Results 161 - 180 of 221
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Wild Olive Shoot Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
161 | 1 Corinithians 11L23,24 | NT general Archive 1 | Wild Olive Shoot | 161410 | ||
Baptism and The Lord's Supper. The Westminster Confession of Faith on the Sacraments IV. There are only two sacraments ordained by Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism, and the Supper of the Lord: neither of which may be dispensed by any, but by a minister of the Word lawfully ordained. MAT 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 1CO 11:20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. 23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread. 1CO 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. HEB 5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. Full text can be found at the following: http://www.reformed.org/sacramentology/wcf_on_sacraments.html London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) Chapter 28: Of Baptism and the Lord's Supper 1._____ Baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances of positive and sovereign institution, appointed by the Lord Jesus, the only lawgiver, to be continued in his church to the end of the world. ( Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 11:26 ) 2._____ These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ. ( Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 4:1 ) Full text can be found at the following: http://www.grace.org.uk/faith/bc1689/1689bc00.html Hope this helps. Please reference the links for explanations offered in detail and for full scriptural support. WOS |
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162 | what it is to be born again? | 2 Cor 5:17 | Wild Olive Shoot | 161402 | ||
Dear Lirika, Please read John 3:1-21. To be born again means to be born from above. It is an act of God in which eternal life is given to the person who believes. See also: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18. When you are saved or born again, you are spiritually renewed and are a child of God. "What it is that is required: to be born again; that is, First, We must live a new life. Birth is the beginning of life; to be born again is to begin anew, as those that have hitherto lived either much amiss or to little purpose. We must not think to patch up the old building, but begin from the foundation. Secondly, We must have a new nature, new principles, new affections, new aims. We must be born ano¯then, which signifies both denuo - again, and desuper - from above. 1. We must be born anew; so the word is taken, Gal_4:9, and ab initio - from the beginning, Luk_1:3. By our first birth we are corrupt, shapen in sin and iniquity; we must therefore undergo a second birth; our souls must be fashioned and enlivened anew. 2. We must be born from above, so the word is used by the evangelist, Joh_3:31; Joh_19:11, and I take this to be especially intended here, not excluding the other; for to be born from above supposes being born again. But this new birth has its rise from heaven (Joh_1:13) and its tendency to heaven: it is to be born to a divine and heavenly life, a life of communion with God and the upper world, and, in order to this, it is to partake of a divine nature and bear the image of the heavenly."-- Matthew Henry "The author of this blessed change, and who it is that works it. To be born again is to be born of the Spirit, Joh_3:5-8. The change is not wrought by any wisdom or power of our own, but by the power and influence of the blessed Spirit of grace. It is the sanctification of the Spirit (1Pe_1:2) and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tit_3:5. The word he works by is his inspiration, and the heart to be wrought on he has access to. The nature of this change, and what that is which is wrought; it is spirit, Joh_3:6. Those that are regenerated are made spiritual, and refined from the dross and dregs of sensuality. The dictates and interests of the rational and immortal soul have retrieved the dominion they ought to have over the flesh. The Pharisees placed their religion in external purity and external performances; and it would be a mighty change indeed with them, no less than a new birth, to become spiritual."-- Matthew Henry WOS |
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163 | Did God create Life? | Gen 1:1 | Wild Olive Shoot | 161313 | ||
abccan, Sound like you're speaking of abiogenesis or spontaneous generation and trying to mix it with our all powerful, universe creating God. Guess what, they don't mix. For those that don't know abiogenesis is the field of science dedicated to studying how life might have arisen for the first time on the primordial young Earth. The modern definition of abiogenesis is concerned with the formation of the earliest forms of life on earth from primordial chemicals. Instead of life arising from non-life on a regular and observable basis, abiogenesis proposes life arising from non-life at some particular point in the ancient, unobservable past. Life is created abccan. It is created by God. It did not exist until He creatd it. There is no mixing of ideas here. WOS |
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164 | is smoking a sin? | 1 Cor 6:12 | Wild Olive Shoot | 161199 | ||
