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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: DocTrinsograce Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | God bless you Christmas and in 2017 | Eccl 7:1 | DocTrinsograce | 244039 | ||
Dear justme, Amen and amen! Thank you also for your kind words! You have been a wonderful participant. I am proud of the work in your life by our Lord. You have always evidenced the fruit of the Spirit in how kind, loving, patient, and gentle you have been. You have always complied with our gracious host, the Lockman Foundation's Terms of Use -- an example of one who walks in the Spirit to all our many readers. Because of this, our God is brought great glory! In Him, Doc |
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2 | Isn't it time to say good night? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243999 | ||
Yes, sans Sola Scriptura, then our participation in the forum, or even support of Lockman, ceases to be of value. Thanks for your efforts! | ||||||
3 | Isn't it time to say good night? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243997 | ||
Yes, sans Sola Scriptura, then our participation in the forum, or even support of Lockman, ceases to be of value. Thanks for your efforts! | ||||||
4 | Need input on what felt like a "message" | 2 Pet 1:12 | DocTrinsograce | 243971 | ||
"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. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4)" Sheep cannot help but hear their Shepherds voice! When you hear Him you will never be confused. As He Himself promised: "Jesus answered them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand'" (John 10:25-28) Stand on God's Word, rather than too much pepperoni pizza! |
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5 | Need input on what felt like a "message" | 2 Pet 1:12 | DocTrinsograce | 243969 | ||
Hi, PJSR... Welcome to the forum! The Scriptures themselves are a far more personal message to you than anything you might experience. Peter expresses this very clearly in his second epistle, at the end of chapter 1. Since we can stand on this solid rock of the Word, I generally suggest the following: If you have a vision or mystical experience and it is contrary to the Word, throw that thing out pronto! If you have a vision or mystical experience and it is affirmed by the Word, throw that thing out pronto... and hang onto the Word! Our Lord will judge us by how we have incorporated His Word into our lives, not how we have incorporated the hocus pocus that is so popular in the world and from the prince of this world. In Him, Doc |
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6 | WHAT IS DISICPLESHIP? | Luke 15:6 | DocTrinsograce | 243819 | ||
Dear Mother, Welcome to the forum! Those are very good questions. Indeed, they are related questions. Our Lord tells us "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:27) First of all, remember that "bearing a cross" is a metaphor. Because of the influence of the Bible on our language, it has become a common idiom. How often have we heard someone say, "Well, everyone has a cross to bear." So as you study the question, remember that when Christ uttered these words, He did not mean it the way we use it in modern English. Nowadays we see crosses everywhere, even being used as a fashion accessory or as tattoos. But two thousand years ago, it was a word that brought shame and horror with it. It was generally not used in polite company. There were very few ways to be executed that were as awful, painful, and humiliating. So when our Lord tells us to take up our cross (Matthew 10:34-36; Mark 8:34-35), it is not meant as an easy thing. Read Luke 14:25-35. You will see that anyone who wants to be a disciple must first consider the cost of doing so. Thus, one of the first things we see, is that discipleship itself is not peaches and cream -- it is a very difficult thing; a pursuit that will yield great reward in eternity, but will be painful and difficult in this world. Now let me turn to the word "disciple." The literal meaning of the word is a pupil or student. You ask a very good question. The Great Commision given the church can be found in Matthew 28:18-20. See the command is to go out, but not just to travel. We are to go out for a purpose: to make disciples. We can do this with confidence because of Christ's authority (v18) -- that is the foundation of what we do. So we are to go out and make men disciples of Christ. These pupils enter the church through baptism and then we instruct them to do all that God has commanded (see John 14:21). I can sum up some of what it means to be a disciple with the earmarks that the Apostle John used: he is one who loves God, loves God's Word, loves God's people, and hates sin. All of these aspects, over time, should be growing in Christian. We are very blessed that God has provided very good descriptions of what a disciple looks like. We are called to examine ourselves using this mirror. That mirror is the Word itself. If I were to hope for you to rightly understand discipleship, I would point you to John chapters 14 through 16. Read through it several times. Then begin to compile a list of how disciples act and function. I did this once and came up with over 30 aspects of a disciple. I bet you could come up with more. Notice that none of it is about warm fuzzy feelings