Results 121 - 140 of 773
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
121 | Was Apollos baptized? If so, when? | Acts 18:25 | JCrichton | 144107 | ||
Hi! Part 1 of 2 Sometimes Scripture passages seem to be cryptic... at other times they just wet our appetite... yet, if we allow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we would find that they offer more answers than they raise questions... In Scripture we find John the Baptist baptizing and preaching about the impending coming of the Heavenly Kingdom... he explains that he only baptizes in water and that Jesus, the Lamb of God, who precedes Him and is coming at his wake will baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire: Matthew 3:1-12 1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ” 4John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Jesus is so adamant about John's baptism that He challenges and condemns His contemporaries: Luke 7:24-35 24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 28I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) 31“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” |
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122 | want to no the right way to understand t | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 141636 | ||
Hi, sweetgirl1925! There are two parts to understanding the Word of God: * Humbly asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us so that we may understand the Holy Scripture, and * Practice, practice, practice! My Mom is 87 years old--I praise God for His generosity towards us!--she is having more and more difficulties with her health, he eye-sight, her ability to retain short-term memory... still she is always praying, always reading the Holy Bible! ...understanding Scripture is not simply dependent on human intellectual prowes (if it were so the world's wealthy people would have a noticeable advantage over the indigent people in the world!)... it is dependent upon our desire to know God and to humbly and obediently worship Him! Have you heard of the poor widow? She mad an offer to God that demonstrated what was in her heart... Jesus exalted her for her humble generosity! (Mark 12:41-44) James tells us that it is very simple: just ask God for Wisdom and He will be happy to oblige! (James 1:5) We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and to teach us about the fulness of God... that is His function; Jesus promised that He (the Holy Spirit) would be sent by Him to us to continue our teaching and enlightening us! I will pray for you... that the Holy Spirit build you up in Jesus so that His Word Bless you with God's Wisdom and Understanding! (1 Corinthians 2:12-16) God Bless! Angel |
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123 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141634 | ||
P.S.: It was not the fall that converted Paul, it was his encounter with Jesus! God Bless! Angel |
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124 | St paul was thrown from the horse. | Acts 9:4 | JCrichton | 141633 | ||
Hi! Though it could be probable, there is no definite proof that Paul was riding a horse--much of the travel was done by foot... even the Roman Empire did not furnish horses or other animals to all the members of their military... Don't forget that we can fall to the ground from our own two feet! God Bless! Angel |
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125 | Who goes to heaven? | Rev 20:12 | JCrichton | 141630 | ||
Hi, Tan! There are many who want to remove Christ from the Christian equation... some who prescribe to the "all the roads lead to Heaven" philosophy… The Holy Scripture is very precise when it comes to matter of Salvation; it leaves no room for second-guessing or progressive interpretations: you must know, all of you, and the whole people of Israel, that it is by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, and God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man stands before you cured. ‘This is the stone which you, the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation; for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’ (Acts 4:10-12) Clearly, Salvation is not a matter of well-wishing... or of respecting popular beliefs... Salvation cannot occur in the absence of Jesus Christ!: Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die… (John 11:25) My children, I am writing this to prevent you from sinning; but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the upright. He is the sacrifice to expiate our sins, and not only ours, but also those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2) Love consists in this: it is not we who loved God, but God loved us and sent his Son to expiate our sins. (1 John 4:10) Good works... They are necessary as they testify to our rebirth in the Holy Spirit! But acts of kindness (or seemingly, acts of kindness) alone can do nothing for us... Jesus Commands His disciples (all Believers) to not only love their relatives and friends (neighbors) but to also love their enemies--Matthew 5:43-48--(those who will see us as their intrinsic nemesis (John 15:18-19) due to our allegiance to Jesus) because we are Commanded to emulate our Heavenly Father; Jesus also clarifies that even the wicked are kind and courteous with their own, so we can surmise that good works onto themselves are as empty as the heart that wheels the intention: loving/serving selectively yields its own rewards; loving/serving others in God demonstrates our obedience and allegiance to Him! God Bless! Angel |
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126 | Did "betrothed" couples live together? | Matt 1:19 | JCrichton | 141591 | ||
