Results 101 - 120 of 155
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Curtnsally Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
101 | Isn't Jesus the ONLY WAY to heaven? | John 14:6 | Curtnsally | 31843 | ||
Believing that Jesus paid for our sins is the only way to heaven. Idol worship is the number one sin, in the OT and NT. We must place nothing before God. That said, I think its ok to use Biblical characters (and modern disciples as well)as role models for the Christian walk. We just can't let it become idol worship. |
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102 | Will there be Muslims in heaven? | John 14:6 | Curtnsally | 31860 | ||
I'll give it a shot. First, we must understand what Muslims believe. From the Koran: [10.105] "And that you should keep your course towards the religion uprightly; and you should not be of the polytheists (Christians)." [2.277] "Surely they who believe and do good deeds and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate they shall have their reward from their Lord, and they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve." Believing Muslims accept Christ as a prophet but strongly deny that He was God incarnate. They are very anti-Trinitarian. They believe in one God without Jesus or the Holy Spirit. They do not accept the Bible as the Word of God, but believe it has been perverted by men through the years. Their faith is a works-righteousness belief, that is, it is not faith alone, but faith plus what I do that earns my salvation. Now, what does the Bible say about these principles? Let's start with Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Our salvation comes only from the grace of God... not from anything I do. It is God and God alone... not God plus me. Our works are an outward sign of our salvation, but our salvation is not dependent on our works. Next, John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." "No one" means "no one". We must accept the gift of salvation from God, as provided in Jesus. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Jesus died and rose to pay our debt. You and I are free from sin if we accept this gift. The Muslim can accept it as well, but then by their own definition, they would not be Muslim (believers) any more. Hope this get you started. Best Curt |
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103 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32267 | ||
One God, many faiths? In light of recent events, there has been much more discussion about religion in the news media. One statement that has been made repeatedly by reporters and politicians is the we (Christians, Jews and Muslims) all worship the same God. Your thoughts? |
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104 | 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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105 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32303 | ||
Thanks for you response, but consider this... The Muslim (and I suppose Jews for that matter)would love your answer... they think Christians are polytheists, and would use this Scripture to say "see your Bible supports our position... there is only one God". They have a tough time with the concept of the Trinity, "three in one". Muslims see Isa (Jesus) as a prophet, not God. Cheers Curt |
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106 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32305 | ||
Thanks! Excellent use of scripture, and particularly strong for the Muslim, as they believe Jesus to be a prophet. John 14:6 is also strong, as it is Jesus himself speaking. In light of current events, it is important, I think, to have a clear understanding of these things so we can make a case for the Gospel when the opportunity arises. Cheers Curt |
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107 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32307 | ||
Thanks! I often debate Islamic college students on the web at ummah.com. They have an Islamic chat forum. Its a lot of fun, though fruit is in short supply. I often download Scripture from BibleGateway and convert it to arabic before throwing it on the chat window. They can never figure out how I do this, and I get a few chuckles out of it, but mostly hope I am planting seeds. I'll have a look at the site you recommended, and see if I can use some material for my online escapades. Cheers Curt |
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108 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32311 | ||
Thanks again! I saw Josh McDowell at a Young Life weekend retreat in 1972 (when he and I were a lot younger)... he was a major influence in my decision for Christ. I still have my original "Evidence" that I got that weekend, and have worn it out. I also have the "More Evidence" book, and have used it likewise. While we're on book reviews, one that is current that I highly recommend is "The New Reformation" by Greg Ogden (Head of the DMin program at Fuller seminary). The thesis is this: now is the time for the completion of the Reformation started by Martin Luther... "all Christians are gifted, empowered and called to ministry by the Holy Spirit". I believe this book could be the foreward to a real reawakening as churches take this message to heart. I am well aware this has been said many times before, but having seen real change through the Holy Spirit in my own church in the past few years, I am very encouraged (you have to understand I am in a PCUSA Presbyterian church... not exactly the first denomination that comes to mind when you think of Holy Spirt fired churches). Yet our church is on fire and really seeing fruit, primarily based on Ogden's New Reformation concept (which isn't really new... just Biblical principals applied in the current setting). Anyway, if you haven't seen it, check it out... its really good stuff! Cheers, Curt |
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109 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32312 | ||
