Results 1 - 9 of 9
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | Morant61 | 89394 | ||
Greetings John! It never ceases to amaze me my friend that verses never actually mean what they say! ;-) Did God really intend for His Word to be this complicated to understand? 'All' doesn't mean 'all', 'anyone' doesn't really mean 'anyone', and now 'saved' doesn't really mean 'saved'! Your proposition has been that regeneration precedes faith, even though not one verse actually says this. However, I pointed out that Acts 16:31 says 'believe' and then you will be saved. Now, unless you are prepared to argue that a regenerated person is not saved, then Acts 16:31 disagrees with your proposition. It doesn't matter that it is narrative. Paul is responding to a very direct question, 'What must I do to be saved?'. Therefore, we know that the context is germane to the discussion. But, this isn't even the only passage with indicates that the elements of salvation follow faith. Here are some of the verses I posted the other day: *********************************** So, let's look at what Scripture actually says about faith: Gal. 2:16 - "know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." Does this verse say that we are justfied prior to or after faith? Gal. 3:26 - "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus," Does this verse say that we become sons of God prior to or after faith? Gal. 3:2 - "I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?" Does this verse say that we received the Spirit before or after believing? Rom. 3:26 - "he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus" Does this verse say that we are justified before or after faith? Rom. 3:22 - "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference," Does righteousness come before or after faith? John 20:31 - "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Do we receive life before or after believing? Acts 16:31 - "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.'" Are we saved and then believe, or do we believe and are then saved? Eph. 1:13 - "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit," Are we sealed prior to or after believing? All of these verses specifically mention either salvation or elements of salvation. And, all of these verses specifically say that these things come after faith. ************************************ Can a regenerate man be unsaved, unjustified, not a Son of God, unsealed, and without the Holy Spirit? All of these things are said to take place after faith. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | with_faith_i_walk | 89399 | ||
I concur. As I mentioned in my answer to this query, you must 'believe to see' and not 'see to believe'. The mystery of faith is that we must believe before the gift of the Spirit (our TRUE baptism) and all of its gifts can be manifested in us. Then, we will be blessed with the gifts of prophecy, wisdom, discernment, and ultimately salvation. Also as I wrote before, understanding the mysteries of love and faith are paramount to understanding the depths of God's omnipotence. Blessings, LGC |
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3 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | John Reformed | 89480 | ||
Dear LGC, Welcome to the forum! John 5:25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Does this verse not disagree with your thought: "you must 'believe to see'? If it does agree, would you please tell me, how it agrees? John Reformed |
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4 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | with_faith_i_walk | 89484 | ||
In that passage, Jesus is saying that the time the scriptures of the old testament spoke of has come to pass, and that those who have died will hear the message of God. They will live because they will believe the message, and in the Son of God. He goes on to say in verses 37 and 38 of the same chapter that: "And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent." Even though Jesus was right there and could be seen, they did not see Him because they did not believe. Even though he was speaking to them, they did not hear his message because they did not believe in the One who sent Him. They did not cross that threshold of faith, and therefore did not have the eyes to see nor the ears to hear. They did not 'believe', and therefore they did not 'see'. If you look at the true message in that scripture, you will see that one does have to believe in order to see. Search within yourself and ask if you really saw the message of salvation when you did not believe, examine whether you saw the miracles that happen each day in our world through faith or were they just coincidences until you crossed the threshold of faith. Indeed, my friend, you must 'believe to see'. Thanks for the welcome. I look forward to the fellowship with you all. LGC |
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5 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | John Reformed | 89528 | ||
Dear LGC, You said "In that passage, Jesus is saying that the time the scriptures of the old testament spoke of has come to pass, and that those who have died will hear the message of God." Bit Jesus said"John 5:24,26 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." As 4givn has pointed out Jesus is speaking of those "spiritually dead". Dead in their trespasses and sins. "Even though Jesus was right there and could be seen, they did not see Him because they did not believe." Rom 11:7,8 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, "GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY." It is obvious that God is the one who chooses those who recieve mercy ,and, hardens those which he leaves to follow the path of wickedness. The Jews did not believe for God had given them a spirit of stupor! "EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT," that is the reason that they did not believe. John |
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6 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | with_faith_i_walk | 89552 | ||
Greetings John, I begin in the same chapter that you draw upon for your verse. Romans, chapter 11: "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!" The reason God gave them a spirit of stupor and blind eyes and deaf ears was because of thier unbelief. If you adhere to the spirit of Paul's message in this chapter, and not isolate just one verse, you will see this plainly. For example, further in the chapter he adds: "You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.' Quite right, they were broken off for their UNBELIEF, but you stand by your faith." The Jews had the same choice both you and I have, to believe or not to believe. They chose not to believe and therefore were punished with blind eyes, deaf ears and a spirit of stupor (so as to say, they remained lost). Once again, it is a question of free will, and they had chosen to reject the Messiah that was sent to them. This is the context of Paul's message in that chapter. Look forward to more dialogue! Blessings, LGC |
