Results 381 - 400 of 701
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Sir Pent Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
381 | Was Peter denied before the Father? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15786 | ||
I would agree that Peter's denial of Jesus was not one of belief, but instead one of aquaintance. Peter did not deny that Jesus was the Christ. Instead he denied that Peter was who Peter really was. Peter didn't lie about Jesus, he lied about himself by saying he didn't know Jesus. It was still a lie, and was still sin, and still required repentance and forgiveness. However, I think that this is different from the idea, which Jesus was trying to communicate when He said that those who deny Christ would be denied before the Father in Heaven. Whether or not a Christian could do that or not is another interesting question and is covered in the "Can a Christian disown Christ?" thread. |
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382 | So ALL who believe in Christ are saved? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15789 | ||
You combine many questions here, which probably each deserve their own thread. I will attempt to answer them briefly, but would recommend seperate threads if more detail is required. As for Peter's denial of Christ, that is already covered in a current thread. As for Satan and the fallen angels, yes they believe in Jesus' existence, but this is not enough. Imagine a cancer patient who visits their doctor. The doctor diagnoses the problem and prescribes some medicine to take, which will cure their disease. The patient may be completely convinced that this medicine is at the pharmacy and would be effective at curing their disease. However, if they don't choose to go pick up the medicine and take it, they will still die. Believing that Jesus exists is not sufficient for salvation. As for Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Muslims, the problem there is that the "Jesus" that they believe in is not at all the Jesus which is in the Bible. For instance, Muslims and Mormons do not believe that Jesus was actually God. Therefore, they do not really believe in the real Jesus at all. I understand and appreciate that you are bringing up questions, which young Christians and non-believers would naturally ask. But I hope that they will be able to see that these appearant contradictions that you bring up are actually not contradictions at all. |
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383 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15952 | ||
I know that the answer is "yes". Can I prove this to you at all? No. So how do I know? I know because I have done it. This is not something that I am proud of, and by sharing from my own life, I realize that I open up myself for critique as opposed to just a theoretical idea. However, it is extremely relevant to this post, and perhaps will be helpful for someone, and is therefore worth the risk. I became a Christian when I was a very small child, after talking with my mother. I realized that even though I was a child and was relatively innocent in the eyes of the world, that I was still a sinner in the eyes of God. I also realized that I could not change on my own, but needed God's help. I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and felt an overwhelming sense of peace and forgiveness. I was a different person after that, my life was changed. As I grew up as a child, I quickly learned much ABOUT God. I memorized all the Bible stories, the Apostle?s Creed, etc. I also began to get to KNOW God, by spending time with Him in prayer, and developing a relationship with Him. However, as with many children, I lacked confidence in my salvation. It seemed like every time there was a revival service, or sermon that particularly spoke to me, that I would make another trip to the alter. There I would once again ask God to forgive me on all my past sins (you know, just in case). Finally, when I was almost 11 yrs old, I remember making the last of this kind of trip. Dr. David Seamands had preached a revival service, and I went forward and prayed like all the times before. But this time, God told me (not audibly, but He let me know) that I didn't need to keep doing that anymore. God helped me to realize that I could trust in Him to be faithful to that which He'd committed, me. It was at that point that I was confident of my salvation, because of my confidence in God, and our love for each other. Things continued like this throughout the next five years or so. In fact, one member of this forum spent much time with me at this point in my life, before they moved away. They could attest that I was most deffinately a Christian. But then a drastic change occurred just before my 16th birthday. The catalyst was a Star Trek (I'm still a big fan despite the tragic outcome at this particular time of my past) episode that I saw. It's a long story, but suffice it to say that after a lot of thought and turmoil, I concluded that Christianity was a fraud. For a period of several months, I completely rejected Christianity, and Christ Himself. In fact for a time, I even denied the existence of God at all. This was not just a backsliding, or a period of doubting. I was in a state of complete apostasy. If I died at that point, I know that I would have gone to Hell. Thankfully, God was merciful, and He allowed me to live through that time. Once again I must skip the long story of how I came back to Christianity. However, the end result was that I once again truly believed with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Since that time (nearly a decade ago now), I have remained committed to my relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and I know that the Holy Spirit is in my life, leading me to follow in God?s will. I trust in Jesus as my Saviour (from all of my sin and sins) and my Lord (for my life is not my own, but His to control), and I know that I will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. This is my testimony. This is how I know that a Christian can deny Christ, because I've done it. But praise God that He is merciful, patient, and full of love! I owe my life to Him. For once I was lost, and then I was found, and then I was lost, and now I am found again. Praise His Name forever! |
