Results 1321 - 1340 of 1444
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1321 | Why do we have Jesus stuck in a manger? | Col 2:16 | JCrichton | 107683 | ||
Hi, TheFinalSQL! Please do not take offense... Are you reading the Bible as part of your sources? If you are, what version is it? but the angel said... And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' (Luke 2:10,12) As it was pointed out to you previously: How could Christ have died for us if He had not been born? And have you noticed the prophecies about Joshua? Had Jesus just walked out of the desert or dropped in on the most celebrated feast, in the middle of the Temple, fully grown, would that have satisfied your point (birth not important), would Israel have accepted Him any better? Wouldn't the unfulfilled prophecies make God a liar? And what would we argue about: How tall He was?, What attire He wore? Was He truly man and God, since He just happened to appear as a full grown man?... Friend, we benefit in all that He did because He came to do just that: the Creator became less than the angels to bring us Salvation free of pretexts: The Holy Spirit, God's Power and Essence, made a human vessel in Mary, who as a man would experience what humanity experiences (with the exception of sin), in order to offer Himself as a sacrifice in exchange for our lives. But He also experienced what we are in order to Mediate in front of God, for our continued transgressions. Had Jesus not been fully human we would attempt to employ an automatic excuse: "God, just doesn't understand our pain, our suffering, our weaknesses, our need for love, friendship, direction... When the Infant Jesus was born He brought God's Love to our plane of existence. The magi, these Gentile sojourners, undertood the significance of this particular human birth... why can't you, a Christian? God Bless! |
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1322 | What if Eve had eaten from the other tre | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 107582 | ||
Hello, big mo! I hate getting into the "what if" arguments... but here goes: The sepent: Satan. The prey: God's Authority. The bait: Eve. The sucker: Adam. The death: Spiritual. The Wisdom: God's! Satan had limited vision from the beginning (other wise he would not have attempted to assail God's Throne) so when it came to oblitarating God's creation he couldn't but fail. He was so short-sighted in his quest for vengeance that he could not reason other then countermand God's command! Since Adam and Eve were innocent (lacking judgement: good vs. bad), they could not come up with a subversive plan. And once caught in the sin (at this time they were fully aware that they had transgressed) fear got the best of them, and all that wisdom that the serpent promised simply faded away! Hope this helps! God Bless! |
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1323 | Info on the day of Jesus' birth | Col 2:16 | JCrichton | 107580 | ||
Hi, Taleb! Thanks for the info. Excellent chosing point! God Bless! |
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1324 | dead are risen and judged | Rom 2:16 | JCrichton | 107579 | ||
Hello, carrieb23! Glad I could help! Your new question is a "charged one;" I will work on it! For now hold on to these passages: but anyone who stands firm to the en will be saved. (Matthew 24:13) Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44) …for those who prove victorious will come to no harm from the second death. (Revelation 2:11) It is true that we will (and have) face times of tribulations and turmoil but Jesus is our refuge: (Romans 8:38-39). We are not alone! Jesus gave His life for us, is Mediating in front of our Father, left us the Holy Spirit, and has done all the hardest work for us: (John 11:25-26; John 16:33; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58). Don't forget His promise: (paraphrase) Do not be afraid, I will be with you till the end ot times! God Bless! |
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1325 | Follow up on 1 Cor. chp 11 vs 1-16 | Rom 14:13 | JCrichton | 107578 | ||
Yes, morleyde, Paul is doing that. But also he is indicating that man was called to serve God on a very specific level. That the male is the one responsible for the spiritual upbringing of the household and effectively the Church! Though there is a codependency, God did not ask eve what she had done; He checked Adam to whom the command had been given. Remember the parable of the wedding feast--where all the priviledged refused to show? When the servants went out and gathered everyone in sight, they all got on their best attire except one! He got reprimanded and thrown out of the banquet. Paul is telling the Conrinthians the same thing: If we come to God with strange services (Genesis 4:3-7; Leviticus 10:1-2; 1 Chronicles 13:9-10) God will most certainly spit us out! As with Adam and Eve we may not experience physical death... but the warning is not included jus for show (1 Corinthians 11:27,29). Does God care if a man has long hair and a woman short hair--the Spirit moved Paul to present such