Results 201 - 220 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Does that make it clearer? | Mark 10:30 | Aixen7z4 | 96734 | ||
ma maison est votre maison la mia casa è la vostra casa mijn huis is uw huis Spread the word. |
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202 | What did the disciples understand? | Mark 10:30 | Aixen7z4 | 96737 | ||
Talk about surprises! I agree with you. Like you, I would hate to think that I had given every cent I have to the poor and they didn’t understand the message of Christ. But CDBJ, we are not talking about doing that. We are talking about the fact Jesus promised to give believers these things. You may have decided to not preach that part of Jesus' message to people who do not know him. (In context, Jesus was talking to those who had already believed). But when they do come to know him they may read that and they may ask us what it means. That is what happened. What do we tell them? I hope we will tell them, "Mi casa es su casa. My house is your house". As we have opportunity, we should do good to all men, especially to those who are of the household of faith. With them, we should practice hospitality and other forms of sharing. So being affectionately desirous of them, let us be willing to impart unto them, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because they are dear unto us. We do not need bleeding hearts, but we do need soft hearts. So be kind one to another, tenderhearted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. We will be helping to fulfil his promises as well. If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. |
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203 | Natural man understanding truth? | Mark 12:34 | Aixen7z4 | 104447 | ||
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the words that we speak, from the word of God, they are spirit, and they are life. The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. |
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204 | Natural man understanding truth? | Mark 12:34 | Aixen7z4 | 104467 | ||
You caught me again, Ray, and now I think I will never get this capitalization thing down pat. I do not even think of it when I am responding to others. In this case I was cutting and pasting and it did not occur to me to change the form of the words. But I agree. It is the Spirit who gives life. He brings us to life and makes us able to respond to the Gospel. If we do not respond to the Gospel, then we die the second death. My point to Huron was that when we are unsaved we are indeed dead in sin. However, that is not a problem to God. He brings us to life and renders us capable of responding. It is not a matter that a man who is dead in sin is nevertheless close to understanding about God? There is no such thing as being almost a child of God. You are either alive or dead. However, the Holy Spirit is able to awaken us to our responsibility toward God, to the need for repentance, and while under His influence we can respond. Without Him we are not able. Every person is near to the kingdom of God. We need to be awakened to that fact. One might wonder why Jesus said those words to that man. Was he near to the kingdom while others were far. There is a song we sing that says, “I’ve wandered far away from God”. Was that man nearer to the kingdom than others? I think that Jesus said that to him because he was asking about it. But it is Acts 17:30 that tells us specifically that God is not far from “any one of us”. I trust that Huron will be able to use some of these verses when he talks again with that particular person, or any others like them. If what we say here is true, then the Holy Spirit will bring them to life. |
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205 | Would you? | Mark 16:15 | Aixen7z4 | 121601 | ||
What I will be doing is to monitor this site for cases where people are asking questions about the way of salvation and try to answer them. It is apparent that some people are led to this site with the hope that someone will show them how to be saved. We must try to help them. There are other times when people give the impression that they hope to be saved by works or by knowing as much of the Bible as possible. We must show them the straight and simple way to Christ. We know what the Gospel is. Though some may want to study it or debate it or exegete it, we have learned to simply quote it. We believe that the word is alive and has its own power (Hebrews 4:12). The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The facts of the Gospel are that we are sinners, that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). We believe that the proper response to the Gospel is repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). We must tell people these things and help them to do it. We need to avoid discussions such as our responsibility versus that of the Holy Spirit, etc., which are academic and distracting from the business of leading people to Christ. We have to look out for distractions, even the ones where they interrupt to tell you what a good job you are doing and next thing you know we are slapping each other on the back and forgetting that poor soul who asked the question. This is what I plan to do, so you can think again if you want to join me in this. If some of us look for that opportunity and keep that goal in mind, it can be done. And it's got to be done. The world is dying in sin while we study and discuss the minutiae of the word. No one is trying to take over this forum or to change its purpose. But we are seeking an opportunity to give the Gospel when it is so indicated. It is what I do when I visit a church. I do not expect to change the church, and I do not try, but I carry the Gospel in my heart and I my pocket, and I appreciate an opportunity to share it privately without interruption. Of course, if others want to listen that is fine, and if they want to help, it is super. But too often there are those who want to turn every conversation into an intellectual exercise. We have to look our for that and work around it. It is my prayer that the Lord will give us wisdom to make it happen. But all should understand the purpose. |
