Results 201 - 220 of 248
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: zach† Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Hebrews 6:4 | Heb 6:4 | zach† | 34288 | ||
The following is a testimony of former-Senator, and pro basketball player Bill Bradley. "I've made my choice," wrote the young basketball star. "I love Jesus Christ and I try to serve Him to the best of my ability. How about you?" It may surprise you to learn the tract was written 30 years ago by former Senator Bill Bradley. Bradley has since renounced his Christian beliefs,and his actions are a warning of the perils of political expediency--and of not holding our fellow believers accountable. The pamphlet, titled "I've Made My Choice," was published in the 1960s by the American Tract Society when Bradley was a rookie with the New York Knicks. In it, Bradley recounts how he accepted Christ while a student at Princeton. "I knew I had been giving my life to the wrong goals," he wrote. "I knew then that I wanted to give my life to Jesus Christ and His service." Not anymore, it appears. In his 1996 memoirs, Bradley says he was put off by the exclusive truth claims of fundamentalist Christianity. He was also bothered by the uncharitable attitudes and racism displayed by some Christians. Bradley now disavows his Christian beliefs and,according to "Investor's Business Daily," says he "now embraces all religions" from Buddhism to Islam, so long as they seek "inner peace." These are chilling words from a man who was once very active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. It appears that he has either renounced his faith entirely--or he decided, for political reasons, to renounce it publicly. Bradley's story is a cautionary tale, not just for Christians who go into politics, but for all of us. Here was a man who was converting others to Christ, and somewhere along the line, he got off the rails. It's a warning that we need to constantly keep ourselves fresh in the faith, to attend discipleship classes, and to hold one another accountable. As for Bradley, I hope and pray he will to reconsider the words that he himself wrote in that long-ago tract: "The choice is simple. It is between the eternal and the passing, between the strong and the weak . . . between Jesus Christ and the world." In Christ zach† |
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202 | Hebrews 6:4 | Heb 6:4 | zach† | 34286 | ||
CDBJ; Just thought I would pass along this note concerning the word "if" in Heb. 6:6 there is no conditional participle present in the Greek text to support any claims that the word “if” in Heb. 6:6 was in the original text. The writer in Hebrews simply says to us …. kai parapesontas – “and they have fallen away” (second aorist active participle). The Greek conjunction “kai” usually means “and” has an adversative force here, meaning and yet. The writer is saying “they had all these blessings and yet in spite of all this, they have still fallen away” (A.T. Robertson) In Christ zach† |
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203 | Hebrews 6:4 | Heb 6:4 | zach† | 34285 | ||
Lionstrong; In your post you stated: "this passage cannot be talking about a true believer" and you also stated; "The label attached to my theological persuasion is Reformed" While I personally don't claim to be of either the Reformed or Remonstrant persuasion , many will label me as being slanted toward one persuasion more than the other. However the label I prefer is Christian... a follower of Christ. Having said that, I will appeal to you from the words of a famous Reformed preacher and as to whether he thought those mentioned in Heb 6 were true Christian's even though he still maintained his "Eternal Security" position. Charles H.Spurgeon on Heb. 6:4-6 (Are those mentioned true and real Christian's) "We come to this passage (Hebrews 6:4-6) ourselves with the intention to read it with the simplicity of a child, and whatever we find therein to state it;and if It may not seem to agree with something we have hitherto held, we are prepared to cast away every doctrine of our own, rather than one passage of scripture." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "A child reading this passage, would say, that the persons intended by it must be Christians. If the Holy Spirit intended to describe Christians, I do not see that he could have used more explicit terms than there are here. How can a man be said to be enlightened, and to taste of the heavenly gift, and to be made partaker of the Holy Ghost, without being a child of I think that I shall be able to show that none but true believers are here described. First, they are spoken of as having been once enlightened, This refers to the enlightening influence of God's Spirit .... I cannot consider a man truly enlightened unless he is a child of God. The next thing that God grants to us is a taste of the heavenly gift, by which we understand, the heavenly gift of salvation. We cannot think that the Holy Spirit would describe an unregenerate man as having been enlightened, and as having tasted of the heavenly gift, No, my brethren, If I have tasted of the heavenly gift, I am one of his. No man can be a partaker of the Holy Ghost, and yet be unregenerate. Further..... they have tasted the good word of God .... I say again, if these people be not believers-who are? They had received the powers of the world to come.... powers with which the Holy Ghost endows a Christian. These, we say, whatever may be the meaning of the text, must have been, beyond a doubt, none other than true and real Christians" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) God richly bless you as you daily spend time with Him in His word In Christ zach† |
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204 | what does this mean, is there no hope? | Heb 6:4 | zach† | 34062 | ||
