Results 321 - 340 of 657
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
321 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28575 | ||
Hi, Lanny; It seems to me that you have to add a lot of opinion or personal belief to the plain meaning of these passages and many others to get the before-and-after qualification. For example, John clearly acknowledged (2:1-2) the possibility that "anyone" might sin in which case Jesus speaks to Father on that person's behalf and the sin has been atoned for. If he were speaking only to non-believers, he surely would have said "when" not "if" because 1:8 and 1:10 would certainly have applied to them. Also, why would John say "we" and not "you"? He applied the present tense to himself as well as to the recipients of his letter. If I understand your idea correctly, Jesus' death only atoned for your sins up until you were saved. From that point on, you started earning your way into Heaven by living a sinless life. But how do you know it is sinless? How do you know that every deed, every word, every thought, and every nuance of behavior is in conformance with God's will? If you follow John's admonition to walk as Jesus walked then I assume you must keep every jot and tittle of the Law as he did. Since the sacrificial system is done away with, if you slip up just once, will you go to hell? As for giving Satan credit, I am indeed giving the devil his due. He is the prince of this world; I am by nature a sinner. It is in the next world where, by faith in Christ, I will be made perfect. My job in this world is not to suddenly become perfect but by the indwelling Spirit to become different - salt and light - and to become a witness for Christ. My job is to grow toward perfection and to do it boldly, not fearing failure but confident that every failure is covered by the blood of Jesus. And yes, I do give my children commands that I know they can't do. For example, I tell them to always do their best, without exception. I tell them this knowing that sometimes, due to fatigue, inattention, peer pressure, or simple teenage rebellion, they won't. They in turn know that when their very best effort falls short of achieving its goal, their father will still love them and commend them for giving it their best shot. That's something I learned from my Heavenly Father. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
322 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28591 | ||
Hi, Lanny; Yup. And missing the target sometimes. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
323 | Religions, who is right???? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 20081 | ||
Hello, Serenetime; Everything Tim said in his reply is true - Jesus said he was the only way and I'm not about to argue with him. I'd like to address your last question. If by "religion" you mean denominations or particular congregations, yes, they are man made. In the case of Christians, they are the result of groups of people trying to create the kinds of fellowship and church governance that Acts and Paul's letters describe. But if you mean "religions" in the larger sense - Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism, Islam, Buddhism, etc., the answer is no, not all. Two of them were created by God - Judaism and Christianity. Now you may reply that while the Bible says that, there are other holy books that make similar claims. So why take the Bible's word for it? There are many reasons to believe that the Bible is truthful and therefore reliable. For me, a helpful reason is to ask of each holy book, "who wrote it?" The Qur'an was written by Muhammad, claiming that the message was from God. The Book of Mormon was produced by Joseph Smith, claiming that the message was from God. And so on. The Bible was written by ... lots of people over a period of many centuries. Some of them were historians, recording what happened when God intervened in the lives of people and nations that they knew about. Some of them were leaders who recorded their own experiences. Some were indeed prophets who claimed that their message was from God. But there were so many of them over such a long period of time speaking to different audiences who all described the same God with the same attributes and the same will. How could so many people, separated by such great distances of time and geography come up with a consistent message if it were not inspired by God? How could Isaiah (chapter 53) describe Jesus in such detail - in manuscripts that are known to predate Jesus - if God didn't tell him? I believe the Bible because I believe in Jesus Christ, but there are many who believe in Jesus in part because the Bible by itself is just plain believable. Peace and grace, Steve |
||||||
324 | Religions, who is right???? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 21547 | ||
Hi, Searcher; I once heard a teacher on the radio (Malcolm Smith maybe? about 10 years ago). He was describing his first experience of freedom in Christ. Along the way, he said that you can divide all of the world's religions into two groups: Take two barrels. Place Christianity in the first one and put all the other world's religions in the second. Label the second barrel "Try and Do"; label the first one "Trust and Done". I kinda liked that. Peace and grace, Steve |
||||||
325 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 73873 | ||