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384 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15960 | ||
The Bible determines truth, not experience. I completely agree with you Kalos. I do not share my experience as a proof (which I stated right off the bat), but rather so that others could have a better idea of where I'm comming from. The great theologian, Charles Wesley, had 4 ways to determine truth. It has become known as the Wesleyan quadrilateral. The four sides are: scripture, reason (logic), church tradition, and personal experience. However, of the four, the most important and critical side is scripture, and all other sides must be judged according to it. I have found this to be a balanced way of discovering truth. In my opinion, the idea that a Christian is able to deny Christ is supported by all of these sides. Let me take them one at a time. There are many scriptural passages (Tim Moran has done a good job of bringing up many of these on this forum) which at least imply, if not appear to clearly indicate that it is possible. Scripture also leads me to believe in "free will", and the ability of human beings to either choose to accept or reject God. Logic would lead me to believe that if a person had truly "free will", then they could reject and deny Christ at any time. I can see no rational reason why something would eliminate this abiltiy when a person became a Christian. There is definately an abundance of Church tradition which supports this idea. It is found in both the Catholic Church, the Methodist Churches, and many Pentecostal Churches. (On this point, I should add that there is also significant church tradition supporting the opposing perspective. This is particularly true of the Baptist and Presbyterian Churches.) And finally, I have shared already how my own personal experience is in line with this belief. Therefore, it is not for only one of these reasons, but rather for all of them, that I am convinced that it is indeed possible (although extremely tragic) for a Christian to deny Christ. |
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385 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15961 | ||
Correction, to that last post: I meant John Wesley. Charles Wesley was his brother the well-known hymn writer. I apologize for the confusion. |
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386 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 16035 | ||
Dear Nolan, I am sincerely both humbled and honored by your preceeding post. I too count it a great privaledge to be able to spend time together on this forum after so many years of seperation. I also am very encouraged that we are both of one heart and mind in regards to using this as an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. You mention the different paths which people take. I want to let you know how thankful and proud I am of you for letting God direct the path that you have taken. As I think back, I remember several friends who have instead taken control of their own journey, and have gotten lost. Some of them were once strong Christians, and it is a source of deep sadness for me. And yet, it brings me incredible joy that you continue to run the race before you. I know that there has been hardship, and pain at times in your life, and this could have driven you away from your faith. However, I have observed that instead it has caused your relationship with God to grow and strengthen. Since we are on the subject of Star Trek, let me close by quoting a line said by Spock in the second movie. "You have been, and always will be, my friend." |
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387 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 117774 | ||
Personal Note............................................. Hello Colin, Thank you for your extremely generous compliment. I praise God that He has so moved in your life that you have come to a saving relationship with Him. I see from your user profile that this has just been in the last few years. Keep running the race that God sets before you. His way is perfect! |
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388 | Do we display consistency to the world? | Matt 11:7 | Sir Pent | 60093 | ||
Hypothetical Situations ...................................... I would like to discuss a few hypothetical situations between two hypothetical forum members named Tom and Jerry. ...................................... 1. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse of scripture. Jerry AGREES with the interpretation and compliments Tom on such a profound thought. 2. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse of scripture. Jerry DISAGREES with the interpretation and rebukes Tom for failing to look at the overall context of the passage which clearly shows that Tom is totally wrong. ...................................... 3. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse in the context of several paragraphs preceeding and following it. Jerry AGREES with the interpretation and compliments Tom on such a profound thought. 4. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse in the context of several paragraphs preceeding and following it. Jerry DISAGREES with the interpretation and rebukes Tom for going through mental gymnastics to change the clear meaning in the verse itself. Jerry reminds silly Tom that he has to look at the totality of scripture to get a full understanding of God’s message. ...................................... 5. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse in the context of several paragraphs preceeding and following it, and within a framework that incorporates the entirety of scripture. Jerry AGREES with the interpretation and compliments Tom on such a profound thought and such thorough research. 6. Tom submits a post interpreting a single verse in the context of several paragraphs preceeding and following it, and within a framework that incorporates the entirety of scripture. Jerry DISAGREES with the interpretation and rebukes Tom for stretching scripture to the point of no return just so that it will fit into Tom’s flawed theology. ...................................... Granted, these are completely theoretical situations, and would never happen on this forum. However, they probably happen on other forums, and I’m interested in why everyone thinks that they would happen at those other places. |
