Results 201 - 220 of 244
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Results from: Notes Author: Robert Nicholson Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
201 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33518 | ||
Zach Greetings from the cold white North Part 3 Paul states that “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom. 8:39 and yet in 1 Cor. 9:27 shows concern that he could end up disqualified for the prize. Does this mean that Paul believed that he could lose his salvation in Christ? I don’t think so. Paul also writes “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul suffered greatly for the testimony of the gospel of Christ, not to earn his eternal salvation, but rather out of devotion to Christ. In 1 Cor. 9 is Paul’s defense to them who had accused him of not being an apostle v.2-3 As he reviews his life of service for God, in verse 24-29 he is using a metaphor of the Olympic games to illustrate his method of service. In v.24 he likens the Christian walk “race”, the runner must be qualified to run and the runner who has trained and has strong self-discipline will be the one who is not distracted, keeping his eye always on the prize (award) at the end of the race. In v.25 he contrasts the award which an Olympic runner would get as perishable compared to that of a Christian who runs well and will receive an award which perisheth not. To be in the race of the Christian walk we must first of all be “in Christ” to qualify. If we want to be pleasing to him we will keep our eye on him and not be distracted by those things which would compromise our run for him. If we become disqualified during the race, what will we lose? We will lose the prize or award which is given at the Judgment seat of Christ. 1 Cor. 3: 12-15. Paul in v.26 describes his own race: “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; ( the runner has focus as he runs) “I box in such a way, not as one that beating the air” ( as a boxer he is again focused on his purpose and is effective) The metaphor continues in V27 “I buffet my body, and make it my slave” Paul is speaking of training and self-discipline which will keep the athlete in the race knowing that if he fails to keep himself discipline spiritually, there is the possibility that he will make shipwreck of his life and be disqualified for the award which should be his providing he run the course lawfully. I believe that Paul is teaching that as Christians we cannot become lax in our approach to our walk before God. Paul mentions in Romans “I die daily” meaning that the desires which our sinful nature would bring before us, we must reckon them dead and not allow them to reign in our body. Zach: back to your original question and scripture. I believe that in the last days, many will fall away. We live in a time much like the days of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3:14-20 when those who profess to be Christians are generally “lukewarm” toward God and their own perception of self is that “I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing”. We find that the professing Church has pushed Christ outside the door and are self-sufficient. He appeals to the individuals of that time “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with me” Christians can and will be deceived by false teachers and yet even though they have fallen, they are still part of the family of God. The bottom line is “the Lord knoweth them that are his” Yours by his grace alone Robert |
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202 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33511 | ||
Zach: Thank you for your patience: Part Two Example 2: Peter in 1 Peter 1: 3-4 in writing to believers provides assurance in the true of what those in Christ have been brought into “ In his mercy he has given us the new birth...into an inheritance that can never perish” On the other hand in 2 Peter 1:10 he emphasizes to the believers “Therefore my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. Does Peter mean that we can depend on the promises of God that we have eternal life through the new birth and yet on the other hand we should keep making sure we are safe? I would answer “Yes” in light of what he is teaching in the chapter, it is necessary. How then do we test to make sure? In v. 5-8 Peter list the qualities which should characterize a Christian. He tells them that if they keep these qualities in view and grow in them, then “they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” V8 I believe that this growth is attained by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives in conjunction with our willingness to obey him in our lives. In verse 9 he cites those who lack these qualities “For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, have forgotten his purification from his former sins.” In v. 10 Peter then instructs them that they must “be diligent to make their calling and election sure” Why? V10 if “they practice these things”( the things mentioned before) they shall never fall (stumble) It is Christian walk which is in view , “for in this way an entrance into the kingdom into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will abundantly supplied to you. In other words the person who walks before God and whose motive is to bring glory and honor to Christ will receive an abundant entrance. Peter’s view here is service and reward. These are Peter's last words to these Christians before his martyrdom and he wants them “to be diligent that at any time after my departure you may call these things to mind” V.15 In comparing these two verse I do not see a contradiction. Our position in Christ is secure, while our daily walk is our responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and the end result will be in “fruit” which will bring glory and honor to God. If we grieve the Holy Spirit in our lives and do not put our utmost diligence in walking for God, the lack of “fruit” will be our loss at the Judgment seat of Christ. 