Results 201 - 220 of 281
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Results from: Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Parable, who in Matt 13:3-23 is saved? | Rom 7:1 | Parable | 44965 | ||
I spoke with my pastor about this parable yesterday. While he thought my application of this parable to the question of losing our salvation was interesting, he did not confirm nor deny what I said. Rather, he reminded me that the point of this parable is for us as we spread the gospel, and not so much about those who hear it. That is, Jesus is saying there are different responses to the gospel, so we should sow the gospel everywhere, not only in those places where we think the soil is good. Only God knows what kind of soil is present in the hearts of those we preach to. Also, he cautioned against deriving theology from parables. Rather, he encourages us to interpret parables with understanding from the "theological" discussions in the Bible, such as Romans, rather than interpreting those discussions in terms of the parables. He explained, parables point to truth for those who can understand, but at some point they break down, usually when we try to assign meaning to every little thing. For example, in Easop's fable of the fox and the grapes, we could surmise that foxes can reason and foxes like to eat grapes. Clearly, this is not the point Easop was making about our attitudes when we don't get what we want, i.e. "those grapes were sour anyway". So, to summarize, this parable is best understood from the perspective of the sower, not the soil, and any inferences we make beyond this simple truth for the sower are perhaps going beyond what Jesus intended. Yet, I submit that since this parable is from Jesus, the truth of it cannot be denied. There is a real difference in outcome for each type of soil, but this difference is not for us to determine or be concerned with. Whether this difference relates to a loss of salvation is not clear and should not influence our work of spreading the gospel. Regarding Matthew 7:14 "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it", this says only that not many accept the gospel and does not say anything about what happens to those who do find the narrow gate but then lose it, or even if they can lose it. I apologize if I have misrepresented Jesus intent with his parable and description of the narrow gate. It is clear to me that His work on the cross and offer of salvation are meaningful precisely because the alternative is real. And, it seems hard to imagine anyone accepting His free gift, then rejecting it. But, then again, people ARE fickle and I have learned not to underestimate their capacity for sin. Fortunately, I have also learned not to underestimate Christ's capacity for mercy and grace. After all, He died for us while we were but sinners (Romans 5:8). |
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202 | Apostles | Rom 10:15 | Parable | 77397 | ||
As one who has surely irritated my share of forum members, I am imspired to say that "Mommapbs" has always been most gracious to me. Yet, I can see how you could have interpreted her remarks as sarcasm, but for what its worth, I sincerely believe this was not her intent. Regarding any hostility you may encounter, I believe some of it flows from the intensity of conviction that members sometimes feel. Even so, we are called to speak the truth in love, with gentlenss and respect, for edification and encouragement. Regarding Apostles, I am reminded that all of us are called to be saints. Why not as apostles as well? To push it further, Jesus calls us to become like Him. Yet, only He knows who has responded to His call. |
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203 | r u released from marriage if mistreated | 1 Cor 7:12 | Parable | 111776 | ||
Makarios, Good to hear from you! Long time since we've exchanged. I appreciate your positive input. Balance is a key element of walking in faith, just as it is in walking at all. | ||||||
204 | why is sacrifice the means to salvation? | 2 Cor 5:21 | Parable | 91374 | ||
Prazn, I welcome your insights! I am familiar with what you have said and agree. However, my question does not relate to what God has ordained as sufficient for the atonement of sin, my question is about why sacrifice itself, blood or otherwise, is the method God requires. What is it about sacrifice that erases sin? Parable |
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205 | why is sacrifice the means to salvation? | 2 Cor 5:21 | Parable | 91444 | ||
Yes, of course, it is enough. I have always held that understanding comes from obedience and trust. My interest here is not perfect understanding of Gods ways, but how to give a defense for the faith that I have, and this question seems to come up a lot when I'm sharing my faith with others. I have not yet been able to articulate why atonement requires sacrifice rather than some other act we could perform. I think the relevant issue in sacrifice is the personal cost associated with it and blood is the most valuable thing in life we can give. When that cost is no longer real, then sacrifice is no longer sacrifice. Wasn't this the problem with those who made a show of their sacrifices, thus getting something from their sacrifice instead of giving all of it completely to God? When the OT prescribed animal sacrifice as a substitute for human blood, wasn't this still supposed to be meaningful because people were so dependent on animals for their livelihood? If there are any verses that support what I have just written, or another understanding, perhaps that would be helpful. Parable |
