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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: reilly1041 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | Not Specified | reilly1041 | 81144 | ||
I am a relatively new Bible reader and one big question keeps hitting me -- I see a difference between Jesus' words on heaven and Paul's. Let me explain... Paul says "If you confess w/your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, TLB) And also, "For it is by grace you have been saved thru faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works..." (Eph 2:8, NKJV) But I don't see Jesus talking that way in the gospels. For example, in Mt 7:21, Jesus said that "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. they may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Fathers in heaven". And again, in Mt 5:22, He says "if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell". See also Luke 12:35-49, where He discusses being prepared about his coming. If the servant isn't behaving well, the master will tear the servant apart and banish him. These statements of Jesus seem to indicate that much more than simply announcing and believing in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God is required for the Kingdom of Heaven. He clearly states that the key issue is whether you obey his Father in heaven. Is this to be interpreted as living a good life, following the commandments, etc., as additional requirements for heaven? Does that jive w/Paul's statements? Note that it's not that I'm against trying to live a good, holy life, but this seems to lead down the road of salvation by faith-and-works. Please help me understand this better, because my life was changed by Eph 2:8-9, but this is confusing me. Thanks! |
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2 | how to convince one of Bible's truth | Not Specified | reilly1041 | 85132 | ||
I need help and I am sure you guys can provide it! I am in a debate with a cousin about the Bible and how one reads it. Here are his words: "The question is whether every line of all books in the Bible must be taken as the truth or whether one is permitted to take into account lots of other factors in making that decision. Afterall, who wrote down Genesis? Even after it was written down and passed along, who decided it was true? There is a Gospel of Thomas that can be dated back to within about 100 years of The Gospel of John (some argue that it's far earlier), yet it is not included in the Bible. A group of church leaders decided centuries ago that it shouldn't be. Is it appropriate to ask if they were correct? To restate the point, I don't believe that all of the hundreds, maybe even thousands of people who were directly or indirectly responsible for passing along, writing, and choosing the books of the Bible were being directed by God in such a way that they were infallibly writing the words of God just as if God was writing them himself. Instead, I think the Bible was created by inspired believers who did the best they could. It doesn't mean that their opinions regarding the stories, their meaning, and their own experiences didn't have an effect in what they did." For example, he believes that John's gospel has more of John's theology in it, in addition the history he was describing. He thus believes one should investigate what was John's theology and what was Jesus, to ensure that he is following Jesus, and not following Jesus' followers. My opinion is that we should accept the Bible as God's inspired Word. If that level of investigation is required for each verse, no layperson could possibly read the Bible, and I can't believe that the Bible is only intended for professional theologians. Now, I know that this forum gets pretty deep sometimes, but don't you all agree that level of knowledge is not required to read the Bible, but that a layperson (meaning not one steeped in theology) can get huge benefit out of it? I'm sure I can never convince him of this, but any advice for our debate? Thanks, reilly |
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3 | will the real James please stand up! | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81771 | ||
Now I am getting confused! As my Bible (Life Application Bible, NLT) explains it, there were two James's who were disciples: (1) James - brother of John, son of Zebedee. This James was killed by King Herod Agrippa, as described in Acts 12:2. This is the James that is often mentioned as part of a trio w/Peter and John. (2) James - son of Alphaeus. Mostly, he seems to be just in the list of the disciples (according to the "selected references" list in this bible's chart of the 12 disciples). Then, in Acts 15, there is an argument among the church leaders regarding circumcision, and it was settled by James giving his judgment that the Gentiles who turn to God should not be troubled w/circumcision. The notes in this Bible say that this James was Jesus' half-brother who became a leader of the church in Jerusalem and wrote the book of James. Thus giving us a third notable James in the NT. Mat 13:55 states "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? My Life Appl. Bible says that the third James, the writer of the book of James, is the James referred to in the above verse (Mt 13:55). To further confuse the mix, this Bible says that the book of Jude was written by the brother of James and Jesus, Jude (also mentioned in Mt 13:55). So, I would say that sah's original question was too vague to be answered succinctly! Does anyone/everyone agree with the notes in my Bible regarding James the writer of the book of James? |
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4 | will the real James please stand up! | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81790 | ||
I do understand the contentious nature of this question. I just wanted to bring sah's original, somewhat vague question into that contentious arena, because I think it's fair to assume that sah's question concerned James the Just, the writer of the book of James, as opposed to James the son of Alphaeus. Can you imagine if Jesus began his earthly ministry today? We wouldn't be puzzling over which James is which, we'd probably be poring over their IRS tax returns, and examining their web logs and reviewing their cell phone records, etc., etc.... Thanks, Stephanie |
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5 | Why do we pray if God already knows all | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 82133 | ||
May I suggest a wonderful little book on prayer called "The Prayer of Jesus", by Hank Hanegraaff, the "Bible Answer Man". I think your question is a common one, and is answered directly in his book. I'll just pull some of the answers to your question that he gives in this book: Supplication is not the sole sum and substance of our prayers. Far more than being merely a means of presenting our daily requests to God, it is a means of purusing a dynamic relationship w/Him. Additionally, our supplications in and of themselves are an acknowledgement of our dependence on Him, and that alone is reason enough to pray w/out ceasing. Plus, he discusses free will as mentioned in another post. He devotes a whole subchapter to your very question. Good luck and keep praying! Stephanie |
