Results 21 - 40 of 1444
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: JCrichton Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
21 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152315 | ||
Hi, Doc! Again, you miss the point completely! If you follow Scripture in such a fanatic way that you only see what you prefer to see... how can you see what God wants you to see? I said that God can exist (perform, do, say, exalt, castigate, exonerate...) beyond what has been revealed in the Holy Scripture! I stated that God can and does function according to His Will which is not fully revealed in the Holy Scripture! A simple example: Everyone is awaiting Salvation in its fullest when we (those who believe and are found ready--just ask Jesus don't ask me how He knows) will meet Jesus and we will come to know God as He is... there's amply Biblical writing on the when and how... yet, God chose to take Enoch to Himself (not the prescribed format), and Elijah, and Moses... each of these servants of God had a different manner applied to them as they were taken up to God... and guess what... they all pre-dated Christ's resurrection! Does that mean that all people of all times will go through individual resurrections that will be custom made? No! It just means that God operates beyond boundaries... it means that there's no limit to His Authority and Power! God Bless! Angel |
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22 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152314 | ||
Hi, lb! The hypothesis was can man be saved by God outside of the knowledge of Christ (someone preaching; receiving a Bible and studying the Bible; television and radio evangelism...); my reply was that God can save even the most unfortunate individual who has never been exposed to any missionary functions... It is the Holy Spirit who scrutinizes our being not a priest/pastor/preacher... it is God Himself that searches us; the Bible as well as the ministers are aides to God not limitations to His Power and Authority... My personal belief is that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life; that He is the only Way to the Father; that outside of Jesus there's no Salvation! "So you're saying that there's a number of people who God has predestined to be Saved by Christ and then there's a number that, even if they were born of believers, would perish no matter what they did? And if this is your theology, do you then cast off the Old Testament with all of God's revelations?" When we read the Holy Scripture and we formulate a theology, we cannot remove a portion of Scripture because it is old or antiquated or deemed not applicable... God is God: He is Eternal: in Him there's no change! So when God speaks through His prophets and He states that He does not want anyone to die (the second death: spiritual death: eternal damnation...) He means it! He is not going to set up a system where arbitrarily some will be saved and others discarded (Ezekiel 18--read the whole chapter, but pay close attention to the very last three, 18:30-31). It is not God's desire that any shall perish! It is man's choice not to accept Salvation (John 1:1-14; 3:14-21) If we say that God chooses those who are to be saved and those who are to be damned, we are making ourselves judges over the Word and we are setting an expiration time on God's Word! Today as then God cares not for our damnation but for our Salvation! The choice, as with Adam, has always been ours: we can choose Life (Jesus) or death (eternal damnation)... but to suggest that if I choose death, it is God's predestination for me... that is an excellent excuse to disobey God, choose death, and then claim that it was my fate... Few people in our history (Salvation History) have been decreed to do what God has commanded... the average human is free to choose life or death! God Bless! Angel |
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23 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152311 | ||
Hi, Doc! So you are saying that Hebrews 8:10 was simply an exercise in futility? Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God is limited by Scricpture or anything else... the hypothetical was: if a person is so remotely removed from all of humanity where he/she does not get to know Christ through the Gospels, would that person be condemned? My position is that God knows no limitations... that what we are made aware by others (preaching; Bible; television, radio, etc.) is not the completeness of God, but that which was revealed... it is the Holy Spirit who brings the fullness of God; even then, He reveals to those whom He desires according to what He determines from their heart and spirit... The whole Bible is not a list of limitations or a form of margin for God... God chose to reveal some things to us through the Holy Scripture--this in no manner limits what God can or will do or not do! God Bless! Angel |
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24 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152257 | ||
