Results 21 - 25 of 25
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Zsuzsi Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | can you explain a little more? thanks | Rom 8:13 | Zsuzsi | 121089 | ||
Dear Leonore, I understand your concern and can assure you that you have absolutely no reason to feel ashamed of asking: Prov 3:13: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding." I believe the solution to this problem is that you understand 'rebirth'. It doesn't mean that all of a sudden you will not be tempted to do bad things (remember, even Jesus Himself was tempted) - it simply means that you will have an identity as a child of God, so it is actually below your dignity to sin. Read Jesus' answer to Satan when He was tempted: "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Lk 4:4). I.e., 'Yes, I am the Son of God, and this is the very reason why I consider myself more worthy to do my Father's will than to simply satisfy my hunger.' (NB: He had been fasting for 40 days - so He was hungry!) You have to realize that God does not look at you as a wretched sinful rebel any more, since Jesus died for you; and it is this realization that will enable you to live up to your dignity by choosing not to sin. 'Rebirth' really means realizing Jesus WITHIN you, and allowing Him to work His will in your life. This will involve a lot of surrender in the beginning, it is like letting your Father take your dirty clothes and clothe you in white; for the Lord said: Isa 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." This surrender is what Jesus meant when He said: Mt:16:24: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." 'Deny yourself', that is, 'deny your right to yourself'. You are not your own any more: You are God's. You are 'His personal concern' (1Pet 5:7). Your pain is His pain, your joy is His joy; and vice versa, His pain should be your pain, and His joy your joy. 'Surrender' and 'deny' sound like awful words, but what we are talking about is the sweetest thing that can ever happen in your life. Simply deposit yourself in His hands, love Him, let Him do with you according to His will and watch the miracle happen. You are saved only if you are reborn: and if you are reborn to be His child, you will find it the most natural to keep those commandments. You will delight in His law (Ps 40:8: "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."), you will be IN but not OF the world.. Not because you are able to do it yourself, but because God by His Grace has done it already for you! So give yourself to Jesus, without Him you can do nothing. Jn 15:5: "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Turning to the passage you are asking about in light of what I now told you, I believe it means that if you neglect the guidance of the Holy Spirit within you, by concentrating on satisfying your bodily desires (i.e. you are not reborn), you will not gain eternal life. If you, however, 'by the power of the Holy Spirit', 'put to death the deeds of the body', surrender yourself to God, (i.e. you are reborn), you will live. After you have read what Angel advised you to read, please turn to John 3:1-21, John 17 and Psalm 119... Another thing. Generally speaking, the best way to cope with Scripture problems is actually prayer. You'll find that God often reveals the meaning of certain passages right away; He loves you, and He promised: Ps 32:8: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." So He will sure do it. Ask, and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you... (Mt 7:7) Apart from the Bible, I do recommend a book for you: it is 'Birthright' by David C. Needham, Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon (1979). (ISBN: 0-930014-75-8). Try to get hold of it; it has helped me a lot in clearing up the true meaning of 'rebirth'. The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) Zsuzsi |
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22 | can you explain a little more? thanks | Rom 8:13 | Zsuzsi | 121090 | ||
Dear Leonore, I understand your concern and can assure you that you have absolutely no reason to feel ashamed of asking: Prov 3:13: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding." I believe the solution to this problem is that you understand 'rebirth'. It doesn't mean that all of a sudden you will not be tempted to do bad things (remember, even Jesus Himself was tempted) - it simply means that you will have an identity as a child of God, so it is actually below your dignity to sin. Read Jesus' answer to Satan when He was tempted: "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Lk 4:4). I.e., 'Yes, I am the Son of God, and this is the very reason why I consider myself more worthy to do my Father's will than to simply satisfy my hunger.' (NB: He had been fasting for 40 days - so He was hungry!) You have to realize that God does not look at you as a wretched sinful rebel any more, since Jesus died for you; and it is this realization that will enable you to live up to your dignity by choosing not to sin. 'Rebirth' really means realizing Jesus WITHIN you, and allowing Him to work His will in your life. This will involve a lot of surrender in the beginning, it is like letting your Father take your dirty clothes and clothe you in white; for the Lord said: Isa 1:18: "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." This surrender is what Jesus meant when He said: Mt:16:24: "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." 