Results 301 - 320 of 657
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
301 | Is 'Pneuma' really feminine? | Jer 7:18 | stjones | 80741 | ||
Hi, Hank; It's a struggle. But there are so many people who are being led astray and won't leave because they don't know it. Besides, the denomination owns and operates so many missions, clinics, hospitals where God's work is being faithfully done that it's worth fighting for. I joined the PC(USA) because of a faithful congregation that I have served as a Deacon and now serve as an Elder. I don't want to turn my back on them either. Prayers are always appreciated. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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302 | Two questions on Daniel Chapter 5 | Dan 5:25 | stjones | 80535 | ||
Hi, J; You said: "I don't worry about picking to pieces scripture...the Bible tells us this is foolishness, debate for the sake of debate..It takes our hearts and minds off of what is really important in scripture." Others have asked your source for this claim; I'll just mention that the Bible gives the example of the more noble Berean Jews who searched the Scriptures daily. Besides, this is a forum for bible study, is it not? We aren't discussing Gemmorah or Talmud, only Scripture. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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303 | Two questions on Daniel Chapter 5 | Dan 5:25 | stjones | 80621 | ||
Thanks for your reply. | ||||||
304 | What scripture talks about alcohol | Hab 2:5 | stjones | 23961 | ||
Hi, B.; I believe that the only form of alcohol that the Bible speaks of is wine, the product of a natural process of fermentation. I would conclude that if the Bible "approves" of any form of alcohol or drugs, it would be wine. However, concerning all substnaces that can impair judgment or behavior, I think of Jesus' words: 'If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.' (Matthew 5:29-30) I don't think my eye or my hand can cause me to sin, but drugs and alcohol can. If they do, better to throw them away. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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305 | What scripture talks about alcohol | Hab 2:5 | stjones | 24168 | ||
Thanks, Casiv; You are absolutely right. I had forgotten about references to "strong drink". Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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306 | May we claim rewards for tithing? | Mal 3:10 | stjones | 21984 | ||
Hi, Kenpo; It depends on what's in the heart. If I give out of greed expecting a fat reward in return, I probably won't see it. If I give out of love and thanksgiving, God will indeed pour out a blessing - not necessarily guaranteed to be material wealth. If we truly seek God's blessings, we trust him to know the best blessings to give us. Peace and grace, Steve |
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307 | what was the | Matthew | stjones | 69885 | ||
Greetings, dltlshines; I am taking a short (three classes) study of the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke. The instructor is Dr. Marion Soards who is Professor of New Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Among many insights he has provided is Matthew's understanding of what it means to "fulfill prophecy". I have always thought of fulfillment as simply an example of an event that had previously been foretold actually taking place. But Dr. Soards pointed out that some of the prophesies that Matthew says were fulfilled were not of that kind. Rather, "fulfillment" means that the prophecy was made perfect. For example, in 1:22-23, Matthew refers to Isaiah's prophecy (7:14) of a virgin giving birth. This is not a Messianic prophecy; the virgin birth that Isaiah referred to in this passage is to be a sign to King Ahaz, to be witnessed in his lifetime. Matthew's purpose, according to Dr. Soards, is say that the birth of Jesus is another example of that prophecy coming to pass. But it is not just another example; it is the most perfect possible example. He told us that the word Nazarene is not the proper form to refer to a person from Nazareth. And besides, Jesus' city of birth and his ancestral city was Bethlehem, not Nazareth. "Nazarene" is a word that refers both to Nazareth and to the Old Testament Nazirite - one totally devoted to God (Samson, for example). Jesus is the perfection of that idea, of one totally devoted to God. Made sense to me. I hope it helps you too. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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308 | Why are some ancestors not listed? | Matthew | stjones | 87373 | ||
The third list consists of only 13: (1) Abraham; (2) Isaac; (3) Jacob; (4) Judah; (5) Perez; (6) Hezron; (7) Ram; (8) Amminadab; (9) Nahshon; (10) Salmon; (11) Boaz; (12) Obed; (13) Jesse; (14) King David (1) Solomon; (2) Rehoboam; (3) Abijah; (4) Asa; (5) Jehoshaphat; (6) Jehoram; (7) Uzziah; (8) Jotham; (9) Ahaz; (10) Hezekiah; (11) Manasseh; (12) Amon; (13) Josiah; (14) Jeconiah (1) Shealtiel; (2) Zerubbabel; (3) Abiud; (4) Eliakim; (5) Azor; (6) Zadok; (7) Akim; (8) Eliud; (9) Eleazar; (10) Matthan; (11) Jacob; (12) Joseph; (13) Jesus It doesn't help to consider a "generation" to be a father-son pair either: (1) Abraham-Isaac ... (14) King David-Solomon (1) Solomon-Rehoboam ... (14) Jeconiah-Shealtiel (1) Shealtiel-Zerubbabel ... (12) Joseph-Jesus; (13) Jesus- I'm not certain why Matthew "exagerated" the third set, but it did produce a nice, symmetrical grouping of numbers significant to Jews. We can't say that he tried to fool anyone, since the names are right there to count. My assumption is that he was making a point that is somewhat lost on us modern Westerners rather than that he missed a generation in the third list or that he was trying to mislead. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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309 | Why are some ancestors not listed? | Matthew | stjones | 87377 | ||