argument, there must be some reason, don't you think! As a Christian we are walking by Grace not by the Law, so we are free to do as we please; the question is, does what pleases us pleases the Lord? Our behavior, as representatives of Christ, affects not only the novice in congregations but also the those of the world. So, would God be concerned with the manner that we use to add new converts to the Church (come as you are, we're rock'n n roll'n here!) or would He just think: "Hey, these are spiritual people, it's ok to let some things sly--just a little." Paul saw things sliding way out of control--perhaps it started with the simple choices that the members made (hair, dress, dessension...). Ultimately, Paul tells us that we should search ourselves and determine how we are to offer our services to God. God Bless! |
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1326 | Does 1 Cor. 11 apply to us today? | Rom 14:13 | JCrichton | 107537 | ||
Hi, morleyde! I am not sure if you are referring to the complete chapter since it brakes down into two distinct admonitions: 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 -- deals with dress codes and spiritual rank 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 - deals with moral behavior and mode of worship Paul opens with a strong command: “Take me as your pattern, just as I take Christ for mine.” Somewhat sarcastically, he reminds them of the traditions (teachings of the Lord and revelation of the Holy Spirit passed down orally by the Apostles) that they were to have kept. Since rumors have reached Paul that they were not keeping the code of conduct, he revisited the pattern set by God during creation and restated his previous teachings: the man not the woman is the head, under Christ who is the Head of the Church. Notice how Paul is not being chauvinistic: “However, in the Lord, though woman is nothing without man, man is nothing without woman; and though woman came from man, so does every man come from a woman, and everything comes from God.” Paul is not saying that woman is to be demeaned by man or that there’s no place in the Church for the woman, he just questions the choices of how service is presented to the Lord: “Decide for yourselves: does it seem fitting that a woman should pray to God without a veil? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but when a woman has long hair, it is her glory? After all, her hair was given to her to be a covering.” Could you imagine Paul walking into some of the services performed nowadays where the dress codes epitomize the secular mode instead of the spiritual congregation’s? Shouldn’t 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 apply to today’s Christian? Having scratched the surface, Paul moves on to a more critical issue: moral behavior and form of worship!: “…So, when you meet together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat; for when the eating begins, each one of you has his own supper first, and there is one going hungry while another is getting drunk. Surely you have homes for doing your eating and drinking in? Or have you such disregard for God’s assembly that you can put to shame those who have nothing? What am I to say to you? Congratulate you? On this I cannot congratulate you.” The assembly of the believers have become a social gathering where gluttony and drunkenness has replaced all values--Paul not only object to this pagan behavior but he points out that: “it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat;” and he chastises them for shutting out the needy. Can you imagine going to a banquet where all are welcome but those who have the least have to wait for meager scraps at the end of the festivities? Paul was imagining these things, and he was boiling hot! He breaks it down for them: “For the tradition I received from the Lord and also handed on to you is that on the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, and after he had given thanks, he broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ And in the same way, with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this as a memorial of me.’ Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.” Paul identifies our Lord’s words as a commandment to be practiced by the believers and emphasizes that it is not an empty symbolic gesture that we are to present to the Lord, “proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.” Has the Lord come yet? Paul warns: “Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. That is why many of you are weak and ill and a good number have died. If we were critical of ourselves we would not be condemned, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are corrected by the Lord to save us from being condemned along with the world.” Hope this helps! God Bless! |
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1327 | Is God's name YHVH or JHVH? | Gen 2:4 | JCrichton | 107521 | ||
Hello, BD@GA! Again, from the same source: Exodus 3:14 footnote f: I am who I am... I AM; or I will be who I will be... I WILL BE. "I am sounds like the Hebrew name Yahweh traditionally transliterated as Jehovah. Hope this has helped! God Bless! |
