Results 181 - 200 of 532
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Robert Nicholson Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
181 | Still confused about who multitude is | Rev 7:7 | Robert Nicholson | 65987 | ||
Chusarcik: During the great tribulation God will turn to Israel as a nation and a large remnant will be saved (sealed). However, there will be a "great multitude, which no man could number of all nations, and kindreds and tribes and people" V9 I believe this group represents those gentiles who have not disobeyed or heard the gospel and as it goes out to Israel the blessing goes over the wall. The question is often asked "What about those in the day of grace who have never heard?" I believe this is an answer to that question. I hope this helps Robert |
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182 | Chronology of Creation | Gen 1:3 | Robert Nicholson | 65985 | ||
phruu: "In the beginning God (Elohim) created (bara) the heaven and the earth. In other words the triunne God created (bara) from nothing the heaven and earth. I notice that heaven is a plural word. I believe that the heaven or the abode of God already existed. In verse 8 "And God called the firmament Heaven. Heaven in this verse is a dual word according to my Newbury Study Bible and refers to the heavens above us, but not to the third heaven which in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 is referred to the third heaven or paradise. What were your thoughts on this? Robert. |
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183 | God cannot Create Moral Evil | Is 45:7 | Robert Nicholson | 65981 | ||
Please note the NASB translation which puts a different light on the verse. "Causing well-being and creating calamity" Evil in this verse is not referring to moral evil. This is supported by James 1:13 "... for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man(with evil). In Isaiah 45 God is emphasizing "I am the Lord and there is none else" He is in total control. In verse 9 he warns "those who strive with their Maker" and pictures them as clay in his hand. That he as there Creator can bring peace or calamity, it is his perogative, he is God. Robert |
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184 | Woman weaker partner | Gen 1:27 | Robert Nicholson | 65976 | ||
I enjoy the NASB rendering of this verse: "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered" 1 Peter 3:7 I do not think that the question here is whether the woman is weaker or not, but rather has to do with the attitude of the husband toward his wife. Some translations cite physical strength as the difference. If a husband wants to truly honor his wife he will treat her like she is a weaker vessel. In other words his love and care for her will be such that he will treat as his most valuable treasure. After all "we are fellow heirs of the grace of life" I hope this helps God's blessing to you Robert |
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185 | give me the verse that states this | Rev 21:12 | Robert Nicholson | 65896 | ||
William1952 I believe you are looking for Revelation 21:12 Robert |
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186 | Meaning of woman being weaker sex | 1 Pet 3:7 | Robert Nicholson | 65893 | ||
Ames: I hope I am not stepping into a mine field on this question. I enjoy the NASB rendering of this verse: "You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered" 1 Peter 3:5 I do not think that the question here is whether the woman is weaker or not, but rather has to do with the attitude of the husband toward his wife. Some translations cite physical strength as the difference. If a husband wants to truly honor his wife he will treat her like she is a weaker vessel. In other words his love and care for her will be such that he will treat as his most valuable treasure. After all "we are fellow heirs of the grace of life" I hope this helps God's blessing to you Robert |
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187 | Did Jesus suffer in hell when he died? | Luke 23:46 | Robert Nicholson | 65888 | ||
davidxisted: I believe you have the correct take on 1 Peter 3:18-20 In v. 19 "By which" in this verse refers back to the Spirit at the end of v.18 which I believe is the Holy Spirit. "By which (the Holy Spirit) (God) spoke to the spirits in prison". I believe these are people or spirits who are now in prison in view of v20" Which (Who) sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah..." As Noah built the ark, he was a preacher to righteousness (1 Peter 2:5) to those who God was dealing with before the flood. In Gen 6:3 "God said my Spirit shall not always strive with man..." These people of Noah's day were disobedient to the Holy Spirit and except for 8 souls all were eternally lost. This question about our Lord Jesus Christ has been viewed from many angles, some from the scripture while others from our imagination. What does the scriptures say? In the old testament scriptures God speaks about his Son after death "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell(hades); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" ( Psalm 16:10) Where is hades or What is hades? Strong's word "hades" # 86 refers to the place of departed Spirits after their physical death. A