Results 101 - 114 of 114
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Results from: Notes Author: Curtnsally Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
101 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32302 | ||
Interestingly, I have used John 14:6 to witness many times to Muslims. The question I pose is this... If Jesus (Isa to them) was a prophet and He said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", was He telling a falsehood or was He really the Messiah of the OT? This confounds their position that Jesus was a Muslim prophet. Of course, they try to counter that He never said that... a position difficult to defend, given the credibility of Scripture. In essense, I'm using the "Lord, Liar or Luniatic argument first postulated (I believe) by Josh McDowell. To the original question posed, I go bonkers every time I hear a talking head on the news say, "we all worship the same God". Though we all claim the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, none of the three religions believes that we worship the same God in the present tense. All believe the others have gone astray somewhere along the line. Another good Scripture: Matthew 16:13-17 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Thanks! Curt |
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102 | Born on the way to destruction ? | Matt 7:13 | Curtnsally | 32261 | ||
Robert I agree with your position. You also had some fine responses from others. Its fun to consider these things in a little more depth than we normally do just in passing. Your question made me stop and think. Thanks! Blessings Curt |
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103 | Church on sunday, why? | Heb 10:24 | Curtnsally | 32228 | ||
I read your post, and wondered whether tammylou was asking "why do we go to church?" (which is what you responded to, or "why do we go to church on Sunday particularly?" (Which is what I thought she asked... but I could be wrong). Anyway, you gave a great answer to the first.... just wasn't sure if that was the intent of her question. Cheers Curt |
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104 | Infallibility of the Bible questioned. | 2 Tim 3:16 | Curtnsally | 32211 | ||
Absolutely... and I believe this is where both scientists and believers get confused. Some scientists try to take micro evolution and turn it into creation. Some Christians try to disavow all evolution as a communist plot. This is, I believe, a serious mistake... for it is untrue, and leads unbelievers to think we are goofy... not very helpful in evangelism. I don't think we have to commit intellectual suicide to be Christians, and further believe that God gives us wisdom to understand the knowledge we collect. To the extent that we can explain the consistencies of Scripture and scientific knowledge (which we know must jive), we gain credibility, in evangelistic service to our risen Savior. We are called to be winsome witnesses. The beauty of our faith is that we don't have to be ostriches. We can examine truth from every angle and know that God makes it all work together. To the world, we can be like Daniel interpreting the dream... piecing together scientific truth and theological truth in one glorious story. Cheers Curt |
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105 | Infallibility of the Bible questioned. | 2 Tim 3:16 | Curtnsally | 32170 | ||
Absolutely! "In the beginning, God...." thus the "when" is established. And I believe that 100 percent. As to evolution, in the study of living things, there is no question that things evolve. That is a far cry from the ill-conceived notion that somehow all living things were created through evolution, which is a non-starter both theologically and in the fossil record. We must be careful not to throw out the baby with the bath water. Just because some non-believers in the scientific community try to (wrongly) assert creation through evolution, we should not assert that there is no such thing as evolution just to prove them wrong. Living things have evolved (primarily within species, I believe), but God created them first. Science and theology are both a search for the truth, and in God's world, they are in perfect harmony. When we seek truth, we should reconcile what we see in science with what we know theologically. If they don't match, we need to review our thinking to see where we are wrong. We should not for for bad or contrived truth on either side, but seek to reconcile both as best we can, not by rewriting but by digging deeper. Blessings Curt |
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106 | Satan's will or God's will | 2 Tim 2:26 | Curtnsally | 32134 | ||
Excellent point, and I think I will stand corrected, or at least refined. I don't think we actually disagree, except in semantics. When I think of Satan's "power" over us, I think in terms of temptation, not in terms of my response to temptation. ie, He has the power to tempt, not to force. You seem to postulate that the power to tempt is not really power over us. I believe it is, but that we have no excuse because God gives us a greater power. Hence the verse which I am sure you are well familiar: I Cor 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. If we must bear temptation, it must be a force in our lives, hence a power, BUT, it is a power that we can withstand because God is faithful and provides us the strength to overcome. Our free will is not a choice of overcoming Satan on our own... I don't think we can, thus the need for a Savior. We overcome Satan by choosing to draw on God's strength as a provision... a way out. Thanks for a thoughtful response! Cheers Curt |
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107 | Infallibility of the Bible questioned. | 2 Tim 3:16 | Curtnsally | 32132 | ||
I did not see your post as graceless, and welcome challenging thoughts, whether we agree or disagree. I, like most here, am a seeker foremost of the truth. I viewed your comments as an assertion of the same. Thanks for the welcome! Cheers Curt |
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108 | Is BAPTISM a SYMBOL? | Mark 16:16 | Curtnsally | 32012 | ||
I have considered your position with great interest, but must say that I respectfully disagree. God's promise is not dependent upon us. It is made unilaterally. Jesus died and rose at the will of God, not because we first had faith, but because God chose to offer His gift of grace to us. Thus, baptism is a sign of God's promise to us, not a sign of our promise to God. When we repent, accept the gift of grace and receive the Holy Spirit, it is then that WE have accepted God's gift. Baptism is like the Christmas card that comes with the gift. It expresses the love of God for us in His unilateral grace. Just as salvation is not dependent upon grace plus works, neither is baptism (which points to God's grace) dependent upon our actions. A person (child) can be baptized as a sign of God's promise to us, and their will has nothing to do with that promise. Acts 16:33-34 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. |
