Results 2161 - 2180 of 2277
|
||||||
Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Hank Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
2161 | Origin of God? | Heb 11:6 | Hank | 116196 | ||
kerland: In your first sentence you say you firmly believe in the existence of God. In the next you say you suppose He is. The two statements are not compatible. To suppose means to believe, but it carries with it the idea of a tentative or uncertain belief. Which better describes your belief: firm or tentative? ..... To the question of who created God I ask you this: Where did you ever form the notion that God is a created being, a creature? Since God is sovereign over all creation, who then could create Him? I don't mean to be pert, but your question doesn't make sense. --Hank | ||||||
2162 | Can a person truly be saved and have no | Heb 11:6 | Hank | 119786 | ||
ladonnab: __"Can a person truly be saved and have no faith?"__ The biblical answer to that question is "no." See Hebrews 11:6; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8. In the term "truly be saved" the word "truly" is redundant. One is either saved or he is not saved. To say that one is "truly saved" suggests the possiblity that one can be "falsely saved" also. Other redundancies that are tossed around carelessly include born-again Christian and Spirit-filled believer: it is impossible to be a Christian without having been born again, and it is equally impossible to be a believer (in the sense of having been regenerated) without being filled with (indwelt by) the Holy Spirit. --Hank | ||||||
2163 | Thanks, and here's another question. | Heb 11:6 | Hank | 121450 | ||
Dear Ripken: The first thing I would ask you is, are you a born-again believer? Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and do you confess Him to be the Lord and Savior of your life? This ought to be the first order of business for everyone. ....... What follows is a list of suggested steps for you to take to build and strengthen your faith, assuming you have taken the all-important first step I've already mentioned. .... [-1-] PRAY. Ask God to help your unbelief. The father of the spirit-possessed son cried out to Jesus in his despair and weak faith, "I do believe; help my unbelief. [I urge you to read the full account of this event in Mark 9:14-29]. Even Christ's own apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. [Luke 17:5]. So, pray for more faith. You don't have to bear your burden of weak faith alone. Cast all your anxiety on God, because He cares for you. [2 Peter 5:7] ....... [-2-] STUDY THE BIBLE. Saturate your mind, immerse your soul in God's word. The Bible says, "faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ" [Romans 10:17]. Every good gift comes from God, even our faith [James 1:17; Romans 12:3;] The Bible also says, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" [Hebrews 4:12a] and "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" [Psalm 119:105]. ......... [-3-] BECOME ACTIVE IN THE LORD'S CHURCH. Attend worship services regularly, join a Bible study group, fellowship with men and women of strong faith, give of your means to the church cheerfully, for God loves a cheerful giver [2 Corinthians 9:7]. ......... [-4-] BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHER DOUBTERS. C. S. Lewis, one of the strongest and most widely read apologists for the faith in modern times, was once an atheist. Read his book, "Mere Christianity." Josh McDowell was also an atheist but now devotes his life to the Lord's work, primarily as an author and a traveling representative of Campus Crusade for Christ. Read his book, "The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict." I have no doubt that these books by these two men of God will help you enormously. ...... [-5-] COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS AND GIVE THANKS TO GOD. Make a list of all the ways you can think of that the Lord has blessed your life. Count your blessing and thank God always for them. Don't give counsel to your fears and doubts, but on "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, and if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell (literally, ponder) on these things" [Philippians 4:8]. ...... It is my prayer that you may grow strong in the faith and be empowered to show others the way to eternal life through Him who died that we might live. --Hank | ||||||
2164 | CanuWorshipGodifyoudon'tbelieveinHim? | Heb 11:6 | Hank | 125043 | ||
Certainly not! .... "And without faith is is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) --Hank | ||||||
2165 | Bible teachers/pastors-help! | Heb 12:1 | Hank | 134503 | ||
