Results 181 - 200 of 266
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: John Reformed Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
181 | Does this mean that it is wrong to ask? | Rev 17:16 | John Reformed | 59794 | ||
Dear Pastor Glenn, You asked "Does this mean that it is wrong to ask the question as to whether Al-Qaeda or others that hate the Lamb (Christianity and Israel) and the Harlot that rides the beast could be part of Rev 17? I must answer your question with a question: How would it profit the furtherence of the Kingdom of God? Speculative teaching, especialy from the pulpit or from church leaders, may interest those with itching ears but: 2Ti 4:2 "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine." John |
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182 | wh are dead in Christ? | 1 Thess 4:16 | John Reformed | 59663 | ||
Hey Kidstuff, Welcome to the forum. When Christ returns the corpses of deceased believers will be re-united with their spirits at the 2nd resurrection. This will occur at the sound of the trumpet which signals the Return of Christ to the Earth. Prior to this great event, the bodiless spirits of these believers are in heaven in the presesnce of Jesus. 2 Cor 5:8 "we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Does this answer your question? John Reformed |
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183 | Isn't every word of God vital to us? | Rev 17:16 | John Reformed | 59650 | ||
Dear Pastor Glenn, " Was it "speculation" that allowed the wise men to recognize Jesus' star at His birth? Or wasit a deep analysis of every word of the Hebrew scriptures(the Old Testament)." God has not revealed to us every thing we would like to know, only that which we need to know. When we depart from scripture, we enter into speculation. Speculation in itself is can be a dangerous exercise. It can lead to the sinful practice of reading the scripture in the "light" of man's wisdom. 1 Cor 3:19 "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, 'He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS';" When all is said and don Pastor Glenn, from whom do we recieve our worldly news from? We recieve from the world! They are the one's who take the pictures, write the stories, provide the commentary, and as we know , spin it however they want. Brother John |
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184 | are these words from the bible? | Acts 17:28 | John Reformed | 59363 | ||
Greetings tshr4441, Welcome. Acts 17:28 "for in Him we live and move and exist,". I think the KJV may translate exist as have our being. John Reformed |
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185 | Is the Law abolished or not? | Eph 2:15 | John Reformed | 58771 | ||
Dear McGracer, Jesus' statement is clear and unequivocal in Matt 5:17. He did not come to abolish the Law. So then, what is the meaning of Eph 2:15? Paul is addressing the problem of integrating the jews and the gentiles into one body, the Body of Christ. These two groups of christians are seperated by a wall which is the ceremonial laws: Circumcisions; sacrifices; washings; abstaining from certain foods etc. This was the wall of partition that divided these groups from oneanother. He was not refering to the Ten Commandments for they were not a barrier between the two. Therefore I see no contradiction between the 2 verses. John |
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186 | Are Christian apologetics unbiblical? | 1 Pet 3:15 | John Reformed | 57778 | ||
"How would you answer this question?" Ps 119:78 May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts. "Please tell us why you answer as you do." The hebrew word for "meditate" is siyach" which according to the mumbo jumbo of the Strong's means "to muse, meditate upon, study, ponder". "Whatever your reasoning behind your answer, tell us what it is." We are commanded by God to employ our reasoning powers to dig into the Word and to discover the richness and sweetness of it's truth. How one can do this without employing our God-given powers of reason is beyond me. The same is true when we wish to impart truth to others. We reason with them from scripture. How are we to proclaim the gospel if we are not permitted to explain to people what it is that God has said? Of course our reasonong is seriously debilitated by our sinful natures and is far from perfect. That is why it is imperative to ask God for grace and enlightenment in the handling of His Word. Is 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. John |
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187 | scripture reference... | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 57365 | ||
Dear mbooker, I have been doing a word search on your question and have not found the verse I'm looking for but it says someting like "what do you have that you have not been given". The point is scriptural even if my quote is inexact. Illustration: A beggar approaches a servant of the King and asks for a loaf of bread. Now, the servant has instructions from his King to feed the poor, and has also been told that if he does so he will be rewarded. Because he desires to be found obedient by His Lord he gives the beggar the loaf of bread. Question: Has the King,to whom all belongs (the loaf, the servant and the beggar),now become a debtor to the servant? John |
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188 | Love Jesus before the Father loves me? | John 14:21 | John Reformed | 57168 | ||
Dear Meridith, The following is a passage from John Calvin's commentary on John's Gospel. And he that loveth me will be loved by my Father. "Christ speaks as if men loved God before he loved them; which is absurd, for, when we were enemies, he reconciled us to him, (Romans 5:10;) and the words of John are well known, Not that we first loved him, but he first loved us,(1 John 4:10.) "But there is no debate here about cause or effect; and therefore there is no ground for the inference, that the love with which we love Christ comes in order before the love which God has toward us; for Christ meant only, that all who love him will be happy, because they will also be loved by him and by the Father; not that God then begins to love them, but because they have a testimony of his love to them, as a Father, engraven on their hearts." I hope this helps explain this verse. John |