Hi, KraZ4myKing! I think that part of the problem you, and most every other Christian, are having is that you are viewing ancient Hebrews through today's morally bankrupt standards! Not only is there a cultural difference among the Israelites of Jesus' time's, today's Israelites, and the rest of the world, but the devotion and conviction of people such as Joseph and Mary to Yahweh demolishes all of our preconceptions about worship, sex, marriage, family and extended family... not only were the betrothed couple obligated to their parents' authority but they also had to answer to the community at large! Marriages were arrenged withing the tribes and clans but once made official the whole community were part of the celebration... the couple may not have even had much time to "get to know" each other--specially in rural areas... Though Scripture does not reveal much about the actual ceremonies, we know that there was a preocupation with witnessing, if only after the fact, the consummation of the marriage--much could be lost if the husband would accuse the wife of being unfaithful during their betrothal period and the wife could not prove her innocence! Scripture tells us that when Joseph found out about Mary's pregnancy he decided to leave town in (most probably during the darkest night) secrecy. Why? Joseph, as attested by Scripture, was a just man (translation a pious believer) who, after weighing the consequences of denouncing Mary's pregnancy, opted to protect her and the unborn child by sneaking out of town... in this manner the town's people would conclude that Joseph took advantage of Mary during their betrothal period and then abandoned her: he would be known as a wretched and wicked man who deserted his "wife" and child; while, Mary and the child would escape the terrible punishment of death by stoning, at the hands of the town's people, and would be treated with empathy and kindness. Did the people of Israel commit the same acts (culturally and morally) as the rest of the nations around them? It is evident that they did! But within Israel there is God's Remnant, those Israelites who adhere (as the old Hebrew National hot dogs on the commercials) to a Higher Authority! At the incarnation of the Word, we meet several of these pios servants of the Almighty, Mary and Joseph included. Sadly, humanity is so intent in demystifying Scripture and the prophecies included within, that we contort reason, warp understanding, and blind intellect in an effort to twist God's Word, as the Serpent in Paradise, to match our finite wisdom and our corrupt principles! Jesus was very clear on this issue... that is why He warned that we cannot serve two masters! Do not allow your professor's intellectual accomplishments dissuade you from the Truth: The Word is God (John 1:1-14), and for our sake He became man (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), so that those who Believe in Him would have eternal Life (John 11:25-26)... this Jesus (the Emmanuel: God-among-us), did not have a human origin as the rest of His brethren, He was born of the Virgen Mary by the Power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-38); hence, at the age of twelve He was found at the Temple perplexing the Masters of the Law and when questioned about His disappearence He revealed a small bit of information by relating to Mary and Joseph that He was to involve Himself in God's Business! (Luke 2:42-50) Please, guard yourself against the doctrines of the world... the best way to do this is prayer and Bible study! God Bless! Angel |
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127 | Please explain | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 141511 | ||
Hi, Janae! Do you believe that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent? If you believe as I do that God is all of the above... and more!, you would agree with me that it would not have taken Jesus much time to rescue us from sin! Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) did not hold on to His Divine Power and Existence (Philippians 2:5-11)... and though we are not able to fully comprehend God's Way (Isiah 55:8-11), Jesus did leave us with enough information to understand what we must (John 10:30; Mark 9:23; Mark 10:27; John 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15)... so it is a matter of Faith that we understand that Jesus is God and that as the Lamb of God He did not come to demonstrate God's full Authority and Power... yet even in this diminished capacity, as the Lamb of God, Jesus has full Authority over Satan and his minions (Matthew 4:10-11; 8:28-29; John 16:33; 14:30)... ...it is also a matter of Faith that we accept Jesus' Word as Truth and that we allow the Truth to reveal itself as God intends to reveal it and not as we would have it be, in a more comprehensible and palatable way... time is irrelevant to God... to Him a day could be as 1000 years and vice versa (2 Peter 3:8)... hence, our Redemption on the Cross did not have to take Jesus more than a billionth of a nanosecond! We find that Redemption took place and that the Father was separated from the Son in that instant in which Redemption took place (Matthew 27:46-53)... and we know that Jesus' Glory would return to Him in a fraction of time because He promised one of the men crucified with Him that that very day he would be with Him in Paradise! (Luke 23:38-43)... Remember, just as man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man, our limitations do not apply to God! God Bless! Angel |
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128 | idolatry of Jesus | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 141262 | ||
