Results 141 - 160 of 2452
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Reformer Joe Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
141 | Bible publishing errors??? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 27638 | ||
Charlie: Tell your Mormon friend that grammatical errors are not the fault of publishers. The types of errors a publisher makes are typographical ones. The grammar mistakes we see in the 1830 Book of Mormon (which have since been "corrected") are due to a fallible, unintelligent "translator" of some mythical plates written in a non-existant language called Reformed Egyptian. The fact is that the LDS had to clean up Jospeh Smith's poor command of the English language. Incidentally, a lot of the differences between the 1830 Book of Mormon and present-day editions are not grammar corrections but actual replacements of words and phrases due to changes in LDS teachings (such as banning blacks from the priesthood due to the "curse" that was put on the Lamanites). --Joe! |
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142 | My husband and I are Christians . | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 28136 | ||
It is drunkenness that is condemned in Scripture. Wine was the common mealtime beverage (and still is around the Mediterranean). Our Lord consecrated wine for the Lord's Supper (yes, I am not a fan of grape juice and, yes, I know that exceptions need to be made). The temperance movement of the 19th century is what led to the abolition of wine in many Christian homes, and not any biblical mandate. Enjoy your wine and don't cause your brother to stumble (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 8:13). --Joe! |
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143 | once saved always saved? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 28139 | ||
Yes, but please type in those exact words in the search box at the upper right! Happy hunting! --Joe! |
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144 | AGE OF ACCOUNTIBILITY | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 28141 | ||
Of course young children have an idea of God's law. It is written upon their hearts: "For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them." --Romans 2:14-15 We do not have to be read the Old Testament to know right from wrong. A child may not know the number of the commandment, but they were given a moral sense which clearly tells them that they should honor their parents. No one truly goes through their whole lives without understanding or excuse, because the existence of God is written on the fabric of creation as well (Romans 1:18-20). No one, from infant to geriatric, is ever without excuse. Romans 2:1 reinforces this as well. --Joe! |
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145 | How important is your Church? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 29084 | ||
My answer is 10. God justifies us as individuals, but sets us apart into a body of believers. No such thing as the "Lone Ranger" Christian. The visible church is the commanded communion of saints on earth, and sanctification normally does not occur apart from that context. "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." --Romans 12:4-5 --Joe! |
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146 | Church attendance not required | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 29331 | ||
Sandre: Your situation brings up a very good question. If by God's sovereignty you are unable to attend church on a regular basis, then obviously he is not going to hold you accountable for it. However, I hope that you are receiving sound instruction in the Word and receiving fellowship with other believers. The church I attend has a considerable amount of elderly people who are often homebound. One of the great things about God's people is that they continue to minister to those who, because of their circumstances, are physically prevented from being in the church building every Sunday morning. Therefore, I would encourage you to find ways to continue to fellowship as much as possible within the context of a local body of believers. There are excellent resources such as tape ministries which facilitate this, and church elders at a biblically-functioning church should take the time to visit you, pray with you, and include you as much as possible in the life of the church. --Joe! |
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147 | are we saved by grace alone? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 29370 | ||
Good question. We are indeed saved by grace alone through faith alone through Christ alone. The Bible also teaches that all of those who truly have been saved by grace alone through faith alone through Christ alone will indeed endure to the end. That in itself is a work of grace in our lives wrought by the Holy Spirit. This is what is known in Reformed theology as the perseverance (or preservation) of the saints. We are not only regenerated and justified by God, we are kept from finally falling away from the faith through the gracious work of God in our lives. In this way, we can easily say that both the passages on enduring to the end apply to believers as well as passages which say that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Those who endure to the end ARE those who have been saved by God's grace alone though faith alone in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone! --Joe! |
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148 | are we saved by grace alone? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 29371 | ||
So you say that we are not saved by God's grace alone though faith alone in Christ alone...? --Joe! |
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149 | Can you lose your salvation? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30015 | ||
Mike: Thanks for your comments. You wrote in number 1: 'Without God's grace, man would be eternally lost! This is God's part in man's salvation process...Man's part in his salvation process is accepting God's grace "through faith"' Biblically speaking, it is all God's part. Even the faith we place in Christ is God's gift. Regarding #2, I am curious as to how you come to your conclusion that if we are saved by grace through faith (not of works), that the truly saved must maintain their salvation through repentance. I agree that those who are truly children of God will confess their sins, but even you must realize that there is at least one sin in your life for which you have not specifically repented. If we "miss one," are we damned? --Joe! |
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150 | Can you lose your salvation? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30018 | ||