later use speaks of the grave. We know that when Jesus died he went to Paradise and his body was put in Josephs new tomb. Peter reminds us of this "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell(hades), neither did his flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:31) Our Lord Jesus Christ also spoke of "hades" in Luke 16: 19-31 He shows it to be the place of departed spirits and that it is divided into 2 sections, one man was in torment while the other was comforted in Abraham's bosum. Jesus made it clear that between the two their was a great divide, in other words our eternal destiny is determined before we die. On the cross with confidence the Lord Jesus Christ said to the dying thief "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43) Jesus knew exactly where he was going after death. People have been asking "did Jesus suffer in hell (hades)after his death"? The scriptures only speak of the suffering of Christ upon the cross, first at the hands of men and secondly and more terribly at the hands of God when he was made sin for us. (Isaiah53:5) When those dark hours of suffering were over Jesus spoke with a loud voice a very important statement "It is Finished!"(John 19:30) What did he mean? He meant that the work on the cross was Complete! Never again would he suffer for sin because on the cross he satisfied the holy claims of God against sin. It is also noteworthy and important to note that when the work was finished our Saviour commended himself to God and dismissed his own spirit. (Luke23:46) It was an act of rest for Jesus as his spirit went to the comfort of paradise. We know that his body was placed in the tomb and that it never saw corruption because of his perfections. After 3 days he is resurrected from the dead, fourty days later he is taken up into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. (Heb. 1:3) Where is paradise know? Christians today in this age are absent from the body and present with the Lord(2Cor. 5:8) Paul speaks of being caught up into the third heaven or being caught up into paradise. (1Cor. 12:2-4 What about the souls of Abraham who were at comfort in Abraham's bosom? It has been suggested that Ephesians 4:8-10 refers to Christ as he ascends on high he takes the souls of the redeemed with him and that they are now present with the Lord. "Never more shall God, Jehovah Smite the Shepherd with the sword; Never again shall cruel sinners Set at nought our glorious Lord! Praise his worthy name! Robert |
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188 | Christians living together what to do? | Mark 10:14 | Robert Nicholson | 65763 | ||
Dear brother Justme: There is no doubt that our children force us to our knees before God on their behalf. In fact, if it were not for our heavenly father we would despair. God gave my wife and I 3 wonderful sons who are now 28, 33 and 34 years old. We were so proud of these boys as they grew up. We took them to church from the time they were born. At Sunday school age they loved to learn verses and answer questions in youth meetings. In their teens we were joyed as each boy at different times put their trust in Christ. My eldest boy started working after high school. He met a young woman who already had a daughter. In a short while my son told me his girl friend was pregnant and he was moving in with her. After a beautiful baby girl was born to them they lived in a little apartment over a store. The place was a total fire trap, but it was all they could afford. After visiting them one day my wife and I made a decision. We decided that we would renovate the lower floor of our house into an apartment for them. When the people at church heard about it we came under much criticism and were accused of condoning sin. My son and his girlfriend moved into the apartment and we had the joy of watching our young grandchild grow, she brought such joy to our hearts and caused a love within our hearts which I believe is reserved for grandchildren alone. We did not interfere in their lives, but tried to be a loving support. After living together for 3 years my son and his girlfriend decided to get married. After the marriage my son adopted my daughter-in-laws older daughter and they all continued living in our apartment. After a few years they were able to build a house close by and move out on their own. My eldest grand-daughter is now finishing high school. She is beautiful and smart. She also came to know Christ about 3 years ago and continues to prove his presence in her life. In addition to this my second oldest grand daughter came to Christ and is happy in the Lord. Their family is still a work in progress. I am praying that my daughter-in-law would soon come to Christ and that my son might be restored. I often ask myself these questions: What would have happened if we had kicked my son out along with his girlfriend in the first place? What would have happened if we had not offered them a home in their time of need? We count our blessings day by day as we see that God is over all. We revel in his grace and in the case of our grandchildren we thank him for reaching them for himself. We thank God for our beautiful daughter-in-law who has developed into a kind, caring parent and a good wife. I have often told my son and daughter-in-law how proud I am of the way they run their home and raise their children. My wife and I have made it a purpose of heart with our three boys to let them know that there may be things we do not approve of, but we will always love them for who they are. My message to others is never give up on God, it is amazing what he can and will do, even when the world seems dark and we are at our wits end. He loves me so! Robert |
