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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: ChristLifer2001 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | what are the divisions of the bible | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45304 | ||
Miriam, Steve has listed the theological divisions of the Bible. These can be very helpful to understanding the different literary styles. I wanted to share the fact that our Bibles are divided into the Old Testament (which means Covenant) and the New Testment (which can also be translated Will). Many folks see these two distinctions in their Bibles but have don't really know how they relate to God's overall plan of redemption. Hebrews says that the Old Covenant was merely a shadow of the reality that we enjoy under the New Covenant as children of God. Under the New Covenant, God has given His children a new heart and a new spirit and He remembers our sins no more - Heb 10:9-18. Another popular word for this covenant is grace - God's unearned blessings on us. These are the two major divisions of the Bible and we would do well to keep them separate in our understanding. The Old Covenant pointed to the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb of God and the New Covenant tells of it's reality. In the Old Testament, with few exceptions, God dwelt amongst but not in His people. New Covenant believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit Himself. What a wondrous thing God has done. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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2 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45494 | ||
Dimples, I am going to offer my views on this subject and let you decide for yourself. I will probably not be popular for taking this stance on this forum but the truth is the truth. Modern Christianity has made divorce the "unpardonable sin" and this was never God's intention. Yes, it is God's design that when we marry someone, we marry them for the length of our earthly lives. This is His highest will. It is the blue-print for Jewish culture, there is no denying that. But this is not the way things always turn out. In marriages, infidelity happens, physical abuse happens, severe psycological abuse happens, things go wrong. To insist that two people stay in an abusive relationship, whether it is sexual, physical, or psycological, is just plain legalism and doesn't stand up to scripture. The Christian world has grabbed the Jewish law (which the Jews never could keep) and made it the standard for Christian performance. Yes, that law does reflect God's character and moral attributes, but the fact remains that we, as NT believers are no longer under the law. We are under grace. As soon as someone (like me) says this, the legalist will immediately day, "That doesn't give you the license to sin." True. I don't need a license to sin. I can sin quite well without one. Nevertheless, even if grace is abused, it is still grace. God design for one man and one woman to be married for earthly life. This started in the garden of Eden way before the law was given. That is His ideal. However, His ideal was also that Adam and Eve not eat from the forbidden fruit. Where things do not turn out for the "ideal", we must trust in God's grace. In fact, we must trust in God's grace whether things are ideal or not. :) Jesus was born under the law and most of His teaching is law-based - Gal 4:4. But we, as NT believers are no longer under Jewish law. The church, by and large, has a really hard time accepting this. The Romans 7 passage which Paul wrote was NEVER intended as a marriage/divorce law. If we look at the context, it is extremely clear that Paul is using Jewish culture (marriage and divorce laws) to illustrate a spiritual truth. That being that mankind is born married to Mr. Law. But we, as believers, need to be married to Mr. Grace. The only way (except through adultery) for one to get out of a Jewish marriage is for one of the partners to die. Now Mr. Law did not die because his job is to lead the sinner to Christ. So, instead, we died in Christ to Mr. Law. Because of our death to the law, we can now be married to Mr. Grace, Jesus Christ. That is the whole point of Romans 7:1-6. It is an illustration to show that we are no longer under Jewish law and are now married to Christ - we are His bride! PTL! But the legalists comes along and takes this illustration and makes it the standard instead of embracing the truth that this passage illustrates. It is so ironic. Paul uses this illustration to show that we are no longer under the law and we use it to keep believers bound to Mr. Law! I would laugh if it weren't so perverted. Please see Part 2. ChristLifer2001 |
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3 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45498 | ||
Dimples, Please see my answer to your other question. ChristLifer2001 |
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4 | Can a christian still get to heaven if | NT general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45050 | ||
Muffy, CDBJ is right, Christ paid for ALL sins for ALL time for ALL mankind on the cross. The question is, did your uncle receive this forgiveness by placing his faith and trust in Christ alone. If he was saved, then he was completely forgiven by Christ's blood shed at Calvary. All sins, except the sin of unbelief were forgiven at the cross. We accept that forgiveness as part of our redemption - Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:4. After the cross, which provided this forgiveness, we don't keep on receiving forgiveness by asking for it. We are either totally forgiven or we are not forgiven at all. See also Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13; 1 John 2:12 and especially Revelation 1:5. I hope that your uncle was indeed saved, sister, and that he was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. ChristLifer2001 |