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206 | Would you do it anyway? | Mark 16:15 | Aixen7z4 | 121602 | ||
My dear friend, you are a wise man and a scholar. If you do not know the answer to that question, then I dare not try to answer it. I would simply say, as you see, that some of us feel called to give the Gospel everywhere we go, in spite of distractions, interruptions, and oppositions. As to who will say and do what, I will say either it is evident or it remains to be seen. | ||||||
207 | Would you? | Mark 16:15 | Aixen7z4 | 121634 | ||
Hi Angel: When I saw your note I checked to see how you have been here. I suppose it is difficult for you to understand what has happened before that time. Nevertheless, you seem to be answering some of your own questions. You wonder if any posts are censured. But now ask yourself why the following note has been posted below: It says, "Note to viewers: This thread has been temporarily restricted from appearing on the homepage…". Do you know why it is there? If you do, then that is fine. The important question is: Would you like to see it there if you are presenting the Gospel to someone? You say, “No one can indoctrinate into their personal congregation. No one can present anti-Christian arguments. No one can introduce any of the topics rejected by the Forum”. But only experience can teach you what these things mean and how the rules are enforced. I suggest that it is not good to pursue this discussion further. But I will simply say I am bothered by the way the simple, the uneducated, and the non-Christian are treated here. I read that few unsaved people come here. I wonder if people who are not saved are encouraged to be here and to ask the questions that might lead to their salvation. I wonder if you see in this very thread, the suggestion that the Gospel not be presented here. You say, “In this forum … I preach the Gospel--I do not try to make it into a sermon”, and I am not sure what you are saying. Are you saying that you present the Gospel but keep it short; a sermonette as opposed to a sermon? Anyways, I would encourage you to continue to try to present the Gospel. Try also to suggest practical applications for the word we are studying. If you do, and I hope you do, then be prepared to dodge the obstacles. |
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208 | Is baptism for salvation? (Mark 16:16) | Mark 16:16 | Aixen7z4 | 99947 | ||
It is true. Look it up and you will find a long conversation, accusations, different opinions, and no agreement. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could come to a place like this and find an authoritative answer? Different verses seem to say different things. It would be nice if someone could give a comprehensive answer that takes all those verses into account, explaining them without explaining any of them away. But that means digging deep. And to dig deep means you have to leave family and denomination and even friends behind. Ask any miner. But that is hard to do, and it takes time. It’s taken me a long time to come to the conclusion that baptism should be embraced by anyone claiming faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to do it because his Lord did it. He wants to do it whether or not it is a part of the salvation plan. He figures (not to place a pun on the 1 Peter 3 passage) that it goes well with his profession of repentance. He has decided to give up his way for God's way. Now, if the Lord wants it, that is all that matters. Baptism is usually done when a person is newly saved. He realizes that there are so many things he does not understand. He is leading with his heart, if you will, not his head. He is trusting and not feeling; not intellectualizing either. If Jesus says do it, he’ll do it. If he refuses to do it, that is a bad sign. It does not bespeak a good conscience toward God. It is not something to debate about, he says, it something to be done, as soon as possible, because the Lord he loves desires it. There’s more to it, I’m sure, but it does take time to say it, and right now I do not have it because the next appointment calls. But if you need to be baptized, if you are saved, I trust you will have done it by the time that I get back. |
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209 | Is baptism for salvation? (Mark 16:16) | Mark 16:16 | Aixen7z4 | 99994 | ||
Brother Hank: I think it is not envy that you feel, but regret, that such beautiful language has to be describing such an unbeautiful thing. I think you would rather wear your own hammer out on the anvil of the word, in concert with some others, hammering out the truth, the last bare bit of it, to those who need it in small pieces, not to digest it, for that would be to mix the metaphor, but to be able to handle it aright. Am I not telling the truth? I think that “sawing sawdust” is equally elegant in phraseology, and may describe an activity that you do not admire. Perhaps something better could be done with the sawdust, again to make it easier for some dear soul to handle. As it is, the ones with the best phrases use them to compete and to oppose. It leaves room for those who cannot even handle the language to their own comfort to come on and try to teach. The people do not know the difference between teacher and learner now. They think we are all looking for answers (and some will say we should accept that) and so everybody offers them. Now what you get is what you see. There are people on this forum who have obviously learned a lot and could very well teach us