Results 1061 - 1080 of 1239
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: jlhetrick Ordered by Date |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1061 | is smoking a sin? | 1 Cor 6:12 | jlhetrick | 161343 | ||
Thanks, just wanted to make sure you knew so you could get it to the right person. Some of us don't always have time to follow the thread closely and might not know of a response unless we get email. Again, good points you made, Jeff |
||||||
1062 | is smoking a sin? | 1 Cor 6:12 | jlhetrick | 161267 | ||
Hello itsme, Good points you made in your post, but I think you may have been intending to post it to someone else. Or, were you intending your post for me? If so, will you please be more specific as to how your response relates to my post? Thanks, Jeff |
||||||
1063 | is smoking a sin? | 1 Cor 6:12 | jlhetrick | 161253 | ||
Hi Ambass, Your point is taken but I want to make a point regarding a statement you made. You wrote: "It is a sin to be obese" In the context of your post I think that you are feferring to "obese" as it relates specifically to habitual over eating (Gluttony). I just wanted to add that there are people who are obese due to serious medical problems that they may have little or no control over. We wouldn't want to imply that these people are living in sin directly related to their obesity. Thanks, Jeff |
||||||
1064 | THE FLOOD-FACT OR MYTH? | Gen 6:1 | jlhetrick | 161018 | ||
Hello Happy, I would recommend not doing the seminar. There are no myths in the bible and participating in a seminar that implies or attempts to present bible truth as myths should be considered blasphemous. Respectfully, Jeff |
||||||
1065 | What do you think Genesis 6:1-4 means? | Gen 6:1 | jlhetrick | 161017 | ||
Hello Hana,, This is a long pondered and debated question. My concern with a question like this on the forum is that someone may offer you a definative answer when there in fact is not one. There are several different views of who the "son's of God" referred to here were. The views are too in-depth to attempt to articulate here but they range from the angels left to guard the Garden of Eden, to fallen angels to certain descendants of Adam who had different religious views. This, I believe is one of those questions that may have to be answered when we can ask Him face to face. To get a better example of the differing views I recommend a look at various commentaries covering this passage. Hope this helps, Jeff |
||||||
1066 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | jlhetrick | 160913 | ||
Hello again hetfield, Just want to make a point here with part of your argument. You write: "Saying the bible has saved us is like saying to the person who witnessed to us saved us." Very well said. Christians do no not say that the bible "saves" us and without going back through every response in this thread, I don't believe anyone on the forum has said that. Perhapse this is where you are having a difficult time with what Christians claim. The bible does not save us, the finished work of Christ is what saves us. But One first has to know of this work and then believe it and have faith in it for ones salvation. It is through the bible that we learn of the work of Christ that saves us. That is how the bible is able to say to us that the faith that we have in fact does come by hearing the word of God. In and of myself I do not even have the faith to believe in the bible or to believe in Jesus Christ and what He did to save me. It is God Himself that gives me that faith and He has done so through my reading and hearing others teach His word, the bible, while speaking to my heart through His Spirit. I fear that your ability to believe may have been hindered by the early experiences that you mentioned earlier in this thread. It seems as though you are looking for scientific type data or other evidence outside of scripture to convince yourself that the bible is real or not. In any case, you are placing your hope and basing your salvation on information that you believe to be no more than the written words of men. This is a scary thought. It seems to me that it would be impossible for someone to truly believe in the true God and at the same time believe that He only spoke to us between the lines and paragraphs of the writings of several men. That would be a most cruel joke for God to play on mankind, leaving us to wonder which part to believe and which part to throw out. That would hardly be a mechanism for building faith. One final thought. If you are truly searching for the truth in this matter then it is fair to say that you are not sure. Otherwise you would believe you already know the truth and would not need to spend this kind of time working it out. If this is true let me ask you to consider not making statements such as "the bible is not the word of God". You might imagine how offended God might be if it is in fact. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
1067 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | jlhetrick | 160894 | ||