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7 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | John Reformed | 89594 | ||
Dear LGC, "The reason God gave them a spirit of stupor and blind eyes and deaf ears was because of thier unbelief." If I follow your logic, the Jews DID NOT believe, and as a consequence of their not believing God sent "a spirit of stupor, eyes to see not ears to hear not" which insured that they COULD NOT believe. I have been reading Rom 11, as you suggested, but your explanation is not yet clear to me. V.1: Paul states that God has not rejected His people, and he proves it by alling attention his own faith in Christ. V.2 : He says God's people are those whom God foreknew. V. 3-5 : He further points out that the foreknown ones are not Israel as a nation, but are a remnant of Israel which God has kept for Himself. "a remnant according to God's gracious choice." a remnant according to God's gracious choice. V.6,7: Paul shows why the Jews failed to obtain that which they sought. They pursued it by works (as many today do as well). But righteousness is not by works but by grace. He points out that those who do recieve grace are those of God's choosing. Otherwise, grace is not grace. V.8: What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; V.9: Because the curse upon Israel (with the exception of those whom God had chosen to recieve grace) was proclaimed long before the time of Christ, those unbelieving ones are those who the curse remains on "til this very day". "Once again, it is a question of free will, " Paul seems to disagree. God Bless, John |
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8 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | with_faith_i_walk | 89617 | ||
Dear John, Perhaps then it is necessary to look at the passages that Paul referred to from the Old Testament, namely I Kings 19:18 (referenced in Paul's letter in verses 3-4). The remnant of Israel that God "kept for himself" were those who remained strong in their faith. They obeyed God's will, by not "bow(ing) thier knees to Baal." Those who were not chosen were excluded because of thier own choices, the bad judgment exercised by their free will. Had they remained faithful they would have been included as ones whom God kept for himself. Regarding verses 6-7, and his message of grace by grace and not by works. I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment that even today many try to earn their way to heaven, hardened against the message of grace through faith. The "chosen" to which he refers to when he says, "those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened" were chosen not by some arbitrary method known only to God, but they were chosen because of their faith, just as the remnant of 7,000 that God told Elijah he had chosen were chosen because of their faith. Verse 8 is again referencing the Old Testament, specifically the prophecy of Isaiah, chapter 29, which in verses 13-14 states: "Then the Lord said, 'Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men will perish, and the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed." Those who were made blind and left in a stupor were being punished for their lack of obedience, which was a manifestation of their lack of faith in God. In verse 9, Paul once again referenced the Old Testament, Psalm 69. It reads as such: "May their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, may it become a trap. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, and make their loins shake continually. Pour out Your indignation on them, and may Your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents. For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten, and they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded." God always lets us choose, to accept His Grace or to remain hardened. Indeed he punished the Israelites for their unbelief and faithless acts, and took away their sight and ability to hear. He did this as a punishment for their perpetual sins, namely unbelief (specifically in his Son). Once again I draw on a passage later in the chapter in that Paul states: "Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches (the Jews), He will not spare you (the Gentiles), either." Blessings, LGC |
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9 | Is God omnipotent? | John 3:16 | John Reformed | 89627 | ||
Dear LGC, I truly enjoy your posts! They are an evidence of a thoughtful student of God's Word. They also show that you take the time to read and attempt to understand, the views of others. I appreciate that and will do my best to follow your example. You recommended a closer examination of 1 Kings 19:18 and ascribed to faith, the reason for God's keeping of the remnant. I am of the belief that God ordains to occur all things that do occur. Therefore, the faith that the remnant exercised by not bowing and by not kissing Baal, was according to God's eternal purpose. Does this view of mine lead to the conclusion that their brave loyalty to God was imposed upon them by their Creator? No. Not at all! For Paul clearly explains in Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." Refusing to bow or kiss the idol (good works), was the response of the 7,000 to the working of God upon their hearts. He willed it to be, and they carried out His will from hearts that loved God more than life in this present world. "those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened" were chosen not by some arbitrary method known only to God, but they were chosen because of their faith, just as the remnant of 7,000 that God told Elijah he had chosen were chosen because of their faith." God never acts arbitrarily. However, He always acts according to His eternal purpose. "God always lets us choose, to accept His Grace or to remain hardened. Indeed he punished the Israelites for their unbelief and faithless acts, and took away their sight and ability to hear. He did this as a punishment for their perpetual sins, namely unbelief (specifically in his Son)." It is not just the Isrealites who sin perpetually. All of mankind, including christians, are guilty of sinning every day of our lives. Were it not for God's grace, who could stand before a HOLY GOD? I hve to cut my post short for now. But if you care to respond to what I have written so far, please do. God Bless John |
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