Results 201 - 220 of 6029
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Results from: Notes Author: DocTrinsograce Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Study Bible | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 213793 | ||
Hi, Tim... I'd sure hate that too! Of course, we have a greater obligation to insure that our teaching is sound, in harmony with the Word (James 3:1; Titus 1:9; 2:1; Ephesians 4:29). So I'd sure hate for the many silent readers -- now or in the future -- to come away from the forum with a false assurance that they are free to self-generate doctrine. (As though the Holy Spirit leads one person into one kind of "truth" while leading another into another kind.) Still and all, it amazes me when trying to keep people from falling off one side of the mountain, they resist, insisting that you're pushing off the other side of the mountain. So, to reiterate: The gifts of Christ to His body -- individually and corporately -- are essential. One is not inherently superior to another. The truth is not a subjective matter. The Holy Spirit will instruct in that which is true, not bypassing the mind, but through the text of the Word itself. Our God is imminently rational. In order to protect us from our propensity to turn everything upside down, God has gifted the church with the Word, His Spirit, prophets, apostles, pastors/teachers, and one another. Hence, the better question -- as Beja suggested -- is to ask, in the midst of our striving to exercise the necessary disciplines of Bible study, how do we "heap to ourselves" teachers (both living and dead) that will rightly instruct us in the sound doctrine of God's Word? Isn't that the proper application of 2 Timothy 4:1-5? In Him, Doc |
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202 | Soul the mind and Spirit the emotions? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 214324 | ||
Good PDF booklet (under 40 pages): http://www.mountzion.org/PDFs/tvfg.pdf "The True Gospel of Jesus Christ vs the False Gospel of of Carnal Christianity" by L. R. Shelton. |
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203 | An Enemy Has Done This! (Matt 13:24-30) | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215547 | ||
Hi, Vintage... Of the 33 parables of Christ, how many of them were for people other than the disciples? Two perhaps? Maybe three? If the parables were primarily for the instruction of the disciples, that would lend little credence to your assertions. Even the passage in Matthew 13 (which you cited) regarded the Lord's answer to an explicit question regarding parables from His disciples. A bit more orthodox approach to sound exegesis of gospel parabolic passages can be found in my post #157835. In Him, Doc |
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204 | An Enemy Has Done This! (Matt 13:24-30) | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215564 | ||
Dear Vintage, Thank you for your greeting. Regarding the number of parables: I pulled the number from memory. As I recall there were one or two in dispute amongst scholars as to whether they might actually be considered parabolic. (I think I remembered the number 33 simply because that was about Jesus' age at His crucifixion. That's just the way my mind works.) You can search around the Internet and find itemizations of the parables. Counting them oneself might yield the greatest benefit. At 90 chapters, reading through the gospels in a month is an easy task. One might make that effort, counting and categorizing the parables, and later checking one's work against readily available references. A book that is well worth picking up is "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. The chapter "The Parables: Do You Get the Point?" would be particularly helpful -- but I'd encourage anyone to read it cover to cover. This is just one of the books I've used in my hermeneutic classes. Of all of them, though, I deem this to be the easiest read and the most immediately practical. Since the parable in question was explained by Christ after its telling, I should think that we are remiss in seeking any other explanations. As Fee and Stuart wrote, "...for all their charm and simplicity, the parables have suffered the fate of misinterpretation in the church second only to the Revelation." (page 149) That observation certainly seems to be confirmed from posts here on the SBF. As to the specific parables that were directed to people other than Christ's disciples, I think you will find that there are only a very small number. Whereas it is certainly likely that we do not have all the parables Christ spoke, I assumed that our discussion related to those specifically disclosed in the gospels. By the way, Christ explains with almost painfully explicit language why people did not understand what He was teaching in John 8:43-47. The apostolic teachings as expressed in the epistles confirm that the reason for comprehension or the lack of comprehension remains the same today. In Him, Doc |
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205 | An Enemy Has Done This! (Matt 13:24-30) | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215595 | ||