Hello hetfield, I wanted to respond to the post/response you made to Jayell. I want to ask a simple question to help give you more perspective on how to approach this issue as you seek the truth. You say you accept the OT. The OT teaches that God has authority over all things and is the creator of all things. It says that He promises to uphold His word. Do you not believe that He was in control of the writing and the compiling of the bible which is believed by those who He has called to Himself to be His word? If He chose to use the written word to speak to us then it must be the bible. No other writing makes the claim. If it is not the bible, then you and I have no hope in what we say we hope in. If it is the bible, do you not think that an all powerful God who has control over all of creation also kept control over the writing and compiling of His word to us? Plese don't be offended, I have not seen that others are judging you in their disagreement. It's only that your debate is not logical or rational and others are having a difficult time, I believe, following your argument. It is beginning to appear that you are not "seeking" the truth in this matter, but that you have already concluded what you believe to be the truth and are resistant to what others are trying to teach/explain. We love you and want you believe what God says, not what we say because we say it. God says: Isa 55:10-11 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. NIV God's word is the bible, both OT and NT. It's purpose is to bring worship of Him and salvation to men. It is to provide for our budding as new christians and our flourishing as we grow in knowledge of Him. It provides the seed that we sow and the bread for those who hunger for Him. It is what sustains us in Him teaching us His love, grace, and mercy and how to be obedient to Him. I pray that you continue to seek with an open mind and an open heart. I do believe that God Himself will show you if your sincere in your search. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
1068 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | jlhetrick | 160871 | ||
Hi Kalos, Thanks for the kind words and be assured that I greatly appreciate your contributions to the forum as well. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
1069 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | jlhetrick | 160870 | ||
Hello again hetfield, I thank God for your earnest search for the truth. God says that "...those who seek me will find me." (Proverbs 8:17). From experience I can say that this is not a single event of finding but an ongoing process of revelation and change as we study God's word and learn obedience. God can and does speak to our spirit through His Spirit, convicting us of wrong and encouraging us. But how do we learn who He is and know Him? I argue that it's through the bible which He has established as the primary method of teaching us who He is and His plan for mankind (and of course the Holy Spirit is at work in that too). You write: "I believe the Gospel message is in the bible. Not that the bible is the gospel message." Imagine if I was told by a new boss that I had to read and follow the company's personel policy manual as the governing authority of the company. Would it be logical to respond with something like; I believe the companies governing authority is found in that manual, but I do not believe that manual is the governing authority? It would be the another way of telling my new boss that I will read the manual and decide for myself which part of it I consider to be governing and then follow that portion only as having authority over me. This is not only illogical, but also insufficient. I would soon find myself in error on some part and the same governing authority (manual) that has established authority will serve as the legitimacy for my discipline and possibly being fired. I can continue to denie it's authority over me all the way out the door and into the unemployment line. My denial of it does nothing to lessen it's authority. Another simple way of looking at the bible when considering it as totally authoratative, from God, the truth and without error is this. If the bible is not the word of God and only parts of it contain God's word, which parts do I include? Again, it would be irrational to use any of it in this case because I would not know what was from God and what was not. Another argument goes like this. If there is a single false statement or untruth found anywhere in the bible, then how can I trust any of it. Finally, you write: "After being set free and finding the truth about Gods salvation through faith in Christ I am very vigilant about what people tell me. People have told me and I have believed for years that the bible is the word of god. My research has led me to believe that the bible is an accurate account of the life of Jesus. I am thankfull for the new testament! But the word of god? My faith is in Christ. I think some people put their faith in the bible. I put mine in Christ." Think of this more deeply. Why would you put your faith in the Christ you learned of and came to know from the bible, if the bible is not the Word of God? The New testament is where we find the risen Christ. Paul wrote: 1 Cor 15:13-14 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. NIV Think on it. God would not have you deceived. He promises to honor and reward your seeking Him and He will do it. Continue the search and God bless you in your journey. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
1070 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | jlhetrick | 160833 | ||
