Results 1 - 20 of 22
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Lifer1J511 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Woman head covering valid for today? | 1 Cor 11:10 | Lifer1J511 | 3746 | ||
Dave, This question gets much attention in this forum. I understand your frustration. And, although I understand your desire to obey, God intends for us to live under GRACE. I AM NOT saying that we, as Christians, should not seek to obey God. We will obey Him, but only as we follow the Spirit, not the Law or external regulations. He leads us by His Spirit, not the letter of the Law. If we are going to go by the letter of the law (and subjection is the law), then how about 1 Cor 14:34? 'The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.' Do we seriously want to do this LITERALLY? If we do, then women CANNOT ever speak in the churches. This means that they cannot offer greetings, share with one another, pray out loud, share prayer requests, teach Sunday School, sing (I'm not sure if this qualifies as speaking or not. If it doesn't, then maybe women could just add melody to what ever they want to say and not violate the scripture), etc. And, if we want to get technical, we, as the body of Christ, are always 'in church.' God is in us. The angels are always watching. So should women NEVER speak. And, if women should cover their heads, what sort of covering should this be? Is it hair, is it a hat, is it a scarf, does a bow constitute a covering? Or does the Greek mean that the WHOLE head should be covered, maybe with a paper sack? See how we can drive ourselves nuts? That is the same thing Jesus talked to the Pharisees about. They were so concerned with outward regulations that they took the Law that said, "Keep the Sabbath holy" and added multitudes of rules and regulations to define 'work.' I.E. they said you could spit, but you couldn't make mud. So Jesus comes along and spits in the dirt, makes mud, and 'heals' a blind man with it ON THE SABBATH. Now, we all know that mud has no healing properties (unless it's a mud-pack), God heals. But Christ was telling them that they hold to the letter of the law and ignore the Spirit behind it. There were many cultural issues in the early churches. There are many cultural issues in present day churches. We are cultural creatures. Ultimately, my friend, you will have to follow the Spirit's leading and let no man judge you. Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. Do we want our women filling our churches with really nice hats but having 2/3's of them rebelling against their husbands as soon as they get home? If you want to interpret this passage as for all women, for all time, that is fine. That is your liberty. Follow God's leading. If that is how your wife feels that she can outwardly show what God is doing in her heart, then that is great. But your statement, brother, 'If this is true, then I can also apply this same logic to many other doctrines that we as Christians hold dear' is not correct. No Christian doctrine rests upon one verse, one passage, or a cultural issue. Our Christian doctrines rest upon many verses, interpreted in the light of context. The trouble begins when we take a 'guideline' and try to make a DOCTRINE out of it, "Sorry, ma'am, you can't enter our church unless your head is covered." Christ said that people would know that we are Christians not according to how we keep the law, or obey God, or discern issues, but by our LOVE for one another. That is our law. Our new commandment is to love one another and accept one another as Christ accepted us. We are to be guided by a PERSON, Jesus Christ. Love Him with all your heart, then do as you please. I'm sure this is not the theological argument you were hoping for. I'll leave that to others. |
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2 | What is sin? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3740 | ||
Hi Lionstrong, Wow, you do wax eloquent. Thanks for the response. I read your response three times and, unfortunately, I'm still not sure what you are getting at. I do agree with the law of God part but sin was around way before the law. Satan rebelled and sinned. Adam and Eve sinned. The people in Noah's day sinned. And we all know that Noah was declared righteous before the law was ever given. But I still do see a differentation between sins that are committed and the sin of unbelief that causes us to commit sin. We can discuss sin singular and sins plural til the cows come home but, in the end, we are probably arguing semantics. 1 John 3:4 is talking about sins of commision. But scripture also says that 'whatever is not of faith is sin.' You may disagree (that is your right) but I still believe that sins come from sin. Jesus took away the sins of the world. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not holding men's sins against them. Why? Because sins caused spiritual death. Sin (unbelief) leads to sinning (whether inward or outward) which results in death. If Christ took away our sins, then why can we still sin? If God wasn't holding our sins against us (because of Christ's death), then why do we still confess them. The unfortunate thing about all this, brother, is that we focus only on what we DO or DON'T DO. We confess sins we feel that we commit (whether it is hatred or murder) and NEVER talk to God about the unbelievng attitude that was the seed of our sinning. God wants us focused on Him, not our sins, not the law. Only as our mind is renewed through God's Word, can we learn to trust what God says, believe Him, and rest in Him. As we do this, relying totally on God to meet our needs, we walk in the Spirit. And, if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In Christ, Lifer |