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389 | How do they relate | Matt 12:29 | Sir Pent | 59962 | ||
My interpretation ......................................... Prayon, I interpret Jesus comments here in the context of the accusation which preceeded them. The religious leaders were accusing Jesus of working for Satan “He cast out demons by Beezelbub”. Jesus defends himself by saying that a house divided against itself shall fall, and by this analogy of the “strong man’s house”. ......................................... In the analogy, the “house” is the person who Jesus is casting demons out of. The “goods” are the demons themselves. The “strong man” is Satan. Jesus seems to be simply saying that it is not possible to take goods out of someone’s house unless you tie up the person first. Therefore, He is not working with the Devil, but is directly opposing Him. |
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390 | what is "blaspheme"? | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 21448 | ||
Support and Addition .......................... Dear Mattiep, I would like to begin answering your question by using the dictionary. Blasphemy - Irreverence towards God (Holy Spirit) Irreverence - Showing a lack of reverence Reverence - The state of being revered Revere - Regard as worthy of great honor From the basic definitions, it becomes clear that "blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" is the act of denying that the Holy Spirit (HS) is worthy of honor. Of course, for a person to truly believe that the HS did not deserve honor would require that that person denied that the HS was God. If a person was in the state of denying the deity of the HS it would of course be impossible for the HS to come into that person's life. And without the baptism of the HS (not to be confused with the act of being "slain in the spirit") there could be no salvation. This is why blasphemy is the unforgivable sin, because there's only one road to forgiveness and that puts up a roadblock. I would like to point out though that the roadblock is not permanent. All people have at one time in their life been in rebellion against God, and have lived lives which were irreverent toward the HS. It is of note that Luke 12:10 says, "he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven", and not he who has blasphemed against the HS will not be forgiven. In other words, the action being talked about is continuing in the present, not just something from the past. Therefore, I believe that even if a person had said the words, "I blaspheme the Holy Spirit", that God would forgive them if they truly repented. I believe that even if a person had denied the deity of the HS in their hearts (which would also be blasphemy), that if their hearts were changed, would be forgiven by God. Of course, if they do not change, but remain steadfast in their refusal to honor God and the HS, then they will not be forgiven and will die in a state of sin. P.S. Just to nip in the bud ... I am fully aware that this doesn't completely jive with all the possible interpretaions of these passages. However, I believe it makes the most sense, when taken in the context of the entire Bible. |
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391 | There is an unforgivable sin? | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 113399 | ||
Referral to another thread.................................... Hello Adrianzola, You have asked a very good question, and are not alone in wondering what the answer is. In fact someone asked this a while back. I would suggest that you type the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen and read the answer that I and other people gave. |
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392 | Are there any sins that are unforgiven b | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 116890 | ||
Referral to another thread......................................... Hello Hood Rat, That is a good question and one that has been asked before. Please type in the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top of the screen. There you will find my answer and the discussion of several other people on this subject. |
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393 | explane matt 12:31-33 | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 117654 | ||
Referral to another thread........................................... Welcome to the forum Lonnie, You have asked a good question, and one that concerns a lot of people. Please type in the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen to find some comments by myself and others on this idea. |
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394 | forgiveable sins? | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 120840 | ||
Referral to another thread........................................... Hi Ourfathersheart, In addition to the great post written by Hank, that Mommapbs referred you to, I would also recommend that you type in the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen. This will take you to my post on the subject and some more discussion from other forum members. |
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395 | What exactly is this Unforgivable Sin? | Matt 12:32 | Sir Pent | 119122 | ||
Referral to another thread............................................ This is a very good question that a lot of people wonder about. Please type in the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen to find my answer and the discussion of other forum members on the subject. |
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396 | What in the Word is an 'office?' | Matt 15:9 | Sir Pent | 14395 | ||