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5 | is man still being created in God's ima | Gen 1:26 | ChristLifer2001 | 45045 | ||
Lady K, Technically, no, man is no longer being "created" except spiritually at salvation. Adam was the only man ever truly created - spirit, soul, and body. Every man since then has been "born" of human parents, not created by God. Now to the other part of your question. Only Adam was created purely in the image of God. He reflected the traits of his creator. Christ alone now reflects the exact representation of God but He was not created. :) After Adam fell, this image was still there but it was marred. He no longer accurately reflected his Creator. He spiritual died the day he ate from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" and became separated from the life of his Creator. Please notice Genesis 5:3. There Moses states that Seth was born (not created) in Adam's fallen image, not God's image. And so it has been down through the ages. We must be careful on this issue because of it's importance to our culture and beliefs. If we say that man no longer bears the image of God, it would seem to justify abortion, euthenasia, etc. On the other hand, if we say that man still bears the accurate image of God, then everybody is A-okay and therefore does not require redemption. So it is important to make the distinction - fallen man still bears the image of God but it is no longer accurate. Only by being born-again can man once again, reflect the attributes of His Creator. It is Christ in us that allows us to become what God's design for man is, children of God, created to contain and reflect Him. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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6 | What day did Adam and eve sin? | Gen 2:17 | ChristLifer2001 | 47337 | ||
G ZAZ, Sorry, friend, but the Bible doesn't tell us how long Adam and Eve existed in a state of innocence. It could have been a week, it could have been thousands or even millions of years, we just don't know. But the important thing to know is that they died that day they ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And all who now eat from the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ) live forevermore. ChristLifer2001 |
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7 | Is the Sabbath to be kept holy? | Ex 31:14 | ChristLifer2001 | 44348 | ||
Terri, No, the Sabbath is not relevant today. Why? 1. It was given to the OT Jews. 2. It was part of the Law which we, as believers, are no longer under. 3. We have entered a permanent Sabbath rest (Heb 4:1) where every day is a day of resting in Christ's completed work. Colossians 2:16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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8 | What does the world presently think abou | 2 Sam 13:1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47601 | ||
Iheukwumere, The bottom line is that it is irrelevant what the world thinks about it. The world's standards may or may not reflect God's righteousness depending upon culture and time period. To force ANYONE to have intercourse violates the law of love that Christ demonstrated and taught about. If we truly love others as Christ does, forcing them to have intercource is a sin, whether that person is your wife, a sister, a half-sister, or a stranger. The issue is not whether we are following the 10 commandment or Jewish cultural law. The issue is are we being led by the Spirit (which we should be if we call ourselves Christians). Anyone led by the Spirit of God is NOT going to purposefully hurt another person whether it is through a sex crime, lying, verbal or physical abuse, stealing, and any other means the man can find to damage his neighbor. This is why we must walk in the Spirit and allow the living Christ to fulfill the law of love in us. If we don't do this, then we inevitable fall into categorizing what is a sin, what is not a sin, what is a worse sin, etc. From God's viewpoint, all sin deserves death - period - Rom 6:23. If we allow Christ to live out through us, then it is clear that He will fulfill the Golden Rule and keep the two greatest commandments. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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9 | People want answers! | Prov 3:5 | ChristLifer2001 | 46546 | ||
Inmyheart, Of course our Lord can and will give a right answer. Trust Him to do so as you seek the answers. The Holy Spirit promises to lead you into all truth and your quest will ultimately lead to Christ, for He is God's answer for our every question. 2 Peter 1:3 says that God's divine power has given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness through truly knowing Jesus Christ. Romans 8:32 says that God freely gives us ALL THINGS in Christ Jesus. Christianity is a person, Jesus Christ, and God will be faithful to finish what He has begun in you. Trust in that relationship. Your Lord did not leave you alone. He is in you and will lead you. Unfortunately, here at this forum you will, much of the time, get conflicting answers. If you ask a question like, "Are Christians under the Mosaic Law?" you will get 3 different answers: 1) Yes 2) No 3) Some parts of it. This is because everyone views scripture through a particular "lense." There is nothing wrong with this lense as long as it does not take the place of scripture. In the end, you must be a Berean, my friend, and study the scriptures for yourself. We seldom argue about what God says but we'll debate until the cows come home concerning what He means. Christian's are all members of Christ's body, the church. There is unity in Him but it is not always prevalent. This doesn't mean that we will always see things the same way. When we don't, the best we can do it to state what we believe God is saying and let the Holy Spirit do what He does so well. Paul did the same thing on Mars Hill. Some sneered at what he had to say, some said that they wanted to hear more, but some accepted what He said about God and joined Him. May you find the answers in Christ, my friend. ChristLifer2001 |
