Results 121 - 140 of 361
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Bill Mc Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
121 | Possible Lockman Forum Improvement #1? | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 17982 | ||
Sir Pent, your idea seems like a good one. But, like charis, I'm not sure how easy the execution would be. It would seem to entail quite a bit of time and work to implement as well as upkeep. And you would probably have to have a somewhat neutral party to filter and intrepret some answers. One thing is certain though. Eventually the Lockman server is going to fill up. So something must be done and it would be nice if we could get a system in place while it is still fairly manageable. If answers were of the 'cut and paste' format or a prompt to search the database, then it would be very helpful to combine or delete duplicate posts. Is there any other Bible forums like this on the Internet and, if so, how do they handle this problem? Forums have been around for a long time so it seems that there must be a workable solution. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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122 | Where is our unity to help? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17952 | ||
Removing question from the queue. | ||||||
123 | Whatever happened to John 17:21? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17946 | ||
Dear Tim, maybe they are not divisive for you. But they are for me. I sit here trying to figure out how to get my point across to Reformer Joe rather than trying to address JohnK's questions and insecurities. I'm ashamed of myself and my actions. And, I, personally have grieved the Holy Spirit with my insensitivity. I did not come to this forum to argue 5 points of Calvinism, the eternal security issue, or anything else. I came with hopes of getting some of my questions answered and, maybe, helping a few others. Too often, I just digress into arguing with fellow believers. I'm going to sign off for a while until I've prayed about this and I'm a little more mature. Take care and God bless you, brother Tim, Bill Mc |
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124 | Where is our unity to help? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17943 | ||
This thread has proven my point. JohnK came here seeking answers as to his security. Although many good answers were given, this thread has turned into an Armenian/Calvinist and Grace/Law debate. I am just as guilty. JohnK has not responded to any of the answering posts. He probably figured that if the user's of the most accurate, literal translation in the English language couldn't help and can't agree, than there is no way for him to know if his is saved or not. Shame on us, myself included. JohnK, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. Please seek help from a godly person who genuinely cares for your soul. We are too often concerned with whether or not we are right and proving our points rather than helping those in true need. It is no wonder that the world is dying and going to hell. We can't even agree on what salvation is or whether it is assured. Still, in Christ, Bill Mc |
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125 | Whatever happened to John 17:21? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17940 | ||
These labels indeed are convenient. They just are not scriptural. How are they edifying or unifying? Paul's remarks still stand. The followers of Apollos, Cephas, Paul, etc. would have used the same exact arguments i.e. they help others to understand whose (men's) teachings I adhere to. As for Paul, he had more teaching credentials on Old Testament Law than anyone on this forum, and he still insisted on preaching Christ and boasting solely in the Lord. Oh, well, the Lord did call us sheep...Baaaaaa! | ||||||
126 | Joe, what is Paul and Hebrews 'the Law'? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17927 | ||
Joe, here's my thoughts: "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished." Joe, you said it yourself, Christ did fulfill it. He could not allow it to pass away UNTIL He fulfilled it. The key phrase here is not 'until heaven and earth pass away,' the key phrase is 'until all (of the Law) is accomplished.' And Christ did that. 'Then why do some try to annul God's moral commands?' I do not try to annul God's moral commands. They do serve a purpose. They show sinners God's righteous standard and how far they fall short of it. But as a Christian, you are not under the Law, you are under grace and the law of Christ. As far as dismantling the Law, I am supporting no such thing. God's moral requirements both are encapsulated in the decalogue, but also pre-date the law as well. His moral requirements for humanity extend back as far as the garden, long before Moses came down from Sinai. Paul even mentions this in Galatians: 'If God's moral requirements only exist in the form of the Mosaic Law, we not only have the question of those who pre-date the Law, but also those who lived afterward but were not under the Law of Moses (i.e. the Gentiles).' True, God's moral requirements existed before the Mosaic Law. Why? Because they are a reflection of who He is. 'Therefore, only the Jews were "under the Law" in the first place, in the Mosaic sense.' True, so if you are a Gentile, what are you doing under the Mosaic Law? 'However, we are all accountable to the moral law of God, which is seen and expressed clearly in the Law of Moses, but also is eternal.' True, and none of us can keep it perfectly. All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory - Rom 3:23. 