MrsBinGA - If misery loves company, perhaps this personal experience will brighten your day :-) ...... Over a span of more than a quarter century, I taught several Sunday school classes. Once I was asked to lead an adult class that was on the verge of becoming extinct. Attendance was down, enthusiasm was down, everything was down, down, down. My greatest fear was that some Sunday morning no one would show up. One rainy Sunday morning it almost happened. Besides me, only one couple showed up, a man and his wife. And the man happened to be, of all things, a psychiatrist! And how I appreciated his presence, because along about then I needed his services! Well, we somehow managed to pull through the ordeal all right. We kept the faith, we kept on praying, and we kept on working, and in time the class grew to become the second largest in the entire church. Some of the class members went out and taught other classes, and some of them became deacons and elders in the church. I like to think that in some way God used me in His work during this struggle, and I'm convinced He strengthened me to keep on keeping on when the going got tough. ..... Blessings to you, dear sister in Christ. Trust in the Lord and hang in there. --Hank | ||||||
2166 | Who is "him?" | Heb 12:25 | Hank | 156124 | ||
Hello, Mommapbs. The various ways that several translations have treated the second "him" of Hebrews 12:25 is a classic example of interpretation through capitalization of pronouns, a practice of which I've never been especially fond. ...... In the NASB's rendering of this "him" in question, putting it in lower case, one of two possibilities emerge. The first is that this is a glaring printer's error, but that is highly unlikely. The second, and by far the more likely, is that the NASB translators viewed the antecedent of "him" as being someone else than deity, probably Moses at Sinai (see Exodus 20:22; Heb. 8:5). This interpretation is not in conflict with the context of Hebrews 12, for the writer draws a contrast between Sinai and Zion in this chapter, beginning at verse 18. In the absence of any translators' gloss that might shed light, this is the only explanation I can think that appears to fit the facts. ..... The New Living Translation removes all doubt about its translators' interpretation of this verse, substituting "Moses" for "him" in this segment of the verse. But as we know, the NKJV holds to an interpretation of deity, using "Him" instead of "him." The Holman Christian Standard Bible agrees with the NKJV. ..... All things considered, the context appears to lean toward the antecedent of the second "him" being Moses at Sinai, and if this be so, then the NASB is correct in not capitalizing the second "him." ...... It has been said that to capitalize personal pronouns that refer to deity is a gesture of respect and honor. I have never been convinced of the validity of this argument. No version has ever shown more reverence for God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit than the King James Bible, yet it does not capitalize pronouns unless they begin a sentence. The modern practice of capitalizing pronouns that, in the opinion of the translators, refer to deity is a clear infraction of standard English usage and imposes an unwarranted imposition of translator interpretation on the reader. This is illustrated clearly by our text in question, Hebrews 12:25, wherein two translations, the NASB and the NKJV, both claiming to be literal translations, differ in their respective renditions of the pronoun "him," the former casting it in lower case to indicate that the antecedent does not refer to deity, and the latter capitalizing it to indicate that it does. Certain other modern translations, notably the English Standard Version, the New International Version, do not capitalize pronouns whose antecedents are deity, and in this I cannot but feel that they made a wise choice by deferring to the good sense of their readers to be able to determine the proper antecedents for themselves. --Hank | ||||||
2167 | Sex before marriage? | Heb 13:4 | Hank | 111414 | ||
Begin with Genesis 1:1 and continue reading through Revelation 22:20. Mark all the places where God condemns immorality. That should give you a clear picture of the biblical basis for restricting sex to the marriage bed. Simply put, immorality is sinful because Almighty God says so. --Hank | ||||||
2168 | Immoral acts | Heb 13:4 | Hank | 134451 | ||
Octoplus - If by "biblical" you are asking whether Scripture endorses sexual intercourse outside of marriage, the answer is an unequivocal "no" -- it does not. "Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge" [Hebrews 13:4]. Fornication in Scripture refers to various acts of sexual immorality which include consensual sexual intercourse between a man and a woman who are not married to each other. Adultery is usually reserved to describe voluntary sexual activity between a married man and someone other than his wife, or between a married woman and someone other than her husband. .... Please read also the following Scriptures: Matt. 15:19; Mark 7:21; Acts 15:20, 29; 1 Cor. 6:9, 13, 18; 2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3,5; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:3; 1 Tim. 1:10; Jude 1:7; Rev. 2:20. Thanks for your question and welcome to StudyBibleForum. --Hank | ||||||
2169 | jesus born prior to earth? | Heb 13:8 | Hank | 35448 | ||
