this earth. Stedfastness as in V.19 is there consistent and faithful life. The scriptures make it clear that those who are saved should never become complacent in their lives. we are warned to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8. Our motive in faithfulness to Christ is not to preserve the security we have in him, but rather to bring glory and honor to him in our lives. Peace in his name Robert |
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223 | Does God Hate the Sinner? | Ps 5:5 | Robert Nicholson | 64423 | ||
Goodmorning Arise 514 In this psalm the Psalmist seems to make absolute contrasts between the righteous and the wicked. In verse 4 "For thou art not a God who hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee" In v. 5 which you have quoted "thou hatest all workers of iniquity. If I were to take this verse in isolation then I could say God hates certain people. However, when I think of other verses which show me that God deeply loves each person, each soul. I know there is no contradiction in scripture. I think in Psalm 5 we see the righteous indigination of a Holy God with those who persist in wickedness. God's hatred is never malicious. In verse 9 of Psalm 5 we read words similar to Romans 3 where we see a picture of all humans who are not saved. In Psalm 7:11 "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day" The sin who those who remain as enemies of God is as a stench to him every day. Paul writes "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Romans 5:20 In Romans 3: 9-18 we are given a picture of humans in their natural condition as God sees them. In v. 19 we read that the law was given to show us how exceedingly sinful we are and that we might realize our guilt before God. More wonderful, we find that even when we were totally unloveable and enemies of God by our sin, that "Christ died for the ungodly" Romans 5:6 Does this not show us the depths of love which God has for each individual? and remind us of John 3:16 "For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". I believe that God is holy and righeous and cannot tolerate sin to any degree. However, God is love and this is seen in what he was willing to do to provide a basis upon which a holy God can forgive guilty sinners and we know that this was to send his Son into this world to become a sacrifice once and for all for sin and as such we who were enemies of God can be brought neigh to him through the precious blood of Christ. Those are a few of my thoughts God bless Robert |
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224 | Where does it say God appointed kings | 1 Sam 8:22 | Robert Nicholson | 64384 | ||
Greetings mchristo: In 1 Samuel 8 we find that the elders of Israel came to Samuel and cited his old age and the bad behaviour of his sons as a non confidence vote. Samual talked to the Lord and then to the people and basically showed them how they would lose their freedom which they had under God by placing themselves under a king. We read "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we may be like all nations; and that our king may judge us, and to out before us and fight our battles" v. 19-20 When Samuel brought these words to the Lord "the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king" v. 22 I believe this is an example where God allowed his people to have their own way even if the consequences are not in their best interests. God had promised to be their God forever in Gen. 17:7 I hope this helps Robert |
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225 | "ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED"!!! | Matt 22:37 | Robert Nicholson | 64142 | ||
Dear Friends The words of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matt. 7 teach us some basic and important trues. Our Savior presents a series of contrasts: a) Two ways b) Two trees c)Two professions d) Two foundations In this chapter we find that the people of this world are divided into two groups, those who belong to Christ and those who don't. In v. 13-14 The Lord Jesus talks about the narrow gate and the narrow way which leadeth unto life in contrast to the wide gate and the broadway which leads to destruction. We are born on the broadway and to stay on that path all we have to do is keep travelling and ignore the call of God by his Spirit. The narrow way is a way which is entered by those who rest their all upon the finished work of Christ on the cross, they have entered by the door which is Christ John 10:9 and are travelling the only way to heaven which is through Christ alone. In verses 15-20 Jesus speaks about fruit in the life of professing believers and he warns them to "beware of false prophets. A good tree does not give evil fruit nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. In other words if I profess to know Christ as my Saviour and do not show the fruit of the Spirit in my life in some measure, than it would appear that I am not in Christ at all. I may simply have an empty profession which will not stand in the test of eternity. Jesus carries this thought into v. 21-24 as he compares two professions. There are those who profess to do things in his name, even great things and yet they will hear these words "depart from me I never knew you. "I never knew you" means that these people never knew Christ as their savior. They may have lived a religious life, but missed the most important person of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. These words cause us to search the foundation of our salvation; is it founded on Christ? In v. 24-27 The Lord Jesus speaks about two foundations. First, we have the house build on the rock and when the rains, floods and winds, came it stood firm because it was founded on the solid rock. In contrast, we have the house built on sand. Outwardly it looked as nice as the house on the rock with one fatal difference, its foundation was on the sand. When the rain, the floods and the winds came it fell because it was founded only on sand. Jesus is the rock upon which the the believer builds the moment they trust in Christ and as such the winds, and rains which come upon them may shake them, but they stand on the rock. The sand would represent those who are not on the rock, they live a decent life, do good works, call themselves christian and yet they have never rested on the rock Christ Jesus for Salvation. I believe in this chapter the Lord Jesus is underlining the importance of reality, the importance of being on the narrow road, the importance of bring forth fruit in our lives, the importance of knowing Christ as savior and the absolute necessity for one to be all of these things they must be built and resting upon the rock Christ Jesus. On Christ Salvation rest secure The Rock of ages must endure, Nor can the faith be overthrown Which rests upon the living stone! Praise his name Robert |
