Results 21 - 38 of 38
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Results from: Notes Author: ChristLifer2001 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46267 | ||
So what is the purpose of the Law? To show sin exceedingly sinful so that manking would turn to Christ. Paul says that the Law is indeed holy, righteous, and good. Why? Because it reflects God's morality. James says that it is a mirror that reflects just how sinful mankind really is. But man, full of do-it-yourself religion and performance-based acceptance, grabbed the Law and said, "I can do THAT! I'll clean myself with it." When you look in a mirror and see yourself with all your imperfections, do you grab the mirror off the wall to clean yourself? Of course not, the mirror can do nothing to clean you up, it just shows you reality. The Law is the same. Paul says that it was a schoolmaster (a discplinarian) to lead us to Christ so that we would be made right, not by keeping the Law, but by faith in Jesus alone. So the Law was given to drive man back to God as his source for righteousness, holiness, sanctification, love, etc. When we acknowledge that all these things are found in Christ and receive them in receiving Christ, we call it "grace." It is a gift. The confusion arises when Christians would claim that Christ is indeed our righteousness, our life, our holiness, our sanctification, then return to the Law as our standard. Christ is our standard and He fulfills it in and through us. The just (righteous) shall live (walk, perform) by faith, not the Law. In Christ, we can once again look to God alone as our source for everything we need for life and godliness - 2 Pet 1:3. The problem with much of modern Christianity is that we think that grace is an EVENT, not a life-style. We think we received grace at salvation and not WE maintain our righteous standing before God. But grace is just as much a process as an event. That is why Paul urges us to grow in grace (never Law) and "as you have received the Lord - by faith through grace - so walk in Him. This is why Paul as the Galatians, "You foolish people! You were justified and born again by faith in Christ! Are you trying to be sanctified by the flesh (trying to keep the Law)?" They were being told by the Judaizers that salvation by grace through faith in Christ was fine, but that now they needed to go back to the Law to find out how to live, how to be "sanctified." God has a better way, walking by faith in Christ fully expecting Him to live out God's righteous requirements in us each day: Romans 8: 3- "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh (self-performance), God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh (self-performance) but according to the Spirit." Hope this helps, brother. You may not agree with me. That's okay. But I hope you understand my viewpoint better. ChristLifer2001 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on (6) the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, (7) the things of the Spirit. |
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22 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46265 | ||
Joe, You wrote: "The best way to look at it is that the moral law of God, his righteous demands of His creation, precede and transcend the Mosaic Covenant." This is exactly right, my friend. So even if someone could PERFECTLY keep the Mosaic Law, they would not accurately reflect EVERYTHING in God's character. But Who does? Who is our faith in? When Adam was created, he was created to look to God alone as his source for life and everything he needed. He was in an intimate relationship with His creator and, I don't believe, ever once looked at himself or his performance until the fall. Upon eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, his eyes we opened and he forfeited relationship in favor of performance. Suddenly, from his perspective, a relationship with God was no longer based upon faith and love - it was based upon performance - what he did and did not do. His focus shifted from his Creator to meet all his needs to relying upon himself to meet all his needs - love, acceptance, peace, joy, etc. His relationship became performance-based instead of faith based. Without God as his resource, man strove to re-establish the relationship with God through achievement. He was so convinced that he could do this if he just tried hard enough that God gave the Law (Mosaic) to show man the kind of perfection that was required in order to be acceptable by God. But, instead of being honest and admitting that they couldn't do it, the Jews exclaimed, "Oh, yeah, everything that the Lord has commanded, WE WILL DO!" How long did that last? The Pharisees thought that life was found in the Law. Jesus said that they searched the scriptures thinking that the Law would give them life but they wouldn't come to Him for it. They thought that they could be saved and sanctified by keeping the Law. There were so angry at being told that man could never attain God's standard in himself, that they ended up crucifying our Lord. They thought that because they kept the "externals" they were as righteous as God. This is why James says that if you believe that you can be made righteous by the Law, you have to keep ALL the Law - 99.44 percent just won't do. See part 2, please. ChristLifer2001 |