Thanks... If you look up verses on BibleGateway.com ... once the verse comes up, there are languages listed at the top of the page. By clicking on the language, it will convert the verse to the language you selected. In arabic, it actually converts it to arabic alphabet and all. Pretty amazing! What fun is how fast you can do it during an online chat setting. Someone can ask a question and within a minute I can look up a verse convert it to arabic, clip it and paste it into the chat window. It gets their attention. By the way, I also use an online searchable Koran and will find relevant verses to support Christian principals. For example, the Koran says: [2.87] And most certainly We gave Musa the Book and We sent apostles after him one after another; and We gave Isa, the son of Marium, clear arguments and strengthened him with the holy spirit, What! whenever then an apostle came to you with that which your souls did not desire, you were insolent so you called some liars and some you slew. (FYI, Musa is Moses, Isa is Jesus, and Marium is Mary) I follow that with... Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. In Arabic (if it works here) ÝóÃóÌóÇÈóåõ íóÓõæÚõ: «ÃóäóÇ åõæó ÇáØøóÑöíÞõ æóÇáúÍóÞøõ æóÇáúÍóíóÇÉõ. áÇó íóÃúÊöí ÃóÍóÏñ Åöáóì ÇáÂÈö ÅöáÇøó Èöí Then I ask... If jesus (Isa) was a prophet, and He claimed to be God... why don't you believe Him? Makes for a lively discussion on the Islamic chat line! I, too, love all people and enjoy sticking my neck out when the Spirit leads. Cheers, Curt |
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110 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32313 | ||
Couldn't agree more. I often postulate to Muslims... if God is God (which they believe very strongly) and He wanted to manifest Himself in three ways, could He? They can't say no, otherwise they would make God out to be less than God. At that point they can't argue the theology of the Trinity, only the source of information... and we win that battle (one guy's word -- Muhammed -- against 6000 years of theological harmony in Scripture). Grace to you as well! Curt |
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111 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32343 | ||
Interesting history, some of which I knew... some not. While it is clear to believing Christians that the god of islam is not the God of the Bible, I think we need to learn more of the things you have pointed out to be able to provide clear answers as we proclaim the Good News. Thanks! Curt |
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112 | One God, many faiths? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 32347 | ||
I had forgotten that... thanks for the reminder Tim! Blessings, Curt |
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113 | Does Christ stand alone for salvation?? | Acts 4:12 | Curtnsally | 34367 | ||
Greetings WAK I have read many of your posts, with disagreement over some... but I wanted to tell you that this post is the best I've seen. It embodies the struggle that many of us have "living in the world but being not of the world". I am a product of the 60s-70s and have spent 20 years trying to re-program and orient toward a life of holiness. This with mixed success for sure. To your original question... you asked about the salvation of folks who: - have faith in Jesus's salvation (grace) thru the cross -do some nice things for others (WORKS) - live somewhat better moral lives than their neighbor because of their faith - don't read the Bible, but trust in the main 3 or 4 messages - talk to Jesus (pray) usually only if something is very good or very bad. My first thought is that it is very risky to predict the salvation of others... I really think we need to let God decide that. If we want to look for clues for our own life, I turn toward verses like this: Matthew 7 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." I ask myself, am I bearing fruit? Am I doing the "will of the Father"? Can I know the will of the Father if I don't read His Word? Can I know the will of the Father if I don't talk to Him in prayer? Can I know the will of the Father if I am not in fellowship with others who are seeking to do the same? I agree that "image" is the golden calf of our time, and often just as much so in the church as outside. Does God care whether we wear a suit or a teeshirt to church? I doubt it. He does care whether we bear fruit. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." A significant help in my own life has been the "iron" of other Christians sharpening me, teaching me how to find and live in God's will. Ultimately, the spiritual battle boils down to this, "my will or God's will?". This is not very popular in modern American culture (or any culture for that matter). Christians need to sharpen each other so that we glorify God who has provided us the ultimate gift ... salvation. Blessings Curt |
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114 | Geography of the Forum! | Acts 21:39 | Curtnsally | 34263 | ||
Curt - Baltimore MD USA - Go Terps! | ||||||
115 | Geography of the Forum! | Acts 21:39 | Curtnsally | 34447 | ||
I live on the north side of town in Lutherville. I have business operations on the east side of town not far from Patterson Park, and lot of folks who work with me live in that area. We also have a warehouse next to Beth Steel, which is really suffering right now... I'm sorry to say. Until they (the govt) do something about steel imports, Beth will have a tough time of it. Baltimore is a great town and we love living here. The politics are pretty weird, but other than that its a great place to raise kids. With Washington right down the road, we can shoot down to the Smithsonian on Sunday afternoons, or tour the monuments. And we don't have to live in DC! Weekends crabbing on the Chesapeake... can't beat it! Blessings Curt |
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116 | Geography of the Forum! | Acts 21:39 | Curtnsally | 34493 | ||
