Results 21 - 29 of 29
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Unanswered Bible Questions Author: Rowdy Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | Get'g the right message from our Bibles? | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 115540 | ||
Just got this very interesting article by E-Mail from a good friend and thought I would share. It asks some very probing questions. Be sure to notice the scripture in support. God bless all who study and obey God's Word. IS CHRIST OUR CENTRAL FOCUS? We have scrutinized the Bible to the point that we have it all laid out in reasonable and logical principles. We have dismantled it into theological sections. We have made it an answer book to life's problems and a cure-all for what emotionally and mentally bothers us. It has become a manual filled with instructions on how to live. It provides us with principles that will guide us into God's favor, thus insuring us of His presence and power. Manfred Haller writes: "If you want to know what is in an automobile, the parts it contains and how it was constructed, disassemble it. Just do not try to drive the disassembled vehicle, though, because it won't move an inch. It will have lost all its power, functionality and any purpose it had. All the components belonging to a complete automobile will be lying before you, but it is still not a car. Dissected truths are no longer spiritual truths; they are ineffective, lifeless theorems." "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40) Could it be that most Christians have a love affair with the Bible rather than with Jesus? The Scriptures are VITAL! Scriptures reveal Jesus! If we are in love with Jesus then why is it we dismantle the Bible into theological opinions, then talk about those segregated segments with more excitement, interest and intensity than we talk about Jesus Himself? We even form fortresses around our opinions and call them churches. If we can form alliances we call them denominations. Jesus is not our rallying cry! Is this why the Christian community is having a diminishing influence on our cultural direction? "Begin seeing Christ behind everything. When you finally understand that Christ is everything you need, then you will have become truly Christocentric. Then will you share with the Father the most precious thing He has - His Son. Christ will become your only perspective, your only hope, your only possession, and your only interest. Everything else will fade into insignificance." (MANFRED HALLER- "CHRIST AS ALL IN ALL") For example, we normally present the Gospel as a message of repentance from sin. If we want to go to heaven and miss out on hell then we need to ask for forgiveness. If we want a meaningful and purposeful life, we need God's grace. He will give us forgiveness, redemption, and life everlasting. God has a wonderful plan for our life. Note; the paragraph above has man as God's central focus. Jesus is God's central focus. Everything happens through Jesus, by Jesus, and for Jesus. Christ and Christ alone transforms people, the results of this transformation do not save people only Jesus Christ saves. We seem to focus on the transformation rather than Christ Himself. "The New Testament gospel begins and ends with Jesus Christ. Christ Himself is the gospel. The gospel in a single pronouncement is, "he who has the Son has life!' Another one like it is, "if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. …The gospel calls men and women to believe in Christ. This means acceptance that God has placed Him in the center, that God will judge us on our relationship to Christ, that our present and our future depends on our kinship with Him." (MANFRED HALLER) We place too much emphasis on the results Christ brings about that we inadvertently present a gospel of works rather than a gospel focused on Christ Himself. Jesus is not coming to gather a brood of cloned replicas that do as He did. When Jesus returns He is coming to receive the Body, the Church, the Vessel through which He will express the fullness of His deity. Written by Terry Jarbo |
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22 | Study Bible Forum or Bible Philosophy | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 114937 | ||
First of all, let me apologize to the Forum in general. My posts seem to have caused quite a bit of controversy and that is certainly NOT what I was after. So, what am I after? I guess if you were to pin me down and put me in a pigeonhole, I’d probably label myself as a philosopher, much in the same spirit as my dad. In a lot of ways I imitate his lifestyle, including his way of looking at things in the world, studying other people and how they interact with each other and with our God in Heaven. I know and realize there's probably not many people on the Forum but I like the ideas and the brainstorming that result from it. I have studied the Bible quite a bit and although I’m not particularly good at quoting book, chapter and verse, I do read a good portion of God’s Word every day. As I do have a penchant for looking for the philosophical side of a particular issue or topic, that’s where I spend most of my time, looking for such opportunities. So, I like to ask questions like “How,” “Why,” and “How about another way of looking it” just like ancient Socrates. As you can imagine this “talent” I have is a little bit of a burden to people that love me, like my precious wife and my parents. I’m quite literally serious here: To this day, my brother, sisters and parents still say I ask too many questions. But I like to motivate people to think, to look behind the curtain and dare to ask Why to the boldest person. Yes, it gets me in trouble but it also makes me a good problem solver. The most important ingredient I’ve found to make a success out of this mess I see in my life is to love people, real love for their souls, love for them to reach their potential like our Father in Heaven has for you and me. It also helps to be open minded and open hearted to their position on a issue, listen to their side of the story completely before responding…now that’s tough, I know. As I size up the “field of play” we have on this Forum, we have plenty of folks who are very, very good at research and know God’s Word quite well. Their posts are filled to overflowing with scriptures and what they think about them. Sometimes they misapply those scriptures but don’t we all on an occasional basis. Sometimes we look at something one way for years and then discover at some future time a new perspective from someone’s first review of that thing i.e. scripture. We come away thinking “What was I thinking when I concluded that way about that particular thing?” Well, again back to that field business. I’ve recently resolved to try to cite at least just a few more scriptures with my statements/posts to the Forum but you’ll have to forgive me for the few times that I fail to do so. You see just as EdB discovered with my recent question about Paul scolding Peter for his sin of discrimination against Gentiles, the answers aren’t always in the Bible, especially when it’s about one of the How or Why questions. I really do appreciate you folks who are so good about quoting from the scriptures with book, chapter and verses but I’ll continue to hold down this end of the field with my conclusions and inferences but this I promise. I’ll ALWAYS TRY to make certain these statements/conclusions, etc. are in fact based on general Bible principles and hold true to the Spirit of the Bible. If it’s anything I’ve learned to appreciate in life, I’ve learned there’s tremendous value to the whole team concept. I may consider myself in the middle of the road like most people do on most subjects in life, most especially Bible topics and religion in general. But we need to appreciate those folks on both sides of that road for they’re there for a reason. They sincerely believe the way they do (at least most of the time) because they’ve studied the issues and concluded that’s where they need to be. So with that promise being made, if at any time, you disagree or think my statement in the future needs tweaking to make it just right, please feel free to post your statement to that effect. That’s why we’re here. One last thing, just as a reminder. We’re all human, every single one of us. None of us are going to get out of this world alive and take anything with us but our souls. So let’s love one another and do a lot more forgiving and a lot less griping and complaining. It will go a long way toward getting us to where we want to go after this world is over. God bless you all. |
