Results 121 - 140 of 281
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Results from: Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
121 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99066 | ||
Perhaps the difference in our understanding is this...I hold that God has the capacity to do whatever he wants, including giving us a world in which our decisions and freedom to act are genuine because "possibility" has real meaning. Of course, He is sovereign over these possibilities and they provide authentic opportunity for us to choose Him. These possibilities are governed by His sovereignty, so overall His plans will be fulfilled. If I understand you correctly, you seem to be saying that each and every flap of each and every wing on each and every sparrow is specifically and exhaustively determined by God's meticulous control. This necessarily implies that each and every demon or wicked person is just a puppet exhaustively controlled by God, which makes Him an accessory to evil. Scripture denies this. |
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122 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99069 | ||
It's not liberty that is our downfall, but rather the abuse of liberty. If we had no liberty, we could not respond to God's love with anything but a mindless programmed routine. Hardly the kind of a passion that God wants from us, right? The "higher" view of God's sovereignty that cannot be understood nor explained is no view at all. We are called to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." God's truth, as revealed by a comprehensive reading of scripture, is coherent, understandable and practical. You said not to wait around for an answer to your paradoxical conundrum. Instead, I believe Dr. Gregory Boyd has exposited scripture to yield a satisfactory answer. See "God at War" and "Satan and the Problem of Evil". In my opinion, Boyd is right that our thinking has been influenced too much by factors outside scripture. |
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123 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99139 | ||
The depravity of man is not in question, however I note that man was originally created good and will be restored to that original condition by the grace of God. Paul also describes that what good he wants to do, he does not, and what bad he wants to avoid, he does. I note that Paul does admit to having good intentions, but that he lacks the ability to follow through on them. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we do that. Paul also admits to his desire to avoid sin, but that he cannot resist it. Again, we can only do so through the power of the Holy Spirit. I submit therefore that while we lack the ability to do good or avoid sin on our own, in our hearts we can have these as goals. Do you concur? |
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124 | God is not the author of evil. | Job | Parable | 99271 | ||
Yes, I concur. I should have emphasized this in my previous note. | ||||||
125 | what understanding DO animals have? | Job 12:7 | Parable | 51549 | ||
Interesting answer. My take on Job is that the animals don't need to read his words because he's saying they already understand the truth. It is we who need to read his prophecy and if we don't believe, he exhorts us to ask the animals. By the way, unlike many who ask about animals, I'm worried about their eternal fate. I know God is just and loving and as far as I know, animals don't sin, so I trust Him to do with them as he pleases and they will be fine. Regarding 1 Cor 9:9, it is clear this is an analogy for people and oxen are merely the device. Yet, to me, this seems quite different from what Job is saying about the animals per se rather than what people do to them. Parable |
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126 | when is literal interpretation wrong? | Job 12:7 | Parable | 51561 | ||
Hank, You are anything but common or run-of-the-mill! I have always found your comments to be insightful, helpful, respectful toward others and sometimes funny. Dr. Doolittle, indeed! Parable |
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127 | The Bible and Science, #2 | Job 26:7 | Parable | 51371 | ||
The Book of Job is thought to be the oldest book of the Bible, written perhaps 4000 years ago. Yet, in 26:7, it is clear that the author understood that the earth is floating in space. Other cultures at that time or since then thought the world was riding on the back of a giant cosmic turtle or otherwise supported by something solid underneath the entire world, e.g. Atlas. Parable |
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128 | addicted to porn-help | Psalm | Parable | 118350 | ||
I have just finished reading an excellent book that may help you understand and address your situation. It is "Sex, Men and God: A godly man's road map to sexual success" by Douglas Weiss. Basically, his thesis is you are not addicted to porn, you are addicted to the powerful chemicals produced by your brain that are released to your brains' pleasure centers during sexual climax. This chemical response becomes associated with whatever you look at during orgasm. Weiss explains how this dynamic is established, as well as how to apply godly principles, backed by scripture, to overcome this addiction and replace it with a healthy biblically-based sexuality. Also, without endorsing or condoning masturbation, he explains how three different kinds of masturbation lead to three different consequences in a man's life. There are questions to answer that help you identify where you are on the spectrum and specific suggestions for how to stop destructive behaviors and replace them with healthy attitudes and lifestyles. The point is, there is hope, but you must be willing to confront your situation honestly and take steps to change. The first is to accept God's way and reject man's. I cannot recommend this book enough to both Christian men and women. Parable |
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129 | What does this verse mean? | Ps 37:1 | Parable | 44685 | ||
Also, it means don't envy the wordly gains of the wicked, for they will lose those things when they die and if you delight in the Lord, he will provide all you could ever imagine and more! | ||||||
130 | The Bible and Science, #3 | Ps 102:26 | Parable | 51765 | ||
One way to exress the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is: "The entropy of an isolated system increases during any natural process." Entropy is understood in two ways: 1. In terms of energy, it is the amount of energy used to move energy from one place to another, i.e. the cost of doing business when moving energy around, like the fee you pay to a stockbroker to buy/sell stocks for you. 2. In terms of the randomness of a system, the natural progression is to go from order to chaos, i.e. from low entropy to high entropy. I think both meanings witness to spiritual issues. Clearly, by His death on the cross, Jesus paid for our sins, i.e. He paid the fee for us to move from spiritual death to eternal life. As for the other meaning, that all things decay, consider Psalm 102:25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26a They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. and Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Parable |