Hi, EdB; Thanks for the reply. It may be that Matthew was commenting on the perfection and symmetry of God's plan - something much more important than the genealogy of a man, Joseph, who was not Jesus' genetic father anyway. God is superior to and larger than his creation (even though his creation is currently less than what he created). Similarly, his plan of reconciliation through a covenant stretching from his calling of Abraham to his gift of Jesus is superior to and larger than mere generations of men. If the human numbers don't work out quite right, what does it matter? God's plan is still perfect. Perhaps Mattew's message was that in all things, we must conform our understanding of this imperfect world to God's perfect plan. We must never (as happens so frequently in mainline denominations like mine) conform God's perfection to the reality of this fallen world. Counting Jeconiah twice may have been Matthew's way of conforming the reality of this world to the greater reality of God's perfect nature. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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310 | Why are some ancestors not listed? | Matthew | stjones | 87388 | ||
Agreed. - Indy |
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311 | Is the Virgin Birth of Jesus a myth? | Matt 1:19 | stjones | 107964 | ||
Hi, schimc; I'm not sure what "discovery" you are referring to. There is certainly no reason to believe that Matthew made anything up. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all refer to Isaiah 7. I doubt that all three misunderstood Isaiah's prophecy. I do, however, think that we may misunderstand what it means to fulfill prophecy. If you read Isaiah 7, it is pretty clear that this was not a direct reference to Jesus. The boy named Immanuel was to be a sign to King Ahaz during his lifetime. But that does not mean that Matthew and the others are wrong. A New Testament scholar and seminary professor whom I have the utmost respect for (conservative, evangelical) offered his explanation to a class I was in. In the Hebrew world, the fulfillment of prophecy meant that a prior word or event was brought to perfection. We tend to think of prophecy as a kind God-ordained forecast - the prophet says thus-and-so will happen and when it happens we say that the prophecy has been fulfilled. We can also say that the prophet's words were brought to perfection. For exmaple, if I say the drought will end because it's going to rain tomorrow, that's nice; it may remind someone to take their umbrella, but it won't water the crops. When it does indeed rain, those words are brought to perfection and the crops are in fact saved. The words have been made perfect in physical reality. But an event can also be prophecy. The birth of the boy Immanuel is an example. His name was to be Immanuel ("God with us") because his birth was a sign to King Ahaz that God would be with him in an upcoming battle. But the idea of a boy being born who would embody the promise of "God with us" was brought to perfection in the birth of Jesus. There can be no more perfect example of "God with us" than Jesus, who was God and was (and is) with us. Given the ancient Hebrew understanding of what it means to fulfill prophecy, we can see that it was proper for the three Gospel writers to refer to Isaiah 7, even though the boy named Immanuel had been born and died long before. As others have mentioned, the Hebrew word that Isaiah used to describe Immanuel's mother does not necessarily mean a virgin in the modern sense. Assuming she was just a young, unmarried woman, we can see that Mary, who truly was a virgin in the modern sense, was the perfection of the idea of a pure young woman bearing a son who would fulfill God's promise. Sorry to be so long-winded. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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312 | virgin birth | Matt 1:19 | stjones | 108010 | ||
Hi, schimc; Like love, belief is a commitment. Sometimes when the going gets tough, commitment is the only that carries you through. A closed mind isn't necessarily a bad thing; some people's minds are so open that every new breeze blows the contents away. -Indy |
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313 | virgin birth | Matt 1:19 | stjones | 108042 | ||
Hi, Schimc; I suspect that I won't be the only person on this forum to pray for you and your brothers. I pray that the God of all Truth will make himself known to your brothers and that he will prepare you with whatever defense you need. And I hope you'll stick around and contribute your own thoughts and ideas to this little free-for-all. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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314 | virgin birth | Matt 1:19 | stjones | 108044 | ||
Why, thanks. Encouragement is always appreciated. I think we need more of that around here. And I say that knowing that I am among the worst - always ready to disagree but seldom popping in with a word of support or encouragement. Maybe it's a waste of bandwidth, but it might help visitors to know that an answer given by one person is agreed to by others. Just my two one-hundredths of a dollar. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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315 | Denounce militant Islam? | Matt 5:44 | stjones | 131712 | ||