The Bible teaches the pre-existence of Christ, the Deity of Christ, and the Advent of Christ. (Read John 1:1-3, 10:30; Matthew 1:16). By pre-existence is meant that Christ's life did not begin with His virgin birth, because being Himself Deity and very God of very God, He was never created; He is eternal. In His Advent (coming to earth) He did not surrender his Deity. He was during His time on the earth fully God and fully man. So the answer to the question, "Was Jesus created before He was born on the earth?" is a resounding "No." Jesus was never created. Did Jesus exist before He was born on earth?" Yes, He did. He is eternal. Has this helped or confused? --Hank | ||||||
2170 | Rebuking using the pulpit. | Heb 13:17 | Hank | 150316 | ||
Rod, Doc is right: this Forum is not designed for or equipped to do personal counseling. Even if it were, it would need more information on the circumstances surrounding the case in question. For example, what gave rise to the pastor's rebuke -- is it a bona fide response to unbiblical teaching or behavior among the church's leaders, or is it more in the nature of a personal vendetta? (These are questions for your consideration and reflection; please do not answer them on this Forum!). In addition to the passage that Doc referenced for your study, please also refer to 2 Timothy 3:16 and 4:2. Is there a possiblity at least that your pastor was acting clearly in accord with his right and duty to obey as the shepherd of his flock what the Scriptures command him to do? (Again, a rhetorical question that you should not answer on this Forum). .... God be with you and bless you, your pastor and the church there in the Phillippines. Soli Deo gloria! --Hank | ||||||
2171 | Confronting forgiveness | James | Hank | 64039 | ||
Dear Statm44: Sometimes in human relationships it is better to let bygones be bygones and dead dogs lie, "forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead" [Philippians 3:13b]. From your account of your associations with your neighbor, that appears to me to be the wiser course. From your account it looks as though you had every right to express to management your displeasure at the behavior of a gossiping tenant. If you, as you say, have forgiven him his trespasses and asked God to forgive you your anger, I see no reason to do anything else with the issue but drop it once and for all, accept with gratitude and grace the friendly overtures that this neighbor is attempting to make toward you, and pray for God's help in enabling you in turn to be a friendly and loving neighbor to him. --Hank | ||||||
2172 | Correct Interpretation | James | Hank | 159038 | ||
Aliennow: Please define "it" in your statement. Regardless of what "it" means as you've used it, there are no loopholes in Scripture that allow one to sneak in a sin now and then with impunity. That's antinomianism. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Romans 6:1,2). --Hank | ||||||
2173 | Who wrote the Book of James? | James 1:1 | Hank | 7083 | ||
Nolan, James, the brother of our Lord, has been credited by long-standing tradition as being the author of this fine little New Testament book, which has been called affectionately "The Proverbs of the New Testament." There were, of course other New Testament figures called James; to wit, James, the son of Alphaeus (Matt.10:30), one of the Twelve; James, the son of Zebedee and brother of Apostle John (Matt.10:2); and James, the father of the Apostle Judas (Luke 6:16). Now that we've tried to sort out the Jameses, maybe we should do the same for the Marys too! :) --Hank | ||||||
2174 | What is the church falling away from? | James 1:2 | Hank | 189087 | ||
M. Royal - When you said "it has been said" you said essentially nothing. One could say of many things, "it has been said" -- and prove absolutely nothing. ..... "It has been said" .... that the earth is flat .... that reindeer can fly .... that handling toads causes warts .... that the sky is falling. On Study Bible Forum posters are expected to back up their "it has been saids" with "thus saith the Lord." If this is too much trouble for you, please continue to use the forum, but as a reader only. --Hank | ||||||
2175 | Where do we go with burdens? | James 1:5 | Hank | 66665 | ||
Justme, your question brings to mind a line from a hymn we used to sing in a little country church long ago when I was a boy: "Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." In all these years since then, I've never been able to find any better solution than that and doubt I ever will. --Hank | ||||||
2176 | How does this verse apply to today? | James 1:13 | Hank | 145554 | ||
Jenn28: It is not "they" who say God does not tempt anyone: the Bible says it, in James 1:13: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.' The passage goes on to say, in vs. 14, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires, and enticed." And it continues (vs. 15), "Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." ..... God does purpose trials to occur and in them He allows temptation to happen but not beyond the believer's capacity to endure nor without providing a means of escape: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13). ...... One chooses, therefore, whether to take the escape route God provides or to succumb to the temptation. Temptation always brings one to a crossroads: he chooses whether to doubt God and be "drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:14), or he chooses to trust and obey God. --Hank | ||||||