kalo; Thank you for responding to the note which I delivered to you. I notice that you replied with a explanation from John McArthur, which I have previously read. It is my contention that McArthur along with those of the Reformed faith must define Heb. 6:4-5 to fit their doctrine of Perseverance of the faith. I know I sent you some comments on this much debated scripture from Spurgeon, who himself was a Calvinist, and who also believed in Perseverance of the saints, however it is also my contention that even though Spurgeon seemingly believed that those mentioned in Heb 6 were true Christian's, later on he contradicts his initial thoughts as he so often did in other commentaries as well. No matter what the Holy Spirit was trying to reveal to him about the text, the final authority for him, as others like McArthur became Calvinism. Remove Calvinism, Arminianism and all other ism's and then we begin to see Scripture through the Holy Spirit's teaching. That is not to say McArthur and others were not led in their understanding of Scripture by the Holy Spirit, but in this text they have tried to make Calvinism the authoritive teaching. Heb. 6:6 is especially clear when it states: "and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again." the word "renew" here is anakainosis - meaning COMPLETE change for the better the term "fall away" indicates that they fell away from the faith. I contend that you cannot fall from a cliff without first being on a cliff, as you cannot fall from the faith without first being in the faith. see 1 Tim 4:1 also Thank you agian for your time God richly bless you as you spend time with Him in His word zach |
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205 | what does this mean, is there no hope? | Heb 6:4 | zach† | 33986 | ||
kalos; I am new to this forum and was checking over some past debates and thought that if appropriate I would revive this thread by adding a few comments concerning Heb. 6:4-6 I found from Charles Spurgeon. Also I have enjoyed reading other posts of yours :) Having said that I will now post the comments of Spurgeon I mentioned. Spurgeon on Heb. 6:4-6 (Those mentioned are true and real Christian's) "We come to this passage (Hebrews 6:4-6) ourselves with the intention to read it with the simplicity of a child, and whatever we find therein to state it; and if It may not seem to agree with something we have hitherto held, we are prepared to cast away every doctrine of our own, rather than one passage of scripture." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "a child reading this passage, would say, that the persons intended by it must be Christians. If the Holy Spirit intended to describe Christians, I do not see that he could have used more explicit terms than there are here." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "How can a man be said to be enlightened, and to taste of the heavenly gift, and to be made partaker of the Holy Ghost, without being a child of God?" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "I think that I shall be able to show that none but true believers are here described." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "First, they are spoken of as having been once enlightened, This refers to the enlightening influence of God's Spirit .... I cannot consider a man truly enlightened unless he is a child of God." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "the next thing that God grants to us is a taste of the heavenly gift, by which we understand, the heavenly gift of salvation." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "we cannot think that the Holy Spirit would describe an unregenerate man as having been enlightened, and as having tasted of the heavenly gift, No, my brethren, If I have tasted of the heavenly gift, I am one of his." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "no man can be a partaker of the Holy Ghost, and yet be unregenerate." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) 'further..... they have tasted the good word of God .... I say again, if these people be not believers-who are?" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "They had received the powers of the world to come.... powers with which the Holy Ghost endows a Christian." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) "These, we say, whatever may be the meaning of the text, must have been, beyond a doubt, none other than true and real Christians" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon) |
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206 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33937 | ||
excellent point kin In Christ zach |
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207 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | zach† | 33936 | ||
Curt: Carefully Re-read John 15:2 and you will see that it says "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit" But nevertheless even though they were "cut off," they were still said to be "in him" That part of this text is over-looked by most. In Christ zach |
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208 | baptismal regeneration? | John 3:3 | zach† | 33935 | ||
Emmaus: You are entitled to your intrepretation of John 3:5 and other verses you posted however, I do not think that "born of water" in John 3 :5 refers to baptism. Nowhere is baptism referred to here or implied. This passage talks about a birth, not a baptism. And we know that we can play no role in our birth either physically or spiritually. A corpse cannot birth itself by any act or ritual. Birth or being born "is from above" So to say that spiritual life comes by us submitting to an earthly element such as water is to mis-construe the correct meaning of John 3 In Christ zach |
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209 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | zach† | 33934 | ||
Robert; you stated: "To suggest that we can lose our salvation goes against the promise of the Lord Jesus "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16 " To believe is a continual act, and is active, not passive. Also the word believe is a verb, which denotes continual maintenance. In Christ zach |
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210 | baptismal regeneration? | John 3:3 | zach† | 33933 | ||
Emmaus; I just posted my profile which will show your observations are not accurate Love in Christ zach |
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211 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 33932 | ||
Tim; Thank you brother, and I fully agree with your response. Thank you for all the supportive scripture also. Let me add that John 15:2,6 is also very good scripture to use concerning this sensitive subject. John 15:2,6 talks about those "in him" who do not continue to "abide" (meaning remain in him) that they will be cut off, become withered and dry, gathered and cast into the fire. God bless you in your service of Him In Christ zach |
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212 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33929 | ||