'Deny yourself', that is, 'deny your right to yourself'. You are not your own any more: You are God's. You are 'His personal concern' (1Pet 5:7). Your pain is His pain, your joy is His joy; and vice versa, His pain should be your pain, and His joy your joy. 'Surrender' and 'deny' sound like awful words, but what we are talking about is the sweetest thing that can ever happen in your life. Simply deposit yourself in His hands, love Him, let Him do with you according to His will and watch the miracle happen. You are saved only if you are reborn: and if you are reborn to be His child, you will find it the most natural to keep those commandments. You will delight in His law (Ps 40:8: "I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."), you will be IN but not OF the world.. Not because you are able to do it yourself, but because God by His Grace has done it already for you! So give yourself to Jesus, without Him you can do nothing. Jn 15:5: "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Turning to the passage you are asking about in light of what I now told you, I believe it means that if you neglect the guidance of the Holy Spirit within you, by concentrating on satisfying your bodily desires (i.e. you are not reborn), you will not gain eternal life. If you, however, 'by the power of the Holy Spirit', 'put to death the deeds of the body', surrender yourself to God, (i.e. you are reborn), you will live. After you have read what Angel advised you to read, please turn to John 3:1-21, John 17 and Psalm 119... Another thing. Generally speaking, the best way to cope with Scripture problems is actually prayer. You'll find that God often reveals the meaning of certain passages right away; He loves you, and He promised: Ps 32:8: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." So He will sure do it. Ask, and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you... (Mt 7:7) Apart from the Bible, I do recommend a book for you: it is 'Birthright' by David C. Needham, Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon (1979). (ISBN: 0-930014-75-8). Try to get hold of it; it has helped me a lot in clearing up the true meaning of 'rebirth'. The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:24-26) Zsuzsi |
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23 | I Timothy 1:4 - what does it mean? | 1 Tim 1:5 | Zsuzsi | 121534 | ||
Hmmm... Timothy was the delegate who administered Paul's teaching to the community (in Ephesus); he was to be regarded as an 'extension' of the apostle himself. The early, fast-growing and very new Christian communities were rather disorganized, and through his epistles, Paul wanted to 'sort them out': he tried to clarify doctrines, eliminate false teachings, encourage Christian love and give guidelines for Christian lifestyle. In 1Timothy 1:3-7 Paul warned the community against false teachings and 'meaningless talks'. These are teachings which do not come from God: they are based on myths or genealogies and therefore even end in contradictions. Paul confirms that "faith and a good consience" (1:5,19) will lead people towards the goal, which is teaching in, by and with God's love (1:5). He says to Timothy: "...remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines" 1Tim 1:3 If Christians disobey this only commandment of love, they 'shipwreck' the faith (i.e. believe and teach false doctrines; Paul calls this blasphemy). In 1Tim 1:20 Paul names two Christians, Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom he 'handed over to Satan' so that they may learn not to blashpheme. (Being 'handed over to Satan' means being exposed to him without God's protection; this is equivalent to the removal of consolation and/or support coming from God. See also 1Cor 5:5.) The two people he referred to were probably just two examples of disloyalty to the Gospel. In the fast-growing Christian community there were many problems of this kind. Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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24 | Zsuzsi, which Scripture don't YOU keep? | 1 Tim 2:12 | Zsuzsi | 123608 | ||
Hi Searcher, Thanks for your reply. No, I didn't say we get to choose what to keep and what not to keep. I only suggested that we keep all of them according to the intentions of God and the writers of the passages, by looking at the biblical and social setting for the actual passage - rather than taking them out of biblical context and so enforcing them in today's social setting. But maybe I am really mistaken... Please read my reply to Angel. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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25 | Ordaining Others... | 2 Tim 2:15 | Zsuzsi | 121477 | ||
Dear Ourfathersheart, Why are you questioning what God has already decided? Jn 20:21: Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. If they are called, they are called and nobody is able to pluck them out of the Father's hand. (Jn 10:28-29) You do have the authority which God has given to you, to pray for them and bless them; as Christians we are to represent Jesus on earth: preach as He preached, send as He sent, teach as He taught... What we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Mt 18:18) But you have no earthly authority to give them a 'legal degree': for that, they will need to attend some sort of education, a Bible school, university or seminary. I think it would be a good idea to send them to learn... They would grow in faith and wisdom, and at the same time they would get the qualifications they need for efficient service. But you can be convinced that they are already ordained by God. Hope this helps. God bless you, Zsuzsi |
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