Results 321 - 340 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
321 | How high is your self-esteem? | Rom 12:3 | Aixen7z4 | 97841 | ||
Yes. | ||||||
322 | And not so low that ...? | Rom 12:3 | Aixen7z4 | 97843 | ||
OK. That seems to balance the scales. And it occurs to me now that we will have solved this situation when we have learned to imitate the Savior. He knew who he was, and he was the Son of God. He said, "I am ...", "I am ..." and he said, "I am". And yet he called himself the Son of man. He was Master and Lord, and yet he washed the disciples' feet. He did not lack for confidence. Yet he was meek and lowly in heart. And we should be like that. May the Lord help us. Let his mind be in us that was also in Christ (Philippians 2:5). It may be that high self-esteem can be so effectively modulated by lowliness of mind that it does not get out of hand. Perhaps that's what Paul was saying. |
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323 | last judgement sins | Rom 14:10 | Aixen7z4 | 120789 | ||
This response was mentioned by mommapbs on 5/9/04, and I have been thinking about it. I think Makarios may want to take another look at it as well. Some judgment and receiving of rewards take place in this life. For example: Luke 18:28ff. Peter said, “Lo, we have left all, and followed you”. And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time …” See Psalm 37: “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed”. It is good to read the entire psalm. See also Psalm 73. Even “their end” (verse 17) is described in terms of a turn of events in this life. God judges the heart, in this life, and in Psalm 139 is a model prayer that we should ask the Lord to give us the results so we can adjust our lives and so he can lead us in the way everlasting. In 1 Corinthians 11 and elsewhere were are asked to judge ourselves, to examine ourselves, to repent, to amend our ways. We are encouraged to confess our sins and to receive forgiveness. But what of the next life? Revelation 21 describes a scene before the Great White Throne where people are judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works”. We get the impression that individual sins will be brought back before the unbelieving so they can properly understand their sentence and the reason for their fate. But will a believer be confronted in the next life with the sins he committed in this life? Will he have to give account for the sins that Jesus paid for? I would like to suggest a No. Our deeds will be judged by fire. The picture I get is that all will be cast into some sort of fire. The picture I do not get is that we will be confronted and embarrassed by our sins. So, the response is filled with good references. There is no doubt that we will give account to God. We need to decide, perhaps, to understand, whether the particular judgments are for believers or unbelievers, and whether they are meted out in this life or the next. It seems to me that the original question is a very good one still needing an answer. Do we, believers, whose sins have been forgiven, do we need to fear being confronted with those again, in heaven? 1 John 1:9 is a well-known verse, and a song based on it reminds us that God will seem unable to recall our sins. I suspect if the subject of personal sins is brought up in heaven God will ask, “What sin?” Another song encourages us to return to God. It says he’ll forgive our transgressions, and remember them no more. I believe it is based on Isa 43:16,25 Thus saith the Lord … “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins”. And to us he says, “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old” (Isaiah 43:18). To someone who is worried about being confronted with their sins in heaven, "all our sins brought up for judgment", I hope we can say, “Forget it”. |
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324 | Avoid Curtis Neeley's web site!!!!! | Rom 14:14 | Aixen7z4 | 149646 | ||
I think everyone agrees it is not good for someone to receive or place enticements into pornography, especially at a Christian space such as this forum. What you might consider is the possibility that the information you provided might have served, unintentionally, to spark an interest in that type of material, and might have actually enabled a reader to locate it. Thus, in an attempt to dissuade him, you may have actually enabled him to find the material. As you said, “One or two that might go to (that) web site and get hooked …”. Clearly, you did not initiate the topic. You were responding to the fact something had been posted that was undesirable, and potentially harmful. The intent was good. But some of us think it would have been better if you had mentioned the infraction without giving any particulars about it. Better yet, the forum could have been managed in such a way that the material could be intercepted and not allowed to appear on the forum in the first place. Otherwise, it could have been erased. As you said, “(The) note with the web site address needs to be removed”. But that would require the recognition and empowering of monitors. Unfortunately, (In the opinion of some of us, it is unfortunate) the idea has not been accepted by those who run this site. Apparently, the remedy is to act, not against undesirable material, but against users who persist in violating the guidelines of the forum. Meanwhile, it is possible that some irreparable harm has been done. I think the person who did the posting should be admonished (with passages such as Romans 14:21) to not impose his views on what is acceptable, and in a sense the actual materials, on the rest of us. He should have been made aware that he might be inducing some weak ones to sin. Unfortunately, some of us do not listen, and we must be left alone (Hosea 4:17) but some of our postings need to be edited or erased (as in 1 Corinthians 5:7). But as it is, they are allowed to stand, apparently. It is possible that some posters realize this and use the opportunity to do their mischief. The suggestion to you is that you may have been an unwitting aide in the scheme. Just think about it. We could have discussed the matter without giving cues that might have led someone to view the material in question. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. |
