Results 241 - 260 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
241 | Can we not ask God to forgive another? | John | Aixen7z4 | 150988 | ||
My Brother Hank: It is easy to say, “You are wrong”. It is more difficult, but more rewarding, to try to understand why the person says what he’s said. Usually, there is some kernel of truth in it. Your scenario leaves us with only one option: Forgive, forgive, forgive. Is that what you would do to the man who punches you repeatedly? Jesus gives us another option: help him to the point of repentance. Thus, we do not simply forgive the brother who is living in sin. There are steps that we take (See 1 Corinthians 5). We cause him sorrow, not by insulting him or threatening him, but by entreating him, by withdrawing fellowship from him if he does not respond. If he repents you forgive him. If he does not repent, you disfellowship him. That loss of fellowship with God’s people will eat at one of God’s people. It is reflecting a lack of fellowship with God. That will cause sorrow, godly sorrow, and repentance, and restoration. I am afraid that unconditional forgiveness, if there is such a thing, will not accomplish that goal. God knows that the constant offer of such forgiveness often fails to accomplish that goal. For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not” (Isaiah 30:15). But God does not change his requirement. God still commands all men everywhere to repent. And he tells us in Luke 17 to require it. But why do we assume that a passage with additional information must be diluted because another passage does not have the information? God says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10). He does not tell us there that they must repent, but don’t we know it? Don’t we have that information in other passages? We do not go for the least common denominator. We add the factors. We do not discard the additional information. We add it. Matthew 18 does not tell us that the brother must repent, but Luke 17 does. 1 Corinthians 5 does. Luke 13 does. Ezekiel 33 does. Do we then delete the requirement of repentance from Luke 17, or do we add it to Matthew 18? It seems to me (and I do not use that phrase to disregard the forum guidelines but to avoid any appearance of evil arrogance and dogmatism) it seems to me that forgiveness has no meaning without repentance. God requires it of us, and he asks us to look for it in others. If there could be restoration without repentance then I suppose anyone could be granted a place in heaven. But Jesus linked the two when he said, “repentance and remission of sins” should be preached in his name (Luke 24:47). God loves the world, and he is not willing that any should perish. But “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”. Without repentance from the offending person, forgiveness is not possible. You may wink at a person’s transgression, and you may overlook it. But that is not my understanding of what the word Forgiveness means. Forgiveness is a relieving of the person of his sense of guilt and culpability. If he has no such sense, then you cannot relieve him of it. There may be consequences that he does not have to pay, but that fellowship will not be restored in the absence of repentance. If you “forgive” a person who has not repented, then you have done him no favor. You may have relieved yourself of a burden, but you have not helped the brother. Why does God require repentance? Why does he insist of it? My words are ended now, but I trust we can think on it. |
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242 | Salvation comes by asking for it. | John 3:3 | Aixen7z4 | 88307 | ||
Thought you would have quoted Romans 10:13. It says "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". The next verse suggests that thay will call when they have heard of him and believed on him. | ||||||
243 | The Only Way to Heaven | John 3:3 | Aixen7z4 | 88309 | ||
True. Let us not forget also the need for repentance. Unless a person repents he will perish, Jesus said. We must give up our way for God's way. We must turn from sin to him and seek him with all our heart. When we seek him like that, he will be found. We call upon him, for he is near. We trust him, and we are saved by faith. Everybody ought to do that. | ||||||
244 | How can one be sure of his/her salvation | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 89320 | ||
I believe John McArthur would agree, 1 John was not written primarily to give believers assurance of salvation. Rather, it was given to help them to judge the teachers coming to them. The word "we" in 1 John almost always refers to the apostles. The word "they" refers to other teachers with other spirits. Clearly, some of the criteria can be applied to ourselves. Those of us who believe have the witness within ourselves. We have the Holy Spirit, and he witnesses with our spirits that we are the children of God. The other source of assurance is the set of promises God makes to us in his word. The promise in 1Jo 5:14 is similar to the one made in Romans 10:13. Paul explains in what follows that we must hear the gospel (that Christ died for our sins ...) we must believe (trust him completely, enough to turn from our sins and commit ourselves to him) and we must call upon him. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to lead us to Christ, creates faith in him, causes us to call upon him, and gives us assurance that we are saved. |
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245 | TO KNOW JESUS IS TO LOVE JESUS | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 92544 | ||