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226 | Are you saying that you do follow him? | John 3:16 | Robert Nicholson | 63978 | ||
brother welldigger: I know that Christ is my Savior and my Lord based on the promises of his precious word. He is the one who purchased my redemption at such a cost. It was God who drew me to him when I was lost in sin, it was God who revealled to me the significance of the sacrifice on Calvary and it was God by his spirit who indwells the believer and brings about changes which we could never change ourselves. We are born into his family forever, and as such we can say we are his, he is our heavenly father. You ask "do I follow him and do I keep his commandments?" That is a searching question? While it is my desire to follow Christ and bring honor and glory to his name I would be deceiving myself to make a claim of total obedience. John teaches us "that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" 1 John 1:8-9 As far as keeping the law, meaning the ten commandments James makes it clear of our inablility to keep the law "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." The Lord Jesus Christ is the only man who kept the law, who fulfilled the law and who bore the curse of the law upon Calvary's cross. In Romans 3 we are given a picture of how far short we come of God's glory and "that by the deeds of the law shall there be no flesh justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin" Rom.3:19 In Galations we are told that in Christ we have been made free. We have been called into liberty which does not alleviate responsibilty. "For brethren, you have been called unto liberty: only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this,, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" Gal. 5:13-14 The Mosaic law brought bondage, it showed us what God demands and how far short we fall of his glory, it shows us our sinfulness and our total inability within our selves keep it. On the other hand in Christ, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we have been given his love within which allows us to love others and by his grace to live for Christ. Peace to you in his Name Robert |
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227 | What about John 14:15? | John 3:16 | Robert Nicholson | 63901 | ||
Dear brother welldigger: John 14:15 I believe is teaching us that we cannot become a new creature of Christ without having the desire to keep his commandments. In 1 John 5:1-3 we read the true signs of someone who love God"For this is the love of God, and we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous". The Lord Jesus said "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matt.11:29 In John 10: The Lord Jesus emphasizes the security of those in him "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish..."v.28 , but he also tells us "my sheep hear my voice and they follow me" v. 27 If I profess to be his sheep and do not hear his voice and follow him, it is likely that I am not his at all. Our desire to be faithful and obedient to the Lord after we are saved is the outward proof of our inward change in him. As we hear his voice through his word we obey his commandments given to us throughout the scriptures out of love and devotion to him. As Hank pointed out in his post "We are sanctified (being increasingly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ) through obedience" I think were some seem to differ is that some see our works as somehow our payment to keep our salvation, whereas, I believe that Christ has secured my salvation by his work upon the cross and my works are an evidence that he lives within me. In other words I can justifify my profession of being in Christ by my obedience to him. In Christ Robert |
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228 | baptism for the dead? | NT general Archive 1 | Robert Nicholson | 63840 | ||
Kaatje: We have to look at this verse within the context of the chapter. In chapter Paul is presenting the importance of the resurrection of Christ. He also points out the other side of the arguement which is the hopelessness which is found if Christ is not raised and if the dead rise not. Some writers have suggested that in Corinth, there were professing believers who did not believe in resurrection and yet they were practising the ritual of vicarious baptism or baptism for the dead. In other words one of the living would be baptised for one who had died unbaptised. Paul in v. 29 is not condoning this practice, but is pointing out their faulty thinking: First of all they deny the resurrection and then they baptise for the dead. "If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for them" is another way of putting v. 29. The reason this practice is not in the church today is that such a practice is not mentioned before or after this verse. Secondly, the Bible clearly teaches that after death our eternal destiny is fixed. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus shows us this truth. Again Jesus warned the people "If you die in your sins were I am you cannot come" The idea that a living person can somehow help a dead person by being baptised contradicts the gospel of Christ. Christ is the only one who takes the sinners place and makes him right with God. I am reminded of a psalm which reinforces this truth "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him" Psalm 49:7 Hope this helps Robert |