Hi, luk154! Is your instructor against having images (there are certain relegious groups that cannot stand images of Jesus) statues, paintings, pictures or is he against worshipping Jesus? (there are congregations that want to be saved but they think that they can manipulate God to save them through their own salvific plans)... Rejecting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior... demoting Him to a demigod, a glorified prophet or an angel is the shortest and surest route to damnation! He is the Alpha and the Omaga, the Beginning and the End, the One that was and Is, the Eternal Father, God the Mighty One, the Resurrection and Life... everything that is, both the visible and invisible was created by Him and for Him! (Revelation 1:7-8; 21:6; 22:13; Isaiah 9:6; John 11:25-26; 3:17-20; Colossians 1:16-20) Idolatry does not depend upon an image or statute or any other relic... normally we keep pictures and other mementos of our loved ones (inclusive of jewelry and ashes)... as long as we do not worship them instead of God there's no problem! But if we start placing them above God... we are committing idol worship! Worshipping Jesus is not idol worship as He is God Eternal! (John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:5-11) May the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and spirit! God Bless! Angel |
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129 | How do we know that we are truly saved? | 1 John 3:24 | JCrichton | 141261 | ||
Hi! Part of our problem is finding a specific clause that guarantees Salvation... there's none! We know that we are saved if we abide in Him! (John 15:1-6) We know that we are saved if we believe in Him! (John 11:25-26) We know that we are saved if we are born again of the Holy Spirit! (John 3:3) We know that we are saved if we are baptized in Him! (Matthew 21:28-32 and Luke 7:24-30) We know that we are saved if we believe Him! (John 3:17-21 and John 14:1) We know that we are saved if we depend on Him totally! (2 Corinthians 12:9; 13:4) Jesus did not come to offer us a simple "your in kid!" He came to bring us to the Father... to teach us that we are to emulate Him: Love, Obedience, Service! (John 14:21, 31; 15:10-14; and Matthew 25:31-46) We know that we are saved if we stand till the end! (Revelation 2:7, 10-11) God Bless! Angel |
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130 | Did God experience what human did in O.T | Gen 1:26 | JCrichton | 141139 | ||
Hi, chair! There are many examples in the Old Testament that attests to God's perception of humanity... He called to the people of Israel wishing to shelter them as a hens her chicks... He chose Israel as His Bride... He is Jealous of Israel's attention to non-gods instead of staying faithful to Him... He sympathized with Abraham when he queried about putting away the destruction of the wicked city... He called Moses His friend... He was proud of Job... He called Enoch to His side... He tested Israel's (Jacob) strength... He instituted Laws to protect the orphans and widows... He instituted a Commandment to care for His servants in their old age... He listened to Moses and others when they pleaded for Israel... He suffered the loss of Abel at Cain's hand! God Bless! Angel |
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131 | What is the truevinein John 15? | John 15:5 | JCrichton | 141138 | ||
Hi, Ellie50! Jesus is the True Vine! Remember that He is speaking to the people of Israel... though God's people their faith had been polluted by their religious leaders through eons of circumvention of the Mosaic Laws... Jesus is assuring Israel that He is the True Vine as He is the Good Shepherd that comes to rescue the lost and scattered! God Bless! Angel |
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132 | In Matthew 21:42-44. Please tell me what | Is 28:16 | JCrichton | 141136 | ||
Hi, StarleyJim! Jesus is the Stone on which all builders (beleavers) must built! (1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20-21) To reject Jesus is as our Lord and Savior is to throw ourselves against the Stone--surely, we will be broken by the impact (fall short of Salvation)... to ignore and blaspheme Christ is to have Judgment passed on us as the Word will testefy against us for we refuse to Believe in Him who is the Resurrection and Life--there will be no excuse for those who see ignored and blasphemed Jesus, at Judgment the Stone will fall upon them and they will be crushed! There is no escape! We must humble ourselves and submit to the Builder... accept the Foundation, Jesus the Corner Stone, and build (abide) on Him! God Bless! Angel |
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133 | Salvation is a gift to be accepted | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141135 | ||
Hi, JAL! You are so correct we sin through willful acts and through omission, daily... some of us almost incessantly! I liken our Salvation to the Promise: * both eternal * both free Gifts * both greater than the object they comprise (man) * both Perfect * both perfecting the intended object * both secured by God * both inclusive of all who Believe * both conditional! The people of Israel were granted Salvation through the Promise... clearly, God would never take back His Promise! Those who Believe in Jesus are granted Salvation through Jesus Sacrifice on the Cross--clearly, God would never take back Christ's Sacrifice in our stead! Yet both Yahweh and Jesus warn that it is not the object of Salvation that merits Salvation but that God is Willing to Save! Both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament God calls on man to repentence and to abide in Him! It is not a security blanket that is being offered! It is not a contractual obligation that binds God to Save man! It is a Gift given to those who willingly accept God as their Lord and Savior! A Covenant where God agrees to be our God and we agree to be His people. But if we willfully choose to live in the flesh... if we, like the people of Israel, turn our backs to God (rejecting His Gift, refusing to humble ourselves to His Authority, refusing to repent from our sins, refusing to ask His forgiveness), how can we expect to hold Him accountable for our Salvation! Christ did not come to grant us easy passage into the Kingdom of God! His Sacrifice was not to enable us to sin and rebel against God with impunity... He came to bridge the gap between sin and God, this is why John tells us that if we confess our sins He is Just and willing to forgive us! (1 John 1:9) "So I ask you again, how many times in your christian walk have you been saved?" When I wake up