Results 41 - 60 of 155
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: jonp Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | emotion and soul | Gen 2:7 | jonp | 184442 | ||
Hi Webster's defines emotion as 'A moving of the mind or soul; excitement of the feelings, whether pleasing or painful; disturbance or agitation of mind caused by a specific exciting cause and manifested by some sensible effect on the body.' Thus fear itself is an emotion. We must not allow ourselves to be controlled by our emotions. We are to control them by the attitude of our minds and by looking to Him. Faith and love must be in control, not our emotions. Christian faith and love come from the will. The word for 'soul' refers to the inner life imparted by the breath of God (Genesis 2.7) but it should not be too closely defined as its use varies from place to place. It can be thought of in terms of 'the inner man', and it is the inner man that experiences emotions, but they are very much affected by the state of our bodies as well as our minds. We must not allow our emotions to be the test of our spiritual state, although they often eventually result from our spiritual state. But it is Jesus Christ regnant within us as Lord that determines our spiritual state, and that can be equally true when we are feeling 'low'. The Shepherd does not desert us because of our feelings. If we keep our eyes fixed on Him and continue trusting Him good emotions will eventually break through. They are, however, very much dependent on make up and circumstances, and even in the valley of deep darkness we can know that our Shepherd is with us (Psalm 23.4). The soul has a spiritual side to it and a fleshly side to it. Thus Paul could speak of 'spirit, soul and body' as the make up of man (1 Thessalonians 5.23). However Jesus spoke of 'heart, soul, mind and strength' (Mark 12.30). These are really all aspects of the inner man. We must not make the divisions too specific as if man were not a unity. On the other hand within that unity there is undoubtedly strife (e.g. Romans 7.25; Galatians 5.16) because of what we are. That is why we must hand over our lives to the Holy Spirit and walk step by step with Him (Galatians 5.23). We must let Christ dwell in our inner man by faith (Ephesians 3.17). We must allow Him to live out His life through us (Galatians 2.20). We must continually let Christ hold the reins. It is good to know that you are growing daily. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, and then even when it gets dark you will 'fear no evil' (Psalm 23.4). Best wishes Jonp, |
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42 | Why great expectations come back small | Bible general Archive 3 | jonp | 184423 | ||
Hi Who are we to decide that God's answers are 'small'. The untrained country preacher only had one convert, a small lad among his listeners (he was not the usual preacher). It was really hardly worth his preaching, except that the lad's name turned out to be Charles Haddon Spurgeon. God works through the day of small things, and uses the weak to confound the mighty. Cast your bread on the waters and it will return after many days. If God gave us all our expectations the world would be converted overnight. But our expectations often overlook God's purposes. And that is what God is busy carrying out. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
43 | why is the left side unclean? | Ex 29:20 | jonp | 184421 | ||
Hi It was not that the left side was unclean. It was that the members on the right hand side would be the ones used by the priests in carrying out their ministry and thus had to be atoned for so that they might be fitted for the task. A left handed priest would be expected to use his right hand in the same way. Democracy was frowned on in those days and left handed priests could not claim their 'rights'. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
44 | Ezra | Ezra 1:1 | jonp | 184420 | ||
Hi The four main concerns for the returning exiles were the lack of a Temple, the lack of security, the danger of becoming involved with heretics and the marrying of foreign wives. Positively what they had to do, as we have to do also, was to look to the Lord, avoid all appearance of evil and involvement with those who misrepresent the Lord, marry only those who were true to the Lord, and build a true Temple, in our case this represents the building up of the body of Christ which is His Temple. Best wishes. Jonp, | ||||||
45 | what is the mark of Christ | Gal 6:17 | jonp | 184419 | ||