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206 | should a christian go into night club | 2 Cor 6:17 | Parable | 48891 | ||
This question goes deeper than nightclubs. For a biblically-based hands-on approach to living in the world, but not being of the world, in order to sow the gospel everywhere, I suggest: "Finding Common Ground: How to communicate with those outside the Christian community, while we still can." by Tim Downs |
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207 | should a christian go into night club | 2 Cor 6:17 | Parable | 48941 | ||
I believe the answer to this question depends on the maturity of the Christian. New Christians have great enthusiasm to prosyletize, but often underestimate what they are up against. As a result, they sometimes rush in, thinking THEY will save the lost, when they should instead be mindful that it is the Holy Spirit who will do this miracle in them in His own time in His own way. The mature Christian, on the other hand, will follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, facilitating opportunities for Him to work through the interaction/relationship between the Christian and the other person. I'm not saying it is not possible to minister to people in a night club, in fact, I know a couple of pastors who have done this effectively. However, they worked together as a team, fully dressed in the armor of God, wary of the subtle ways the enemy works through the night club environment and able to discern who was open to the Spirit. I hope this helps. Parable |
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208 | MASTURBATORY PROCLAMATION | 2 Cor 12:20 | Parable | 47671 | ||
Amen! Blessed are the peacemakers! Parable |
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209 | is masterbation a sin? | Galatians | Parable | 43646 | ||
Thank you for your kind praise. | ||||||
210 | Believing in the Bible and E.T.'s | Eph 2:2 | Parable | 82517 | ||
Agreed, but who said anything about scientists? :) | ||||||
211 | Believing in the Bible and E.T.'s | Eph 2:2 | Parable | 82572 | ||
When aliens arrive, we will no doubt try to clone one, then they will eat us :) Seriously, I will consider your excellent questions and reply at a later time. I believe you have opened a big can of nightcrawlers... |
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212 | Believing in the Bible and E.T.'s | Eph 2:2 | Parable | 82874 | ||
Let's start with the discovery of extra-terrestrial life, which I consider to be far less likely than human cloning, which if it has not already been done, soon will be. Such a discovery would shake the foundations of our society. I could speculate about a lot of things that might happen, but the questions that interests me most are: The discovery of any ET lifeforms at all leads to the possibility that there are ET "people". Are the ET people made in His image? If ET people live on other planets, how has God revealed himself to them? Did they sin and fall from grace? Has/is/will Christ appear to them? If so, how did/is/will the gospel unfold for them? What does this mean for how we understand our identity in Christ? Parable |
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213 | Believing in the Bible and E.T.'s | Eph 2:2 | Parable | 83015 | ||
Regarding human cloning, if it has not already been done, it will be soon. I believe that the race to clone a human is motivated by three factors; the irresistable pull to accomplish what has not been possible, the resulting fame to those who succeed, and the technological advances that are being be spawned in the meantime and thereafter. You can think of the race to clone a human as similar to the space race of the 60's, which spawned all kinds of "space-age" technology. Of course, the first really good stuff went into top secret weaponry, but eventually the advancements filtered down to consumers. Biotech will be like that, but with far greater impact and at a greatly accelerated pace. There are too many possible consequences to ponder, so again I'll stick with what I think are the two most series issues for believers. 1. It is not clear that a clone is legally a person. That is, a copy of something is not the original. Offspring are not exact copies. Offspring are conceived by the union of two haploid sex cells. But, since a clone is a copy and is not conceived in exactly the same way as the original, it is different from the original from the start, so some may argue that a clone is property. The issue will be if those differences make any difference to being human. Our understanding of personhood will be challenged, perhaps in much the same way it is challenged in the case of abortion. That is, does our definition of being human depend on source of genetic material, manner of conception, course of development, being born, etc. or is it just that the genetic complement falls within the human genome, as recently completed? There are profound legal consequences for how we define a human. If a clone is not a person, then it may be legal to breed them for spare parts for the originals who may need them as they decay. If a clone is a person, can a clone sue the original for knowingly imparting to them some inhereted disease? Is is OK to abort a clone? The list goes on. 2. Medical/biological research is increasingly using evolutionary techniques to explore the ways genetic variations/mutations can be exploited to our advantage. If clones are property, is it OK to use them as bio-factories for drug manufacture or as test organisms for new drugs or gene therapies? Is it OK to genetically modify them so they are just smart enough to do what we tell them, but not smart enough to object to being our servants? Because mankind is fallen, the potential for wickedness is increased because this technology is so powerful. However, in the hands of Godly people, this technology holds great promise as a way to ease suffering and make the world a better place. In any case, Christians need to understand that the foundation of this technology is evolutionary biology. Evolution is well established, so if we don't come to terms with this, we will not be equipped to influence how this technology is used. I submit it is possible to believe in Jesus and accept that evolution is a valid model for the development of life in the fallen world. Parable |
