Results 541 - 560 of 729
|
||||||
Results from: Notes Author: charis Ordered by Date |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
541 | Babies in heaven when they die? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6277 | ||
Dear JVH0212, Blessings upon you dear brother, for making the most Biblical statement thus far. (including mine) I agree that "We can be assured that God will do what is right and loving because He is the standard of rightness and love." I, personally, would have to stop at this point. Your final statement, " Yes, and therefore it is a credible assumption that a child who dies at an age too young to have made a conscious, willful rejection of Jesus Christ will be taken to be with the Lord." speaks of a 'credible assumption,' an admirable and honest summation. Thank you for a great answer. In Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
542 | Allocation or possession? | Heb 11:1 | charis | 6267 | ||
Dear orthodoxy, I agree with the point you made about the difference between physical faith (the chair, the car) and saving faith, though which the grace of the Lord is poured out. In fact, friend, I have no 'buts' or 'howevers' at all :-) I also agree that every believer has 'enough' faith to be saved. It would seem that since the 'initial' sin is the same for all (Adam) the 'amount' necessary for salvation is exactly the same. (Not by-the-pound, or depending on the amount of pre-salvation sins) After this gift of saving faith is given, is there a subsequent gift of 'faith to live by?' It would seem that varying 'amounts' of faith are manifest (or not manifest) in the lives of God's people. Also, we have the Holy Spirit gift of faith in I Corinthians 12:9, that seems separate from saving faith. In II Thessalonians 1:3 we have, "...because your faith is greatly enlarged..." indicating that the 'amount' of faith can change. Thanks for hearing me out. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
543 | Judgment of Infants? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6264 | ||
Dear Nehemiah, I am truly sorry you think I am cold. I very clearly stated, and very strongly believe that the children of (a) believing parent(s) are under a covering provided by the Lord Jesus in I Corinthians 7:14. I also believe that we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), and that God's grace is poured upon whomever He chooses. Please, dear friend, do not jump to conclusions, charging me with assigning 'innocent little babies to hell.' This is not my motive, at all. I have before me a MacArthur Study Bible, a Ryrie Study Bible, a Holman Master Study Bible, a 23-volume Pulpit Commentary and a modest number of Bibles, Bible Dictionaries, and Concordances. (I'm sorry, but I am not a scholar, learned in Greek or Hebrew) Many give opinions one way or the other, but not one has given me a clear, Scriptural mandate that the children of the unsaved are saved. Most agree that all are conceived under the inherited guilt and moral corruption of Adam's sin. Some say they are not culpable or blameworthy, some say they are. This is a Study Bible Forum, and I am asking this august body to consider this question and use the Bible to help me understand. Is this unreasonable? By *assuming* innocence of all children, we open the door to absolve others of 'original sin.' The 'moral incompetents' and 'the abused' and 'the hurt,' thereby exonerating just about anyone with a sad past. Another would be those that 'had no opportunity to know Jesus, even as adults.' My point is that we do not have the ability to know who is saved, except within the realm of our personal lives. (even there, only God knows in the absolute sense) We are to portray the Good News to the lost, in order that they may know Jesus. If I can do this, then these lost and their children can be found in the Lord, by His grace. Nehemiah, I want everyone saved! Not just 'innocents,' but sinners, too. But I cannot save them with my feelings. I preach the Gospel, I reach out to my neighbor, I lift up Jesus in my home, I pray earnestly, and I study and hear His Word. This is what we are told to do, right? Please don't think me an ogre :-) I assure you I am not unfeeling, and if you knew me you would know this. I live in a place that is over 99 percent non-Christian, serving the Lord hoping that He might save many. My heart breaks every time I walk out my door! Please don't accuse me of being cold. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
544 | Judgment of Infants? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6196 | ||
Dear Nehemiah, Though Luke 18 is often quoted, the context either speaks of parents bringing their children to Jesus in faith(vs 15) or of a believer's faith to 'be as a child' (vs 17). I Corinthians 7:14 gives hope to all believing parents, even if it is only one believer. Do you know of any Scripture reference that might speak of salvation for the children of the unsaved? I know this can be an emotional issue, and I am not trying to be cold-hearted or cruel. The Bible seems to say that we are by nature children of wrath, and that Adam's sin caused all to be born in sin. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." John 3:6 NASB Thank you for your answer. In Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
