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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Dave R. Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is my sin any less ugly ? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 41460 | ||
Ray, Very interesting post. Your analysis is fascinating in how you related Proverbs to the Gospel of Matthew. Excellent inductive reasoning. You have illuminated very well the idea of heaven's "open door" policy, with Jesus being the door. All are welcome and any who choose (however that "choosing" works under God's sovereignty) may enter. Only God knows who ultimately follows the narrow path through Jesus Christ. Keep up the good work. Hope to hear more from you in these pages... In Christ, Dave R. |
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2 | throwing our pearl? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 41321 | ||
No argument from me here, Joe. Good post. I especially like your challenge to accurately assess the nature of Jesus' conflict with the Pharisees. Understanding this seems to be a long reach toward understanding ourselves. Thanks, Dave R |
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3 | throwing our pearl? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 41312 | ||
Dallas Willard, author of "The Divine Conspiracy" said, in his view, that Jesus didn't teach rules on how to live, but taught the way things are. In other words, according to Willard, Jesus, as creator and designer of us, knows how we are wired and taught the way His creation was designed to work. He also taught how things behave in a fallen world such as ours. For example he taught we would be blessed in marriage if we stayed married to the same woman for life (see Matt. 5:27-28). He didn't teach that if you divorce you will go to hell, but rather, in the kingdom of heaven, marriage is for keeps and should not be entered into or exited from lightly. Becuase of our fallen nature, there will be christian divorces. What Jesus taught was that life will be harder as a result because His intent was for marriage to endure. Likewise, I believe in the case of casting pearls, Jesus is offering a scenario of what is likely to happen if one "preaches" rather than "loves" those whom one would view as vile low lifes, the unlovable in other words. Those who opposed Jesus most strongly were the self-righteous. The ones who were so certain of there theology that they missed the very one on whom they supposedly based their lives. Jesus reacted very strongly to these folks, and I believe in this teaching, which follows on the heels of his discourse on judgment and condemnation, He is saying self righteous condescension will be received badly whether you are delivering the truth or not. |
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4 | Is my sin any less ugly ? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 41311 | ||
Dear Meusing, I suppose it's inevitable that "predestination" would enter into a discussion of this nature. A major stumbling block for me with regard to "God's children" vs. "swine" is the inevtiable demarcation of "us" vs. "them". Someone said, "Jesus, save me from your followers." Even in your post your diction indicates a distancing from culpabiltiy with regard to Jesus' crucifixion. Were not the mallets weilded against the nails driven into my Lord swung by me? And, I dare say, by you? Please understand, I mean no contempt or ill will, but offer the reality that it was our sin that brought Jesus to Calvary and hung Him there for the universe to see. The Truth of Calvary is that my sin caused God to turn His back on His Son. Is my sin any less ugly than one who would be judged "swine" by Calvin's doctrine? Thank you for your understanding. Dave R. |
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5 | Do you agree with this commentary? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 40799 | ||
Dear Meusing, Do you agree with this commentary? Wasn't Jesus' ministry specifically directed to "persons notoriously vile and sinful"? I don't think this interpretation holds much water in light of the context, Jesus' mininstry and John 13 and 14. What do you think? In Christ, Dave R. |
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6 | What is the Lord teaching in this verse? | Matt 7:6 | Dave R. | 40780 | ||
Interesting that there are few responses to this question, and it's been posted for a year! The teaching that it is useless to preach to people who don't want to hear the gospel, I believe, misses the mark. My sense is, we "preach" the gospel not only with our words, but, perhaps more convincingly, with what we actually do. Often our words include more than what we actually do. Could this verse speak to the haughty and condescending attitude of one who has "superior" knowledge about how to live? Far be it for any Christian to think he has all the answers, right? In my travels in and among the Christian community, I've encountered more than a few who seem to have a corner on Truth, a seeming "in" with the Divine Intent. Ever hear a Christian preach against smoking, or drinking wine, or seeing certain movies? Perhaps we Christians who are superior in the Truth, who preach the gospel of righteousness, who offer sacred Truth to the lowly lost are those to whom Jesus was addressing this statement. Especially in light of the context of "do not judge (condemn)", it follows that one who offers "sacred Truth" to a gentile dog is wasting his time, and the pearls of wisdom being offered may actually be received as they are intended, in the superior and condescending manner in which they are offered, inciting contempt and anger. If anyone has older brothers and sisters, they know exactly what I mean. They have been the dogs (and pigs) many times, having received the sacred pearls of wisdom from their superior elders more times than they wish to remember. What do you think? Dave R. |