Mike: I disagree with the minor premise of your syllogism. Simply citing Isaiah 59 does little to support your view that the "sin unto death" is a sin unto the loss of salvation. Your view of confessing sin, by the way, if very close to the Catholic idea of sacramental penance. Yes, we are undoubtedly to be confessing and repentant (Martin Luther's first thesis was that our lives should be ones of continual repentance). However, we have a contradiction in your claim that we are saved by God's grace (unmerited favor), but that we lose that salvation if we don't confess each sin. Another question...when you became a Christian, did you confess every single sin that you ever committed? Assuming you did not, why didn't you have to make your list then? In my experience, those who hold that every sin must be confessed generally have a poor understanding of just how much we still sin. I could not even count the number of times I have sinned (in even the most passing thought, word, or deed) against an infinitely holy God since I rolled out of bed this morning. While I do continually confess my sin against God in a general sense, it would be literally impossible to do anything else during the day but confess our continual lack of conformity to God's law and our transgression of it. Everything we do is still tainted by sin. Even our God-honoring works are imperfect in some form or fashion. If we must confess each and every sin, then we are doomed, because no one does that. --Joe! |
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151 | Can you lose your salvation? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30067 | ||
Mike: It only takes a cursory reading of my posts to see that I fully understand the importance of holding to the whole counsel of God. You are "preaching to the choir" there. I am quite the "sola Scriptura" guy, I love both Testaments, and applaud your claim to the same standard. However, you did not address the points in my post at all. I do not base my understanding on some pre-conceived notion, making Scripture try to "fit the facts." So, please respond to the points I made in my post. Is the total depravity of humanity a Biblical doctrine or not? If so, how can our sick, wicked hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) ever truly comprehend and make account for every last sin we commit? In addition, how is Christ the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) if confession on our part forms the basis of maintaining a right standing with God? Please note that I am not saying that those who are unrepentant exhibit saving faith; I want you to grasp from the whole counsel of God the absolute holiness of God and how cosmically far we still fall short of His righteous standard. Have you confessed every last sin you have ever committed by name? How do you know you have not ignored one or failed to recognize one or sinfully justified the sin by making an excuse? Because according to the theology you put forward, if there is the tiniest one left unmentioned, it is hell for you. As far as your last paragraph, I also completely disagree. There are many people who adhere to the principles you mentioned and yet still differ on issues, because one or more of them are wrong in your interpretation. Do you sincerely believe that every view you now hold is precisely the one that God does, that you are not in the slightest bit of theological error at all? All of us are wrong on something, I am quite sure, despite the fact that we hold God's word to be THE standard for faith and practice, studying it our whole lives. --Joe! |
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152 | Can you lose your salvation? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30072 | ||
Mike: Thanks for your response again. You mentioned in your daily prayer that you confess all sins known and unknown. That is not too different from what I do. However, you said it is a daily prayer. What if you were to commit an unknown sin 10 minutes later and then died before reaching the next prayer time? Thsi may seem to be belaboring the point, but I am quite confident that such a scenario occurs all the time in our lives. In other words, our mouths simply cannot keep up with our sins. Also, I hope you have not come to the conclusion that I think that works are not a part of the Christian life. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Good (i.e. God-honoring) works are the evidence of God at work in us, making clear to us and others our justification. However, our justification was accomplished by Christ on the Cross 2000 years ago, not by us today (Romans 8:33). I also find it interesting that you differentiate the works of the believer from the works mentioned in the Old Testament. How are the Ten Commandments the "old law"? Is there no longer a prohibition against idolatry and murder and adultery and lying and stealing and coveting and disobedience to parents? Are we not to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength and love our neighbors as ourselves anymore? There is no question that we do not keep these completely, because we still sin. However, all of the New Testament works/commands are in keeping with the moral law of God which runs throughout all of Scripture. And the thing is that we STILL don't completely and unwaveringly keep those NT commandments that you mentioned. That is the thing about grace. If we look at the Ephesians 2 passage, we see God's grace applied to us through faith (all of this being the gift of God) apart from works (what is your basis for saying that the works are limited to the specifics of God's covenant with the nation of Israel, since Paul was writing to Gentiles who never were part of that covenant?). However, true saving faith results in works, as Ephesians 2:10. Note, however, that the works, like the grace and faith, are of God, prepared beforehand for us to walk in them. Grace leads to faith (which includes repentance), resulting in God-honoring works as the Holy Spirit empowers us to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). However, it is God's grace that is the BASIS of our justification, faith being the MEANS, and works being the RESULT. All three are a part of the equation, but we must never get them out of order. --Joe! |
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153 | Can you lose your salvation? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30073 | ||
Good response, Hank. I keep forgetting to point out Reformer Joe's Fallacy No. 1 like I should: interpreting the whole Bible in light of a single verse rather than the other way around. This whole point of view hinges on his interpretation of 1 John 5:16, an interpretation which he has not sufficiently supported. --Joe! |
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154 | What about those who never heard of JC ? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30914 | ||
