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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: John Reformed Ordered by Date
Results		Verse	Author	ID#
61	Doctrine of the Church - Elders	Titus 1:6	John Reformed	92464
	IN THE NEW TESTAMENT In the New Testament, which gives us the history of the early Christian church, we find two classes of elders--teaching elders and ruling elders. These two classes of elders are today found in Presbyterian churches. They are equal in authority and differ only in the duties assigned to them by the Constitution. The teaching elder (or minister) is ordained to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments. Also, he is moderator of the session and shares with the ruling elders authority to administer the spiritual government of the church. Those who fill the office of elder must meet rigid spiritual requirements. These requirements are set forth clearly in the New Testament (1 Tim. 3) and the Book of Church Order, the governmental standard of the church. The teaching elder (or minister of the Word) "should possess a competency of human learning, and be blameless in life, sound in the faith, and apt to teach..." Those who fill the office of ruling elder should also "be blameless in life and sound in the faith; they should be men of wisdom and discretion; and by the holiness of their walk and conversation should be examples to the flock." Teaching elders are ordained by the presbytery after they, as candidates under the care of presbytery, have followed a prescribed course of study in college and theological seminary. A presbytery may ordain a candidate only when he has received a call to a definite work. Usually the call is from a congregation to become its pastor, although a candidate may be ordained as teacher or evangelist. Ruling elders are elected by each congregation at a meeting regularly called for that purpose. The session itself ordains and installs new ruling elders when all the requirements for instruction and examination have been met. Because of the high spiritual qualifications which ruling elders must possess, congregations should exercise the greatest care in their election. Much study should be given to the male members so that only those who can meet the requirements are nominated and elected. Some congregations elect a nominating committee, while others use the plan of having all the members participate in the nomination, perhaps by checking names on a prepared list. (http://www.faithpca.com) John Reformed
62	Children in Hell	Luke 16:22	John Reformed	92360
	Dear VR, The fact of the matter is that God has chosen not to give us a definitive answer to your question. However, given what He has told us about Himself, I believe that there is a great hope for those who have suffered the death of a child. Gen 18:25 "... Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?" Luke 18:16 But Jesus called for them, saying, "Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. The fact that God commanded the death of little children does not mean that their fate was Hell. No child dies apart from God's will and purpose. He is in control of all things that occur. That alone should give us all the peace we need. God Bless, John Reformed
63	How is unity possible in diversity?	John 17:11	John Reformed	92359
	Dear Joyce, Total and perfect unity among God's elect will happen. 1 Cor 15:52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Until that time we must struggle against the remnants of our "old man", with all it's weaknesses and depravity. Our enemys are the world, the flesh and the devil and their relentless assault upon the church is why we will not see the final victory prior to the return of our Lord and King. At this time, unity in diversity may only be found in the Trinity. 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. Til Then, John Reformed
64	What is a "carnal" Christian?	1 John 3:10	John Reformed	92015
	Hello Radio, I thought you might find some food for thought at the following address: http://www.founders.org/FJ16/article2.html John
65	To Marry or Burn??	1 Cor 7:8	John Reformed	91710
	Dear Curt, Gen 2:18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.". God was speaking of Adam in particuler, not mankind in general. He said THE man. God does not forbid or command marriage. If a person, such as Paul, (having the gift to remain celebate) desires to devote himself exclusively to the service of the gospel, Paul says that that is a good thing. A married man, having responsibilities to his wife, would not be able to devote all his time due to family obligations. John
66	followup	Luke 11:20	John Reformed	91634
	Sorry, Blasphemy of the 3rd person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, will not be forgiven. Why we don't know. But in His personhood He is distinct from the Father and Son. John
67	followup	Luke 11:20	John Reformed	91632