with some measure of authority. They could put their heads together, dig a little deeper, learn from each other, and tell the rest of us the truth. People could express their opinions, no doubt, and they should ask questions. But at some point we should arrive at the answer. Don’t you agree? Or perhaps there are those who prefer to think we should not have final answers. We should be ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth? Take the present subject of baptism. Is it necessary for salvation? I imagine the person who is asking the question really needs an answer. Or maybe they need many different answers and can then figure out the truth for themselves. If that is the case, I wish we could leave the last space in the thread for them so they can tell us what they have learned. I think some people try to do that, but the case does not rest there. The opinions continue, the threads untangle again, and future visitors have much reason to be confused. Somebody must like it this way. Some say they learn from debating. I just wonder why the Lord does not expressly encourage this. (Does he?) And why is it not exemplified and commended in Scripture. And what is the record we are leaving here? You do not enjoy thumbing through it. You find it frustrating and depressing. You have the sense that it is guiding few searchers for truth to truth. Now, the truth is that baptism is very important. So much so, it might be said that those who would refuse it are casting doubt on their salvation. Isn’t that the truth? Can we build on that by adding to it? No one has shown, or tried to show, that physical water accomplishes salvation. Yet we may get that impression. Can we clarify that so that the notion goes away? There is some ground where the ceremony of baptism (if you will) is given its rightful place of importance so that believers are not tempted to minimize it or refuse it. I dare say even the mode of administration can be clarified if we put our minds to it. The people with the beautiful phrases are obviously good men with good will. They can put aside their biases here and accept truth when the see it. This is a good place. After all, we can be here anonymously, and even the risk of ostracism from our group can be minimized, until we learn to minimize or extinguish the importance of those denominational divisions. We can answer these questions. But we must seek to do so while endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. |
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210 | Is baptism for salvation? (Mark 16:16) | Mark 16:16 | Aixen7z4 | 99997 | ||
Brother Emmaus: There is some comfort for you in having that authoritative voice in the Catholic church. But you also wish it could be true for all of us together, in the catholic body, on this forum. Is that not true? Is it not possible? All of the verses you quoted are in all of our Bibles. And there are others as well. I therefore beseech you that we be all reconciled, to God. Maybe we can, in a place like this. | ||||||
211 | Is baptism for salvation? (Mark 16:16) | Mark 16:16 | Aixen7z4 | 111173 | ||
My dear friend: There are some who have made diligent search of the word of God and have come to the conclusion that a person is saved the instant they put their faith in the Lord. Others believe a person is not saved until he dies and has kept the faith. Some believe that faith must be proved in an act of obedience such as baptism. What is interesting is the fact that all of these ideas seem to emanate from the Bible. Some people seem to have found them out themselves, while others are heavily influenced by the teachings of others. Nevertheless, there are those who hold their teachings very strongly and would seek to convince others of the correctness of their beliefs. This writer believes that these differences should alert us to the fact that each of us might be partly wrong. Likely, none of us is completely wrong, because we do have the word of God (Psalm 119:98) but we each have a part of the truth (John 17:17). Even this paragraph contains only a part of the truth, because there are other passages that shed light on each point. For lack of space and time they cannot all be referenced. And if they were, you’d find that there are differences among them. The differences, and the ones among us, should send us back to the Lord and to his word (Psalm 43:3), not back to our old opinions. The thoughts of the Lord are very deep (Psalm 92:5) and we might want to dig deeper for them (Job 28). That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? (Ecclesiastes 7:24). The thoughts of the Lord are high as well (Isaiah 55:9), and we might want to reach for them (Deuteronomy 30:12). We might be discouraged with our limited understandings (Romans 11:34). But we should look up instead (as in Micah 4:2). The Lord will speak to his people, and he will bring peace to them (Psalm 85:8) and among them (Psalm 133). We ought to listen (James 1:19). I think we do wrong to take sides and to debate these things among ourselves, for God has called us to unity and to speaking the same things (1 Corinthians 1:10). We ought to be humble and to try to see what our brother sees in the passages he references. It is all the word of God and we should accept it all (Proverbs 30:5). Meanwhile, we should realize that the word of God is not an academic subject (1 Corinthians 8:1). It is to be obeyed (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Now, if we repent, because he demands it (Acts 17:30), if we believe, because he asks us to (John 6:40), and if we are baptized, because he requires it (Matthew 3:15), what cause do we have we to debate these things, or even to disagree? We should go on, I think, to provoke one another to love and to Good works. |
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212 | So what's with the religious leaders? | Luke 4:28 | Aixen7z4 | 121163 | ||