No. I don't think so. Jesus is not changing the world. Jesus is saving people, taking them out of this world system, and he's coming back to take them out of this world. Then he's going to destroy this world. This world is not getting better. It is getting worse. But Jesus is saving people, one at a time. |
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246 | how can i overcome sin, and be forgiven? | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 152041 | ||
That is about as perfect a response as one might hope to see, and complete, to the question how a person can be saved. I like it. With your permission, I would copy it and use it myself the next time someone asks me that question. But of course, I will need to give credit, so you might tell us in what form one might do so. If anyone else uses that response, I would suggest that scripture references be added, to support the points that were made. Also, I would change one word; find “that sin” and change that to “all sin”. Surely we are not saved by repenting of particular sins, and the phrase “that sin“ might give that impression. This leads me to wonder whether the questioner might be a believer who is struggling with one or more specific sins. There is need for repentance in that case as well, I think (based on passages such as Psalm 51 and Revelation 2 and 3). Also, it may be said that in some sense we need to be saved from the hold that those sins can have on us. But why should we return to the word smithy to put that answer together again, when you have already done the work and produced such a fine account? If you grant permission to use it, then someone, maybe more than one, will thank you. |
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247 | how can i overcome sin, and be forgiven? | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 152046 | ||
It does seem likely that the person asking the question is unsaved. But it is often hard to tell. My comment was meant to suggest that you have another answer ready in case the person says they have already gone to the Lord with repentance and faith, and that he’s already saved. In that case, or otherwise, we may be needing an answer for a believer. There are times, as I’ll show in a moment, when a believer needs to repent as well. It is my observation that the Lord convicts the unsaved person of sin in general, of his sinful nature, if you will, of his destitute condition and his need for salvation. Thus, Jesus called upon all to repent, without reference to particular sins (Mark 1:15). He told us that repentance and remission of sins must be preached, and attached to the Gospel message that we proclaim in his name (Luke 24). The believer, on the other hand, is called upon to repent of particular sins. The church is to repent of having left her first love (Revelation 2) and one Jezebel is given space to repent of her fornication (v. Revelation 2). Simon is asked to repent “of this wickedness” (Acts 8) and a brother is to repent when he trespasses against his fellow-believer (Luke 17). It would be of concern that our message be clear. Otherwise an unbeliever might imagine he can overcome some particular sins and thereby gain a right standing with God. In that case, the response you gave would have corrected for that idea and steered him in the right direction. But say, would it not be good to hear from the person that they followed the directions and actually found salvation? Would it not be good to have them come back and testify to it? I have never seen that on a forum, but I say it would be good to see. |
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248 | Must we be Baptized to enter Heaven | John 4:14 | Aixen7z4 | 102966 | ||
You are saved. And it happened before you had had time to confess your sins. Just acknowledging that you are a sinner is enough, and God interrupts you with his welcome, and puts on the robe of righteousness. Remember the story of the prodigal: When he came to himself, he said, “How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants”. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son”. (That’s as far as he got). But the father said to his servants, “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found”. If you died, then you are in heaven now, and you know that I am telling the truth. If you did not die, and you have not been baptized, then arise, as soon as you are physically able, and do it. If you will quibble about it, it makes us wonder if you are telling the truth. It makes you wonder as well. Did you repent? That means you decided to give up your way for his way. And he says you should be baptized. Prove to yourself that you are telling the truth by obeying him. There are some who will tell you that you get saved when your foot enters the water. But if you are dead you won’t be able to hear them or do what they say. Don’t worry. |
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249 | What would Jesus have you do? | John 4:14 | Aixen7z4 | 103089 | ||
You do seem to be a very busy person and perhaps this evening you are a bit distracted. Perhaps you will read the post a gain later and think about it. It had nothing to do with a "perhaps situation" but rather the exact situation that you faced and what you might do if it occurred again. I noted also your response to Kathy and wondered what you saw in her post about "situation ethics". Perhaps you just need to take a rest and read the posts again when you're more relaxed and concentrated. Take care. | ||||||
250 | Is Hell fire literal that burns forever? | John 5:24 | Aixen7z4 | 122121 | ||
