Results 1 - 20 of 119
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Unanswered Bible Questions Author: Bill Mc Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Sir Pent and GeneralWas, notice please. | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 14515 | ||
Sir Pent and GeneralWas, I'm responding to this thread in order to clarify a possible misconception - mainly because my online ID was used. If you have read any of my postings, you'll find that, except for scripture, I refrain as much as possible from "cut and paste" responses. I feel that if I can't explain my opinion with my own words or thoughts, then I should not respond to a question. Your question seems to imply that possibly GeneralWas and Bill Mc are the same person. I assure you, they are not. Unfortunately, there is no profile for GeneralWas so I couldn't email him. While, I did post the link in a previous thread (responding to a question from JVH0212) I will not "copy and paste" theological points of view to this forum. In fact, if you check some of my prior discussions with other members, you'll see that I have asked others to use that technique sparingly. I would also NEVER create a false online ID to mask my identity. GeneralWas, could you please confirm this? Christians on this forum can follow the link as curiosity and the Spirit leads. In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
2 | Greek scholars, please help. | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 14716 | ||
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Does anyone have any insight into the Greek behind Revelation 3:10? Debbie cites this verse as a comfort that Christians will not have to go THROUGH the great tribulation. My understanding is that the phrase "from the hour of testing" can also be interpreted "through the hour of testing". Would any of you Greek scholars care to share your view on this verse's tranlation? Thank you. In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
3 | Are Sovereignty and Free Will Exclusive? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15521 | ||
Hey Guys! Can I muddy the waters? I've already stated elsewhere that I know nothing of Calvinism and Armenism (or however it is spelled), but here's what I think. Of course, my opinion is always subject to 1) being wrong 2) being right 3) being corrected by those who know more than I and 4) being ridiculed by those who know it all. :) Here goes: I hardly know anything of the Sovereignty/Free Will debate. But I do believe that God is both sovereign and that we have free will. I don't think that they are mutually exclusive. I think that Philippians 2:6-8 gives us a small glimpse of that. Here we see that although Jesus was completely God, He chose to set aside His divine right (sovereignty, complete control), as God, and become a servant (a man with free will). He was, I believe, completely God and completely human. He had both God's Spirit in Him and a human spirit. He had a soul. And He had a will that He chose to submitted to His Father's will (not only in the garden but throughout His earthly ministry. He did only what His Father told Him to do). I know this may sound crazy (not my first time), but I think that God, being sovereign, can chose to set aside exercising that sovereignty in order to permit human chosing. What do you think? How far off the bubble am I? In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
4 | What is 'being saved' here? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15525 | ||
Dear Tim, Thanks for the reply. It was a thought. A little convoluted maybe, but still a thought. One important consideration though, is the word 'saved.' My studies have led me to believe that salvation or deliverance is a 3-fold process. I believe that my spirit is saved (delivered from the penalty of sin - spiritual death) at conversion. My human spirit was united with Christ's divine Spirit which is spiritual life. I believe that my soul (mind, will, and emotions) is in a process of being saved (delivered from the power of sin - sanctification). This is where God is renewing my mind with His Word to conform my behavior to the truth of His Spirit in me. And I believe that one day my body will be saved (delivered from the presence of sin - resurrection). It sure needs it. But, my true identity, who I am, is determined by my birth in Christ. That is who I truly am and therefore, if I physically die, I will be absent from my body and present with the Lord. So I am, at the deepest level of my being, truly saved (past tense). I am also, in my behavior, being saved (present tense). And one day (soon I hope), my body will be saved (future tense). Do you feel that any of this might apply to Paul's use of the term "being saved"? In Him, Bill Mc |
||||||
5 | What do you think of 1 Cor 1:18? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15547 | ||
Hi Tim, Without straying too far from your subject (please forgive me), what about 1 Cor 1:18? Do you think that this in any way substantiates the, as I put it, 'soul salvation' of being (progressively saved)? Thanks, Bill Mc |
||||||
6 | Does a rose always smell as sweet? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15551 | ||
