Results 101 - 120 of 281
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Results from: Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
101 | Circumcision reduces HIV rates by half | Gen 17:11 | Parable | 181286 | ||
Hank, I was not espousing anything outside the biblical mandate. I was merely citing a recently discovered medical fact that witnesses to the rest of the world and provides an opportunity for christians to speak the truth in love. And, the people who did this research and who are risking their own health in order to minister to literally millions of suffering souls through the God-given gifts of medicine are demonstrating love in an historic way. I certainly wasn't attempting to validate God's plan, but rather just make a connection that shows how practical God's wisdom is. In another post, Doc emphasized obedience over pragmatism, to which I concur, yet I also recognize God's boundaries serve to protect us, a very pragmatic result. Finally, in another post you celebrate the topic getting back to the bible. I submit that while I wasn't citing chapter/verse, this topic could not be more relevant for the conscientious caring christians who participate in this forum. |
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102 | Circumcision reduces HIV rates by half | Gen 17:11 | Parable | 181305 | ||
Language is half the battle it seems. My undergraduate research was in physical geo-chemistry, my graduate research involved imaging near-atomic level reactions in layered materials via dynamic high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and my professional duties involve laboratory experimentation in materials science and engineering, instructing undergraduate interns in educational outreach, and developing nanoscience applications for focussed ion beam technologies. I am an active member of a men's group dedicated to understanding the radical truth of the gospel by studying notable figures from Christian history, and for the past two years, I have been leading a divorce recovery class at my church, which has been by far the most rewarding service work I have ever done. |
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103 | why the distinction btw girls and boys? | Num 31:17 | Parable | 175214 | ||
Actually, this is the original. | ||||||
104 | what purpose served by this distinction? | Num 31:17 | Parable | 175215 | ||
Thanks, the link is good, except it fails to address the killing of the boys. | ||||||
105 | 2 Tim 3:16 | Num 31:17 | Parable | 175231 | ||
God's unwillingness to answer is not the point. My question relates to what the Word says about what was done in His name. While your commentaries are insightful, they are not scripture, which is what I am trying to understand. And, you suggest all the commentaries you provided answered my orginal question. I disagree. Here are the relevant excerpts, with my observations (in parens): Matthew Henry -- "The female children were spared, who, being brought up among the Israelites, would not tempt them to idolatry." (this explains why they were spared, but not why the boys were killed) Your paraphrase -- "John Gill comments on the women killed ...." (this explains why the women were killed, but does not address why the virgin females were spared nor why the boys were killed) Robert Jamieson, et al, -- "No order had been given for the slaughter of the women, and in ancient war they were commonly reserved for slaves." (this explains why the officer brought them back from war) "...the Midianitish women had forfeited all claims to mild or merciful treatment; and the sacred character, the avowed object of the war (Numbers 31:2-3), made their slaughter necessary without any special order." (this explains why the women were killed) "But why 'kill every male among the little ones'? It was designed to be a war of extermination, such as God Himself had ordered against the people of Canaan, whom the Midianites equalled in the enormity of their wickedness." (if a war of extermination, then killing the boys is consistent with that, but sparing the virgin females is not) Adam Clarke -- "The little ones were safely lodged; they were taken to heaven and saved from the evil to come." (so, killing the boys was essentially an act of mercy. if so, then this mercy was denied to the virgin females. why?) John Wesley -- "Every woman - Partly for punishment, because the guilt was general, and though some of them only did prostitute themselves to the Israelites, yet the rest made themselves accessary by their consent or approbation; and partly, for prevention of the like mischief from such an adulterous generation." (this explains the killing of the women, and perhaps the boys, but does not speak to why the virgin females were spared) Finally, while I appreciate your encouragement to explore this topic elsewhere and report my findings, to be honest it feels more like I am being dismissed, now that you have answered my question yet I have somehow not understood your meaning. My question remains best stated in two parts: 1. What purpose is served by eliminating the boys that would not have also been served by eliminating the virgin females? 2. Conversely, what purpose is served by sparing the virgin females that would not have also been served by sparing the boys? If anyone has any scriptural references that speak to the distinction between the boys and virgin females that I have articulated, please advise. Otherwise, it seems God's purpose with this distiction, if it is indeed real, is not to be revealed in His Word. |