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325 | What does heaven look like? | 1 Cor 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 145185 | ||
"Heaven is where God is". Yes! John heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God". We usesd to sing, "Where Jesus is, 'tis heaven there" and it seems appropriate, because he said, "I go and prepare a place for you, (and) I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also". Whereas some say that hell is here, we may counter that heaven is here as well, because Jesus is with us, and in us. See Luke 17:21. I trust those who read this are his and that you find a heaven in his presence, as in Psalm 16:11, for in his presence is fulness of joy; at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore. We may describe heaven by listing what and who will be there, primarily Jesus. We may aslo describe it by listing what and who will not be there: No sin, no sorrow, no pain, no death; but primarily, no devil. Amen. |
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326 | Aren't those parts good? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 95808 | ||
Doesn't look like a question, does it? I know. It is really a prompt, to show the kind of responses I was looking for when I asked the original question. I hope this will make it easier for you to respond. | ||||||
327 | Aren't those parts good? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 96095 | ||
What concerns me is the fact that some in the church have learned but others are not willing to learn from them. Is it possible that Baptists can learn some things fom Methodists and that Methodists can learn some things from the Plymouth Brethren. It seems that we are focused on the things our group does correctly (we call them 'distinctives') and we fail to see, much less to emulate, what another group is doing correctly. I suspect that when we do that we will all become more like each other, and all in all the better for it. This I say because you have posted your comment again. You are concerned that those things are not being taught in the church. But it is evident they are being taught in that part of the church. We seem to be ignoring what is good because of the errors we see in the same place. But we are encouraged to learn from each other. 1Thess 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. |
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328 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114588 | ||
Please read the first post in this thread. The purpose is not stereotyping, or anything else that's negative. The idea is to find something praiseworthy, wherever it exists in the church. | ||||||
329 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114600 | ||
Pardon me, me friend. I was asking a question. It occurred to me that the word "passion" is not common among Christians. (To my knowledge it has not been, until now). But Catholics have been using the term. Now there is this movie made by a man who is passionate in his devotion to that denomination. It seems to be that he has done it because of the influence the church has had on him. If I am saying anything, as a context for my question, it is that I perceive this movie to have been inspired by the Catholic church. As in this entire thread, I am looking for something positive, that would have been contributed by one segment of the church. By "church" I mean the entire body of Christ. I take it that the Catholic church is a part, and that it is contributing something positive. |
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330 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114612 | ||
That is a good question. I would like it if denominations did not exist, but they do. It does seem to be the state of the church today. I would not like to make an issue of this. If you checked below this thread you will find that many other denominations are considered in other threads. I am simply trying to identify the good contributions coming from various corners of the church. In this case I am looking at the possibility that the Catholic church, through Mel Gibson, has made a positive contribution. It seems obvious that he brings a certain orientation to the subject because of his denominational affiliation. Some of us are trying to promote mutual acceptance and appreciation. Please help the cause by talking about whether the movie is a positive contribution. I agree with you that division in the church is not a good thing. Since it seems unlikely we can get rid of it, I would like to concentrate on making the best of the situation. |
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331 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114620 | ||
It is a blessing to read that, mommapbs. The current definitions of the word “Passion” include: “powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger”. “Ardent love”. “Boundless enthusiasm” and “The object of such enthusiasm”. “An abandoned display of emotion”. Another definition is: “The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament”. Your point is well taken. The word may well express the determination, enthusiasm and devotion of the Lord as he set his face as a flint to go, and submitted to the sufferings as a sheep would when brought to the slaughter. Thus he showed his love for the Father and for us. O that we would have that attitude in our relationships. John 3:16 -- God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. 1 John 3:16 -- Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1Pe 4:8 -- And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves. He said (John 15:12) “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you”. How am I demonstrating passion? He has shed it abroad in my heart. I try to demonstrate it to the brethren by, among other thing, coming onto this forum. I demonstrate it to the world by preaching the Gospel, which is what I will be doing later this evening. But that was not your question. You asked, “How are we demonstrating the passion?” I think that love flares up here from time to time, and it is a team of us who will be presenting the gospel to the world in a few hours. That movie is popularizing the word “Passion”. Let us use the opportunity to provoke each other to love and to good works. Let us love each other in fellowship, and the unsaved by giving them the Gospel, with a passion. |