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214 | Searching for the truth | Eph 5:21 | Parable | 76628 | ||
I believe the following will serve well: extreme professionalism, competence through extensive preparation, documented policies and procedures, opportunities for continuing education, consensus building, creative progressive leadership, transparent organization, striving for quality in everything, focus on biblical truth, tolerance of different Christian traditions, unconditional love for all sinners, invited speakers from other churches, community outreach, support for missions, always have a project for people to work on, celebrations for little successes, thoughtful challenges to spiritual pride, formulate a well-articulated statement of purpose, summarize the foundational truths, and finally, the pastor needs to cultivate friendships and a life that don't depend on him being a pastor. |
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215 | How has God sanctified you? | 1 Thess 4:3 | Parable | 41860 | ||
Thanks for the offer, but I'd rather have just the highlights. Can you sum it up for the 3 ways I mentioned, i.e. your life, outlook and relationships? |
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216 | The definition of porneia | 1 Thess 4:3 | Parable | 77412 | ||
no further clarification seems needed. what are you asking for? |
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217 | "This subject of election...." | 1 Tim 2:4 | Parable | 48437 | ||
Perhaps this analogy illustrates what you have said: Imagine that we are a crop grown by God. He prepares the soil, plants the seeds, waters them and warms them with the light of His love. Some of the seeds open to germanate. Some that germanate send out roots to take in water and food. Some that establish roots grow enough to break through the soil to the surface, where the light can shine directly on the seedling. Some of those seedlings survive to maturity. Then God harvests them. The question of election is, did God decide which to harvest only after they were mature, or, before, at the time of planting did he select which ones would reach maturity? If the former, our freedom to choose God out of love is real and meaningful. If the latter, we have no real choice and as a result, we do not have what God wants from us. The parables in which the Kingdom is described as a crop or fruit harvest depend on the idea that it is up to the crop or fruit to grow, albeit not on its own. How can we justify the idea that the work of sowing is just a formality? What is the point of sowing if the harvest is already established? I have no problem accepting that God can make these arrangements for us, even if He knows and/or somehow determines in advance who of us will choose Him. After all, in Christ He was able to become fully human yet retain His divine nature; this is one of the great mysteries of our faith, that He could experience every temptation and have each of them be as real for Him as they are for us. Yet, He did not fall into even the smallest one. Finally, election becomes relevant only if we think it matters to how we should respond to God's call. Do we believe that it is right for people to think that their rejection of God can be justified by the belief they are not among the elect? Or, that to justify unbelief, faith is a gift and God has not given it to them? I see no love nor justice in either of these. Parable |
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218 | Vain Babbling | 2 Tim 2:16 | Parable | 191967 | ||
"The condition of man... is a condition of war of everyone against everyone." -- Thomas Hobbes | ||||||
219 | Vain Babbling | 2 Tim 2:16 | Parable | 191970 | ||
No, that is not correct. This thread is "Vain Babbling", not "Scripture Alone?" In that thread, which I proposed, the instructions were "..if you are willing to try something different, for this thread and only this thread..." Indeed, it was precisely to avoid vain babbling that I proposed scripture alone. |
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220 | Vain Babbling | 2 Tim 2:16 | Parable | 191976 | ||
"Everyone must acknowledge, therefore, that Christian tradition had precedence, chronologically and even logically, over Christian Scripture; for there was a tradition of the church before there was ever a New Testament, or any individual book of the New Testament. By the time the materials of the oral tradition found their way into written form, they had passed through the life and experience of the church..." -- Jaroslav Pelikan, from Jesus Through the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture, p. 10 Respectfully, do you agree or disagree? Parable |
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