It is interesting to consider what type of body unbelievers might have and what type of fire hell might have. It was also interesting to consider the different reasons for weeping and gnashing of teeth. The fact that we should do what we can to persuade people to seek heaven and to shun hell is clear (2 Cor 5:11). What attracted me in Jud's question was the issue of fear of hell in the heart of a believer. Does a believer have to fear going to hell? I think not. There is no chance. Jesus said, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish" (John 10:28.. |
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251 | accepting a non-beleiver | John 6:44 | Aixen7z4 | 150202 | ||
It may well be that a person can be won to the Lord by philosophical argumentation. Some of our brothers (Josh McDowell, et al.) seem to specialize in that approach. But I think there is something to be said for using the pure word of God. We can trust in the power of the word, I think, and use it. It is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4). I heard a story once, of an atheist who turned to the Lord as he was presented with a single sentence from Scripture. He had said, “I don’t believe in God”. His friend replied, “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God’”. That word, from Psalm 14, touched that man and turned him around. I heard a preacher say that he himself had been won to the Lord by a single phrase: “that Jesus Christ is Lord”. That word, from Philippians 2, gnawed at him night and day, until he confessed it, and claimed Jesus as his Savior. I am not sure what happens when a person is convinced by reason. But when we “receive with meekness the engrafted word”, it is able to save our souls. |
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252 | Can anyone tell how he understand that? | John 6:54 | Aixen7z4 | 150198 | ||
It is one of the “hard sayings” of Jesus. It means we have eternal life when we trust only in the fact his body was broken and his blood was shed for us. Many of his disciples, when they had heard it, said, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” Jesus was aware that they were having difficulty with it and yet, he did not explain it. Instead, he repeated it, insisting that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood. If you read the entire story in John chapter 6, it may seem that Jesus made the statements more and more complicated. First he had said we should believe on him. God had decided that “everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life” (verse 40). That seems simple enough. But the people had difficulty with that, because he said he had come from heaven. Then Jesus said that anyone who is listening to God would know that they should come to him (verse 45). God had been talking to them and his ultimate message was that they should believe on Jesus. That was God’s message to them when he gave them manna in the wilderness. Then he said he was the bread of life. Just as God had given them natural bread to sustain their physical life, he had given them a spiritual bread which, if they ate it, they would have eternal life. Then he said he was that bread (verse 48). They were mystified. Still he was saying what they needed to do was to believe on him, and trust him (verse 47). He would give his body to be crucified, and that was the means by which they would have access to eternal life. Yet the people did not understand. They were asking, “How can this be?” Then Jesus said they must eat his flesh, etc. (verse 53). Do you see how the simple matter becomes more complicated with each additional piece of information that Jesus gives? The disciples simply believed on Jesus (verse 69) although they did not fully understand his words. Later they would say, "At last you are speaking plainly, and not in parables. Now we understand that you know everything and don't need anyone to ask you anything. From this (what you have just said) we believe that you came from God" (John 16). From this we learn that we should believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and we will understand the “hard” things later. There are many things that Jesus said, that the people found it hard to understand. One of the most famous ones is the fact we must be born again (John 3). The man asked, “How can these things be?” Jesus said those were the simple things. If we could not understand those how could we understand the more complicated things? He would say, (John 16): “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth”. The words that Jesus spoke are spirit (John 6:63), and only the Holy Spirit can help us to understand them (1 Corinthians 2). And yet they seem so simple! After all these words, (including those of my brother, who answered you minutes before I did) I trust the Holy Spirit will help you to understand. We eat his flesh and drink his blood when we believe that his body was broken and his blood was shed for us. |
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253 | How do we understand these words? | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 122174 | ||
