Results 1 - 20 of 69
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: ChristLifer2001 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | what are the divisions of the bible | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45304 | ||
Miriam, Steve has listed the theological divisions of the Bible. These can be very helpful to understanding the different literary styles. I wanted to share the fact that our Bibles are divided into the Old Testament (which means Covenant) and the New Testment (which can also be translated Will). Many folks see these two distinctions in their Bibles but have don't really know how they relate to God's overall plan of redemption. Hebrews says that the Old Covenant was merely a shadow of the reality that we enjoy under the New Covenant as children of God. Under the New Covenant, God has given His children a new heart and a new spirit and He remembers our sins no more - Heb 10:9-18. Another popular word for this covenant is grace - God's unearned blessings on us. These are the two major divisions of the Bible and we would do well to keep them separate in our understanding. The Old Covenant pointed to the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb of God and the New Covenant tells of it's reality. In the Old Testament, with few exceptions, God dwelt amongst but not in His people. New Covenant believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit Himself. What a wondrous thing God has done. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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2 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45494 | ||
Dimples, I am going to offer my views on this subject and let you decide for yourself. I will probably not be popular for taking this stance on this forum but the truth is the truth. Modern Christianity has made divorce the "unpardonable sin" and this was never God's intention. Yes, it is God's design that when we marry someone, we marry them for the length of our earthly lives. This is His highest will. It is the blue-print for Jewish culture, there is no denying that. But this is not the way things always turn out. In marriages, infidelity happens, physical abuse happens, severe psycological abuse happens, things go wrong. To insist that two people stay in an abusive relationship, whether it is sexual, physical, or psycological, is just plain legalism and doesn't stand up to scripture. The Christian world has grabbed the Jewish law (which the Jews never could keep) and made it the standard for Christian performance. Yes, that law does reflect God's character and moral attributes, but the fact remains that we, as NT believers are no longer under the law. We are under grace. As soon as someone (like me) says this, the legalist will immediately day, "That doesn't give you the license to sin." True. I don't need a license to sin. I can sin quite well without one. Nevertheless, even if grace is abused, it is still grace. God design for one man and one woman to be married for earthly life. This started in the garden of Eden way before the law was given. That is His ideal. However, His ideal was also that Adam and Eve not eat from the forbidden fruit. Where things do not turn out for the "ideal", we must trust in God's grace. In fact, we must trust in God's grace whether things are ideal or not. :) Jesus was born under the law and most of His teaching is law-based - Gal 4:4. But we, as NT believers are no longer under Jewish law. The church, by and large, has a really hard time accepting this. The Romans 7 passage which Paul wrote was NEVER intended as a marriage/divorce law. If we look at the context, it is extremely clear that Paul is using Jewish culture (marriage and divorce laws) to illustrate a spiritual truth. That being that mankind is born married to Mr. Law. But we, as believers, need to be married to Mr. Grace. The only way (except through adultery) for one to get out of a Jewish marriage is for one of the partners to die. Now Mr. Law did not die because his job is to lead the sinner to Christ. So, instead, we died in Christ to Mr. Law. Because of our death to the law, we can now be married to Mr. Grace, Jesus Christ. That is the whole point of Romans 7:1-6. It is an illustration to show that we are no longer under Jewish law and are now married to Christ - we are His bride! PTL! But the legalists comes along and takes this illustration and makes it the standard instead of embracing the truth that this passage illustrates. It is so ironic. Paul uses this illustration to show that we are no longer under the law and we use it to keep believers bound to Mr. Law! I would laugh if it weren't so perverted. Please see Part 2. ChristLifer2001 |
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3 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45497 | ||