	Trinity - a word not found in Scripture, but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct Persons. This word is derived from the Gr. trias, first used by Theophilus (A.D. 168-183), or from the Lat. trinitas, first used by Tertullian (A.D. 220), to express this doctrine. The propositions involved in the doctrine are these: 1. That God is one, and that there is but one God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Kings 8:60; Isa. 44:6; Mark 12:29, 32; John 10:30). 2. That the Father is a distinct divine Person (hypostasis, subsistentia, persona, suppositum intellectuale), distinct from the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3. That Jesus Christ was truly God, and yet was a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. 4. That the Holy Spirit is also a distinct divine Person. (Easton's) The Trinity is composed of 3 persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is God. They are 3 in person but one in essence. John
68	follow up to blasphemy question	Matt 12:31	John Reformed	91609
	Dear brookelynne1982 "so why is it forgivable to blaspheme against god and the son?" Better minds the my own may be able to answer your Q more fully. But for now, consider what Jesus said: Matt 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven What more does one need to know? John Reformed
69	What did Jesus mean by this	Mark 9:23	John Reformed	91605
	Hello Ken, Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and be planted in the sea'; and it would obey you. The apostles desired that their faith be increased. They were concerned by His teaching, and asked Him for help. Jesus then gave them a parable which showed that it was not the greatness (size) of ones faith that was important. For the exercise of the smallest faith makes possible that which is impossible without it. John Reformed
70	Was Cain and Able married before they pr	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	91579
	Dear thayescars4, Have you asked her for chapter and verse? As far as the requirement for sacrificing is concerned, the Law was not given until Moses. John Reformed
71	Should we use Religious titles here?	Mark 10:18	John Reformed	91553
	Justme, What if I were to take offense at your choice of user name? I might feel as if you were putting your humility on parade. That you were deliberately making a statement about yourself which was meant to show up the rest of us as arrogant and proud. Of course, I don't believe that of you at all! But,should we not give others the same courtesy; To think more highly of them than we do of ourselves. I must confess that I too am also prone to prejudice when it comes to the choices of some names. Some seem arrogant, some confusing, some too long, some just plain silly. In fact, if I had it to do over again, I would perhaps change my name to one that was less theologically explicit. I thought Clay or Lump O'Clay would be a good name for me :-) God Bless, John Reformed (aka Lumpy)
72	Is God's love unconditional ?	John 3:16	John Reformed	91543
	Hello Michaelogical, Welcome to the forum! Ps 11:5 "The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates." 1 Sam 2:9 "He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail Ps 37:17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken, But the LORD sustains the righteous. It seems as if God does place conditions on His love. John Reformed
73	Why so blind?	1 Cor 13:12	John Reformed	91442
	1 Cor 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. "Why do people who (appear) to be sincere twist the true meaning of scripture?" Dear George, Have you ever held a sincere belief that later was revealed to you to be an error? I know I have (more times than I care to admit). I was raised Catholic, re-baptized a Nazarene, spoke in tongues as an Assembly of God and am now a Presbyterian who holds to the doctrines of grace. Each step along the way, I thought my doctrines were pure, only to have them turned upside down. Even today after 25 years of pilgramage, I am still being humbled by the Holy Spirit. (I can hear the cheers from many of my friends on the forum :-)) On the other hand there are wolves among the sheep as well! False prophets and teachers of down-right heresy. These unregenerate men are true enemies of the gospel. In either case,it is the responsibility of "true believers" to pray for discernment and for enlightenment; To speak the truth in love and to leave judgement in the hands of God. Your Thoughts? John
74	Homosexuality	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	91152
	Searching333, Although I sympathize with your anger and dismay over the decline in our culture, the fault lies with the church and not liberal activists. We are the ones who have surrenderd our responsibility to be salt and light to a wicked and evil generation. It is the church who has been wooing the lost with promises of health wealth and happiness instead of warning them of the destuction that is about to fall upon them! We have mixed politics with religion and placed our faith in political parties rather than in the power of the gospel. Pray for the homosexual, present him with the truth of God's Word and do so in love. Pray for a reformation in the church in America! Let us repent and plead with the Father to bind us together with sound doctrine. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us and give us the courage to carry out the Great Commission given us by our King. How can we of all people, fault the sinner for doing what we once did ourselves and worse! What seperates us from the lost souls? GRACE! We should be the last ones to cast stones. We know what we deserve, and but for God's mercy we would be cursing Him from the bowels of Hell for all of eternity! Let's get the logs out of our own eyes, then we can help the others. Politcal reform is a good idea but it must not be seen as a solution to what is a spiritual battle. If it's political action you seek, I would encourage you to get involved. But this is not the place. God Bless John Reformed