charis; I have enjoyed your well thought out responses to my questions and notes, and i think we pretty much think the same on this issue even though our wording and understanding differs somewhat. I too believe salvation is personal to each individual. I believe that God, and not man inititates salvation, that He is the author, and also the finisher of salvation. As concerning the sanctification process which you briefly mentioned, I think that is a topic not dicussed in detail as often as it should be. When I mention salvation, I see salvation as an umbrella under which are justification, sanctification (both initial, and ongoing), and also glorification. I think that in order to properly understand salvation, which is a broad term, one must first have a good working knowledge of the terms I justy mentioned, and if I read you correctly, I believe that you do. Let me give you my basic definition of these 3 terms: Salvation is in 3 tenses Justification-we have been saved (past tense) from the penalty of sin. Sanctification- we are being saved (present tense) from the power of sin Glorification - we yet shall be saved (future tense) from the presence of sin sanctification is not merely activism in the sense that everything depends on me, neither is sanctification merely passivism, meaning just let God do it for me. But true Bibical sanctification is us co-operating with the Holy Spirit as He works with us and allowing Him to work through us. Sanctification becomes a quality of life through a two-way relationship: the believer in Christ, and Christ in the believer: The Holy Spirit working in us as we co-operate with Him (Sanctification is not passive) Justification is by faith, Sanctification is by faithfulness. Justification is for the repentant sinner. Sanctification is for the surrendered disciple. Glorification is for the victorious saint. Justification takes care of the past. Sanctification takes care of the present. Glorification takes care of the future. Yours in Christ zach |
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213 | Practical definition of 'forsake?' | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33927 | ||
charis; I apreciate you reply; Let me answer a few of your questions to me as best I can. To me "forsake" means to turn our backs to something. Forsaking in my understanding of it is something that happens over a long period of time. With the individual, it begins with "grieving or making sad the Holy Spirit through our sins. To continue sinning which is called "willfully sinning" Heb 10:26 results in several things taking place. First we begin on a path in which we are drifting from the faith. Secondly; our hearts are becoming hardened. Thirdly; If we continue in this path there comes a time when our consciences becomes seared, and then the final step in this process is departing from the faith which can also be called apostasy. And that time we have "Quenched the Holy Spirit" To "Quench" means to extinguish or put out the spark of spiritual life which we began with. How much time it actually takes for this full process to reach maturity, I cannot say. It is a process that takes time. But let me finish by saying: God is not the one who forsakes us, rather it is we who forsake Him. God is faithful, and keeps His covenants and promises, yet man has shown that he often can be unfaithful and a covenant breaker. We need to daily "abide" submit ourselves unto Him" and "yield" ourselves to His molding process, so we can be clean vessels for the Master's use. But this too is a daily process. In Christ; zach |
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214 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33924 | ||
ank; So basically your saying God is the conductor on the train which leads to hell. Is that correct? |
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215 | What is Free Will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33923 | ||
Lionstrong; Rather than give a definition for what I think "free will" is, I would rather just basically say that God does not create us to be robot's. | ||||||
216 | What is Free Will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33922 | ||
Curt Thank you, and I agree with that In Christ zach |
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217 | What is the best version of the Bible? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33567 | ||
WHICH BIBLE VERSION The story is told of four ministers discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases. Eventually each stated which version, in his opinion, is the best. The first minister said he used the King James because the Old English style is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. The second said he preferred the New American Standard Bible because he felt it comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third minister said his favorite was the paraphrased Living Bible because his congregation was young, and it related to them in a practical way. All three men waited while the fourth minister sat silently. Finally he said, "I guess when it comes to translations and paraphrased editions of the Bible, I like my Dad's translation best. He put the Word of God into practice every day. It was the most convincing translation I've ever seen." . |
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218 | do we have any free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33566 | ||
Kin; Scripture says: God will never leave us or forsake us. And you can believe that is true. The other side of the coin is, we can forsake Him. The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chr. 15:2) and other verses as well. |
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219 | Is God responsible for evil? | Bible general Archive 1 | zach† | 33564 | ||
James 1:13 ¶ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: | ||||||
220 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 33516 | ||
Robert; Thank-you for your response. I totally agree with your post. Another good verse is: Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Cor. 13:5 Christian's will desire to examine theirselves to see what evidence there is of saving faith and salvation. I don't think this is a once for all time done examining process, but we should desire to continually examine and test our profession. Thank you again Robert |
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