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7 | Sacred things to dogs, pearls to pigs? | Not Specified | Dave R. | 40498 | ||
What does it mean in Matthew 7:6 where it says, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."? (Before you answer that one should not share the gospel with certain folks, please remember who Jesus shared His gospel with.) | ||||||
8 | Sacred things to dogs, pearls to pigs? | 1 Timothy | Dave R. | 40527 | ||
What does it mean in Matthew 7:6 where it says, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."? (Before you answer that one should not share the gospel with certain folks, please remember who Jesus shared His gospel with.) | ||||||
9 | Salvation or how we live day to day? | Matthew | Dave R. | 40495 | ||
Steve, Yes, good clarification. Actually, Schaefer is the one with the pointed questions and challenging perspectives on what it means to live day to day with Christ as our model and Lord. But a great voice of today speaking to how we can best appropriate the rule and grace of Christ in our hearts through our day to day doings and relationships is a Univ. of Southern Calif. professor named Dallas Willard. His "Divine Consiracy" was a real eye opener for me. I recommend it most enthusiastically. Thank you for your well focused post. I will read Romans 6 and 1 Peter 1 and 2 to gain perspective. What a rich blessing it is to be "washed in the word" of God. Dave R. |
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10 | Salvation or how we live day to day? | Matthew | Dave R. | 40294 | ||
Thank you for your post. I agree. However, I believe there is a difference in the "righteousness" of salvation and the "righteousness" of sanctification. It reminds me of a book I once read by Francis Schaefer called something like "How shall we Then Live". In other words, now that we have received the gift of salvation in Christ, having his righteousness "transferred" to our account, how do we live in order to fully appropriate the blessing He has bestowed? Are we not called? Are we not motivated? Are we not obligated to do as Jesus did, constantaly re-evaluating the things we hold dear in light of His presence and guidance in our lives? Are we not free, as saved people, to choose how we live and behave? Are we not free to immerse ourselves deeper into the "good life" Christ calls us to as well as free to listen with only have an ear and keep one foot in the world to make sure our retirements are secure? What do you think? Dave R. |
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11 | How do we attain righteousness? | Matthew | Dave R. | 39821 | ||
Well said, Magnum. It sounds very interesting to me the learning you are experiencing with the Messianic Rabbi. I would add to your insightful post that any language, as a tool fashioned by man for his purposes, will have a certain slant, especially cultural. Regarding your comment about the Hellinistic slant in the New Testament Greek, I'm confident the Holy Spirit took that into consideration! God bless you, brother. Dave R. |
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12 | How do we attain righteousness? | Matthew | Dave R. | 39680 | ||
Hello, Magnum, You and I have been asking Lion similar questions about how it is best to live in the kingdom of God as Jesus described it. I have been pressing Lion about life after the transaction of faith in Christ. Lion is right on all counts, I believe, but he hasn't reconciled the "how to" in sanctification. Not that I have by any stretch, but my sense is, we are missing out (as you described in your post) by not pursuing righteousness because of a static, sort of bar code faith transaction. I know that's not what Lion espouses, but in all the posts I've read from him concerning life after salvation, he gets 100 percent in all the ought tos but waxes anemic on the how to for the ought tos. I agree with you that the Holy Spirit empowers, guides, teaches and motivates us to live according to Gods law. I also believe the law in and of itself will collapse under its own steam if it is obeyed too rigidly. I believe the law, like the kingdom of God, is spiritual and can only be effectively obeyed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It's not hard to draw examples where the Law as delivered by Moses falls down when left to mans interpretation. Just look at how the Sabbath was defined out of existence by those who originally (and I believe sincerely) were doing their best to honor God by keeping it Holy. Eventually, the definitions offered up by men start to overlap and defeat each other. The other side of the coin is a looser interpretation more in the "spirit" of the law that eventually gives in to licentious behavior. Sin affects all aspects of our ability to live under the Law without the forgiveness of sin through our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, through His Spirit, we can live the "good life" (which, contrary to popular belief, is not found at Sears for less) as we purpose to grow in relationship to Him. What do you think? In Christ, Dave R. |
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13 | Where your treasure is, so is your heart | Matthew | Dave R. | 39677 | ||
What I meant was, this captures the thrust of the Sermon on the Mount, "where your treasure is, there you heart will also be." Do you agree? Dave R. |
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14 | Where your treasure is, so is your heart | Matthew | Dave R. | 39589 | ||
How about, "where your treasure is, there your heart will also be"? | ||||||
