Results 21 - 40 of 64
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Results from: Notes Author: Inquisitor Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | Why the children? | Num 33:55 | Inquisitor | 224844 | ||
Dear Beja, It's difficult to respond to so many questions in one post but I'll try. ALTHOUGH I notice you didn't respond to the scriptures in my previous post as I did to your's. Quoted from Beja... Q1.So you agree that our basic nature is to rebel? That means the problem is not at the level of our actions, but of our very nature or disposition which then leads to our actions. Children have this flaw as much as any man does. As the father of a 3 year old I can assure you of that. As a father and grandfather, I can agree that our kids can be a major pain when they don't get their way. But don't you see, they don't see anything wrong with that screaming, hollering and misbehaving. All they know they're not getting what they consider they gotta have. But later on, maybe as soon 10, 11 or 12 years of age, they begin to put two and two together and see the difference between right and wrong. So this growing and learning is a process through which all of us mankind go, in our maturing. Q2. I deny that adam and eve had this same flaw. I could not tell from your post if you agree with that point. However, if that also is granted then what shall we say? Every one with us are born with the natural inclination to sin and rebel, and that we inherit from Adam. God doesn't create ANYTHING with a sinful or evil nature in it. Don't you see that in the Creation account of Genesis? EVERYTHING Created by God "was good" and He was satisfied with His Creation including His newly created Adam and Eve. BUT they grew in knowledge and learned about the attractiveness of sin and disobeyed God. That's where we ALL go wrong. We ALL violate our conscience. We all look at the options/choices in our lives and weigh the advantages of making the good vs bad decisions. Good decisions almost always include a sacrifice of some kind and thus one child chooses NOT to share his cookie or his toys with his sibling. And on it goes in spite of the teaching and spanking from the parents. The child learns to conceal his decisions and the consequences thereof. Don't you see, the initial birth of a child from God (just like His Creation in the Beginning) is perfectly innocent from all sin. That child has no consciousness about right from wrong; how could anyone argue against this? Q3.And when did Adam obtain this flaw? When he first chose to sin. How can we but say that each and every one of us are cursed with this rebelious and sinful nature as a result of Adam's sin? I tried to explain this above but one has to see that this spirit of rebiliousness varies from one person to another. We all have different parents and different environments from which we learn right and wrong. BUT we can also learn to be clever and get away with our rebellious life for a little while. But sooner or later, either mankind or God will catch up with that person and he will "reap what he sows," either in this life or the one hereafter. Q4.So the end result is that even a newborn infant, because of the sin of Adam is a little sin factory. By nature even that infant is deep down inclined to sin. NO, NO, NO...that's what I've been saying. The child is innocent but he learns to be sinful and rebellious against the good things in life and later on against God's Good Will. Q5.They don't have to wait and make a choice to have that inclination. And is that inclination itself not sinful? Our very disposition is sinful, not merely our actions. This inclination as you're referring to above is true but it doesn't manifest itself in a child with actual intent until his early teens or maybe 11 or 12. He doesn't actually start scheming and hatching "evil" plans to get his way until this stage of his life. This is what I'm trying to get across to you. How can you possibly look into the face of a sweet, innocent two month old baby and call that sweet child evil, down deep inside? God forbid. Please tell me you don't really believe this way. Azure, do you have anything to say about this? Do you have some way of reconciling the conflicting verses I've provided in my previous post? I'm anxiously awaiting such responses from both of you, Beja and Azure. I do hope you and all who are reading might respond with their thoughts. Please do. God bless all of you, Inquisitor |
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22 | Why the children? | Num 33:55 | Inquisitor | 224878 | ||
Beja, Searcher, Tim, Doc, Ariel and Azure: I knew this was going to be a very, VERY controversial subject. I agree, there are some very difficult scriptures from God's Word leading one to conclude certain things about this idea/concept of "Original Sin" from Adam and its inheritance to all men. But don't you see just as I tried to explain in my previous post, 224842 to Beja, there are just as many scriptures in support of this other concept, "Innocence of Children" before God. In addition, there are many, many christians who believe just as I do on this matter. Are we to conclude that God is a God of contradiction and confusion. "No and may it never be." We just don't have a clear interpretation of the whole. When I look at a child and think about this problem logically, I must spend much time in prayer asking for God's help to understand this conundrum. I must agree that we'll probably never agree and thus I'll probably never persuade any of you but I must state the Truth as I understand It and as I've been taught by some great Bible students, just as you all have stated. As far as I'm concerned, I'm ready and willing to close this very difficult thread of discussion but I'm still praying God's richest blessings on you all. Inquisitor |
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23 | Why the children? | Num 33:55 | Inquisitor | 224880 | ||
Quoted from BradK, Therefore, logically, there cannot be "Innocence of Children" and Original Sin! Where are the supposed many sciptures that support this concept! To what scriptures do you refer? They were cited in 224842. I'd be interested in how you reconcile these verses with the ones about "Original Sin." But I really don't want to debate the issue but I will be watching resulting posts. I sincerely appreciate your interest in this discussion. God bless, Inquisitor |
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24 | Why the children? | Num 33:55 | Inquisitor | 224890 | ||
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25 | Why the children? | Num 33:55 | Inquisitor | 224891 | ||
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26 | Lying justified? | Josh 2:5 | Inquisitor | 225022 | ||