Hi, Norrie; Pardon me of this is well-plowed ground; I've been away. I'm not sure it's accurate to say that Muslims are zealous for God. They are zealous for Allah whom they believe is God, but Allah is not God. Christians should always remember that whoever spoke to Muhammad in his cave denied Christ. That message could hardly have come from God; that leaves only the Father of Lies as the source. "a voice came from the cloud: 'This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!'" (Mark 9:7) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." (John 1:1-2) "Jesus is like Adam in the sight of God. He created him from dust and then said to him: 'Be,' and he was" (Qur'an 3:59) Wanting to be a good, tolerant, open-minded American, I've struggled with Allah's true identity. But I can't find any other explanation for what the Qur'an says about Jesus. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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316 | Denounce militant Islam? | Matt 5:44 | stjones | 132481 | ||
Hi, Norrie; I've only read a review of this book, but I intend to buy it. The author appears to make a truthful assessment of Islam and its violent teachings. For example (according to the review I read), he makes the point that in its early years, Islam killed non-believers. In Christianity's early years, the non-believers killed the believers. Both Muslim killers and Christian martyrs were acting in accordance with their faith. Schmidt, Alvin J. The Great Divide, The Failure of Islam and the Triumph of the West (Boston: Regina Orthodox Press, 2004) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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317 | Spirtual Gifts | Matt 7:13 | stjones | 64975 | ||
Greetings, FTimA; Are you not able to see that some on this Forum might consider your teaching about spiritual gifts an example of "someone taking what God DID SAY and twisting it to fit their own purpose"? Other Christians, reading other passages of God-breathed Scripture, might conclude that your posts "promote a teaching that does not align with the word of God". Like it or not, Scripture has to be interpreted. If Peter and Paul disagreed on points of doctrine, what hope have we 2000 years later to agree on every reading and every interpretation? Surely you don't believe that every passage in the Bible is easily and obviously harmonized with every other passage? Spiritual gifts and baptism, for example, are the subject of multiple seemingly contradictory passages. Does God contradict himself? Of course not. So we must interpret these passages in light of all Scripture, we must struggle to bring it all into a harmonious whole. Denominations exist because imperfect people arrive at different conclusions - and every denomination can show how they think all these seemingly disparate pieces fit together to represent God's intent. If you truly believe that "The bible is our only guide", then I assume you listen to no preachers, read no commentaries, listen to no songs, ignore all Bible footnotes, and avoid all Christian media. To do otherwise would be to hear God's word tainted by the perception, interpretation, thought, experience, and fallenness of someone other than God. But that is not the church that God ordained. God ordained a church made up of sinners, often messy and contentious. He gave us each other, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit. What he did not give us is a certification. He provided no means to get an "Approved by God" stamp that we can affix to our teaching, our theology, our congregation, our denomination, or our posts to the Forum. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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318 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28394 | ||
Hi, Lanny; I hope I'm not piling on here, but this statement troubled me: "Only those that do the will of the Father shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.... God's will is ... that we sin no more" Are you saying that admission to Heaven is dependent on sinning no more? If so then it seems to me that Heaven will be populated exclusively by people who professed their faith in Jesus and dropped dead on the spot. I know I won't make it; I don't know anyone who will. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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319 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28419 | ||
Hi, Lanny; Thanks for the reply. I am indeed implying that I can't live a sinless life. Which might be really depressing if not for the fact that even Paul couldn't manage it (Romans 7:14-24, for example). Are you implying that you are able to live a sinless life? If so, I commend you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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320 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28486 | ||
Hi, Lanny; I hope I don't sound like I'm interrogating you.... Paul's words seem pretty clear - first person singular, present tense - so I can't see where your before-and-after interpretation might come from. I also can't think of anywhere in the Bible that says anyone other than Jesus can lead a sinless life. That is the goal, of course. The Bible contains many calls to Christians to live a holy life. But as a fallen race, failure is a certainty. Consider 1 John 1:8-10 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." Or Paul's much shorter "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Neither John nor Paul qualifies his statement by suggesting that it applies only to people before they are saved. Indeed both were writing to communities of believers, many of whom were undoubtedly saved. If we are able to live a perfect life, what did Jesus die for? Only to pardon those sins we committed before we were saved? That's not what the Bible says. In the passage above, John said "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.". And he continued "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2) No before-and-after qualification, just an unequivocal statement that "if we sin", Jesus' death has already atoned for it. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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