Dear Vintage68, If you get that book I told you about, you will love it. It speaks to many of these things. The doctrine of sola scriptura helps us understand the many aspects of the Word of God. When we consider things like the sufficiency and the necessity of Scripture, we come to understand that God has providentially provided at any given time in human history all that is needful for "all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." Whether the divinely inspired writer realized that he was penning the Word or not, is really neither here nor there. Even in the times of the primitive church, we have clear assurances concerning what the Holy Spirit was providing in terms of revelation of the Word of God to His own. Peter, consequently, assures us that these precious epistles are part of Scripture. Consider the following: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things [the denouement and consummation of God's purposes in redemptive history], be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:14-16 NASB) As R. C. Sproul put it once, we have a fallible canon of infallible Scriptures. We may be confident, though, that God has assuredly provided and protected the Word for us (Hebrews 1:1-2). By the way, you might appreciate reading through the Chicago Statement of Biblical Inerrancy here: http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago1.html I'd further commend you to the related document on Biblical Hermeneutics: http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago2.html In Him, Doc |
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206 | An Enemy Has Done This! (Matt 13:24-30) | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215606 | ||
Dear Vintage, Wonderful! With the fundamentals with which you agree, your further studies will soon equip you, with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, for a more sound exegetical method. Do a bit of serious study for a change -- you'll find that the intellectual sweat will be well worth it. Let us know about what you are learning as you progress. I'm particularly interested to hear about the epiphany as you read Fee and Stuart chapter 9. As to the other stuff, go back and read my posts. I've rendered up as clear and sagacious answers as I know how to do. In Him, Doc |
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207 | Square and round brackets in Amp Bible | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215662 | ||
Dear (esteemed, valued, beloved) [Pastor Scholar] Tim (reverend person), This [post] of yours [Tim Moran] is (now, and continuing to be) informative [Pro. 9:9] and helpful (useful, constructive, practical). Note: The use [in the past, present, or future] by said Meyer person (looney tunes, WOF teacher) in source (wikipedia, URL) lends (contributes) nothing (zero, zilch, nada) to the authority or reliability of AMP (Amplified version). I (Doc) know [understand beforehand] you will agree (concur, accede, grant) [without equivocation]. :-) (smile, grin, express friendliness) In Him, Doc PS See also http://www.lockman.org/amplified/ampprin.php [i.e., from horse's mouth, so to speak] |
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208 | Square and round brackets in Amp Bible | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215672 | ||
Yes, it looked the same. I just looked a bit askance at the Joyce Meyer reference on that wikipedia site. I knew you wouldn't want any implications. I have found, in general, that if one of those WOF folks thinks something is good, then it is probably questionable. Nevertheless, as an old sainted buddy of mine used to say, "Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then." I found the Lockman site indirectly. I Googled Lockman amplified abbreviations. |
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209 | why does god spouse to commit adultry | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215739 | ||
Dear Brother Hopalong, I know that you take comfort in the certain knowledge of the sovereignty of our Lord. I further know that you are assured of His omniscience and perfect love. It would be utterly good and right if God only sought His own glory. Yet we know from His self-revelation, that He also actively arranges all things for the eternal benefit of His saints. Those who love Him are unwilling to trade even the tiniest affliction, from His hand, for the inescapable conclusion of all these truths, is that such things are evidences of His active, purposeful, love. What a treasure! Though we know that God could have prevented this malady from the start, yet it is our privilege to pray for you. For we know that our Father, for His greater glory, has built into the very fabric of creation, the prayers of His elect. Hence, loving Him and loving His own, we will join our prayers with yours! Just think! Brethren from all around the world will be manifesting the transforming work of the Lord in their prayers on your behalf. In Him, Doc |
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210 | Does God lead us to sin? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215866 | ||
Dear Brother Steve, A recital of my research after reading this thread: Checking Exodus, armed with my lexicon, I learned that the hardening of Pharaoh's heart is mentioned nineteen times: eleven times the LORD is said to have done it, three times Pharaoh is said to have done it, and five times Moses simply states that it was done. (One other instance says that the LORD hardened the hearts of the Egyptian people.) Biblical narratives tend to be phenomenological; which should not surprise us, as we share that tendency ourselves. However, deducing the interconnectedness of divine and human volition, from the point of view of narrative, might yet, with care, yield some theological fruit. So the question naturally arose: Why didn't the Holy Spirit use the language of nudging or pushing, if that was His actual intent? Perhaps I could find out a bit more about the word He chose to use. I was surprised that it was a word with which I was already somewhat familiar. I recall a Rabbi using it as a mandate about persistence in keeping the Law. I understood it to simply mean "Be strong!" Picture an astringent, almost mordant, command from a (little scary!) disciplinarian, "Keep the Commandments! Hazak!" That