Results 281 - 300 of 645
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Results from: Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
281 | Did Mary remain a virgin? | Matt 12:47 | JCrichton | 132835 | ||
Hi, Krisjen! The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was a perpetual virgen... Scripture is viewed in light of the reasoning on your post... I find it interesting that some adamantly interprete the Bible according to only one particular view, the one that supports their particular belief system, even when facts, as you have stated, prove that, if anything, there could be more than one interpretation to "brothers/sisters..." My personal take is this: When Jesus was twelve, disappeared from Mary's and Joseph's side, where were those brothers and sisters? There's not a single mention of the parents frantically rushing with their other children to and fro searching for Jesus... neither is there any mention that they required the assistance of their relatives or close friends to care for the younger children as they set off to search for Jesus (remember, during His time there was no rapid transit system, poor people walked all the way, no telephones, telegraphs... and it all happened during a massive movement where hundreds if not thousands would be traveling throughout that region); neither was there a mention of a younger brother or sister tagging along with Jesus! I am not a linguist, have you read a Bible version that has correctly translated (or is it transliterated) the equivalent of "cousin," "uncle" or "aunt?" As far as I know, the extended family is always referred to as brother/sister, son/daughter of, father/mother of... It could we be argued, from a Biblical perspective, that most people did not even have grandparents--I can't recall the mention of any! One more point... no matter how poor Jesus' brothers and sisters were, if they were blood relatives of Mary, didn't the responsiblity of caring for Mary at Jesus' death fall upon the surviving offspring? Did Jesus not circumvent the Law by denying His brothers and sisters their right and obligation to care for Mary? True, Joseph was human, as Mary, but how many Christians engaged to be married would take on their spoused wife with a foreign pregnancy? Yet, Joseph was a humble servant of the Lord, and did not question the angel's revelation... would it be beyond this man to live with Mary, as her husband, without desiring a sexual relationship? What about Paul, was he misleading people? Did he state that he wished that all would serve the Lord as he did only out of pretense? If not, what would make Paul a stronger (or is it weaker) human being than Joseph, since he spoke of living a celibate life? I know I said "one more point," but I just remembered one more argument: Did Joseph, a man who was close to God, humbly obeying His Command, one day decided not to be loyal to Him? I mean, did you ever hear of Joseph following Christ in his missions, at His detention, at His death? Clearly, by this particular time in Christ's life Joseph, his earthly "father" was no longer living! So would it not be within the realm of possibilities that Jesus did have brothers and sisters, as far as the people of Nazareth and its vicinity were concerned, because Joseph could have been widowed when spoused to Mary, and that he had children from a previous marriage? ...after all, no other person but Jesus Himself is referred to in Scripture as Mary's offspring! God Bless! Angel |
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282 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132826 | ||
""puts a big hole in the "free will" concept.."" Hi, Kalos! When I read your post it seemed to be supporting the original argument presented by Armond888, which claims that we are and do what we do because God Wills it so... his views support the idea that we have no choice but to be saved or damned due to God's predisposition... The Biblical passage you presented seemingly aligns with that theory, seemingly! "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, NOR OF HUMAN DECISION or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13" As you can observe from your post, quoted above, you, or the Biblical version you employed, emphasized a portion of Scripture which is very important... this of course is a given! But the point emphasized does not take away from a point not emphasized: "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name," God's Gift is Eternal and all encompassing... but not all choose to receive the Gift! For that reason, Jesus Christ did not claim that He came as ransom for all of humanity, but for "many" (Matthew 20:28)... and at the Temple, the Holy Spirit prophesized through Simon and Anna that Jesus would be the rise and fall of many (Luke 2:34-38)... So the Gift and the Call both originate in God, but He has not removed our abilities to choose to serve Him and beget Life (John 1:10-13, 3:17-21) or to choose not to serve Him and beget death (Romans 6:23)... just as in the old days, Yahweh offered Israel a choice (Deuteronomy 30:19), Jesus offers us that same choice: we have Life and death in front of us; we must chose Life (Jesus) in order that we Live! Only if we are able to exercise our free will would we be able to chose Life or death! Regretably, many, rejecting God's Gift of Salvation (Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God), choose death! This of course is my reply to Armond... when visited by your Scriptural passage I couldn't help but surmised, form the emphasis given, that you had read my post and were not clear on my argument... In the future, when I find a post that offers Scripture without comments, I will read it and move on without responding to it... if the person offering the post requires my imput I will oblige but only at his/her direct request! God Bless! Angel |