Hello hetfield, It appears that you are honestly seeking the truth here and I hope I'm right. Otherwise you would only be trying to stir controversy. Assuming you are in search of the truth let me address your post. Basically, you state that you do not believe that the bible, particularly the New Testament, is the word of God. The problem I have with your premise is that you only use the New Testament to support your belief. The scripture you referred to were all New Testament. I find it peculiar that you would do this. I believe it is important that each of us have reasonable evidence for what we "believe". You are asking for others to give that evidence but you state your own belief without offering evidence of any kind. If you are truly seeking then you must be willing to honestly evaluate the evidence. This can only be done by a real study of the New Testament which must include it's relationship to the Old Testament. What you will find among many things, is that it and the Old Testament both affirm each other. There are others that can articulate this much better than I, but the best approach I believe is for you to begin an honest study for yourself. You say you believe in God. Start your study with prayer and ask Him to show you the truth. More specifically, you asked if it is necessary to believe the bible is the word of God in order to be saved. I would ask, if salvation is not found in the bible, where would one find it? Is the New Testament to be included? Well, the Old Testament does not offer a savior, but only the promise of one. The finished work of the Savior is found in the New Testament, therefore, it must be more than just accurate and reliable. It must be absolute and trustworthy. Otherwise, we can not be sure that the promised savior was and is Jesus Christ and that he has come, died, rose, and ascended finishing the work that does save us. Simply put, witout the New Testament, we have no salvation, but only the promise of a savior to come. So, yes, we must believe the bible is the word of God because without it we have nothing to believe in. But it is not believing this that saves us, it is trusting in the truth and the gracious gift of God through Christ that it teaches us about that saves us. I hope this is helpful, Jeff |
||||||
1071 | David and Goliath Part 2 | 1 Sam 17:54 | jlhetrick | 160792 | ||
Hello again nightjay, Just some feedback regarding posting. I noticed that your post here was actually submitted twice. Usually that's because you click the submit button twice. I have done this as well. I learned to click it once and then wait to see if it takes. sometimes it takes it a second or two to register. Anyway, I'm not complaining just letting you know. If you have it out there twice you may have two different dialogues going on that will become difficult for you to keep up with. Thanks, Jeff |
||||||
1072 | David and Goliath Part 2 | 1 Sam 17:54 | jlhetrick | 160790 | ||
Hi nightjay, Good question and thoughts on this passage. Something to keep in mind while we're considering the "battles" in our lives and the faith that we fight them with. It is always imporant to remember that "winning" a battle may not always look like David's defeat over Goliath. In some cases a Christian may fail miserably at the task at hand and it may seem we have lost the fight. Our want's, desires, and own will are not always in the will of God and therefore God may not provide the way for success. When we fail we may feel that God was not there and our faith may suffer a "let down". The true battle for us is to always remain in the will of God and to depend on Him to make a way for change and success. The more we know about Him and His will for us, the better we will be at choosing battles and setting goals. Still the story of David and Goliath is a fascinating one and one that demonstrates faith well. Question: Why did God not allow a great warrior champion of Isreal to defeat Goliath? Regarding your question about David cutting the head from Goliath. A careful reading of this passage doesn't make it clear to me that Goliath was actually dead after the stone took him down. David still seemed to be in the battle as he "ran up" to take Goliath's own sword and behead him. Either way, the important thing was that David be able to prove that Goliath was dead. It was cumstomary in those days to produce the head of your enemy to prove he was dead. Notice that it was not until after Goliath's head was removed that the Philistines fled. Also see verse 54. David took the head back to Jerusalem. Imagine the courage, hope, and faith that this gave a people tormented by their enemy. It is true that Jesus said that we are to love our enemies. At the same time, war is a real thing and the children of Israel were having war made on them. God loves all people, but the day will come when He will cast many into hell. Those that chose to reject him and fight against His will and ultimately refuse the gift of grace. Hope this is helpful, Jeff |
||||||
1073 | Biblical Love is not Worldly Love | 1 John 4:21 | jlhetrick | 160735 | ||
Hi Doc, Thanks for the info. I put "Toward a Sure Faith" on my list of books to buy. Jeff |
||||||
1074 | Using Love as Jesus | 2 Tim 2:15 | jlhetrick | 160733 | ||
Thanks Mark, No damage, sorry if I made it appear that way. A lot has been said of late regarding personal responsibility and the spiritual love that we should all be showing in our post. I never intend to insinuate that these things do not apply to me. They do, and they are not always obvious in my post. Like everyone, I have a personality and there are characteristics that are less than favorable. Being defensive is one of them. I can gladly say that those who know me personally can say that the Lord has done a lot to change me but I know that He still has a lot of work to do with me and I still have a lot of room for improvement. At the risk of sounding like I'm making excuses for myself I will say; another characteristic of mine is that I am very passionate. This can be both good and bad, productive and unproductive. I pray for the changes in me that only God can make, and ask for patients from my brother's and sister's on the forum. I hope for loving and kind redirection when necessary and hope to become better at giving the same in return. I look forward to continued learning experiences on the forum with you Mark. Jeff |