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131 | The Bible and Science, #3 | Ps 102:26 | Parable | 52245 | ||
I'm not sure what you mean by anti-chance, but I agree with you that the 2nd law seems contrary to the chance assembly of life-sustaining complexity. Contrary to popular belief, the 2nd law is a mathematical summary of practical experience rather than an exact conclusion derived from first principles. In this sense it is quite different from the 1st Law, which states that the energy of an isolated system is constant. Also, the second law assumes a closed system, so it does not hold for open systems, i.e. those in communication with external energy sources. The way scientists get around this problem for cosmology is they redefine their new system to include whatever energy source was outside of the original system. If taken to the infinite limit, this means the 2nd law holds for the universe as an unbounded but closed system. To me, this is a paradoxical situation. Materialisms suggests that life could form spontaneously if the decrease in the local entropy, represented by the formation of a complex organism, was countered by an increase in the entropy of the overall system, represented by increased disorder someplace else. Chaos theory models how this could happen, i.e. order can arise from disorder so that energy can be dissipated efficiently. An example is the complex structure of a lightening bolt that discharges lots of energy quickly. Yet, how this redistribution of entropy works for life-forms is not clear, but in principle, its supposed to be the explanation. That's all well and fine if you accept the idea the universe is closed. As someone who knows that God is with us, I do not believe this. God is the ultimate energy source. Furthermore, His Creation is the basis for our understanding of thermodynamics, not vice-versa. This is similar to the idea that many people err when they interpret Scripture in the light of their experiences, rather then interpreting their experinces in the light of scripture. Parable |
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132 | a devotional thot that blessed me | Ps 107:6 | Parable | 87135 | ||
For me, the lesson here is to be open and honest with God, no matter how you feel, and not to censor or stifle yourself before Him. To do so is to willingly restrict your contact with Him, and He has made it clear, He wants ALL of us, not just the politically correct parts. Then, when He does respond in love, it is overwhelming because He is responding to our whole being, not just the parts of ourselves we think we can "manage". This is part of what makes our witness truly powerful for others. | ||||||
133 | What about this teaching? | Eccl 3:21 | Parable | 191613 | ||
My question related specifically to the question you raised, Hank. That is, in response to rabban's post, you asked if we are to discard previous teachings. The teaching I presented demonstrates that in some cases, we already have. Given this clarification, do you still feel my post was "out of line"? If yes, why? For those interested in my concern, I note that my post has been erased. |
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134 | What about this teaching? | Eccl 3:21 | Parable | 191616 | ||
Doc, One would hope that the moderation process was as you say. However, it has yet to be shown that this is the case. I eagerly await a response from both the Study Bible Forum Team, and now their corporate sponsors at Lockman, for an explanation of how I have deviated from their guidelines. I do this not to be adversarial, but rather so I may understand their complaint. This is because I believe my posts were interpreted in a way that is not justified, but rather reactionary. If I am in need of correction, I am open to that, yet to date, no one has extended me the grace necessary to describe how my posts are not consistent with forum guidelines, especially when compared to my other posts or those of others who determine to explore those questions that call for application of biblical principles in addition to merely citing relevant verses. |
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135 | What about this teaching? | Eccl 3:21 | Parable | 191617 | ||
Doc, One would hope that the moderation process was as you say. However, it has yet to be shown that this is the case. I eagerly await a response from both the Study Bible Forum Team, and now their corporate sponsors at Lockman, for an explanation of how I have deviated from their guidelines. I do this not to be adversarial, but rather so I may understand their complaint. This is because I believe my posts were interpreted in a way that is not justified, but rather reactionary. If I am in need of correction, I am open to that, yet to date, no one has extended me the grace necessary to describe how my posts are not consistent with forum guidelines, especially when compared to my other posts or those of others who determine to explore those questions that call for application of biblical principles in addition to merely citing relevant verses. |
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136 | What about this teaching? | Eccl 3:21 | Parable | 191618 | ||
sorry for the duplicate post, a data error. | ||||||
137 | What about this teaching? | Eccl 3:21 | Parable | 191620 | ||
My concern is about diversity of opinion within the boundaries of propriety and the exercise of discretionary authority, both of which are highly relevent bible topics. If I have exceeded those boundaries, fine, I will recant. If not, perhaps there is a need for more humility in how my posts are interpreted. |
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138 | The Genealogy of Jesus? | Matt 1:1 | Parable | 47832 | ||
The question of Christ's lineage is not foolish, but rather established in scripture that we might see yet another prophecy fulfilled in Him. Teengurl, the verse you cite relates to the false pride of jews who felt they were of God by virtue of their geneological charts connecting them to Abraham and that anyone without such a chart was not truly a jew. By the way, why did you change your user name? Parable |
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139 | What is hatred? When is it ok to hate? | Matt 5:44 | Parable | 191441 | ||
Thank you for your thoughtful exposition on the variations in meaning for the word hate. With regard to hate as abhorrence, what are the attributes or characteristics of that biblical, godly hatred? |
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140 | Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. | Matt 12:23 | Parable | 44301 | ||
I like your answer. | ||||||
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