Quoted for reference: James 2:25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? This passage in my mind makes it fairly clear that God blesses Rahab and her actions. So how do we reconcile this lying business with God's directives NOT to lie. I'm thinking of another verse that seems applicable. Acts 4:18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Yes, indeed God expects us to live up to high standards which includes being truthful BUT when it involves dealing with evil men who have no intention of following God's Way, then we must choose. Who to follow? God or some person(s) who is bent on disobeying God. Rahab made the right choice and saved her life and her family. AND as has been mentioned, she even became a part of the lineage of Christ. What an honor! So we must conclude that when we're faced with such a contest like so many of God's heros in His Word, then we must do what God says through His designated representatives. That's why we have rebels throughout our world history like George Washington and Patrick Henry who were willing to give all they had and their very lives to a certain goal. Am I saying these men are going to be saved by God and are going to Heaven? No I'm afraid I don't have that information but I'm proud our forefathers were willing to pay such costs as did our hero Rahab. All over the world, we have those rebels who are defying their country's laws and directives because it's pretty clear they go against God's basic laws and their conscience. So they choose to obey their conscience and hopefully the same God we're serving. I hope this clarifys the issue a little more. God bless, Inquisitor |
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27 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224571 | ||
This passage has been studied previously on the Forum but I didn't see one particular point of which I thought when I read this chapter. It struck me right away. I will say you're very close. I hope to get some other responses and then will discuss this, my point with all of you. Appreciate your post. God bless you, Inquisitor |
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28 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224584 | ||
I'm looking for a great message of warning to all of God's people for all time. Think long term and tell me what you come up with. Anyone else? God bless, Inquisitor |
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29 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224678 | ||
Searcher, I'm not certain as to how I could improve on the clarity of my post but I'll try. Quoted from my original: What can we learn from this very unusual story from God? What would you say is the most important point for us to apply to our lives? Quoted from my last post: God's MUST always outrank anyone else when it comes to a contrast between two or more different sets of words. We must never let ourselves be swayed by the smooth and swave words of an experienced orator. We see more warnings in 2 Tim 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. We're all on this Forum studying God's Word and bringing to the Forum the fruit of that study. Of course this involves Prov 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 18 Whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit; So he who waits on his master will be honored. 19 As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man. Sooner or later, each of us reveals our deepest and inner most thoughts on God's Word. Sure we all have our strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully, we're obeying God's commands and trying to maximize those strengths and minimize those weaknesses. Did you have some specific point you're were trying to say in response to my post? In a further attempt to answer your question, I can only encourage you to re-read my whole post again. Do you not agree that we must be on our guard when we see and hear words from our fellow man? Our God is looking for us to give His Word the respect He's due and study everything we encounter in the "religious world." We already know through Paul's prophecy that there will be many, many false teachers from his time to our present and on through the very last day. And the biggest difficulty (in my humble opinion) is the fact they have deceived themselves so effectively that they sound powerful and persuasive. Thus we who are sharpening each other must preach against these false views and concepts. I hope this helps. God bless you, Inquisitor |
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30 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224696 | ||
If I gave that kind of impression, it's a great big mistake on my part. We CANNOT, we MUST NOT come up with imagination on the guidance as God gave in the NT. NO, NO, NO. Instead we must follow His Sacred Patterns such as the Day of Worship on Sunday, the first day of the week. Also we must imitate and follow the examples of the simple style of the elements of worship. I agree with you entirely. I meant for this discussion to be centered on the fact that we must inspect each other as you have done with me and make certain our words compliment with God's Word. This man of God in 1 Kings 13 (second in sequence) misrepresented God to the other man of God (first one) and he paid for it with his life. So we must see ourselves as vessels (messagers if you will) through which God's Light shines with His Words of salvation and His Son's body, the church. The imagination as mentioned in my post was merely an attempt to help visualize the confrontation between Paul and Peter. Again I agree with you, we MUST NEVER allow this kind of imagination to add to or take away from God's Word. And I would be the last person in the world to designate me as a teacher on this Forum. I hope this clarifies my position on this matter and God bless. Inquisitor |
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31 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224699 | ||