till I fall asleep Jesus Christ is called on to Save me from the world, from Satan, and from myself countless numbers of times! I am Saved by His Grace even when asleep--as I some times must battle evil in my subconscious state and I call on to Jesus or read the Holy Scripture in order to push back Satan or his minions! Salvation is not a state of having! Salvation is a state of receiving! Jesus saw this state of confusion when He called us to abide in Him... when He succinctly made it known that without Him we are nothing! (John 15:1-6) Paul tells us to put away the old nature and to put on Christ! (Ephesians 4:17-32) Our freedom in Christ is not to continue a life of sin but to submit our bodies to God: 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Slaves to Righteousness 15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to everincreasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:12-23) Paul is not speaking to unbelievers, attempting to convince them to join the fold... he is speaking to Believers (those who have heard Jesus' Gospels and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior and have been baptized and have become part of the fold); clearly, Paul is not assuring them that they can sin because their salvation has been guaranteed; quite the contrary! He is reminding them that they are to walk in the Light in order to claim that they are of the Light! (1 John 1:7; 2:10) God Bless! Angel |
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134 | Does it say this in the Bible? | Luke 2:14 | JCrichton | 141049 | ||
Hi, W12pawsplus! There is no specific Scripture that tells us that the angels sing to the Lord or that there are choirs of angels... We do have many Psalms that call for us to praise God and His Name and His Dwelling Place... Psalms that speak on the various musical instruments to use... King David himself appointed several choirs to worship God through song... if the earth, sea and all life and inanimate objects are called to praise the Lord, it is quite conceivable that angels do sing praises to the Lord! God Bless! Angel |
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135 | Gods Will and Natural Disaster? | Rom 8:28 | JCrichton | 141048 | ||
Hi, JRM! I think that you are tackling various points simultaneously... * Biblical Record vs. Historical Record * God's Wrath (which includes natural disasters)unleashed on those who stubbornly are in constant rebellion and denial of His Authority * God's Power as Creator and Guardian Biblical Record... Scripture is Salvation History, hence much of what we would want to find in Scripture is missing (historical accounts, recepies, technical, medical, and scientific information, rituals (baptism, marriage, birthdays, commerce, social intercourse...); much of what is found, outside of direct pertinent matter (Worship, genealogies, Israel's History as it pertains to God's Promise, the various prophecies, the Messiah, the Coming of the Kingdom, Salvation in God, the struggle of the flesh against God's Will...); yet, within Scripture we will find basic information that will lead us to understand that there are rituals and other occurrences which the people of God have experienced or will experience! God's Wrath -- Throughout the Old Testament we find Yahweh warning Israel about the suffering that will befall them if they abandon the One True God... there are many direct statements that foretell of Israel's future disobedience and the loss of God's Protection! This is where man-made disasters and natural disaster converge: God removes His Protection from the people so that the rebellious and wicked fall by the sword, famine and other disasters without the Protection that God had provided in His Mercy and Patience! More than once we hear God tell us that He does not desire the death of anyone... more than once we hear Him plea with Israel to turn back to Him before it is too late and disaster falls upon them... He speaks of decades of suffering through mankind's disobedience, of exhausting His Patience allowing man to turn to Him... He is our Creator and our Benefactor; He is our Guardian and our Provider... but, He is also our Judge and our Teacher who sets boundaries and goals for our corporial and spiritual existence... Jesus foretold of wars (man-made disasters) and famines and earthquakes (natural disasters) that would befall the earth... yet, as our Guardian and Benefactor God will not allow all of these disasters to transpire all at once... it is His Patience and Mercy revealing themselves for the sake of the elect (the ones to be saved in Christ: those who Believe in Him!); it is the Lord's Power that sustains the world and all of its ecological systems; it is His Will that keeps humanity, specially those who Believe from being iradicated from the face of the earth! Just recently the world suffer an assault... terrible as it was, once released, there was nothing humanity could do to stop it... I see the hand of God not in the indiscriminate destruction that occurred, but in the individual people that survived--creatures as fragile and as vulnerable as those that perished--that by shear logic should not have been spared... perhaps as a warning to Christians and the world God decided to Protect them... it is His Might that Saves both from physical death and destruction and from spiritual death and destruction! Note that Christ was not so much concerned with the various periods of disasters that we would face but that we would understand our total dependence on God! (Matthew 24:13) As you said, those who die do not necessarily have committed graver sins than those who are alive... but God does Protects those He Loves! God Bless! Angel |
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136 | once saved always saved? | Luke 6:46 | JCrichton | 141017 | ||