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1328 | Merry Christmas | Is 7:14 | JCrichton | 107518 | ||
Hi, Makarios! After reading your note, I updated my User Info--anything else you want to know? God Bless! |
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1329 | Info on the day of Jesus' birth | Col 2:16 | JCrichton | 107515 | ||
Hi, Taleb! Thanks for your data. Though I've never made any serious attempts to find the answer, I have always thought that December 25 was a marvelous date for our Lord's Birthday: If falls just short of the end of the old year, and it buzzes in the new year: parallel: Jesus ends the Old Testament (with all its limitations) while birhting the New Testament (infinite power of grace!). Not only was your post an excellent source of corraborated data, but you ended it with a very enlightening and insightful statement, if only more Christians would worship God in the Truth (Christ) and not the emotions (self)! God Bless! |
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1330 | Is civil disobedience OK when... | Prov 3:13 | JCrichton | 107467 | ||
Hi, kalos! So how would you interpret James 4:7? Jesus never called the disciples to confront the Roman occupation with any type of disobedience. Can you imagine the caos that could have been caused with a peaceful sit-in? He told Pontius Pilate that "my kingdom is not of this world." And though He warned the disciples about the treacherous times to come they misunderstood; Peter even jumped the gun and cut one of the goons (true Jesus confused them a little when He told them to buy a sword(s); Jesus reacted by healing the man that was cut and admonishing Peter (and the rest of the disciples) about the ineffective use of violence! We must be on guard. We must face any and all attacks on our Christianity--but our Lord demands love, peace (Jesus'), the Scriptures and prayer as our weapons! Civil disobedience would be against all that Christ taught. But that does not mean that we cannot work to make a better world nor that we cannot peacefully assemble to demand justice (in Christ)! God Bless! |
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1331 | everyone knows that there is a God | Jer 31:31 | JCrichton | 107466 | ||
Teacher Naw, hi! Interesting passage you cited (in respect to your screen name)... From Hebrews 8:8-11, you read that God's commandments will be engrave in every man's heart? So are we all the house of Israel? Are we all God's servants? God Bless! |
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1332 | RoS, What do we do with the OT (Law)? | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 107464 | ||
Hi, Searcher56! There seem to be conflicting teachings in the Bible, especially if a single/few passages are studied exclusively; se we must seek to compare as much Biblical material as possible before coming to a conclusion. The best way to explain this to you is revisiting Romans 7:14-25; but when Paul says that the law of the Spirit brings us life (Romans 8:1-17) he did not promote abolishing the Law! (Romans 3:31) Paul was true to his Master (Matthew 5:17-20), who came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it! God Bless! P.S.: For indepth study: Romans 7:7 through 11:36. |
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1333 | Tithes | Bible general Archive 2 | JCrichton | 107463 | ||
Searcher 56, hi! Please restudy: Genesis 14:19 did not establish the tithing. This particular passage is revealing something rather distant from Abraham (the priesthood, the kingship, the Lord's Supper, the tithing). Israel (Jacob) was not yet born; Israel the nation would gain existence hundreds of years after Jacob's death. Genesis 14:18-20 is a reflection of Jesus Christ, the High Priest, the King, the fulfillment of the Law, the sacrifice). God Bless! |
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1334 | Is God's name YHVH or JHVH? | Gen 2:4 | JCrichton | 107462 | ||
Hello, BD@GA! The one source I have is a notation from the "GOOD NEWS BIBLE" (Today's English Version): Genesis 2:4 footnote f: THE LORD: Where the Hebrew text has Yahwey, traditionally transliterated as Jehovah, this translation employes LORD with capital letters, following a usage which is widespread in English versions. (Transliterate--Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary--to represent or spell in the characters of another alphabet.) From this notation I surmise that, though commonly accepted, Jehovah is not the original word--it is Yahweh! God Bless! |
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1335 | Need to confess sins after being saved. | 1 John 1:9 | JCrichton | 107460 | ||