1 Cor. 3: 12-15 Zach I will send a second part to this response on the last reference to Paul. Peace in his Name Robert |
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203 | Some will depart from the faith | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33510 | ||
Zach: Thank you for your response. I will attempt to address the scriptures which you have provided. I am experiencing trouble with the preview function on the forum, hence, I am sending this response in 3 parts. Part One: The first example: On the one hand we have those who are promised by Jesus that “they will never perish” John 10:28 and on the other hand he speaks of those “who will seek to enter in but will not be able”Luke 13:23 On the surface my question would be “Is God’s grace in salvation limited? In the same verse you have quoted Jesus words “Strive to enter in at the narrow door” In John 10 the Lord Jesus is using the metaphors of the sheep fold, the shepherd and the sheep to represent; the place of safety, Christ himself and people of this world. In v.5 “Jesus states, “ I am the door, by me if any man enter in he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture” What does Jesus mean? He explains: The sheep fold in Jesus time was a walled structure which has only one opening. The door to the opening when the sheep were inside was the shepherd himself who would lay across the opening during the night. Anything or one who tried to get into the fold had to go through the door which was the shepherd. The safety of the sheep was dependent on the care of the shepherd. Secondly, not only does the shepherd keep us in the fold, he leads us out into good pasture which would suggest that this shepherd looks after all our needs both day and night. In light of this metaphor, the Lord Jesus tells them plainly v. 7 “I am the good Shepherd, the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep” and because of his death for the sheep he tells us “I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish” He goes on to tells that those who are in his fold are kept in his hand and in his Father’s hand. I believe that we see the eternal security of those who belong to Christ from the God-ward side. What does Jesus mean “some will seek to enter and will not be able?” In Luke 13:23 Jesus makes it clear that humans who have heard the word must “Strive or agonize to enter in at the narrow door” Paul quotes from Isaiah “Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation” In the message of Jesus and of Paul we find that there is an urgency and responsibility on the part of humans to put everything they have into finding Christ before their day of visitation is past. God speaks to sinners by his spirit and would convict them of their need of Christ, however if they choose to ignore his call, they may find themselves outside of Christ or the door forever. The security of those who have entered the door by faith are dependent on the Shepherd for safety. On the other hand, as humans we cannot trifle with the Grace of God when he calls us by his Spirit, if we desire to be safe for eternity, we must listen to his voice and enter by the door which is Christ himself. In Christ Robert |
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204 | How do we test ourselves? | 2 Cor 13:5 | Robert Nicholson | 33467 | ||
CDBJ Thank you for your helpful response. Robert |
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205 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33420 | ||
Brother Johnny: I apologize for not getting back sooner. I will look at the scriptures which you provided me with on your last post at get back to you tomorrow morning if the Lord will. Just a few thoughts on eternal security. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" When we trust Christ we are changed from within and given new life in him. Our new nature in him desires to please him and live for him. However, we still have the old nature which would try to draw us away from our purpose in Christ. This is a daily war which the believer encounters every day. However, when we are born again we are placed as sons in the family of God. We may fail him through coldness of heart and sin and yet we remain a son. Sometimes we confuse the position which we have been brought into by Christ with discipleship. I will be back Peace in his Name Rober |
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206 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Robert Nicholson | 33415 | ||