||||||
1075 | Biblical Love is not Worldly Love | 1 John 4:21 | jlhetrick | 160718 | ||
Hi Doc, Great quotes! I also found it interesting that you quoted Machen in another post in this thread. Interesting because I recently used that very quote in a recent lesson I taught in our discipleship training at church. Also, I enjoy reading and learning from Arthur W. Pink and have used many of his quotes before as well. Just a thought, I think your post of quotes might be very beneficial to nightjay regarding his post 160215. He might not be following and a post back to him might alert him by email. Anyway, I would be happy to copy and paste your post to nightjay with your permission as I believe it might really be helpful for him. Again, thanks for the quotes, Jeff |
||||||
1076 | Spiritual growth. Where to go online? | Bible general Archive 3 | jlhetrick | 160712 | ||
Hello Brenda, Hope I'm not reading into your post, but is your internet search in addition to the teaching and growth you are getting from your church? If not, let me recommend that you find a good church that puts the Lord Jesus and the bible as it's priority. Also let me caution you on internet sites, even those recommended by others. There is so much out there and it is not all good. Much false teaching being disseminated out there. When you do find a site research it (try CRI "christian research institute") which is an organization that acts as a "watch dog" exposing false teachings among other things. Be on gaurd against anyone or anything that claims to be or presents as a "new movement". The true church is not in need of any new approach because the one that Christ has ordained is more than sufficient. Hope this is helpful, Jeff |
||||||
1077 | Using Love as Jesus | 2 Tim 2:15 | jlhetrick | 160661 | ||
Hi Mark, Thanks for the thoughtful response. I'm not just "playing nice" but to your credit, your posts are regularly beneficial. You are one of the few on the forum that asks and answers questions with love and kindness and this post I am responding to is a perfect example of how brothers and siters in Christ should respond to one another. Thanks I do want to say that your input on the forum, as far as I have seen, has been very well grounded in the bible. For what it's worth, there are three regulars on the forum that I follow regularly, primarily because I respect them and always learn something or at least gain new insight. You are one of the three. Thanks. After your post I added my email address to my profile. Should have thought of that in the first place. Anyway, feel free to email me in the future if you care to. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
1078 | Destroyed for lack of knowledge | Ps 111:10 | jlhetrick | 160611 | ||
Hi Humbled, Thanks for pointing to the article. I read it a couple of times and tend to agree with what it has to say. I think that the overall point of the article is that the church is in crisis. It is in crisis because of the lack of knowledge. It has a lack of knowledge because the truth is not being studied, learned, understood, and taught from the bible. This is not being done because there has been a decline in the way christians view God and His word. The lack of reverence, I believe, comes from a lack of fear. Modern christians seem to have no healthy fear of God. This has evolved over time and the article does a better job of explaining that process than I could here. I think of Adam and Eve. They had reverence for God and they obeyed him. But when the world around them became more desirable than the promises of God, and the lie told them that their desire was attainable, their reverence for God was compromised. No fault of God, no shortcoming or unanticipated change where He was concerned. Just man chosing to believe the world around him instead. When I write of the church and it's condition, I of course include myself. It is articles like this that help to riminde us of where we are and where we are going. But, Don't be discouraged. Individuals may be defeated on various points and the church may suffer failure from time to time. But the church of Christ will never be defeated. He will keep it and He will keep us. Matt 16:17-19 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven NIV Matt 18:14 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. NIV Rev 19:7 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. KJV It is necessary for the church to go through what it is going through and we trust in the Lord to build it into the perfect bride. There is a process involved. See Matthew 13:24-43. Again, thanks for pointing to the article. Jeff |
||||||
1079 | Your thoughts on 40 Days of Purpose? | 2 Tim 4:2 | jlhetrick | 160566 | ||
Hi Hank, Well said, There is also a radio program (really more of a short blurb) called "Back to Genesis". These kinds of reality checks are great for us christians and any who might stumble across them. Thanks, Jeff |
||||||
1080 | Using Love as Jesus | 2 Tim 2:15 | jlhetrick | 160565 | ||
Hi Mark, Sounds good. I am off tomorrow and plan to spend some time following the post. I do more following than posting lately as I am learning from others and taking notes. I'll look forward to your response. Sincerely, Jeff |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 ] Next > Last [62] >> |