Question: "What is the Christian view of smoking? Is smoking a sin?" Answer: The Bible never mentions smoking. It is plainly clear, though, that smoking is a sin. The Bible commands us to not allow our bodies to become "mastered" by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 declares, "Everything is permissible for me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me" - but I will not be mastered by anything." Later in the same passage we are told, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The context of the passage is not smoking, but the principle applies. Part of honoring God with our bodies is not doing something that we know is harmful to our bodies. Even the smoking industry admits that smoking is both addictive and harmful to our bodies. Therefore, a Christian should not dishonor both God and his own body by smoking. http://www.gotquestions.org/smoking-Christian-sin.html Every sin that a man does is without the body; he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (1Co_6:18); every sin, that is, every other sin, every external act of sin besides, is without the body. It is not so much an abuse of the body as of somewhat else, as of wine by the drunkard, food by the glutton, etc. Nor does it give the power of the body to another person. Nor does it so much tend to the reproach of the body and render it vile. This sin is in a peculiar manner styled uncleanness, pollution, because no sin has so much external turpitude in it, especially in a Christian. He sins against his own body; he defiles it, he degrades it, making it one with the body of that vile creature with whom he sins. He casts vile reproach on what he Redeemer has dignifies to the last degree by taking it into union with himself. Note, We should not make our present vile bodies more vile by sinning against them. – Matthew Henry WOS |
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165 | Is belief in the bible needed to be save | NT general Archive 1 | Wild Olive Shoot | 160873 | ||
Dear hetfield, I’ll offer my opinion if you’ll hear it: Our Bible, both Old and New Testaments are the inspired word of God. I’ve seen a definition of biblical inspiration that states it is “the Work of the Holy Spirit by which, without setting aside their personalities and literary or human faculties, God so guided the authors of Scripture as to enable them to write exactly the words which convey His truth to men, and in doing so preserved their judgments from error in the original manuscripts.” Through (fallible) human authors, God manifested the infallible and errorless writings, which convey His messages. If you admit that the New Testament is not the inspired word of God, you must admit then, that is simply the work of fallible humans. If that is the case, how can you further attest to its accuracy and usefulness and its reliability. Throughout the ages men have proven to be unreliable and to history’s account, well history, or our perception of it, depends on who we are and who’s account we read. Example: George Washington was a great hero to the Revolutionary Army of the colonial United States. To England, he was a traitor. His character is depicted differently depending on whose version you read. The same can be said of Benedict Arnold. He was a national hero in one view, a treasonous rebel in another. So to put your trust in the historicity of the New Testament while it was composed and written by uninspired men is dangerous to say the least. How do you know for sure that it is the undeniable truth? If written by uninspired men and therefore not the word of God, then you never really can. Can you? History is infested with fallacy. The New Testament is more than just simply some historical document. It is part of God’s revelation to man. We damage so severely the word of God, our Bible, when we think we can play God and pick and choose what Scripture is inspired and which is not. In doing so, quite quickly, the rest of the Bible begins to unravel. Only God has the authority to decide what is inspired and what is not. Scripture attests to the fact that all of it is inspired, as has been pointed out by numerous people throughout this thread. You can claim this is circular reasoning but that is God’s reasoning. He determined to inspire the men He did to record His word. If God is truth: (John 3:33, Romans 3:4) then you must admit that what is breathed out by God must also be true and infallible. The Holy Spirit is the inspiration behind the Prophets and Apostles. They spoke the truth predicated on that inspiration, which was then recorded for our benefit and secured by God Himself through His Holy Spirit, to ensure that was recorded, remained unadulterated by the “fallible” human authors. Now the Bible cannot save you, that is for sure. But it can direct your ways to discover the One who can, which you attest to already knowing. You seem to put your faith in Christ and strongly and consistently state that, but you diminish the authority of the Word that pointed you in His direction. As you stated: “I can and do believe in Jesus because of the bible.” If your faith is in Christ and your salvation is true, it is because the Holy Spirit, a work of God has made it so. The same Holy Spirit that so divinely inspired the written Word of God in which you question. Just some thoughts. WOS |
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166 | who is cornelius | Acts 10:2 | Wild Olive Shoot | 160253 | ||