'Why do you contend that when Christ died and rose again that the moral requirements of God, which did not begin at Sinai, ended at Calvary?' I didn't. I said that we are under the law of Christ which surpasses the Mosaic law by miles. Christ fulfilled the complete moral requirements of God at Calvary. And He will continue to fulfill the law of the Spirit of life in us as we abide in Him. But this is not to acheive righteousness or sanctification. We have already been made righteous and sanctified in our spirits. We obey God's moral laws not to achieve or attain a status, but because we have already, in Christ, attained. Will Christ in you, the hope of glory, break God's moral law? I don't think so. But if you do, if you sin as a Christian, does that invalidate what Christ in you has done? I don't think so. Grace is what leads us to say no to ungodliness and live holy lives. Christ in us. 'God's covenant of grace was fulfilled at Calvary,' Not true, Joe. The New Covenant of grace was established at Calvary. New covenants were established by the shedding of blood. Christ fulfilled the Old Covenant (the Law) at Calvary. 'However, all humanity, as descendants of Adam, are part of the covenant of works established by God, which has never been nullified.' I don't believe so. 'The reason I am saved is that I am in Christ, who fulfilled the covenant of works for me and all who believe.' True. He did then He took it away. No one is saved by works, ever. 'One other question that would help clear things up on your perspective for me, Bill: what can I do as a Christian to honor God in my daily life that is not expressed in the Law? If the moral law passed away with the Mosaic Law, how am I to please God without obeying the moral commands found in the Pentateuch?' Faith in what Christ has done. Without faith, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. Faith, not in yourself and how well you keep God's moral law, but faith in Christ and the fact that He will, day by day, moment by moment, fulfill God's righteous requirements in you. In fact, anything that is not of faith, including human effort to keep the Law, is sin. That is why the Pharisees were condemned. If you could live every day keeping every moral law of God, then you would, indeed, be justified. But neither you nor I nor anyone else (except Christ) can do this. So what do we do? Just keep trying? No. Rest in Christ and know that because He did it once, He will continue to do it through you. Faith in Christ alone is what pleases God. Anything else is works. Gal 3:24,25 - 'Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (the Law).' It's pretty clear, Joe. Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord, Bill Mc |
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127 | Whatever happened to John 17:21? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17916 | ||
BTW, those nice, neat little boxes may appear to be helpful but I feel that they are damaging to the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit did not baptize us into nice, neat little boxes but into one Body - Rom 12:5, 1 Cor 12:13,27; Eph 5:30; Col 1:24. Our identity, as Christians, is His body, the church. We are children of God. Nothing more and, certainly, nothing less. Our beliefs about who we are and what we believe should rest on Christ and scripture alone. To categorize believers into Calvinist, Armenian, Dispensationalist, Baptist, Catholic, Reformed, and any of a thousand other names is neither warranted nor supported by scripture. In fact, this was one of Paul's rebukes to the church at Corinth. "I hear that divisions exist among you...for there must also be factions among you." Then he went on to reitterate how the Lord's body, the church, is one loaf but consists of many members. He pegs modern Christianity in 1 Cor 1:12: "Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, "I am of Paul," and "I of Apollos," and "I of Cephas," and "I of Christ." Only we say, "I am of Calvin, I am of Armenius (or whatever his name was), I am of Luther, I am of the Westminister Confession." These things are, but they should not be. The end result is that when a person comes to this forum seeking an answer from the Bible, we resort to: 'As a Calvinist...' then an Armenian has to reply, 'As an Armenian...' So instead of getting an answer straight from the Bible, we post responses from other people. This is because we do not trust God to reveal Himself to US through scripture. We think that you have to be a Scofield, a Ryrie, a Luther, a Calvin to correctly understand scripture. The Holy Spirit said that He would lead us into all truth. Do we believe this? I think not or we wouldn't be so quick to identify ourselves with others whom God has spoken to. I mourn for the church of Jesus Christ because most of us have no idea who were are. When will we understand that you are either in Adam or in Christ? When we will reply, "As a child of the living, true God, here is what the scripture says concerning this issue...?" When will we come out from behind our false identities, leave behind our platitudes, and respond with truth in love? This is not meant as a personal rebuke against you, dear Reformer Joe. This is meant as an observation for all those who name the name of Christ. I hope and pray as Christ did in John 17:21 - "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." A child of God only by His grace, Bill Mc |
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128 | Joe, what is Paul and Hebrews 'the Law'? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17912 | ||