or mystical experiences, etc. Instead, it is all very practical -- and doable because He has given us all that we need (2 Peter 1:3). Even more amazing is that Christ actually prayed for us in John 17, that we would succeed in serving God and bringing God glory. With such prayers, we have enormous confidence that the work that God has begun in us He will finish (cf Hebrews 12:1-2). Now, ma'am, you cannot do this alone. God has provided a way by which He dispenses grace (i.e., the power to do His will). This includes prayer and Bible study on your own; but it also includes your participation in a congregation of Bible believers. Thus, you need to be under the teaching of the Word, in the fellowship of believers, and under the authority of a church. Not just any church. We are persuaded that the true church of Christ is one that holds to the Biblical definition of the gospel; teaches the Word expositorily; practices the ordinances of baptism and communion; and exercises discipline for all of the sheep. One last thing: If you are having genuine conviction for sin and a desire for a holy life, this can only come from the Holy Spirit. That should encourage you as seek to understand God through the Word (Hebrews 1:1-2). Ma'am, we are happy to be praying for you. We are also praising our Lord that He has drawn you to Himself. In Him, Doc |
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7 | Do demons exist today? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243795 | ||
Dear Justme, There are some good response in this thread. I agree that the Scriptures do not give us a great deal to go on relative to angelology/demonology. Only with that foundation can we say anything with full authority about these non-human sentient beings who are normally invisible to our eyes of flesh. I would certainly argue that we ought to never attempt to assert anything with any degree of confidence from personal experience or observation. You see, much of the wickedness of man is not solely a consequence of demon activity; the flesh and world can originate much of the maladies that we see. We are far too prone to associate a manifestation as coming from the wrong source. Of course, all three sources can be involved in any single issue. Consequently, what the Word says, we can stand on with great confidence and the full authority of God. Anything else is, at the very best, speculation and at the worst utterly wrong. In Him, Doc PS I was interested to learn that the old Medieval images of Satan with a horned, with pitchfork, and a red suit has very interesting roots. Those folks back there never imagined anyone would see those images and think that that was really Lucifer's appearance! They would be quite shocked to find out that we would blame them for believing that. Instead, they knew from the Bible that Satan's fall was rooted in pride. Consequently, they sought to war against him by mocking him -- hence the origins of the caricature. We might fault them for thinking that Satan would be susceptible to such a thing, but we should not fault them for not thinking! |
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8 | principles of Jesus in mat 20:1-16 | Matthew | DocTrinsograce | 243761 | ||
Hi, Jennifer... Parables only teach one point. The parable of the workers in the vineyard only appears in the book of Matthew. But see that it follows immediately after Peter's question in 19:27. The disciples were in grave danger of growing prideful because of their position in the building of Christ's church. Consequently, our Lord Jesus gives this parable of as a repetition of His teaching to them that many are called but few chosen (see also Matthew 7:13-14; 22:14; Luke 13:23-24). In a sermon in Antioch, John Chrysostom (349-407) spoke of Matthew 20:16, when he asked "How many, think you, shall be saved in this city? It will be a hard speech to you, but I will speak it: though there be so many thousand of you, yet there cannot be found a hundred that shall be saved, and I doubt about them too; for what villainy is there in youth! what sloth in old men!" In Him, Doc |
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9 | What are the principles of jesus | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243758 | ||
Hi, Jennifer... Welcome to the forum! I suspect that you are asking about a chapter in one of the gospels. Nonetheless, there are many chapters in all four gospels that have verses 1 through 16. So we will need for you to tell us the book and chapter of the verses in which you are interested. Note that if this is a question from school, we do not answer those. Read the Terms of Use and you'll understand more about how to operate in the forum. In Him, Doc |
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10 | SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH | 2 Tim 2:15 | DocTrinsograce | 243623 | ||