Hi, Doc! "Quite frankly, that is a very heretical statement! What you are saying is that God can tell us one thing and then do another." Not so... I am saying that God did not reveal all that He is and all of His Ways... the Holy Scripture is not a measuring device nor a contractual obligation which binds God, as the old whiches and warlocks themes, to do as prescribed by our understanding. When we seek to apply something to God because that is what we understand, we are not acting of pure enlightenment... we are acting of pure finite understanding... this happened frequently with Israel... God's own people loved to quote Scripture and to apply them as they understood it... we have a tremendous example in Ezekiel 18 and in the woman caught in "pure adultery" that was brought to Jesus... another perfect example is the passage that is still quoted by many in today's society ("an eye for an eye"); just because something is written down it does not mean that God is limited to the expressed text according to our definitions! God is not intent on fulfilling our wishes... He is intent in rescuing us from death, in Jesus Christ! "You need to look closely at the orthodox views of Scripture, so that you can know more clearly what you are rejecting." I will never reject Scripture... man's interpretations of Scripture is another matter... where some see a God bent on saving an exclusive predestined few while condemning a whole mess of other people... I see man's rejection of God and his rebellious whims leading him away from Christ and into Hell--God is not be the cause of man damnation; man's rebellious disobedience is! "If God is the capricious being you describe, then we are all in deep trouble. We can count on nothing. Indeed, we can know nothing." Again, your terminologies! Seeking to have a prearranged contract where God is fully obligated to save some people while these same people do not even have to acknowledge God's Authority... now, that is capricious! Just as we cannot empty an ocean into a bathtub, neither can we empty God into the confines of the Holy Bible! That is my statement, worded differently here! God Bless! Angel |
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25 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152254 | ||
Hi, Hank! Is this sarcasm or one of those crystal clear anecdotes?... either way I don't get it! God Bless! Angel |
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26 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152253 | ||
Hi, Kalos! This is where I gathered such information: "All that God intends to save....will be saved! Every name that was written in the book of life before the foundations of the world will see our Lord for eternity." ...it may not translate the same way in your mind... but in my query I am asking for clarification: is there a set number of people predestined to be saved and, arbitrarily, is there a set number of people who will be discarded? Now, I may have misunderstood the intent of the above cited passage, but that does not mean that I am stating that "we "know" he meant." If you say that there are "x" quantity of odd-numbered buses and I repeat your statement saying that you said that there are "x" quatity of even-numbered buses I would be crediting you with my own though and not yours... conversely, if I ask you, are there then "x" quantity of even-numbered buses?... I am using your base information to further the argument--I am neither attributing to you my belief nor am I dismantling your position! "All that God intends to save....will be saved!" That statement, to me, resounds to the notion that God deliverately will cause people to be damned in Hell... since that is my understanding from that statement, I though I would ask for clarification... If you are protesting because I worded my query in a fashion that is not familiar, then please offer an alternative mode of rendering my query. God Bless! Angel |
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27 | Are all saved people Jesus¡¯ disciples? | Matt 16:24 | JCrichton | 152209 | ||
Hi, argenkoreano! Anyone can claim to be Christ's disciple... we have seen it in the news... cults that are very "Christian" and "saved" but through their actions deny knowing Christ... at one time or another they will brake from Scripture indulge in arms build up; civil disobedience (taxes, making their own money, etc.); their leader becoming not just a vessel close to God but the actual god of the cult! Conversely, not all who say they are saved are!: 21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Matthew 7:21-23) Jesus warns that there will be those who would produce great signs but that they would not be His disciples... Jesus does not speak about a price to be paid to be His disciple... rather, He speaks of the conditions to be met if we desire to be His disciples... we must place Jesus first (above all) if we are to be His disciples... and we must abide in Him (obey His Word) and in His love! (1 John 5:1-11; 1:5 thru 2:11) God Bless! Angel |