10438 onsl, Acts 10(NIV) 1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. Cornelius’s story is found in Acts 10:1 – 11:18. He was a Roman Army Officer. One of the first Christian converts. He was a godly man respected by the Jews. He actively sought God, revered God. He was told by God to send for Peter who would give him more knowledge of the God he so earnestly sought. WOS |
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167 | Holiness | 1 Pet 1:15 | Wild Olive Shoot | 160251 | ||
Ashlyn, Following are a few links to articles that I think may help answer your questions. WOS http://www.gotquestions.org/holiness-Bible.html http://www.gotquestions.org/in-but-not-of-world.html http://www.gotquestions.org/take-control-thoughts.html |
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168 | why do good people suffer? | Rom 3:23 | Wild Olive Shoot | 159366 | ||
john divico jr, The following links may help you to answer your question. http://www.gotquestions.org/bad-things-good-people.html http://www.gotquestions.org/innocent-suffer.html WOS |
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169 | Divorced pastors and repentence | 1 Cor 4:2 | Wild Olive Shoot | 159117 | ||
1Co 4:2 (NIV) Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. isaiah4031nc, I’m posting to your previous post on this subject so as to leave your current available for others to respond to. Following in an excerpt from “Acts 17:11 Bible Studies” that I think addresses your question and concerns: “While we are all guilty in heart (who has not lusted after a woman?), and thus are all thrown at the mercy of Christ, we must also realize that the actual doing of certain sins has severe natural and spiritual consequences. If after we have been told (by the Voice that spoke and created all that we see) "Go, and sin no more" we then deliberately choose to sin, we had better make real peace with God before hankering to get a "position" back. Again, before we knew better it would be different. But afterwards, what excuse will fly before God? Will He, can He, disregard His word? Better to beat our breast in public display and beg God for mercy, if we ever find ourselves in such a situation. The fear of the Lord is greatly chided and out of fashion nowadays, but such sins might well be used of God to prod us back into obedience. But on to your specific question. Paul said... 1Co 9:27 (NIV) No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. This scripture assumes that one can be "disqualified" from preaching or ministry. Scandalous and toxic (to the community) sins like adultery or child molestation clearly disqualify one for ministry. If the one who sinned so dramatically and hurtfully repents, he should be restored to fellowship as a public testimony and "sermon" of the forgiveness and restoration of our God--and for the salvation of the soul of the one who has sinned, but in NO WAY should such a one EVER be in leadership ministry again. In Scripture, this is not even an option... unless we wish to please men more than God. For--again--this is a serious matter (1 Cor 6:9, Heb 10:26-31) and not one that is the least bit ambiguous. Titus 1:6 (NIV) An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife... (1Co 6:16) Titus 1:7 (NIV) Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless... 1Ti 3:5 (NIV) (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) Removing--and keeping out of leadership--such a one is not "judgment" on the part of the remaining deacons and elders (let us be clear on this) but simple obedience to Scripture as to who can be in leadership. As to judgement, if the man has truly repented, his punishment will be born by Jesus Himself. But we must not act as if we have "choices" here or as if God has been "vague" or that we have any latitude concerning those who do not "pass the test". We are constrained by Scripture, which is all too clear about positions even less visible and delicate than being Pastor... 1Ti 3:2 (NIV) Now the overseer must be above reproach... 1Ti 3:7-10 (NIV) He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect... They must first be tested; and then IF there is nothing against them, let them serve... Consider, in this, that the greater grace might eventually come to those thus fallen and forgiven. (See our Bible Study on Shame) For "the first will be last"... right? To go from being the loudmouth speaker or the "apparent leader" (Gal 2:2) to being assigned among those who silently clean feet... might make for a better reward in the (real) life to come. This fall, if indeed repented of, might well be the "fertilizer" for a much more important ministry in God's eyes for this man than that of being in the limelight, for which he has clearly disqualified himself. 1 Tim 5:20-21 (NIV) Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning. I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favouritism.” You can read in its entirety at: http://www.acts17-11.com/dialogs_adultery.html WOS |
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170 | Divorced pastors and repentence | Matt 3:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 158752 | ||