Brother Curt: Just a short reply for now. I appreciate your fairness in comparing our thoughts on God's word. In 1 Cor. 10:32 we read about 3 groups of people in the world at the time of Paul and extends even to now. "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:" When we study the purposes of God in his Grace we need to keep in mind the 3 groups: The Jew or Israel refers to God's chosen people through whom he choose to work throughout the old testament. He gave them prophecies which pointed to the coming Messiah who is their redeemer. However, we find that when he came into the world the Jews as a nation rejected him. We find that they as a nation has been set aside, but God is not finished with them yet as you have pointed out. He will turn back to Israel after this dispensation of Grace is over. The Gentiles or pagan nations were outside the promises of God and yet God in his eternal mercy and grace had a plan for them. He turned to the Gentile nations after the death of Christ. We find that the apostles preached the gospel to Israel first, to Samaria and then to Gentiles. In this dispensation of Grace God is dealing in grace with individuals from all backgrounds "for there is no difference". The Church of God as described in 1 Cor.12 consists of all believers who have been saved from the cross onward. I agree that God is all knowing, it is difficult for the finite to comprehend the infinite. God's sovereign will and plan will come to pass. The gift of eternal life is all of God. It was his plan and purpose to save those who are lost. He speaks to us by his spirit, through his people and through life's circumstances. He prepares our heart until like the jailor of old we exclaim "What must I do to be saved" At that point God by his spirit reveals to us the truth that Christ died for our sins on the cross at this point we rest in him. God bless Robert |
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207 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Robert Nicholson | 33401 | ||
Brother Curt: I am not surprised that you are Presbyterian. I have considered Calvinism and Arminism against the scriptures and find myself somewhat in the middle. In reponse to your questions: "Outside of God's grace, is there anyone worthy of salvation? (I assume you agree the answer is "no") " (I agree) "So God, in His infinite justice could opt to save no one and still be just. (agree or disagree?)" In his eternal purposes I agree. However, he will not go back on his word now. It is only out of God's love and mercy that He saves anyone. (agree/disagree?) ( Amen!) "He could choose to save some and not others? (yes/no?) This would be just?" (yes he is sovereign) "Does the parable in Matthew 20:1-15 address this?" ( certainly in the sense that the householder was sovereign in dispensing of his own wealth." "What are the implications of this Scripture in terms of the "doctrine of election"? " We could certainly apply this scripture to election in the sense that we cannot question the grace of God. Are all elect or just some... are all chosen or just some? Are all predestined... etc? ( I believe that all who are in Christ are elect of God and are predestined to the adoption of children) The question here is "Are there some people who are not choosen because they choose not to listen to the Spirit of God? "Does God choose, then we choose? Or does God just choose?" I believe that God speaks to us by his spirit and reveals to us our need of Christ. Our choice is to simply rest upon what the Holy Spirit reveals to us about the sacrifice of Christ. In 1 Cor. 1 Paul speaks the method God has chosen to reach lost sinners "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." In other words we preach the gospel to all and allow the Spirit of God to work with individuals. In the same chapter Paul speaks of election and who is chosen "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." 1 Cor. 1:26-29 I think that based upon the sciptures above that Christ came to call lost sinners. Proud, self-righeous need not apply. Curt: I understand the theory of 5 point Calvinism. I have difficulty reconciling this theory with free choice. Your second last paragraph I would agree with to a degree. However, I also believe that sinners can reject Christ. If we believe that it is God who gives us our response, than we would be considered robots. Even sinners who in their life God used to bring about his purposes made a choice to harden their hearts against him before he finally hardened their hearts forever. Examples: Esau and Pharaoh. God is not unrighteous. The commission of our saviour in Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." is still valid today. Even a Calvinist cannot pick out those who are chosen and those who are not. I have a question: If each person who is and will be saved is absolutely chosen by name, why did the apostles in their time and people in these times,go to such lengths to spread the gospel to the "whosoever will"? Why is the last invitation in the Bible in Rev. to the whosoever? Another thing I noticed. Is that God tends to save people who are related to people who know Christ. Yet I believe that our salvation is very personal and is not part of family relationships. "I wonder what he saw in me to suffer such deep agony?" I will stop for now God bless you Robert |