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28 | Can anybody explain this story in Acts 5 | Acts 5:1 | JCrichton | 152208 | ||
Hi, Cloud! It was not because they did not give their money... they were free to offer all of the proceeds, part of the proceeds, or none... What the spouses did was conspire against God... offering an amount and claiming that it was the full price of the sales... it was their money; hence, all they had to do was offer the amount they determined in their hearts as the portion that they were willing to give as offering to God. They chose to lie to God (the Holy Spirit) and a direct penalty was exacted upon them... though Ananias and Sapphira did not know it, their example would be recorded for the benefit of all who would come after them... those of us who choose to cheat God, our recompense will great us at the Judgment Day!... remember, that only God can truly see into our heart and spirit... it is He who will pronounce Judgment (and His wrath does not always wait till the end of times...) God Bless! Angel |
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29 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152207 | ||
Hi, Doc! "You wrote, "If I get you correctly... no one unless the Gospel is preached to them can get to know God?" Yes, that is correct. No one can know the Father except through the Son." So the Gospel and the Son are analogous... that is Jesus does not exist outside of the Gospel? "How that can possibly limit Him is quite honestly beyond my ability to understand" That was precisely my point! The Holy Scripture is not a script which God has to adhere to... the Holy Scripture is there for our instruction and edification! To claim God will save only certain number of people and these only through a prescribe format--that is limiting God! "Note that you chose the word "able." Where has anyone said that "God is not able?"" When you prescribe that only through the Gospel (which implies someone preaching to that man) could we get to know God and abide in God... this all implies that God is dependent upon man to bring man to Him; instead of the other way around... Jesus did not say: those who are brought to the Father will the Father then bring to me and I will not reject them... Jesus said: those who the Father send to Me, I will not reject! He was speaking even before the Gospel had been written... ergo, God has the Power and Authority to bring to Salvation (Jesus--resurrection and life) all whom He pleases! "Angel! Think BIGGER! There is nothing that He cannot do!" Again, my point, exactly! I do not think that there's limitations to God... but Salvation is not dependent upon missionaries! If you follow the proposed escenario, you will note that there was no middle-man interjected... God is able to touch human existence in the middle of nowhere as well as in the middle of a crowded train without the assistance of a single person! It is the Holy Spirit that searches the hearts and the most intimate places of man... not another man; and it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sins and of Salvation! God's Holy Spirit operates beyond the confines of the Bible... directly in the pure existence of creation! "(Go ahead, try to find a single verse in Scripture where it says the Holy Spirit saves.)" You started out so good: God is God... but then reverted to "show me" Jesus is resurrected by God, through whom? And through whom are we to be resurrected? There isn't one single Scriptural passage that denies that the Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus and that our hope is that He who resurrected Jesus will in turn resurrect us in like manner! (Romans 8:11; Romans 6:5) So please do not confine yourself to the single written value of text... go beyond that (back to God is God--1 Corinthians 12:3) and view my words accordingly... "if you are more interested in protecting or promulgating your position" What is the position I am seeking to protect? That Christ died so that all may be saved? Did not say that! That everything is God? Did not say that either! That salvation comes to a few selected by some? Did not say that! That the Holy Spirit is the means by which God Saves? Scripture says that! That Jesus is not the Savior? Never said that! That God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can be divided into seperate and distinct beings? Never! That a hypothetical situation where a person is not exposed to missionaries or the Bible and that that person goes straight to Hell? Well, no! God is Omnipotent and can go beyond humans and technology directly to an individual and convict Him of the Truth! You say it is not Biblical?... then you've never heard of Saul! (No, not the pseudo kind of Israel!) Further clarification: "God is love and only love..." who keeps saying that? I certainly have never claimed so! God is Omnipotent, capable of great Love, great Mercy, and great Judgment! "(e.g., the exclusivity of Christ, roles of the Members of the Trinity, universalism, etc" These are simply labels which makes it easier for the human mind to cope with God's unsearcheable being! Though each member of the Holy Trinity is salient at specific moments in Insrael's history... they are intertwined eternally in Oneness that cannot be separated into blocks or bits of God: "I and the Father are One!" (John 10:30) No one can say Jesus is Lord, if not by the Holy Spirit! (1 Corinthians 12:3--paraphrased) God Bless! Angel |
