Results 1 - 20 of 266
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: John Reformed Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What does sanctification mean? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 93140 | ||
Dear fritzygirl01, Sanctification - involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom. 6:13; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). It is the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on this work (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13). Faith is instrumental in securing sanctification, inasmuch as it (1) secures union to Christ (Gal. 2:20), and (2) brings the believer into living contact with the truth, whereby he is led to yield obedience "to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come." Perfect sanctification is not attainable in this life (1 Kings 8:46; Prov. 20:9; Eccl. 7:20; James 3:2; 1 John 1:8). See Paul's account of himself in Rom. 7:14-25; Phil. 3:12-14; and 1 Tim. 1:15; also the confessions of David (Ps. 19:12, 13; 51), of Moses (90:8), of Job (42:5, 6), and of Daniel (9:3-20). "The more holy a man is, the more humble, self-renouncing, self-abhorring, and the more sensitive to every sin he becomes, and the more closely he clings to Christ. The moral imperfections which cling to him he feels to be sins, which he laments and strives to overcome. Believers find that their life is a constant warfare, and they need to take the kingdom of heaven by storm, and watch while they pray. They are always subject to the constant chastisement of their Father's loving hand, which can only be designed to correct their imperfections and to confirm their graces. And it has been notoriously the fact that the best Christians have been those who have been the least prone to claim the attainment of perfection for themselves.", Hodge's Outlines. (Easton's Bible Dictionary). If you would like to discuss Sanctification further, I would be happy to do so. God Bless, John Reformed |
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2 | fruit shows in the bible how many times | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 97077 | ||
Why do you ask? | ||||||
3 | There are lots of messages on sale,some | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 97372 | ||
Good question. Ministries do require funds in order to function, and in today's society, I don't see how tape series could be offered for free to any and all who asked for them. However, I do believe the price should be limited to the costs of production, shipping and the overhead that the ministry needs to maintain it's teaching mission. I distrust teachers who profit heavily, living lavish lifestyles, from selling their interpretation the Word of God. What do you think? Perhaps I'm too skeptical. John Reformed |
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4 | is it a sin to kill animals | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 97538 | ||
It would depend on the motive for killing them. If it were done for the sheer pleasure of seeing an innocent creature suffer and die, that certanly be a sin. If for food or clothing or some other benevelant reason, then no...it would be lawfull. John |
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5 | Church curses??? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 98068 | ||
Anathema - anything laid up or suspended; hence anything laid up in a temple or set apart as sacred. In this sense the form of the word is anath(ee)ma, once in plural used in the Greek New Testament, in Luke 21:5, where it is rendered "gifts." In the LXX. the form anathema is generally used as the rendering of the Hebrew word herem, derived from a verb which means (1) to consecrate or devote; and (2) to exterminate. Any object so devoted to the Lord could not be redeemed (Num. 18:14; Lev. 27:28, 29); and hence the idea of exterminating connected with the word. The Hebrew verb (haram) is frequently used of the extermination of idolatrous nations. It had a wide range of application. The anathema_ or _herem was a person or thing irrevocably devoted to God (Lev. 27:21, 28); and "none devoted shall be ransomed. He shall surely be put to death" (27:29). The word therefore carried the idea of devoted to destruction (Num. 21:2, 3; Josh. 6:17); and hence generally it meant a thing accursed. In Deut. 7:26 an idol is called a herem anathema, a thing accursed. In the New Testament this word always implies execration (the act of cursing). In some cases an individual denounces an anathema on himself unless certain conditions are fulfilled (Acts 23:12, 14, 21). "To call Jesus accursed" [anathema] (1 Cor. 12:3) is to pronounce him execrated or accursed. If any one preached another gospel, the apostle says, "let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8, 9); i.e., let his conduct in so doing be accounted accursed. In Rom. 9:3, the expression "accursed" (anathema) from Christ, i.e., excluded from fellowship or alliance with Christ, has occasioned much difficulty. The apostle here does not speak of his wish as a possible thing. It is simply a vehement expression of feeling, showing how strong was his desire for the salvation of his people. The anathema in 1 Cor. 16:22 denotes simply that they who love not the Lord are rightly objects of loathing and execration to all holy beings; they are guilty of a crime that merits the severest condemnation; they are exposed to the just sentence of "everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." (EASTON'S BIBLE DICTIONARY). I would not be so bold as to set a curse on my enemies. The Lord said to love them. Perhaps the definition above is more in keeping with the Scripture as a whole. Curse their deeds not their persons. John |