isaiah4031nc, 1Ti 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 1Ti 3:3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 1Ti 3:5 (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 1Ti 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Reference: 1Ti 3:2 “He must be the husband of one wife; not having given a bill of divorce to one, and then taken another, or not having many wives at once, as at that time was too common both among Jews and Gentiles, especially among the Gentiles.” – Matthew Henry Reference: 1Ti 3:7 “He must be of good reputation among his neighbours, and under no reproach from former conversation; for the devil will make use of that to ensnare others, and work in them an aversion to the doctrine of Christ preached by those who have not had a good report.”—Matthew Henry I don't know how effective one could be in that position given his past practices while previously holding it. Personally, I would not want him to assume leadership again, but that's just me. WOS |
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171 | How old is the earth? | Gen 1:1 | Wild Olive Shoot | 158522 | ||
You stated: "Science has proven that evolution is a fact" ??? The last I had heard, evolution was still only a theory. Has that changed? There are many inconsistencies and assumptions which plague current scientific theory. If these things are "fact" as we are often led to believe, then why are the "facts" continually changing? Evolution promotes transmutation, that we mutate from one species to a higher more intelligent one. God created man as man, in God’s own image. The Bible teaches lateral growth. That species created by God multiply and create species of their own kind, they don’t mutate into something else. God instructed the species that he created to be fruitful and multiply in kind. That is the only way we have become what we are today. We were human in the beginning and we are human now. Sheep were sheep in the beginning, they are sheep now. Wolves were wolves in the beginning, they are wolves now. The Bible remains consistent while the scientific theories continue to change. God created the world and everything in it. That is for sure. In most cases, science itself can prove that. Darwinism and Darwin’s theory will not endure like the Bible has. It is being broken down day after day and proven wrong on too many accounts. It will eventually be dismissed as the other creation theories have been. With Science the facts continue to change. The facts of the Bible have remained the same for thousands of years. WOS |
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172 | what blessing that tithing bring to our | Bible general Archive 3 | Wild Olive Shoot | 158517 | ||
Reference Malachi 1:6-14: How do these versus directly relate to us today? We offer God unworthy sacrifices just as they did. They offered blemished animals and we offer ourselves half-heartedly. Romans 12:1 informs us that we are to be living sacrifices to our God. If we give God only our left over time and energy, then we are repeating the same sin as these worshippers did. What we give God, time, energy, money or whatever, reflects our true attitude toward Him. Our tithe and offering to our Lord should be our life. We should be giving Him His due honor, respect, worship and time. Sometimes we are led to believe that following God is supposed to make life more comfortable. God is not a God of convenience. It takes commitment and hard work to live up to God’s high standards. We will have to make certain sacrifices of our time and energy but what we do give up is nothing compared to what we gain, eternal life with God. Reference Malachi 3:6-15: How were the people robbing God? The same thing we do today, by withholding tithes and offerings. Now tithing to us is not the same as it was in the Old Testament when it was a ten percent offering. Now as Christians, we tithe out of love. Then, they tithed because of regulatory requirements. We tithe and offer today with our time, our money, our help to others, committing to God’s will and by doing His work. But we withhold, don’t we? We all have other things that we have committed to and there is nothing wrong in keeping those commitments. But we need to learn better allot our time. We can’t withhold ourselves from God. We can’t offer Him our left over time and believe that is acceptable. We need to wholly offer ourselves to God. Yes, it will take some sacrifices. Yes it can cause some hardships, but keep your eyes on the goal. The rewards are unimaginable compared to what we give to God, or tithe. Don’t rob God. We can’t sit back and ask what do we gain by serving the Lord either. We know what we gain. We should really be asking what good does it do for God if I serve Him. After all, He is God and He deserves our service. God even asks us to test Him in this. Give the whole tithe to Him and see how much blessing He pours out on us. And know that God stays true to His word. A tithe is obligatory giving. An offering is voluntary giving. Christian obligations (tithes) should become habit. The spontaneous extras we give above and beyond our obligations are offerings. When by faith, seeing nothing, we abundantly give tithes and offerings and our whole self to God, only then do we also experience that God pours out His blessings upon us. So much that it seems our hearts do not have the capacity to contain the Joy and satisfaction. We give tithes and offerings by faith out of love. God deserves the best we have to offer and nothing less. We should change our ways if needed. We should be sensitive to God’s refining process. We should tithe and offer all that we can and then some. There is no room for pride in the presence of God. WOS |
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173 | Assisted Suicide Versus Research | Deut 32:39 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157089 | ||