Part 2 - So, what is God's will for marriage under grace - the New Covenant? Paul gives clear instructions in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16: 10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband **This is the ideal, two people remain together for life.** 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. **If one spouse leaves the other (separates), but they are still married, then don't seek marriage with anyone else. Why? They are still married to each other and, by God's grace, they can still reconcile.*** 12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord (Paul's opinion here), that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. ***Pretty self-explanatory, believer don't divorce your unbelieving spouse if they are willing to live with you.*** 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. ***Who better to witness about Christ to the unbelieving spouse than the believing one?*** 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ***The believer "sanctifies" - sets apart - they family so that God may work through those relationships to bring all into salvation.*** 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. ***Here is the crux of the matter, if the unbeliever goes, let him (or her) go. Why? Because God has called us to PEACE not BONDAGE. There is no way to stay in an abusive relationship and have PEACE. It is BONDAGE and should not be the life-style of the new creation in Christ.*** 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? ***Pretty self-explanatory.*** Dimples, the bottom line is that as long as you are married, you are husband and wife - under modern law and under God's ideal. But if you are divorced, you are no longer husband and wife - period, in the eyes of the law and the eyes of God. Therefore, if you are divorced, by definition, you are no longer married and are free to remarry. Romans 7 validates this, not contradicts it. I truly hope this helps. I don't know what your circumstances are, but the bottom line is that we should live in PEACE, not BONDAGE. As in all things, follow the Lord's leading. ChristLifer2001 |
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4 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45498 | ||
Dimples, Please see my answer to your other question. ChristLifer2001 |
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5 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45519 | ||
Raven, I wish you would read all of my note before posting a reply to me. It would be only fair to hear me out, don't you think? I believe Eph 5:25-29 with all my heart. I endeavor to do that. But how many of us do it PERFECTLY as Christians? How many of non-believers do this? What should a Christian woman do who, instead of having her husband love her as Christ does, he pummels her in a drunken stupor almost every Friday night? Is that God's will, brother? Would you tell this saint to just stay and endure it? You wrote: "And if people would truley pattern their lives after the bible you would not have all these disfunctional marraiges." I agree with you 100 percent, Raven. If we only could. But the reality is that we don't. And it truly does take two. What if one of the marriage partners is unwilling? You wrote: "If two people who are Christians get married and each of them love God more than each other then there will nothing but joy and love in their relationship and a lifetime together to worship God." I agree. But this does not come naturally. This requires the hardest thing that we can do as humans - self-sacrifice. And I've found that it rarely occurs. Apart from Christ in us, we cannot do this. And, as I've said, it takes two. Please read the rest of my notes to Dimples. Look at the scriptures I've cited and ask if they are true. I usually don't just publish what I think without some scriptural support, especially on such a "hot" topic where emotions can flare. I was divorced from my first wife in 1985. She committed adultery. I had "biblical grounds" but I loved her and did not want the divorce. But she did not want to reconcile, she wanted the other guy. I sought the counsel of a pastor friend of mine who insisted that if I let her divorce me, I would never again be in God's will. So not only did I have no control over my first wife (despite my prayers), according to his "biblical counsel", I would never again be in God's will because it was God's will for us to stay together. That time was like hell on earth for me. Yet, Christ never left me, never forsook me and has given me another beautiful Christian lady and we have 2 wonderful children. Was it God's will for me to stay married to my first wife? Yes, I believe it was. But is He a forgiving God? Is He a God who can replace what "the locusts have destroyed?" Yes, He is. He is a God of grace. I agree with the standard, brother. What I disagree with is the bondage and condemnation that we, as Christians, are so quick to mete out when, for reasonable, sound reasons that standard can't or won't be met. Blessings to you, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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6 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45593 | ||
Raven, Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? - Gal 4:21 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. - Gal 2:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:4 May you turn to faith in Christ alone. ChristLifer2001 |
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7 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45604 | ||