Hi Paul said in Gal:6:17: From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. From this point of view the mark of Christ is the sign of persecution. Paul of course bore physical evidence of having suffered for Christ's sake. Not all Christians will bear physical marks, but all will at some stage, if they are true to Jesus Christ, suffer persecution. Bear it proudly (in the right sense). For it is the mark of Christ. However from another point of view we could say that the mark of Christ is true faith (Galatians 3.1-5), and possession of the Spirit of God. If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Romans 8.9). Best wishes Jonp. |
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46 | Eunuchs incapable of marriage? | Matt 19:12 | jonp | 184417 | ||
Hi, this verse has nothing to say about whether eunuchs can marry. Jesus is illustrating the example of a person who like He did Himself remains single in order better to further the work of Christ, and He does it by comparison with genuine eunuchs who were either born that way or were made that way by men. These 'eunuchs by choice' are not strictly speaking eunuchs at all. They are men who remain single for Christ's sake. There is nothing in the Bible which actually says that eunuchs cannot marry, although clearly there might be problems in consummating the marriage. Under the new covenant God says, 'to the eunuchs which keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please Me, and hold fast My covenant, I will give in My house and within My walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters, I will give them an everlasting name which shall not be cut off' (Isaiah 56.4-5). In other words they are accepted on the same level as anyone else. I cannot doubt that such a eunuch who marries and adopts children in order that he might bring them up to know the Lord is as pleasing to God as an ordinary husband. The exclusion in Deuteronomy 23.1 probably refers to those who had been made eunuchs for religious reasons by following Canannite ideas. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
47 | Baptized in name of Jesus or Trinitarian | Matt 28:19 | jonp | 184416 | ||
Hi The Name of the Triune God as mentioned in Matthew 28.19-20 is in Hebrew YHWH and in Greek Kurios. The Name of Jesus is YHWH/Kurios (Philippians 2.8-11). Thus to be baptised in the Name of the triune God and to be baptised in the Name of Jesus is precisely the same. It is however not true to say that the Pentecostal faith teaches baptism only 'in the Name of Jesus'. When I was younger I regularly attended a large Pentecostal church (Elim) which baptised in the Name of the triune God. Baptism can in fact not affect a person's salvation one way or the other. That is why Paul said, 'Christ sent me not to baptise but to preach the Gospel' --- 'lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power' -- 'the Gospel -- which is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe' (1 Corinthians 1.17; Romand 1.16). Yes, before you ask we should be baptised, but it should be because we have been saved, not in order to be saved. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
48 | The fruit and leaves of the tree of life | Gen 2:9 | jonp | 184413 | ||
Hi Strictly the word olam means 'into the distant future', or 'into the distant past'. It is then necessary to determine from the context whether it further means everlasting. With regard to your other query perhaps it should raise in your mind whether therefore such a thousand years of theocracy, which is neither one thing or another and is neither taught by Jesus nor by Paul, really is a Scriptural idea. There are other interpretations of Revelation 20 than the one which sees in it a future millennium, which is not in fact a New Testament concept. The New Testament directs our minds towards Heaven. It is not of course a question of much importance (apart from the fact that it robs many Christians of a large part of the Old Testament, and with some even vital parts of the New) because if we are His it will not affect us one way or the other. But sadly it takes up an inordinate of some people's time when they could be concentrating on something more important, Jesus Christ Himself. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
49 | What resource sets chronology of Jesus | Matt 1:1 | jonp | 184407 | ||