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332 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114627 | ||
Brother Hank I will fail this test. I cannot cite examples from the movie, because I have not seen it. I do have a promo, put out by Icon Distribution, and I think it is very informative, so much so I have linked it as a new item of interest, to my site, at http://hishows.org. I have looked at many clips and read many reviews. Yet my statement is not a critique of the movie. I understand from Gibson himself that he approached the project from a Catholic viewpoint. He said he was heavily influenced to produce the film by a book, The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun, a Catholic. Gibson, interviewed by the Herald Sun in Australia, was asked if Protestants are denied eternal salvation. "There is no salvation for those outside the (Catholic) church," Gibson replied. "I believe it."' See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4224452/ He elaborated: “Put it this way. My wife is a saint. She’s a much better person than I am. Honestly. She’s, like, Episcopalian, Church of England. She prays, she believes in God, she knows Jesus, she believes in that stuff. And it’s just not fair if she doesn’t make it, she’s better than I am. But that is a pronouncement from the chair. I go with it.” Those statements seem to portray a loyal Roman Catholic. They did not tell me much about his personal faith in Christ. What was his motivation in making the film? ‘Gibson also said in the interview that he was nearly suicidal before he made his controversial film. “I got to a very desperate place. Very desperate. Kind of jump-out-of-a-window kind of desperate,” he said in the interview. “And I didn’t want to hang around here, but I didn’t want to check out. The other side was kind of scary. And I don’t like heights, anyway. But when you get to that point where you don’t want to live, and you don’t want to die, it’s a desperate, horrible place to be. And I just hit my knees. And I had to use ‘The Passion of the Christ’ to heal my wounds.”’ It seems that Mr. Gibson took to the project as therapy for his psychological ailment rather than as an evangelical project. He may well have experienced some catharsis from making it, but it seems likely that his spiritual need is still unmet. Some people have reported that physical healings and other miracles happened during the production, but that is not what Jesus suffered and died for, I think that many on this forum would agree. Jesus did not die to help us to feel better, but to put away our sins. My heart's desire and prayer to God for Gibson is that he would be saved. But that is not my purpose in writing here. I do believe that his giving us this movie is a good thing. He may well affect the world, because the Catholic church affected him. |
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333 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114630 | ||
I have not seen the movie. | ||||||
334 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114632 | ||
My dear friend, I thought I had answered your question above, at 2:51 pm. Some time ago I suggested that each denomination is making some unique and good contributions to the church at large. There are threads on this forum looking for these good things among the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. (See the bottom of this page). I have suggested that, in a sense, The Passion of the Christ was given to us by the Catholic church. If you question that, please see my note to Hank at 4:20 pm. If you disagree, then please disregard the point. I am suggesting that this movie is a good thing, coming from some segment of the modern church. There are some places where it is not accepted. I am still suggesting that we should look for the good in it. |
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335 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 114996 | ||
The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. I am disappointed only in myself this apparent inability to elicit a pleasant response from some of the members of the church. Nor do I expect that it will improve the situation to point out what we can all agree on, that Paul had no denominational affiliation. Paul called for unity, and cooperation, and love without dissimulation. Paul tried to foil the development of denominational affiliations when they first appeared at Corinth. But alas! Some do not listen, no matter how often an appeal is made. And now, in the midst of a web of denominationism, some of us need to be fed with milk, and not with meat: for we are not able to bear it. For we are yet carnal: for whereas there is among us envying, and strife, and divisions, are we not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, “I will be pleasant and pacific only to those who seem to project power; I will ascend the ramparts for all others”; while one so blithely proclaims, “I am Roman Catholic”; and another, “I am Episcopalian”; and another, “I am Lutheran”; are we not carnal? Often, we must accept each other as is, for it is difficult to change. Most of us will refuse, or see no need, to give up our denominational ties. So we will have to accept the fact. So we must make the best of it. So, we will compliment those who do good, and thank them for the for the good they do. Even if he is Roman Catholic, I will be glad that he has done “The Passion of the Christ”. I will rejoice in any such work when it is done, even if the doers have mixed motives of auto-therapy and money-making and anything else. Denominationism, while regrettable, cannot nullify the word of God. The influence of our group and the desire to please our group does not nullify the preaching of the Gospel. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preaches Christ out of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my lack of opportunity: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Besides, there is a certain something that the Catholics bring to their services that is unique and good. Thought I have tried to describe it elsewhere, I am not sure I have the words. It is the thing that causes them to use words such as “dolorous”, and “passion” more often than you will hear in other corners of the church. Nor is this simply a matter of words or a relic of the use of Latin. There is a certain appreciation for the need to dig deeply and to contemplate, I think. There may be something akin to this among the Plymouth Brethren. I will append it here because I have written it. In “Gospel Hall”s and “Gospel Chapel”s, there is weekly meeting that is usually characterized by quiet meditation, and seems to be devoted in its entirety to remembering the sufferings of Christ. This is often termed the main or central meeting of the assembly. The climax of the meeting is the Breaking of Bread, and the meeting itself is often called the Breaking of Bread meeting. The entire occasion is geared to remembering him, the fact that he died and the way he died, and to proclaim that death. Most of the hymns and prayers and the scriptures that are read aloud relate to the suffering and death of Christ, and sometimes to the resurrection. Someone returned from viewing the movie today and told me about it. She grew up among the Brethren. Most of the scenes reminded her of the Breaking of Bread meeting. When they were beating him she remembered the song “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” being sung in the meeting. As they went to Calvary, she recalled “Up Calvary’s Mountain” being sung. When he said, “It is accomplished”, she recalled “Done is the Work that Saves” being sung. She recalled scriptures and prayers that had been offered in the Breaking of Bread meeting. It is apparent that both the movie and the meeting can evoke strong emotions and set lasting memories. When one has found himself away from a Gospel Hall for whatever reason, he is often heard to say, “One thing I miss is the Breaking of Bread meeting”. It may be fair to say that there is a link between the sufferings of Christ and the “worship meeting” at a Gospel Hall. Yet none of them who worship there would not have made that movie. Many of them would refuse to attend, to darken the door of a movie theater. It had to take someone from the Catholic corner of the church, I think, to give us The Passion of the Christ. We should thank them in general and him in particular for it. Or maybe we should just thank the Lord who blesses us in spite of the sin of sectarianism. |
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336 | Thank the Catholics for "The Passion"? | 1 Cor 3:22 | Aixen7z4 | 115004 | ||
My Dear Friend: I understand your concern. There is money and merchandizing involved. Not only is the movie making a profit, but there are also the spin-offs. It seems that it had to happen. The Passion lapel pin -- 2.49. The Passion pocket coin -- 2.99. Crown of Thorns -- 44.95. His passion Tee (?) -- 14.97. A statue of the Christ under the cross -- 179.99 (Can't post dollar signs?) I confess I had difficulty in writing the last item. But they are here, in the catalogue I received today. Now it seems we must think of this. Is someone into profiteering on the sufferings of Christ? Is that really what the movie and the interest are all about? It seems that there are some who need these items as objects of devotion, and some are willing to sell them. This is fantastic. Somehow, it makes my heart sick. We had Nehushtan once (2 Kings 18:4) and I’m afraid it is still with us. It may be that we need a Hezekiah to arise again. But this encourages me to listen to some of our brethren who have advised this, to stay away from that movie. However, we can be grateful to those who have reawakened the subject and caused us to talk about it again. Let’s say that we can disregard the motives and look for the good in this (Philippians 1:18). The Gospel is being preached and we can rejoice in that. |
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337 | 1 Corinthian 4:9 | 1 Cor 4:7 | Aixen7z4 | 102776 | ||
So when he says "we", he is not talking about us. He is talking about himself and the other apostles. Because of their leadership role they were held out for special attention. In that sense, then, we are not all the same. The leaders have to stick their necks out and they have a somewhat harder time of it. Paul says it seems that God had put them last. But, as Jesus would say, the last shall be first (Mark 9:35;Rev 21:14). Thank God for the apostles who went on ahead and laid the foundation for us, giving us the Scriptures. And yet, it is Jesus who will be first. He was the first apostle (“As the father has sent me, so send I you”) and he was rejected. He was made a spectacle. They hung him on a cross and laughed at him. But he has become the cornerstone and the true foundation. He suffered the most. So now, to him be all the glory. |
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338 | Homosexuality, sin or not? | 1 Cor 6:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132794 | ||
