Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Joseph3 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Which study bible is the best? | Bible general Archive 1 | Joseph3 | 91286 | ||
Greetings jak! I think it is a good thing to try and find a good study bible, no problem there. Always remember though, the notes are there to simply aid in our understanding of what Scripture is saying, they aren’t Scripture itself! There are three study bibles I have used and continue to use that are NKJV and NASB. The MacArthur Study Bible is NKVJ and is packed with study notes. I would almost classify it as a commentary at some points! I also have used the Reformation Study Bible, which is NKJV as well. As far as NASB is concerned, the NASB Study Bible put out by Zondervan is, in my humble opinion, the best study bible out there that uses the NASB. The notes give you a good variety of what differing opinions believe about a certain passage or verse from Scripture. There is a new line of bibles put out by Zondervan that are specifically made with wide margins; I think the name of the line is NASB Wide Margin Bible. The wide margin bible is not a study bible, which is with notes, but it has very nice margins. Overall, I would say the bibles listed above are very much interested in deep study of the Word of God. There are many, many study bibles out in the market that to me are simply interested in making a buck on some niche market. The above three to me are more interested in serious study of the Word of God, and to bring Him glory. Hope this helps, you can find all of these bibles at the link below if you want to do more research on them… In Christ, Joe http://www.christianbook.com/html/specialty/59339.html/113899084 |
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2 | What is the difference between a | John 1:1 | Joseph3 | 90633 | ||
Greetings lady lkh! The biggest difference (among many!) between true, biblical Christianity and Jehovah Witness doctrine is the deity of Jesus Christ. JW’s deny Christ’s deity; they deny His physical, bodily resurrection; they argue that Christ was a created being; and before Christ was in the flesh, they argue Christ was the Archangel Michael! As well, they deny that the Holy Spirit is fully God, they believe the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force that God uses, which, of course is totally false, how can an “impersonal force” be grieved (Is. 63:10, Eph 4:30). As you can see, summing this up, they would then naturally deny the biblical teaching of the Trinity. All of these teachings of the Jehovah Witnesses are completely against true Christianity and are not found in the Bible. Their bible, the “New World Translation”, is terribly different than the KJV or any other normative, evangelical bible like the NIV, NASB, NKJV, or ESV, on down the line. They twist, add, subtract to the scriptures, all to deny the deity of Christ. They horribly destroy John 1 and add hundreds of words to the bible, again, all to deny the deity of Christ. I would steer clear of the NWT of the Jehovah Witnesses, it is a false translation based on false assumptions about the nature of God. The link below should help you get started in the right direction when learning about Jehovah Witness doctrine. CARM.org is a solid place on the Web to find information about false teachings and cults; I have used the site often and continue to do so. Be very diligent and discerning in your studies about a cult like Jehovah Witnesses. Like most cults and false religions these days, they will assert that they are Christian just like you and I, but in reality they completely deny the one and only true Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope this has been of some help, I will pray for your spiritual discernment! In Christ, Joe http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------- Colossians 1:13-23 (ESV) 13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The Preeminence of Christ 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. |
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3 | What are your views of once saved always | Bible general Archive 1 | Joseph3 | 90059 | ||
Greetings Pillman! This issue has been debated in many other threads in the Forum recently! If you go to some of the following threads, you’ll find my thoughts on this issue: 88279 and 88451 are good places to start. Once you read the posts, you will quickly notice I do not believe a true, regenerate believer in Christ can lose salvation. Check them out, I hope and pray you will be blessed and find answers to your questions! In Christ, Joe PS- Scripture is full of wonderful verses that speak to the issue at hand from the viewpoint of God and His faithfulness. Check them out and meditate on them. What is John 10:27-29 saying? What is Jeremiah 32:40 saying? How about John 6:35, Romans 8:34-39, Hebrews 7:25, 10:14, Jude 24-25? These are wonderful promises of God that have really comforted me over my short life as a Christian. I’ll pray they comfort you too. |
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4 | Freeze-dried Salvation? | John 15:6 | Joseph3 | 88451 | ||