Hi I don't know if this will help but it is suggestive. (However there is disagreement about the dates which can only be accepted roughly, and about how long Jesus' ministry lasted although it was at least three years.). 4 BC Jesus Born AD 8 Jesus in temple AD 26 Jesus baptized Jesus tempted by Satan Jesus' first miracle AD 27 Jesus and Nicodemus Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman Jesus heals the nobleman's son The fishermen follow Jesus Matthew decides to follow Jesus AD 28 Jesus chooses his 12 disciples Jesus preaches the sermon on the mount Jesus travels through Galilee Jesus tells parables about the kingdom Jairus' daughter returned to life by Jesus Jesus sends his disciples to preach and heal John the Baptist is killed by Herod Spring AD 29 Jesus feeds 5000 men Jesus walks on water Fall AD 29 Jesus feeds 4000 men Jesus predicts His death Jesus is transfigured Jesus pays his temple tax October AD 29 Jesus attends the Feast of the Tabernacles Winter AD 29 Jesus returns Lazarus to life Sunday, AD 30 The triumphal entry Monday, AD 30 Jesus cleanses the temple Tuesday, AD 30 Authority of Jesus questioned Wednesday, AD 30 Plot against Jesus Thursday, AD 30 The Last Supper Gethsemane Friday, AD 30 Jesus' trial Jesus' crucifixion and death The burial of Jesus Sunday, AD 30 Jesus rises from dead Jesus appears to the 10 disciples The next week, AD 30 Jesus appears to all 11 disciples AD 30 Jesus appears to 500 40 days after the resurrection, AD 30 Jesus ascends into heaven Best wishes Jonp |
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50 | How does God glorify His name? | John 12:28 | jonp | 184389 | ||
Hi In context the idea is probably that He has glorified His Name in sending the Messiah into the world and will glorify it again in sending Jesus to the cross, followed by His resurrection and enthronement. Although He has of course also glorified it throughout His Old Testament deliverances and will glorify it at the Consummation of all things Best wishes Jon p | ||||||
51 | I can use Galatians 4:16 as a support. | 1 Tim 5:19 | jonp | 184386 | ||
Hi You have asked a difficult question :-))). Presumably you are referring to confronting those who have been set in authority over the church. One problem clearly is that most of our information is provided by those who were in authority. Paul spoke as one who was set over the churches mainly because he established the churches. He did not tend to exercise his authority outside those churches. We must be very careful how we undermine authority. 'The powers that be are ordained of God', whether civil or ecclesiastical (Romans 13.1-10). Undermining them can have serious consequences. Of course both Jesus, and the Apostles in Acts confronted religious authorities, but they did it not by rebelling against them, but by positive proclamation of the truth. Jesus was always careful to support 'the establishment' as such, but not at the expense of truth. What He spoke up against was hypocrisy and teaching contrary to the Scriptures. The same was true of the prophets. We must beware of causing splits or disharmony over secondary matters which may seem primary to us but are not really so. Of course where there is open sin, then the course is clear. It must first be dealt with on a personal level, then by consulting with others, especially those respected in leadership, and then finally by consulting the church (Matthew 18.15-17). It is salutary to recognise that your very question indicates the difficulty of genuinely finding Scriptures to support your case. The great reformers of history did not usually set out to attack authority as such but to win authority over. It was the authorities who caused the schism by throwing them out. Of course we can find individual exceptions, but on the whole this was true. (And the fact that a man was greatly used of God does not necessarily mean that he was always right. There are many cases of those who acted and regretted it later). Yet there can be no doubt that situations can arise when some kind of action is necessary, although even then the answer is often better found by approaching some other authority, and must certainly be accompanied by much prayer. We must not be seeking our will but His will. What we do have to consider is the long term effects of what we are doing on others besides ourselves. What we must ever remember is that love is the fulfilment of the Law. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
52 | what does it mean; look to Bethesda? | John 5:2 | jonp | 184375 | ||
Perhaps it signifies looking to what happened at the pool of Bethesda and learning from it. At that pool many hoped for a miracle based on superstition. But the lame man learned there that he should rather look to Jesus. And when he did so he was made whole. He also learned that he must go and sin no more. Here is the essnce of the Christian message. We were all 'lame', but when Jesus comes to us and calls us we are made whole as a free gift, and this is always followed by the command 'go and sin no more'. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
53 | Have you heard of the bemis seat ?? | Rom 14:10 | jonp | 184374 | ||