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23 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46249 | ||
Joe, Actually, in the law of Christ, you're performance will surpass the moral code of the Mosaic Law and the 10 commandments, brother. Yes, love does fulfill the Law, but it also goes beyond it to exhibiting God's character. The Law says don't kill. The law of Christ leads you to love others unconditionally. The Law says don't commit adultery. The law of Christ says to love your wife as Christ does the church. The Law says not to steal. The law of Christ says to go to work with your hands so that you may give to those in need. So the love of Christ in us not only fulfills, but surpasses the moral code of the Law. The confusion lies in that people will look at the law of love being fulfilled in the believer and mistake it for the Law. From an external viewpoint, the performance looks much the same. But there is a fundamental difference. Under the Law System, man is always performing to achieve God's standard. Under the law of Christ, man has, in Christ, already achieved and therefore is free to perform. God has declared me to be holy, righteous, and blameless in His sight. By walking in the Spirit, I get to experience in the here and now what I have been declared. The commands of the Old Testament are a reflection of God's morality. But instead of looking at those demands as the things that stirs up sin in us, the Jews took them as rules to achieve. And they never could. The commands of the New Testament are reflection of what it looks like to live under the law of love, not goals to achieve. Will it look like we are under Law when we abide in Christ and walk in the Spirit? Yes, it will. But the motivation is now internal instead of external. Christ is us will still fulfill the royal law of love today as we abide in Him. God is pleased by faith in walking, not in the flesh(performance), but in walking in the Spirit and love. ChristLifer2001 |
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24 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46231 | ||
Tim is correct. The Holy Spirit dwells within our newly created human spirit - 1 Cor 6:17. He is still distinct from our human spirit but there is a union there, similar to marriage. Our new human spirit has been created in righteousness and holiness - Eph 4:24 - so the "Holy" Spirit has no problem at all dwelling there. We are born of the Spirit of God. Spirit gives birth to spirit. So radical is this change that Paul calls us a "new creation" - 2 Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15. Now, granted, our spirits and our souls still reside in earth-suits which have the power of indwelling sin in them. But this is not incompatible with the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit anymore than, while God now dwells in human "temples", He is also omni-present. Scripture makes it clear that we are now His temple - He dwells IN us. To refute that fact has no scriptural support according to the New Testament. In the OT, with few exceptions, God dwelt AMOUNGST. In the NT, God dwells IN. Praise Him forever! ChristLifer2001 |
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25 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 46225 | ||
Joe, My short answer is that there is law for Christians - the law of love found in Christ. Christ is God and therefore He is the purest reflection of God's moral character. If He is in us, yes, He will reflect God's character - it would be impossible for Him to do otherwise. Love fulfills all the law. My point is that the believer is no longer under any of the Mosaic Law. I believe you agree with that. As new creations in Christ, we should reflect His moral perfection. But it is a result of who we are in Him, not a striving to obtain something to make us acceptable. Therefore, when a Christian sins, he is going against the Spirit of Christ in him and against the new creation he is in Christ. But the Mosaic Law is not the answer. The Law was never given to make men perfect, it was given to show that God alone is perfect and, if we are going to be, we must be united with Him. The Mosaic Law is a negatively-based explanation of the royal, the perfect law of love. If I loved perfectly (as God does), I will worship God alone. If I love perfectly, I will not commit adultery. If I love perfectly, I will not lie. If I love perfectly, I will not steal from others, etc. But because we are not born with this capability to love, God had to state His character as a negative reflection of who His is. That Law, which Paul calls the ministry of death and condemnation, was given to show man his spiritual deadness (separation from the life and love of God) and his inability to be like God. This should force him to come to Christ so that Christ, through the law of love written on our new hearts, can manifest the character of God in us. So the Christian is under law - the law of love. But it is not the Law of Moses. Hope this helps, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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26 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45686 | ||