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189 | What does the Lord's prayer mean when it | Matt 6:13 | John Reformed | 54709 | ||
Dear Gracechild, Good question and one I have wondered about myself. We know that God does not tempt anyone to sin. So what does it mean? The old Puritan Bible commentator Matthew Henry wrote: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This petition is expressed, (1.) Negatively: Lead us not into temptation. Having prayed that the guilt of sin may be removed, we pray, as it is fit, that we may never return again to folly, that we may not be tempted to it. It is not as if God tempted any to sin; but, "Lord, do not let Satan loose upon us; chain up that roaring lion, for he is subtle and spiteful; Lord, do not leave us to ourselves (Ps. 19:13), for we are very weak; Lord, do not lay stumbling-blocks and snares before us, nor put us into circumstances that may be an occasion of falling.’’ Temptations are to be prayed against, both because of the discomfort and trouble of them, and because of the danger we are in of being overcome by them, and the guilt and grief that then follow. Jesus is teaching us to petition the Father for His protection of us. I hope that helps. John Reformed |
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190 | spirit/Spirit? | Phil 3:3 | John Reformed | 54583 | ||
Hello Ray, It would be helpfull if you would expand on your question a bit. What is the purpose of it? John |
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191 | Did Simon have the Holy Spirit? Or did h | Acts 8:13 | John Reformed | 52677 | ||
Dear Grace and Truth, I have to say yes because the Scripture said Acts 8:13 Even Simon himself believed; I suppose we all retain a great deal of wicked and wrong-headed notions even after regeneration. The fact that he quickly repented and asked for prayer upon being rebuked by Peter and John, is also a positive sign of his conversion. John |
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192 | Can a Christian dance? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 52590 | ||
Dear Jeshuafreak, Congradulations on your upcoming marriage. May the Lord bless you with many little Jeshuafreaks! To the question: May christians dance (and I presume you mean, aside from dancing that glorifies the Lord directly)? Now, I don't think that you would advocate making up a long list of dues and don'ts that christians are to follow. That would putting the saints under man-made laws. And laws can get very complex. For instance. Lets say we do prohibit secular dancing. Would that apply to married couples? Or a groom who wanted to dance with his bride. We don't want to throw out the baby with the bath water. There is plenty of room in the Scripture for romance as God planned it. Since you will be honeymoooning soon, perhaps you should re-read the Song of Solomon. Sensuality is a gift from God. It is up to us not to missuse it. The Scripture already contains all we need for righteouss living We have liberty in Christ to do all things that are pure. I'm not suggesting we pattern ourselves after the worst things in our culture, but neither do I think that everything that is not strictly "christian" is therefore necessarily wrong. We have God dwelling in us. We know what is sin and what is not. Your thoughts? John |
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193 | blaspheme the Spirit | 2 Cor 5:17 | John Reformed | 52395 | ||
Dear New Creature, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." One of those "old" things is condemnation. Rom 8:1 "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. My dear Brother, if you are a believer, chosen by God and regenerated by the Holy Spirit then your eternal security is assured. If you are unconvinced of your salvation there are persciptions in the Word of God for gaining that assurance. For christians, our condemnation is from satan (the accuser of the bretheren) and he is a liar! If you have any questions I would be glad to search the Word with you. Your Brother in Christ, John |
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194 | Why does God "allows" suffering? | 2 Cor 12:7 | John Reformed | 52350 | ||
Dear Cindy, You were right when you wrote: "... sin brings suffering and not only to the one who sins but often to innocent victims." All of suffer to one degree or another. Sickness, accidents, betrayls and death. Suffering entered as the direct consequence of the Fall. We also must realize that when Adam fell we all fell in him. His sin was imputed (charged to the account of) to all mankind that was to come. When the 2nd Adam (Jesus) came He paid the full penalty for Adam's sin through His perfect obediance to the Law and by His substitutionary death on the cross for all who would believe in Him. Our sins (past, present and future) were paid for and His perfect righteousness was imputed to us. In other words when God looks upon us he sees us as perfectly righteous, even though we still struggle and fall into sin. I know there are preachers who claim that God does not allow suffering. Personally I consider this nonsense! What does the Bible say about Christian suffering? "To the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:13-14; cf. Romans 8:18) Suffering for righteousness sake is part of normal Christian living. Far from removing suffering, our salvation guarantees it. Scripture, in fact, tells us to expect trials: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12) Some of above was excerpted from John MacArthur.I recommend you visit his web site at www.gty.org (click on Issues and Answers). God Bless You Cindy, John Reformed |