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3 | Did Jesus ever condemn any 1 n the Bible | Matthew | Lifer1J511 | 3668 | ||
Jesus Himself said in John 3:17 that God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. The reason Christ did not condemn anyone is because they (and we) were ALREADY condemned. Vs. 18 makes this clear, 'He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.' This is similar to asking, did Jesus Christ ever save a believer? A believer is already saved. A sinner is already condemned because he is born dead in trespasses and sins. He came to save us from condemnation. One doesn't condemn something that is already condemned (no double whammy). Now, as believers, Romans 8:1 assures us that there is no condemnation for us. Why? Because Christ took it on the cross. The condemnation we deserve (spiritual death), He took. And the eternal life we don't deserve, He freely gives on the basis of faith. Pretty good deal, huh? |
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4 | Is Jesus denying His Deity? | Luke 18:19 | Lifer1J511 | 3649 | ||
No, Jesus is not denying His deity. In fact, it is a play on words to try to get the rich ruler to acknowledge Christ's deity. How so? The ruler addresses Him as 'good teacher.' This was a common title of courtesy that was more of an empty address than a true recognition of function. The Pharisees and scribes were addressed as 'good teachers (of the law).' But here, Jesus is really saying, "I'm much more than a good teacher of the law. Only God is truly 'good.' So, will you recognize that I AM God?" Though Jesus did teach the law, He came to fulfill it. And He came to show that the heart was where true obedience is done, not in outward actions. That why He gives the ruler a 'righteousness report card.' "How'd you do compared to the law?" Jesus asks. The ruler says, "Hey, I aced it." So Jesus tells him to go and sell everything and give the money to the poor. This was not specifically commanded in the law. This is a heart issue. Unfortunately, the ruler walks away. He could externally meet the commandments but he couldn't internally 'be perfect as your Father in heaven.' But what a beautiful picture of what God did in Christ. As Philippians says, Christ 'sold everything He had' (laid aside His rights to act as God and submitted Himself to His Father's will) and Christ 'gave everything to the poor (He gave His life, His total self, all He is, to us who are 'poor in spirit.') What a Savior. |
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5 | Legal/intimate? Judicial/parental? Huh? | 1 John 1:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3585 | ||
Well, I guess I'll answer my own question just to get it off the question queue. I only see forgiveness as forgiveness in the New Testament. | ||||||
6 | Are 'we' there, yet? | Matt 16:18 | Lifer1J511 | 3581 | ||
Dear Charis, In my younger days, I, too, saw so many different different denominations and 'cellular organization' and wondered which one was the 'TRUE' church. I also desired to witness an organism, an entity that portrays the body of Christ. But, my friend, I have never found one. But I have found, in my travels, many people that I could see Christ living through. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure that it is God's design to 'witness an organism' as such. That would not require any faith. We are the body of Christ. Collectively, we make up His body here on earth. But you can't look to any one group or organization and say, "Ahah! There He is!" Why? Because being part of the body of Christ is an INDIVIDUAL choice. It is not done through organizational membership. Permit me to give you an illustration from scripture. On the night in which Jesus was betrayed, He told His disciples that He (physically) was going to go away. And He said that it was a good thing. He gave them a great illustration of what would happen to His body. He took a loaf of bread (which, obviously, they could see) and said, (paraphrased) "This represents My body. It is whole right now. Visibly one loaf." Then He broke it, symbolizing the crucifixion. Then He distributed His 'broken body' to the disciples and told them to eat it. After they had done so, where was His 'body?' Well, the broken bread was in each of the disciples. The loaf (His body as a visible whole) was no longer visible. It was now no longer an external, visible entity. It was now an invisible 'bread of life' inside His disciples. And this event happened at Pentecost. Christ then came to indwell His followers. Though we may desire to witness a whole, visible manifestation of Christ body, I don't believe that that is what God has ordained. If we could 'see' it, then it would be limited to time and space. Instead, His body has been 'being built' down through time since creation (old testament saints have become part of it, too) from all parts of the world. And it will be numerically complete at some point in the future when Christ returns and the remnant recognize Him as Messiah. I know that this is not the answer you are looking for. This forum has a wealth of scriptural knowledge available to it. But this is my answer. Would anyone else care to comment? In Him, Lifer |