Hi, Robert... People who deny the doctrine of the parousia of Christ do so because of one root problem. Christ cited it when He said of the Sadducees that their error arose from not understanding the Scriptures, and not even the power of God (Matthew 22:29). Although they all share this common root problem, they span a wide spectrum of perspectives. On one hand, there are those who deny the divine origins of the Scripture. On the other hand, there are those who add something of greater authority. Ever since the Word incarnate, we have struggled with people who have a low view of the Bible. Goodness, it started even before that, with Satan's questioning what God had commanded our First Parents. It continued to be problematic for the children of Israel. Our Lord and apostles encountered it. The church down through the centuries have surfaced and dealt with a variety of heresies of the same sort of thing. Today, we see it all over the world. Of course we know from Paul's Roman epistle (chapter 1) that the root cause is not an inability to reason properly, or to accept what is true, or a failure to hear; the cause is a moral one. This is what Paul calls the natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14). Another problem is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4); to say nothing of the world system (Colossians 2:20). I have yet to see anyone denying the Word as having any other causes than these three. If you wanted to you could read up on some of these people who have propounded a denial of the Second Coming... but it probably isn't worth the effort. It is hard enough finding those who teach, preach, walk, and live the Word, depending on its authority alone. So instead, just keep filling your mind with the Word, let it transform you. Ultimately, God will deal with the gadflies of this world. By the way, if you are asking a question of a specific forum member, mark it as a note. Over the years there is a convention to view the questions as being open to everyone to answer. In Him, Doc |
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11 | The right Bible for you? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243575 | ||
Hi, Justme... I do not know of people "with an agenda." But as I think on it, the Holman Bible might be something of an agendized version. Certainly our King James was agendized, but people came to understand the Scriptures so well after the Reformation that it changed English. An example would be the word heresy as Paul used it. In Greek it means a schism. Nevertheless, heresy has come to mean precisely what Paul meant by it. Even the Puritans came to use the KJV in preference to the Geneva Bible, which nonetheless was often used by the KJV translators. I do prefer the NASB, as you say. Although the KJV is a wonderful translation, made superior by its influence on English, it takes quite a bit more education to teach to people. Nowadays the average congregant has very little education in English. I am given to understand they no longer teach Shakespeare, let alone the Bible, as was done in our day. Consequently, the NASB and the ESV (without dynamic equivalence) are our best choices. Nonetheless, I still find the NASB to be far superior to any other translation. Thank you for your post, dear brother! In Him, Doc |
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12 | Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243552 | ||
Hi, Martin... Welcome to the forum! None of us who participate regularly in the forum can speak for the Lockman Foundation in matters other than their guidelines for participation in this forum. To may knowledge, no one working for the Foundation posts on this forum. They have a variety of articles on the NASB translation here and there. You might be able to track down whatever publications they have here under this domain or elsewhere. I rather doubt, if they have failed to publish an explanation that satisfies you, that it is due to a lack of courage. I know some of the men involved in the ESV translation, but other than what they have published (i.e., made public concerning their methods, objectives, etc.), is pretty much what they have meant to say. The majority of them are now well along in other projects -- but nary a coward amidst any of them. Perhaps what you might want to do is to write a letter -- try one on paper, an old but useful method -- and address your question directly to the Lockman Foundation. You can find their address at the Lockman.org website. If you get an answer, please share it with us. I don't think that many of us have so much as heard of Logsdon, but it might make for some interesting discussion. In Him, Doc |
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13 | The SBF what does it need to do? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243501 | ||
Dear Justme, One of the enormous problems over the years has been the unwillingness of members to be tolerant, accepting, humble, patient, kind, and gentle. Look at how often such people have been criticized? Our Terms of Use call us to be tolerant to those around us. Thus, I have quoted empiricists, liberals, Pentecostals, protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, even atheists. I think that Lockman did its best with the Terms of Use, but I am persuaded that there are some whose faith is more about being against others than it is about being for anything. I have received more than half of dozen emails from people who have been so upset with such participants that they have left the forum entirely. I cannot blame them at all. Indeed, I intend to leave very soon myself. Let the left wing of doctrine make of the forum what they wish. Peter speaks of the unlearned and unstable in 2 Peter 3:16. Perhaps we can allow their approach to restore what they make shipwreck. I have always thought it was foolish beyond measure to ask people to post something contrary to