75	brother john	1 Cor 3:16	John Reformed	90940
	I'm sorry but I fail to see the connection between God working His will within us, and that excusing man's responsibility for sinning. I tried to avoid this very conclusion when I said "I must hasten to add that the fact that God is soverign does not abrogate my responsibiity to strive in my goal to be a profitable servant." John
76	Are you your brother's keeper?	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	90627
	"I know that this is an open forum...." The nature of the forum permits for disagreements among those who participate. I for one, appreciate the freedom we have been given to post within the guidelines. "But how come there is not an overseer of this forum?" What would you expect an overseer to do? "I don't know where I would be with some of the feedback that came back to me." Can you provide an example? John Reformed
77	Danger of liv. accord. to the flesh?	Rom 8:13	John Reformed	90587
	Dear KC, I don't see any contradiction or shading of meaning between the two. Why do you ask? John
78	Searching for the truth	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	90572
	Dear Robert, I believe you have started out with an error. "From the various comments received recently,it is gathered that the following sequence of events will take place after death. 1.A human has 3 spiritual parts: Body- soul- spirit" The following is from an article by Kim Riddlebarger: One of the most difficult problems any theological tradition faces is that there are often fundamental differences at critical points between the "official doctrine" affirmed by the divines and academics of that tradition, and those doctrines actually believed and practiced on a popular level by the rank and file. There is, perhaps, no greater illustration of this than the popular notion of trichotomy. Rejected by virtually all major theologians in all streams of the Christian tradition as a speculative Greek philosophical notion rather than a Biblical conception, trichotomy is very likely the reigning notion of human nature in American Evangelical circles today. With few exceptions, the Christian church has affirmed, with one voice, that human nature is two-fold. As men and women, we are necessarily a body--the physical element of our nature--and we are also a soul-spirit--an immaterial aspect described in the Bible as either soul or spirit. These two are united together as one person; as a psychosomatic unity. This is simply known as dichotomy. Trichotomists, however, contend that human nature is tri-partite, that is, as men and women we are body, soul and spirit. But while the theologians of Evangelicalism, following the historic precedence, overwhelmingly reject the notion of trichotomy, the popular teaching and literature of Evangelicalism abounds with trichotomistic views of human nature in one form or another. To read this article go to: http://www.modernreformation.org/mr95/julaug/mr9504trichotomy.html John Reformed
79	"Both of these positions have problems"	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	90144
	Dear Hank Jr., Welcome to the Forum! 2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. "patient toward you". "You" are those also called "beloved". This is a very strong indication that Paul has true believers in view. Assuming that there are weeds amongst the wheat does not alter the fact that the "beloved" are the elect. Elsewhere Paul has exhorted his audience to search their hearts to be certain of their calling and election. It is clear (at least to me) that the message is for believers alone. Paul knows already that the natural man is incapable of discerning spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14) so I see no need for him to point out the distinction between the two groups. "But the mystery of God’s dealings with humanity is best seen if this tension is preserved. Otherwise, either God will be perceived as good but impotent or as a sovereign taskmaster. Here the idea that God does not wish for any to perish speaks only of God's desiderative will, without comment on his decretive will." THe conclusion reached by the writer is worse than weak. It is meaningless! What does God care what people's perceptions are anyway. And after having presented the gospel, why should christians wring their hands over the blasphemies spewed from those who who are perishing. Yes we should plead with them and shed tears, pray for God's grace in their behalf. But merely presenting God as one that reflects their own values saves no one. They will simply find another rationalization for despising Him. John Reformed
80	creationish, traducianism and human life	Bible general Archive 1	John Reformed	90124
	Dear Mel, This is a bible study forum. Creation, the origin of the soul and life itself are addressed by the Bible. However, given the nature of the forum, your question should be based on a text(s) which raise the question for which you are seeking an explanation. While questions of philosophy do arise, we are not a philosophical debating society :-) Please pose your question from your reading of Scripture and we can take it from there. John Reformed

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