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6 | personal prophecy | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 98966 | ||
Dear terryandangie, The reason it sounds weird is because it is weird! Heb 1:1,2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. Think about it...if there were men today who were speaking on the behalf of God to His people, should'nt those messages be recorded and added in the form of additional books of the Bible? If it were'nt so sad it would be funny. Stick with the Bible and ignore these self-proclaimed prophets. God Bless, John Reformed |
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7 | WHAT DOES THE #'s 1 - 7 STAND FOR? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 99606 | ||
Dear Scott3SS, 1 Tim 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, Believe me, numerology is an occult science. You should flee from even dabbling with it. All we need to know is plainly written in the Bible. It takes perspiration and inspiration but IT is of God and numerology is definitely not! 2 Tim 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; I pray that you will heed what God has written. John Reformed |
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8 | How do you evangelize someone who | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 100135 | ||
The way I see it is that our resposibility is to present the gospel to all whom are willing to hear it. As you know, we cannot make people believe through the power of our presentation of the gospel or our personal testimony. The power to save is the Holy Spirit using the gospel message to save whosoever believes. John 3:14,15 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. We are often frustrated by the false notion that only "if our presentation was better the person could be made to see the truth!" Well...it just does'nt work that way. 1 Cor 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. The keys to salvation areGod's predesination and calling. Rom 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. We have no idea whether or not the peson we are attempting to reach with the gospel has recieved the call of God upon his life or not. Sometimes we are preparing the groundwork for the christian worker who will reap the harvest. The beat advice I could give is keep on spreading the Good News of Jesus Chist and leave the results in God's hands. May God Richly Reward Your Efforts, John Reformed |
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9 | Do you have to be baptised to be saved | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 100547 | ||
Dear James, The guiding principle for me is that we are saved by grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. This principle was the foundation of the Protestant seperation from the popes of Rome who had concocted a complex theology of salvation that included works as a requirement for salvation. John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "Be baptized" is a command! Acts 10:48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. The desire to please Christ by obeying His commands is an "evidence" that a person has truly been "born again" and is indeed a new creature in Christ. John Reformed |
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10 | Do you have to be baptised to be saved | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 100550 | ||
Dear James, The guiding principle for me is that we are saved by grace alone, by faith alone in Christ alone. This principle was the foundation of the Protestant seperation from the popes of Rome who had concocted a complex theology of salvation that included works as a requirement for salvation. John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. "Be baptized" is a command! Acts 10:48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. The desire to please Christ by obeying His commands is an "evidence" that a person has truly been "born again" and is indeed a new creature in Christ. John Reformed |
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11 | Searching for thr truth | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 100742 | ||
"If we comply with just these two commandments and live our lives accordingly,we shall be on good ground and when the time comes we shall be on our way to our desired final destination--Heaven" Dear FytRobert, Ah, if only we could our dear Lord would not have to had to suffer as He did in our place. Who among us so loves God or his brothers that he could be said to be in perfect compliance to the law of God? No my friend, the "good ground" upon which we must rely is that which surrounds Calvary. Rom 3:20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. Gal 3:24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. John |