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208 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33395 | ||
Dear overseer: We must remember that there is a Judgment seat for those who belong to Christ which Paul refers to as the "Bema" which is the reward seat for those who have run the race. 2 Cor. 5:10 If you refer to 1 Cor. 3:12-14 refers to this judgment. When our works and motives after we are saved are judged by God. "The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" In Verse 15 "If any man's work shall be burned he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" The judgment seat of Christ is not for judging sin because sin was judged when he bore its awful load on the cross. There is also the Great White throne judgment when the dead small and great will stand before God Rev.20. This judgement is the end for all who have died outside of Christ and who have rejected him. The two judgments which I have mentioned show that God is impartial and righteous in his Judgement. We make a choice by faith to accept the judgment as borne by Christ or we can reject Christ and suffer for our own sins. John 3:36 the NAS translation replaces "he that believeth not the Son" KJV to "he who does not obey the Son" What obedience is this talking about. This is not the Christian life which is in view, but the attitude of a lost sinner who does not obey the gospel. John in 1 John 5:12 we read "He that hath the son hath life, he that hath not the son of God hath not life" God bless Robert |
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209 | fall upward? | 1 Tim 4:1 | Robert Nicholson | 33394 | ||
God bless you too Johnny The Lord knoweth them that are his. I guess we disagree on eternal security. I belong to Christ because he called me by his Spirit when I was lost and in my sin. I put my trust in him who died for me upon the cross. My salvation does not depend on baptism by a minister or some church creed. I plead only the precious blood of Christ which was shed on Calvary's cross and that he lives at the right hand of God on high peace in his name Robert |
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210 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Robert Nicholson | 33392 | ||
Brother Curt: Who does God Choose? Why did he Choose me, you, other? Jesus said “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) Jesus said “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37) Who did Jesus die for? Paul writes “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15) John writes “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins ofthe whole world”.( 1 John 2:2) What is God’s will for all people? Paul writes about God “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”( 1 Tim: 2:4) Why then are all not saved? In fact as you have pointed “many are called, but few are chosen” Paul writes to the Romans in chp. 3 “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe” V.22 There are two groups in this verse: the righteousness of God is offered to all. Yet it is only upon all them that believe. As you have pointed out from Romans 3:11 “There is none that seeketh after God” and in the following verses 12-19 God shows us the sinfulness of our human heart. There is no difference,we are all the same, there is nothing in us that would attract God to us. At the end of this summary God concludes: “Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight” Rom. 3:20 How then does one get saved if we are so hopelessly lost and dead in sin? We must remember that the good shepherd will always go after the sheep which is lost and bring him to safety in the fold. John 10 Jesus taught his disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world after his death and “when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 14:7) When God looked on the human race in Noah’s day he said “My Spirit shall not always strive with man” Gen. 6:3 God by his spirit speaks to lost sinners in this world through those who know Christ, through his word and through the circumstances in life. He speaks to us of our sin through our conscience, he speaks concerning the righteousness of God through Christ and he speaks of judgment to come. Humans are not robots, like Adam of old they are capable of hearing the voice of God by his Spirit. I do not believe that faith is a work. God calls lost sinners to himself by his spirit. When we here his call we must respond. It is true that he called us often before we knew that it was he that was speaking. Nevertheless, when God call us he will bring us to a point in which he will open our understanding regarding the work of Christ. However, if we refuse to accept our lost sinful condition and rest upon Christ for salvation we will not be saved. There are many examples in scripture of people who were spoken to time and time again, but there came a point when it was too late. Faith is a conviction within which gives us assurance that Christ is sufficient for our salvation. It is a truth that is revealed to us by the Spirit of God, it is not a true which we can conjure up on our own. If we were to look at the many people who came to Christ when he walked on this earth we find that he usually waited for a response before he blessed them. Think of the cripple man who was carried to the roof by his friends because of the crowds surrounding the savior. They tore up the tiles and let the man down at Jesus feet. The Bible says “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” (Mark 2:5) It seems to me that our repentance is acknowledging that God is right about our sin and to turn to him in all our need, at this point by his spirit he will reveal Christ to us. We do nothing except rest in him. You were correct, A lot to ponder! In Christ Robert |