Raven, Yes, this subject is about marriage and divorce. And you are going to the Law alone as your standard for discussing this subject. Have you even read the verses in 1 Corinthians 7 concerning this subject? What did you think of this passage? The bottom line is the Law is the Law, whether for salvation, redemption, sanctification, justification, daily living, etc. If you are going to be under the Law for ANY purposes, then you must be under ALL of it. You are either under ALL the Law (including it's sacrificial system with animal sacrifice) or you are under grace with NONE of the Law. The just (who are now are in Christ - justified) shall live by FAITH, not Law. The Law is not of faith, it is of performance, and the believer is no longer bound by it. That is what I am talking about. And it is VERY relevant to marriage and divorce. The Law says that adulterers must be stoned (both parties). This doesn't meet that they need to get high first :), it means they must both die. Do you suggest we follow the Law? So if you wish to teach believers to be under the Law, then you yourself need to be under ALL of it. ChristLifer2001 |
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8 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45620 | ||
Joe, If you will regress just a couple of posts in this chain, you'll see that I have listed plenty of scriptures that say that the believer is no longer under the Law. Paul makes it clear that the Law was made for the unrighteous (sinners) and not the righteous (justified). Sinners still need the Law to reveal to them that they are indeed sinners. That is why we must use it in the training of our children. Until they see their need for a Savior, they will not come to Him. Yes, the Law still has use, but it must be used properly - and that is to show sinners their need for Christ and the cross. But once that has happened, we are no longer under that tutor. It has served it's purpose. We now walk by faith in the Spirit, not in the Law. Of course the Holy Spirit in us will never prompt us to break God's morality. But even if we do, we are still not put back under the Law - we are still under grace. If we, as believers in Christ, are going to try to live under the Law, then Paul says in Galatians 5:3: And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. With the Law, it is all or nothing. You are either under ALL of it - moral, ceremonial, cultural - or you are under NONE of it. Paul urges tells us we are no longer under it. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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9 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45676 | ||
Raven, You write that the commandments of the Old Testament still hold true in the New Testament. I strongly disagree, but you obviously desire to cling to your convictions instead of the verses that I shared with you. Don't forget to take your animal sacrifice to the temple this Sabbath (this is commanded in the Old Testament) and to check for circumcisions at the door (another Old Testament commandment). I will move on. But, before I go, let me share these scriptures one more time: For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 Under grace, ChristLifer2001 |
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10 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45686 | ||
Joe, Actually, I did partially answer your question. The Law is made for the unrighteous not the righteous. It still has a purpose and a function. But believers are no longer under it as a moral constraint or under it's punishment for failure to obey it. Children need to be taught the Law so that they will see that they are indeed sinners and turn to Christ. This is the Law's purpose. The law that James refers to is not the Mosaic Law (the 10 commandments), it is the law of Christ - love. James calls it the perfect law - the law of liberty. Hebrews 8:7 makes it clear that the Mosaic covenant was not perfect - it was "faulted." Why? Was there something wrong with the Law? No, of course not. There was something wrong with the ones who were supposed to keep it. So God has made a New Covenant and fulfills His righteous requirements in us through the Spirit instead of through external commandments. Galatians further does not call the Law "the law of liberty". To the contrary, Paul calls it a "yoke of slavery" - Gal 5:1. Paul even calls the Mosaic covenant the "ministry of death" in 2 Cor 3:7. Galatians demonstrates that we are no longer under the Mosaic covenant or the Mosaic Law. All the verses I listed from Galatians are quite clear with little room for "interpretation error." Now, does the Law reflection the moral character of God. Certainly. It thereby reflects the sinner's fallen nature also. But the Jews could never keep the Law, could they? Neither can we. In fact, apart from Christ Himself, we cannot measure up to God's actual moral character as reflected in the sermon on the mount and 1 Cor 13. But under the New Covenant, God has put His Spirit in us and we walk by faith in Him, trusting Him to lead and guide us as Christ lives through us. This will cause us to fulfill the law of Christ - loving God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. This is something that the OT Jew could never do because their hearts were not changed. So though we are no longer under the Mosaic Law for guidance or punishment, we have Christ's law fulfilled in us. As He does this, it will certainly look like the OT Law is being fulfilled, but it is from an internal motivation, Christ's love in our hearts - Rom 13:8; Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14. The Law could never cause the Jews to reflect God's moral character - they couldn't keep it. The Spirit of Christ in the believer does fulfill God's character and requirements - Rom 8:4. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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11 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46225 | ||