I do believe you are correct, Angel. It is clear that the disciples who remained had not understood all he said. But they remained, patiently waiting for understanding. There was a blind man who recieved his sight and said, "One thing I know". There was a psalmist who said, "LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child". And the twelve decided to humbly wait. Their wait was rewarded, for in John 16 we hear them saying "Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God". We do not know what the word of God means except by the Spirit of God as he reveals it. We cannot hurry him. We must wait on him. You know, Angel, I started our asking that question, "How can we understand these words?. But as I wrote it seems that more and more was revealed to me. Still there is a question and a challenge in my mind. How do I know that I have the correct understanding? The sponsors of this program may not like my answer, but I think that the New Living Translation had the most accurate rendition. That is because it uses the context to decide on the wording. I am glad for the reference to eternal life, as it presages the succeeding comments. And it seems that Jesus always had the message of salvation in mind. His words are spirit and life, and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. I will try now to express the entire thought in my own words. I believe that is a good test of comprehension. Maybe you would like to try it as well. There are questions that remain unanswered. Some of Jesus’ words are very deep (See Psalm 92:5) and cannot be understood from a cursory reading. What happens when we do not wait for understanding, but turn away instead? The folks who did were human like us, and we may sometimes do as they did. What happens then? I think we would do well to ponder more. That in itself might teach us to practice patience. But thank you for a kind response. |
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254 | How do we understand these words? | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 122175 | ||
My brother, I will try to give a soft response. The truth is, the question as asked is one of the most important in my mind. I am not surprised that it sounds like a speech. There are some time when I wonder the same thing about the questions that are put by the journalists to the politicians. They can be wordy. I have learned that questions are a good way to learn; maybe the best way. But the questioner must first reveal what he knows and where he is in his understanding. That way the person answering can know what he is adding to. He does not have to assume complete ignorance. This is the truth that I tell you and I trust you can tolerate it. |
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255 | It is the (s)Spirit that gives life?Both | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 150644 | ||
I agree. It is important that with breath in our bodies we have biological life. The fact of it is obvious, I think, and trite, compared to the other topic. While it is true, I am saying that it is not what Jesus was talking about. Compared to eternal life, which is what he was talking about, it is minor. The fact that the first Adam had breath in his nostrils, and physical life, is true, and somewhat important. The fact that the second Adam gives eternal life is of a higher order. The fact is that the Holy Spirit is active in the process (John 16; 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Corinthians 12, etc.). You will agree that a person can be physically alive and yet spiritually dead. For example, “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth“ (1 Timothy 5) and “He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked (Ephesians 2). But how do we know which kind of life Jesus was talking about? Context. Context. Context. It is what he had been talking about in verses 40, 47, and 54. Eternal life. This is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes on him should have everlasting life (v. 40). Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on me has everlasting life (v. 47). Whoever partakes of my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life (v. 54). We do not suppose that he has lowered the level of discourse and is referring to physical life in verse 63. That is apparently why many translators have him saying: “It is the Spirit that gives life“. But we may also entertain the possibility of a double entendre here, in the fact that the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:12) also gives life (Hebrews 4:12) to the word of God. You may understand better now why I asked the question in the first place? It is the Spirit who must bring these words to life and help us to understand what that scripture means. As The Message puts it, “Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen“. These fingers acting on these keys will profit nothing. The Spirit of God must reveal the meaning hidden in the word of God. I was about to post this when I noticed what our brother Hank has written, concerning your health. I wanted to join him in wishing you well and in praying for you. In that moment, I wondered whether all of this discussion was important at all, compared to your health. But I recalled a meeting I had recently with one brother whose cancer was in remission and another in whom it was spreading. One of them is saved, and a pastor, while the other has no memory of a conversion experience, as he told me later. I felt I should rather thank the Lord for your salvation. It reminded me to pray for the man who is healthy but unsaved, and to trust he takes in the gospel that he took home that day. But I will pray for you and for that pastor also. Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers. |
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256 | It is the (s)Spirit that gives life?Both | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 150709 | ||