windjammer, hi! It is an interesting position! I met a young man that invited me to his services (the place where he worshiped); for some unknown reason he genuinely wanted me to join. After the service we had a lengthy interchange where a third person joined in. Their theme is (or was, we did not keep in touch) that once saved we cannot lose salvation because we’re above the law (similar to your friend’s position). I vividly recall that the second gentleman slurred almost every word; since there was no alcohol odor emanating from his immediate area, I believed that he was under the influence of drugs. I tested their conviction by presenting just such a scenario (drugs, alcohol, gambling; lying; cheating; fornication…). My host was not so quick to answer but his friend attempted to use Romans 7:6 and Galatians 5:18 as catch-all and exonerate-all clauses to allow those who are “saved” to behave as they please! (Apparently they never read 1 Corinthians 6:12-13--Paul is nor referring only to sexual conduct but to everything that separates us from the Lord!) I believe that your friend is misinterpreting the Scripture: If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; if we acknowledge our sins, he is trustworthy and upright, so that he will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all evil. If we say, ‘We have never sinned,’ we make him a liar, and his word has no place in us. 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 1:8 - 2:2) So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully. (James 5:16) In these two passages (1 John 1:8 - 2:2; James 5:16), both John and James are speaking not to the unbelievers or converts, but to the seasoned believers and they distinctly demonstrate our need to confess our sins--there’s no other interpretation (or spin) that can be applied to such explicit teachings. John and James are echoing our Lords words to Simon: So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Matthew 16:18-19) Why would Jesus talk about something that is irrelevant? Why would God?. Ezekiel 18 is an excellent source of God’s views on sin, especially verses 24, and 30-32 : ‘But if the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong by copying all the loathsome practices of the wicked, is he to live? All his upright actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, he will most certainly die.’ ‘So in the future, House of Israel, I shall judge each of you by what that person does--declares the Lord Yahweh. Repent, renounce all your crimes, avoid all occasions for guilt. Shake off all the crimes you have committed, and make yourselves anew heart and a new spirit! Why die, House of Israel? I take no pleasure in the death of anyone--declares the Lord Yahweh--so repent and live!’ We may decide to take liberties with one or a few Biblical verses (the JW are experts at this!), but when judged against the totality of the Bible does our interpretations measure up? This was happening way back when--Paul had to admonish the Corinthians because they were allowing a strange fellowship to be intertwined with the Truth: But I am afraid that, just as the snake with his cunning seduced Eve, your minds may be led astray from single-minded devotion to Christ. Because any chance comer has only to preach a Jesus other than the one we preached, or you have only to receive a spirit different from the one you received, or a gospel different from the one you accepted--and you put up with that only too willingly. (1 Corinthians 11:3-4) Some of the times misinterpretation comes from not listening to the complete teachings of the Bible passages. James 5:15 is one of those verses: The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. Thinking that this verse applies to all Christians could derail us from the Truth: prayer does not replace confession! James 5:15 is intended not for all believers, but for those that are sick--if they are meant to die, the prayer of faith can cleanse them! God Bless! |
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1336 | Tara1 - Is Jesus true or false god? | OT general | JCrichton | 107437 | ||
Hi, Mrs. B! You are so right! It baffles me to witness them reading or listening to me reading the Bible and still they cannot use reason to go beyond their indoctrination. Most their problem lies on their inability to see God as infinite power--they want to package God and the Bible in simple language and thought: i.e.: When reading the Old Testament they dicover the Spirit of God as an "active force" and they file that bit of information away in the JW user dictionary; when ever the word Spirit (Holy Spirit/Ghost) appears in the Bible, they return to that reference! Having such a limited spiritual vocabulary brings them to the impass of fellowship: they want to be Christians, but they do not want to accept Jesus Commands! We must not let their genuine fervor be wasted; we must share the fulness of the Scriptures in hope that at least one JW will see the light and he/she would be saved and bring others to salvation in Christ Jesus, who is God, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, who is also God! God Bless! |
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1337 | Why do we celebrate Dec. 25? | Col 2:16 | JCrichton | 107436 | ||
Hi, bcollier! Which day would they suggest, and would you object to its celebration? As a Christian, would you enjoy the secular world devoid of any semblance of God? Would they that reject the Christmas celebration would be happier--I have a word for that: atheism! God Bless! |