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211 | cut off | Rom 11:22 | Robert Nicholson | 33390 | ||
Brother Curt: Thank you for your response. The forum would be very boring if we simply agreed on everything. I think that it is God’s will that we follow the example of the Bereans’ “ They searched the scriptures daily, whether these things be so” (Acts 17:11) I am sending this in two parts, since I am having trouble losing my posts when I go to preview. Your struggle regarding God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is common to most Christians. We know that God will bring about his plans and purposes as he will. As our creator we have no right to accuse him (Rom.9:20). When humankind fell into sin, God could have wiped them from the scene. However, this was not his will. His will was that he might bring sinful humans back into fellowship with himself through Christ. I think the example of Adam is helpful in understanding God’s workings with us. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. There sin broke the communion which they once had with God and they hid in the garden from him. God knew this! Yet in his grace he calls Adam “Where art thou?” and asks “what hast thou done?” It seemed that before God would do anything regarding his sin he wanted an honest confession first. We find that after this that God clothed them with the skins of animals which is the first instance of atonement by blood. As I am sure you know that from that time onward, in order to cover their sin, humans were instructed to offer an innocent, living sacrifice unto God. In Hebrews 10 we read that those sacrifices of old were only types and shadows of Christ. “But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God. Ephesians is a book which was written to those “in Christ” to tell them of what they had come into in Christ. That all believers are part of the church which is his body Eph. 1:23 (there are no counterfeits here) This positional truth makes it clear that all we have in Christ is due to God’s grace alone. In v3. we find that “he hath blessed us with ALL spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ” In v.5 amazingly we find that his eye was on us before the world was made “chosen in him before the foundation of the world” to what purpose? “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” In addition, he has “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ...”V.5 This family relationship places us as sons in the family of God. Paul expands on this in Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”. In Eph. 1:6 we find that our acceptance to God is based on his acceptance of his own son, “wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” This positional truth is not dealing so much with our failures within ourselves, but would raise us up and make us appreciate in a measure what we have in Christ. This position which is assured by his acceptance is unalterable. I will send part 2 in a few minutes Robert |
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212 | Does Christ stand alone for salvation?? | Acts 4:12 | Robert Nicholson | 33377 | ||
Paul Thank you for your response: I agree that the demons believe and tremble. I believe they tremble because they know that they will be judged by God. Believing in Christ as presented in John 3:16 is a message given to lost human sinners. When we believe on him, we place our faith, our trust, ourselves totally upon his worth and work upon the cross. In John 3 you have mentioned "should not perish" implies conditional. This does not fit with the rest of the chapter, in fact at the end of v.16 we read "but have everlasting life" This is a present possession which we receive upon believing. Everlasting and eternal life is exactly that, it cannot ever be conditional or temporary. According to John 3:36 "they who disobey will incurr the wrath of God". V. 36 shows that there are those who believe and have eternal life and there are those who disobey or believe not and that the "wrath of God abideth on them" This is supported in V. 17 -18 of John 3 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." In our natural state were born dead in tresspasses and in sins and are condemned already in the sight of God. In John 3 we read of our condition, but we also read of God's great provision which is in his Son Jesus Christ. He bore the wrath of God upon himself for our sin on the cross. When we accept our condition and his provision by faith we are forgiven, made alive in him and no longer under the condemnation of God. Hebrews5:9 "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" This is a wonderful all encompassing verse. The book of Hebrews speaks of those who before the cross, obeyed God by faith in that they obeyed his word and in Heb.11 those to whom God