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10 | Where are the "Seven Thunders"? | Mark 9:1 | ChristLifer2001 | 44374 | ||
Searcher56, The seven peals of thunder are found in Rev 10:2-4. However, John was not allowed to write about them. Curiouser and curiouser, huh? ChristLifer2001 |
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11 | How can God (Jesus) increase in wisdom? | Luke 2:52 | ChristLifer2001 | 47452 | ||
Bob R., My post is not designed to prove that Jesus is God. There are many scriptures and other posts here on the forum to address that issue. I simply wanted to express my understanding of the incarnation. One of the things that we need to understand about the incarnation is that though Jesus was (and is) fully God, when He came to earth, He did not function out of His Godly attributes. He functioned as a human male except without sin. Phil 2:5-11 explains this concept. Jesus was fully God but He chose not to exercise all His divine attributes AS God. Instead, He gave us a pattern for how we should live as God's creations - with God as our source for life. This is why Jesus made statements like: "I do nothing unless the Father tells Me to do it. I say nothing unless the Father tells Me to say it. My works are not My own but My Fathers. I do nothing of My own initiative but only what I see the Father doing." All of these statements demonstrate that Christ source for EVERYTHING was drawing upon His Father. And Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, so send I you." As the Father was Christ's source for everything He said and did during His earthly ministry, Jesus is now our source for everything that we should do or say. Jesus expressed this to His disciples: "Apart from Me, you can do nothing. As I abide in the Father, you should abide in Me. Paul expressed this concept also: "I can do all things THROUGH Christ." "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. The life that I live in this body, I live BY FAITH in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me." Yes, Christ was fully God. But He set aside (emptied Himself) His abilities to live and act out of His divine attributes. Instead, He was a channel for His Father to live and work through. He calls us to do the same. We are not God. He is forever the Creator and we are forever the creations, but as Christ abided in His Father, we abide in Christ. He is our life. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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12 | Imputed Righteousness | Rom 4:6 | ChristLifer2001 | 52821 | ||
Hi Steve, I'll do my best to answer your question from the scriptures without examining Reformed beliefs (which I know nothing about). God calls the righteousness that we have in Christ a gift - Rom 6:23. A gift is something that is given freely by one party to another party. It can be "given" and it can be "received." God does not simply see us as righteous. He does not pretend that we are righteous. He does not see what is not there. He sees us as righteous because we ARE righteous. But this righteousness doesn't not come from ourselves or our actions, it comes from God. We are MADE righteous at salvation - Rom 5:17,19. Specifically, how does God do this? He accomplishes this by giving us a brand new human spirit that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Now, before you label me a heretic or a mystic, let's examine the scriptures. In Eze 36:26, God promises those under the New Covenant a new spirit, does He not? Why? Because man's "in Adam" spirit is dead in trespasses and sin. Dead to God but alive to sin. We, as New Testament believers, partake in the New Covenant. Paul calls this new spirit the "new self" or the "new man" and at spiritual birth, God creates this in us in RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS - Eph 4:24. Because of this, Paul calls us a "new creation" - 2 Cor 5:17. We have been given something new, a new human spirit that is as righteous and holy as Christ. In fact, it is indwelt by Christ - 1 Cor 6:17; 1 Cor 3:16; 1 cor 6:19. This new spirit that has been born of God - John 3:3,6 - is a treasure inside us that the Holy Spirit Himself guards by uniting Himself with us - 2 Tim 1:14. Therefore nothing can separate us from God. So, when we are spiritual born again, God creates a new spirit within us and also puts the Holy Spirit within us to seal us - Eze 36:27; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:13; Eph 4:30. Because this new part of us is created in righteousness and holiness, God can freely join Himself to it. This part of us, the spirit (not the soul, not the body) is "born of God" - John 3:6 - and therefore cannot sin - 1 John 3:9. I can sin out of my flesh, but my new spirit cannot. It is not the source of sin. It is my source of righteousness and holiness and it has been given to me as a free gift. Therefore, when God looks at me as His new creation, He sees what is REALLY there, a new spirit indwelt by His Holy Spirit. It is mine, I have received it, but it comes from Him as a free gift because I have placed my faith and trust in Christ. So though my body is still under sin's curse, my new spirit is alive to God - Rom 8:10. I have been (so have you) joined to God forever. He will never leave us or forsake because our sins have been forgiven. And nothing shall separate us from Him. I hope this helps, bro. I may not be exactly the answer that you were looking for but I believe that there is plenty of scriptural support. "But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him." - 1 Cor 6:17. Not in dissolution but in union. Your brother in Christ, ChristLifer |