Hi The Bema is the Greek for a judgment seat. Such a judgment seat is referred to in Romans 14.10-12. It is the place where Christians will have to give account to God, not in order to determine their eternal destiny but in order to be measured up and commended or otherwise. There Jesus will bring to light the things hidden in the dark and will disclose the purposes of the heart, and it is where every Christian will receive some praise from God (1 Corinthians 4.5). There each of us will receive good or not so good depending on what we have done in our bodies (2 Corinthians 5.10). There all we have done will be tested in the fire, some will survive as gold, silver and precious stones, other will be burned up because it is wood, hay or stubble (1 Corinthians 3.10-16). Best wishes Jonp |
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54 | Same supper as John 12? | Luke 10:38 | jonp | 184364 | ||
Hi Jeff Thanks for your kind comments. However while as you rightly say John picks out what Judas said, and his motive, Matthew 26.8 brings out that a number of 'disciples' were involved in criticising her. Compare also Mark 14.5, 'they' reproached her. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
55 | What about song of Soloman? | 1 John 2:16 | jonp | 184356 | ||
Hi Thank you for your reply. I do genuinely sympathise with your position but did want to establish the foundations first. There are so many who reason themselves into disobedience and bring great harm on themselves. Certainly there is no reason why you should not gently hint to your wife that if she wishes to keep her sexual attraction for you she needs to do her part to enable it. Then she can choose what matters most to her. And hopefully you can expect her to respond, for it is not an unreasonable hope, especially if as you say she likes to be admired. As you rightly indicate the Song of Solomon is a reminder that physical love is not to be despised. All I wish to stress is that it is important to keep it in its place. It is a very small book in a very large Bible. It is depicting one of many things that call upon our time, and not in the end one of the most important ones, even though important in its place as a part of a well orbed Chhistian life. The rest of the Bible, however, is taken up with the need to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Thus it is vital that you do not let your longings interfere with that. For at some stage the desires of the flesh will lessen. At that point how sad, even disastrous, it would be if that had caused the desires of the Spirit to cease. So yes do feel that you can remind your wife that you must both play your part in your relationship, but recognise also that even that is secondary to walking faithfully with the Master. Believe me I do not talk glibly. I have had to learn the lesson the hard way. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
56 | Same supper as John 12? | Luke 10:38 | jonp | 184355 | ||
Hi The incidents in Luke 10 and John 12 are very different incidents. In the first case Mary and Martha had welcomed Jesus into their home somewhere in the middle of His ministry. Martha was the practical one and was very busy looking after twelve hungry disciples. But Mary was sat at the feet of Jesus. To her this was an opportunity not to be missed during which she could learn from her Lord. It is little wonder that Martha was a little upset, for she badly needed help. Her view would be that the women should be busy about the practical things while the men talked. But Jesus gently pointed out to her that Mary had chosen the better part. In fact His reply was quite revolutionary. For a Rabbi to favour a woman listening to Him was quite unusual. He was quietly bringing out that women were equally as important as men, and had as much right to be with Him and to hear His word as men had. And a further important lesson that comes home to us all from this is how important it is that we put our feeding on His word before the feeding of our bodies. Martha was providing daily bread (11.3) but Mary was seeking the Bread of life (John 6.35). However we must still remember that the church needs both Marys and Marthas. Martha must not be disparaged. It was just that she had not discerned the time. The second incident was totally different. That was in the house of Simon the Leper and Martha had been called in to help out. (She could always be depended on wherever hard work was called for. She was a marvellous example of faithful service). But no one thought of Mary. However Mary had her own agenda. No one asked her to serve. She was totally impractical, but she did love her Master. So she decided to serve in her own way. She went and found a precious jar of perfumed oil that she had probably treasured for years, and came and poured it on Jesus' head and feet. It was an act of pure love. Although she did not realise it (but He did)the anointing on the head spoke of His Messiahship, the anointing of the feet was preparing them to walk the way of the cross. To some of the disciples this appeared to be a total waste and they protested. All they could see was