I did a search, and found 34 occurences of the words "office" or its derivatives (offices, officer, officers) in the Bible. They all appear to fall under three basic catagories. 1. Offices of military nature. In the OT there are of course many references to officers in the armies of Israel and other nations. In the NT there are two kinds of military officers, Roman soldiers and officers of the Pharisees and chief priests (ie. John 18:3). 2. Offices of administration. In the OT there are several officers in government positions, which report to kings and pharaohs. In the NT an example of this kind of office are the tax collectors (ie Luke 5:27). 3. Offices of church responsibility. These are what I think your questions is referring to. In the OT the priesthood was referred to as an office, although in the NT this particular office seems to possibly be limited to only Jesus Himself (Hebrews 7:21-25). Paul makes a claim to an office of minister of the church (Col 1:24-26). There also are verses referring to the offices of Bishop (I Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) and the office of Deacon (I Tim 3:8-13). Of these two offices, that of Bishop seems to be higher and refers to being responsible for the care and stewardship of a church. The office of Deacon seems to be one of lay leadership within a church and a person whom others can look to as an example. |
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397 | Offices today? | Matt 15:9 | Sir Pent | 14397 | ||
There are many offices within the church today, and of course they vary slightly from one denomination to the next. However, I would suggest that there are basically just three categories. 1. There are high administration offices (usually called Bishops, Superintenants, or the Pope), which are responsible for the direction and guidance of entire denominations. I don't know of any Biblical equilivant to this other than maybe the apostles. For instance, Paul had to be approved by them in Jerusalem before going out as a minister. 2. There are offices in charge of particular congregations (usually called Pastors, Priests, Ministers, Reverands, Preachers). These would be what I would compare to the Biblical idea of "Bishops" (see 34 refs post). 3. There are also offices within a particular congregation (usually called Elders, Deacons, Lay Leaders). These would be what I would compare to the Biblical idea of "Deacons" (see 34 refs post). I don't really see any Biblical precedent for how many people should be able to hold any of these positions, and it doesn't seem to be really important. What does seem to be very important is the qualifications of holding these positions. These are adressed very completely in I Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1. As for who judges these qualifications, I would submit that the officers in category 1 judge those in category 2 who would in turn judge those in category 3. |
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398 | Offices today? | Matt 15:9 | Sir Pent | 14413 | ||
Dear Charis, I apologize for seeming to limit the responsibilities of the offices that I mentioned to only administration of man-made institutions. I was merely trying to define the positions based on the structure they are a part of. In practicality, I believe that these positions are very important to fulfilling God's will and sheparding the flock. I mentioned that the lower office of "Deacon" was to be held by people within a church that can be looked to as examples. This is very important for a church. It is important for people who attend any church to be able to not only learn about God in sermons or Sunday School, but to also see how the Christian life is to be put into practice. It is also important for there to be people in a church who can be sought after for spiritual counsel and advice. This is an important "service to the faithful". As for the office of "Bishop" (or what we now call pastor), I believe that they too have an important role. I Timothy 3:5 speaks of them "taking care of God's church". Titus 1:7 calls them "God's steward", which seems to say that they are responsible for the faithful in thier congregation. This is such an important "ministry to the Lord" that it can be overwhelming at times to many of these people. I would like to also mention the third category of higher denominational administrations (what we now call Superintendants, etc.). I do not know of a Biblical precedent for such positions, and many denominations are consistently attacked for being merely man-made instituions. However, I believe that there is value to having a connectional body of Christ (although that should be a seperate thread). I also believe that these higher administrators are being of service to the faithful by setting a vision of how they can effectively accomplish the will of God here on earth. Of course I believe that God can give individuals direction for how to follow His plan, but often much more can be accomplished when a large number of people are working together for the same goal. |
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399 | who was Jesus | Matt 16:15 | Sir Pent | 117327 | ||
A clarification.............................................. Most of Aniset's post agrees with orthodox Christianity. However, it is not biblical that Jesus was "created" by God. Jesus was God, and therefore always existed and was never "created". Lordman11, please be aware that Aniset is a follower of a group called the Jehovah's Witnesses, which are considered to be a cult by almost all Christians (including those on this forum). |
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400 | Why did Jesus reverse the order (20:16)? | Matt 19:30 | Sir Pent | 16225 | ||
Often when a person takes a look at something from two sides, they gain a deeper appreciation for it. By stating this truth in both directions, there is emphasis on different parts of it, which I think gives us a more clear picture of what Jesus was trying to say. | ||||||
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