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189 | When and how EVIL came about? | Rom 5:12 | Robert Nicholson | 65756 | ||
Zerotheoryz: Have you considered the post from brother Tim Moran last Friday? Quote ""This is a tough question. My short answer would be this: Evil is not a thing that can be created. Rather, evil is the choice to disobey God's law. Evil is a natural possibility where choices are really available." So, evil did not have to be created, nor did it have to exist prior to creation. It simply was a natural result of the creation of beings with a will. Once the possiblity existed for Adam and Eve to disobey God, evil resulted. " (End of quote thanks to Tim Moran) Zero, re- "the knowledge of good and evil" Knowledge refers to the ability of a person to know the difference. Adam and Eve after receiving the knowledge of good and evil due to their act of disobedience experienced the feeling shame for the first time. I cannot except the idea of evil before creation. We are not given very much information about before creation, except that God had looked down through the ages and had purposed to redeem lost sinners through Christ "before the world began" Eph. 1:4 In Strong's concordance "evil" Strong's #07451 transliterated "Ra" is an adjective which would support the idea that we have evil actions as seen in disobedience and good actions as seen in obedience to God. Since God is the standard, everything else is measured relative to him. "In the beginning God (Elohim) Gen. 1:1 If try to look into the dateless past we find "Elohim" who was, who is and who will be, forever, for he is eternal. Peace in his name Robert |
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190 | Woman's sin worse than man's? | Eph 5:33 | Robert Nicholson | 65653 | ||
Rabbi Mark: It is not my intention to cause strife on the forum or to champion my own opinions. I will cover the last 3 paragraphs of my post and note the scriptures upon which my thoughts are based. I realize that I should have cited scripture souces in the first place. In our day of grace the man is exhorted to love the wife as himself.(Eph. 5:25), In fact when he shows love to her in deed and action he is loving himself( Eph. 5:28) since they are one (Gen.2:24, Eph. 5:31). As I have mentioned in previous posts they are equal in the sight of God with specific roles in the Lord.(1 Cor. 11:3 in this verse we have the topic of headship "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" In this verse we have rank, but not inferiority) Man and woman both have responsiblities in Christ and to each other, but the modifiying factor is love. (some of these responsibilities are found in Titus 2:1-9 If Christ were to deal with us according to our deeds since we were saved we would be lost forever.("He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" Psalm 103:10) However, he has dealt with us in grace and in love and recognizes our weakness (warts and all) and is gracious toward us.("Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" 2 Tim. 1:9) (The point I am trying to make here is that the relationship between Christ and the church should be reflected in the relationship between a man and his wife. Eph. 5: 24-27) "He loves the church and gave himself for it" If a husband truly wants to reflect the love of Christ, to his wife, he will love her regardless of perceived weaknesses and will treasure her as a gift from God.(1 Peter 3:7) I believe that this is what Adam saw in Eve which is his decision to disobey God that they might continue to be together. ( I agree that I should not judge Adam's motive here. We are not told what he thought when his wife was deceived, except that "he did eat" Gen. 3:6) God in his grace clothed them in animal skins(Gen. 3:21) a picture of what he does today for both men and women,( who repent and trust him) clothing them in the righteousness of Christ forever.("For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" 2 Cor. 5:21) I think part of our problem in this modern world is still determining who shall be the greatest.( the point here is the human tendency of wanting to be greatest still causes problems in society today. I am referring to ("And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest" Luke 22:24) I am aware that men and women have a specific roles in the church which is his body. Nevertheless, as individuals we "have by one Spirit we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles..." 1 Cor. 12:13 We are members of his body(1 Cor. 12:27 and are not differentiated by gender. In fact the apostle Paul writes "Now are ye the body of Christ members in particular" 1 Cor. 12:14 Whether we be male or female we are members of the body of Christ and as such we have a unique role. (" There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" Gal. 3:28) Rabbi Mark: We are not under the law. (Gal. 5:1) Over the past two thousand years men have used the scriptures to maintain their power and control over women. Is this right? Governments thought so, even in Canada women first became persons in 1918. ( this is historical fact) Does this sound right? Women must be saved as individuals, women must grow in Christ as individuals and how can man continue to put them in a role subserviant to men.