Joe, Actually, I did partially answer your question. The Law is made for the unrighteous not the righteous. It still has a purpose and a function. But believers are no longer under it as a moral constraint or under it's punishment for failure to obey it. Children need to be taught the Law so that they will see that they are indeed sinners and turn to Christ. This is the Law's purpose. The law that James refers to is not the Mosaic Law (the 10 commandments), it is the law of Christ - love. James calls it the perfect law - the law of liberty. Hebrews 8:7 makes it clear that the Mosaic covenant was not perfect - it was "faulted." Why? Was there something wrong with the Law? No, of course not. There was something wrong with the ones who were supposed to keep it. So God has made a New Covenant and fulfills His righteous requirements in us through the Spirit instead of through external commandments. Galatians further does not call the Law "the law of liberty". To the contrary, Paul calls it a "yoke of slavery" - Gal 5:1. Paul even calls the Mosaic covenant the "ministry of death" in 2 Cor 3:7. Galatians demonstrates that we are no longer under the Mosaic covenant or the Mosaic Law. All the verses I listed from Galatians are quite clear with little room for "interpretation error." Now, does the Law reflection the moral character of God. Certainly. It thereby reflects the sinner's fallen nature also. But the Jews could never keep the Law, could they? Neither can we. In fact, apart from Christ Himself, we cannot measure up to God's actual moral character as reflected in the sermon on the mount and 1 Cor 13. But under the New Covenant, God has put His Spirit in us and we walk by faith in Him, trusting Him to lead and guide us as Christ lives through us. This will cause us to fulfill the law of Christ - loving God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. This is something that the OT Jew could never do because their hearts were not changed. So though we are no longer under the Mosaic Law for guidance or punishment, we have Christ's law fulfilled in us. As He does this, it will certainly look like the OT Law is being fulfilled, but it is from an internal motivation, Christ's love in our hearts - Rom 13:8; Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14. The Law could never cause the Jews to reflect God's moral character - they couldn't keep it. The Spirit of Christ in the believer does fulfill God's character and requirements - Rom 8:4. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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27 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45676 | ||
Raven, You write that the commandments of the Old Testament still hold true in the New Testament. I strongly disagree, but you obviously desire to cling to your convictions instead of the verses that I shared with you. Don't forget to take your animal sacrifice to the temple this Sabbath (this is commanded in the Old Testament) and to check for circumcisions at the door (another Old Testament commandment). I will move on. But, before I go, let me share these scriptures one more time: For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 Under grace, ChristLifer2001 |
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28 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45620 | ||
Joe, If you will regress just a couple of posts in this chain, you'll see that I have listed plenty of scriptures that say that the believer is no longer under the Law. Paul makes it clear that the Law was made for the unrighteous (sinners) and not the righteous (justified). Sinners still need the Law to reveal to them that they are indeed sinners. That is why we must use it in the training of our children. Until they see their need for a Savior, they will not come to Him. Yes, the Law still has use, but it must be used properly - and that is to show sinners their need for Christ and the cross. But once that has happened, we are no longer under that tutor. It has served it's purpose. We now walk by faith in the Spirit, not in the Law. Of course the Holy Spirit in us will never prompt us to break God's morality. But even if we do, we are still not put back under the Law - we are still under grace. If we, as believers in Christ, are going to try to live under the Law, then Paul says in Galatians 5:3: And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. With the Law, it is all or nothing. You are either under ALL of it - moral, ceremonial, cultural - or you are under NONE of it. Paul urges tells us we are no longer under it. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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29 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45593 | ||
Raven, Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? - Gal 4:21 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. - Gal 2:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:4 May you turn to faith in Christ alone. ChristLifer2001 |
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30 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45519 | ||