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283 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132653 | ||
Hi, Kalos! I think that my reply to Hank's post will also satisfy your post: "Hi, Hank! I think that most of the misunderstanding amongst Christians is due to terminologies and definitions... There's an old adage, which I suspect could be found in all languages of the world: "...drowning in a cup of water..." I think that this is so exact when it comes to Christians... we look at the same side of the same coin and still come out with a multitude of interpretations... Clearly, Jesus states that only those who the Father call to Him will come to Him... and that those who come to Him He will not reject... (John 6:37, 44; Matthew 11:27) But human nature runs its course... and not all believed in Jesus nor listened to His Word (John 1:10-13; 3:17-21; 4:48; 5:36; 6:36; 6:64; 8:24; 10:25)… Paul accentuates this phenomenon when he recalls Isaiah’s words (Romans 10:16)… Now, either God allows us to chose Life or to reject Him, by choosing death (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) or He removes our ability to govern our will and we, all humanity, have no choice but to all be saved, since that is His Will (Ezekiel 18:27-32)... otherwise, if we are not all saved, than He is a strange and disturbed god who wills some to life and wills others to death! But Jesus is not strange! Jesus is not disturbed! He made Himself into nothing so that He could rescue all those who would listen to His Holy Spirit and Believe! He took my sin to the Cross, as well as that of all humanity, but just as the example of the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19), though the RANSOM was paid, not all chose to be made whole! Not to be disagreeable, my friend, but God will not force His Will upon us, in spite of His great Love for us! God Bless! Angel" |
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284 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132652 | ||
Hi, Hank! I think that most of the misunderstanding amongst Christians is due to terminologies and definitions... There's an old adage, which I suspect could be found in all languages of the world: "...drowning in a cup of water..." I think that this is so exact when it comes to Christians... we look at the same side of the same coin and still come out with a multitude of interpretations... Clearly, Jesus states that only those who the Father call to Him will come to Him... and that those who come to Him He will not reject... (John 6:37, 44; Matthew 11:27) But human nature runs its course... and not all believed in Jesus nor listened to His Word (John 1:10-13; 3:17-21; 4:48; 5:36; 6:36; 6:64; 8:24; 10:25)… Paul accentuates this phenomenon when he recalls Isaiah’s words (Romans 10:16)… Now, either God allows us to chose Life or to reject Him, by choosing death (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) or He removes our ability to govern our will and we, all humanity, have no choice but to all be saved, since that is His Will (Ezekiel 18:27-32)... otherwise,if we are not all saved, than He is a strange and disturbed god who wills some to life and wills others to death! But Jesus is not strange! Jesus is not disturbed! He made Himself into nothing so that He could rescue all those who would listen to His Holy Spirit and Believe! He took my sin to the Cross, as well as that of all humanity, but just as the example of the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19), though the RANSOM was paid, not all chose to be made whole! Not to be disagreable, my friend, but God will not force His Will upon us, in spite of His great Love for us! God Bless! Angel |
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285 | Was Paul married and to a Sanhedrin woma | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 132588 | ||
“The question here is if all the disciples were put out of the counsel how does this part of the discussion come to be written here.” Hi, Aaron! I understand your concern… there are many things in Scripture that, inevitably, baffle our perceptions… seemingly, offering not enlightenment but a veil incremental quagmires… The point you offered above is interesting… but my take is different: 1. I doubt that members of this elite ruling body would travel about, risking their position and life, in order to deter opposition to their doctrine or in an effort to personally command the militia that would detain, imprison or even kill those that they considered to be preaching heresy, when they could easily delegate their authority to others--specially those who are thirsting for power and prestige… Saul as attested by his enthusiasm for eradicating those who followed the Way, fits that criteria! 