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7 | Why shouldn't someone smoke pot? | Rom 6:16 | Lifer1J511 | 3545 | ||
Hi Hammer, There are two aspects to the answer to your question. 1) If your loved one is not a believer, then they most likely won't listen to what the Bible has to say. The Bible is not going to specifically address marijuana (Thou shalt not get stoned!) but it does talk about addicting sins. If your loved one is not a Christian, then, obviously, their primary need is Christ. Until that need is met in their life, they will continue to try to fill the 'hole' in their life with everything else they can find - drugs, alcohol, sex, family, money, power - the list goes on. Only God can fill that God-shaped vacuum in their life. 2) If your loved one is a believer, and understands who he (or she) is in Christ, then they need to understand that their actions (smoking marijuana or ANY other sin we can commit) is contrary to who they are and indicative of the fact that they are not relying on Christ to meet their needs in their life. The result of this process is described by Paul in Romans 6. If a Christian persists in 'sinning,' especially against the welfare of his body, which is the dwelling place of Christ Himself, then his body will become a SLAVE to that sin. Marijuana, and other drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, etc. have been shown to be physically damaging and addictive. So why would a Christian submit his body to that? If he is 'caught' in the sin and cannot break free, then he will probably need para-church help (rehab, 12 step, etc.) Any addictive sin will, if left to run its course, lead to something even more addictive - Romans 6:19. For a believer, this could even lead to causing death of one's self or someone else (i.e. if I go get drunk, I could kill myself or someone else by my actions). This is the nature of sin. It is always designed to tempt us to turn away from what God has provided in Christ. I hope this answer helps. |
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8 | Are we there, yet? | Matt 16:18 | Lifer1J511 | 3541 | ||
Charis, you answered your own question, my friend. If you (as your sign-off says) are 'in Christ,' then you are there. Ephesians 2:6 portrays a wonderful spiritual truth that is hard to understand because we are in the flesh and bound by time and space. But God's viewpoint is that we have been 'raised up with Him (Christ) and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' The church "called-out ones," as I'm sure you know, is not a building or organization. It is an 'organism,' the body of Christ made up of believers. The foundation is the person of Jesus Christ and the building is the bride of Christ, His saints. Spiritually, our true identity, we are 'there,' because He is 'there' - see Hebrews 7:26. Because we are 'in Him' spiritually, we too are 'there.' It is interesting to note that Jesus said He would build His church. This is something He does. We get the privelege of participating in what He is doing but I'm not sure how fond He is of "church building programs." | ||||||
9 | Who's sinning? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3440 | ||
Lionstrong, Please permit me to ramble on just a little bit more to (finally) answer your question. According to my previous explanation, the root of sinning (committing unrighteous acts) is unbelief in what God says. That is why it is SO important to have our mind renewed as Christians by God's Word. God's not crazy about our acts of sin (Jesus died for each one we commit or omit) but He really wants to get at the root of why we commit sins - our belief system. That is what He wants to change. If, through His Spirit and His wonderful Word, He changes our mind (renews) it to see things from His point of view (truth) THEN, and only then, will our actions change. Our actions will follow what we truly believe. If I don't believe that God can provide all my needs, I'll resort to stealing. If I don't believe God has provided me with one wife to enjoy life with, I'll resort to adultery. If I don't belief God has revealed His true self to me through Jesus Christ, I'll worship other gods. Sins are always related to wrong belief or doubting God. That being said, Paul describes the his old man, old nature in chapter 7 of Romans and the new man in chapter 8. Without going terribly indepth (I type slow), here's the situation. Paul used to be a Pharisee. He describes elsewhere his 'fleshly' credentials in keeping the law. At least outwardly. Inwardly, he says that he was the chief of sinners. Starting in Romans 7:14, Paul says that he knew the law was good and spiritual. He wanted to keep it. But he couldn't keep it. He tried, through his works, but the harder he tried, the more he failed. He knew, from studying the law, what God said and what God expected. And he sincerely wanted to obey God. But he had the old Adamic nature, the sin nature that caused his flesh to rebel and not keep God's law. His inner man vs.22 agreed with God's