imputed righteousness. They acted or obeyed God within the light which he had given them and only saw the promise of a coming redeemer in types and shadows. When Christ came into the world, the types and shadows ceased, and we find in his sayings that salvation is in him alone by faith. In Phil. 2:12 "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Paul is writing to Christians who are in Christ and he is looking for obedience from them in the things of God. They are asked to "Work" on that which they have already received. Not only are we saved eternally, we are preserved by the Spirit of God day by day in our lives. If we are willing to obey God's word as revealled to us by his Spirit, he will give us power daily to overcome this sinful world. On the other hand if a Christian is disobedient, we will suffer consequences for our actions. We read that God chastens or punishes sons whom he loves for unjudged sin in their lives. The motive of works after we are saved is that we might bring glory to God and live for him. We also know that in a future day our works will be judged and we will suffer gain or loss. 1 Cor.3:12-15 The gospel of Christ sees us as dead spiritually to God. We cannot use good works in any way to merit his free gift of eternal life. In fact it is an insult to God for me as a lost sinner to try and offer something in addition to the work of Christ on the cross for my salvation. I agree with the first part of your last statement "If all we must do is accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour" However, I believe that we must believe in more than "in his existance. There have been and are many people who believe in a historical Jesus, would cite him as a good example and they claim to believe in God. They are moved when they read of his sufferings on the cross and even believe that this event ocurred in history. Sadly, such a belief does not make them right within. We must be willing to acknowledge and agree with what God has said regarding our lost, sinful condition, we must be willing to accept by faith Jesus Christ as our Savior, as the one who was our subsitute on the cross and turn ourselves completely to him as the Lord of our lives. When God by his Spirit reveals to us that the sacrifice of Christ has satisfied his holy claims against us, the Holy Spirit enters and we are born from above. This birth places us in the family of God by adoption, we are placed as sons. Christians must fear God, not with a fear for our eternal salvation, but a deep respect, that he looks for obedience by those who know him. Jesus said "my sheep hear my voice and they follow me" May God bless you Robert |
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213 | Does the Bible ever lie? | Heb 6:18 | Robert Nicholson | 33367 | ||
Dear brother Praise Master I would suggest that God's Word is true in its report of Satan, his lies and his distortion of the truth. I agree that the words of Satan and his followers are lies. The Bible exposes him and records his treachery. Satan is one of the most under-estimated evil powers of whom we are warned over and over again, "we are not ignorant of his devices" (1 Cor. 2:11) In Gen. 3 we are introduced to Satan in the from of the subtle serpent who questions the Word of God: "hath God said?" In Job we see him as the accuser of God's servant. He challenges God regarding Job's motives for loving God and walking in his ways. We know that this was a lie. However, God allowed Job to suffer terrible persecution, only to prove to Satan in the words of Job " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him..."Job 13:15 In the New Testament we have Satan quoting scripture to the Lord Jesus the Son of God trying to trip him up and mar him as the perfect man. This of course shows that Satan does not know all and he most certainly did not know Christ. The Lord Jesus simply quoted the appropriate scripture back to him and shut his mouth. The warnings by the Lord Jesus and the apostles regarding the work and attacks of Satan must be heeded and yet the Christian should not despair. John teaches "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4) In other words when we are saved we are given the Holy Spirit within who is greater than Satan. We have also been given the armour of God to withstand the wicked one. We could discuss his many guises etc, but that is a different topic, howbeit necessary in these evil days. The truth of the Word of God is seen in the way it reports and exposes the sins of humans through the centuries and the disobedience of his own people along with the short comings of those who are saved. The Bible does not lie, but it reports those that do and shows their folly with the hope that we who read it would benefit from it. God's blessings to you Robert |
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214 | How can we be more like Jesus? | 2 Cor 3:18 | Robert Nicholson | 33076 | ||
Dear Sister, Thank you for your response. It is wonderful to mutallly share our Saviour's love and to discuss God's purposes for us and through us. I love the words penned by Paul to the Philippians, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comformable unto his death" Phil. 3:10 I agree that it is our Lord's command that we be concerned about the great commission Matt. 28: 19-20. "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things." Rom. 10:15 Peace to you in our Saviour's name Robert Nicholson |