Joe, My short answer is that there is law for Christians - the law of love found in Christ. Christ is God and therefore He is the purest reflection of God's moral character. If He is in us, yes, He will reflect God's character - it would be impossible for Him to do otherwise. Love fulfills all the law. My point is that the believer is no longer under any of the Mosaic Law. I believe you agree with that. As new creations in Christ, we should reflect His moral perfection. But it is a result of who we are in Him, not a striving to obtain something to make us acceptable. Therefore, when a Christian sins, he is going against the Spirit of Christ in him and against the new creation he is in Christ. But the Mosaic Law is not the answer. The Law was never given to make men perfect, it was given to show that God alone is perfect and, if we are going to be, we must be united with Him. The Mosaic Law is a negatively-based explanation of the royal, the perfect law of love. If I loved perfectly (as God does), I will worship God alone. If I love perfectly, I will not commit adultery. If I love perfectly, I will not lie. If I love perfectly, I will not steal from others, etc. But because we are not born with this capability to love, God had to state His character as a negative reflection of who His is. That Law, which Paul calls the ministry of death and condemnation, was given to show man his spiritual deadness (separation from the life and love of God) and his inability to be like God. This should force him to come to Christ so that Christ, through the law of love written on our new hearts, can manifest the character of God in us. So the Christian is under law - the law of love. But it is not the Law of Moses. Hope this helps, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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12 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46231 | ||
Tim is correct. The Holy Spirit dwells within our newly created human spirit - 1 Cor 6:17. He is still distinct from our human spirit but there is a union there, similar to marriage. Our new human spirit has been created in righteousness and holiness - Eph 4:24 - so the "Holy" Spirit has no problem at all dwelling there. We are born of the Spirit of God. Spirit gives birth to spirit. So radical is this change that Paul calls us a "new creation" - 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15. Now, granted, our spirits and our souls still reside in earth-suits which have the power of indwelling sin in them. But this is not incompatible with the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit anymore than, while God now dwells in human "temples", He is also omni-present. Scripture makes it clear that we are now His temple - He dwells IN us. To refute that fact has no scriptural support according to the New Testament. In the OT, with few exceptions, God dwelt AMOUNGST. In the NT, God dwells IN. Praise Him forever! ChristLifer2001 |
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13 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46249 | ||
Joe, Actually, in the law of Christ, you're performance will surpass the moral code of the Mosaic Law and the 10 commandments, brother. Yes, love does fulfill the Law, but it also goes beyond it to exhibiting God's character. The Law says don't kill. The law of Christ leads you to love others unconditionally. The Law says don't commit adultery. The law of Christ says to love your wife as Christ does the church. The Law says not to steal. The law of Christ says to go to work with your hands so that you may give to those in need. So the love of Christ in us not only fulfills, but surpasses the moral code of the Law. The confusion lies in that people will look at the law of love being fulfilled in the believer and mistake it for the Law. From an external viewpoint, the performance looks much the same. But there is a fundamental difference. Under the Law System, man is always performing to achieve God's standard. Under the law of Christ, man has, in Christ, already achieved and therefore is free to perform. God has declared me to be holy, righteous, and blameless in His sight. By walking in the Spirit, I get to experience in the here and now what I have been declared. The commands of the Old Testament are a reflection of God's morality. But instead of looking at those demands as the things that stirs up sin in us, the Jews took them as rules to achieve. And they never could. The commands of the New Testament are reflection of what it looks like to live under the law of love, not goals to achieve. Will it look like we are under Law when we abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit? Yes, it will. But the motivation is now internal instead of external. Christ is us will still fulfill the royal law of love today as we abide in Him. God is pleased by faith in walking, not in the flesh(performance), but in walking in the Spirit and love. ChristLifer2001 |