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106 | 2 Tim 3:16 | Num 31:17 | Parable | 175241 | ||
In science and law, it is recognized that the evidence we consider often is shaped by the questions we ask. I am mindful that hermaneutics is not exempt from this. It is possible that the distinction I see is more about how I think and less about how God thinks. | ||||||
107 | guiding principles? | Num 31:17 | Parable | 175258 | ||
The content of your post is not consistent with the guidelines prescribed by the owners of this forum. | ||||||
108 | Does God ever change his mind? | 2 Kin 20:6 | Parable | 84410 | ||
Wow. This thread witnesses to the importance of the forum guidelines. Clearly, any question about biblical truth is meaningless if one holds that the bible is not true. It never ceases to amaze me how we can become blind to God's truth by clinging to our own understandings. | ||||||
109 | Does God ever change his mind? | 2 Kin 20:6 | Parable | 84515 | ||
I have trouble accepting your interpretation that scripture contradicts itself. I think rather that it is hard for us to understand God's nature in simple terms. As a result, in some places scripture imparts one description that is revealed in one circumstance and in other places scripture imparts another description that is revealed in other circumstances. This does not necessarily imply God changes, but rather what He reveals about Himself is taylored to meet our needs and his nature embodies more than we can understand in one way at one time. | ||||||
110 | Does God ever change his mind? | 2 Kin 20:6 | Parable | 84572 | ||
I respond: 1. This thread was restricted for the simple reason you failed to comply with the conditions set by the owner for the privilege of posting to this electronic resource. Of course, it is a judgement call on their part after someone reports abuse, but as owners, they have the right to exercise this kind of discretion. They also have the right to terminate subcriptions, which they have not done, to their credit. 2. There is no doubt I am a hypocrite. I continually fall short of living the ideals I aspire to live. As Paul says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." -- Romans 7:15 3. Regarding following blindly, I agree that from the outside, it appears this way. But again "so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Cor 4:18. Have you ever looked at one of those Magic Eye Posters that have a 3D image encoded in the pattern? To the untrained eye, it appears abstract and meaningless, but to those who know how to fix their eyes, the 3D image jumps right off the page. The first time I tried it, I saw nothing, but after encouragement from others, and faith there was something to see, I persevered. Then, after much effort, I was able to control my focus and suddenly the 3D image jumped right off the page. All it took was learning how to use my eyes in a different way. 4. Regarding our study, it is because truth is important that we strive to understand it accurately and sharing our insights is one way we "work out" (Php 2:12) our salvation, participating in God's work in us. 5. I believe your confusion may be a result of trying to derive faith with logic. The problem with that is logic depends on faith. That is, there is no logical reason to use logic; we do so because we believe it is the best way to make decisions. There are some truths that cannot be derived and if we cling to logic as our only means of understanding truth, there are many truths we will not be able to understand or accept. God's truth is like that. That doesn't mean God is not logical; indeed, as scientist, I see His perfect order in creation. But there are aspects of His nature that we cannot capture with our limited intellect, so we must use other aspects of our nature in order to relate to Him. We must employ that part of ourselves that leads us to trust logic, intuition, insight. That part of ourselves we experience when we are convicted by truth. 6. Regarding Satan, you seem to agree with scripture. But, Satan is not the author of Christianity. Jesus explained why this makes no sense when he said "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand." -- Mat 12:25 7. Regarding your church, there may be problems working behind the scenes, leading to an unhealthy situation. Perhaps you might visit other churches, talk to other pastors about your concerns. You may not be the only person who feels this way about your church. If so, it may be the problem is with them, and not so much with you. |
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111 | Does God ever change his mind? | 2 Kin 20:6 | Parable | 84622 | ||
I pray He answers you gently. Along those lines, perhaps you might find Quakerism more to your liking. The Society of Friends have jettisoned almost everything associated with Christianity, except a deep mystical relationship with God and a devoted service to mankind. Some scholars consider Quakerism a third form of Christianity, not catholic nor protestant, while others consider them to be heretics. Just a thought. Peace, Parable. |