Dear Tim, I don't know Greek but you have forced me to get out my interlinear - I may never forgive you :). I have another thought about these passages and wanted to run it by you. The whole crux of the matter here seems to rest upon the one little word "if" - you are saved IF; IF you continue in the faith; IF you do these things. This word is 'ei' in the Greek. If you look closely at this word 'ei', sometimes it is translated 'if' and sometimes it is translated 'since', especially in the NIV. See Col 2:20; Col 3:1. Here I believe that the NIV has captured the meaning of the verse even better than the NASB (oh, my, Bill's REALLY in hot water now). Paul says, "Since you have died with Christ..." and "Since, then you have been raised with Christ..." The NASB's usage of 'if' in these phrases can make it sound, to English ears, like it is conditional. In the English language, there is usually quite a difference between 'if' and 'since'. 'If' sounds like a condition. 'Since' sounds like a conclusion is drawn. And sometimes, to complicate matters, even when it is translated 'if', it means 'since.' Consider the temptation of our Lord when Satan said, "If you are the Son of God..." Satan knew good and well Jesus was the Son of God. Satan's 'if' was not asking Christ to prove Himself. He was saying, "Since you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread...throw Yourself down." I believe Satan knew all along who Christ was (he tried to have Him killed shortly after birth, didn't he?) Can we use the word 'since' in the three passages you have given us? I don't know. I tried plugging 'since' into the verses and, to me, it completely changes the meaning. Oh, the wonderful interface of Greek and English. What do you think, dear brother? In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
7 | Where is the answer to these verses? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15600 | ||
Tim, thanks for your response. These verses still have me stumped but I have to admit that the limitation is on my part. In fact, I may never get answer to them this side of heaven. One of the problems for me as a lay person is that, in some difficult passages, the underlying Greek just confuses the issue, not because Greek is a problem but because translation is not an EXACT science. Translator try, I believe, to find the closest receptor language word that means the same as the original donor language. Obviously, that is why SO many different translations exist today. And the matter becomes even worse if the translators have a particular theological bent. Where this causes a problem for me is in the area of doctrinal purity. I can find, right now, about 20 verses that say our salvation is a done deal and that we can never lose it. But, along with the ones you've posted here, I can find about 3 others that seem to imply that salvation can be walked away from, lost, not made sure, etc. It's the same with water baptism. I can find plenty of verses that say the water baptism is not part of salvation as we know it. But then there is that one or two that imply that it might be. So, as a layman, how do we reconcile these pieces of the puzzle so that they all fit? Can we? Should we? I don't know. Because I, in myself, can't, I encourage others to be Bereans and check out what I say for themselves or to come along side me and help dig for the answer. That is where I think this forum can be a wonderful tool. Unfortunately, there are not many people in my local church that I can take certain questions to. We have many retired pastors there but my honest questions are usually looked upon as 'doubter's syndrome.' That is hardly the case. But I do want to be ready to give every person reasons for my faith. I believe that my faith is based on facts, not just 'pie-in-the-sky' beliefs. And I believe our faith can withstand 'serious' questions as long as we avoid fast food issues. So what do we do when we don't have all the answers? I find that I have to keep pointing my fellow brothers and sisters back to Jesus. Not as a copout but because that is where truth is found. God knows everything. Unfortunately, He has not told us everything He knows. Our little brains would explode. But I do believe that Jesus is full of both grace and truth. And if we need either one (when don't we?), He is where we need to turn. He said we would know the truth and that the truth is what sets us free from error. I believe that. But I find, in my journey, that the WHEN of knowing the truth is a process. So, what do we do when we can't find the answers? Or what do we do if our respective answers disagree? What if we can't make all the pieces of the puzzle fit? Just curious, thanks for your graceful spirit. I see Christ in you. In Him, Bill Mc |
||||||
8 | Let unite in prayer believers in Christ! | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 15942 | ||
Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, Let's start praying for the tragedies that are happening at the Pentagon, the Twin Towers and the threat at the White House. Many people have died, are dying, or will die as result of these attacks. Many souls are going into eternity this morning. Let put aside any differences we have and ask our Lord to intervene during this time of crisis. |
||||||
9 | Tim, what do you think of Rev 6:9; 20:4? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 17401 | ||
