Results 201 - 220 of 248
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: zach† Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 33442 | ||
charis; They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for awhile believe, and in time of temptation FALL away. KJV(Lk. 8:13 Mark 4:16-17) Fall in the above verse is the greek word aphistemi, which means to depart, or apostatize from ones once held profession of faith. In the above verse notice: 1. they hear the word 2. they receive the word with joy 3. But they have no root (this refers merely to the shallowness of their faith, or lack of depth) 4. They believe for awhile 5. Then FALL away (they don’t endure to the end) However they were believers for a time who did become apostates There is an eternal "if" in every consideration of eternal security. IF we walk in the light; IF that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son; IF any man draw back; IF a man abide not in me, he is cast forth; IF a man keep my saying: IF thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off: IF ye do these things, ye shall never fall; IF we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; IF we endure; IF we deny Him, He also will deny us; IF we sin willfully..there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins; IF ye forsake Him, He will forsake you; ye are my friends IF ye do whatsoever I command you; IF ye live after the flesh, ye shall die. proponents who deny that salvation can never be lost, reason on the subject in a marvelous way. They tell us, that no virgin's lamp can go out; (Matt. 25:8) that no promising harvest be chocked with thorns; (Matt. 13:22) no branch in Christ can ever be cut off from fruitfulness; (John 15:6) that no name blotted out of God's book! (Rev. 3:5) They insist that no salt can ever lose its savor; (mat 5:13) salt that loses its saltiness, no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot. Matt. 5:13 that nobody can ever "receive the grace of God in vain"; (2 Cor. 6:1) bury his talents' (Matt. 25:25) "neglect such great salvation"; (Heb. 2:3) "look back" after putting his hand to the plow. (Luke 9:62) That Nobody can "grieve the Spirit" (Eph 4:30) till He is "quenched," (1 Thess. 5:19) nor "deny the Lord that bought them" nor "bring upon themselves swift destruction." 2 Pet. 2:1 That Nobody, or body of believers, can ever get so lukewarm that Jesus will spew them out of His mouth. Rev 3:16 They use reams of paper to argue that if one ever got lost he was never found; that if one falls, he never stood. If one was ever cast forth, he was never in and if one ever withered, (John 15:6) he was never green. And that if one draws back, (Heb 10:38) he never had anything to draw back from. That if one ever falls into spiritual darkness, he was never enlightened; that if you again get entangled in the pollutions of the world, (2 Pet. 2:20-22) it shows that you never escaped. That if you put salvation away, you never had it to put away, and if you make shipwreck of your faith, (1 Tim. 1:19-20) there was no ship of faith there. In short they say: If you get it, you can't lose it: and if you lose it you never had it. May God save us from accepting a doctrine, that must be defended by such fallacious reasoning. (John Wesley) Heb 13:5 he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. God will never just decide to forsake any believer, ever! Yet, the believer may decide to forsake Him. Once a believer has forsaken God He then will give them up to themselves and forsake them. This does not contradict that He will never leave or forsake a believer, rather it affirms that God is not the one who does the forsaking. If we fall from the faith, it doesn’t reflect negatively upon God’s faithfulness, but rather on our unfaithfulness Backslidding, or drifting from the faith (Heb.2:1) can also be Grieving (or saddening) the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). Lukewarmness sets in, Rev 3:15-16… Continued backslidding results in the conscience becoming seared (1 Tim. 4:2) and the heart becoming caloused and hardened (Heb 3:13). Then we quench (1 Thess.5:19) (put out) the Holy Spirit's spark of spiritual life that He began within us. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE OF GOD that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." there is a definite DIFFERENCE between the "LOVE" of God as mentioned in Rom. 8:38,39 and the "LIFE" of God, according to Scripture! This is easily proven by noting that UNSAVED people are LOVED by God, even though they are devoid of His LIFE! A clear case in point is the rich, young ruler who was certainly UNSAVED, yet LOVED by Jesus (Mk.10:21)! |
||||||
202 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 33446 | ||
Robert; Sorry I took so long to respond, but I have been super busy, and will at this time only give one short comment for your consideration. Security for branches depends on their remaining connected to the vine. Read John 15:1-6 |
||||||
203 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 33448 | ||
Robert; I appreciate your comments and will post some scripture for you to think about and possibly comment on. The same Saviour who said, "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish" (Jn. 10:28) also said, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." (Lk. 13:23-24) The same apostle Peter who said, "In his great mercy he has given us new birth . . . into an inheritance that can never perish" (1 Pet. 1:3-4) also said "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10) Paul who said nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39) also said, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Cor. 9:27) |
||||||
204 | 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 |
||||||
205 | 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 |
||||||
206 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 34739 | ||