The context of John 6 is the entire Gospel of John. The context of John 6:63 may be a part of the chapter, not necessarily the entire chapter. The chapter, of course, is an arbitrary division of the book, as are the verses. There are times when a chapter contains more than one topic, and there are times when one idea may run over several verses. I hope this is not confusing. When we speak of the context of a passage we are looking for what is around it, what led to it, what is semantically related, how it fits into the whole event. The context consists of the who, what, when, where, why, that are related to the passage in question; the part of a text or statement that surrounds the particular passage and determines its meaning. As for that other verse (v. 61) there is no way to know grammatically what words refer to deity. We determine that from the context. From the context it is clear what words refer to Jesus. As far as his awareness is concerned, we must remember that Jesus was (and is) God in a human body, and could do what other humans could do, and more. Because of his omniscience, he knew everything. However, it would not have taken that ability to overhear what the people were saying. From what I read, Jesus knew for himself. In other words, no one told him. Whether he was listening to their words or reading their thoughts, we do not know. He could have done both, adding what they were thinking to what they were saying. To ask whether a word such as “himself” refers to his human nature or his divine nature is futile, I think, and unnecessary. In any case, I know of no way to determine that. But we can face that fact that Jesus is God, and that he knows us through and through. According to John 2:25, he knows human beings and is not surprised by what they think. According to Matthew (12:25) and Luke (6:8), he knows our thoughts. As the writer to the Hebrews would say (4:15) all things are naked and open before him. With all that he still marvels at unbelief (Mark 6) and he still asks why (John 8:46) even though he knows the answer (John 8). But David would not be surprised that he knows our thoughts. He would be glad that he searches our hearts (Psalm 139). Even as he asks about it, and asks us to show it, (John 21) aren’t you glad he knows we love him? And these things we are talking about, about him, and no one needs to ask, “What things?” (Luke 24) he knows, and he is keeping a record (Malachi 3). So let us say the right thing about him. He did not judge them for their current, errant thoughts. Rather, he was offering then a guide, the Holy Spirit, who would help them to understand his words and lead them into truth. |
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257 | It is the (s)Spirit that gives life?Both | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 150716 | ||
I would say, "Both". That is my answer to the question: "Are we given the Spirit Himself or the good gifts or both?" Actually, your verses took my mind to Romans 8: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (v. 32). He who did not leave us without a comforter but sent to us his Spirit, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? With him, and through him, he gives us comfort, and assurance of salvation, and every good and perfect gift, and all spiritual blessings. Doesn’t he? And these lead me to Philippians 2, and the list of blessings it begins with. Since there are all of these things, consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, bowels and mercies, fulfill my joy, that we be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. We read and practiced this in a meeting today, and it was such a blessing. We practiced self talk: “I do not know everything”. “I acknowledge the Holy Spirit, and his teaching ministry in the lives of my brethren”. “I am willing to listen, and to consider what they say”. “I am not sure I am humble enough”. “I will listen”. And we practiced speaking the truth in love, and listening in love, looking for points of agreement, rejoicing in the truth, hoping all things (looking for more good from others). People admitted it was hard, almost against human nature, but we did it. In that, we were of one accord and one mind. And there was this sense that God was rejoicing over us. I just wanted to share that. May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
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258 | How do we understand these words? | John 6:63 | Aixen7z4 | 150766 | ||
It has been a long time, and we have learned a lot. I trust that the Lord has given you grace to stay humble. As we remain humble, he gives more grace (James 4) and more knowledge (2 Peter 3:18). But how can we know if we are sufficiently humble? Someone pointed out at a recent meeting that we can become proud of our humility. Isn’t that amazing? We decided that we could combat this by always reminding ourselves that we are not humble enough. The standard, after all, is our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:35). We always have a ways to go to be like him in anything (Philippians 3). I mentioned somewhere else in the thread that our group had done an exercise in humility. I think we all felt more humble for it. Yet I wonder about that humility thing. Would true humility have kept me from reporting on that meeting? Someone got the idea it was a good meeting, with everyone in one accord. The truth is that everyone in the meeting was struggling. Many were admitting pride in their Christian heritage, and some were confessing they could not be in one accord with people from certain denominations. I returned to the church that had sent me to the meeting and, without knowing what I had just been through, they proceeded