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6 | Thoughts and comments on USA Today story | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 82720 | ||
Alwaysblessed, This post is in support of EdB. I, too, thought your questions looked like homework questions. When I first saw your questions, all in a row, with specifics like "give three characteristics", I checked your user profile and it looked like you had just joined this forum that day. Most people in this forum who are searching for answers give some sort of background information on their search, they don't just type in a question that looked like it came from a textbook. I am sure that if you had worded your questions differently, perhaps "what do you think is the most important characteristic of an apostle? My friend thinks it's proximity to Jesus, I think it is faith, what do the users on this forum think?" --- you would have gotten lots of great responses. Good luck in your search, reilly |
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7 | Thoughts and comments on USA Today story | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 82789 | ||
Alwaysblessed, I think you may have interpreted my posting incorrectly. I was merely trying to explain why one may have thought you were trying to get your homework questions answered for you. I was just trying to explain how questions are often worded, not telling you that is how you have to word yours. This forum has lots of very knowledgeable people who are amazingly generous with their time and their opinions. I was just trying to help you get in the swing of the forum, because you will definitely get lots of information and ideas here. Honestly, I was only trying to help!! Good luck, reilly |
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8 | Is there a Purgatory? | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 83983 | ||
lookingforanswers, Welcome to the forum. I am relatively new here myself - you will surely find lots of amazingly knowledgeable folks here who are very generously willing to give of their info. One hint - you can do a quick search (upper right corner) and put in "purgatory", because this issue has been discussed previously. A snapshot: Catholics believe in purgatory, as Emmaus said, and as the Catholic Catechism explains it. Protestants do not believe in purgatory. In the previous postings on this subject, you'll find more details to explain further each view. Good luck in your search to find answers!! reilly |
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9 | Lent. Why don't Catholics eat meat? | Bible general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 85525 | ||
New Creature, This may blow you away, but my grandfather (now deceased) defined "chicken as chicken, meat as meat", and would happily eat chicken on Fridays during Lent, while still honoring (in his mind) the Catholic doctrine of abstaining from meat. I think the important point to remember is that the Catholic practice to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent has a very valid and honorable purpose: to keep Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice of Good Friday in the hearts and minds of His followers. The Catholic Church has defined the abstaining of meat as Emmaus listed it. The details aren't as important, especially if you are not Catholic (as it appears you are not). The important point is that it is simply a means of keeping the focus on Jesus and His sacrifice during the important preparation period called Lent. I hope I explained it correctly, Emmaus! Emmaus, I may be almost ex-Catholic, but I'm not anti-Catholic!! :) reilly |
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10 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81149 | ||
I am a relatively new Bible reader and one big question keeps hitting me -- I see a difference between Jesus' words on heaven and Paul's. Let me explain... Paul says "If you confess w/your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, TLB) And also, "For it is by grace you have been saved thru faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works..." (Eph 2:8, NKJV) But I don't see Jesus talking that way in the gospels. For example, in Mt 7:21, Jesus said that "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. they may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Fathers in heaven". And again, in Mt 5:22, He says "if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell". See also Luke 12:35-49, where He discusses being prepared about his coming. If the servant isn't behaving well, the master will tear the servant apart and banish him. These statements of Jesus seem to indicate that much more than simply announcing and believing in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God is required for the Kingdom of Heaven. He clearly states that the key issue is whether you obey his Father in heaven. Is this to be interpreted as living a good life, following the commandments, etc., as additional requirements for heaven? Does that jive w/Paul's statements? Note that it's not that I'm against trying to live a good, holy life, but this seems to lead down the road of salvation by faith-and-works. Please help me understand this better, because my life was changed by Eph 2:8-9, but this is confusing me. Thanks! |
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11 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81153 | ||
I am a relatively new Bible reader and one big question keeps hitting me -- I see a difference between Jesus' words on heaven and Paul's. Let me explain... Paul says "If you confess w/your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, TLB) And also, "For it is by grace you have been saved thru faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works..." (Eph 2:8, NKJV) But I don't see Jesus talking that way in the gospels. For example, in Mt 7:21, Jesus said that "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. they may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Fathers in heaven". And again, in Mt 5:22, He says "if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell". See also Luke 12:35-49, where He discusses being prepared about his coming. If the servant isn't behaving well, the master will tear the servant apart and banish him. These statements of Jesus seem to indicate that much more than simply announcing and believing in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God is required for the Kingdom of Heaven. He clearly states that the key issue is whether you obey his Father in heaven. Is this to be interpreted as living a good life, following the commandments, etc., as additional requirements for heaven? Does that jive w/Paul's statements? Note that it's not that I'm against trying to live a good, holy life, but this seems to lead down the road of salvation by faith-and-works. Please help me understand this better, because my life was changed by Eph 2:8-9, but this is confusing me. Thanks! |