( I am referring to headship in which there is no inferiority implied in the relationship) It is time we realized that we ( men and women) are workers together in grace. ( "...as being heirs together of the grace of life..." 1 Peter 73:7b) We may have specific and unique roles in the church, nevertheless, there is no inferiority in the members. Rabbi, I apologize if I have offended you in any way. Your brother in Christ Robert |
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191 | helping someone to believe? | John 3:16 | Robert Nicholson | 65613 | ||
We must remember that "salvation is of the Lord" Jonah 2:9 There is nothing you are I can do except present the gospel clearly to a lost sinner. It is God who by his Spirit strives with them and if they should turn in repentance it is God who reveals to them Christ as Saviour. It may be that Romans 5 would help an analytical person as it goes into detail how we are justified by faith. However, if a lost sinner is going to come to Christ, they must give up on analysing and doing and rest in the finished work of Christ by faith. We cannot help someone to believe, we can only present the reality of the One who is believeable, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is difficult for us to realize that within ourselves we are less than Zero, and yet our souls are so precious to God in that he was willing to give his Son to die for our salvation. I pray that your friend would stop trying to analize God and know what it is to place simple child-like faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the Cross. He alone can save. God bless you Robert |
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192 | Woman's sin worse than man's? | Eph 5:33 | Robert Nicholson | 65611 | ||
Rabbi Mark: I see we are still blaming the woman! Adam played the blame game "And the man said the woman whom thous gavest to be with me she gave of the tree and I did eat." What a pathetic excuse! Adam the first man with dominion over all blames the woman because he is not willing to take responsiblity for his own actions "he did eat" Gen. 3:7 God had told thim if he were to eat he would die. Why would he eat? And why would he shift the blame to the woman that God had given him as a help mate? It would seem to me that Adam was simlply passing the buck and he is the one who is blamed with bring sin into the world Rom. 5:12 In our day of grace the man is exhorted to love the wife as himself. In fact when he shows love to her in deed and action he is loving his self since they are one. As I have mentioned in previous posts they are equal in the sight of God with specific roles in the Lord. Man and woman both have responsiblities in Christ and to each other, but the modifiying factor is love. If Christ were to deal with us according to our deed since we were saved we would be lost forever. However, he has dealt with us in grace and in love and recognizes our weakness (warts and all) and is gracious toward us. If a husband truly wants to reflect the love of Christ to him, to his wife he will love her regardless of perceived weaknesses and will treasure her as a gift from God. I believe that this is what Adam saw in Eve which is his decision to disobey God that they might continue to be together. God in his grace clothed them in animal skins a picture of what he does today for both men and women, clothing them in the righteousness of Christ forever. I think part of our problem in this modern world is still determining who shall be the greatest. I am aware that men and women have a specific role in the church which is his body. Nevertheless, as individuals we "have by one Spirit we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles..." 1 Cor. 12:13 We are members of his body and are not differentiated by gender. In fact the apostle Paul writes "Now are ye the body of Christ members in particular" 1 Cor. 12:14 Whether we be male or female we are members of the body of Christ and as such we have a unique role. Rabbi Mark: We are not under the law. Over the past two thousand years men have used the scriptures to maintain their power and control over women. Is this right? Governments thought so, even in Canada women first became persons in 1918. Does this sound right? Women must be saved as individuals, women must grow in Christ as individuals and how can man continue to put them in a role subserviant to men. It is time we realized that we ( men and women) are workers together in grace. We may have specific and unique roles in the church, nevertheless, there is no inferiority in the members. Robert |
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193 | Is 1 Sam 2:10 b prophecy? | 1 Sam 2:10 | Robert Nicholson | 65608 | ||
Amen Emmaus: I love these words "And Mary said, My soul doth magnifiy the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior" Luke 1: 46-47 Mary was aware of the scriptures which prophecied of the Son which she would bear and his name is Jesus. Amen! |