usage, by itself, lines up with your own choice of words. In a sense, we might say, God strengthened, firmed up, bound, or shored-up Pharaoh's disposition; as though Pharaoh was already on the edge, and God powerfully nudged him across the line. (Hopefully I've not misrepresented what you have asserted.) I wondered if Moses made use of hazak elsewhere. If he did, then your sense would be borne out, and confirmed. I found that Moses did use it elsewhere: Of the angels, forcibly dragging Lot and his family from Sodom (Genesis 19:16); of God's command (21:18) to Hagar to actively embrace (for purposes of recovery) her son unconscious son from heat exhaustion (vv1-16); of the famine that "prevailed" over the lands during the time of Joseph (41:56, 57; 47:20); of Jacob, rousing himself from his deathbed, to bless Joseph (48:2); of the LORD's command to Moses to capture the serpent by the tail (Exodus 4:4); of the hysterical demand of the Egyptians for the departure of the people after the final plague (12:33); of the thunderous voice of God on mount Sinai (19:19); of the benevolent taking into slavery persons fallen into abject poverty (Leviticus 25:35); of Moses' admonition for courage to the spies (Numbers 13:20); of the LORD's command to Moses to establish Joshua over Israel (Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:28; 31:7, 23); of Moses demand of Israel for active obedience to the LORD (11:8; 12:23; 31:6); of the rape of girls (22:25); and of assault by seizing a man's "private parts" (25:11). Well, if we had nothing more than the Pentateuch, it seems a mighty aggressive word! I was reminded that my hermeneutics professor would say that, in a way, we read the Bible backwards. The light of the New Testament brings much of the Old Testament into stark clarity. In this, as in many other instances, the Holy Spirit does not leave us only the observations we can make from the text itself -- though we could look at the Greek equivalent of the word in places like Mark 6:52; 8:17; John 12:40 (hardening and blinding!); Acts 19:9; etc. But better than even that, we have the wonderful commentary of Romans 9:14-22. Do we need much more? I am mindful that in Historic Baptist thinking, we take care to receive the whole revelation of Scripture into account. The old divines summarized the Bible doctrine on this point: "God hath decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet [an important word!] so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree." (1689 LBCF, chapter 3, paragraph 1) When the Holy Spirit makes no effort to ease the logical tension of an antinomy -- as Synergism does on the left and Hyper-Calvinism does on the right -- then we presume if we do otherwise. Thank you for the opportunity in our Bible study. :-) In Him, Doc |
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211 | Does God lead us to sin? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 215929 | ||
Hi, Val... Thank you for the expression of sympathy. Our brother Hank was a very dear man. My father's death was a scant eighteen months ago, yet I grieved at least as much. Hank is very much missed. Nonetheless, we rejoice that he now beholds the very Object of our adoration. Furthermore, his worship of our Lord is now perfected in all respects. Yet, the best is still to come, as they say -- for the certain consummation of God's eternal purpose is ahead. You asked, "...why do people ask questions that seems to put God in an inappropriate light...?" (sic) We could talk about spiritual perceptibility, cognitive acuity, secular education, church instruction, cultural influences, social sophistry, personal proclivities, and individual affections. I suppose they all come into play to one degree or another in all of us. Yet, as believers, we understand that understanding the true worthiness of God requires very specific acts by God Himself. He must absorb our offenses within Himself (redemption, 2 Corinthians 5:19), He must make the dead living (regeneration, Titus 3:5), He must draw the estranged into divine fellowship (forgiveness, Ephesians 2:16), He must illuminate darkened hearts (revelation, 2 Corinthians 4:6; Hebrews 1:1-2), He must transform the worldly into Christlikeness (sanctification, 1 Timothy 6:11). Outside of these things, we ought not be surprised when we see idolatry -- after all, my own heart is a skilled and diligent manufacturer of idols! (cf Galatians 5:19-21) As usual, I'm probably not expressing these things very well, despite my most earnest efforts. Sorry, its been a long, tiring day. In Him, Doc |
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212 | Should christians sing secular songs | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 216076 | ||
Hi, Jai... Welcome to the forum! If you don't mind, I will take your answer and apply it to a specific situation: When I sing Happy Birthday, with the family, to my granddaughter, would you say that I am in violation of the OT injunction of Isaiah 52:11 and the NT injunction of 2 Corinthians 6:15-18? Or would you offer any other qualifications? In Him, Doc |
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213 | Should christians sing secular songs | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 216078 | ||
Dear Sister Azure, This is your chance to write just such a Happy Birthday song! Your choice of Scriptural basis is good. I am afraid the first verse that crossed my mind was Psalm 51:5! :-) In Him, Doc |
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214 | Doing for Others | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 216084 | ||
Very well answered, sir! | ||||||
215 | Giving one's life | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217175 | ||