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13 | What is imputed righteousness? | Rom 4:6 | ChristLifer2001 | 52950 | ||
Steve, Under the Old Covenant, righteousness was only credited. Generally speaking, people received forgiveness through the OT sacrificial system. But they were declared or credited righteousness by their faith in whatever God's Word to them was - Heb 11. But righteousness could only be credited, it could not be given as a gift becauses sins were not permanently dealt with until Christ's blood was shed on the cross. Under the New Covenant, we are made righteous through our union with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. The key verse for this in found in Roman 5:17,19 - "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of rigtheousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." Fundamental to understanding this verse is the question "when"? So let's ask that question. When where all men made sinners? When Adam fell. Therefore, when we are born into this world, we are already sinners through our identification with Adam before we ever commit a sin. It is birth, not performance, that establishes identity. Now, when are the many made righteous? When they die? No. The death of your body does not affect your spiritual state. Spiritual identity is determined by birth, not death. We don't become spiritual dead when we physically die. Whatever our spiritual state is when these bodies die is what we will remain. We are sinners because we are born in Adam. So when to we become righteous? When we are born into Christ. When we are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection, we become the righteousness of God in Him. It is then that we receive the gift of righteousness. Just like the abundance of grace, we receive the gift of righteousness here and now, in this life. It is not the death of our body that makes us righteous, it is the birth of our new spirit joined to the Spirit of Jesus Christ that makes us righteous in God's sight. This does not mean that we are sinless. We still live in a fallen body and a fallen world. We still occasionally give in to sin. But we are as righteous in God's eyes as His precious Son because we have been joined to Him forever - 1 Cor 6:17. He will never leave us or forsake us. When God sees me, He sees me clothed in Christ - Gal 3:27. He sees in me the righteousness of His Son, not because of my works, but because of my identity with Christ. I am no longer a sinner in Adam. I am a saint in Christ. I hope this helps. Righteous in Christ, ChristLifer2001 |
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14 | Help. Someone's testamony has me upset | Rom 6:23 | ChristLifer2001 | 45257 | ||
Chynna, Our faith does not rely upon the "things that brought us to God", dear sister. In fact, it isn't even faith that saves you. It is your faith IN CHRIST ALONE that saves you. Our salvation rests upon Christ's redeeming work on our behalf - He was crucified to provide us with forgiveness, He was buried, and He was raised again to provide us with eternal life. This are all historical facts in the Bible and it is the Person and work of Jesus Christ that saves us, NOT our experiences. All of us have different experiences. All of us are drawn to God through difference paths. But it is God Himself who has saved us - freely by the gift of eternal life. The beauty and bane of the internet is that anybody can say anything they want to and people are susceptible to believing it as truth. However, as Christians, we believe that the Word of God (Jesus Christ and His revelation - the Bible) is truth. Anyone can claim visions, dear sister, but Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The beauty of the gospel is not that men are caught up to heaven, it is that heaven now indwells us. If we are going to judge our beliefs by other's beliefs and experiences, our's will usually be different. We must judge our beliefs according to the scriptures, not experiences. I don't believe that God ever "tempts" anyone to become a Christian by the impartation of divine knowledge. We are not saved by what we COULD know if we accept. We are saved by what we DO know according to the scriptures. The free gift of God (salvation) is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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15 | i am confused about Romans.7:15-20 | Rom 7:14 | ChristLifer2001 | 47845 | ||