Joe, out of curiosity, upon what basis do you make the statement that only the civil and ceremonial laws are passed away? Paul's writings and the author of Hebrews do not divide the Law into 1) moral law 2) civil law 3) ceremonial law when speaking of the Law being made obsolete or concerning the fact that believers are not under Law. They simply state 'the Law','the letter', the ministry of death, the ministry of condemnation, 'the Law of Moses'. If they make no distinction, then why do you? What scriptures do you use to support this 'dismantling' of the Law? It appears that by breaking it up into smaller pieces, then you can be the one to decide which parts to keep and which parts to discard. James refers to 'the whole Law'. In other words, if you want to be under ANY of it, then you have to be under ALL of it. Any thoughts? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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129 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17904 | ||
Joe, thanks for your reply. Thanks for the dispensationalism definition. The OT is not all performance. My prior posts have stated that all men for all time are saved by grace. On that point I think you and I concur. I don't view the OT as entirely performance but I do feel that man has a propensity to take the Law (which Jesus said pointed to Him) and substitute it for a living relationship with God. We take the sign and worship that instead of the One to whom it points. You have to admit that by the time Jesus came along, the Jewish religious leadership felt that they had no need for Christ. They were busy worshipping the Law. Jesus told them that they searched the scriptures (OT) because they thought that that was how they would inherit eternal life - by keeping the Law. Then He said that they wouldn't come to Him, even though all the scriptures spoke about Him and Moses wrote about Him, to get true LIFE. Hebrews says that the Law couldn't impart life. It could illuminate sin but it could not redeem. Paul calls the Law the ministry of death, the ministry of condemnation BUT he says, the Law is good, righteous, and holy. The problem with the Law is not the Law but US. Man could not keep it perfectly. Paul says that the Law is good if it is used properly (to point people to their need for a Savior) and that it is not made for the righteous (saints) but for the ungodly, to show them that they are sinful. Should we still teach the Law? Yes, sinners still need to be convicted of their sin. And yes, Joe, my church does have an affinity for DTS but I disagree with my church's stance on some issues - 1 John 1:9, Pre-trib rapture, 2 natures of the believer, the significance of the Lord's Supper. My pastor, as much as I love him, will say that Christians are not under Law and then turn around and preach tithing out of Malachi. So, we are all on a journey. Please understand this about my viewpoint: I am not trying to ride two horses at the same time. But, as I see it, there are 2 main 'horses' described in the Bible. The first 'horse' was a shadow that pointed to the better 'horse' that was to come - Heb 10:1. Hebrews says that the Law could not justify anyone - it couldn't make you right with God. If it can't make you right, it can't keep you right. But people, in general, would rather ride the first 'horse' because it then appears that they are the ones doing it. 'See how well I ride, watch this, aren't I a wonderful rider?' And James said that if you fall off even one time then you are disqualified. We have all 'fallen off.' You may disbelieve it, but in riding the second 'horse', I am under tighter constraints that the first. The Law said, "Don't commit adultery." The law of Christ says, "Don't even lust." The Law said, "Don't murder." The law of Christ said, "Don't hate your brother, and when you got that down, love your enemies." So people who think that 'gracers' are not under any law are misinformed. But His law is not burdensome because, as I rest in Him, He fulfills it, not me, but Christ in me. So it is not that I am trying to ride two horses. But I do believe that there is progressive revelation in the Bible. Does what Paul wrote supercede what Jesus said? Yes, in some cases. Why? Because Paul didn't really write it. He said that what he (Paul) received, he received from the Lord Jesus Himself. He wasn't taught it, he didn't go to Peter and say, "Hey, Pete, fill me in on this Jesus guy." Paul's revelation IS Christ's revelation. To dismiss 2/3's of the NT is a travesty. Most Christians know the 10 Words, the 4 gospels, and 1 John 1:9. And that is all they know. There is much more to being a believer than trying to keep the Law, immitating Jesus, and trying to keep yourself forgiven when you inevitably fail. Christ is alive and in us. We are to live out of that relationship. Will we fulfill the Law? Yes. But we will go far beyond it as we walk in the Spirit. Grace and peace to you, Joe. Bill Mc |
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130 | God's people's land? | 2 Chr 7:14 | Bill Mc | 17877 | ||