First, The Bible teaches that we are made in the image of God and therefore, every human life is sacred (Genesis 1:26). In Psalm 139:13-16 we learn that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. God himself has knit us together in our mother's womb. We must be very important to Him if He has taken such care to bring us into existence. Second, the Bible is very clear that God is sovereign over life, death and judgment. In Deuteronomy 32:39 The Lord says, "See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me, I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand." Psalm 139:16 says that it is God who has ordained all of our days before there is even one of them. Paul says essentially the same thing in Ephesians 1:11. Third, to assist someone in committing suicide is to commit murder and this breaks God's unequivocal commandment in Exodus 20:13. Fourth, God's purposes are beyond our understanding. We often appeal to God as to why some tragedy has happened to us or someone we know. Yet listen to Job's reply to the Lord in Job 42:1-3: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. [You asked,] 'Who is this that obscures My counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. We forget that our minds are finite and His is infinite. We cannot always expect to understand all of what God is about. To think that we can step in and declare that someone's life is no longer worth living is simply not our decision to make. Only God knows when it is time. In Isaiah 55:8-9 the Lord declares, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Fifth, our bodies belong to God anyway. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:15,19 that we are members of Christ's body and that we have been bought with a price. Therefore we should glorify God with our bodies. The only one to receive glory when someone requests doctor-assisted suicide is not God, not the doctor, not even the family but the patient for being willing to "nobly" face the realities of life and "unselfishly" end everyone else's misery. There is no glory for God in this decision. Lastly, suffering draws us closer to God. In light of the euthanasia controversy, listen to Paul's words from 2 Corinthians 1:8: We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. Not only does He raise the dead but there is nothing that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38). -- Dr. Raymond G. Bohlin Dr. Thomas Beam, chairman of the Medical Ethics Commission of the Christian Medical and Dental Society points out, "While the act of physician-assisted suicide seems compassionate on the surface, it is often the abandonment of the patient in their most needy time. Instead of support, the patient may only find confirmation of the hopelessness of their condition and physician-assisted suicide is legitimized as the only 'way.'"(1) It is not terribly difficult to see how this circumstance would undermine the delicate relationship between a doctor and his patient. The following site has a very informative position paper concerning assisted suicide: http://www.bfl.org/assisted_suicide.htm Physicians are nowhere in Scripture given authority by God to take someone’s life. Apart from the government in the case of capital punishment, all other human beings are given the commandment “Thou shalt not kill,” Exodus 20:13 and “Thou shalt do no murder,” Matthew 19:18. -- Pastor Art Kohl Often those in favor of euthanasia use the words “mercy” and “compassion” as their argument. The Scriptures authorize man to treat the pain but do not authorize taking the life of the dying. Proverbs 31:6, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.” Today we have many drugs and painkillers that help relieve some pain as strong drink did in Solomon’s day. -- Pastor Art Kohl Excerpt from Hippocratic Oath: “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel; and in like manner I will not give to a woman a pessary to produce abortion. The above are only a few items to keep in mind when discussing assisted suicide. For whatever reason God has decided to equip man with the knowledge of medicine, it should in all cases be used for His glory. In the end it is not the physicians that heal, it is God. Physicians are simply instruments. Instruments that God will use for whatever He purposes in accordance with His sovereignty. My opinion. WOS |
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174 | Hypocrites | Eph 4:15 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157045 | ||
lunar, I surely second what Mark said. Why don't you join in the study and participate? WOS |
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175 | What is the OT role of the Holy Spirit? | John 3:11 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157018 | ||