Luke 24:1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” 8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Acts 20:7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. 1 Cor 16: 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. Now we can easily see why the first day of the week is so important to the first century christians as the Lord rose on that day just as He predicted in accordance with the OT prophecies. Then we see fulfillment of that guidance in the NT with obvious emphasis on the first day of the week in stark contrast to the Sabbath. On the subject of Patterns from our Lord: Phil 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. 1 Tim 1:16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. 2 Tim 1:13 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Tit 2:6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Heb 8:5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. One of the main themes we can see throughout both the OT and the NT is the fact that God has ALWAYS given mankind and His children guidance of one kind or another. For the ark, He gave Noah tremendous detail as He did for the Temple to David and Solomon. We all know about the tedious details (over 600 rules and regulations) God gave with the Law of Moses. BUT in stark contrast with the OT, the NT has minimal details, specific instructions and most of those from the Apostles who were commissioned to represent Christ in the first century, see below*. The decisions they made, i.e. Acts 15 with the blessing of the HS is most powerful. They issued a letter with only 4 restrictions, minimal details in contrast to the OT but of course they MUST be followed. *The Great Commission Matt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Yes the title of this paragraph, "The Great Commission" is not part of the actual Biblical text but the message is clear. The Lord commissioned these men to represent Him to the world. Check the vast majority of commentaries and you'll see agreement on this concept. The bottom line is that Yes indeed there are Patterns in the NT to guide the Lord's church in this dispensation, the Christian age. I hope this helps in clarifying and God bless, Inquisitor |
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32 | Man of God | 1 Kin 13:1 | Inquisitor | 224723 | ||
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33 | acts of loving kindness | Proverbs | Inquisitor | 224936 | ||
In my mind the best answer comes from the Lord Himself with His Parable on the Good Samaritan. It's instructive to read the background or what motivated Him to expound with the Parable. Lk 10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” Whenever and wherever we see our fellow man in need, we should feel motivated to share with him whatever we have. Otherwise how could we obey and fulfill these two Commands above from our Lord. Clearly the priest and the Levite didn't have love in their hearts and chose to disobey God's Commands. Tell me what you think? And God bless, Inquisitor |
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34 | acts of loving kindness | Proverbs | Inquisitor | 224941 | ||
I can't think of a thing to say; it seems your post says it all. God bless, Inquisitor |
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35 | please explain proverbs 31:26 | Prov 31:26 | Inquisitor | 224943 | ||
It seems obvious that I was trying to get the questioner to give us his thoughts. It also seems obvious this question could have been someone's assignment or classwork. God bless, Inquisitor |
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36 | A little research | Is 44:28 | Inquisitor | 223477 | ||
From 2 Chron 36:22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up! Interesting... God bless all of you -- Inquisitor |
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37 | Who to follow? Jesus or Moses | Matt 5:17 | Inquisitor | 223318 | ||
Quoted from Lionheart, Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. I'm thinking that's an excellent supplement to Gal 3:24 with specific reference to the "Schoolmaster." |
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38 | believeth and is baptized | Mark 16:16 | Inquisitor | 222914 | ||
It would seem that Matt 28:19 gives this matter quite a bit of power and authority, don't you think? There's over 80 verses in the Bible that refer to this subject. I agree some of them are a little vague but most are pretty clear. | ||||||
39 | Why do i need to love god? | John 3:16 | Inquisitor | 223424 | ||
Dear Beja and BradK, I agree with your responses. Yes of course, we're saved by Grace through Jesus Christ but from where do you think our motivations originate? What does a child do when his/her parents loves that child enough to care for the child and put clothes on his back and all the many other things a parent does? The obvious answer: that child returns the love and most children obey the parents because they want that love to keep on coming. Yes of course, as the child grows he/she learns about the difference of right and wrong and the consequences that flow from each choice. But in its simpliest form, love is the best motivation. When a grown man first hears about God and all the things He has done for mankind, our usual first response is "Why?" Then usually the person finds out about the consequences of NOT obeying God which generates fear of the fires of Hell. Sure I'll agree, a lot of people (maybe even most) might start out obeying God out of fear but then they see others who have matured in the Lord and the joy in their lives. The new christian starts experiencing some of this same joy and learns that loving God is much better than fearing Him. And that's exactly what God wants. Like I mentioned Loving God in the ultimate way like Jesus asked Peter in John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. and John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments." Beja and BradK, Does the Lord have to ask you a thrid time to love Him? |
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40 | Why do i need to love god? | John 3:16 | Inquisitor | 223427 | ||
BradK, Your Quote: Thanks for the reply. I would make the distinction (and emphasize) that love is not the motivation or cause (on our part) that brings us to Christ! 1 John 4:10 says, "...not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (NASB) Once we have beleived on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are motivated by His grace- Titus 2:11 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men," Titus 2:12 "instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age," It seems to me in my mind, I addressed this subject, at least briefly. Remember I agreed with you. Yes, some of us might be motivated by Grace but it's SO much better to be motivated by Love as implied by Jesus in the verses from my post, repeated below. John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. and John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments." A person could say BradK is making "his distinction and emphasizing" on Grace and I'm making mine on Love. Yes, apparently part of God's Love as mentioned in John 3:16 includes the Magnificent and Wonderful Grace as you have stated AND yes, as I mentioned a lot of people are NOT properly motivated to respond to God's Love. Fear is one motivation, probably the most frequent but I still like to think Love is by far a much better motivation. I noticed you didn't reply directly to my quotes from Jesus above. Please tell me what would be your reply to Jesus' Words. God bless you all -- Inquisitor |
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