Shirleytys, Great question, sis. Paul is describing his struggle to live under the Law as a system of gaining God's acceptance. Trying to live under Law is always going to result in self-defeat and self-condemnation because we can't do it. Paul makes reference here in this passage that though he wants to do the right things, there is a power within him called "indwelling sin" that will use the Law (which is holy, righteous, and good - verse 12) to commit sin. Paul says that this "power of indwelling sin" is within him, but it is not him i.e. it is not his identity. Notice some of the statements he makes: "I am doing the very thing I hate." "I do the very thing I do not wish to do." "For the good that I wish, I do not do." "I joyfully concur with the Law of God." And yet, there was something in Paul, that was not Paul, causing him to sin. "No longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me." - vs 17 "But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me." - vs 20. This "power of indwelling sin" dwells in what Paul calls the flesh - not that the body is inherently evil, but the the power of indwelling sin will use the Law to cause the flesh to sin. Everyone still has what the Bible calls "the flesh" - the tendency to get our needs met apart from God, the desire to edify self. This is the part of us that we war against - the Spirit against the flesh. Though this power of indwelling sin is in us, it is not us. We are new Christians in Christ - 2 Cor 5:17 - with a new spirit and heart. It is only as we walk in the Spirit - appropriating our union with God's Spirit, then we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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16 | Possible definition for 'Flesh'? | Rom 7:14 | ChristLifer2001 | 47865 | ||
Evan, I'm not here to shoot anything down, brother. Just to point to the Word, written and Living. :) Yes, Jesus did come in the flesh. But there is more that one definition of "flesh" in the scriptures just as there is more than one definition of spirit. Spirit is used of the essence of God - God is Spirit i.e. He is not primaryly of the physical universe (in fact, He made it out of nothing). The word "spirit" is also used of man's immaterial part. It can also mean an attitude or an emotion. Even evil demons are known as spirits. So how do we know which spirit is which? We must look at the context to see what is being spoken of. Flesh likewise has different definitions. Sometimes "flesh" means the physical body. When the Bible states that Christ came in the flesh, this is what it means. But in many of Paul's writings, "flesh" has a different connotation. Most of the time "flesh" means a condition where man operates out of his own resources, doing things his way. Proof? Consider Gal 3:3, Paul asked them if they thought that they could be perfected by the flesh (self-effort to keep the Law). Phil 3:4-6 - Paul talks about whether or not he could put confidence in his flesh. Look at what he lists there as "flesh": circumcision, a Jew, a Benjamite, a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, zealous for the Law, blameless in the Law. These traits all spring from Paul's indentity apart from Christ - his natural "self". But he said he put no confidence in all these qualifications - vs 3. Paul says in Rom 8:9 that the believer is no longer "in the flesh." Is he speaking of an out-of-body experience here? I would think not. Rather, he is saying that the believer now draws his identity from being in Christ, not from self-effort. Paul says in 2 Cor 5:16 that we no longer estimate people according to the "flesh" - self-accomplishments. Why? Because according to vs 17, the believer is a new creation. As far as flesh and Spirit refering to ages, I haven't seen that for myself in the scriptures. So I'm not sure what you mean by that statement. But I do feel that in Rom 7, Paul is making reference to flesh as self-effort. He says that no good thing dwells in his flesh - vs. 18. The human body is not inherently sinful but the power of indwelling sin causes the "flesh" to use the body as an instrument of sin. So self-sufficiency "flesh" can be either good looking (like Paul's qualifications) or it can be bad like the works of the "flesh" as in Gal 5:19. Either way, good flesh or bad flesh, it is getting our self-needs met apart from God's provision. Therefore both are unacceptable to God. Our standing with Him is never based upon self-effort to make ourselves holy or self-effort to avoid sin. It is based upon the finished work of Christ. He is our identity. And it is only as we walk in the Spirit in that identity that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh - be they "good" or "bad." Hope this helps, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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17 | Looking for verses regarding addiction? | Rom 11:32 | ChristLifer2001 | 45043 | ||
Jewel, As Searcher56 has said, wise biblical counsel should be sought out. You don't need to be told to continually "repent" and you don't need to be Romans 8:28'ed to death. What you need is someone who is trained in the area of biblical Christian psychology. Exchanged Life Ministries excels in this area and through biblical counseling, they can help you along with the Holy Spirit to understand addictions - what they are, where they come from, and how to have victory over them. As to the answer to your question, Paul talks about addiction in Romans chapter 6. He lays out the fact that Christians are now dead to sin and alive to God. Christ has set us free from the penalty and power of sin. But this does not mean that we can't persist in sin. Therefore, in verse 16 he says that if we go on presenting ourselves to sin, we will become slaves to it. Sin is addicting. And it is pleasurable - for a season. This is not God's design for our lives but it does happen. There are answers for you, Jewel, it is not God's will that you remain addicted. But it is a complex series of events that have led you where you are and quoting a verse or two will not, in itself, set you free. It is the truth behind God's words that set us free, not the words themselves. So please seek out some solid biblical counseling that can help you discover the roots of your addictions i.e. why you first turned to these things for comfort, escape, dependence, etc. Until you and the Holy Spirit get to the root, you will be forever trying to stop the action without changing the errors in your belief system that causes the action. Jesus said that the truth would set us free. The inverse of that is that error will bind you. He is the truth, He desires to set you free, and when He does it (as opposed to your doing it), you will be free indeed. If you check this website www.aelm.org you will find a list of ministries in different states that can help you. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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18 | Self control and Spirit controlled? | 1 Cor 9:25 | ChristLifer2001 | 49953 | ||