John, I did not take your reply as harsh. In fact, I agree with most of what you said. I never implied that only the New Testament was inspired. My play on words for the Bible being divided into Old and New Testaments was just that, a play on words. However, many Christians are ignorant (not stupid, but unknowledgeable) concerning the differences between the OT and the NT. Hence you have sects of Christianity believing that everything God promised Israel is applicable to the church and that the church existed in the Old Testament. Brother, I did read 'The Answer.' This catastrophe has affected the whole world. I think that children are the least equipped to deal with the why's of an attrocity like this. But I do not feel that God is punishing America. If you do, so be it. But I find way too many verses in the NT that say we are forgiven. The hope that we need to extend to the world is not a conditional hope that if American Christians turn from there sin, then God will heal their land. No matter how you cut it, this was written to Israel. I, personally would not pray this anymore than I would pray David's prayer, "Take not Thine Spirit from me" or the Jabez prayer. To my knowledge, God never mentions America even once in the scriptures. Our hope lies in Christ alone as we live out the gospel before our fellow man. I was not trying to be insensitive to your post. I'm sorry if it came across that way. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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131 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17863 | ||
Joe, Peter was saved by faith in what Christ said to him. Jesus told him, "The words that I speak to you are truth and life." People in the OT were saved by faith in God. Many of these people believed that God would one day send the Messiah to pay the full price for their sins. They looked forward to Christ's work on the cross, while we look back to it. Their righteousness was credited to them until Christ paid the full price of redemption. Hebrews makes it clear the Christ's sacrifice redeemed them - Heb 9:15. When that price was paided, I believe that Christ took them from Abraham's bossom to heaven. OT saints were 'saved' - delivered from the wages of sin, eternal death in Hell, but I don't think that they went to heaven until Christ's sacrifice. OT saints did not have the Holy Spirit to permanently indwell them. Often, He 'came upon' them to empower them to speak or act on God's behalf. But disobedience usually made Him leave (Saul, David). God did not indwell them. And OT saints could not go running into the Holy of Holies. They were credited forgiveness and righteousness but they were not made so. We can enter into the Holy of Holies. We are now the temple of God. The temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. Peter was saved before Christ's death by placing his faith and trust in Christ. But Christ made it very clear to His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. Much of what Christ taught them in His 3 years of public ministry went over their heads. They were forever asking Him what He was talking about. But Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came to them, He would cause the disciples to not only remember what Christ said, but He would explain it to them. Note: I don't believe we are righteous sinners. God calls us saints 63 times in the New Testament. As bad as the Corinthian church acted, Paul called them saints. No offense, Joe, but study the NT word sinner. It is most often used of Gentiles and unbelievers. It is never used of saints, those in Christ. James does use it but there were unbelievers in every assembly then as there are now. If one think that he is just a 'sinner saved by grace,' then one doesn't fully understand what Christ died to do. Jesus didn't come just to get men out of hell and into heaven. He came to get Himself out of heaven and into men. Peace and God bless, Bill Mc |
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132 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17861 | ||
Joe, I agree that sanctification always accompanies justification. God 'sets you apart' when you are 'made right with Him.' Scripture is pretty clear on this point - 1 Cor 6:11. Yes, I agree with James - true saving faith will result (if given time) in works but they are Christ's works. But I am not Reformed, I am a new creation in Christ. God didn't reform me. He crucified my 'old man' (not my father) with Christ, and caused my spirit to be born united with Christ's Spirit. My confession has nothing to do with Westminster (that I know of). And I don't think that I am a dispensationalist. Nor am I a Calvinist or Armenian. I'm AM a little frustrated with this forum's tendency to try to stick everyone into nice, neat little boxes :) but, nonetheless, if we can get past the labels, we will find many things in common if we adhere to Christ alone and sola scriptura. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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133 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17852 | ||
Joe, I forgot question number two. Yes, we persevere until the end. But we do not do it apart from Christ and His work in us. As we have received Christ (by faith), we are to walk in Him (by faith). This is not by our works. This is by His works in us and through us. We get the privelege, as Christians, of 'working out' the salvation that God has 'worked in' us. God has predestined that we walk and persevere in the works that He has prepared for us. But we, like Christ, are not to do it in the flesh. Rather, we are to depend upon Christ as He depended upon His Father. Jesus said that He didn't do any works unless the Father told Him to. He didn't say anything unless the Father told Him to say it. And then He told us, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." This is not a passive walk. It is an active walk relying upon Christ as our total sufficiency. Sanctification is not something we do. It is something that Christ does and continues to do in us. The end result? 1 Thess 5:23,24 - "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit, and soul and body be preserved (sealed) complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and HE ALSO WILL BRING IT TO PASS." He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. He does it. He does it in us and through us, but He does it. Grow in grace, Bill Mc |