Greetings, Greg; Welcome to the forum. Just as a kindness to us American Protestants who study the entire Bible, please try to refrain from such sweeping generalizations as "Protestant America is walking in deception" and "Protestant apologists try and distance the true Hebraic roots of the faith that Yeshua preached because they are the 'lawless' ones". It's good of you to explain things to us and exhort us to "do our homework" so we will be compelled to see things your way. But if you actually believe that there is a monolithic "Protestant America" that does anything at all in concert, I will have to assume you may be similarly deceived in other areas as well. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
326 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 73963 | ||
Hi, Greg; Hank has asked a valid question. Christians may, as Paul did at Athens, engage non-Christians in theological discussions. But Christians are unlikely to take instruction about Jesus from anyone but another Christian. There are many reasons, but the simplest is this: If you confess Jesus as your sole lord and savior, you are at least implying that your thoughts and desires are captive to him. If you confess Jesus, you suggest that your studies are guided not just by intellect, history, and culture, but by the Holy Spirit himself. If your "different light" is not shed by the Holy Spirit, it is of no more than passing intellectual interest to Christians. A confessing Christian is indeed labeled. To the world, the label is just a category. To the Christian, however, it is a seal given by God, it is an admission of sin and dependence on Jesus. It is a badge of honor given to the unworthy, to be worn with humility, in the knowledge that it given only by the grace of God through the shed blood of Christ. But it is to be worn boldly. The label you gave yourself is "truth-seeker". Jesus said he was the truth (John 14:6). He is the origin of all truth and the pathway to all truth. Paul, referring to the ability to understand sprititual truths, said "we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor 2:16) Without the mind of Christ, spiritual truths are nonsense; any who have the mind of Christ bear the label "Christian". So I echo Hank's question - are you a Christian? Thanks. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
327 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 74008 | ||
Greg; I'm sorry you don't know what I meant by "Christian"; I thought my post made it fairly clear; let me repeat it for you. I said "To the world, the label is just a category. To the Christian, however, it is a seal given by God, it is an admission of sin and dependence on Jesus. It is a badge of honor given to the unworthy, to be worn with humility, in the knowledge that it [is] given only by the grace of God through the shed blood of Christ." But, since you explained what the label means to you - a category that describes a "pork-eating, Sabbath-breaking, replacement theologist who ignores the Biblical festivals in favor of man-made pagan rituals", we all have a very clear answer to Hank's question. Thanks. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
328 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 74030 | ||
Greg; Based on the answers you have received, it is obvious that it is not Hank who is promoting a "flawed and unorthodox" theology - no polls are needed. Most of the replies you have received have ignored your agressive and often insulting style and focused - as they should - on refuting the ancient heresy you advocate. But there is certainly no harm in reminding you that there are rules which you agree to abide by every time you post. Most of those who have responded to you identify themselves as Christians. The word is defined in Acts 11:26: "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Disciple. Simple. Yet it is a term that you are unable or unwilling to apply to yourself. Instead, you concoct an insulting and blasphemous definition of your own. One can only conclude that you are not a disciple of Christ. If this is indeed the case, then 1 Corinthians 2 leaves no doubt that you are not in a position to discern or discuss spiritual truths. Instead of treating Paul's letter to the Galatians as just so much fodder for your intellectual mill, you would be well served to read it carefully and let Paul speak directly to you as he spoke to your theological kinsmen nearly 2000 years ago. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
329 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 74059 | ||
Greg; "Rest assured, I always use scripture to validate my stand (can a heretic do that?)." All the time; it's the oldest trick in the book. Indy |
||||||
330 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 74110 | ||
Greg; Paul was inspired; he wrote the truth. That is why I read the Bible. And no, I have no need to label you a "Christian". That is, in fact, the last label I would try to hang on you. "Judaizer" seems much closer to the mark. Indy |
||||||
331 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 74216 | ||
Greg; If heretics didn't twist Scripture to suit their own ideas, it wouldn't be heresy, it would be philosophy. Paul admonishes us to "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." (Col 2:8). Wrapping "hollow and deceptive philosophy" in Scripture makes it a little more palatable to those who try to heed Paul's advice. Indy |
||||||
332 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 75056 | ||
Greg; Please accept my apologies for hanging a label on you; I was wrong to do so. I was reading Romans 7 and 8 this morning and I simply cannot fathom why you believe as you do. As for the "Christian" label, it is defined in Acts and has nothing to do with diet or pagan rituals. It is a label I wear openly and with gratitude. Indy |
||||||
333 | What is iniquity in Matthew 7:23? | Matt 7:23 | stjones | 75123 | ||