The Holy Spirit has (in the past and presently) many functions and roles. Below is a brief list of His major roles, functions, and activities. This is not a comprehensive list. 1. Revelation of the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 1:16; 2 Samuel 23:2-3; John 14:26; 16:14). This indicates the Holy Spirit was the one who carried along the Old Testament prophets, safeguarding their words from error. 2. In the Old Testament, it is indicated that the Holy Spirit regenerated believers (Psalm 51:10; compare to Jesus telling Nicodemus he should have known about this in John 3:1-10). 3. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit indwelt certain select people (Numbers 27:18; Judges 3:10; 1 Samuel 16:12-13). 4. In the Old Testament, it indicates that the Holy Spirit restrained sin (the Spirit's striving, Genesis 6:3). 5. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit gave people ability for service (Exodus 31:2-5; Numbers 27:16-18; Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 10:10; 16:13). 6. Today, the Holy Spirit baptizes believers. This baptism occurs at the moment of belief, it is experienced by all, and the baptism places the believer in the Body of Christ, the universal church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 3:27-28; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 1:5). 7. Today, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer (Romans 8:9; John 7:37-39; Ephesians 1:13; John 14:16). 8. Today, the Holy Spirit seals every believer (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30). The seal is a mark of ownership showing that believers are the Lord's. 9. Today the Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers for the edification or building up of the body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11-16). 10. Today, the Holy Spirit fills or controls the submissive believer (Ephesians 5:18). 11. He was sent to the church to be the Comforter (John 14:16, 26). 12. He always points a person toward Christ (John 16:13-15). Above taken from: http://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-today.html WOS |
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176 | Who exactly is Jesus referring to | John 3:11 | Wild Olive Shoot | 156643 | ||
Arguably, some see this as Christ referring to those that bore witness to Him on Earth, John and the preceding prophets. Some also consider Christ to be speaking in the plural of His own self since the Father was with him and the Holy Spirit was upon Him. The first is more practical to me since Nicodemus was a “Jewish teacher†as pointed out. He should have been well aware of what the prophets taught concerning these things. It seems Nicodemus was knowledgeable concerning what the prophets wrote but didn’t understand what they spoke and wrote regarding the Messiah. WOS |
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177 | Meaning of John 3 verse 8? | John 3:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 156633 | ||
It wasn’t clear to Nicodemus at the time either (or he was rejecting it for other reasons) thus his follow up in v9, “John 3:9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?†The short answer pertaining to the “wind†is that it signifies that we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit. His work is carried out in ways we cannot predict nor understand. As we cannot control our physical birth, neither can we control our spiritual birth for it is totally a gift from God. “Secondly, It is compared to wind: The wind bloweth where it listeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit, Joh_3:8. The same word (pneuma) signifies both the wind and the Spirit. The Spirit came upon the apostles in a rushing mighty wind (Act_2:2), his strong influences on the hearts of sinners are compared to the breathing of the wind (Eze_37:9), and his sweet influences on the souls of saints to the north and south wind, Son_4:16. This comparison is here used to show, 1. That the Spirit, in regeneration, works arbitrarily, and as a free agent. The wind bloweth where it listeth for us, and does not attend our order, nor is subject to our command. God directs it; it fulfils his word, Psa_148:8. The Spirit dispenses his influences where, and when, on whom, and in what measure and degree, he pleases, dividing to every man severally as he will, 1Co_12:11. 2. That he works powerfully, and with evident effects: Thou hearest the sound thereof; though its causes are hidden, its effects are manifest. When the soul is brought to mourn for sin, to groan under the burden of corruption, to breathe after Christ, to cry Abba - Father, then we hear the sound of the Spirit, we find he is at work, as Act_9:11, Behold he prayeth. 3. That he works mysteriously, and in secret hidden ways: Thou canst not tell whence it comes, nor whither it goes. How it gathers and how it spends its strength is a riddle to us; so the manner and methods of the Spirit's working are a mystery. Which way went the Spirit? 1Ki_22:24. See Ecc_11:5, and compare it with Psa_139:14.†– Matthew Henry WOS |
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178 | Temple building | 1 Chr 28:6 | Wild Olive Shoot | 156307 | ||
Natoochton, God did condone the building of the temple. 1 Chronicles 28 (NIV) 1 David summoned all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the brave warriors. 2 King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it. 3 But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.' 4 "Yet the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as leader, and from the house of Judah he chose my family, and from my father's sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel. 5 Of all my sons—and the LORD has given me many—he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. 6 He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.' 2 Samuel 7:12-14(NIV) 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. WOS |
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179 | Why jonah chose tarshish? | Jon 1:3 | Wild Olive Shoot | 156278 | ||