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1338 | New Celebrations ? | 1 Cor 5:8 | JCrichton | 107382 | ||
Hi, justme! Are you looking to start a new holy day?, or are you having problems with Christmas? As far as I know, there were no plans written down by Jesus about how the Apostles should preach, baptize, or heal. Jesus did not have a secretary taking notes (minutes) and keeping records. So anyone might say that the Apostles erred in distributing the various cities and villiges into sectors to be covered by their preaching and conversion and by setting up a structure (1 Corinthians 12:28). But when we look at the Bible in such aesthetic and methodical way we are removing the Force behind it: the Holy Spirit! Do you remember the passage about the married couple that sold their property and then lied to the Apostles about the amount of money that they received? Do you think that they died so that Peter could put the fear of God onto the rest of the Apostles and the believers? Remember what Jesus told His disciples about the Sabbath? Did Paul not clarify that it is our spiritual state and not the symbolism of the celebration that God desires? (1 Corinthians 10:31; 11:26-30 and Colossians 2:16 - 3:3) God Bless! |
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1339 | Before Jesus, were people saved? | Rom 2:16 | JCrichton | 107381 | ||
Hi, carrieb23! As Hank stated there was never a “before Jesus” time: In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being Except through him. (John 1:1-2) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (Revelation 22:13) And all drank from the spiritual rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) I have heard that question posed by many throughout the years. Empathizing with our fellow man is the beginning of consciousness (spiritual awareness): we are becoming Christ’s disciples (John 13:35). If I understand you correctly, you did not mean to say that Christ had a beginning; what you meant to say is “What about the people that died before Christ, the Word (Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with our own hands, the Word of life--this is our theme. That life was made visible; we saw it and are giving our testimony, declaring to you the eternal life, which was present to the Father and has been revealed to us. 1 John 1:1-2) So what did happen to those people? Were they simply interred and forgotten by God? And if Christ came to die for our sins, why did he not come sooner so that all of humanity would have the same opportunity? What does Jesus have to say about God’s Salvation Plan?: Jesus said: I am the resurrection. Anyone who believes in me, even though that person dies, will live, end whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-16) In all truth I tell you, the hour is coming-- indeed it is already here-- when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and all who hear it will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and, because he is the Son of man, has granted him power to give judgement. Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement. (John 5:25-29) Jesus is the resurrection! In Him all will have life! Foreshadow what Jesus’ resurrection means is Matthew 27:50-53). This passage clearly talks about those who died before Jesus was put to death on the cross. Though their resurrection was bodily (of the flesh only) it was a presage to the spiritual resurrection (as was that of Lazarus: John 11:1-45). There is awareness among the disciples as to the resurrection: 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; Romans 10:6-7; there are many more passages which I will let you search out and study. I’ll leave you with this final passage: Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and , in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah’s time when the ark was being built. In it only a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. It is the baptism corresponding to this water which saves you now--not the washing off of physical dirt but the pledge of a good conscience given to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, with angels, ruling forces and powers subject to him. (1 Peter 3:18-22) You may still have questions understanding God’s ways: read chapter 18 of Ezekiel, chapters 7 and 8 of Hebrews, chapter 2 of 1 Peter and Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12. Carrieb, when you search the Bible do it in the manner presented in James 1:5-8. God Bless! |
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1340 | Did Adam and eve have a belly button? | Gen 2:7 | JCrichton | 107380 | ||
Hi, justducky2! It could be quite a conundrum, if Genesis 2:7 did not depict how we came into existence. Since Adam was created by God, who gave Adam his body then life, and Eve was also a product of creation, when God used parts from Adam to give life to Eve (Genesis 2:21-22), there never was an umbilical cord; ergo, no bely button! God Bless! |
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