Greg; I just read this passage yesterday and thought of you. Your position is unfathomable to me. "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Romans 7:4-6) This is a fruitless discussion. You choose the law, I choose grace. You believe that all of Christendom is wrong and you are right. I don't. I have no idea what your faith is but it seems unrelated to mine. Consequently, I can't see that you have anything of value to say about mine. Indy |
||||||
334 | Is Depression of the devil? | Matt 9:12 | stjones | 20200 | ||
Greetings; Depression is an illness, sometimes purely psychological, sometiems physical, sometimes both. I would have faith in God while remembering that God might heal through a doctor. Whatever you do, don't be like Job's friends and assume that an affliction is evidence of insufficient faith. Paul's great faith didn't deliver him from the thorn in his side. You didn't specifically ask about demon posession, but you may be interested in an article in Christianity Today entitled "Obsession or Posession?" I think it was the August issue; it is also available online at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/011/1.46.html. I found it balanced between skepticism and faith; you may find it helpful. I hope this is some help. Peach and grace, Steve |
||||||
335 | Once saved, aways saved doctrine refuted | Matt 10:1 | stjones | 54278 | ||
Greetings, Bub; I have to protest your misuse of James 1:25. The "law of liberty" stands in stark contrast to the Mosaic law. See any of Paul's epistles for an explanation of Christian liberty in contrast to the yoke of the Mosaic law. Or see Hebrews 8:6-13 where the writer makes it clear that the New Covenant and the laws it refers to are not the same as the Mosaic law. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
336 | Once saved, aways saved doctrine refuted | Matt 10:1 | stjones | 54317 | ||
Now you've gone too far, Bub; Resorting to Shakespeare! I don't think forum rules allow that. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
337 | Is prophecy dead? | Matt 11:13 | stjones | 110787 | ||
Greetings, charis; Great to hear from you again. I kind of fade in and out myself, but I hope you'll stick around for a while. I've always appreciated your insights. Peace and Grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
338 | Authorized name vs. Unauthorized? | Matt 16:18 | stjones | 52243 | ||
Raven; You have not attended every denominational church across the world (I doubt you've attended mine), so you do not know what is preached in them. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you know nothing about sermons preached in Bolivia in 1983. Your blanket condemnation of things you don't know about says much more about you than it does about the denominations you find so distasteful. Perhaps you could restrict your "strong talk" to things you actually know about. Sadly, I don't think I'd count the use of Scripture among them. You are very good at taking verses out of context and twisting them to your own purpose. In every one of these passages, Paul is writing about heresies that few modern denominations would think of embracing. He is not writing about denominations or the imagined evil of their existence and no linguistic trick can make it so. In my humble judgment, the prideful, narrow exclusivity you promote makes yours one of the most divisive voices on this forum. Satan must revel in your hateful assaults on the faith, character, and intelligence of people whom you should be welcoming as brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus dealt regularly with people who were judgmental, bound up in rules, angry, and insulting. They were called Pharisees. Instead of poring over the book of Acts and Paul's letters in search of passages that you can use to prove your arguments, perhaps you could spend some time in the Gospels and see what kind of people Jesus drew to himself. You might also discover that it was the ones who had all the answers and knew all the rules who crucified him. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones Privileged to be a member of a Presbyterian congregation that supports missionaries in Djibouti, Japan, Kenya, Russia, and Campus Crusade for Christ |
||||||
339 | Authorized name vs. Unauthorized? | Matt 16:18 | stjones | 52257 | ||
Hi, BradK; You said "This Forum is better served by uplifting, encouraging, and edifying dialouge." I agree. You expressed in one sentence what I took several paragraphs to say. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
340 | Authorized name vs. Unauthorized? | Matt 16:18 | stjones | 52316 | ||
Hi, Hank; You and I have held opposing views in some pretty lively "discussions" in the past. We disagreed passionately but respectuflly. It can be done. Tim Moran is my hero in that respect. I'm usually reluctant to point out the plank in another forum member's eye for fear that I may have two that I haven't noticed. But we are called to speak the truth in love, so I occasionally wade in. Besides, aren't we Christians supposed to be known by our love for one another? You're right that there have been many un-loving, judgmental posts lately. The Bible is a large, complex book. It's silly for anyone to think that they have mastered the one true meaning of every word of every passage. In one way, the Bible is like statistics; if you misuse either one - intentionally or not - you can "prove" almost anything you want. It's not always easy to distinguish between spiritual maturity and sheer pig-headedness, at least not for me. As for your "unique" gift, you can see that we share it. Sometimes I think I should stick Proverbs 10:19 on my monitor.... Blessings to you, my friend. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 ] Next > Last [33] >> |