The following is from Ray Stedman's "Jonah: The Reluctant Ambassador" "What made Jonah so anxious to avoid this commission? Why did he not want to go to Nineveh? Why did he flee from God? Well, some suggest that he had such a primitive idea of God that he regarded him as just a tribal deity, for Israel alone; that he thought God could not really be interested in Nineveh; and that is he could get out of the land, he would get away from God. I think that idea is scotched by Jonah's own reference to God. When the voyagers asked who he was, he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." (1:9) That does not sound like a tribal deity to me. No, this is not why Jonah avoided going to Nineveh. The answer is that Jonah knew God too well and that is why he did not go to Nineveh. Does that sound strange? Well, look at the beginning of chapter 4: But it [Nineveh's repentance] displeased Jonah exceedingly, and be was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, "I pray thee, Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil." Because Jonah knew that God was that way, he would not go to Nineveh. This is interesting, don't you think? Look again at the last phrase. Jonah says, "I knew you God. I knew that you were the kind that repents from evil if you get a chance." God had said to this prophet, "Now go to Nineveh and announce to them 'forty days and the city shall be overthrown.'" And that was exactly what Jonah wanted. He wanted to see this city destroyed. This was the great enemy of his people. Perhaps Jonah had actually seen these cruel, ruthless, bloody Ninevites periodically coming down into his land and raiding his people. Perhaps he had even suffered the loss of loved ones at the hands of these merciless people. In the ancient world, the record for the .bloodiest and most vicious kinds of cruelty belongs, perhaps, to the Ninevites. They found more incredibly ingenious ways to be cruel than any other nation that has ever lived. They were brutal and godless and sinful---and Jonah hated them. The one thing that he wanted more than anything else was to see Nineveh destroyed. Yet when God told him to go announce to Ninevah its destruction, he said, "I know you too well, O God. If anybody, by repenting, gives you half a chance to be merciful, you'll change your mind and won't cay out your sentence upon them." So he fled to Tarshish." - Ray Stedman Stedman, Ray. "Jonah: The Reluctant Ambassador." Discovery Publishing. Blue Letter Bible. 01 Mar 1996. 20 Aug 2005. http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/ray_stedman/adv/adv_jon.htm WOS |
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180 | Who is Luke? | Luke | Wild Olive Shoot | 156275 | ||
The Gospel according to Luke exhibits several differences from the other Synoptic Gospels. For instance, Luke is the only Gospel to have a sequel, the Acts of the Apostles. These two books are often referred to as a single unit called Luke-Acts. The name Luke is only mentioned three times in the New Testament. From these three occurrences, it is evident that Luke was a physician (Col 4:14) and a companion of Paul (2 Tim 4:11; Philem 1:24). It is more than likely that Luke was a Gentile, but he was not necessarily a Greek. It also seems as if Luke had some degree of association with Judaism because of his knowledge of the Septuagint (LXX)—the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Not only did Luke compose the longest Gospel, but he also wrote more than any other New Testament writer. This is remarkable considering the amount of attention he gets in comparison to John and Paul. Both the purpose of the Gospel and its audience can be found in the prologue (1:1-4). Luke first mentions that many others before him have made an account of the things that have been fulfilled as they were handed down from the first generation. He also says that he cautiously examined everything from the beginning and this led him to write an organized account to Theophilus so that he might know the certainty of what he has been taught. It is obvious that Luke wrote to Theophilus, but who was Theophilus? There have been many theories trying to answer this question. First of all, the name Theophilus means, "lover of God," or "friend of God." It is unclear whether he was already a Christian, or if he was considering becoming one. Luke (1:3) refers to Theophilus using the words "most excellent" (kratistoV). Since this seems to refer to nobility, most of the theories on Theophilus state that he was either a government official or an influential citizen. A widely accepted theory is that Theophilus was Luke's patron and helped him to publish Luke-Acts. Luke's purpose in writing the Gospel has also suffered debate. Some suggest that Luke set out to make a case for Christianity as not being a threat to the Roman Empire. Others make the proposition that Luke-Acts was written to reassure those questioning Jesus' second coming because of its delay. Many believe that Luke was not writing to Theophilus exclusively, but that the two-volume work was intended to be distributed for ecclesiastical purposes. There is also the view, which seems to be growing in popularity, that Luke-Acts was specifically designed to aid Paul in his trial before Caesar. "The Gospel According to Luke," New Testament Introductions. The Blue Letter Bible. 1 Apr 2002. 20 Aug 2005. See the full article at: http://blueletterbible.org/study/intros/luke.html WOS |
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