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23 | Hell in the Bible: Literal or Figurative | Heb 11:40 | Rowdy | 114906 | ||
So might I solicit your response to all the major points of this discussion, especially toward reconciling 2 Pet 3:10 with the few other verses as cited? How can you take Peter's statement in any other way but literal? With that assumption, how do you reconcile the rest of EdB's position? Take your time in responding if you need it. It's a tough topic. God bless you for being brave enough to participate. I'm still hoping to see other folks respond with their contribution to the discussion. |
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24 | Was the church embarassed? Come see. | Gal 2:11 | Rowdy | 114616 | ||
I've got what I consider to be a tough question. Let me set it up for you to see. Most everyone knows the story of Cornelius in Acts 10 and the fact that Peter reiterates the story to his fellow Jews in Acts 11. I'm sure a few of you but maybe not all might know about the time one Apostle "chewed out" another Apostle, "opposed him to his face." Check out the story in Gal 2:11-21 from Paul himself. Yes, Paul opposed Peter in this touchy subject, set him straight and reminded of what he supposedly learned as cited in Acts 10 and 11. Now, my question: Where was the Holy Spirit if He was supposed to "dwelling in" the Apostles, including Peter? Why did He allow Peter to make this big goof and maybe even "embarass" the church at that time? As I'm sure this confrontation between Apostles caused quite a stir. Another minor question: Why did Paul see fit to spread this "gossip" to the brethren in Galatia if he discourages gossiping elsewhere as in 1 Tim 5:13? Please respond to both if you can. And of course, cite scriptures in support of your answers to these questions. |
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25 | Christian Nation? You decide. | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 109853 | ||
It seems many have forgotten some of our history. Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God or scripture, and His personal intervation. It is the same Congress that formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death." But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he actually said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a jusst God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peach so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almight God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death." These sentences have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln call him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology." Of the first 108 universitites founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of this life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments? James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: “We have staked the whole future of our new nation not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.” Today, we are asking God to bless America. But how can He bless a Nationa that has departed so far from Him? Prior to Sep 11, 2001, He was not welcom in America. Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots. You are encouraged to share this with others so that the truth of our nation's history will be told. God bless America. I can't add a thing, but I know how to respond. How about you? |
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26 | Christian Nation? You decide. | Rev 20:8 | Rowdy | 109855 | ||
It seems many have forgotten some of our history. Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence were orthodox, deeply committed Christians? The other three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God or scripture, and His personal intervation. It is the same Congress that formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of scripture for the people of this nation. Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death." But in current textbooks the context of these words is deleted. Here is what he actually said: "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a jusst God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peach so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almight God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death." These sentences have been erased from our textbooks. Was Patrick Henry a christian? The following year, 1776, he wrote this "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here." On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed this truth when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: "The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln call him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology." Of the first 108 universitites founded in America, 106 were distinctly Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636. In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the scriptures: "Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of this life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments? James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: “We have staked the whole future of our new nation not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.” Today, we are asking God to bless America. But how can He bless a Nationa that has departed so far from Him? Prior to Sep 11, 2001, He was not welcom in America. Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks. Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots. You are encouraged to share this with others so that the truth of our nation's history will be told. God bless America. I can't add a thing, but I know how to respond. How about you? |
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27 | What exactly is this Unforgivable Sin? | Matt 12:32 | Rowdy | 109403 | ||
I got a question for the whole forum. Apparently this sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit is the same sin of blasphmy (unforgivable sin) described in Luke 12 and elsewhere in the Bible. My question: Could someone please describe to me in some detail exactly how they see a person doing this sin? What are the specifics of a person performing this henious act for which there is no forgivness? Gotta be worse than all the other possible sins of the world, so please describe. I've got an opinion but I'd be interested in getting your opinions first. Please share and thanks for participating. God bless this forum. |
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28 | About Premillenialism... | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 107945 | ||
What scriptures from the Bible are used to describe Premillenialism? How is this supported by the rest of the Bible? Please briefly descirbe the scenario of this concept. |
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29 | About the Rapture... | Bible general Archive 2 | Rowdy | 107951 | ||
What scriptures from the Bible are used to support the concept of the rapture? How are they supported by the rest of the Bible? Please explain the whole scenario of the rapture. | ||||||
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