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14 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46265 | ||
Joe, You wrote: "The best way to look at it is that the moral law of God, his righteous demands of His creation, precede and transcend the Mosaic Covenant." This is exactly right, my friend. So even if someone could PERFECTLY keep the Mosaic Law, they would not accurately reflect EVERYTHING in God's character. But Who does? Who is our faith in? When Adam was created, he was created to look to God alone as his source for life and everything he needed. He was in an intimate relationship with His creator and, I don't believe, ever once looked at himself or his performance until the fall. Upon eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, his eyes we opened and he forfeited relationship in favor of performance. Suddenly, from his perspective, a relationship with God was no longer based upon faith and love - it was based upon performance - what he did and did not do. His focus shifted from his Creator to meet all his needs to relying upon himself to meet all his needs - love, acceptance, peace, joy, etc. His relationship became performance-based instead of faith based. Without God as his resource, man strove to re-establish the relationship with God through achievement. He was so convinced that he could do this if he just tried hard enough that God gave the Law (Mosaic) to show man the kind of perfection that was required in order to be acceptable by God. But, instead of being honest and admitting that they couldn't do it, the Jews exclaimed, "Oh, yeah, everything that the Lord has commanded, WE WILL DO!" How long did that last? The Pharisees thought that life was found in the Law. Jesus said that they searched the scriptures thinking that the Law would give them life but they wouldn't come to Him for it. They thought that they could be saved and sanctified by keeping the Law. There were so angry at being told that man could never attain God's standard in himself, that they ended up crucifying our Lord. They thought that because they kept the "externals" they were as righteous as God. This is why James says that if you believe that you can be made righteous by the Law, you have to keep ALL the Law - 99.44 percent just won't do. See part 2, please. ChristLifer2001 |
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15 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46267 | ||
So what is the purpose of the Law? To show sin exceedingly sinful so that manking would turn to Christ. Paul says that the Law is indeed holy, righteous, and good. Why? Because it reflects God's morality. James says that it is a mirror that reflects just how sinful mankind really is. But man, full of do-it-yourself religion and performance-based acceptance, grabbed the Law and said, "I can do THAT! I'll clean myself with it." When you look in a mirror and see yourself with all your imperfections, do you grab the mirror off the wall to clean yourself? Of course not, the mirror can do nothing to clean you up, it just shows you reality. The Law is the same. Paul says that it was a schoolmaster (a discplinarian) to lead us to Christ so that we would be made right, not by keeping the Law, but by faith in Jesus alone. So the Law was given to drive man back to God as his source for righteousness, holiness, sanctification, love, etc. When we acknowledge that all these things are found in Christ and receive them in receiving Christ, we call it "grace." It is a gift. The confusion arises when Christians would claim that Christ is indeed our righteousness, our life, our holiness, our sanctification, then return to the Law as our standard. Christ is our standard and He fulfills it in and through us. The just (righteous) shall live (walk, perform) by faith, not the Law. In Christ, we can once again look to God alone as our source for everything we need for life and godliness - 2 Pet 1:3. The problem with much of modern Christianity is that we think that grace is an EVENT, not a life-style. We think we received grace at salvation and not WE maintain our righteous standing before God. But grace is just as much a process as an event. That is why Paul urges us to grow in grace (never Law) and "as you have received the Lord - by faith through grace - so walk in Him. This is why Paul as the Galatians, "You foolish people! You were justified and born again by faith in Christ! Are you trying to be sanctified by the flesh (trying to keep the Law)?" They were being told by the Judaizers that salvation by grace through faith in Christ was fine, but that now they needed to go back to the Law to find out how to live, how to be "sanctified." God has a better way, walking by faith in Christ fully expecting Him to live out God's righteous requirements in us each day: Romans 8: 3- "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh (self-performance), God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh (self-performance) but according to the Spirit." Hope this helps, brother. You may not agree with me. That's okay. But I hope you understand my viewpoint better. ChristLifer2001 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on (6) the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, (7) the things of the Spirit. |