the externals. (It is salutary to think that they did not rejoice that their Master was honoured). Jesus, however, silenced them by pointing out what a good work she had done on Him. For He saw in her action the confirmation that His Father was watching over Him. He knew that those feet would soon walk the way of the cross and that that anointed brow would soon bear the crown of thorns, and that that body would soon be lying in its tomb. And He was saying 'My Son, none of those who are with you know what lies ahead for you. But I know. And in this act I am preparing you for what lies before you. Do not be afraid. This is an assurance that You walk the way ahead under My care.' No wonder Jesus said, 'she has wrought a good work on Me'. Again the lesson is that we should ensure that we are not so taken up with practicalities that we miss the opportunity for pure worship. It is that we must ever remember to keep Jesus Himself before us and not allow secondary things to take our eyes off Him. This was Mary's forte. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
57 | origin of the devil | Ezek 28:13 | jonp | 184353 | ||
Hi Azure, Kung hey fat choi on the same basis. I lectured in Hong Kong for a few years and had good fellowship with the churches there. Do not be discouraged at having started a little late. For you it is but 'the third hour of the day' (Matthew 20.3). You still have much of the day before you in which you can serve the Master. What matters for us all, whether we start early or late is that we are faithful so that one day He will welcome us with the words, 'Well done my good and faithful servant'. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
58 | When you allot the land as an inheritanc | Ezek 45:1 | jonp | 184351 | ||
Hi This is an important Old Testament chapter with an idealistic background, the background of a heavenly Temple established on a mountain outside Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40.1 etc). There was never any suggestion that it be built. It was a heavenly Temple (compare the heavenly army in 2 Kings 6.17). The only item to be built was the earthly altar through which the heavenly Temple would be accessed (Ezekiel 43.18). This prophecy in chapter 45 is thus concerning the New Temple of God to be established in Heaven (Galatians 4.28; Hebrews 12.23; and compare Ezekiel 47.1 onwards). Note its idealistic surroundings. This will be in connection with the coming of its glorious Prince. You will notice that it is to be established outside Jerusalem in an idealistic surround, just as the heavenly Temple in 40.1 was to be established on a high mountain outside Jerusalem, and in Revelation the heavenly Temple is to be established in Heaven. It will provide spiritual provision for the new idealistic 'city' the new people of God (see also Revelation 20.9, and compare also the idealistic Temple in Revelation 11 which again is totally impractical, but is,as as an idealistic picture, very valuable). The major point is that the earthly Jerusalem was now to be seen as unfitted to house the Temple of the Lord. Ezekiel never suggests that the heavenly Temple be built. It was purely heavenly. This was the only way in which a prophet of Israel could present such an idea in those days. Thus in 47.1 it produces waters that will provide the water of life for the people of God (compare John 4.10-14) in a description which if interpreted literally is clearly totally physically impossible. It is quite clear that none of these pictures can be intended literally. They were idealistic presentations. (You will no doubt however shortly be presented with any number of views :-))). Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
59 | why is Love greater than faith | 1 Cor 13:3 | jonp | 184337 | ||
Love is the greatest because faith results in love. Faith is as it were the stem but love is the flowering. True faith works by love (Galatians 5.6; Ephesians 3.17). But they are continually very closely connected. Best wishes Jonp | ||||||
60 | origin of the devil | Ezek 28:13 | jonp | 184333 | ||
Hi Thank you for your contribution. Please see my note to stj just submitted with which I have signed off. I feel this is far too sensitive a subject for us to go into too deeply. (It is after all aired in a thousand commentaries). We are dealing with One Whose judgments are unsearchable and Whose ways are past finding out and I think it best to leave it in that way. I do of course believe in the doctrine of the triunity of God. It is not that that is in question. But when the seven blind men were 'looking' at an elephant each 'saw' something different. Theology is often like that and in some things we are all like blind men feeling in the dark. Best wishes Jonp, | ||||||
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