Greetings AO! You said… “In Matthew 25:14-30, was the lazy slave a subject of the kingdom? If so, how would he have lost his salvation due to laziness since he already was a recipient of the daily protection and caring of his master? Did he not believe that his master was serious about the orders he had given him? Does effort matter to salvation?” I think what is being illustrated here is that the first two servants showed their true faith in the Lord because they trusted Him as an honest master. Notice that the rewards given were based on faith, not the results of the servants’ works. What the third servant showed was his hypocrisy. He first off he stated that he “knew you were a hard man”. This shows that the third servant really never knew his master, because if he did, he would have shown faith like the first two servants and known that the master was a fair man. With this, the master uses the mans own words to indict him as lazy and not a true servant, then casting him into out darkness. We know from the biblical record that Christ would never cast a true believer into hell. Therefore, I would argue that the third servant was never truly regenerate. ”In John 15:6, are the branches which were thrown away and burned originally part of the vine? John 15:1 tells us that the vine is Christ. If those branches were part of the vine, how is someone part of Christ without being a Christian? Were these "false branches"?” In this section, there are two types of branches, ones that bear fruit, and ones that do not bear fruit. Christ teaches that we must abide in Him, rest in Him, find safety in Him. Those who do this show their true faith, they show the fruits and prove they are of the elect, because they endure until the end. The other braches show that they are not really true because they do not bear fruit. In addition, they do not abide in Christ. If a person professes Christ, yet does not bear fruit and shows no sign of regeneration, I think it is prudent to conclude they never really believed in the first place, for if they did, according to other passages in the Word, they would have stayed in Christ. ”Is salvation like a freeze-dried fruitcake, lasting indefinitely without spoilage or must those who seek for eternal life with God constantly discipline themselves to ensure they are faithful until death? If they must discipline themselves, how do they do that by belief? Is there an expectation that they will be disciplined miraculously or must conscious decisions be made to control their own behavior?” 2 Pet 1:10-11: “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” (NAS 1901) Fruitcake!? According to Peter, we must give due diligence to see if we are of the elect, to make our calling and election sure. True Christians discipline themselves out of obedience to Christ. Not out of a feeling that THEY must do something to “keep” their salvation. A true believer knows they are saved because of the many promises God makes to Christ throughout the Bible. Therefore, if we are found in Christ, those promises are for us, His chosen flock. I am not arguing though, that a person who once professed Christ, but then left the visible church, is not saved. Clearly Jesus taught about the prodigal son(Luke 15), so we must hope for the best and pray that folks who leave the visible church will come back in faith. I wrote more about persevering until the end at ID# 88279 if you want to check my comments out there. I think I am pushing the “character” limit in the Forum! ;-) I hope and pray this was of some help. I will pray that the Spirit will guide you into all truth. God be with you AO, have a blessed day! I’ll leave you with some passages from Scripture that I believe speak to the issue at hand… Is. 54:10; Jer. 32:40; Matt. 18:14; John 3:16, 3:36, 5:24, 6:35, 6:37, 6:40, 6:47, 10:27-29; Rom. 5:8-10, 8:1, 8:29, 8:34-39; 1 Cor. 1:8-9; 2 Cor. 4:14, 5:5, Eph. 1:5, 1:13-14, 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 2 Tim 4:18; Heb. 7:25, 9:12, 9:15, 10:14; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 John 2:19, 2:25; 2 John 5:11-13; Jude 24-25 In Christ, Joe |
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5 | Can true Christians lose their faith? | Bible general Archive 1 | Joseph3 | 88279 | ||
Greetings yampa78! First off, I want to say I understand where you are coming from when you say that you are a philosophical thinker, I am too. There are times that I wish I had a short answer or a simpler faith, but God has given me (and you!) a mind to use for His glory, and His glory alone, so we must be at peace with His will. Off the top, the idea that “we” can lose our salvation can be misleading. In reality, Christ is the one who owns our salvation because he purchased us, with His blood, back from our sins(Acts 20:28; Rev. 5:9, 14:4). If I go to the pound and purchase a dog, I own that dog, it is mine. I have purchased it back from its impending death. That dog does not own anything, I showed it grace and bought it with my own money, without me, it would have been put to sleep, destroyed. So it is with us as sinners. We are bound to our sins, which lead to death(Rom. 7:5, 8:6), but Christ has redeemed us with His blood that He shed on the cross(1 Pet. 1:18-20). Therefore, I think the proper way to look at this is: Can Christ lose a Christian? And the answer is “NO!” The reason I think this is true is because there are many passages that speak about God making a “promise” to believers, a promise to give us certain things when we are adopted into His family(Rom. 8:15, Eph 1:5). Among others, these things include the fruits of the Spirit(Gal 5:22-23), everlasting life(John 3:36, 6:47, 10:27-29; Heb. 9:15; 1 John 2:25; 2 John 5:11-13) and conformity to the Son, Jesus Christ(Rom 8:29). The point of all this is to say that God promises these things to believers, the followers of Christ. If God makes a promise, that promise comes to pass, His will cannot be thwarted. Therefore, if God has promised us all theses things, including eternal life, how can He lose us? How could He decide to renege on His promises and pull back what He has promised to us, and most importantly, to His Son? There are three verses that really hit me between the eyes when I started to study the bible surrounding this topic. They are Titus 1:1-3 and Hebrews 7:25, 10:14. I will try and go over them really quick! ;-) First off, Titus 