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109 | Satan's will or God's will | 2 Tim 2:26 | Curtnsally | 32002 | ||
Can't argue too hard with your point, however, I think it is a miscalculation to say Satan has no power over us. If that were true, we would not sin. Paul often talks about the bondage of sin, and I believe this is what he refers to here. To refine the thought, I think that Satan does have limited power over us, but that God's power is greater, if we call upon Him. Certainly, Satan has a will to do evil and he never rests at trying to ensnare us in that desire. Paul is teaching Timothy how to help people escape the bondage of sin. Also... at this time, there was clearly dissention among the ranks on theological issues. Paul wants Timothy to gently correct these issues. In this, he encourages Timothy to be kind (thus attractive) to all people to gain a voice for teaching and and correction to help them free themselves (through faith) from the bondage of sin. Paul reminds Timothy to: "be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. Thanks for the welcome! Blessings Curt |
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110 | Mary is Sinless? | Luke 2:24 | Curtnsally | 31841 | ||
Romans 3:10-11 ...as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD" The only exception to this in Scripture is Christ. Curt |
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111 | which bible translation is true? | Bible general Archive 1 | Curtnsally | 31836 | ||
I agree with Ric and use NASB as well, but I think the question may be larger than this. What is the Bible? I believe the Bible is the history of God's relationship with man. I think, if viewed in this context, that nearly all translations can lead one to understand God's relationship with man, and ultimately His amazing grace toward us. In this sense, they are each true and equally valid, though some may get us there easier than others. I would not be comfortable reading the original Greek, as I am poor at language skills. Some find it difficult to read the King James, as it is written in language of the 1600's. Some find difficulty reading NASB, and prefer the Living Bible. God is not bound by man's wording and neither are we, thanks to His providence. The real question is... is the Bible true in the larger sense? On this, there is no doubt to all those who have studied with an open mind. God loves you and me and He says so in a thousand ways... if we will listen. Praise His name! Curt |
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112 | Is BAPTISM a SYMBOL? | Mark 16:16 | Curtnsally | 31831 | ||
Agree that these answers are great. I would add this: Baptism is a sign of God's promise. There were those who were baptized by John before they knew Christ. Their faith was based on God's promise. Thus, as Christians, we also baptise our children, placing them under God's covenant (just as Jews in OT times circumcised their children to place them under the covenant of Abraham). This is a sign of God's promise. Some say that children should only be baptized when they reach an age of understanding. But God's promises have never been dependent upon our understanding. We accept this sign as of a promise of salvation through Christ, a sign that points toward Christ. As others have pointed out, it is not a substitute for Christ. His only Curt |
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113 | Will unbelievers be raised from Sheol? | Rev 21:8 | Curtnsally | 31807 | ||
Hank Thanks for your note, and kind comment. I think we (you/me/Ed) are on the same page, and I don't disagree with your last comment about the inseparability of the Trinity. One could reverse your theory, though, by saying that belief in any part of the Trinity constitutes a belief in all (particularly if there is no knowledge of the Trinity). I wonder if the real question is whether or not God reveals the nature of the Trinity to every person... of just the existence of God??? Of course, we're treading on the end of the speculation continuum when we get this far out! Clearly anyone who denies Christ or the Holy Spirit denies God. But for the ignorant heathen who has no knowledge of the Trinity, or for the person who lived in OT times before the revelation of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is not faith in the One God sufficient? Scripture, I believe, says yes. I'm not a universalist nor unitarian, believe me, but I do believe Scripture leaves room for God to save whom He chooses. We just can't comprehend His maginitude. Being a good Presbyterian, we could really juice up the discussion by weighing the Scriptures on "free will" versus "election" ... Cheers! Curt |
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114 | Will unbelievers be raised from Sheol? | Rev 21:8 | Curtnsally | 31797 | ||
Thanks for some great thoughts! Question... If God reveals Himself to all people, are there really any unreached people? If Paul attests that all are without excuse, then one would think that there must be a means of faith provided with God's revelation to all, otherwise they would have an excuse. I don't think we have enough information to know how God does this, but we often don't know how God does things. We just trust that He does. There are many OT Scriptures where people trust God for their salvation (Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah among others), all looking forward to, but without specific knowledge of, Jesus. Similarly, Jesus does not condemn the woman caught in adultry (John 8:3 et al), though she did not know Him or show a relationship with God in her life. I believe that John 14:6 means that salvation comes only through the substitutionary payment of our debt by Christ, and that this is the all-sufficient means of God's grace. How God reveals this to every human, I do not know. A continuing theme throughout Scripture (OT and NT)is that the righteous shall live by faith, and salvation is only by faith. I am not convinced that God is bound by our understanding of His ability to reveal Himself. I am certain that however He does it, Christ is the only means of salvation for the sinner. I also, for the record, believe that God is relational, and that He desires for us to share in the joy of delivering the Good News to the world. Thus, the Great Commission. But this is a long way from saying that the eternal life of those living in remote places is dependent on our success as missionaries. I ask... is Jesus dependent upon disciples to carry the message? Jesus answers in Luke 19:39-40... "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples. But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" God is God, and we don't always understand His limitless capabilities. I thank Him for His grace and that He paid the price for my sin. For others, I pray that I'm not just one of the "lucky chosen". |
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