545 | Scripture, please? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6193 | ||
Dear jim, Indeed, I Corinthians 7:14 gives hope to all believing parents. Can you find any Scripture reference that might speak of the same hope for the children of the unsaved? Though Luke 18 is often quoted, the context either speaks of parents with faith for children (vs 15) or of believer's faith being 'as a child' (vs 17). I know this is an emotional issue, and I am not trying to be cold-hearted, just true to the Word. Blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
546 | More on faith? | Heb 11:1 | charis | 6176 | ||
Dear jim, Yes, 2 Peter 1:5-8 does speak of the 'application' of faith. Brother orthodoxy used a similar argument citing our 'allocation' of faith. Now, Galatians 5:22 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,..." (NASB). Faithfulness is the same word as faith (pistis). The origin is, of course, the Holy Spirit, but fruit impies that the amount is subject to increase (and, unfortunately, decrease). Thank you for your comments and Scriptures. In Jesus, charis |
||||||
547 | 'Gaijins' have nothing better to do? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6131 | ||
Dear Lionstrong, "Would you share it with us?" ? You are right, Lionstrong, I have already given thoughtful answers on this thread, and I weary of it. Don't you have anything better to do than chase your tail? That is what a philosophical conundrum is all about. If you read carefully my above posting, you will see that I very clearly state my conclusions, and my Scriptural references are available by just doing a search on the user name 'charis' Blessings in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
548 | Is infant baptism Biblical? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6079 | ||
Dear orthodoxy, Indeed, 'household' does appear to mean every member of the house, including slaves, also their menagerie, and the utensils. But you are still assuming the presence of children, and assuming that the people of those times did not require faith to be a part of a holy rite, but neither of these has any Biblical proof, one way or the other. As to evidence that the church has been baptizing for 1850 years, we have no such proof that all churches did so, or that this was approved by God. Even so, 150 AD is not good enough. When we ask if infant baptism is Biblical, we use the Bible as the source of the answer. Otherwise, the question becomes, "Is infant baptism traditional?" The answer to this one is 'Yes.' How many complete copies of the New Testament we have from when is irrelevant. (Just ask Josh McDowell :-) The original question was from a sincere believer seeking the opinions of this forum, but moreover seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit. I did not ridicule his baptism as a baby, or say it was meaningless or based on heretical teaching. I simply pointed out that the Bible should be the source of his decision. I still pray that he is baptized (if he so chooses) in accordance with the leading of the Spirit, not in accord with his church's tradition. Orthodoxy, I do not ridicule your opinion, I just prefer my understanding of Scripture, praying before God that it may be acceptable to Him. Blessings in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
549 | What is prayer? | Acts 1:14 | charis | 6074 | ||
Dear prayon, Thank you for a concise, Biblical and beautiful answer! I agree that prayer is *communication* with God, implying more than 'placing an order' to a 'sugar daddy' in heaven. Indeed, we must listen, too! I daresay, for prayer to be effective, acting in accord with those things he speaks to us in prayer is necessary. Blessings to you in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
550 | How then should we live? | Jude 1:21 | charis | 6073 | ||
Dear disciple, Great answer! Blessings to you and welcome to the forum. I agree very much about the imperative of love. Thank you for an uplifting commentary on this Scripture. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
551 | Does God have free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6070 | ||