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134 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17845 | ||
Dear Joe, You're correct, salvation has always been by faith and never by works. Before the cross, OT saints were saved by faith in whatever God's Word and revelation was to them - Heb 11. After the cross, we are saved by faith in God's Final Word, Jesus Christ - Heb 1:2. So, no, the Law could not save. But Peter's life was bridged in the OT and the NT. He became Jesus' disciple under the OT, while Christ was incarnate on earth- Gal 4:4. Was he saved at this point? Yes. But he was not a NT believer. After Christ died, the NT went into effect and Peter then became a NT saint through regeneration (crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ - Rom 6:4, Gal 2:20), with the indwelling of God Himself at Pentecost. We see no record whatsoever of Peter denying Christ after Pentecost. In fact, tradition says that he was crucified upside-down. What caused such a change in this beloved apostle? The indwelling Christ. My post never said that Peter was not saved before the cross. I said that he was not a NT believer - those who are reconciled, redeemed and regenerated by Christ's Himself - until after the cross. You may feel that I am splitting hairs here but the distinction is not mine, it is God's - Rom 8:9. Paul makes it clear, by revelation from Jesus Christ Himself, that after the cross, the Holy Spirit is the seal, the guarantee of what God has done in redeeming and saving us. It is non-negotiatable, either you are a Christian because Christ is in you and you are in Him, or you are not. In light of that truth, I was asking John not to gauge his relationship with God upon Peter's unregenerate example. He needs to gauge his relationship with God upon the secure work of Christ on the cross, not on his feelings or experiences. Feelings and experiences will 'catch up' as we place our faith and trust in the facts of the redemption that our Lord has provided. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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135 | Lost my salvation? (Hebrews 6:4-6) | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17819 | ||
Dear John K, Tim has some good points in his post. The Hewbrews thought that they were 'saved' by keeping the law. Think how radical that it must have been for someone to come along and share the gospel message with them that they no longer had to offer their sacrifices, they no longer had to go to the temple to worship, they no longer had to observe the Sabbath. This was probably one of the earlier letters, at least before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, so these believers did not have the entire new testament to completely explain Christ and what He did. My understanding of this passage is that it was written to tell them that if they did not accept Christ sacrifice, then there was no other sacrifice left to take away sins. They could go back to the temple and offer their bull or goat but God would not honor that. Salvation was by faith alone in what Christ did. He was the once for all sacrifice. I.e. if they profess to accept His sacrifice and say, 'Yes, I believe this gospel, but I'm going to the temple to get my sins forgiven', that just doesn't cut it. God did away with that old system. The new system only requires faith in what Christ has done. John, consider this: Peter was not a regenated person with the Spirit of God living inside him when he denied Christ. If anyone does not have the Spirit of God, he does not belong to Him - Rom 8:9. Peter was not, at this point, a new testament believer because Christ's sacrifice has not yet been made and the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. John, salvation is not how much you pray, read your Bible or how little you sin. Salvation is understanding the the wages of sin is separation from God but the gift of God is eternal life, knowing God. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son does not have the life. Faith in Christ is what saves you, brother, not faith in how well you live the 'Christian life.' None of us can do it perfectly. Do you understand that salvation is more than just having your sins forgiven? Salvation is life, eternal life that starts here and now. If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells IN YOU, He will give eternal life to your mortal (uneternal) body. Accepting Christ is more that knowing that your sins are forgiven and promising to live a godly life. Only Jesus can live a godly life. And He will as you place your trust in Him and abide in Him. Here, my friend, is the bottom line. Despite what you, I, or others may think about this passage in Hebrews, if you are IN CHRIST (if that is where your trust for salvation is), there is NO CONDEMNATION for you. Why? Because Christ took it. All of it. He was made sin so that you can be HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. The law of the Spirit of LIFE has set you free from the law of sin and death - Rom 8:1,2. If you have Christ's life, the Holy Spirit, dwelling in you, then even if you sin, you don't get sin's wages. Christ got them for you. Despite what you may have heard, it is NOT good for you to be scared of God. God has reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus Christ and is no longer