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16 | Do the Old and New Testaments Agree? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47266 | ||
Evan, Excellent answer, brother. While God does not change, His covenants with man did. This is reflected throughout the Bible. Where many Christians get tripped up is trying to blend the Old Covenant with the New. There are trying to mix Law and grace to try to make sense of the whole Bible. But as you have correctly stated, we need to view the Old Covenant through the New - it was a shadow of the reality of Christ. At my website, we are doing a verse-by-verse study of Romans 5-8. If you would like to participate, please email me and I'd be happy to give you the link. ChristLifer2001 |
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17 | How are we to understand? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47639 | ||
Hank brings up some excellent points here. I would like to add one more if I may. We must never lose sight that it is primarily the Holy Spirit's job to teach us the meaning of scripture. John 16:13 makes this abundantly clear. He wrote it, therefore He is prime interpreter of it. Knowing what the scripture says does not inheritantly guarantee that we know what it means. If knowing Greek were the only prerequisite to understanding God's truth, then the entire Greek world would have been saved :) and all Greek scholars would be saved (which is certainly not the case). Am I saying that it is not helpful to understand the source languages? Not at all. It is very helpful to be familiar with the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages, especially in biblical passages where the meaning of the text is not immediately apparent. But the fact of the matter is that most people are NOT going to learn the ancient languages. Therefore, as Hank says, they need to be educated in what criteria makes a translation a "good" translation and where a particular translation may have problems. Lastly, people need to be taught good Bible study methods. There are way too many self-proclaimed Bible scholars that take the text out of the context and do more damage than good. If we combine a good English translation with good Bible study methods and the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit Himself, most of the time we will arrive at very similar understandings of what the scripture means. If this 3-legged "stool" becomes 1 or 2 legged, then there is more potential for problems. I know many people who claim that the Holy Spirit has given them "revelations" that either aren't found in the Word of God or contradict God's Word out-right. I know a few who have made a particular translation their "god" and will not consider any other (including the Greek and Hebrew). And I also know of a few Greek scholars who can cross every Greek 't' and dot every Greek 'i', but know nothing of the love and compassion of God. In the end, our understanding must come down to God revealing Himself to us. He does this through the scriptures, through others and their gifts, and through circumstances. The scriptures need to be our primary "plumbline" for truth. But I am not entirely convinced that the majority of interpretational problems stem from not knowing the original languages. I believe that most of the problems arise from "hearsay" interpretation ("my pastor says"), poor Bible study methods, and little reliance upon the Holy Spirit to do what He promises. Let's endeavor to give the Holy Spirit as many "tools" as possible by advocating good translations and excellent Bible study methods. Great topic, saints! ChristLifer2001 |
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18 | is masterbation a sin explain thxs | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47728 | ||
Emmaus, Without entering into this debate, I wanted to comment on your statement: Yes, let's get real here! In the context of your statement above, can you imagine Jesus performing this act? I hear this often within the context of "What would Jesus do?" or "Would you do that if Jesus where standing here?" The reality is, HE IS HERE. If we are believers in Christ, He is ALWAYS here, no matter what we are doing. Even if we sin, He never leaves us or forsakes us. As I said, without entering into this debate, there are certain bodily functions which we participate in as physical creatures. Our Lord came in the flesh and therefore had all the physiological functions that we are subject to. So let me ask a couple of questions: Can you imagine Jesus eliminating waste from His body? He did so. Was He still God when He did this "socially unacceptable" thing? Can you imagine Jesus occasionally passing gas or emitting a belch? If He was indeed human, then He must have done so. Can you imagine Jesus entering puberty with those associated changes manifesting themselves in His body? He did so. When we strip Christ of His humanity, we diminish who He really is. We have no right to attempt to remove either His deity or His humanity - He was completely both. No, I do not imagine Jesus masturbating. Neither do I imagine Him eliminating waste from His mortal body. There are more important aspects of Christ to dwell on. But in closing, if you want to use that "What would Jesus do" analogy, let me ask: Would you eliminate waste from your body with Jesus standing there watching? Would you make love with your wife with Jesus standing there watching? How REAL do you want to be? He is more REAL. The truth is that He is there. He always is. As long as we have submitted our bodies as living sacrifices to Him to live through (Rom 12:1), I don't believe He is repulsed by our humanity. Let's be careful of this "Can you imagine Jesus..." mentality. He is a real Person, He lived in a real flesh and blood body with all its functionality. If He had been married to a woman during His earthly life, I'm sure He would have been passionate with her. And I'm just as sure that He is passionate today with His bride. I can't wait for the honeymoon! ChristLifer2001 |
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19 | is masterbation a sin explain thxs | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47764 | ||
Inmyheart, I'm neither condemning masturbation or nor am I defending it. As the Bible does not speak specifically to this ACT, I am not going to be dogmatic on it. If others want to be, that is their option. The woman who was brought to Jesus, caught in the act of adultery, should have been stoned. That is what the Law said. Did Jesus break the Law? As you have said, the Bible does speak to issues like lust. Is it possible to engage in masturbation without lusting? Yes it is. But satan and the world tempt us to sin in almost every area of our lives and they will use this area to cause us to sin through lusting. They will also use this area to condemn other brothers and sisters in Christ without mercy. Have you ever looked at another person with lust? Then, according to Jesus' standard, you have already masturbated in your mind, haven't you? The problem is that we love to rate sins. That way, my sin of worrying is not as bad as your sin of lusting. My sin of a critical spirit is not as bad as your sin of masturbation. My sin of running another brother or sister down with my tongue is not as bad as what you may do with the other parts of your body. Sin is sin in God's eyes. Did you ever tell a lie? Then you are just as guilty as a cold-blooded murder in the eyes of God (James 2:10). Popular Christianity is so consumed with what is a sin and what is not a sin that we never get around to finding life in Christ. We're too busy rating sins and trying to judge ourselves against others. Hebrews says that whatever is not of faith is sin. By the time the legalist piles the 10 Commandments, the Mosaic Law, the sins of omission, and the sin of living life apart from faith in every act on top of people, the "good news" of the gospel is nullified. We spend our whole lives trying to keep short accounts with God and trying to keep our sins (which God says He no longer remembers - Heb 10:17,18) confessed. The goal of the Christian life is not to stop sinning. The goal of the Christian life is to abide in Christ and let Him live it. As we do, we will sin less but, while on earth, we will never be sinless. Sure God wants to renew our minds. This is how He changes our thinking and therefore our actions. As we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. But the flesh is not just "evil" deeds. It is self. The flesh can look very good: self-discipline, self-confidence, self-effort, self-achievement, self-righteousness. But it is all evil in God's eyes. It is only when we come to see that our righteousness comes from God alone that we will be set free to "think on these things." Christ in us will cause us to fulfill the law of love. You write: "we are not to associate with those who call themselves Christians who are idolaters (1Corinthians 5:11)" I wouldn't believe how judgmental Christians can be if I wasn't being set free from it myself. Anything you put before God makes you an idolator. You can stick the word "habitual" in there is you want to, but the scriptures don't. We do it so that we can say, "Well, I'm only occasionally idolatrous. I'm not like so-and-so who is habitually idolatrous." Even the church at Ephesus who was doing everything right had left their first love. We would do well to teach people about how much Jesus loves them and how He has shed His blood to forgive them. His perfect love casted out all fear of punishment. As I said, I'm not going to be dogmatic on an issue that the scriptures to not speak directly to. And even the ones where scripture is definately clear on call for us to restore others in a spirit of love, not condemnation. Let the one without sin cast the first stone. Any sin. Don't rate them. There was only One who was not and He didn't condemn. Neither will I. ChristLifer2001 |
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20 | is masterbation a sin explain thxs | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 47765 | ||
Emmaus, Sin happens in the mind. Jesus made this clear. It bears fruit in the body but it originates and happens in the mind. Are you telling me the an adolescent going through puberty (a normal bodily function) is an idolator? Do you know what the punishment for idolatry is under the Law? Do you wish to be under the Law? ChristLifer2001 |
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