Greetings Tim! Thanks for your kind comments! You know me well enough to know that I usually dig myself into holes that I can't get out of :). Thank God for His grace! Your supposition is interesting. I am ALWAYS interested in hearing other's points of view. And the scripture you cited seems to fit with the NT verse (don't remember where it is) that Adam became a living soul but Christ has become, for us, a life-giving spirit. That being said :) let me LOVINGLY challenge it. :) Permit to ask you about two verses that came to my mind when you mentioned your view. One is found in Rev 6:9 where there are slain souls under the altar. They appear to be 'unclothed' i.e. without bodies. God tells them to wait a little longer until their number is complete. He then gives them white robes to wear. The next passage is similar. It is in Rev 20:4,5. John sees the souls of those beheaded by AntiChrist. I am not sure if these are the same group or different groups. I'm inclined to think that they are the same. Again, it appears that they do not have bodies because John says that after he saw the souls, they 'came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.' He then calls their 'coming to life' the first resurrection and says how blessed they are. If my supposition is correct, then these souls do not have there resurrected bodies yet. What do you think? As always, In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
10 | Is 'breath' physical life or spirit life | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 18060 | ||
Hi, Tim. Can I ask a question here? I noticed that you stated that you think it is a stretch to think that Adam and Eve had God's Spirit breathed into them. If you've read my post, you can see that I think (though I can't prove it from this text alone) that Adam and Eve did have God's Spirit. So, my question is this: Isn't the Greek word for 'spirit' pnuema - breath? I was under the impression that it was. I know that the OT was written in Hebrew, but the thought is the same. If so, how could God breathe 'spirit' into them without it being of His Spirit? Isn't He the source? If you're understanding is correct and that God just breathed physical life (CPR, as you say) into Adam, then how is that different from the physical life that God gave the animal kingdom? But man and animals breathe. What would distinguish Adam, in the creation process, from the animals? (Also, if you have time, isn't the word 'creatures' in Gen chapter 1 that same word in Hebrew as 'souls'?) Thanks for your time, Bill Mc |
||||||
11 | CDBJ, could you clarify this good post? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 18207 | ||
CDBJ, this is a very good explanation. I like your definition of spirit and your exegesis of 'death.' Please let me ask a couple of questions. You said that Adam's spirit died (became separated from God) at the fall. Does this mean, by your understanding, that Adam's spirit was in union with God's Spirit before the fall? If THANATOS is separation from God, was Adam's spirit one with God before the fall? Do you think the God indwelled him? Why or why not? And you stated that our souls, at new birth, are the 'real' us. What happens to our spirits at rebirth? Or do you believe that they are synonymous? Jesus gave up His spirit at His death. Is this the same as His soul? Thanks for taking the time (and patience) to answer my questions. In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
12 | Sir Pent, are you C or A? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 20212 | ||
Dear Sir, Thanks for your responses. One last question if I may: Are you of the Calvinist or Armenian persuasion? Or do you even claim to be one or the other? Thanks, Bill Mc |
||||||
13 | Are all men created in God's image? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16085 | ||
We know that God created Adam and Eve. Genesis makes this clear. As Christians, we believe that all human life is sacred. However, is there any Biblical substantiation that the rest of humanity (other than Adam and Eve) are created by God? Adam was created in God's image. What this means is muchly debated and I would prefer not to try to resolve that particular question in this thread. But the referenced verse makes it clear that Seth was born, not created, in Adam's image. By this point in time Adam had, as the father of the human race, sinned and was spiritually dead to God. This attribute Paul explains in the NT as being 'born dead in trespasses and sins' and this 'flaw' was passed down to all of us. So, was Seth in the image of God the same way that his father was when Adam was created? Or was he a product of his mother and father's union without God's creative intervention? Did God actually finish His creative work on the first sabbath or is He still creating humans? The reason that I ask this is because it is frequently quoted that 'all men are created in the image of God.' Does scripture actually support this view? Adam and Eve were, but does that mean that all the rest of humanity is still, even in our fallen state, 'in the image' of God? Please note, I believe that all life originated with God, but is our view of the sanctity of human life based on a correct scriptural premise? As always, please use scripture to support your answer. |
||||||
14 | Is God still creating man in His image? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16122 | ||