law but he found his body subjected to the law of sin, and wouldn't obey. The old nature held his body slave to sin. It was driving him nuts! He longed for deliverence. Then, he says in vs. 24, 'who will deliver me from this conflict?' And he answers it, thanks be to God THROUGH Jesus Christ we are delivered. God crucified our old nature, the sin nature, us without God, the old man with Christ on the cross. That master of our bodies is dead and gone. But, in the Christian, we still have 'flesh' - not a sin nature that says we MUST sin, but a fallen body with habits and a resource for us to get our needs met from within. But our flesh no longer has the old sin nature standing over it saying, 'Sin, sin, sin.' That was crucified with Christ. So, without a master, the flesh says, "What now? How do I act? Who is the master?" And here, brother, is where you have a choice as a Christian. You can either: A. 'Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.' Allow Christ to 'work out' through your body what He has 'worked in' to your spirit. This is walking in the Spirit, relying upon Christ to be your suffieciency for every situation. Or: B. Not submit your body to Christ, in which case it will rely and 'fall back' on the only thing it knows, what the sin nature trained it to do. That means relying upon yourself and your own resources to get your needs met. Your body, flesh will resort back to sinning. It knows nothing else. That is why Paul says to set your mind on things above. Only then will your body follow. That is why Paul says in Romans 6:16 - '16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.' So, Paul says to count yourselves (accept it as true) to sin but alive to God. So, when a Christian sins (commits a wrong act), it is because we are not believing what God says and relying on our old flesh, self-suffieciency to get what we want (remember Abraham with Isaac and Ismael?). We can do that as Christians. But we can also choose to submit ourselves to God and allow Him to be our all-in-all. Whew, I'm getting tired. (Stinking flesh, my spirit is willing, though) I hope this helps. Let me know. I'm still 'learning to believe.' God bless. |
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10 | Who's sinning? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3436 | ||
Lionstrong, Let me share what I believe about sin as taught from scripture. You may disagree, but please hear me out. Unfortunately, most of the time, when we think of 'sin,' because we are raised in a performance- oriented society, we think that sin is primarily wrong acts that we commit (or right acts that we don't). But I believe that acts of sin are a RESULT of a wrong belief system, an end result of wrong thinking. Now, this is not some metaphysical mumbo-jumbo. This is what scripture teaches. Take Romans 14:23 - "But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin." Granted, Paul here is addressing what is proper to eat and not eat, but he has shared an important insight. Faith, in it's simplest form, is believing what God says and, because you believe it, acting accordingly. Consider Adam and Eve. The serpent deceived them by tempting them, not necessarily to just eat the forbidden fruit, but to doubt what God said. His attack was, "Didn't God say...?" and He, of course, twisted what God said to serve his own purposes. Adam and Eve's sin, of first order, was to doubt what God said was TRUE. That is where sin starts. It is born of unbelief in what God says. When this doubt gives birth, it is the act of sinning. Because Adam and Eve did give into to the tempter, they doubted what God said, and that doubt was acted out through their bodies (they ate the fruit). This is why Paul says, "Whatever is not of faith (believing what God says about a thing) is SIN." That wrong belief (sin) will be acted out (sinning, sins) if we doubt what God says. Now, another important thing about sin is what Jesus said in John 16:8,9 - "And He (the Holy Spirit), when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; " Jesus has stated here that the world's sin is, not everything they do wrong - their acts, but, rather, their belief system i.e. who do they say that Jesus is, what do they believe about Him. Jesus paid for all our 'sins' - our wrong acts - at the cross. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men's sins against them." The only sin that Christ didn't pay for is the sin of unbelief. That is the one sin that MUST be repented of - what do you say about Jesus Christ? Is He who He says He is? That sin, unbelief in Christ, cannot be forgiven, it must be repented of. You must change your mind about who Christ is. This is the illusive 'unpardonable sin.' If a man does not accept Christ for who He said He is, then he stays dead in his sin - his unbelief. Now, in conclusion, let's look at 1 John. In chapter 1, John is addressing some teaching that had crept into the assembly from the Gnostics. Amongst other things, the Gnostics claimed that: 1) they had fellowship with God but walked in darkness - unbelief (if you have time, use your concordance and study the word 'darkness' in the N.T. - it is always used in reference to belief and unbelief) (vs.6). Because of this, they lie and do not practice the truth. Once again, unbelief results in sin. 2) they said they have no sin (vs. 8) and are thereby self-deceived and the truth is not in them (note 2 John 1:2). 