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30 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152205 | ||
Hi! So you're saying that there's a number of people who God has predestined to be Saved by Christ and then there's a number that, even if they were born of believers, would perish no matter what they did? And if this is your theology, do you then cast off the Old Testament with all of God's revelations? God Bless! Angel |
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31 | Should Christians feel Guilty | NT general Archive 1 | JCrichton | 152144 | ||
Hi! Some people show signs of remorse once they get caught doing something (check daily news and the various "mia culpa" people...); the problem with "feelings" of remorse/guilt is that of a child that does not yet reason that sound travels and brakes the very thing/s which he/she was worned not to touch just minutes or seconds ago... as a rule, before the very first words are spoken, the child starts to cry (or justify if older and "wiser")... Can a Christian feel guilty?... everyone does! The difference is what do we do about it? Are we so proud that we cast all things out, in essense, exenorating ourselves from any negative feeling that may compel us to seek Jesus' forgiveness and to make restitution--where possible--for our transgressions? Check Jesus words concerning a pending grievance: 23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matthew 5:23-24) Notice how Christ is not even concerned with "who started it" or "who is wrong/right?" He Commands the Believer to reconcile him/herself to his/her brotheren! We cannot reconcile ourselves with those we have transgresses against if there's no sort of restitution (spiritual, monetary, symbolic, emotional...) However, if we simply choose to claim the old "sorry" or "my bad" and simply move on cause Christ already did everything for us... are we truly owning up to our responsibility as Christians? Are we humbly obeying the Lord? Are we truly children of God--when we seek to circumvent God's Command and use Scripture to free ourselves from any "guilt/remorse" feeling and from any obligation to provide adequate and time restitution? God Bless! Angel |
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32 | Should we put right our wrongs? | Luke 19:8 | JCrichton | 152142 | ||
Hi! Zacchaeus was acting out of a realization that he mattered to Christ... that Christ saw him beyond the limitations of man... Zacchaeus feeling of freedom caused his spirit to find God's Commandment in himself... he quickly realized that his eternal wealth was more important than his temporal wealth... and as a sign of conviction he promptly offered to provide restitution for those whom he had transgressed against... Compare Zacchaeus (a self-confessed sinner) reactions to the wealthy young man (who viewed himself so very close to perfection) who had to think over his decision to follow Jesus. (Matthew 9:16-26) God Bless! Angel |
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33 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 152141 | ||
Hi, Doc! If I get you correctly... no one unless the Gospel is preached to them can get to know God? And from the post (151940) cited I gathered that all are sinners will die according to their sins... and only those who believe in Christ will be save according to God's mercy... so there's a limitation to God?... I mean according to the material presented, a death mute who lives in the wilderness of say Peru, Latin America, will surely die because God is not able to teach his/her spirit about Jesus... The fact is that God's Spirit saves! It is He whom Jesus sent from the Father... and there's nothing that can keep the Holy Spirit from teaching a human heart, mind and sprit! I live in one of the wealthiest nations in the world... perhaps the greatest producer/disseminator of the Bible in the world, and in spite of that catchy phrase on the currency... many boast of not only not believing but defying God! Surely, these people have rejected the Holy Spirit... but even them are wanted by God for He desires that none shall perish! Should we be more concern with the fate of a fictitious character or the reality our individual/collective failure to bring Christ to the world through personal witnessing (love one another...) ...part of our Christian obligation is to pray that the message of Christ is brought to all men (including those instances when some may be ignorant of Christ). God Bless! Angel |