Bob: Thanks for your post. There is no support for inclusivism in the Bible. It is a speculative view from some Arminians who do not want to accept that God passes over some. While I don't think that your choice of words is terribly charming, the Incas and other precolombian civilizations were made up of sinners who died without a saving knowledge of Christ. Romans 1-3 tells us that creation reveals God's attributes and that all human beings are imbued with a moral sense (conscience) whic testifies to God's law. It also tells us that in our sinfulness we have suppressed that truth in unrighteousness. No one seeks after God; all have gone astray. That revelation from nature and conscience condemns us, rather than saves us. Scripture clearly atests that Christ is the only way to God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and that faith comes only by hearing the word of God proclaimed (Romans 10:14-17). Therefore, we indeed have thousands of years of people going to hell. Time to get out there and proclaim the truth, because we are God's appointed means to bring people to Christ. --Joe! |
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155 | What about those who never heard of JC ? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30919 | ||
1. Yes, you are right. What was the Old Testament faith in? 2. What verse(s) are you citing here? 3. Absolutely correct, because it is our failure to DO right that condemns us. 4. Sure they coincide, or else you have to start tearing whole chapters out of your Bible. Predestination is biblical. So is free will, in a certain sense. The question is how they fit together. 5. Wrong. The faith expressed was in the promise of God's redemption. No, they did not have as much revelation as we do regarding the specifics of that redemption, but the object of their faith was the same. 6. I don't understand the point you are trying to make here. 7. Then you have a poor concept of God's sovereignty. Show me verses which say that everyone's name is in the book of life. Show me passages which state we refuse God's choosing. The Holy Spirit is a "He," not an "it." Predestination is addressed in Matthew 13, John 6, Romans 8-9, and Ephesians 1, among other places. Denying it is denying Scripture. --Joe! |
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156 | What about those who never heard of JC ? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30933 | ||
Brian: You have posted this interpretation before, and it still does not fit the context. Jesus used this parable to answer the question, "Who is my neighbor?" asked by a man seeking to justify himself as a keeper of the law. It has nothing in the least to do with whom God chooses for salvation. I also disagree with your judging God's sovereign use of His free grace and mercy as being "evil." Who are you to judge God? Perhaps you had better go back and read Romans 9:15 in its context to see Who is the boss here. As for saying there is some other plan of salvation, you are calling God and Christ liars (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Furthermore, it is really calling God evil to send His own Son to die for sins if there was some other way to save His people. Under your faulty theology, Christ's death was completely unnecessary, because "God must have a plan of salvation for those souls [who have not heard of Christ]." --Joe! |
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157 | What about those who never heard of JC ? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30935 | ||
1. I am perfectly calm. 2. Re-read. 3. You are saying that people without Christ can go to heaven. Besides the fact that that has nothing to do with the parable of the Good Samaritan, it means that salvation is not only found in Christ. That is directly contrary to the crystal-clear statements that Christ made about Himself and the inspired text of the New Testament. Therefore, the death of Christ was unnecessary, because apparently God forgives sins apart from Christ in your scenario. Therefore, you are contradicting the clearest message of the New Testament by trying to turn a completely unrelated parable into an apologetic for a possible salvation apart from Christ. Clearer now? --Joe! |
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158 | What about those who never heard of JC ? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 30987 | ||
Why am I having to repeat myself yet again? God intentionally allows human beings to come into existence knowing full well that He will not save them. Is that clear enough for you? Because it certainly is biblical. It is, in my opinion, an error to use the term "create" in the biblical sense to apply to individual human beings. The creation act of God, in the biblical sense, took place during the six creation days of Genesis 1. Everything God created was good. Then God rested on the seventh day, signifying that the act of biblical creation was over. Therefore, although God decrees, allows, and is directly involved in the birth of new human beings, they are not "created" in the same sense that Adam was created. Therefore, I specifically disagree with points 2 (because you hold that God is still "creating" men), 3 (because God does indeed will the suffering of people, including His children -- Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12), 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 as being speculative and unbiblical. While I agree to the truth of 10 and 11, Romans 9:15 in its context unquestionably refutes your argument in points 2-9 rather than supports it. And I did notice that you changed the subject on my pointing out the lack of necessity of Christ's atonement under your scheme. If salvation can be found anywhere else (which makes Peter a liar -- Acts 4:12), then Christ's incarnation, life, death, and resurrection are completely irrelevant. And, you are sinning by defining what God's goodness "must" be. Why don't you let Scripture shape your worldview rather than trying to twist verses to fit yours? 'On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?' --Romans 9:20 --Joe! |
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159 | How do I refute evolutions finer points? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 31225 | ||
Vanagon: While there is indeed good information refuting neo-Darwinism, it is pretty much beyond the scope of this forum. Email me off-list (see my profile) and I will be happy to discuss these issues with you. Incidentally, natural selection ("survival of the fittest") is both observable in nature and not contrary to the Scriptures. One can very reasonably say that stronger animals survive in situations where weaker animals do not, without jumping to the outlandish conclusion that human beings came into existence by such a process. --Joe! |
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160 | which bible translation is true? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 31856 | ||
And don't forget that 9 out of 10 cults surveyed said that the King James Version is the ONLY translation to use! --Joe! |
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