Hi, Brother John... The reason I chose Romans 12:1 was for support of my assertion that we actively manage our bodies for the purposes of the Kingdom. In Him, Doc |
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216 | Giving one's life | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217177 | ||
You were right, though, on the primary thrust of that passage. | ||||||
217 | Why is the Christian Church so divided? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217262 | ||
Hi, Krowland... Welcome to the forum! It depends on what you are talking about when you use the term church. Remember that Paul was speaking to a specific congregation, at a particular moment in history. If we were going to generalize more broadly, we would need to do so on the basis of the principles we derive from this particular instance, plus all that Scripture has to say about unity in local congregations. Also, remember that there is the institutions and organizations that we can see visibly that we refer to as churches. We see that in this example -- the church in Corinth -- as well as the church we regularly attend. However, there is another sense in which the church is something much larger and unseen by our physical eyes. Remember how the Apostles Creed states, "One holy catholic church?" This speaks to a unity, sanctity, and universality of the called-out ones. This is the Temple made without hands, built upon the teaching of the apostles and the prophets, of which Christ is the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20-22), of which all individual believers are living stones (1 Peter 2:3-10). Consequently, how God perceives each of these -- though we call them both churches -- will be quite different. The former cover a wide range of purity, while the latter is perfect and complete. In Him, Doc |
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218 | Why is the Christian Church so divided? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217265 | ||
Hi, Keith... You said that very well. Remember that these churches represent Christendom in its infancy. They certainly were messed up! Even in that specific historic context, Paul asserts that divisions -- where we get our modern word heresies -- must occur so that God's work becomes differentiated from other things (1 Corinthians 11:19). This is partly how our Lord is glorified. As I said before, any individual church is somewhere along the orthodoxy/orthopraxy spectrum. It is a blessing that we, as individuals, have a choice, so that we may choose a congregation in accordance with our convictions. Can you imagine what it would be like to live somewhere that only had a single place to worship, take it or leave it? Oh my! Can you imagine what kind of disunity would exist in such a single city-wide (state-wide?) church? Furthermore, a diverse set of churches -- none of the perfect or pure, of course -- allows us to walk out our Christian liberty per Romans 15 and elsewhere. Consequently, I am persuaded that God has blessed this nation with a diversity of churches. It was not that long ago that empire-wide, nation-wide, and city-wide churches were deemed essential. The notion that a city might contain several churches, is uniquely American. The unity in those congregations -- and even between them -- is thereby increased. Therefore, "Does God approve?" Think about it. Finally, I would suggest that there is less division among Christian churches than people imply. Our fundamental doctrines are very heavily the same. There are differences in particulars, but those particulars do not necessarily cause us to break fellowship. I am a credobaptist -- by study, forethought, and reason. That does not separate me from my paedobaptist brothers. We choose to congregate separately, but we work together in the community to spread the gospel. We each deem the other in error in the question of who is the appropriate party baptized, but we wholly agree that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Keith, you might want to read through church history -- even on a general level. You will find many brethren through the centuries, although you won't see eye-to-eye with them on every point. Many of them have done this very study that you are suggesting. You might benefit from their perspectives. In Him, Doc |
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219 | Why is the Christian Church so divided? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217268 | ||
Hi, Beja... Perhaps the problem is in those particular churches. The old divines once said, put it this way -- sorry for not cleaning up the format, but I am off to bed in a few minutes! :-) The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error;[4] and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan;[5]nevertheless Christ always hath had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in Him, and make profession of His name.[6] 4. I Cor. 5:1-13; Rev. 2:1-29; 3:1-22 5. Rev. 18:2; II Thess. 2:11-12 6. Matt. 16:18; Psa. 72:17; 102:28; Rev. 12:17 --1689 London Baptist Confession Faith, chapter 26, paragraph 3. When the ministers of such churches are not men changed by the gospel, we should not expect their congregants to fair any better. At any rate, we pray for you, your family, and your flock. In Him, Doc |
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220 | Why is the Christian Church so divided? | Bible general Archive 4 | DocTrinsograce | 217343 | ||
Yeah... let me send you the book. You have nothing to lose but the time to read it. With a mind like yours, you would still have the picks and shovels to mine the Word -- but their Styrofoam composition would be replaced with iron. There is nothing to fear, Vintage. |
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