Dear Lionstrong, For the most part I agree with you. Seeing that you addressed many of my comments in this posting, I would like to clarify my statements. I still think that the question, "Does God have free will" is a philosophical conundrum. If this were truly the study of God, then His Holy attributes would be recognized as such, not questioned or doubted. It is similar to "Is there a God?" Now, as a Christian, we define God as holy, almighty, righteous, sovereign, and yes, good. We are not talking about gods, who are notoriously similar to man. So, I do believe that the question is a philosophical one, asking about the (not accepted) attributes of God. My term, 'limited free will' is indeed ambiguous. For this I apologize. I meant by it that I don't think that God 'micro-manages' our lives. I believe that His intrinsic knowledge of the future gives Him the ability to send His angels to intervene at any moment. I doubt if He has to constantly monitor our choice of peanut butter or the like. (Though, I am sure He is able to do so if He so chooses) Please, let us not get involved in a discussion of time paradox :-) As I said earlier, I agree with most of your posting. In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
552 | Does God have free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6069 | ||
Dear Cephas, I am very sorry if my English is strange. I share my communicative skills with another language, so maybe I get fuzzy at times. Please know that I was not saying that you, personally, are blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Allow me to explain myself: Please take out my parenthesis, (unless, of course, you are one that has succeeded in blaspheming the Holy Spirit). This side-thought was meant to say that if you, or anyone else, has succeeded in blaspheming the Holy Spirit, then maybe God will not supersede your will. i.e. you have declared yourself outside of his love and care. I, personally, believe it is difficult to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, thus the word 'succeeded.' Now look at my sentence below without this parenthesis, and 'Praise the Lord' should make sense, meaning that it is a good thing that the Lord can save us from the foolishness of man. "Finally, are you so sure that you have as much free will as you assume? That you can 'choose to do good or evil' to the extent that God does not enter in as a variable? I, too, believe in the limited free will of man, but have found that God can supersede our will at any time He wishes. And Praise be to the Lord that this is so!" Cephas, I truly have no intention of offending you. Please don't be so quick to think you are under attack. I really would like to know why you dwell on philosophically 'proving' God's sovereignty. Again, I ask: What if the answer was "No, God has no free will"? Does it feel better? Does it make sense? Does it strengthen your faith? Does it encourage believers and unbelievers? This was my point, with no subtle barbs. Peace upon you in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
553 | Biblical support for animals in heaven? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6056 | ||
Dear prayon, I think there is Biblical argument for animals in the future kingdom of God. It is a bit harder to clearly justify personal pets. But, sitting in front of my PC (Sorry, not a Mac) with my Papillon, Sophie, faithfully warming my lap, it is hard to exclude them :-) "Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in."—Mark Twain "I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it."—Abraham Lincoln Before you all jump on me, I know that this is a Bible forum. I also know that the people that are the most outraged don't have pets :-) Blessings in Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
554 | Ineffective prayer by believers? | James 5:16 | charis | 6053 | ||
Dear K. Samuel, Greetings, and welcome to the Forum! I very much enjoyed your answer here, and your other comments and postings. Though I addressed the above to Steve, the comments were for the benefit of all participants, so please do interact. (note: I always try to start with dear..., and end with ...charis, for the sake of clarity. Sometimes these 'trees' and 'threads' can be confusing to me :-) I look forward to hearing more from you. In Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
555 | Please help. Post your comments. | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6012 | ||
Dear EdB, I know it's good to vent, but... At least I know that I wasn't the culprit that red-flagged orthodoxy :-) I hope my advice to others was not ungodly and from the pit of hell. I pray that my motives were not an effort to esteem myself above others by making others look like fools. I still think that this is the best Christian forum I have seen. Full disclosure of voters defeats the purpose of secret ballot. Where questions are allowed, advice will be solicited. Advice from hell will probably be obvious to most of this audience. I suppose a lot of us are 'wannabe scholars.' Even the fellows with (or seeking) acronyms and abbreviations after their names :-) Then again, I trust that most want to serve God and His people by participating in this forum. Peace upon you, friend, in the name of Jesus, charis |
||||||
556 | Does God have free will? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 6011 | ||