Hi! Following are excerpts from one of my previous posts on this topic: "I offer to you two Scriptures that speak on our abilities to fail God: 1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Christ promised that, in Him, we are granted Eternal Life; this promise does not grant us immunity to defile ourselves and God while simply relying on some special voucher that allows people to do as they please! It is not in vain that Jesus says that not all who call Him Lord will be saved but those who do the Will of His Father! (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)" Though many choose not to heed even Christ's own warnings, Scripture does not provide a contractural obligation on God's part to grant Salvation to all who claim to belong to Christ... Even as early as Peter's ministry there were those who accepted Christ, were baptized, began fellowship, then decided that they knew better and began to twist Scripture in order to appear more spiritual/all-knowing (2 Peter 2:9-22)... God calls us to be perfect (to emulate Him) and part of that process is to give up our old nature and take on the nature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-32), for Scripture attests that the flesh cannot please God! (Romans 8:8; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 11:6).. Scripture also testefies that we are to inherit the Kingdom of God(Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 1:14 thru 2:1) , and that nothing unclean would enter into the City, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10, 22-27)... It would be simple pride that would convince us that Christ died on the Cross so that we can live a live of sin, yet be eternally saved... any who choose to believe that all of our sins are automatically cleanse in Jesus, regardless of our desire to repent from them or not I liken them to the Pharisees and Sadducees that rejected Jesus citing that they were descendants of Abraham: children of the Promise hence "saved!" God Bless! Angel |
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137 | That they are enemies of the cross | Philippians | JCrichton | 141011 | ||
Hi, Edward! Peter speaks on such people who regard themselves as Christians while practicing, preaching and promoting anti-Christian doctrines and values: 9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed–an accursed brood! 15They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey–a beast without speech–who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity–for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”[d]and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” In essence, they are enemies of the Cross because instead of serving Christ they are denying Christ and attempting to reduce the Truth to personal formulas that only they themselves can decipher, at a cost, for their disciples! God Bless! Angel |
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138 | What is God's love | 1 John 2:5 | JCrichton | 141008 | ||
Hi, whippie! Here's what Christ says about love: The greatest love you can have for your friends is to give your life for them. (John 15:13) Humanity's brand of love is basically summed in the following expression: Tit for tat! Outside of Christ our ego previals over our best intentions... society trains us as children (through stories, movies, songs, TV programs) that love, as beauty, is measured by material wealth (the more someone possesses the greater he/she is deemed to be the object of love) or power (through acts of love--be they real or disingenuous--we can control others)... Here's what Paul tells us about God's Love: Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fails. Love is eternal... (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) There are many of us who subscribe to some of the principles found in the above Scriptural passage... there are some of us who forget that we are to love because God is Love and we are commanded to be like He is (Matthew 5:48; Luke 6:40), so we tend to love conditionally (only if like backgrounds, affiliations, ethnicity...) or subjectively (what can be gained/received from the object of the affection)... God Bless! Angel |
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139 | What does your and your household mean? | Acts 16:33 | JCrichton | 140887 | ||
Hi, Lisa G! Sadly, many people think that salvation is a "package deal:" once saved always saved, one saved all saved! Jesus always made a very pronounce effort to warn us of things to come... at one particular time He queried: "When the Son of man returns, will He find faith on earth?" He also made a specific statement that He came for the Salvation of many--He did not say "the Salvation of all!" And the Word testefies that not all believe (John 3:17-20)... As far as all saved, Jesus warns that when that time comes two will be in the field (or working/walking/sitting, etc...) one will be taken and the other left behind... He even speaks of two in a bed: one taken the other left behind (Luke 17:34)... In Acts 16:31 Paul is not rewriting Salvation, he is merely stating that through one person Salvation can be preached to the whole household, and, as in the example of the marriage between and believer and a nonbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:12-16)... we who are Christians can through example and teaching bring our closest relations to the Lord and thus provide a means for their Salvation! God Bless! Angel |
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140 | The Book of Lamentations | Lamentations | JCrichton | 140886 | ||
Hi, howling! LAMENTATIONS These five laments were written soon after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. Shinning through their sorrow is a ray of unconquerable trust in Yahweh and whole-hearted repentance. The first four are alphabetical poems, their verses beginning with all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in series. Their attribution to Jeremiah merely shows the influence of that great prophet in later Judaism. (The New Jerusalem Bible, American Bible Society, 1985.) God Bless! Angel |
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