3) they never sinned, thereby calling God a liar and His Word (who is the Word) is NOT in them. 4) that Jesus did not come in the flesh, refuted by John in vs.1-3. These Gnostics (and anyone who held to their teaching) could not be believers, true Christians. In fact, later, John calls them 'antiChrists.' Now, same author, same book, let's look at your question. Here is where John says, "Whoever has been born of God (a believer in Jesus Christ) does not sin (not believe in Jesus Christ), for His seed (the Holy Spirit, who testifies of Christ) remains in him; and he cannot sin (not believe in Christ and what Christ did), because he has been born of God.”(NJKV) In fact, vs. 5 says that Christ appeared to take away sins (the punishment for wrong acts, spiritual death) and in Him is no sin (the unbelieving sin nature we are born with). And vs. 6 says, 'No one who abides in Him (grafted in by the Holy Spirit at conversion) sins (stops believing in Christ); no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him (another stab at the Gnostics). Brother, this CANNOT be an act or acts of sinning (committing wrong doing). EVERYONE (except Christ) does wrong in God's sight. We have all fallen short. If we take 1 John 3:6 as an understanding of an wrong act, then NO ONE knows God. If we, based on the context of the book, and what God says elsewher about sin, understand that it is NOT BELIEVING in Christ, then there is no contradiction. I will leave the conclusion to you. |
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11 | Dose "Old Nature" equal "Flesh" | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3344 | ||
The difference between "old nature" and "flesh" is a subtile but important one. I believe that the Greek word for 'flesh' is 'sarx.' The KJV, NKJV, and NASB all tranlate 'sarx' as 'flesh.' The NIV, unfortunately, translates it as 'sinful nature.' Although I don't claim to have a complete understanding of the subject, I do understand what God says about it. Allow me to explain and also comment on the other posting. When the Bible talks about us being 'dead in trespasses and sins,' this is refering to our being born without the Spirit of God in us. Our spirits are not dead, otherwise we'd be just animals, but they are dead to God. This is a spiritual condition that leaves us having no inherent knowledge about God, only a vacuum where He should be. So Paul says we were alive to sin and dead to God. When we become believers, God's Spirit once again indwells His creation the way that He designed us to be. We are then alive to God but dead to sin. Here's where we need to make the descrepency between flesh and old nature. Somehow, I don't understand the process (maybe someone out there can explain the mechanics), God crucified our old nature, sinful nature, old man with Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. It was buried with Christ, also. Paul makes it clear that it was crucified and is now dead. I understand it best by thinking of it in these terms - nature: what comes natural, instinctively. It was our nature, before Christ, to be sinners. We had no choice. So our 'nature' was to sin. After Christ, it is no longer 'natural' for Christians to sin. We still can sin but that is NOT who we are. The New Testament uses the word 'saint' 63 times to stress our new identity - 2 Cor 5:17 - new creations, creatures in Christ. Believers are NEVER called 'sinners saved by grace.' God has something better. We are saints who may, against our new nature, sin. But sinning is no longer natural for us - it goes against who we REALLY are in the spirit realm. But we still have what the Bible calls the 'flesh.' As I understand it, this is our old patterns of self-sufficiency that we CAN rely on instead of His sufficiency and walking in the Spirit. The old spiritual (our identity) sinful nature is dead, crucified with Christ. The new spiritual nature, a divine nature - (2 Pet 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.) is our true identity but it is housed in unredeemed, still fallen 'flesh.' As Christians, we can choose who we will submit to - Christ in us, our hope of glory or the 'flesh.' That's why Paul says not to yield ourselves to sinning - that is not who we are - instead submit ourselves to let Christ live His life out through us - Hebrews 12. Well, in summation, I don't know if I helped or just confused the issue more. I'm sure there are others in the forum who can probably explain it better than I. The key is that Christians do NOT have 2 natures, 2 natural tendencies, 2 identities. The Christian has 1 identity that is housed in a body that still has old habits. Only as we let Christ live in our bodies can we keep from walking after the flesh. That's why Paul says, in Gal 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." We are now new creatures, not sinners saved by grace. We, because of Christ, are children of God. Let us 'live out' what Christ has put in. God bless. |
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12 | What's the sign? | Matt 24:27 | Lifer1J511 | 3278 | ||
