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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: ursamajor Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | The gates of hell... | James 4:1 | ursamajor | 135406 | ||
A great question. I have been studying Christian history and as you read the events from the 1st century through about the 1400's, you see quite clearly that if you are going to believe Ro.13:1, then you just can't explain away the Catholic church as a 1500 year satanic plot. As you look back on what the world stage looked like at the time of the Roman empire in Jesus day and the first four centuries that followed, you have a world government (Rome) based on paganism, deification of rulers, and, to the north, barbarian tribal beliefs, spiritism, etc. Basically, the whole thing is corrupt from a spiritual viewpoint. There needs to be a global shift from polytheism to monotheism and a complete re-ordering of society. Rome began a civilizing process that pervaded the known world. Law and order was established. Even Paul leveraged his Roman citizenship (Acts 22:29). But the foundations of Rome were pagan, it could not stand for long. I believe God positioned the Catholic Church to establish law, order, education, Judeo-Christian centric values, and the abolition of polythesim, spiritism, and other forms of pagan and barbarian belief. Between the 5th and 12th centuries, monks and monastaries basically brought the rule of law to all of barbarian central Europe. Monks were sent into barbarian areas to meet with the tribal leaders, preach the gospel, establish government in the form of codifying their tribal laws and then write their history. The monasitic system was the springboard for free-market economics in central europe, demonstrating how mass production of farm goods could be accomplished. It is not an accident that when you go through Europe, every little village has a church. Civilization solidified around these monastic outposts. Was it a perfect system? No! But it suited the purposes of God in molding an entire region that would birth western society, the Judeo-Christian government system, and finally democracy itself. God's persepctive is a little broader than ours and you have to back yourself out about two millenia to see what is happening. The Catholic Church still plays an important role worldwide as an advocate for Christian values. Is their governmental system and doctrine in need of overhaul? Absolutely. But God was certainly in the birthing process of the Catholic Church and in the context of history, used it to tame the wilderness of western, central and eastern europe for over 1,000 years. Blessings, Paul |
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2 | God's view of Masturbation | Matt 5:28 | ursamajor | 132606 | ||
Hi Top, I would be amazed if there is guy on this forum that hasn't wrestled with this area of self-control. Open another browser window and type in 1 Co 7:1-9 while you are reading this so you can switch back and forth. This scripture, while not directly targeted at men and this issue, is the same root issues. We can extract some insight about Paul's view of immorality and self-control and how to handle it, which he acknowledges are pretty standard for people unless you have the unusual gift of God of a life calling to being single like Paul. I don't know if you know how to use this forum's study tools but here's a good place to try. Open another browser window and type 1Co 7:2 in the Book Chapter window on the right and click Go. When you get the verse, click the little letter "I" to the left of the verse and the verse will come up with numbers next to the words. Now click on the number next to the word "immoralities" (4202). The page will move down and show you that the word "immoralities" here in the greek is "Porneia" which is where we get the English word pornography! Freaked me out the first time I saw that.... Paul sets the gold standard in verse one, "It's good for a man not to touch a woman", and then in verse 2 he acknowledges the reality of how people have been wired by God and how, in this fallen world, the everpresnet issue of immorality is out there. This particularly true in our culture in America. Immorality and pornography are everywhere. Paul says becuase of this, each man should have a wife and they should be having sexual relations regularly. In 7:5 he says the reason they should be having sexual relations regularly is that it leaves a door open for the devil in the area of self-control if you don't. The goal is: no doors open for the devil! So why does God wire you sexually and then expect total self-control? I don't think God does! He has given us wives and partners and all the wonderful times that come from marriage to a godly woman! He does expect us to strive for self-control to the best extent we can. Paul in 7:9 says "if they don't have self-control let them marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion." One hundred percent effortless self-control in this area for a young man is gift from God and a sign of amazing personal self-control. I have only met one believer, a yound man 29 years old, in my lifetime who was walking in that level of effortless self-control - he had the countenance of an angel. But that doesn't let us men (or women) off the hook. The area of taming our sexual desires is a matter of taming your mind and body so that God in you is calling the shots, not your desires, sexually or otherwise. This position goes against everything in our popualr culture which says you can have it all... Self-control doesn't end with marriage either! Pornography in particular is a lifetime war against the soul - married or not. Job says, Job 31:1 "I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?" Start practicing not looking at the magazine rack in the store, changing the channel away from sexually oriented programming, looking at the floor in a movie when some steamy sexual scene comes on, and don't even THINK about clicking on one of those links to a pornography site. They are designed to destroy you. Consider it a spiritual challenge just like someone in training for the Olympics isn't out eating donuts even though they would dearly love to do so, so we are in training for a spiritual war against the forces of this world that would attempt to steal our personal self-control. Get some of your believing friends friends who are really hungry for God to call one another to discipline and accountability in this whole area of lust and pornography. But have grace for each other too. The devil's name plate on his desk reads "Accuser of the Brethern". He would like nothing more than for your whole life focus to be swallowed up in guilt on this topic. An Olympic athelete doesn't remember the pain of the practice sessions when he's standing on the podium getting his gold medal. You'll have the same feeling when the Lord gives you a crown of life and says "Well done good and faithful servant you have fought the good fight!" Prov 24:16 For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity." Fight the good fight, go for the gold. Blessings, Paul |
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3 | Jesus isbridegroom and church is bride | NT general Archive 1 | ursamajor | 132517 | ||
Hi Cardio, You just happen to be at one of the best places in the world to learn where that is. On the right side of the screen there is a small box labeled "Search word(s)". If you enter the word "bridegroom" in the box you will get all the listings in the Bible to the word Bridegroom. Same thing goes for Bride. Once the list comes up, start with the listings in Matthew (all listings below that will be New Test.) and read the verses. If you find one that interests you, click the little "C" to the left of the verse and you can read the verse in context. Start there and see what the Holy Spirit tells you about this subject just by looking at the Word. This web site is a fantastic tool for that type of study. Blessings, Paul |
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4 | Wisdom vs. knowledge | Prov 1:7 | ursamajor | 131884 | ||
Here's another slant which I always found helpful: Information is WHAT: A description or data about something Knowledge is HOW: How it works, the functional, tactic understanding of something Understanding is WHY: Why something plays a role in the larger world, Why it is, purpose. Wisdom what SHOULD be done as apposed to what CAN be done. Hope that helps, Blessings, Paul |
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