dear brother charis; I was just getting caught up on some of the many responses I have received, and couldn't remember if I had sent the following article your way for consideration on this topic or not. If I haven't I would appreciate your comments on it. If I have or if you have previously read this account please forgive me and ignore it. So here goes: Denying Christ: Has Bradley Lost His Faith? "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?" Who is this--David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs? 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 HAD 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 has decided, for political reasons, to renounce it publicly. Now, since I believe that a person once saved is always saved, I have to conclude that either Bradley was not truthful in his earlier testimony, or that this is purely a political move--that deep down, Bill Bradley does know the truth. 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. It's a cautionary tale, as well, as to what the political system does to candidates. It does seem to reward politicians for turning their backs on unfashionable commitments, like Christian faith or pro-life positions. 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." -------------------------------------------------- So how do we explain a senario like this, and other like senarios of other individuals? Your comments will be highly regarded In Christ zach† |
||||||
207 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 34757 | ||
CDBJ; Ok but how do account for the fact that, HERE WAS A MAN WHO WAS CONVERTING OTHERS TO CHRIST? In Christ zach† |
||||||
208 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 37140 | ||
Dear Robert; I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, but because of the length of some of your replys it took me awhile to fully look over them. I will just select one comment of yours from this reply and make a short rebuttal concerning it. In your reply you stated: "Christians can and will be deceived by false teachers and yet even though they have fallen, they are still part of the family of God." First off concerning the term "fallen" which to me is not the same as falling away. The first is remedial and the second is final and unremedial. So we first have to distinguish exact terms to better understand each other. Let me post the following comment, while it is not Scripture I still believe the thoughts in it are Scriptura,l for those like myself who believe Scripture states that one can depart totally from the faith he/she previously held. I have listened many times to an explanation of eternal security based upon the analogy of sonship. "My child is born into my family and he will always be my child. He cannot be unborn. Whether obedient or disobedient, he will always be my child." This reasoning avoids the central issue. The question is not whether a child can be "unborn" but whether it can sicken and die. Doctors do not admonish parents about the dangers of their child being "unborn" but rather about proper care of the child to keep it from dying. In fact if the baby is not fed it will soon die. In the same way, Jesus said, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53 Grace and peace be multiplied unto thee; zach† |
||||||
209 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 37384 | ||
brother Robert; Thank you for your reply, and while we can both disagree on this subject, yet have mutual respect for each other. And of course I am not the final authority on what scripture truly means. I have just one comment on your reply. You quoted; "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1Peter 3:5) And because that is found in scripture I would be foolish to diasgree with it. But at the same time the following verse comes to my mind; Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. So I see between these two verses; The one you quoted and the one I posted a "being kept" and a "keep yourselves" So how do I reconcile the two verses? Thats easy for me. I see the "being kept" and the "keep yourselves" as the abiding. He in us, and we in Him. We have a relationship with the Lord Jesus, and relationships take two willing partners to continue. I would post more on this but at this time I will remain brief rather than overbearing on this topic. Grace and peace be multiplied unto thee. zach† |
||||||
210 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | zach† | 37464 | ||
Robert; To what you posted I say AMEN Keep abiding in Him zach† |
||||||
211 | those who live godly will be persecuted | 2 Tim 3:12 | zach† | 36352 | ||
2 Tim. 3:12 says; "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." From the above verse, my question is: Does the fear of persceution, keep us from living a more godly life? The promise in the verse is not might be persecuted, but rather "will be persecuted" Your thoughts please Grace be with you zach† |
||||||
212 | those who live godly will be persecuted | 2 Tim 3:12 | zach† | 36418 | ||
Robert; Thank you for this excellent answer. I believe you have truly given me some food for thought. I too have wimped out in the past. God richly bless and keep thee zach† |
||||||
213 | those who live godly will be persecuted | 2 Tim 3:12 | zach† | 36419 | ||
Love Fountain Thank you for this great answer and the verses especially Mark 4:17. This is excellent God richly bless thee zach† |
||||||
214 | those who live godly will be persecuted | 2 Tim 3:12 | zach† | 36448 | ||
Brother Tim; Thank-you for the sightful look at this topic, and also for the scripture you gave to shed more light on it. God richly bless thee zach† |
||||||
215 | can you lose your salvation | Hebrews | zach† | 33245 | ||
yes. Salvation is a free gift and like any gift it can be returned when you no longer desire to have it. | ||||||
216 | Loss of Salvation? | Hebrews | zach† | 33247 | ||
Those mentioned in Heb. 6:4-6 were converts to Christianity from Judiaism. Nevertheless they were Christian's. And now because of persceution, were about to deapart from the Christian faith and return to Judiaism. And therefore were in danger of losing their salvation by becoming apostates | ||||||
217 | Hebrews 11:32 Who was sawed in two? | Hebrews | zach† | 33250 | ||
I once read that it was Isaiah the OT prophet, but thats only a possibility, Maybe some others were also. | ||||||
218 | can you lose your salvation | Hebrews | zach† | 33423 | ||
Hank: A good place to start would be Rom. 11:21-22 for if God did not spare the natural branches, (meaning Israel) neither will He spare you. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those (Israelites) who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, IF YOU CONTINUE in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. |
||||||
219 | 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) |
||||||
220 | 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 |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ] Next > Last [13] >> |