Hi prayon, I believe that it is the shakina glory returning. The sky will be dark when this illuminates the earth. His first coming was heralded by a 'star' in the sky. Might His second coming blaze across the sky, too? An excellent book to read on the subject is called "The Sign" by Robert VanKampen. It should be available at your local Christian book store or on line. God bless. |
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13 | What's the sign? | Matt 24:27 | Lifer1J511 | 3276 | ||
Hi prayon, I believe that it is the shakina glory returning. The sky will be dark when this illuminates the earth. His first coming was heralded by a 'star' in the sky. Might His second coming blaze across the sky, too? An excellent book to read on the subject is called "The Sign" by Robert VanKampen. It should be available at your local Christian book store or on line. God bless. |
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14 | How is comunion only symbolic? | 1 Cor 11:29 | Lifer1J511 | 3255 | ||
Here is another view of communion which, I believe, scripture supports: 1) Some of the Corinthian Christians were coming to the fellowship suppers and eating up most of the food and getting drunk on the wine. Paul is trying to correct this 'unworthy manner.' They were not recongizing the body of Christ. Now, think this through: 2) When Christ was physically on earth, He had a flesh and blood body. At what we call the Lord's supper, He took a loaf of bread (representing His 1 physical body) and broke it into many pieces. The disciples ate these many pieces of bread. The bread (symbolizing His body) was no longer one loaf. It was now broken and inside every one of the disciples. After His resurrection, He is now in heaven seated at the right hand of God the Father. Where is His body now? Well, physically it is in heaven. But, spiritually WE are the body of Christ. Believers indwelt by Him constitute His earthly body until He returns. He is the head. If you want to see the body of Christ in 2001 (unless He returns), look for Christians. As His body, we should respect one another because Christ dwells in each and every believer. 2) So, if, when we gather together for fellowship, we eat up all the food and drink up all the ..um, beverages, others will go hungry and thirsty. This is not properly recognizing (in this present age) the Body of Christ. We are to serve one another as Christ served. If we don't, others, Christians and non-Christians will judge us and say, "Look at those Christians, they don't act any different from the world. They only look out for their own needs." Paul summarizes this at the end of the chapter - 1 Cor 11:33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 1 Cor 11:34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come. 3) The wine represents the blood of the new covenant. This new covenant went into effect at Christ's death and states in Heb 10:17 "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." Heb 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Yet, most Christians sit, trying to remember all their sins so they can confess them to God before they partake of the cup. Is this faith in what Christ has done at the cross? Christ said, "This cup represents the NEW COVENANT in My blood." The new covenant says God no longer remembers our sins because Christ took them away. So why do we remember what God says He doesn't? God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not holding men's sins against them. We think confession bring forgiveness when only Christ blood, shed 2000 years ago, provided forgiveness. Nothing we do can ever make us 'worthy.' Only Christ blood makes us worthy. And it is no longer flowing. But it did flow at Calvary. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. So why do we ask for more forgiveness than what Christ provided at the cross? I hope this helps your understanding of communion. |
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15 | Is a Christian two persons? | Col 3:9 | Lifer1J511 | 3223 | ||
As prayon says, the Christian is not two persons. In fact the Christian doesn't even have two natures. The old man, old self, sin nature - whatever label you want to put on in, has been crucified with Christ. This is something that God did. 2 Cor 5:17 - 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.' Paul describes it this way in Gal 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ (the old man without Christ); and it is no longer I (the old man) who live, but Christ lives in me(the new man); and the life which I (the new man with Christ) now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Peter says in 2 Pet 1:4 - 'For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.' The Christian has only one nature - a partaker of the divine nature through Christ. The old nature is dead so Paul says live according to that truth. 'Count' yourself dead to sin but alive to God. The Christian still has flesh however wherein the power of sin still dwells. I believe God doesn't remove our flesh so that we will stay dependant on Him for our sufficiency. We, as Christians, can walk according to the flesh (out of self-sufficiency) or according to the Spirit (relying on Christ in us to meet our needs). But our true, real self - the core of who we are - is a new creation in Christ. I hope this helps. |
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16 | Explain John 15:6 | John | Lifer1J511 | 3202 | ||