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34 | Who are the spirits in 1 Peter 3 v 19? | 1 Pet 3:19 | JCrichton | 151968 | ||
Hi, Diomede! Jesus did not do time travel, as humans understand it (going back/forward in time)... God is Spirit and a day is to God as if a 1000 years and vice versa... Jesus, in the Spirit, was revealed to Paul as the Rock that followed the Hebrews in the desert and gave them that spiritual drink (1 Corinthians 10:4)... so at least in one instance we know that Jesus did reveal Himself in the Old Testament... Knowing that Jesus is Spirit and that at His death He would regain His full Authority and viewing 1 Peter 3:18-20 in light of 1 Peter 4:5-6; John 5:25 and Ephesians 4:8-10 can shed more light into the "who" are the spirits to which Jesus preached... Combining the above passages with Luke 23:43, we get the "when" ...Jesus did not travel back and forth through time as we understand it (hollow wood's definition of time travel)... being God, Jesus moved in His Spirit and accomplished all that had to be accomplished in order to fulfill the Holy Scripture. Though it does not say so in Scripture, I am obliged to believe that the reference to Noah by Peter was made to demonstrate how wonderful Christ Grace is... not to demonstrate some type of preference of one man over another nor to suggest that God's Power extended only to a certain point in time and so God would be forced to choose one group of people over the rest of humanity! (Romans 5:15-21; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Romans 11:32-36; Ephesians 3:16-21) God Bless! Angel |
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35 | Does a person who never hears about Jesu | Rom 2:14 | JCrichton | 151962 | ||
Hi, Otis! Your question has a built-in response on its clause: "for not accepting Jesus?" A person who is ignorant (lacking awareness/knowledge) of Jesus cannot willfully reject Him! ...I will further define the scenario: say that person meets someone who tells him/her about Jesus... and that person realizes that his/her life up to that moment has been in compliance with Jesus' Gospel... though not having an intimate knowlege of Jesus that person has been, by nature, part of the fold... Now, reverse that... let's say that that person realized that he/she had been living a life contrary to Jesus' Gospel and he/she refuses to repent and accept Jesus... the rewards for sin is death! If that person dies rejecting Jesus there's no one to intercede (Jesus is the Resurrection and Life) on his/her behalf. God Bless! Angel |
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36 | how can i overcome sin, and be forgiven? | John 3:16 | JCrichton | 151957 | ||
Hi! You have taken the first step towards that freedom in Christ... you have recognized God's Authority in your life, and you have recognized your susceptibility to sin... AND YOU KNOW THAT BEING AWARE IS NOT ENOUGH! Recognize too that you cannot do this alone... Jesus is your powerhouse, your Rock, your place of refuge... but He can only be in you if you allow Him to do so... this means willingly subjecting your will to His! The Holy Scripture do have complicated themes... but you have access to them through the Holy Spirit--it is He who will guide you and teach you; yet, again, your will has to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit's Will... I do not know your background... so please, if my example is within your abilities, substitute with something else which IS foreign to you: do you know how a computer works... I mean how designs are constructect with specific functions and characteristics... computer is turned on and all of these icons appear out of nowhere... each with its own particular attributes and characteristics... does not knowing the very specifics stops you from using a computer? It is the same with the Holy Scripture--though we may not be able to comprehend everything all of the time... our greatest ally is Faith: believe in Jesus and He will set you free... Believing in Jesus implies faith in His power, faith in His abilities, faith in His Word, dependence on Him, obedience to His Commandments, practicing His Word... God is willing to forgive us... Satan uses our past trangressions and limitations to keep us from committing to Christ in a new relationship--one in which we actively seek to please Him and to obey His Command! Nothing is greater than God in our lives, if we humbly seek Him and abide in Him! You are not struggling against the world, your struggle is against Satan--he will use the world to seduce and confuse you... if you are not careful, he will even use your fear of God (something that is good) against you... so don't forget that Jesus wants you! He is willing to forgive you if you repent and abide in Him... Start by not worrying about what you do not know or cannot yet understand... start by knowing that God cares for your Salvation... He loves you so that He gave His only begotten Son so that you can Live! God Bless! Angel |