holding men's sins (what they do)against them. Your sin cannot prevent you from coming to God. The only sin that people need to repent of is the sin of unbelief in Christ. This is what the writer of Hebrews is saying - you need to change your mind concerning what you think saves you. Where have you put your trust and faith, brother? Is it in Christ and Him alone or in your performance? Do you KNOW that He now lives in you? Christ said that He came to give us LIFE and life more abundant. Why? Because we were dead in trespasses and sins? Have you accepted Him not just for the forgiveness that He offers, but for His very life? God so loved the John that He gave His only begotten Son so that if John believes, not in John, but in Christ, John will NEVER perish. Instead, John will have eternal life, right here, right now. Do you believe this? Praying for you, Bill Mc |
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136 | was Gods intention to eat forbid. fruit | Gen 2:9 | Bill Mc | 17776 | ||
Dear Cherrie, This is a good question. But I don't think that the answer is all that hard to understand. God did not intend for Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He intended for them to eat from every other tree in the garden and the Tree of Life. But God has made humans with a capacity to choose. He wanted it that way. This is the way God chose to allow man to make his own choice about his source of life. Please let me state something here. Just because God knows what will happen DOES NOT invalidate or negate our choices. Unfortunately, we, as humans are not omniscient. Therefore, we CANNOT enter into understanding it. Omniscience is one of God's divine attributes. It is not ours. Because we have no experience with it, nor can we fully comprehend it, we have no right to judge God's plan. God created man in His image and man has been trying to return the favor ever since. So for us to imply that if God knew man would sin, He should never have put the opportunity there, I believe, we are over-stepping our bounds. God desired a creature that would choose to love and obey Him. You cannot have true love and true obedience without a choice. You can create robots without love and obedience but not what God calls humans. Adam and Eve chose the wrong tree. But God had, in mercy, a plan of redemption through Jesus Christ even before the world began. I DO NOT understand this completely. But I do accept it because God says it is so. Consider 2 Pet 3:9 - 'The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.' God wills, desires, intends for none to perish. But it happens anyway. People go into eternity every day not knowing God, not having eternal life. Is this God's will? No. This is man's will. God has provided a way, through the sacrifice of His Son, for us to have eternal life. He has done everything He can do to redeem us EXCEPT to break our wills. We MUST choose. Dear Cherrie, do not confuse God's desires, intentions, and will with His omniscience. Does God know who will accept Him and who will reject Him? Yes, I believe He does. We do not. But that does not invalidate our right or privelege to choose Him. I hope that this clarifies my answer. Blessings to you, Bill Mc |
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137 | do some read the NEW LIVING BIBLE | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 17690 | ||
Hi Lillie, yes I read it! I use the NLT when I just want to sit down (or lie down) and read just for the sake of reading God's Word. The NLT does a very nice job (especially in Psalms and Proverbs) at being very readable as a dynamic equivalent translation. I don't use the NLT for word study but it does help me to get a different 'flavor' of some passages where I've gotten used to another translation and I'd like to see it afresh. I hope you enjoy it if you have it. Unlike the Living Bible (a true paraphrase), the NLT is a true translation. It is just not a word-for-word formal equivalence translation like the NASB. Grow in grace, Bill Mc |
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138 | New to the Word | Bible general Archive 1 | Bill Mc | 17678 | ||
Hi EdB, it's nice to know that there are a few other inductive studiers out there. I just finished the two-year course in Revelation. I've done (and taught) Philippians, 1 Timothy, and Romans in the inductive method with Precept Ministries. It's a real blessing to just get into God's Word and dig, letting scripture interpret scripture. Blessings to you, Bill Mc |
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139 | was Gods intention to eat forbid. fruit | Gen 2:9 | Bill Mc | 17677 | ||
Dear Cherrie, God did not intend for Adam and Eve to eat from the tree. But He, being omniscient (all-knowing) knew that they would. He offered His creation a choice - the Tree of Life or the Tree of the Knowdege of Good and Evil. They chose 'poorly.' Thankfully, God offers us salvation to transfer us from being 'in Adam' to being 'in Christ.' Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We can, in a way, chose to come to the Tree of Life and live forever! In Christ, Bill Mc |
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140 | Lionstrong, maybe this will clarify... | 2 Chr 7:14 | Bill Mc | 17676 | ||
Tim, so true. This is the mystery that was hidden, God in the Gentiles also. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." The Jews found that thought unthinkable. God, in 'sinners?' How could it be? The Jew and Gentile one in Christ? Hallelujah! (Sorry, makes me joyful...) Accepted in the Beloved, Bill Mc |
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