what they believe. How does someone -- anyone -- come here and maintain a clear conscience? May God forbid. If you want to see what Godly early members of the forum thought, simply look for Hank (Southern Baptist) and Kalos (Pentecostal) had to say on the matter. Their positions are like many of the old teachers of the past, now beyond their ability to be argued. Nonetheless, it is truth that sets us free, not opinion. I have been active in this forum for thirteen years. Since then, I have prayed that God would magnify what brings Him glory, and that He would cause to whither what fails to do so. Since that time I have seen man's will magnified, man's opinion magnified, man's experience magnified, all at the expense of God's Word. Just as the enemies of the Word have vanished into history, while the faithful, though dead, still preach... we ought not expect the fads of men to prosper contrary to a forum based on Sola Scriptura. What a blessing that God's will -- even when we hope for something contrary -- cannot be thwarted despite the efforts of those who glory in men. Nonetheless, what a wonderful opportunity to pray explicitly for those who seek to subordinate the Word. It is through this very forum that we have been made aware of them, though they live faraway. God in His providence has given us their names, that we may daily pray that their eyes be opened. Watch the character of people around you. It will be clear as to whether they are Christlike or fleshlike. Pray earnestly according to the needs of each. Time is short. In Him, Doc |
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14 | Fear of praying in public out loud? | John 11:42 | DocTrinsograce | 243436 | ||
Dear Justme, What a blessing it is to have you in our midst. You have persevered in the forum 14 years. Thank you for your time and patience, without regard for those who do not submit to the Scripture alone. In John 11:42, we see an example in which our Lord prayed aloud, specifically such that those around Him would hear and learn from what He said. (John 17 is the denouement of all such prayers!) Now if Jesus prayed it, then we have absolutely no doubt that such a prayer was efficacious -- for who is more righteous than our Lord Jesus a la James 5:16! We have all experienced such fear of praying aloud, and yet we have Christ's clear example. One of the best congregational prayers I have heard was a man who read many Puritan prayers. However, I don't think that he just read them: I think he prayed them, too! I would submit that the more a man prays -- and particular the more a man prayers the prayers of Scripture -- the more comfortable he becomes in praying in the midst of God's own. His mind becomes transformed from the Word, and thus he becomes more comfortable and confident to adequately bring the needs of the group to the Lord. Regardless, prayers are not efficacious because they are lovely, flowing, or perspicuous... they are efficacious because of the One to Whom they are directed. The more our Lord through His Word becomes the apple of our eye, the easier it is to just pray to Him... even without conscious thought for those around us. In Him, Doc |
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15 | Why not practice footwashing? | NT general | DocTrinsograce | 243421 | ||
Dear justme, Some Reformed churches actually do practice foot washing; none to my knowledge do it as a sacrament. However, I think that the primary reason is that it is not considered to be an ordinance. Rather it was a very specific object lesson to the disciples. How do we know? Because the Apostles never instruct us to carry out foot washing elsewhere in the epistles; whereas baptism and communion are clearly Christ ordained. In Him, Doc If you are interested, here is a liturgy in which foot washing was performed. http://www.reformedworship.org/article/december-2006/liturgical-footwashing |
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16 | Does the Cepher have Family Records? | Bible general | DocTrinsograce | 243372 | ||
Hi, Warri... When you get the version you are looking for, let us know what you think of it. We would be interested in your opinion -- well, most of us would! :-) In Him, Doc |
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17 | family in heaven | Rev 21:4 | DocTrinsograce | 243301 | ||
Hi, Vickie... I think that we will so remember them. However, our Lord will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). See how it speaks of mourning in that verse? Sin touches every part of of us. When sanctification is complete, I well imagine that we will know much that we did here on the earth. But we will see it all as part of God's eternal purpose (Ephesians 1:11). No longer will those things have the mourning and sadness that we feel from our own perspective. Rather we will see it all clearly (1 Corinthians 13:12), so what will be obvious to us is the great, wondrous, loving, holy, and just character of our God. In Him, Doc |
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18 | SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH | Gal 5:8 | DocTrinsograce | 243136 | ||