2177 | every good thing is from God | James 1:17 | Hank | 134687 | ||
m.osel - You ask/state that every good thing is from God. Indeed it is. "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (lit., shadow of turning). James 1:17, NASB. --Hank | ||||||
2178 | How much time spent on the Forum? | James 1:25 | Hank | 133740 | ||
Hi, justme. Greetings from Ozarka and I do hope you're doing well. Of time on the Forum, how much is too much? I don't know really. It depends on a number of factors I think. Things like motive for instance. If a Forum registrant uses the Forum to show the world how smart he is, or thinks he is, one post a year is too much. The Forum doesn't need jokers like that. And it doesn't need contributors who have no higher motives than to bombard the Forum with posts that push denominational bias and personal opinion, or posts that have no other objective than to engage others in heated debates. These kinds of folks hit their "too much" threshold very quickly! ..... But for the sincere Bible student who wants to learn the truth of God's word and teach it to others, "too much" really doesn't apply. His time on the Forum is governed only by the discretionary time he has available and by how much of it he is willing to spend in Forum activities. A carefully thought out and researched post requires far more time to prepare than it does merely to engage in the mechanics of typing and posting it. I incline to agree with Prayon's view that participation in this Forum is tantamount to serious Bible study if it is done right, meaning this: Answers and notes about Bible topics that have not been thoroughly researched should never be posted. And to research them well demands Bible study of the first water. It's an enormous responsibility we have to be biblically correct. It is irresponsible to spout out opinions about theological matters when we don't know what we're talking about and, even worse, when we don't know what God says on the subject. ...... Yours is an interesting question, justme, but one that has no universal answer. How much time is enough, or how much is too much to spend on the Forum is, I believe, an individual matter for each one to determine for himself, seeking divine guidance through prayer. --Hank | ||||||
2179 | Can Christians listen to r and b music | James 1:27 | Hank | 125039 | ||
nakia1980: CAN Christians listen to r and b music? Obviously, they CAN. Your question, I'm sure, is meant to be, SHOULD they? ..... For clarity, let's assume you mean rhythm and blues, and for the sake of argument, let's expand the topic to include rap, hard metal, acid rock, and other variants of current "music" that people, largely young people, listen to these days. In consideration of the anti-Christian aura that is associated, with and in many cases promoted by, many forms of music these days -- things like rebellion against parents and civil authorities, promotion of violence, immorality, drug usage, and profaning of what is sacred, even to the extent of promoting witchcraft and satanism -- a Christian man or woman, young or old, should be very, very cautious about what he permits his mind to be filled with. He sould meditate upon what the Bible means by keeping oneself unstained by the world. (See James 1:27) .... In Philippians 4:8 the Bible says, "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." ..... Now I ask you, what is there, really, that is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise about many, if not most, forms of present-day secular music? Does it really meet the test given in this Bible verse of things worth dwelling on? ...... Jesus, in Matthew 5:16, said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." ..... Again I ask, What is there about the sex, drugs, and violence associated with many forms of modern music that glorifies God in any way? ..... Conclusion: There are many other, and vastly better, kinds of music to enjoy than R and B, Rap, Hard Rock, etc. One does not have to sacrifice his love of music in order to be an effective and faithful follower of Christ. But he may need indeed to modify and upgrade his musical tastes. --Hank | ||||||
2180 | Club | James 1:27 | Hank | 149655 | ||
Ema, I have to ask you, "Why would a redeemed child of God want to go to a club where "drinking, smoking and sexual activities" were the order of the day, as your question indicates? Please see James 1:27. The first words in the book of Psalms are these: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1,2). There are any number of wholesome social and recreational opportunites available in most communities without having to resort to the "drinking, smoking and sexual activities" environment of a club such as you describe. Another consideration: What kind of witness for Christ can a Christian make if he or she is seen as a patron of a place such as you describe? --Hank | ||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 ] Next > Last [114] >> |