Let us clear our eyes now, and take another look at Jesus. He did not come to judge the world He did not come to blame He came to this old world to seek And it was to save that he came That little chorus may have been based on John 3:17. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, “Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”. And there are present in this season some who tell of the homosexuals, whose blood has been mingled with AIDS. And Jesus answering says unto them, "Suppose ye that these homosexuals are sinners above all the Californians, because they suffer such things? I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. Or those unwed mothers, upon whom the tower of poverty falls, and keeps them down, think you that they are sinners above all women that dwell in the hood? I tell you, No: but, except you repent, you shall all likewise perish". Ah! Let us not sully the reputation of that holy One, or make him out to be like Tom. He said, in John 8:15, “Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man”. Let us not think of him as the Accuser. Someone else is. Let us not think of him as judge now; that is for a future day (Acts 17:31). Let us call him Savior. When we call him Savior When we call him Savior When we call him Savior Then, we call him by his name. The Savior says, in John 12:47, "If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world". Amen. |
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213 | Church curses??? | Luke 9:55 | Aixen7z4 | 98101 | ||
Most churches take the proper stance on moral issues. I do believe that the church as a whole is responding correctly to these questions. This is one area in which the Roman Catholics seem to have the dorrect stance. As I understand it, they do not curse the people who practice or promote those things, but they declare that they are wrong, and state that no person who practices those things has good standing in the church. If your pastor prays "that God would judge them and graciously protect all those on whom they prey" he is on the right track. The church should understand, however, that they will not change the behavior of people outside the church. They have enough difficulty helping those who belong in the church. The church is light and salt in the earth and they do affect the world for good. But they do that by being there, and by shining for the world to see. Again, they are not to curse anyone. The church is the pillar and ground of truth, and it holds out God's standards to the world. Hopefully, the world will know right an wrong by simply looking at them. But the church is also to preach the Gospel. In preaching the Gospel they must let all men know that they are sinners. But they need not point out specific sins, it is the sinful nature in all of us that we address. We must tell the world that the Lord requires repentance. But again, they are to repent of sin in toto and not of individual sins. God has promised to judge those who refuse to repent (See Acts 17:30,31). We hardly need to pray for that. |
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214 | Jesus wept !... did Jesus ever laugh? | Luke 10:21 | Aixen7z4 | 147434 | ||
Hello Doc: It was mentioned, you know, two paragraphs from the end: "The Psalmist (Psalm 2) says that God will laugh later. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh at those who take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed". It seems, when we combine that with more of scripture, that it will be more of chuckle at their arrogance and less than a hearty laugh of pleasure. The message came: "‘As I live’, saith the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live’" (Ezekiel 33). But turning to Jesus again, It does seem that his life expressed both sorrow and joy. He was not as austere as John the Baptist. “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew 11). He had a balanced life, but was apparently not known for giddy laughter. We should try to be like him, I think, and not try too hard to imagine that he was the average one of us. |
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215 | Pattern of words? | Luke 11:13 | Aixen7z4 | 147829 | ||
It is my understanding that the Holy Spirit is the active agent in our lives. He is not a thing, but a person, one of the three that are known to us as God. He lives within us. He fills us, by himself, with himself, with what we need for our spiritual life, and for each spiritual task. Our job is to allow him to fill us and to use us. As he moves us, we are to let him have his way. So, we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts (Colossians 3:15) and let the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16) and let the brother of low degree rejoice (James 1:9). So “Be filled with the Spirit” means “Let the Spirit (Let God the Holy Spirit) fill you”. He wants to fill us repeatedly and often so that the thing he fills us with becomes a spirit and a characteristic in our lives, be it power, love, or what not. We need these things first to be the people of God and then to be known and to function as such. Meanwhile, it is God who is working in us both to will and to do these things (Philippians 2:13). |
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216 | Pattern of words? | Luke 11:13 | Aixen7z4 | 147876 | ||