Hi, FytRobert... I think that all sickness and suffering has at its root the Fall and the sinful human heart. What is more, we know that it isn't just man who suffers: "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now." (Romans 8:20-22) We know that some affliction was used for God's glory (John 9:3); some affliction is for instruction (Deuteronomy 29:2; Psalm 109:22); some affliction is used to draw men to dependence on God (Psalm 72:4); some affliction is used to discipline those who belong to Him (Hebrews 12:7; 1 Peter 5:10); etc. etc. However, lest we think that the suffering of people is due to their greater sin... And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:2-5) Nonetheless we live in the hope (confident expectation) of a new universe: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.'" (Revelation 21:1-4) In Him, Doc |
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19 | Place of torment? | Luke 16:19 | DocTrinsograce | 243129 | ||
Hi, Lilvwine... Welcome to our forum! The thing that Ed describes is called purgatory. You will find it to be a common doctrine among the Romanists and Dispensationalists. In the former case, it is a traditional teaching of the inadequacy of Christ's complete work of redemption -- which you can find in the Roman Catholic Catechism part 1, section 2, chapter 3. In the latter case, it allows for their hermeneutic of salvation being provided by various means throughout time -- examples of those holding this view would be Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn, Oral Roberts, and T. D. Jakes. Lest you be left with a sense that these are the only answers -- we are, after all, a forum of many denominational backgrounds -- let me point to a few others. There are those who believe in soul sleep, or technically termed conditional morality or Christian mortalism (paradeisos). There are a number of fairly well known cults that hold to this view. Most commonly known, these are the Jehovah's Witness. Another cult holds to what is called annihilationism, which teaches that there is no hell or suffering in the dead, just destruction. It is called annihilationism or extinctionism. These would be the Seventh Day Adventists. The traditionally biblical orthodox, most commonly represented nowadays by various confessional Protestants, hold to the doctrine that salvation has ever and always been through grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone. All the others add something to grace, or faith, or even to the atonement of Christ. Those who believe in the full sufficiency of salvation in Christ use the word "alone" to emphasis their understanding of the Biblical teaching. These would include Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist, Dutch Reformed, etc. I believe that enumeration is representative of the major groups. In Him, Doc |
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20 | SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH | Gal 5:8 | DocTrinsograce | 243128 | ||
Dear Robert, You asked for a definition: Sin is described as a sickness, a brokenness, a blemish, a wandering from the path, crookedness, rebellion, a trespass, a transgression, a debt, a desolation, a drunken swerving, a oppressive toil, an oppressive task master, an oppressive husband, the flesh, etc. Search the scripture and see if you can find others. One must clearly understand that a metaphor is a figure of speech. Sin is not actually each of these things, but each characterizes sin. To me, I often think of sin as the elephant in the room or the visitor that will not leave or as an infection, etc. But even these things are only metaphors. They help us understand sin, but they are not sin in themselves. The field of theology that treats of sin is called hamartiology -- a phrase you might not hear in your particular type of congregation. This is from the Apostle Paul who uses the word hamartano in Romans 3:23. R. C. Sproul speaks of sin thus, "In the least transgression I set myself above the authority of God, doing insult to His majesty, His holiness,and His sovereign right to govern me. Sin is a revolutionary act in which the sinner seeks to depose God from His throne. Sin is a presumption of supreme arrogance in that the creature vaunts his own wisdom above that of the Creator, challenges divine omnipotence with human impotence, and seeks to usurp the rightful authority of the cosmic Lord." The best biblically orthodox definition of sin I have found is from the theologian Millard Erickson who said, "Sin is any lack of conformity, active or passive, to the moral law of God. This may be a matter of act, of thought, or of inner disposition or state." Sin is not just something you commit, nor is it just some righteousness you fail to perform, nor is it (as Arminians teach) a just a violation of the moral law of God, nor is it just a failure to conform to God's righteousness, nor is it just a failure to love God and His word and His people. It is all of these things together and some. You asked do we suffer from it? We suffer directly from it when we are its victims. We suffer indirectly from it as it pervades the world. We suffer from its consequence when we fail to receive the propitiation of sin through Christ. We suffer from it as a privation or lack. We suffer from it as believers through the discipline of our Lord. We suffer from it in eternal death from God's wrath. If you take these examples, I can well imagine that you will find further examples in Scripture. I rather hoped that I didn't need to give you the Scriptural basis of each. In Him, Doc |
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