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37 | God being lonely? | Gen 1:1 | JCrichton | 151955 | ||
Hi, BradK! I understand whay you are saying... sometimes I wonder how Christians define "humble obedience," "serve one another," and "to live is Christ and to die is Christ..." When we speak, we are coming together, in Christ... to humble ourselves to God means to humble ourselves as representatives of Christ... so that 24/7 applies all of the times... We can better serve Christ if we adopt the Sermon on the Mount to our personal life and instead of being defensive when questioned or not found clear enough, we must surrender pride and ego to the Lord, and seek to be "peace makers" as this would demonstrate that we are children of God! If none of the above works... whenever facing a questionable issue we should take the opportunity to enhance our communication skills and our personal knowledge (as we analyze and restudy the issue)... I always welcome the opportunity to come into the Lord's accord with my brethren... my joy is complete when Christian come together in Him! God Bless! Angel |
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38 | God being lonely? | Gen 1:1 | JCrichton | 151806 | ||
"Lonely? Only in the sence that deep inside we, humanity, long for His companionship!" Hi, BradK! Since you are the second person that has understood such terminalogy from the words above (though made as a contrasting thought to Gods Omnipotence--asserted at the beginning of the post, second paragraph), I can only conclude that I must be more basic when expressing my thoughts... What I was attempting to convey is that only our projection of our own feelings are being ascribed to God, hence the seeming loneliness of God--seeming loneliness: meaning that because we are missing something within our being, we tend to believe that God may be subjected to the same temperaments and conditioning as His creation! ...I cannot emphasize this more vigorously than as I said before: God is Omnipetent, Omniscient and Omnipresent! ...please accept my most humble apologies, if you have misunderstood the final thought on my previous post! God Bless! Angel |
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39 | God being lonely? | Gen 1:1 | JCrichton | 151803 | ||
Hi, Mommapbs! Because we yearn for that which we are missing, we can come to believe that it is a reciprocal feeling... however it is not! If you notice my first expressions about God: "God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent..." anyone reading it would have to understand that in such a being there's no loneliness... Yet, we are creatures of habit and of feelings... sometimes projecting our failures/inadequacies on others and on things and animals... We have a tendency to think that if we feel something the object of that "feeling" is caught in the wake of our feelings... projecting loneliness, as well as other human traits, on to God is an error caused by those who seek to measure God in human terms and condition--yet His Ways are above our ways as high as Heaven is from earth... we can never equate God (lessening Him) to us/our "feelings." If you have read from my post something other than what I have attempted to convey to the originator of this thread, I apologize for not being clear enough... God Bless! Angel |
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40 | can you lose your salvation or not? | 2 Cor 1:22 | JCrichton | 151801 | ||
""Belief in the N.T. denotes more than intellectual assent to a fact. The word (Gk. pistis, noun; pisteuo, verb) means *adherence to, committal to, faith in, reliance upon, trust in* a person or an object, and this involves not only the consent of the mind, but an act of the heart and will of the subject. "Whosoever believeth in him" is equivalent to "whosoever trusts in or commits himself to him [Christ]." Belief, then is synonymous with faith, which in the N.T. consists of believing and receiving what God has revealed"" Hi, Kalos! You have not argument from me! As long as "Belief" is understood as adherence to Christ's Authority and Command... sadly, what I have been exposed to is an empty "Belief." One based on "feelings" and "liberties" that claims to exonerate a Christian while condemning a nonbeliever for the same transgression/s and the same obstinacy of refusing to confess the transgression/s (sin/s)... Some "Belief" that Jesus has given Christians carte blache for living a dual life (saying we are of the Light and transgressing against God at will and with full impunity--never having to denounce our transgressions, ergo do as you please for Christ has granted you the freedom to sin!). It is this false doctrine which I question, not the fact that Believing in Him (in all of the cited definitions above) is Life! God Bless! Angel |
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