2. Though we are limited by context, we can reason, from Scripture, that there were silent partners (disciples) who, being too afraid to lose their earthly clout and commodities, did not always come forward into the Body of Christ but kept watch and served the Lord by disseminating information and, perhaps, even misdirecting the efforts of those who wished to fight the Way. I based my argument on the following: His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to ban from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. (John 9:22) After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus--though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews--asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission, so they came and took it away. (John 19:38) In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ (John 20:19) “Is this an instance of Divine justice? What goes around comes around, you reap what you sow etc. It seems Paul has come full circle.” I seldom delve in speculation because there are too many variables and inconsistencies that corrupt the emergent theories and conjectures which are then viewed as fact rather than sheer speculation… your mention of “Divine Justice” is just one of those arguments that have been surfacing in “Christian” circles… the problem I find with it is that, when we ascribe to God principles that define our finite being, we are simply reducing God to our flawed level of being and understanding… True, there is a certain irony in Paul’s (Saul’s) predicament; but it could only be proven “Divine Justice” if only Paul would have suffered persecution on the hands of the established authorities (both Jew and Roman)… rather, we find that the Apostles and the early Church as a whole were relentlessly persecuted causing the followers of Christ to go underground and to disperse throughout the empire and the nations surrounding it--this of course benefited the Church since all the believers who fled were able to bring the Word to many more people/cultures than if they had stayed in Jerusalem and its direct surroundings. I do find “Divine Justice” in Paul--the fact that he challenged God out of ignorance by persecuting the Church (Philippians 3:11-21)--as the Church is the Body of Christ--and God saw fit to make him the Apostle to the Gentiles! It is through Divine Justice that Saul finds his way back to God (Acts 9:1-22): Saul was not only forgiven but his abilities were enhanced so that he could become an outstanding servant of Christ! God Bless! Angel |
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286 | The ransom - God or man? | 1 Cor 15:21 | JCrichton | 132505 | ||
Hi, Following Him! Excellent comeback, on both counts! God Bless! Angel |
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287 | Please explain the big words! | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 132409 | ||
Hi, GeneZ! I understand what you are saying... I was simply offering Jo (Winged1) an alternative... many times I travel around the net and I find it faster to query an automated source than to await for a reply... I can see the benefit you expressed since I have read through some of the exchanges dealing with vocabulary and usage... God Bless! Angel |
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288 | The ransom - God or man? | 1 Cor 15:21 | JCrichton | 132376 | ||
"Are you saying "Don't bother me with the facts?"" Hi, Alien! No, not that at all... I am saying: Don't twist Scripture to mean what you desire to make of God's Word! The study of words is extremely suggestive... the jest of it all always depends on the particular view of the orator and the individual member of his/her audience... politics, science, religion, love, racism... Scripture is not subjective... when we seek to discover the truth and we twist Scripture that does not agree with our defenitions or we ignore Scripture because it denies our interpretation, we are doing nothing better than conforming Scripture to our design. When Scripture calls Jesus God and we invent ways to interpret a different meaning we are not "discuss(ing) Scripture that any and all could continue to gain in knowledge." We are basically asserting our own believes and projecting them as the truth! Since many come to this and other forums with relatively little or limited familiarity with Scripture, when they read through a post that professes to be the truth, they may not even question it, but simply just run with the statement... Since a Christian is in fellowship with Christ (a servant of Christ), the discussions in a Christian forum should reflect Christ's Divinity according to Scripture, not the individual interpretation of what he/she conceives the Word of God to mean. When I come across a post that seems to deny Jesus' Divinity, as a servant of Christ, I can't but question the direction that the person is taking with his/her statements... I am fluent in Spanish, have some limited skills in Portuguese and French... since this is not a linguist forum, I do not seek to query people on these languages... so my statments to you is reflective of that particular reasoning... If you are searching for the Truth (Jesus), then by all means query away and present all your statements... but if you simply seek to demonstrate through your own undestanding that Jesus is not God than I can only suggest that you seek a different forum... Again, this is one man's opinion! You are welcomed to express yourself as you desire... when the issue becomes intolerable to the forums bylaws, you (or I or any other member) will be notified by the appropriate agents. May the Lord Jesus Christ smile upon you and bless you with His Holy Spirit! God Bless! Angel |
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289 | The ransom - God or man? | 1 Cor 15:21 | JCrichton | 132373 | ||