1:1-3 is talking about a promise God made before time, a promise of eternal life. Ok, so, who was around before time began? None of us of course. God was the only one around before He created time, He was alone. So, to whom was the promise made? The promise was made to the Son, an inter-Trinitarian promise, a promise to give the Son a redeemed humanity. God made a promise to Himself! Much like in Gen. 15:17 where God made a promise with Abram(Abraham). In reality, it was a promise to Himself never to break the covenant He made with Abram. So, all of this to say, God made a promise to His Son that He cannot break because God cannot lie. Therefore, if God promised eternal life to us, through Christ, before time, it is impossible for a true believer in Christ to be lost because God promised us to His Son! Further, in Heb. 7:25, we have Christ making intercession for His people, Christ in the role of our High Priest. Obviously Christ’s prayers to the Father are to keep us and protect us. His prayers are powerful and sustain us until that day we go home to be with Him. If we can lose “our” salvation, then the prayers of the Risen Savior are not powerful enough to keep us until the end, which to my way of thinking is a serious slap in the face to our Creator and Redeemer. Heaven forbid anyone would think Christ’s intercessory prayers are ineffective! Lastly, Heb. 10:14: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Notice here that the offering is of course Christ’s offering. Notice also, by this one offering, He “has perfected forever” those who are being sanctified. The “has” is past tense, meaning it is already done. What is being said here is that when Christ dies on the cross, He perfected forever His people, His sheep scattered abroad. In eternity, we, His people, are already perfected, but obviously, on this side of glory, we are being sanctified daily to be conformed to the image of His Son(Rom. 8:29). So, tying back into the topic, if we have been made perfect in eternity, how could we go back, if it is already been done at the cross through Christ’s blood? There are always going to be folks who fall away, ones who profess Jesus, but in the end do not endure. I think the various parables of Christ, like the parable of the sower(Mark 4), and the parable of the wheat and tares(Matt. 13) clearly illustrate that there are false professors of Christ in the world and in the visible church. In light of the above Scriptural evidence, I think it is apparent that folks who deny Christ later and die that way, after professing Him, were never truly regenerated by the Spirit of God. If they were truly saved, Christ would have kept them until the end, running the full race, keeping the faith(2 Tim 4:7). In Christ, Joe |
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6 | Looking for resources: Image of God | Gen 1:1 | Joseph3 | 87250 | ||
Dear Rob: I posted this same link on one of your other posts, so I thought I would do the same here. I found this site about "Biblical Anthropology". It is quite good, hope it helps. http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/anthropology.html Also, I have a really close brother in the Lord who is in the military over in Iraq right now. He is growing in the Lord daily, which has been so encouraging. Hope all is well Rob, stay safe and continue to focus on Christ!! In Christ, Joe |
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7 | Looking for study books | Bible general Archive 1 | Joseph3 | 87133 | ||
Dear Rob: After looking around the internet for a while, I found this site. The articles on the site deal with "Biblical Anthropology". Hope it helps... In Christ, Joe http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/topic/anthropology.html |
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8 | Heaven or Hell? | John 3:16 | Joseph3 | 87035 | ||
Dear akeffer82: Greetings! Your question is one many people ask, I being one of them until I really started to study the Scriptures. I would suggest reading the opening chapters of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Specifically chapters 1 through 3, but reading the whole letter would help since Paul's argument develops over the course of the letter. The key argument to grasp is that first and foremost we are ALL sinners, as Romans 3:10-11 says there is none righteous, not one. So, that puts every human alive under the righteous and just condemnation of God, as Paul points out in Romans 1. What this means is that there is not one person who has ever lived who in any way, shape or form deserves to go to heaven. If there were a person who deserved heaven in some way, then grace would cease to be grace since grace is unmerited favor (Rom. 11:5-6). We all deserve hell, not heaven, because we all like sheep have gone astray (Is. 53:6). As Romans 3:22-23 says “there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”. The point of all of this is that we need to be saved because we are dead in our sins (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13), and Christ is the One who saves, our Savior, the one who paid the penalty for the sins of all who believe in His name (John 1:12; 1 John 3:23; 5:13). I would really stress you stick with what the Scriptures say, and not what the human heart says (Proverbs 14:12; Jer. 17:9). We as creatures have a tendency to think God owes us something when in reality we are simply clay in the hands of the Potter (Rom. 9:20-22). Again, read the letter to the Romans, I think many of your questions will be answered. Stay in prayer and seek the council of other godly Christians who may be able to help as well. May the Spirit guide you into all truth my friend!! Hidden in Christ, Joe |
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