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194 | When and how EVIL came about? | Rom 5:12 | Robert Nicholson | 65545 | ||
Zerotheory: What is your definition of "evil"? If you look up the word in Strong's Concordance you will find that the word evil encompasses every negative act and word we could think of and in my humble opinion is a synomym to "sin". Take a look at this verse: "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."( Gen. 6:5) This is how God saw evil in the days of Noah. Humankind had become obsessed with sin in their thoughts and actions continually. Where does evil come from? a) The world system b) Our own sinful nature c) The enemy of souls, satan or the devil Good comes from God alone. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man" James 1:13 In verse 17 he continues "Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" The reason I keep focussing on evil since sin entered the world and tried not to speculate of a source beyond this world, is that it is here and now that we need to be concerned about, our relationship to God and not to be distracted by things which have no effect on our life. We know that the serpent of Genesis was involved in deceiving Eve into disobedience. He first of all questioned God's word, "hath God said?" He appeals to her pride telling her "your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil" Gen.3:5 He is telling her a part truth and an outright lie "thou shalt not surely die"(v. 4) We see the process of James 1:14-15 take place with dire consequences "Every man when he is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished brings forth death" (James 1: 14-15) It was satan who through the serpent planted the thought resulting in disobedience on the part of Eve followed by Adam and God was true to his word sin brought about death to the human race. I believe that Isaiah 14: 12-15 is referring to Satan or Lucifer an angel, created by God to a high place over creation. However, he had a desire which was against God "I will be like the most High". In Ezekial 28: 13-15 we have a description which describes the beauty of the cherub and the freedom he once had "until iniquity was found in thee" Ezekial 28:15 In other words satan made a choice to oppose himself against God and sealed his doom forever. Adam made a choice to disobey God and plunged the human race into sin. We rejoice however, that God by his grace has made a way whereby lost sinners can be redeemed and that is through the obedience of his Son upon the cross. Robert |
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195 | When and how EVIL came about? | Rom 5:12 | Robert Nicholson | 65538 | ||
Zerotheory: The verse Romans 5:13 I believe is telling us that sin was in the world before the law was given. In v. 14 " ...death reigned from Adam to Moses..." That time between Adam and Moses they did not have the law, "for by the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20) It was at the giving of the law that the trangressors were able to seen what God demands and realized the sinfulness of sin. Thus, as far as the human world is concerned, sin entered the world by the disobedience of the first man Adam. Robert |
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196 | When and how EVIL came about? | Rom 5:12 | Robert Nicholson | 65518 | ||
Zerotheory: Romans 5:12 gives us a clear picture of sin coming into the world "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; so death was passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"(KJV) Robert |
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197 | Should Christian's vote? | Heb 11:13 | Robert Nicholson | 65514 | ||
Greetings New Creature: First of all I do not judge my brothers or sisters as to their personal convictions on this issue. However, a few thoughts for consideration. I have quoted Heb. 11:13, one could ask what does this have to do with voting? I believe it reminds us of the Christian's walk of faith and occuppation on this earth. We read of those who walked by faith and how "they confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims (exiles) on the earth" This world is not our home, we are "strangers" away from home and "pilgrims" going home. As such we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), it is our responsibility to be a postive testimony for our home country which is heavenly. Peace Robert |
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198 | Greater rank, not greater person? | Eph 5:33 | Robert Nicholson | 65509 | ||