""…the timing of the Messiah is not crucial to the price of the ransom. It could have come hundreds of years earlier or later…" How do you reconcile your statement (above) with Scripture: but when the completion of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, (Galatians 4:4--compare with Hebrews 9:26) Scripture certainly attest that there is a time schedule for God's Plan! For us to jump to a conclusion that it did not matter would be to claim to be able to surpass God's Judgment and Design!" Hi, Alien! Your reply to my question by suggesting other Scripture... If you re-read your statement (quoted within the quote) you make the presumption that the Coming of Christ is haphazzard and could have taken place any time at all... perhaps I understand "crucial" and "timing" differently than you... but God's timing is excellent and no event that has taken place has happened accidentally or out of pure whim! "The purpose of my discussion is to more fully understand the ransom, the we might be more fully motivated to dwell according to knowledge" I respect your determination in questing after the understanding of God's ransom... but your expressions seem to be either condescending to Jesus or simply trivializing the Truth that you seek to find!: "I absolutely applaud God for his choice in Jesus as the ransom, and gladly cooperated with him in the role that God has now assigned him" When I read your statement (directly above), I can't help but see triviality ("applaud God") and condescension ("the role that God has now assigned him")... Jesus is God (John 20:28), not a mere glorified human that has been given tasks to perform! God Bless! Angel |
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290 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132370 | ||
Hi, Armond888! I respect your decision not to discuss this topic... I appreciate your offering of Scripture... I must state that you have proven nothing... To be devoid of will would suggest that all must do according to God's Will regardless of desire to act in a rebellious manner (sin)--this of course is proven by Scripture not to be the case as the people of Israel, God's chosen people, rebelled time and again against Yahweh's Authority. And since Scripture states that we are all sinners (Romans 5:12) when we apply your theory to humanity, then we can only condlude that man will end up in hell; if you don't believe in hell then: man will end up in a realm devoid of the Glory of God. True, in Scripture we find all answers... but when we apply Scripture in a preconceived manner that removes the Holy Spirit's guidance we end up with contorted ideas of the Word of God! Just listen to Yahweh's own words: Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked--declares the Lord Yahweh--and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live? ...Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone--declares the Lord Yahweh--so repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:23, 30-32) And our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, couldn't have made it any clearer: And the judgement is this: though the light has come into the world people have preferred darkness to the light because their deeds were evil. And indeed, everybody who does wrong hastes the light and avoids it, to prevent his actions from being shown up; but whoever does the truth comes into the light, so that what he is doing may plainly appear as done in God.' (John 3:19-21) My friend, humanity's fate is not sealed in the blood-thirstiness of a Creator that relishes in seeing His creatures in torment and pain! Not so, my friend! Our fate is sealed by the choices we make! If we rejects God's Authority the end result will always be eternal damnation (Revelation 16:9, 11)! But if we humbly subject ourselves to our Lord's Will, the end result is Eternal Life with Him and in Him! (Romans 6:23) God Bless! Angel |
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291 | The ransom - God or man? | 1 Cor 15:21 | JCrichton | 132264 | ||
Hi, Alien! ...I've been criticized before as being too strong... when it comes to Christ, I am sorry to say, I have to be, He Commanded it so! I have read through this thread... it seems that you are only interested in producing personal opinions about the Divinity of Christ (meaning that you seek to demonstrate that He is not God)... if this is truly your agenda, I suggest that you rethink your efforts as most active members are Christians (disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Holy Trinity)... there is hardly anyone who will listen to any explanation that will suggest that Christ Jesus is not God! Instead of attempting to dethrone Jesus, you should be seeking to humbly obey Yahweh Who Commands that we listen to Jesus, His beloved Son--the Emmanuel, who shares His Glory and Throne! May Jesus' Holy Spirit enlighten your mind, heart, and spirit so that you may seek the Lord with all your heart, and mind, and spirit! He is the only Savior, the only Resurrection, the only Life! God Bless! Angel |
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292 | The ransom - God or man? | 1 Cor 15:21 | JCrichton | 132263 | ||
Hi, Alien! I usually wait till the end of the thread… but I totally do not follow you... "…the timing of the Messiah is not crucial to the price of the ransom. It could have come hundreds of years earlier or later…" How do you reconcile your statement (above) with Scripture: but when the completion of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, (Galatians 4:4--compare with Hebrews 9:26) Scripture certainly attest that there is a time schedule for God's Plan! For us to jump to a conclusion that it did not matter would be to claim to be able to surpass God's Judgment and Design! "My question is: Did the ransom need to be God? Again, I can find no reason to support this." Yes! It had to be God! Yes! There is Scriptural support!: Hebrews 9:11 through 10:1-14: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. …In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. … because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.’ " First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. God Bless! Angel |