Hello LB: I would ask the person why, in quoting form Ezekiel 16, they stop at verse 49. Verses 50, 51 and 52 all speak of the abominations that they had committed. Those who point to sins in verse 49 might wander what those abominations were. Pride and idleness and fullness of bread are not described as abominations. Not that homosexuality is the only abomination. There are many others. And God was saying that his people had committed worse abominations than had the people of Sodom. But it is clear that homosexuality was one of those for “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22). As for the judgment of God, he says nowhere that he destroyed those cities for just one sin. The passage you have looked at in Ezekiel chapter 16 shows it was for a combination of sins. Sodom is identified in today’s parlance with homosexuality, but God does not seem to have singled out one sin. It is usually the case that people commit many different kinds of sin. Read Romans 1:23-31. There are many sins mentioned there, and homosexuality is but one of them. But the judgment of God comes because of any and all of them. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (verse 18). As to your original question then, “Is homosexuality a sin?” The answer is yes. It is a specially detestable sin called an abomination. But heterosexual fornication is also a bad sin. As Paul would say, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body”(1 Corinthians 6:18 ). The situation is seen in its truest and worst light when we realize that our bodies are actually the temple of the holy Spirit (v. 19). A sin against your body is therefore a case of defiling God’s temple. That is a terrible and dangerous thing to do. What if God gets angry and wants to punish the person committing that affront? Some people wonder where sins such as homosexuality come from. God says it comes because we do not respect him enough to respond to the knowledge he gives us. In other words, we know better but we sin anyway. God calls on us to repent. He commands us to repent. If we refuse, he gives up on us, and that may be the greatest judgment of all. “God gave them up to a reprobate mind” and with that, vile and dangerous things may seem good and worthwhile in their eyes. The are not thinking right. Did Jesus not talk about homosexuality? Jesus said he had not come to destroy the law, and he did not destroy the words of Leviticus 18:22. He asked, “Have ye not read (in the book of Genesis) that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?’” It’s a rhetorical question. 1 Corinthians 6:9,10 also has a list of sins, and homosexuality is on the list. We could have done any combination of those. But when we are saved, we are forgiven of them all. “You are washed, you are sanctified, you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). After we are saved we give up the practice of sin. We seek to glorify God in our body and in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:20) because we realize that they are God’s. |
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339 | Homosexuality, sin or not? | 1 Cor 6:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132829 | ||
You are correct. In choosing three items to illustrate, I knew I should have left pride off the list and included a simple statement for failure to strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, but I was pressed for time and forgot to do that. So there is another item on the list that God calls abomination. I hope that the discovery does not detract from the point being made. There are other abominations besides homosexuality, but it is one of them. More importantly, we have all sinned, but the blood of Jesus Christ is powerful enough to cover every sin. The point of my post was that God does not send judgment because of a single sin. However, past judgments on others should teach us that it is not wise to continue in sin. God requires that we repent and he offers us forgiveness. Christ bore God’s judgment for all our sins and we can have salvation through faith in him. |
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340 | Can one know if their spouse is saved? | 1 Cor 7:15 | Aixen7z4 | 153772 | ||
The question may be: "How can anyone besides the person himself, and God, know if that person is saved?" I agree that “even the person himself can be mistaken“. It is the most horrible situation imaginable, to my mind, that a person can think they are saved when they are not. The Great White Throne is not the place to find out. We do well, while on this side, to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith; prove our own selves (2 Corinthians 13). The question of examining another person is another question, and the task may be impossible. I agree as well that a person can receive the word with joy and yet not follow through to salvation. They have no root in themselves, but endure for a while: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, by and by they are offended. How to predict or prevent that falling away, I cannot tell, except it be to make sure that repentance and faith are the responses to the Gospel (Acts 20:31). Repentance is the act by which we turn to the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:16). Faith, meanwhile, depends on the Lord to have done his part in regenerating (John 1:13) and sealing (Ephesians 1:13) and to do his part in keeping the soul (1 Peter 1:5). I am not sure that we can discuss the part that man plays and the part that God plays. I think you will say that God does it all, as in John 1:13, and I may say that God demands that we do our part (as in Acts 17:30 and 2 Thessalonians 1:8). Perhaps I can hasten to acknowledge that God enables us to do our part (as in Psalm 80 and Ephesians 2) and help us to find agreement there. I would be interested in seeing a "profile" of a saved person. I hope it is not drawn in the first epistle of John. There I really believe we have a profile of a true prophet, such as the apostles were (the “we“ in 1 John 1), in contrast to that of a false prophet or other spirit (as in 1 John 4:1), the “they“ of 1 John 4:5 vs. the “we“ in 1John 4:6. The distinction between a false teacher and an unbeliever comes, I think, because the former is active in pushing a false doctrine and turning believers away from the faith. The unsaved person does not necessarily do that but, as you have noted, may be mistaken about his own relationship with the Lord. But not to preempt you, it would be interesting to have a profile that we can look at to be fairly sure that another person is really saved. Be careful now, and show the scriptures, and paint us a full picture. Some parts may not be pretty. Some people who are apparently saved can nevertheless be quite unpleasant. |
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