Stephanos, I had to take care of some business so this is just a small addition to my previous reply. Your questions of "thrown into the fire..." and "burned" is pretty much just what it says. According to the Bible, all unbelievers will eventually be cast into the lake of fire that was created for the devil and his angels. I believe, based on my study of scripture, in a literal heaven and a literal hell. I will probably be criticized for this statement, but those who believe in a 'conditional salvation' do not understand what salvation is. In a nutshell, God created man with God's life - His Spirit in him. Adam and Eve chose to disbelieve God (that is the root of all sin - unbelief in what God says. The day they sinned, they 'spiritually' died. (They died physically much later.) Because of sin, God's Spirit left them. Everyone ever since, except Christ was 'born dead in trespasses and sin.' And, as you probably know, the wages of sin is death. Under the Old Testament sacrificial system, God, in mercy allowed for substitutionary animal sacrifice to cover sin. "Without the shedding of blood, the is no forgiveness of sin." But the Old Covenant (law) could not impart God's life because sin hadn't been taken away yet. When Christ died, He took away the sins of the world. All sins were taken away. He was made sin on our behalf. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men's sins against them. Three days after His death, Christ was raised from the dead and has become a life-giving spirit (and, yes, He does have a body). He now imparts His life to all who come to Him by faith in what He has done. As I said in my last reply, the reason the Holy Spirit can't leave us now is because the only thing that could make Him leave, sin, has been eternally dealt with at the cross through Christ's blood. To give eternal life, God had to deal eternally with what caused death - sin. That is why, when a believer sins '...there is now NO condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of LIFE IN CHRIST Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.' (if you sin, you must die) Christ cured what caused our death, sin, and then imparted His life to us. That is why, I believe, salvation is secure. It is not based on what we do or don't do. It is based on what our Savior did for us. He said, "It is finished." I hope this helps. God bless. |
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17 | Explain John 15:6 | John | Lifer1J511 | 3194 | ||
Jesus was speaking to His disciples in this passage. But many people were 'following' Him at this point in His ministry. Some followed because they believed Him to be the Messiah. Some followed just to see miracles. Some followed (Pharisees) looking for ways to discredit Him and prove Him false. Some followed for physical healing. In vs 3, Jesus tells His disciples that they are already clean because they believe Him to be Messiah. But they did not have Christ's life - the Holy Spirit in them. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given to 'seal' believers. In other words, though the disciples believed by faith, they hadn't yet received that 'life' of the vine. The vine (trunk, main root) is the source of life for the branch. The branch has no life of it's own. It draws it's sustenance from the vine i.e. if you cut it off, it dies. Until the day of Pentecost, people could follow Christ as He went to the cross, burial, and the tomb, for various reasons. And He stated time and again that He was the source of divine life - "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life.." "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have life. They tell of Me, but you won't come to Me for life." So, many people 'attached' themselves to Christ for various reasons. And many 'detached' themselves at various places in His ministry. Because they (and we) are born dead in trespasses and sin, if they didn't stay believing in Christ back then until the Spirit was given, they stayed spiritually dead if they forsook Him. But at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, came to 'indwell' believers, sealing them forever. Because the cross 'makes us clean,' the Spirit can now indwell all believers and permanently 'grafts' us into Christ. He is in us. We are in Him. A believer who comes to Him by faith, can NEVER be thrown away as a branch now, because the wages of sin - death is taken away by the blood of Christ. And the gift of God is eternal life. The only thing that could make the Spirit depart from a believer was sin. BUT, all sin was forgiven at the cross. So, now, after the cross, His life can NEVER depart from us. Before the cross, people could believe and have their sins forgiven but life could never be given on a permanent basis. That is why David, after he sinned, pleaded that the Spirit wouldn't be taken from him. We don't have to pray that prayer because, in God's eyes, believers are 'abiding in the vine,' baptized, identified with Christ. I hope this helps. |
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18 | Invite Jesus into you LIFE, not HEART... | Rom 6:23 | Lifer1J511 | 3110 | ||