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12 | What is an Apostle? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 101525 | ||
Dear Thokozani, Welcome to the forum! The following is the definition from Easton's Bible Dictionary: Apostle - a person sent by another; a messenger; envoy. This word is once used as a descriptive designation of Jesus Christ, the Sent of the Father (Heb. 3:1; John 20:21). It is, however, generally used as designating the body of disciples to whom he intrusted the organization of his church and the dissemination of his gospel, "the twelve," as they are called (Matt. 10:1-5; Mark 3:14; 6:7; Luke 6:13; 9:1). We have four lists of the apostles, one by each of the synoptic evangelists (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14), and one in the Acts (1:13). No two of these lists, however, perfectly coincide. Our Lord gave them the "keys of the kingdom," and by the gift of his Spirit fitted them to be the founders and governors of his church (John 14:16, 17, 26; 15:26, 27; 16:7-15). To them, as representing his church, he gave the commission to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Matt. 28:18-20). After his ascension he communicated to them, according to his promise, supernatural gifts to qualify them for the discharge of their duties (Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 2:16; 2:7, 10, 13; 2 Cor. 5:20; 1 Cor. 11:2). Judas Iscariot, one of "the twelve," fell by transgression, and Matthias was substituted in his place (Acts 1:21). Saul of Tarsus was afterwards added to their number (Acts 9:3-20; 20:4; 26:15-18; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). Luke has given some account of Peter, John, and the two Jameses (Acts 12:2, 17; 15:13; 21:18), but beyond this we know nothing from authentic history of the rest of the original twelve. After the martyrdom of James the Greater (Acts 12:2), James the Less usually resided at Jerusalem, while Paul, "the apostle of the uncircumcision," usually travelled as a missionary among the Gentiles (Gal. 2:8). It was characteristic of the apostles and necessary (1) that they should have seen the Lord, and been able to testify of him and of his resurrection from personal knowledge (John 15:27; Acts 1:21, 22; 1 Cor. 9:1; Acts 22:14, 15). (2.) They must have been immediately called to that office by Christ (Luke 6:13; Gal. 1:1). (3.) It was essential that they should be infallibly inspired, and thus secured against all error and mistake in their public teaching, whether by word or by writing (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Thess. 2:13). (4.) Another qualification was the power of working miracles (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:43; 1 Cor. 12:8-11). The apostles therefore could have had no successors. They are the only authoritative teachers of the Christian doctrines. The office of an apostle ceased with its first holders. In 2 Cor. 8:23 and Phil. 2:25 the word "messenger" is the rendering of the same Greek word, elsewhere rendered "apostle." God Bless, John Reformed |
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13 | Please I'm looking for your opinion! | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 101992 | ||
Hi Ed, While there is some truth in what the writer says, I find it overly critical; an idictment of all people, in all churches in America. That is obviously not the case. The tone of the writer is somewhat self-righteouss. He complains, but offers nothing but complaints as if he is above it all! I thought that Satan was the accuser of the brethren. I know...I've been guilty of complaining and hand wringing also. But that don't make it right! Which one of us does not pray and long for God to give us the strength and grace to live our lives as Christ led His? We all desire a much greater degree of holiness and obediance to be manifested in our walk of faith. Listen! God is on His throne. He is ruling over His creation and He will accomplish all His good pleasure. That is the great comfort that the saints stand on. Things may look grim and the church may seem to be tottering on the brink, but Praise God, He will hold us up by His power and might and we will see the final victory! Things looked pretty bad to God's children after the crucifixtion also...It was Friday...but Sunday was coming. Take courage. The angels of the Lord are encamped all around us and we're all in this fight together. Your brother in Christ, John |
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14 | Please I'm looking for your opinion! | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 102001 | ||
Ammenment to previous post: I said the writer did not offer an answer. I was wrong. He did cite faith as the answer. I agree that faith is the answer... but faith in God and not our own ability to summon up faith by "paying the price". The writer said "We can...if we are willing..". I could'nt disagree more. "God willing", it seems to me, is far and away the most appropriate way to phrase it. Christianity is not a "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" religion. John |
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15 | Why do you say, "No creature can"? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 102793 | ||