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293 | What is your opinion on this? | 1 Cor 7:19 | JCrichton | 132260 | ||
Hi, Rowdy! This is precisely the problem we have today as Chrsitians... we place extreme value on things such as circumcision, speaking in strange tongues, letter of the law as it affects food, tithes, form of baptism, prayer... while completely ignoring Christ's Command to love, serve, unite, be one Body! Remember Jesus's contemporary religious, how they were so adamant about not breaking the Sabbath? Still, when it was profitable or convenient to them they not only broke the Sabbath but even cheated their parents and God! (Matthew 23:13-38; Mark 7:6-14) God Bless! Angel |
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294 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132259 | ||
"It is clear throughout the Bible that indeed ALL men do NOT belong to GOD.. not an easy pill to shallow.. puts a big hole in the "free will" concept.." Hi, armond888! The above is a quote from your post # 131917; is this found in Scripture or have you quoted this from someone else's post? I know you responded to my previous post... but I still did not receive a clear enough answer! Perhaps I did not understand your intended meaning when you said or quoted: "puts a big hole in the "free will" concept.." ...what is the point that is made here, is it that we were not created by God with free will to obey His Command or reject it? Is it that evil men will forever be evil because they are not allowed to choose righteousness? Is it that only "good" men will enter into God's Kingdom because they cannot do evil? ...I don't mean to be difficult... I just don't follow your statement--specially in light of: "I am not saying anything I am simply listing scriptures in reference to the question.." Just follow me for a second... one Scripture passage you cite speaks on those who listened and learned from the Father (John 6:45)--this of course supports a negative response to the original query posted ("Do all men belong to God?"), while simultaneously allowing for "free will," as only those who chose/choose to listen to the Father will find Life in Jesus! So to state that not all men belong to God, it is Scripturally correct, since we are all God's creatures but not all creatures are children of God (John 1:10-12). But where I become confused is with the "free will" statement since it is by free will that some believe in Jesus while others reject Him (John 3:19). The Scripture passages you have cited on this post # 132150 are excellent examples of direct dependency on God that we have... yet, I am not questioning this fact! And while 2 Peter 1:20-21 are completely devoid of men interaction, John 6:44-45 do not in any form suggests that we are empty-will automatons unable to choose to serve or not to serve God or unable to choose a change from unrighteousness (the path that ends in death) into righteousness (Salvation in Christ Jesus). If I have misunderstood your "free will" statement/quote, please accept my apologies... but if not please clarify how you come to the conclusion that we lack "free will," the choice to serve God or to defy His Authority! God Bless! Angel |
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295 | Integrity | Num 12:7 | JCrichton | 132133 | ||
"Who in the Bible is the greatest example of integrity? Explain why" Hi, J L Pangilinan! I totally agree with you! Mary, Peter, Paul, John, Stephen and many others were put through excruciating pain, physical or emotional or both, for the Way... But the original question asked to designate one candidate... Though many holy people of God were put through the wringer, I still hold that Moses was the one individual granted the greatest amount of power over a vastly superior amount of people and did not misuse his authority! God place Moses as a god to Pharao and to Aaron (inclusive of Israel)... only Moses of all the people in the Bible, outside of our Lord Jesus Christ, placed himself between God's wrath and the people of Israel... to me, it is this relationship that exemplifies the apex of integrity: having all the power in the world, being able to, justly, accuse those who plotted against him, God having his "back," God boiling mad against those who opposed him... still Moses kept his obedience to Yahweh, still Moses kept his devotion to Israel, still Moses interceded for those who betrayed him, still Moses prayed for a people that rejected his leadership! (Reminds you of some one else, doesn't it!) Abraham was a beautiful man, obeying God to the point of offering his only son (the son of Sara, his wife), Isaac, in Faithful obedience... but to me that is not the apex of integrity! Mary, the Apostles, the other disciples, and some benevolent people that placed their lives and livelihood in peril for the Way... they too were excellent examples of fortitute and integrity... but they were not entrusted with as much power nor tested as rigorously and mercilessly as Moses was! David was an excellent soldier for the Lord, but he did not face Moses tormoil--aside from the persecution from king Saul, king David suffered very little and was not placed in the position of facing God's wrath for the sin of Israel... Daniel and Joseph... both gifted, both honorable holy men of God, but their power over