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112 | Does God ever change his mind? | 2 Kin 20:6 | Parable | 84726 | ||
Christians don't have all the answers. Peace, Parable |
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113 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99038 | ||
Coming from you Hank, this is indeed high praise. Thank you for your encouragement. Parable. |
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114 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99039 | ||
I concur. By His resurrection, Christ has won the war against darkness, death and evil. What remains to be worked out is the mopping-up operation, that is, for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to identify remaining pockets of enemy activity and be victorious over them through faith, prayer and love. | ||||||
115 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99045 | ||
I think so. Nothing can prevent God's will from being realized in the fullness of time. Perhaps this is because while He has given us genuine freedom to choose or reject him, He has not given us unlimited or eternal power/authority with which to act. So, if we choose to rebel, we can expect to have only a limited impact on His creation and His divine plan. | ||||||
116 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99049 | ||
If we believe that everything that happens is God's will, then we cannot escape the conclusion that He is the author of evil and that we cannot influence anything through faith or prayer. On the other hand, if we accept that scripture teaches us that God has left some things up to us, and other free agents He created, then we are immediately faced with the responsibility for our thoughts, words and deeds, and that our faith and prayers can make a meaningful difference in the war against the enemy. If Satan, the enemy, is really just God's hired henchman, then God is ultimately responsible for all that Satan does. Scripture is clear that this is not the case. This is why we find so little comfort in the platitudes offered when something bad happens, that is, "it must be part of God's mysterious divine plan for us." That simply doesn't hold up against what scripture teaches about how Jesus responded to demons and Satan. |
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117 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99051 | ||
I acknowledge these verses describe God's supreme authority, but not that he micromanages every detail. There is a difference between saying that what God has ordained will come to pass and that everything that comes to pass has been ordained by God. From our experience, do we not feel that leaders who cannot delegate are insecure and ultimately less respected because they feel they must dictate every little thing? On the other hand, do we not respect those who empower others, don't we feel they are secure, strong and wise? |
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118 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99052 | ||
The greatest love is when we give our lives for the sake of others. Love is not an emotion, it is a command. Love is the greatest spiritual gift, without it, none of the others mean anything. Love is the fullfillment of the law. God is love. Love is doing for others what you would have them do for you. Sometimes loving others means accepting their indifference, rejection or hatred, allowing them to remain as they choose to be, however unjust, mistaken or tragic. The result is that nothing they think, say or do will hinder treating them as you would be treated by them. Love is a state of being, thinking and doing, not something we put on and take off like a garment. |
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119 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99055 | ||
In Romans 10:9, Paul said "...if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." This is what scripture says is the meaning of being Christian, not that we adopt Augustine's exhaustively defined blueprint theology in which God is the author of evil for purposes beyond human understanding. Read scripture for what it clearly says, not what others have said it means. Clearly, the bible teaches God is eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, transcendant and immanent. Scripture also teaches that it is the very real EXPERIENCE of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and ascension that give our faith its meaning. |
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120 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99060 | ||
The idea God does not micromanage is first and foremost scriptural. With my example, which was not intended as a foundation, I was just trying to show why God's truth makes sense, to clarify what I meant. If we examine Mat 10:29 in its context, Jesus concludes His discussion in verse 31 with "So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." His point is that we are worth more than the sparrows, not that sparrows die because God kills them. |
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