15 | Why was God reluctant to give 10 Cmdmts? | Matthew | Dave R. | 39551 | ||
Thanks, Paul. Your passion for Jesus and His gospel are supremely evident in your words. I found myself nodding in agreement with most of what you said. One question, though - why do you say God was "reluctant" to give the 10 Commandments? God bless you, Dave R. |
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16 | Shouldn't we live as Jesus lived? | Matthew | Dave R. | 39428 | ||
Hello, Lion: As always, you offer a sound, biblical answer. But I still sense a gap between salvation and glorification (that is, when we finally enter "heaven"). I agree with your point regarding salvation, but I don't think I completely do with regard to sanctification. I agree that God alone is reponsible for anything of value that comes about through what we do, whether its giving a cup of water to a homeless person or presenting the Gospel to a stadium of God's children. But God is clear in His direction that obedience will result in those who love him. And obedience itself seems to be thing we grow into: Heb 5:7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Heb 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Jesus gave us many examples of what it means to live according to His rule, which is what this thread is about. He summarizes the passage about anger, lust and conflict by saying "be perfect." Are these just pretty words, or does he mean "be perfect"? How does one get to be perfect? Should I chop off my hands and gouge out my eyes? (I am being slightly facetious here. You and I both know we could never have these wonderful exchanges if we had no fingers with which to type!) Nevertheless, Jesus taught and lived the kind of life he wishes for us, I believe, which was one of totally competent love and faith based on a dynamic and living relationship with His (and our) Father. Here is an aspect of our faith I'd like you to consider and let me know what you think. We often look at (and rightly so) what Jesus taught, but don't pay much attention to how Jesus lived. I think a careful examination of how Jesus lived as portratyed in the gospels gives us a picture of how we can best learn to be the citizens He calls us to be; ones who can love our enemies, extricate ourselves from dungeons of lust, and move toward the perfection exemplified by our Lord as well as commanded by Him. Now this is not to suggest that the deepening of our trust and dependence on Jesus that may result from our efforts is to our credit. On the contrary, praise God that He condescends to our base level to finish the work He began in us as we grow closer to Him through a life patterned after our Savior, example and forerunner. As we know from experience and His own Word, apart from Him there is no good thing. What do you think, Lion? |
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17 | Shouldn't we do something? | Matthew | Dave R. | 38819 | ||
Thanks, Lion. I just finished reading "Wardrobe" and was taken with Mr. Beaver's answer when one of the children asked if Aslan was "safe". Mr. Beaver said, "no he's not safe, he's good!" You wrote: "On the cross the Son takes your pollution, becomes a curse in your place and dies with it." I really like the idea of Christ dieing with all the sin He's taken on. It would be great if sin was extinguished with that act, but it hasn't. Forgiveness is one thing, sinlessness is another. Although sound, and certainly biblical, there is a gap in your argument. The gap is after God's righteousness is imputed to us by faith in Christ, then what? How are we to live after that. Do we just follow a bunch of rules? Or do we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling"? Your earlier post said it very well. Love God and love your neighbor. But this is something we all need help with, sort of like learning to play the violin, but harder, I think, than playing the violin. There are lots of unanticipated variables in loving our neighbors. So, regarding our righteousness in the context of our life hear and now, don't you think there is anything we can do to facilitate God's working in our lives? Thanks, Dave R. |
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18 | Are we capable of this? | Matthew | Dave R. | 38818 | ||
Well said. I like your "Gospel for Dummies" analogy. It's humorous, but on point. And something else you said about effort: I've heard it said, and I agree, that that Gospel is opposed to earning, but not opposed to effort. Digging deep means getting your hands dirty, right? Thanks, Dave R. |
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19 | Examples of practical obedience? | Matthew | Dave R. | 38817 | ||
Very good. Very practical. I appreciate your heart for the gospel. It is refreshing and encouraging to me to hear the depth of your faith. I would do well to do these things. God bless you. Dave R. |
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20 | Are we capable of this? | Matthew | Dave R. | 38667 | ||
Thank you Dasev. Yes, I received Jesus in November 1991. You are gracious to ask. My question comes from my (limited) understanding of our fallen nature. If one was not regenerated through faith in Jesus, how could one hunger and thirst for a righteousness she does not know or even believe exists? However, I believe your reference to grace is correct and very important. It is God's province how the marvelous workings of the Holy Spirit brings about a harvest of souls. But back to the Sermon on the Mount, what is your take on the theme and thrust of what Jesus was trying to convey? This is an important teaching, don't you agree. God bless you, Dave R. |
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