Dear Cephas, Your last statement was "God does not have free will in the way we have." It's like putting the cart in front of the horse. It wil move, but not very well. The sin that we have does not let us enjoy the freedom from sin that is an attribute of God. What if the answer was "No"? Does it feel better? Does it make sense? Does it strengthen your faith? Does it encourage believers and unbelievers? What if the answer was "Yes"? Does it feel better? Does it make sense? Does it strengthen your faith? Does it encourage believers and unbelievers? Philosophical questions can have merit. This particular question defies merit. (and maybe God, too.) Finally, are you so sure that you have as much free will as you assume? That you can 'choose to do good or evil' to the extent that God does not enter in as a variable? I, too, believe in the limited free will of man, but have found that God can supersede our will at any time He wishes. (unless, of course, you are one that has succeeded in blaspheming the Holy Spirit) And Praise be to the Lord that this is so! Bless you, dear Cephas, to get your answer. Then, move on, for there are a lot more important things to dwell on. In Jesus, charis |
||||||
557 | Darkness: an Effect or Substance? | Gen 1:4 | charis | 6007 | ||
Dear Lionstrong, "The One forming light and (thereby) creating darkness, Causing well-being and (thereby) creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these." Isaiah 45:7 NASB (my parentheses) This satisfies me without a lot of mental or spiritual gymnastics :-) Blessings in Jesus, charis |
||||||
558 | Babies in heaven when they die? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 5985 | ||
Dear orthodoxy, Subtlety and tact never hurt anyone. Jesus was straightforward and firm, and spoke with absolute authority, but he also was compassionate and full of grace. Tradition is fine, but bear in mind that our true roots are recorded in the Bible, in the actions and hearts of the saints in places such as Jerusalem and Antioch. This tradition is the holy Word of God, which is living and active, while subsequent tradition cannot share this quality. Yes, we must learn from the past, but often tradition is a history of mistakes and foolishness of man (which can be a great tutor). Please, please! This is a Bible study forum of saints from many backgrounds, pursuing unity of faith in Christ Jesus. Denominational or traditional bent is out of place, and courtesy will be rewarded by our Lord. Trust, friend, we all have more thoughts than we portray here, but hold back for the sake of fellowship. Blessings in Jesus' name, charis |
||||||
559 | Slight historical skew? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 5881 | ||
Dear Orthodoxy, In my previous posting I ended in a prayer of peace between us. I was not being sarcastic or facetious. However, before that I was rude, and broke my own rules of propriety. I would like to beg your pardon. You do not know my circumstance, but I don't know yours either. Please accept my apology. Though further discussion of infant baptism seems fruitless, I am sure that we will have other topics to discuss in the future. I will try to curb my uncivil tongue, and glorify Jesus in our fellowship. Yours in Christ, charis |
||||||
560 | Where are guardian angels mentioned? | Bible general Archive 1 | charis | 5880 | ||
Dear Nolan, As I wrote in answer to HeirofGod, I certainly believe that angels are charged with protecting His people in accordance with His wishes, the reality of a full-time, personally-assigned angel or angels for every child or every saint is not supported in Scripture. I read all your references, as well as all the previous references in this line of postings. Your posting about Peter is the most challenging to understand, but not very conclusive about the existence of guardian angels. Why the others would taunt her that 'it was his angel' seems to be ridiculing her, as if she was seeing a ghost. Peter's angel was off the job? Guardian angels look like their charges? Why didn't they want to see who it was? I don't know. Matthew 18:10, These angels are constantly in heaven. Also, as every child does stumble on rocks and every other available protrubance, and suffer all kinds of accidents (some more than others), then God is a God Who does not send the angels to protect all that often. That God *withholds* His angels is a stumbling point. (pun intended :-) As a parent, I would be pretty upset every time my child skinned her knee, or got a fever. Those times are heart-wrenching! "Where were you, Guardian?!?!" That "more than 12 legions" are available at any time does not surprise me at all. I believe in myriads of angels! I have experienced angelic intervention both before and after I was apprehended by the Lord. However, *my own* angel is a bit hard to grasp. Possibly those few people that never have any problems could claim their constant companionship? In any case, dear friend, I don't lose sleep wrestling with this, and I hope you don't :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 ] Next > Last [37] >> |