Living in Christ, The apostle Paul makes it clear that our old self was crucified with Christ (Rom 6:6 and Gal 2:20) and that we have "put on" a new self which has been created in righteousness and holiness (Eph 4:24). This new self is a new spirit that God creates in us when we are born again of His Spirit (John 3:6) and is united forever with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:17). What does this mean in practical terms? This means that we are now a new "self" that has been joined (or indwelt) by God. Man was never meant to be autominous and function apart from Him. He is our source and He is united with us so that He can manifest His life through us. Our old self functioned as "flesh". Our new self needs to be controlled by the Spirit. The self is always controlled by something. As Bob Dylan says, "Ya gotta serve somebody." We are designed to be under the control of the Spirit of God just as Jesus abided in His Father while on earth. His "self" always looked to the Father as His source. We, as new creations in Christ, look to Him and should abide in Him. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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19 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44364 | ||
ChristianLuv, There is only one thing in this universe that provides the forgiveness of sins - the blood of Jesus Christ - Heb 9:22. Repentance does not obtain forgiveness, confession does not obtain forgiveness, asking God to forgive does not obtain forgiveness. Sounds heretical doesn't it? As Christians, we receive the forgiveness provided by Christ's blood when we accept Him as our Savior. The problem lies with folks misunderstanding of what repentance is and what provides forgiveness. Repentance means changing your mind about God and how you can have a relationship with Him. It does not mean "to stop sinning." If repentance meant the cessation of sin, none of us have ever or could ever truly repent down here on earth because we all still do sin. There are basically two ways people try to get to God. For Gentiles, if they are even concious of God, they try to get to Him by being good i.e. religion. For Jews, they try to get to God by keeping the Law. Neither way will suffice. Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to God (or stays in a relationship with God) except through Him and what He has done. So any other way of getting to God needs to be repented of. We need to change our minds about how a sinful man can be justified before a holy God. There is only one way. And, as I said, it is the blood of Christ alone that provides the forgiveness of sins. Period. It is our faith in that blood - not our actions - that avails us of that forgiveness when we receive Christ. Therefore, the issue really is, not will God forgive, but has the person who keeps on practicing his sins really placed his faith in Christ? Only God and that person knows the heart. But if a person continues to enjoy sinning and persisting in that life-style, then there is serious reason to question what they understood the gospel to be. The Holy Spirit indwells all true believers and sin grieves Him. It is inconsistent with His nature and it is inconsistent with our new natures as Christians. A true Christian who continues to willfully sin will be miserable in doing so. It goes against the new creation that he is in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and he will reap consequences of his sin (or he will hurt others with it). So it is not a question of repentance or forgiveness, it is a question of does this person understand what happened to him when he received Christ? Christ's presence in us will set us free from sin's power as we realize that we died to it - Rom 6. But most Christians only know of Christ's death only. They don't know that they were crucified, buried, and risen with Christ. They don't know that they are now seated in heavenly places with Him. They think that the gospel is a self-improvement program when it is really a self-denial program so that Christ may be all-in-all. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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20 | How to receive God's blessings he gives | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44497 | ||
ChristianLuv, If you have received Christ, you have already received God's blessings. Everything we need is found in Him. Please consider these verses: Rom 8:32 - He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Eph 1:3 - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Phil 4:19 - And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 2 Pet 1:3 - seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. Peter makes it clear that knowing Christ in His fullness gives us everything we need for life and godliness. What more could God give you than Himself? ChristLifer2001 |
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