Brother ray: I do believe it is context and not capitalization that enables us to understand what the Lord is saying to us in his word. I do believe you understand that I am addressing you here, and not a ray of light. Nor did I make a typo. I do feel free to ignore the rules made by man, except when they are helpful, as in communication. It is clear to me that we miss the point when we put an individual word under the microscope and lose sight of the other words around it, that give it meaning. We need to read the entire passage, and other passages on the same subject in other parts of the word of God. The Holy Spirit is a person, and he inhabits our bodies and fills us from time to time when he wants and as we are available. There are some who believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is not a person at all, but a certain influence. They may be happy to see the term “holy spirit” because the lack of capitals would support the idea that he is not a person. Those of us who believe he is a person may struggle with the idea that he can inhabit our bodies or fill our minds. We may wonder at the fact one person can inhabit another, but that is the way it is. “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). “the Spirit of truth … he dwells with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17)”. We are indwelt not only by the Holy Spirit, but also by the Father and the Son. Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). This is a mystery. Even the mystery which had been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:26,27). But it is the truth. What we have within us is not an idea or an influence, but a person. We cannot tell by capitalization. Different translations do and do not capitalize those words. I imagine that the New World Translation would have “the holy spirit” everywhere. But all of Scripture assures us it is hot holy spirit that we have but the Holy Spirit. He indwells us and fills us himself. But language is funny, isn’t it? When Jesus said, “It is I” (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50; Luke 24:39; John 6:20) he was not indicating that he was other than a person. It’s just the way that language works. Words are important, but only as they serve to convey meaning. We should not worry about individual words but accept them in their context and understand the ideas and concepts they were meant to convey. The Holy Spirit is the one who directed the writing of the Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21, etc.), and though he is not the main subject (Jesus is (John 5:39)) he does reveal some things about himself (Genesis 1:2, etc.). He is God (Genesis 1; Acts 5: 3,4, etc.). He indwells us (1 Corinthians 3:16, etc.). He fills us (Luke 1, Acts 2, Ephesians 3). He helps us to understand God’s word (1 Corinthians 2:10, etc.). He enables us to do God’s will (Zechariah 4:6). And I trust he is the one reminding me of these things and directing me to write this (Matthew 10:20). Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. |
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217 | How are we to react to the fact? | Luke 13:23 | Aixen7z4 | 123656 | ||
"They don't need to react at all". One might have thought that it would motivate the hearer to "strive to enter in" (Luke 13:24). But I see that this thread has been temporarily restricted from appearing on the homepage again, so I guess we will have to leave it at that and strive to spread the word elsewhere. |
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218 | Family commitment? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101237 | ||
Also, may I say, Seeker, that neither of those passages is presenting the Gospel. Those statements were made to people who had already accepted the Gospel and to those considering it. What is the Gospel? "I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, …by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15). Jesus says we must repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). We must also trust in him (Psalm 37:5; John 14:1). When we do, he changes us, so we are fit for heaven. He also gives us new desires and a new attitude. He gives us the Holy Spirit, and that opens up for us a whole new world of understanding. God may use someone to point out his word to you, but it is he himself who makes it meaningful. |
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219 | Explain the relationship between things | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101239 | ||
Hello Makarios: That is getting to the point. But would't that be a tough one for a new Christian? What if we asked him to read the Gospel of John? He might just observe in that one how Jesus related to his natural family, and how they became a part of his spiritual family. Happily, people can be related both ways. If that does not work out, we might be in a better position to understand the alternative. | ||||||
220 | Did Jesus teach hate? | Luke 14:26 | Aixen7z4 | 101272 | ||
Brother Tim: Do you think that this Seeker is an unsaved person whom the Lord has led here so we can lead him to Christ? I am not sure. Statements such as "as Christians profess", above, suggest to me that this person is not saved. I assume he is here because he has some interest in becoming a Christian. However, I am not sure. I notice that he ignored the post where I broached the subject. Now, if he is not saved, and he is not interested in getting saved, what is the point of debating with him? I do believe that he needs to trust Christ. When he has learned to trust Christ for his salvation I believe it will be relatively easy for him to find answers to these other questions. I could be wrong. It could be that he needs these answers in order to realize that he can trust the Lord. I am praying that the Lord will guide this conversation. If this man is sincerely seeking the Lord I know he will find him, if not here then elsewhere. If I am not able to take further part in this debate, or if I tarry long, you know how you ought to behave yourself in this part of the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world. This seeker of truth can find the truth, maybe here. Would it not be fine if we can welcome him soon as a brother? God says, “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart”. |
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