Raven, I wish you would read all of my note before posting a reply to me. It would be only fair to hear me out, don't you think? I believe Eph 5:25-29 with all my heart. I endeavor to do that. But how many of us do it PERFECTLY as Christians? How many of non-believers do this? What should a Christian woman do who, instead of having her husband love her as Christ does, he pummels her in a drunken stupor almost every Friday night? Is that God's will, brother? Would you tell this saint to just stay and endure it? You wrote: "And if people would truley pattern their lives after the bible you would not have all these disfunctional marraiges." I agree with you 100 percent, Raven. If we only could. But the reality is that we don't. And it truly does take two. What if one of the marriage partners is unwilling? You wrote: "If two people who are Christians get married and each of them love God more than each other then there will nothing but joy and love in their relationship and a lifetime together to worship God." I agree. But this does not come naturally. This requires the hardest thing that we can do as humans - self-sacrifice. And I've found that it rarely occurs. Apart from Christ in us, we cannot do this. And, as I've said, it takes two. Please read the rest of my notes to Dimples. Look at the scriptures I've cited and ask if they are true. I usually don't just publish what I think without some scriptural support, especially on such a "hot" topic where emotions can flare. I was divorced from my first wife in 1985. She committed adultery. I had "biblical grounds" but I loved her and did not want the divorce. But she did not want to reconcile, she wanted the other guy. I sought the counsel of a pastor friend of mine who insisted that if I let her divorce me, I would never again be in God's will. So not only did I have no control over my first wife (despite my prayers), according to his "biblical counsel", I would never again be in God's will because it was God's will for us to stay together. That time was like hell on earth for me. Yet, Christ never left me, never forsook me and has given me another beautiful Christian lady and we have 2 wonderful children. Was it God's will for me to stay married to my first wife? Yes, I believe it was. But is He a forgiving God? Is He a God who can replace what "the locusts have destroyed?" Yes, He is. He is a God of grace. I agree with the standard, brother. What I disagree with is the bondage and condemnation that we, as Christians, are so quick to mete out when, for reasonable, sound reasons that standard can't or won't be met. Blessings to you, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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31 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45497 | ||
Part 2 - So, what is God's will for marriage under grace - the New Covenant? Paul gives clear instructions in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16: 10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband **This is the ideal, two people remain together for life.** 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. **If one spouse leaves the other (separates), but they are still married, then don't seek marriage with anyone else. Why? They are still married to each other and, by God's grace, they can still reconcile.*** 12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord (Paul's opinion here), that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. ***Pretty self-explanatory, believer don't divorce your unbelieving spouse if they are willing to live with you.*** 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. ***Who better to witness about Christ to the unbelieving spouse than the believing one?*** 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ***The believer "sanctifies" - sets apart - they family so that God may work through those relationships to bring all into salvation.*** 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. ***Here is the crux of the matter, if the unbeliever goes, let him (or her) go. Why? Because God has called us to PEACE not BONDAGE. There is no way to stay in an abusive relationship and have PEACE. It is BONDAGE and should not be the life-style of the new creation in Christ.*** 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? ***Pretty self-explanatory.*** Dimples, the bottom line is that as long as you are married, you are husband and wife - under modern law and under God's ideal. But if you are divorced, you are no longer husband and wife - period, in the eyes of the law and the eyes of God. Therefore, if you are divorced, by definition, you are no longer married and are free to remarry. Romans 7 validates this, not contradicts it. I truly hope this helps. I don't know what your circumstances are, but the bottom line is that we should live in PEACE, not BONDAGE. As in all things, follow the Lord's leading. ChristLifer2001 |
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32 | What is God's covenant with believers | Hebrews | ChristLifer2001 | 45409 | ||