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229 | How to go to heaven and avoid hell? | John 3:16 | Robert Nicholson | 63763 | ||
Brother Hank: Amen! "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" Heb. 6:19 Praise our Savior's Name Robert |
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230 | harvest time and seed | John 4:35 | Robert Nicholson | 63707 | ||
Nikki Watson: The Lord Jesus in his time said "the fields are white unto harvest" We see in the verses below that both he that sows and he that reaps both rejoice at the fruit of the harvest. "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth" (John 4: 35-37) In 1 Cor. 3:6 Paul reminds us of this principle: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" The time of planting and harvest is now "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2) The Holy Spirit of God is who works up the soil of our heart to prepare us for the seed of the gospel. However, God by his grace has choosen his people to spread and water the word. More importantly it is only God who can gives the increase. Robert |
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231 | what was Jesus message to us and for us? | John 4:27 | Robert Nicholson | 63609 | ||
bbetty72: A great question! However, it is very difficult (for me anyhow) to come up with a neat statement of one sentence to answer your question: Why did Jesus come into this world? "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" Luke 19:10 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Mark 2:17 "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What is his message to us? "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matt. 11:28-30 The greatest message of the gospel is given by Jesus in John 3:16 I believe the message of the gospel is that God has sent his son into the world to save sinners and that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. He wishes to forgive us through faith in his finished work. He wants our life, our heart our all. In John 17:3 he shows his hearts desire for his own "This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I apologize for not doing this question justice. I rejoice in the words of Paul: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Tim. 1:15 What did you have in mind? Peace in his name Robert |
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232 | Condemned Already: from birth? | John 3:18 | Robert Nicholson | 63604 | ||
brother telegram Thank you. I find on forums that many people sincerely believe that they have always been saved because as a child they were baptised and taught throughout their life the story of the gospel. It is very difficult humans in general to bow to God's word "that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" There are many people who are kind loving, sensitive and help others in many ways and yet it is difficult to accept that such works fall short of the glory of God. May such people feel the tug of the Spirit of God and be willing to bow to the claims of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoicing that Christ died for the ungodly which means me! Robert |
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233 | What did Jesus mean in John 5:24? | John 5:24 | Robert Nicholson | 63603 | ||
Thank you brother Jay: I believe that we should remember that time, not necessarily the date, but a time when we were made new creatures in Christ. It stands to reason that if we are lost that there was a time when Jesus found us. I agree that the word "heareth" means to hear with understanding and the word "believe" is to totally rely upon or rest upon the finished work of Christ. What I like about this verse is the positive statement "shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life" Praise his name Robert |
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234 | What did Jesus mean in John 5:24? | John 5:24 | Robert Nicholson | 63586 | ||
What does Jesus mean? Is he teaching that a Christian should be able to look back to a time when they passed from death unto life? Peace Robert |
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235 | Condemned Already: from birth? | John 3:18 | Robert Nicholson | 63585 | ||
Condemned already! Convicted! This is the condition of all who have not trusted Christ or rested up the fact that Christ bore the judgment for our sins. I find that there are many who believe that they are Christians and yet would not agree that they were condemned already. I was asked this question "What if you have always believed? What if you were never lost? I believe that it is important for people travelling to eternity to know for sure of their standing before God. What a tradgey to walk the clean foot path of life and miss Christ altogether! Do you not think that if we take our place as "condemned already" that we in fact are acknowledging our need to God? It is difficult for good living people to see themselves as God sees them: as condemned before him. Is it not a lie of satan to rock people to sleep in thinking they will be safe because of their good life and their perceived belief of Christ. What do you think about being "Condemned" in the law courts of God? May God open our eyes to the truth of his Holy word. Robert |
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236 | Robert, so is it the fire 1 of damnation | Heb 10:26 | Robert Nicholson | 63484 | ||