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12 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81151 | ||
I am a relatively new Bible reader and one big question keeps hitting me -- I see a difference between Jesus' words on heaven and Paul's. Let me explain... Paul says "If you confess w/your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, TLB) And also, "For it is by grace you have been saved thru faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works..." (Eph 2:8, NKJV) But I don't see Jesus talking that way in the gospels. For example, in Mt 7:21, Jesus said that "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. they may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Fathers in heaven". And again, in Mt 5:22, He says "if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell". See also Luke 12:35-49, where He discusses being prepared about his coming. If the servant isn't behaving well, the master will tear the servant apart and banish him. These statements of Jesus seem to indicate that much more than simply announcing and believing in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God is required for the Kingdom of Heaven. He clearly states that the key issue is whether you obey his Father in heaven. Is this to be interpreted as living a good life, following the commandments, etc., as additional requirements for heaven? Does that jive w/Paul's statements? Note that it's not that I'm against trying to live a good, holy life, but this seems to lead down the road of salvation by faith-and-works. Please help me understand this better, because my life was changed by Eph 2:8-9, but this is confusing me. Thanks! |
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13 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81202 | ||
Yes, Emmaus, getting back to the original question concerning what Jesus said. How do the by-faith-alone people align their thinking with what Jesus talked about. I can't find anywhere where Jesus Himself talked about faith alone getting one to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus talked about the narrow gate - wouldn't the "faith-alone" gate be quite wide? (Just a note on myself, I was raised R. Catholic, started reading the Bible a year ago, love the concept of faith-alone, but I'm having trouble getting my arms around it. I don't mean my questions to be inflammatory, I'm just trying to get to the right questions to clear up my confusion! Thanks everybody!) |
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14 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81210 | ||
Thank you, Radioman, I see that I have lots more studying to do! I became alarmed in reading the other 3 gospels because I can never measure up to Jesus' instructions, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount. It just struck me as so insurmountable (even concluding with "But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect", Mt 6:48, NLT), and it seemed to not fit with the many statements of Paul, which seemed not so insurmountable. The "getting one to" the kingdom of heaven is my own, apparently wrong, terminology, due to my being a new Christian! As I put in my previous post, I was raised Catholic, and honestly, this just wasn't discussed much. Perhaps other Catholics had other experiences, but it is only in talking with Protestants that I get these great discussions. I have read the first 3 gospels much more than John's, as is readily apparent! I knew I would get great ammunition from you guys to get me back on track with the salvation-by-faith concept! Thank you all... Stephanie |
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15 | salvation and Cath Church | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81217 | ||
I don't know if I can ask this question in this forum without upsetting people, but I will try. I keep trying to ask the Bible Answer Man on the radio, but keep getting busy signals. Anyway, having been raised Catholic and then starting to read the Bible at the ripe age of 35, it seems like many of the Catholic truths do not "jive" easily with the Bible. Can it really be that the Catholic Church's teachings are wrong? Can it be that so many Catholics (I think I heard the number 1 billion) could be believing the wrong concepts, and if so, does that call into question their salvation? I ask these questions not in an inflammatory way, not to induce any sort of anti-Catholic rhetoric, but it seems amazing to me that so many people for so many centuries could be so wrong. I am considering leaving the Cath Church for a more Bible-based church, but feel like I'm getting ready to jump off a cliff (perhaps this feeling is from 35 years of hearing how there is only one "true" Church). Striving to be Berean-like, Stephanie |
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16 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81222 | ||
I love you guys and your discussions! The mutual respect is so utterly refreshing. Stephanie |
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17 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81237 | ||
Thank you so much, I had been struggling w/the differences among these terms. I was a mechanical engineer and now am a stay-at-home mom. I don't know if I have lost brain cells during my at-home tenure, or if I am just more comfortable doing calculus, but these concepts are confusing to me. Thanks for helping, Stephanie |
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18 | salvation and Cath Church | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81274 | ||
EdB-- I have been praying to God for clarification for nearly a year. I either need to continue to be patient or to better learn how to listen to Him. I do think God did help me find this forum, and I have some other people who are helping me as well. Thank you all! Stephanie |
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19 | salvation and Cath Church | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81280 | ||
Thanks for the book recommendations, I already ordered it from amazon. Stephanie |
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20 | salvation and Cath Church | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81449 | ||
Itiswritten -- I would love it if you did follow me around! Thanks for the words. When I read those passages you noted, I always wish I had been there to hear Jesus say them. Can you imagine the temple leaders hearing that? And it seemed to go on and on and on....Had to be very painful to hear if you were in their shoes. I once asked our priest about the complexity of the Cath Church and wasn't Jesus' message about cutting thru the complexity of the religion of His day and going straight to the heart of believe in Him and His Father? Our priest said that a Pharisee living today would make the perfect Catholic, he would sit in the front pew, never miss a Holy Day of Obligation, wouldn't eat meat on every Friday throughout the year (not just during Lent), etc. But he said we all have to fight the Pharisee-ism and keep focused on God. Sometimes that's a hard fight though! /Stephanie |
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