John, Thanks for your kind words. I must tell you right up front that I am ignorant of what both Reformed or New Covenant Theology are. This doesn't mean that I may not hold to some of the beliefs found in these views but I have not studied either one of these "theologies" per se. Therefore my understanding of the New Covenant is based mainly upon self-study and letting the scriptures interpret scripture. Therefore, John, it is VERY important that you look at the following verses. (I could be lying to you, check me against the scripture, okay?) I do not believe that the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are the same. The book of Hebrews draws many distinctions between them, it is a book of contrasting the covenants. They went into effect at different times, they have different mediators, different priesthoods, different high priests, different sacrifices, different ministries, and different benefits to those under the respective covenants. An indepth analysis would be better served by private email but I will share with you, in brief, why I don't think that they are the same. Different time periods - the Old Covenant went into effect when Moses spoke the commandments to the Israelites and shed blood - Heb 9:18-21. The New Covenant went into effect as Christ's death (His shedding of blood) - Heb 9:16,17. Different mediators - Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant - Heb 9:19. Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant - Heb 9:15; Heb 8:6. Different Priesthoods - The priesthood actually changed, therefore the law changed too - Heb 7:11,12. Different High Priest - The Old Covenant had priest who were sinners, they had to offer up sacrifices first for themselves, then for the people. They were weak - Heb 7:27,28. But the High Priest under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted, made perfect forever - Heb 7:26-28. Notice that Christ's appointment as High Priest came AFTER the Law - verse 28. Also, unlike the OC priests, He holds His priesthood appointment forever - Heb 7:23,24. Different sacrifices - The OC sacrifices could never take away sins, they could only atone (cover) them. They couldn't cleanse the conscience either - Heb 10:1-5. Christ's NC sacrifice, however, did take away sins and cleanse us. And unlike the OC sacrifices which were endless, his sacrifice is once-for-all. For all sins, for all men, for all time - Heb 9:23-28. Christ's sacrifice of Himself in final - Heb 10:11-14. And under the NC, there is no sacrifice for sins left to be done - Heb 10:17,18. Different benefits - The OC offered forgiveness but it did not permanently cleanse the worshippers. The NC does. The OC did not give the worshippers a new heart or new spirit, the NC does. The NC did not allow men to come into the Holy of Holies. Under the NC, we are the Holy of Holies. Under the OC, God dwelt among His people (the Jews). Under the NC, God dwells in His people. The OC was faulty, not because it was bad, but because the people couldn't keep it - Heb 8:7,8. The NC is unilateral and enacted on better promises - Heb 8:6. The OC could make no one perfect in God's sight. The NC does - Heb 7:19. Besides all these reasons, Heb 8:13 says that the NC makes the OC obsolete. Although the NC went into effect at Christ's death, the OC was still observed by Jews until Jerusalum was burned in AD 70. The NC effectively took away the OC (not modified or integrated it) - Heb 10:9; Heb 7:18,19; Heb 8:13. With all of these differences and contrast, I see no way on God's green earth that these covenants are the same, do you? For them to be the same covenant under different administrations hardly seems to fit the picture drawn for us by the writer of Hebrews, does it? That would be like saying that an Volkswagen Bettle and a Jaguar are the same car, they are just sold by different companies. What do you think? ChristLifer2001 |
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33 | Where does the Bible say all have heard? | John 14:6 | ChristLifer2001 | 44616 | ||
Brother Tim, Just an interesting side note: Rev 14:6 records that John saw an angel flying in the mid-heavens preaching an eternal gospel to all those who live on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tonge and people. It is interesting that I have heard most of my life that Christ cannot return until the gospel is preached to the whole earth. Of course Matthew 28 seems to give us this "great comission." But it also seems that God Himself completely fulfills this prophecy just before the six bowls of wrath are poured out and the subsequent battle of Armageddon when our Lord returns. Just a side note. Enjoy your blessings in Christ, ChristLifer2001 |
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34 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44564 | ||
Joe, thanks for the welcome! You wrote: I see by your posts that you believe in the finality of the cross and the reality of His resurrection. The fullness of God's grace! It's all Him and His work. Indeed I do, brother! It is Finished! Our sins are forgiven (all of them) and we now have new life in Jesus - Christ's very life in us! Our salvation is by grace through faith from first to last. I'm thankful for that because I don't always perform so well :). He gave His life for us, in order that He could give His life to us, so that He could live His life through us! Enjoy your blessings in Christ! ChristLifer2001 |