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195 | Did Job have a second wife? | Job | John Reformed | 52345 | ||
Dear slave2God, Can you cite the evidence offered by these sources? Offhand I can think of none for Job having a 2nd wife. John |
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196 | What is the answer to doctrinal debates? | 1 John 3:2 | John Reformed | 52216 | ||
Dear Wantobe, 1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." Which one of us does not desire unanimous agreement on the doctrines taught in Scripture? I know that I do. Disagreements will persist until Christ returns. The problem is sin. We are affected by it in all our faculties. Our response should be to study the Bible humbly, praying that God would open the eyes of our understanding. Even so I have no expectation (in this life) of ever posesssing a perfect knowledge of His Word. I have been a christian for 25 years and I have experienced much change in my own understanding of cherished doctrines. I have changed denominations twice as a result of it. I must place my trust in Jesus and look to Him, for He is the author and finisher of my faith. Jesus Christ is the "big picture". John |
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197 | are there some people born evil? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 52007 | ||
Dear Winfieldd, All people are born under the curse of sin. Therefore all are born evil. God was not obligated to save anyone. But because of His mercy, He has saved some and passed by the rest. Rom 8:28-31 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Did I answer your question? John |
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198 | How may faith be made stronger? | Prov 3:5 | John Reformed | 50309 | ||
Hi Hank, This is not an easy question. It causes me to ponder the relationship of Faith and Grace. If I understand Ephesians 2:8 (For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;) then: Faith is a gift from God. This gift of faith is not static but can grow: 2 Cor 10:15 not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, 2 Thess 1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, We are told: James 1:3 "knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." So having our faith tested is a good thing. It is not necessarily a sign of weakness. But it still leaves the question of how do we enlarge our faith unanswered. Perhaps the answer lies in our use or neglect of the means of grace God has provided: Study of Scripture, The Lord's Supper, prayer, worship etc. What do you think? Brother John |
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199 | Any scriptures on slain in spirit? | Bible general Archive 1 | John Reformed | 50275 | ||
Dear Enriched, I was a member of a pentacotal church for over 10 years. I witnessed many hundreds of people "slain in the Spirit" during that time. I believed it was the work of God because I was told that it was the work of God. The Pastors, the elders, the people, everyone said it was the work of God. Occasionally verses were offered as proof of it's being scriptual. I remember having doubts as to how these verses proved anything close to modern day falling backwards under the power, but I put my concerns aside. After all, who was I to question those who were much more holy and learned than me? Big Mistake! Now I question everything that does not seem right. The Bible is the only sure truth that we have. If a doctrine of any church cannot be clearly supported by God's Word, I cannot, indeed must not recieve it. Did the Apostles employ catchers? Benny Hinn does. Pehaps, after a woman was killed at one of his meetings (a heavy woman fell over backwards onto her), he decided it may be a good idea (Documented in Counterfiet Revival by Hank Hanegraaf). You can search til TV preachers stop asking for money, but you will not find Biblical support for this modern day phenomenon. Hope I have helped. John |
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200 | Scriptural Support Requested! | Rom 8:14 | John Reformed | 50162 | ||
Dear Mommaps, 1. CAN we know if one is controlled by the Holy Spirit? Rom 8:14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. I do not believe that the Holy Spirit violates our wills. I do think that there is a kind of synergism between the Soverignty of God and the free will of the christian. Please don't ask me to explain how this works! I only know that the bible indicates such a relationship. For instance. It is God's will that I pray for my enemies. This command goes against the desire of my flesh. Nevertheless I must obey God. How can I pray for those I hate and still offer a prayer that is more than lip service? Only the Spirit Himself, dwelling within me, can make such a prayer pleasing to God. Perhaps as I bend my knee before Him I will be reminded of the man I once was. This painfull reminder may serve to humble me and cause thanksgiving to well up in my breast. Now I am ready to pray from the heart for my enemy. This is where it really gets tricky. I have just performed a good work by praying for my enemy. I realize it was the grace of God that enabled me to be obedient and that it was the work of the Spirit in my heart that caused me to offer a spiritual prayer...but the bible also says: Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. So it was part of His eternal purpose that I would offer this prayer. He had pre-ordained it before the foundation of the world. Yet I did it freely! Your 2nd Q is a pieceof cake (I hope) compared to the first. 2. Does God's Word help mold and shape us into a form that is acceptable to God? Once we have been justified by the blood of Christ we are adopted into His family and are accepted as His own. No works can add to the work done on the cross by our blessed Lord. God Bless John |
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