Brother Bob: The reason I was careful about using the word Apostate is that I do not believe that a saved person can become an apostate. I would say that the word of God supports the view that apostates will suffer eternal damnation. As I expressed in the last post, it would appear that Paul is not accusing them in Hebrews 10 but is warning them those who may be wavering between accepting the truth or going back to the sacrifices of old; that they either accept the truth (Christ) or the judgment of God. I would agree with you that the "fiery indignation" of verse is not referring to the lake of fire of Rev. 20, but is referring to as you have quoted "our God is a consuming fire" Heb. 12:29 and Deut. 4:24. In Deut.9:3 God is portrayed as "a consuming fire" who completely judges them who turns against him. Would you think that we could look at God as "a conmsuming fire" from two perspectives: (a) That those who stand before him in their sin will be judged righteously and the fire of his judgment will leave them empty handed in view of eternity. (b) Those who have been redeemed and forgiven will also stand before the Judgment seat of Christ and their lives will be judged. For them the sin question was settled at Calvary, however, the fire will try their motives and works and as explained to the builders of 1 Cor. 3:12-15 everything will be manifiest "because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" v.13 There is no question at this judgment as to the eternal security of those being judged. For the Christian we will not end up empty handed. ", who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."(1 Cor. 4:5) Forgive me if I have go on too long Robert |
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237 | Is the consuming fire in Heb. hell fire? | Heb 10:26 | Robert Nicholson | 63391 | ||
Baddog: In Hebrews 10 1-18 we have a comparision of the Old Covenant under the law in comparision to the new covenant in Christ. In the old covenant it was impossible for sins to be forgiven and yet in Christ the Lord says "Their sins and iniquites I will remember no more" V.17 From verse 19-25 we have exhortations to the believers which should mark those who have been forgiven in Christ. V.26-31 Paul is not accusing any believer of this, but describes a hypothetical situation. "If we sin wilfully" This has the sense of deliberate disobedience to the truth. In other words if a person appears to know that Christ died for our sins and yet diliberately turns agains the truth "there is no more sacrifice for sins" Death was the judgment of God to those who despised Moses law" Do we think that the judgment of God against apostacy will be less for those who dispise and "hath trodden under foot the Son of God...?" Those who have deliberately turned against the truth have nothing to look for but the judgment of God at the most fearful level v.27 and v.31. I hope this helps a little Robert |
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238 | Summarize the problem addressed -philemo | Philem 1:16 | Robert Nicholson | 63387 | ||
Controling: The short letter of Paul to Philemon gives us a view of what the grace of God can do and the peace it brings among believers in Christ. Paul is not addressing a problem here but opens with a note of thanksgiving v. 4 Philemon is a brother in the Lord who also is a slave owner. Oneimus his slave ran away to Rome and in prison met Paul who led him to Christ. It appears that he was a helper to Paul, but was now being sent back to Philemon. Paul is explaining that a new relationship has developed and that the one who was a slave is "a brother beloved" in the Lord. Paul interceeds on the behalf of Onesimus and promises to repay to Philemon anything owed. Paul shows his confidence that he "will do more" than asked when brother Onesimus arrives home. In application do you not think that Paul is imaging what Christ has done for us. We were far from God and under the sentence of death. But the Lord Jesus reached down to us in our need and saved us by his grace. In doing so he has purchased a new loving relationship with God who will do more than we can ever imagine when we arrive home. God bless his word Robert |
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239 | I am looking for evidence of dark skies | Amos 8:9 | Robert Nicholson | 63190 | ||
Michelle: In Amos 8:9 we read "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day" Although I believe this is referring to the LOrd's judgment on idoltarous Israel, it also reminds that that darkness was when God judged his son on account of our sin. I do not believe that any natural reason can be found. This darkness is a miracle when God clothed the suffering Saviour in darkness. As the soldier at the cross marvelled "Truly this is the Son of God"; well might our hearts echo the same now and through eternity. In addition to the accounts given by inspiration in scripture early historians have referred to it. Celsus a famous opponent of Christiany writes about it. Father Tertullian, at the close of the second century said boldy to his adversaries. "At the moment of Christ's death, the light departed from the sun, and the land was darkened at noonday, which wonder is related in your own annals and is perserved in your archives to this day" I love these words: Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in When the incarnate maker died For man his creatures sin. What a Saviour! Robert |
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240 | We are also of the order of Melchizedik? | 1 Pet 2:9 | Robert Nicholson | 63175 | ||
Debbie: It is truly amazing what we have been brought into through Christ. As you have pointed out Melchizedek is a beautiful picture of Christ, both a King and priest of the most high God. Psalm 110:4 speaking of Christ "Thou art a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek". "For such a high priest became us, (who is) holy harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners (sin apart) and made higher than the heavens." (Heb. 7:26) I enjoy that he is described in the present tense. We are "accepted in the beloved" Eph. 1:6 and are as near as he. These thoughts cause one to bow in awe and adoration before our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise his name Robert |
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