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35 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44503 | ||
New Creature, Okay, brother. Be blessed in Christ and may you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. ChristLifer2001 |
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36 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44494 | ||
New Creature, You've misunderstood what I was saying, my friend. Confession is an attitude that the Holy Spirit fosters in every believer. But confession is not asking for forgiveness. To confess means to "agree with". Even in our court systems, a criminal may confess to a crime and never seek forgiveness or have a contrite spirit about his actions. I was simply stating that it is not our confession of sin that avails us of forgiveness. It is solely in Christ's blood - Heb 9:22. While I respect Dr. Zodhiates work and have his commentaries myself along with the Greek-Hebrew study Bible, commentaries are exactly that - comments from men - and are not inspired the way the scriptures are. I do consult commentaries AFTER I have studied the scriptures, letting scripture interpret scripture, but they are not the standard of truth - God's Word is. Did you consider my questions to you? How many times can you be forgiven and cleansed of ALL sin. "All" in the Greek means "All" :). And, finally, of course OT saints continually asked for forgiveness of sins. The price had not yet been fully paid for our sins by our Savior at Calvary. The OT sacrificial system prevailed until Jerusalem was burned in AD 70. We are, in a sense, better than David and the other OT saints. Not because of anything in ourselves but because we enjoy total forgiveness. Remember how David begged the Lord not to take the Holy Spirit from him after he sinned with Bathsheba? He knew that was a distinct possibility. He knew that God's Spirit left Saul after Saul disobeyed the Lord. We, as NT believers, do not need to pray that prayer. I already cited why in my last post. One final question, New Creature: How many sins had you committed when Christ forgave them on the cross 2000 years ago? Be blessed and rest in the total forgiveness you have in Christ, brother. Please read Heb 10:17,18 when you have time. There is no more sacrifice (shedding of blood) to provide more forgiveness that what Christ's has done. It is truly finished - paid in full! ChristLifer2001 |
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37 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44401 | ||
New Creature, Your sins cannot separate you from God. Because He has forgiven them according to His blood shed under the New Covenant, as a barrier between you and God, He remembers them no more - Heb 10:17,18. While Isaiah 59:2 was true under the Old Covenant (that is why the sacrifices had to be made continually), it is not true under the New Covenant where God says He will never leave us nor forsake us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? The Holy Spirit indwells believers forever (even when they sin). This is because of the forgiveness which Christ's precious blood secured on our behalf. The same apostle who wrote 1 John 1:9 also wrote a few verses later in 1 John 2:12, "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven (past tense - not get forgiven) you for His name's sake." Col 2:13 - "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us ALL our transgressions." May I ask, how many times can you be forgiven ALL your transgressions? If you keep going back for more forgiveness, then you have only been forgiven SOME of your transgressions, not ALL. Consider again 1 John 1:7, "...and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from ALL sin." May I ask, how many times can you be cleansed of ALL sin? If you go back for more cleansing, then you have only been cleansed of SOME of you sin, not ALL. Heb 9:22 makes it clear that if you require more forgiveness than what Christ provided 2000 years ago at Calvary, He would have to come and shed more blood. He is not going to do that. He did it once and it was sufficient to take away the sins of the world. Also please consider in 1 John 1:3 that John states that "indeed (surely, without a doubt ) our fellowship IS with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. John was not sinless and this point and if he truly held to the "bouncing" fellowship view, he would have said, "Sometimes I'm in fellowship with God, and sometimes I'm not - it depends on if I have unconfessed sin or not. To the contrary, John makes it clear that the condition for fellowship is accepting the gospel that he was proclaiming - 1 John 1:1-3. Praying that you will rest in the finished work of our Lord. ChristLifer2001 |
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38 | holy ghost | 2 Tim 1:14 | ChristLifer2001 | 44339 | ||
Elder, Searcher has given a couple of good references. Here are a couple more: 1 Cor 3:16 - Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 6:19 - Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Technically, He dwells in the spirit part of you which has been created in righteousness and holiness at your new birth. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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