to tell me how proud they were of their heritage. Yet, in some ways, I am identified with them. We had been reading the first part of Philippians 2, and I have often wondered whether we understand that passage. I have heard it read so many times, and the emphasis has been on the fact that Jesus humbled himself. Yet we seem to miss the point that we are to be like him, of the same mind. Someone says we should focus on him and not on ourselves. The passage saying, though, that the goal is to be likeminded, and a humble spirit is the means to that end. Put that together with the fact we have to be willing to obey the word (John 7:17) before God will reveal the meaning to us (Psalm 25:12) and what do you have? The point made so long ago, that we must be humble (Psalm 25:9) and patient (Hosea 6), so that the Holy Spirit can show us (1 Corinthians 2) what he alone knows, the mind of God in the word of God. |
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259 | Profile of A Disciple | John 8:31 | Aixen7z4 | 153871 | ||
Let us talk about this. Whatever else he is, a disciple is one who follows (Matthew 16:24) and learns from (Luke 11:1) and becomes like the master (Matthew 10:25). Some disciples may be further along than others. One thing that must be common to all, and in this sense it will define what a disciple is, he must be in process. I am not so sure that all disciples would have achieved all of the things you listed, Doc, though some might be at those levels. A new disciple may have little to show except his direction, and the footsteps of his master. A disciple may have been called by the master, or the person may have approached him and asked for the privilege. In Luke 9, a certain man said unto him, “Lord, I will follow you”. And he said unto another, “Follow me“. And another also said, “Lord, I will follow you”. Some were called by him directly, some came at the invitation of others, and some were simply attracted by what they had seen (See all in John 1). With these various beginnings, they followed him. One might have assumed that all disciples would continue to follow the Lord. But John tells of a time when many of them went back, and walked no more with him (John 6:66). Jesus speaks of some who are disciples indeed (John 8:31). Some translations use words such as really, and truly, and some seem to think he is describing the ideal. But Jesus’ words here and elsewhere that some who had been following him were not really his disciples. They must have believed in order to follow at all, but John says there was an occasion (in John 2) when many believed in his name, but Jesus did not commit himself unto them. Likely, although others might refer to them as “his disciples”, Jesus would not have referred to them as “my disciples”. And after all, it is up to the master to accept them (as in John 15:16) and to lead them (as in John 10:4) and to teach them (as in Matthew 5 and Luke 6) and to show them (as he did in Matthew 17). He is the one who decides who can or cannot be a disciple. Among those who follow Jesus, then, he says there are some who are not his disciples. They cannot be. There went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). “Likewise, whosoever forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). Jesus set those criteria, and we must look at them and look at ourselves, to know whether or not we are his disciples. You seem to have found a disctinction between a saved person and a disciple, too, and it might be good to talk about that. |
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260 | Profile of A Disciple | John 8:31 | Aixen7z4 | 153881 | ||
There is a gap between the ideal and the actual, my friend. That is one reason we have the epistles. Many of them review the process of salvation again, and then encourage us to follow on and grow. They point out that many have not grown, but have been stagnant or have even regressed in the way. When we might have gone on to be teachers, we are still babes, in need of milk, etc. Some of us are weak and sickly, etc. Clearly, we need help as we seek to follow. But we should not ignore the question: Have we started out at all, if we have not forsaken all, to follow him? In that condition, he said, we cannot be his disciples (Luke 14:27). It is one thing to describe an ideal disciple. But we must first see what a disciple is. There are some who respond to the call and follow. Some go away sorrowful. Some say they will follow and don’t. Some start out and falter. Some go away and return to the path after many years. Some try to serve both God and mammon, (Surely you know some) and Jesus says it can‘t be done. Some, far from forsaking all, feel they have inherited all, and they seek to possess it. Some are satisfied to be saved and do not want to grow or to do anything, and they will even tell you so. It is not a matter of being discouraged, my brother. It is rather a matter of recognizing reality so we can deal with it. It is a matter of recognizing who the disciples are so we can work with them, whether to mentor or otherwise encourage them. Surely you know there are cases, John 12:42 being one in point, where people believe but do not wish to openly or actively follow the Lord. It seems that their faith renders them saved while their reluctance to follow makes them not disciples. Yes, we are called to make disciples, but even as we see the ideal heights to which we want to take them, we also need a realistic view of what they are. We need clearly to identify what a disciple is. | ||||||
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