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215 | "Born-again Christian" redundant? | John 3:3 | Robert Nicholson | 33015 | ||
Dear brother The term born-again Christian is redundant since you cannot be a Christain unless you are born again. A Christian is a Christian, all others are counterfiet. Robert |
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216 | "Born-again Christian" redundant? | John 3:3 | Robert Nicholson | 33014 | ||
Brother Hank: Brother Hank John 3:5 is a verse which has been used by the RC and the Church of Christ to argue the need of baptism as part of being born again. Needless to say I have argued against this since the word of God has made it abundantly clear that we have eternal life the moment we rest in Christ. However, in studying the verse, I find that according to Strong's Concordance "water" in verse 5 of John 3 is indeed literal water. For years I accepted the view that the water was the word of God which ties in with John 5:24 However, if we look at the context we find that Jesus in explaining the new birth to Nicodemas is comparing natural and spiritual. That which is born of the flesh is flesh That which is born of the Spirit is spirit" V.6 It would appear in verse 6 he is comaparing natural birth to spiritual rebirth in response to Nicodemas In V.4 who is incredulous at the idea of rebirth and asks "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother,s womb and be born, can he?" John 3:4 NASB The emphasis by the Lord Jesus is on being born of the Spirit and in V. 8 describes the awsome mystery of His entrance into the heart of an unsaved person. Again the Lord Jesus resorts to natural elements to decribe spiritual reality. Nicodemas "the wind bloweth where it wishes and you can hear the sound of it, but do not know from whence it comes from and where it is going" In other words we can hear the wind, we can feel the wind and we can see the results of the wind on whatever it passes over and yet we cannot see its source. "So is every one that is born of the Spirit." We will see the change and as the person who is born of the Spirit we will feel the change within and yet it is almost impossible to explain the miracle which is wrought within by the Spirit of God. I may be totally wrong, but it seems to me that Jesus was explaining to Nicodemas that we are all born into this world at odds with God and that we must be born from above to be right with God. Just my humble thoughts. Robert |
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217 | How can we love the unloveable?? | Rom 5:5 | Robert Nicholson | 32980 | ||
Dear Search Thank you for your response. I agree that prayer and excercise before the Lord is needed as we live before those who are saved and those who know not Christ. Your reference Rom. 15:13 we shows it it only by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives will be see work done for God. "Now may the God of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in believing, thay you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13 your brother in Christ Robert |
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218 | How can we be more like Jesus? | 2 Cor 3:18 | Robert Nicholson | 32978 | ||
Benjamite: Thank you for the excellent response. My post was intended to be rhetorical and reflective. I was hoping for response to share with others their thoughts on some of these topics which we sometimes take for granted. I agree our change is gradual, in some of us, especially me he has a challenging job and yet as we behold him by his Spirit through his word we should grow to know him and reflect Christ to the World through us. I do not believe the day of perfection will come until we are totally changed at his coming. Peace in his Name Robert |
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219 | Is God's Word Complete ? | Rev 22:18 | Robert Nicholson | 32976 | ||
Brother you are correct. Human nature is much like the people to whom Paul preached at Mars Hill, who spent their time wanting to hear or tell some new thing. Another verse which reflects the same idea is about those "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."1 Tim. 3:7 It seems as humans we follow into the trap of Satan in wanting to be "wise" in our own intellect apart from what God has given us. I have total confidence in God and his Holy Word. He took such care by his Spirit to give us all things we stand in need of. In addition to all of that, he has preserved his word even though it has been banned, burned, at times perverted by translation; despite all of this we still have the message clear and plain. Robert |
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220 | Is God's Word Complete ? | Rev 22:18 | Robert Nicholson | 32974 | ||
Brother Hank, Amen! I agree 100 percent! His Word shall stand forever. Today those who are redeemed by his precious blood have the opportunity and responsiblity to tell-forth the trues which are found therein. Praise his name. By the way, thank you for the snow which was sent our way from the South. ha ha Robert |
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