Dear Ed, You said "God has decided that he will repent of the punishment planned when man repents of his sin. Why can't we accept that?" I appeciate your answer but, it seems, we still have the same problem of the two lines. For it is God who must GRANT the repentance that leads to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim 2:25...That brings us back to square one. John |
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16 | Then it's all settled? | Bible general Archive 2 | John Reformed | 102796 | ||
Dear Noble, Acts 11:18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." I must confess to enjoying our debates with one anotheron the forum. However, I don't know as if I'd define as fun :-) But they do serve to challenge our pre-suppositions. For instance, it seems that you pre-suppose that Acts 11:18 indicates repentance for "all" Gentiles. In return I would ask, why then does it not lead them to the knowledge of the truth? There is also the problem that not all gentiles are repentant. Do you see what I mean? John |
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17 | God Intentionaly Made Bible Difficult? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 31676 | ||
The difficulties I experience in understanding the scriptures arise from at least two weaknesses of mine. First:I am a sinner. This means that from time to time what the bible says is not what I want to hear and so instead of accepting the plain sense of the text, I twist it to suit myself. I must remember to pray and ask God to enlighten my mind thru the ministry of The Holy Spirit. Second: I'm not that knowledgeable about the culture and history that existed at the times the books of the bible were written. I therefore rely heavily on commentaries and study Bibles that help to fill in the blanks in my education. However I must bear in mind that the opinion of a commentator is not scripture itself. It's my resposibility to be a good Berean and prove what is said by the word of God. That being said there are many good resouces on the net. I like Matthew Henry an John Calvins commentaries. Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul is also a very good and inexpensive book. May the Lord bless you in your pursuit of Christ thru His word. |
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18 | Why can God kill when he tells us not to | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 36008 | ||
Dear TBTG, The short answer is because He is God and we are not. I know that sounds like a wisecrack answer, but if you don't believe me (who could blame you), this is what the Scripture says (and we better all believe it): Dan 4:35 "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?. Is God unfair? Rom 9:14,15: What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." Some one may ask, what gives God the right to even say such things? Rev 4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." God is Holy, Just, Merciful, Allwise, Allmighty, Allknowing, Omnipresent and works all things all things according to the cousel of His own immutable and righteous will. We are a sinful, wicked race of people and are in no position to question God Almighty. Although even christians (myself included) do so on a daily basis. Your Friend, John |
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19 | How do I deal with Hatred toward God? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 36361 | ||
Dear Gnuhart, Your friend is probably just more honest than most unsaved people. The world in it's fallen condition is at war against God and they hate Him for who He is. They want no part of a God that demands absolute obedience to His law. The fact that He holds their lives in His hand, drives them into fits of fury. We all have been guilty of hating God at sometime or other. He is no different from any other person whith whom you may proclaim the Gospel of Christ. Reread the first 3 chapters of Romans, it will give you an exact profile of those who need to hear the Good News. That having been said, it is obvious that some folks are easier to talk to than others. Some will be willing to listen, because they are polite. Others just enjoy winning arguemets. And there are those who claim they already love god (the god of their own creative imaginations). But as you know Christians cannot be too choosey in the types of people to whom we share the Gospel. However, God does expect us to use the brains He gave us, before we open our mouths: Matt 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. I for one am relieved that the task of bringing lost souls to Christ is that of the Holy Spirit. We're just the instruments He uses. I pray He will use you greatly in His service. Your Brother in Christ, John Adams |
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20 | Speaking in tongues...not saved? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 36376 | ||
Dear Nedra, The idea that we are saved by anything other than God's grace is wrong, wrong, wrong. Your friend is being seriously misled. Read Galatians. Eph 2:8,9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved". I don't see any mention of tongues, or baptism for that matter, in these or any other verse in scripture. Study His Word for yourself and do not rely on the teaching of mere men alone! God Bless Nedra, Brother John |
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