Israel was limited, their control of supernatural powers were confined to interpretation of dreams/visions... and even their intercession on behalf of God's people was in a different vein than Moses'--he actually had the intimacy of God and was able to pray and intercede with greater boldness than the rest! Granted, Moses had one set back... something that to us God would readily forgive and has forgiven... but as Christ said to those that much has been entrusted, much more will be asked (Luke 12:48)! So one moment of exasperation caused Moses his entry into the promised land! But it was this same Moses that Jesus saw fit to join Him in His transfiguration! Again, there are many many holy people of God that have exhuded valor, conviction, and integrity... but Moses outshines all in his humble obedience to the Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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296 | Do all men belong to God? | Job 33:6 | JCrichton | 132016 | ||
"puts a big hole in the "free will" concept.." Hi, Armond! Are you saying that we were not created with the ability to freely choose to obey God or to reject Him? If so, are we living a farce hoping in vain to be Saved by Christ since only, as some groups claim, a few are actually already saved and the rest are but refuse? What then do you say of Israel, made to have a stubborn heart, mind and spirit so that the Gentiles could enter into God's Grace? Were they rejected forever, reduced to nothingness? For God to exercise His full Power does not denies Creation: image and likeness--ability to choose to Salvation of to reject HIM! God Bless! Angel |
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297 | Does this mean they do not go to heaven? | Rom 8:9 | JCrichton | 132015 | ||
"Most focus on church building or expansion or at the very least maintaining what they have." You are so right! I've heard people using financial status as a tool to bring in the "converts." They would speak on how costly their building (though they refer to it as church) was (always in the millions); how much money was put into the orchestra-like music ministry, how their congegation is comprised of so many doctors, lawyers and other professinals; how in x amount of months they have acquire even more real estate to build an even bigger building or sister church; how they have x amount of converts from this group or that group... It seems that that old American bug, "the Jones's," has been caught even by Christians! It appears that Paul's arguments about the unity and edification of the Body of Christ fall under some Bermuda Triangle mindset that allows some to filter out any actual obligations to obey Scripture! No wonder Christ challenged: ...But when the Son of man comes, will he find any faith on earth?' (Luke 18:8) I pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten us and bring us back to the Truth! God Bless! Angel |
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298 | Integrity | Num 12:7 | JCrichton | 132014 | ||
Hi, Praise be to God! Again, I respect your choice... but having Scripture that uses the term "integrity" does not exclude all the evidence of Moses' experience. Job was tested by three of his "friends" after an excessive loss--Moses was drilled by the whole people of Israel and even his own brother and sister-in-law challanged his leadership... though Moses had the opportunity to see them punished, he pleaded with God instead to keep them from harm... Even God Himself refused to allow them to go without some form of punishment! The world integrity was not written in the textual contenct but it was lived! God bless! Angel |
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299 | Studying beyond reading | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 131984 | ||
Hi, Jo! I did not mean to exclude you from this forum... I simply offered info on a forum that is for and by young Christians... I am glad that you found a group to study with... I welcome all Bible related questions or comments that deal with Christ (some people want to argue philosophy and religion, I stay away from arguments that are unproductive to my relationship with Christ). "How do I study deeply? How do I get past simply reading the Bible." I suggest that you start with the Gospel of John... do not try to read through the text (chapt 1 - 21)... take as much time as you need to study each individual chapter/theme (i.e.: John 1:1-14), using a Bible with a built-in concordance or a Bible concordance to compare Scripture from various sources... Start and end each study session with a prayer asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and thanking God for any enlightenment gained from each session. Use your study group to bounce your personal Bible studies (offer your questions, comments, challanges...)... Bounce your conclusions/queries on this or other Bible forums... Avail yourself of local sources such as your local Church, Bible ministry, parents, siblings, grandparents... always challange your knowledge of Christ by opening dialoges with those that God will send to you! Most importantly, be a doer of the Word! It is a good thing to discover the mysteries of God; it is a better thing to put them into practice in our daily lives! God Bless! Angel |
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300 | Denounce militant Islam? | Matt 5:44 | JCrichton | 131983 | ||
Hi, Alien! I follow part of what you are saying... but still I am amiss about the term! Thank you for your assistance! God Bless! Angel |
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