Scrhng: I believe that the topic of headship is very important in understanding the relationship between husband and wife. "...I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3) We know that there is absolutely no inferiority between Christ and God who have different functions in the Godhead and yet are one. Likewise, in the relationship of a husband and wife, individually they have different functions and yet they are one. The idea of headship was revealled before sin entered the world "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen 2:24) It is amazing that in this relationship we see in type the relationship between Christ and the church. "In the Lord" refers to a husband and wife who are both saved. I believe that the scriptures support that "in the Lord" we are workers together, that the husband is incomplete without the wife and the wife without the husband, they complement each other. This is found in 1 Cor. 11:11-12 "Nevertheless neither is the man without (independent) of the woman, neither the woman without (independent) the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also of the woman; but all things of God. In the Lord within an ideal relationship a husband and wife should be submissive to God and be willing to accept the unique role in life which God has given them. Just a few thoughts Robert |
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199 | Thanks! One more thing. . . | Eph 5:33 | Robert Nicholson | 65485 | ||
Srchng: In you last paragraph, I feel your sense of frustration. This subject is something which I have wrestled with for most of my life. It is a paradox which I have seen in many Christians. They know they are loved and yet deep inside themselves they feel worthless. I believe that at times children of Christians are subjected to unwise presentation of their condition before God, possibly before they can understand what it means. If we tell them they are worthless,hopeless etc. they will soon believe it to be so. Does this mean that we sugar coat the truth? No! We present the truth as God's word presents it. In short, yes we are born sinners and need a Saviour, but more important God loves us and has proven to us how much he cares by what he was willing to give on our behalf. How do we apply this to an adult? What do we do if an adult Christain is depressed or down on themselves? First of all has this attitude toward self been a way of life for them? Sometimes people have learned how to be negative about everything and it takes a long time to unlearn this. I know from experience that we first of all have to face the fact that our negativity is not positive in our life. There are many studies which show that if we think on things which are negative and self defeating that we will have no sense of power in our lives. Conversely, if we think on things positive, we will be able to better cope with the challenges sent our way. You have mentioned surrendering to God just as we are. Please bear with me for a moment. One time a train was hurtling down through a mountainous and dangerous track. The people on the train were frightened. They noticed however, that one little girl seemed unafraid. Someone asked "are you not frightened with this train?" The girl smiled " No" she said, "my father is the engineer". If we are willing to place child like faith in our Saviour day by day and know that he is able to keep us and give us the grace to struggle through the challenges which seem unsermontable, we are on the right track. Even after we are saved, our stubborn will often grieves and quenches the Spirit of God in our lives. How do we actually do this? Ask ourselves "Are we in Christ?" this is not intended to cause doubts, but to verify our relationship to God. If we are in Christ and are not enjoying fellowship with him and with God, then we must be willing to honestly admit our need of fellowship with him. 1 John 1 is a good passage to read on this. Do I speak to him each day and do I listen to his voice? Only by praying to him and reflecting on and reading his word will this happen. If we walk by faith his word is "is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 I hope this helps Robert |
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200 | love...as himself (if no self-love?) | Eph 5:33 | Robert Nicholson | 65481 | ||
Rabbi Mark: We read "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12.2) I do not see this as a selfish, but the Lord Jesus saw the big picture, he knew that his sacrifice and suffering were worth it all, however, his sacrifice was not for himself, but for others and has resulted in their joy now and for eternity. In Phil. 2:6 about Christ Jesus "who being in the form of God, thought it not (a thing to be grasped at) to be equal with God" "Who being" refers to his eternal existance with God and "being in the form of God" his equality in the Godhead. "thought it no a thing to be grasped at" Jesus did not grasp for anything, he had and has all the things you have pointed out before he came to earth, yet he as it were set them aside. In Phil as we carry on we find "he humbled himself" we then read of his incarnation, his servant character, his total obedience "unto death even the death of the cross. In John 1 we find that he the Eternal Word is God manifest in the flesh, that he is the creator of all things and he is the Light of the world. In Heb. 1:3 he is shown as the one who "upholds all things by the word of his power" the one who purged our sins and the one who sits "on the right hand of the Majesty on high"V.3 The point I am trying to make is that Jesus Christ did not have to suffer on the cross for these things, because he already had them. His sacrifice on the cross was an act of grace motivated by love when it made it possible for those who were separated from him by sin, to be brought near by his precious blood. Peace in his name Robert |
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