Granted, man, as a species was made (past tense, at creation) in the image of God. I am not questioning that. But is God still creating man in His image everytime someone is born? The reference verse above does not say that Seth was born in the image of God. It says that Seth was born in Adam's image. I believe that, after the fall, man was no longer the exact representation of God's image. He became, through Adam's sin, a fallen creature. When Christ came, He showed us man as man was designed to be - totally dependant upon God. God was His life source. Christ said, 'I don't do or say anything unless the Father tells Me to do or say it. Why? Because My Father and I are one.' And scripture says that He (Christ) was the exact representation of God's nature. Philip said to Jesus, 'Show us the Father.' Jesus replied, 'If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father.' Now, with Christ in us, we, too, can reflect the image of God as we let Him live through us. We, as believers, are one spirit with Him. But, my question is, is man, in his fallen natural state (born dead in trespasses and sin) still being created in the image of God? On a personal note, I don't understand how the terrorist who have attacked the US could be considered 'created in the image of God.' Or someone like Adolf Hitler, who tried to exterminate the Jews, how is he the iamge of God. I see the opposite. Or someone like Bill Mc, who left to his own devices, before he was saved, could have, but for the grace of God, committed any crime I could think of. I have hated, I have lusted - in my heart I was guilty of murder and adultery. I cannot look at my life and say that it was always the image of God. People will say that we have no right to execute criminals for their crimes because man is the image of God. I think we forfeited that attribute when Adam sinned. Is God still, present tense, creating man in His image? If He is, I believe it is only at new birth - Rom 6:4, 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:16, Eph 2:10. What do you think? |
||||||
15 | Dear charis, could you clarify this? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16144 | ||
Dear Charis, Thanks for your response. I appreciate hearing other views. I do agree with you that man is tripartate - spirit, soul, and body. But your statement, 'Our spirit is created in His holy image, but not yet turned toward God because of the influence of our fallen nature, which is flesh and soul' seems to imply that everyone's spirit is holy. You have stated that this is your belief and I do respect that. But do you have any scripture to support the implication that everyone's spirit is holy? If you do indeed beleive that every person is born with their spirit created in His holy image, then why do you say later in your post that 'our regenerated spirit reigns'? What need is there for a regenerated spirit if it is created holy at our birth? And doesn't God's Word say that the things of God are spiritually discerned, not 'soulishly' discerned? Thank you for reminding us that if we boast, we are to, like Paul, boast in the Lord and what He has done. In Him, Bill Mc |
||||||
16 | Is this any clearer? Einee-Minee... | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16158 | ||
charis, thanks for the clarification. To clarify my prior question to you, you had stated, 'This is the part of us that knows good and evil, and allows us know (be known by) the Lord and recognize His image in us, or conversely be led by our earthly body.' My question was that I think that our spirits are what allows us to know God. I believe that scripture supports that many things of God are spiritually discerned. My soul (mind, will, and emotions - personality) cannot (to my utter frustration) understand the Trinity. But God has revealed it (through the Word written by, ultimately, the Holy Spirit) to be fact. It is the same way with my unregenerated spiritual death. My soul, apart from the revelation of God through His Word, would never have know that I was born spiritually dead. I would have thought, in my natural senses, sure, I'm alive. I could perceive myself and others (soul perception, soulishly alive) but I have no perception of God other than what my soul discerns from nature. I.e. I can tell from nature that God exists by I have very little information as to what He is really like. Hence the Law reflected His character in the OT (and ours) and Jesus Christ is the true, exact representation of God's nature in the NT. Well, I've probably taken this further than I initially wanted to and I have maybe confussed you (and myself). But, what I was trying to find out is this: Many co-workers are saying, "Now, Bill, you claim to be a Christian. Christians are against the death penalty (I am not against it, personally I beleive the law is made for the ungodly) and men are created in the image of God. So if you want these terrorists punished by death, than you will be killing what God created, right?" This was the point of my initial question. Are we STILL being created in the image of God? Thanks for your input and Christ-like spirit, Bill Mc |
||||||
17 | Sorry about the digression. | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16185 | ||
Hi Sir Pent, Yes, this thread is supposed to be about man being created in the image of God. I had posted it because the subject came up that all men were created in God's image. And I was asked what right we had to kill something in God's image. My premise is that I don't believe that men are still created in God's image. I think man forfeited that specific attribute when Adam sinned. I DON'T feel that, if it's true that unregenrated man is no longer 'in God's image', that AUTOMATICALLY gives us a right to kill mankind. I think there are other scriptures that substantiate capital punishment. But ALL life ultimately proceeds from God. God is life. I believe that He has created three 'levels' (for lack of a better word) of life: 1) Physiological Life (purely physical life - plants) 2) Soul Life(mind, will, emotions - animals) and 3) Spiritually Life (the highest form of life that is eternal by which we relate to God and He relates to us). So my question was whether God is still 'creating man in His own image' every time someone is born. Unfortunately, I have never resolved exactly what 'made in His image' means. Any thoughts? In Him, Bill MC |
||||||
18 | Is man still created in God's image? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16189 | ||
Dear Charis, thanks for the clarification. To clarify my prior question to you, you had stated, 'This is the part of us that knows good and evil, and allows us know (be known by) the Lord and recognize His image in us, or conversely be led by our earthly body.' My implication was that I think that our spirits are what allows us to know God. I believe that scripture supports that many things of God are spiritually discerned. My soul (mind, will, and emotions - personality) cannot (to my utter frustration) understand the Trinity. But God has revealed it (through the Word written by, ultimately, the Holy Spirit) to be fact. It is the same way with my unregenerated spiritual death. My soul, apart from the revelation of God through His Word, would never have know that I was born spiritually dead. I would have thought, in my natural senses, sure, I'm alive. I could perceive myself and others (soul perception, soulishly alive) but I have no perception of God other than what my soul discerns from nature. I.e. I can tell from nature that God exists by I have very little information as to what He is really like. Hence the Law reflected His character in the OT (and ours) and Jesus Christ is the true, exact representation of God's nature in the NT. Well, I've probably taken this further than I initially wanted to and I have maybe confussed you (and myself). But, what I was trying to find out is this: Many co-workers are saying, "Now, Bill, you claim to be a Christian. Christians are against the death penalty and men are created in the image of God. So if you want these terrorists punished by death, than you will be killing what God created, right?" This was the point of my initial question. Are we STILL being created in the image of God? Thanks for your input and Christ-like spirit, Bill Mc |
||||||
19 | So what is God's vs. Adam's image? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16214 | ||
Hi Tim, Please permit me to jump in here: Therein lies my question. We know that Adam and Eve were created perfect. But scripture also makes it clear that they fell and passed sin and death to all their offspring (accept Christ). So, as you have so aptly asked, what is this image that Seth was created in? If it was truly God's image in the sense of moral purity, then it would seem to violate what we understand scripture to say about mankind being born in trespasses and sin. If it was simply an outward physical image, then it doesn't quite seem to fit with Adam being the outward image of God, for God is Spirit. If it was a personality image (mind, emotions, will - what one would call a soul), does this interpretation carry the most weight? Or should we not even interpret 'image' to be a reasonably exact representation but merely a 'form'? Thanks for your input. It is interesting that Moses did not write that Seth was born ALSO in God's image. In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
20 | What is the breath of life? | Gen 5:3 | Bill Mc | 16614 | ||
Hi Lionstrong, Thanks for your reply. You stated: "The death fallen man experiences is the separation from God caused by sin and its curse, not the loss of the life God gave him." Then why did Jesus say that He came to bring us LIFE? Why does the NT make it clear that we are born DEAD in trespasses and sins? Why do these verses all say that we were made ALIVE in Christ? - See Rom 6:11; Rom 8:10; 1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:5; Col 2:13 Lionstrong, you seem to imply that the death that God said would happen to Adam and Eve the day that they are from the forbidden tree was merely physical death. Yet they did not die immediately. Adam lived some 900 years after the fall. But God says, "The day you eat, you WILL die." If I understand your definition, the spirit of life (merely physical life, breath) is also possessed by the animal kingdom. But we know that they are not made in the image of God. "The life that man has is still spiritual, but it is no longer toward God." - Agreed. "By the breath of God, man was created as the image of God." True, but what is this breath of God. God is primarily spirit and as such, He had no human breath until Christ was born. A spirit, in the physilogical sense, does not breathe. So, if this 'breath of life' that God imparted to Adam is merely physical life, isn't that same thing evident in the animal world? In Christ, Bill Mc |
||||||
Result pages: [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 ] Next > Last [6] >> |