Hi Norrie - Update: Beth Ship yard was sold a few years back, and has actually been doing ok on a very small scale. Beth Steel is in Chapter 11, but contnuing to operate. Unions and benefits were a large part of the problem, but subsidized steel from overseas is a big part of the problem as well. We destroyed most of the steel-making capability of Germany and Japan in WW II, and then helped them build more efficient plants afterward. This put us at a competitive disadvantage. In recent years, the former Soviet bloc countries have been selling every natural resource they possess to gain hard currency. This includes lumber, steel, aluminum and similar goods. I see this because I am in the logistics business, and we unload ship after ship of these goods. The reality is that US labor will not work for a wage as low as third world countries. In the past, our superior efficiency helped bridge that gap, but as other countries develop efficient manufacturing capabilities, the demand for low cost goods drives the production of those goods off shore. The US has become primarily a marketeer for products made overseas, and is also a large consuming market of those goods. Unions, particularly in Maryland, are still shooting themselves in the foot and driving manufacturing away from this state. I know exactly where you are talking about in Patterson Park. The high side of the park has a great view from ground level and I'm sure its even better from a second story window. Blessings Curt |
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117 | Geography of the Forum! | Acts 21:39 | Curtnsally | 34494 | ||
Hank - Can you pull the string tighter... your last post was a little garbled! :-) Cheers Curt |
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118 | Is homosexuality actually forbidden? | Romans | Curtnsally | 33231 | ||
. Romans 1 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 1 Corinthians 6 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Hope this answers your question. Cheers Curt |
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119 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Curtnsally | 33265 | ||
Let's start with this Scripture: John 15 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. This verse says it is impossible to bear fruit unless we are "in Christ". The branches that are pruned are ones that bear no fruit. Thus they represent those who are not in Christ (ie "those who fell" in the Romans 11 verse). Continuing the thought, how about Matthew 13... 18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown." These verses seem to say that one can hear God's Word and understand it and have faith and then lose it. And then we have John 10... 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. This verse seems to say that those who are saved cannot be snatched from God's hand. The juxtaposition of these two concepts tells us this, in my humble opinion: That those who are saved will bear fruit, and that those who are saved cannot be taken by Satan. Further, those who are not saved will not bear fruit, and those who are not saved will fall to Satan. Finally, the John 15 verse tells us that there is a process to our salvation that includes hearing God's Word, remaining in God's Word (in thought, heart and action), and producing fruit as a result. This is not to say that salvation is the result of God plus us... rather, it is God in us that brings salvation. I think we can proceed down the path toward God, and then fall away. If we truly reach the point of "God in us" I think Jesus protects us, as the only shepherd can. This is a tough question, as one could also debate the correlative issue... "free will" vs "the elect" ... did we choose God or did He choose us? In Him Curt |
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120 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Curtnsally | 33322 | ||
Brother Robert I'm not sure that I generally disagree with your theology, but I want to make you think about your argument for it. You said, "I do not believe that the scripture supports salvation which is dependent upon works" No debate here based on Ephesians 2:8-9. Then you said, "The Lord Jesus made many positive statements which assures us that upon receiving or trusting him "we have eternal life". Isn't that theology dependent on works... ie, WE have to "receive and trust" Him in order to be saved? Isn't that something WE do? Ephesians 2:-9 says that we are saved by grace through faith... and this is not of ourselves... thus, even our faith is a gift from God. Romans 3:11 says that no one seeks for God. If these things are so, then we have eternal life purely as a gift from God, not of our own works. More to the original point, in Matthew 13 (the parable of the sower) tells us 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. So Jesus is saying that it is possible to hear God's word and RECEIVE it, and yet fall away. Now I realize that we could debate whether the man was really saved. I would postulate that your John 3:16 defense is based on the notion that if I trust God at some point, I will always trust God. This may be true, but I don't think John 3:16 says this. Matthew 13:20-21 seems to refute this. And just to muddy the water a little more: 2 Thessalonians 2 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God CHOSE you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. John 10:27-30 says that the sheep cannot be snatched from the shepherd's hand, and that the sheep are given to the shepherd by his father. Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen." Mark 13 19 "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the ELECT, whom He CHOSE, He shortened the days. John 15 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I CHOSE you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Ephesians 1 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For He CHOSE us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love 5 He PREDESTINED us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-- I don't bring these verses up to be obnoxious. I truly struggle with the notion of God choosing us, yet Scripture is full of this concept. God chooses to save whom he will, as in Abraham, Noah, the OT Jews, up through the disciples, Paul and you and me apparently. This is relevant to the original point because, if God chooses us, can we unchoose God? A lot to ponder. In Him Curt |
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