Hi Centurion, As you know, in the Western world the 'heart' is refered to as the seat of the soul - intellect, will, emotions. It is a figure of speech. In Old Testament times, this 'seat of the soul' was the bowels. For obvious reasons, in Western culture we don't say "I love you with all my bowels." It loses something in the translation. But the Bible does allow for figures of speech, metaphors, similes, etc. The 'good news' brought forth is the New Testament is not necessarily that we 'accept Jesus into our heart' or even that we accept Him 'into our lives.' The good news - gospel - is that, as Christians, we are 'in Christ' and Christ is 'in us.' This is a matter of both physical dwelling - 1 Cor 3:16 "you are a temple of God and that the Holy Spirit dwells in you." and of identification - 2 Cor 5:17 - "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature..." In fact, the New Testament refers to believers being 'in Christ' ten times more than it does our being 'in Him.' If you email me, I'll be happy to send you a list (as it's too lengthy to post here). Salvation is being saved from the wages of sin - death, by the gift of God - eternal life in Christ Jesus. He said He came to give us life - His life, eternal life. See 1 John 5:11 - And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:12 - He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:13 - These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. We are not saved by the words we say. We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection. God sees our (here we go) 'heart' - the essence of what we believe and the Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ. This is a spiritual union. We are then identified with, one with Him. And this is where that divine life is received. Paul said in Galatians - "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." This is the essence of the Christian life. God once again taking up residence in His creation as the source of life. I hope this helps. God bless. |
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19 | Women and hair | 1 Cor 11:5 | Lifer1J511 | 3032 | ||
Hi Jesustheanswer, Your question is a difficult one. It has sparked much debate in our churches. Although it is possible for people to take a hard, firm stance on this issue, I believe that a balanced view of both scripture and culture is applicable. My personal view is conservative and, I hope, biblical. 1 Tim 2:12 may shed a little more light here - 'But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.' Here Paul is instructing Timothy that he doesn't permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. And that as far as authority goes, she should remain quiet. Without going in depth into the creation order/fall-into-sin background, most Christians would agree that women in a church gathering should not have authority over men. This does not mean that a woman cannot teach other women or children. Women in the church have VERY important roles. As far as the hair issue, I believe Paul is addressing a cultural issue. Although we preach Christ and the gospel first and foremost, we need to address cultural issues and processes from time to time. This is to ensure that everything is done 'neatly and in order.' Some women (and men) in that time had come out of very pagan pratices involving, obviously, sexual immorality, shaved heads, trance-induced babbling, etc. Paul was addressing this issue and saying that Christian gatherings should not contain these elements. Christ and God were to be the focus, as well as serving each other, not seeking attention towards ones-self. In light of this, I believe that these were cultural guidelines and not hard, firm laws relating to worship procedure. After all, Hebrews says that a Christian's TRUE act of worship is presenting his (or her) body to the Lord Jesus Christ as a conduit for Him to live His life through. You are right, in Christ we are all one. But not everyone who goes to church is 'in Christ.' So we do need guidelines. As I said, this is just my opinion. I hope it helps. |
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20 | RE: "immenint return" in first answer | Bible general Archive 1 | Lifer1J511 | 2920 | ||
Imminent return refers to 'at any moment.' In other words, Christ could return at any time without further prophecy being fulfilled. The church traditionally teaches this concept because the apostles (mainly Paul) refer to looking and waiting for Christ's return. However, Paul clearly believed He would die and go to be with the Lord before Christ returned. And Christ Himself gave a series of events that have to happen before His return (Mat 24). Most Christians believe that there are no signs for the rapture and do NOT classify the rapture as the return that Christ talks about. They classify His return or second coming as being the event where He touches down on the Mount of Olives. I, however, believe that the rapture is but one event in the return of Christ, the second coming. His first coming entailed His birth, His childhood, His young adulthood, His ministry, His death, resurrection, and ascension. Which of these events are His first coming? No one event. They are all part of His first coming. I believe that His second coming entails the rapture, the great tribulation, the battle of Armeggedon, and the Day of the Lord. This is probably more info than you wanted to know, but prophecy is an interesting subject that is worth the time and effort to study on your own. I trust this helps. | ||||||
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