Results 2321 - 2340 of 2452
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Reformer Joe Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
2321 | Is harsh language appropriate? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 6468 | ||
Well, if we use Rextar's muddled thinking as an example of proper treatment of the issues, we as the body of Christ are in a lot of trouble! Name me two people that Calvin burned at the stake. --Joe! |
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2322 | Is harsh language appropriate? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 6467 | ||
So why is it okay for Paul to be so hard on the Corinthians and go on what some would call a sarcastic rant (2 Corithians 11-12) Why is it okay for Paul to call the Galatians "foolish" and to suggest that someone has them under a spell (Galatians 3:1)? Why is it okay for Jesus to call Pharisees "whitewashed tombs" and to refer to one of his own disciples as "Satan"? Let's not even start on the OT prophets! The fact is that while we should definitely speak "the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) that does not mean being a teddy bear when more forceful reproof is necessary. A lot of our problems in the church today with heresy stem from the fact that we place "walking on eggshells" and "being nice" above actually speaking out against what is harmful and false within our own members. --Joe! |
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2323 | Anyone have thoughts about Jabez? | 1 Chr 4:9 | Reformer Joe | 6466 | ||
How is it that a person writes a whole book about one verse in Scripture that is most definitely not central to Biblical theology? How does he conclude scripturally that we can claim "the Prayer of Jabez" for ourselves? --Joe! |
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2324 | Not my will? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6465 | ||
Where is your scriptural support for saying that ALL names were written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world? Divine election is not "fate." That is quite insulting to a holy God who acted purposefully "according to the kind intention of his will" and "after the the counsel of His will." (Ephesians 1:4,9,11). It is not some "dice roll," and without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit the only things we will say or do will be in rejection and rebellion against God. Therefore, the biblical view is not that some WANT to be saved and God refuses them; rather, no one wants to be saved until God changes the hearts of the elect. It is at that point that they choose Christ (Romans 3:10-18; 5:10; 8:7-8) "Predestination fact," as you call it (most actually call this the prescient view) does not jibe with Romans 9:15-24. If I am mistaken, please do an exegesis of that passage and clearly show me where I am mistaken in saying that our predestination is not based on our choices, but solely on God's divine choice and his mercy toward SOME. One thing I will agree with is that only God knows who the elect are who have not trusted Christ yet. Therefore, God's divine election of individuals has not been revealed to us. Again, it not a PATH that is predestined, but rather individuals. The object of verbs like "chose" and "predestined" are Christians, not the gospel nor any plan of salvation. Thanks! --Joe! |
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2325 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6451 | ||
Such florid language, and yet what does it say? And is this individual who accused me of "name calling" now referring to me as a "bigot"? :) It is hard to see where you are coming from due to your vague, tongue-in-cheek post. Do you seriously consider Luther a heretic? Are you yourself a disciple of Rome? I wouldn't call rightly discerning the nature of God "extremism." You may prefer ignorance, but God did not reveal Himself in his word so that we may remain blissfully unaware of what He is like. And, for the record, my righteousness is completely found in Christ (Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3:8-9, Titus 3:5), which is indeed a properly understood Calvinist view, no matter how "extreme" that may seem. And I am wide awake! (1 Peter 1:13) --Joe! |
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2326 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6450 | ||
Oh, I disagree, Percival. My response was not mean-spirited in motive, but I hope effective in pointing out the truth. Paul refers to the Galatians as foolish (Galatians 3:1), and goes on to suggest that the Judaizers mutilate themselves (5:12). Paul also opens up both barrels on the Corinthians when they need it. Old Testament prophets are even less tactful at times, and Jesus Himself did not walk on eggshells with His own disciples. Being loving does not mean being meek or not being direct when correction is necessary. I am not frustrated, because I believe I possess the truth here. And in reality, no name-calling went on, but rather an indication of an error in his epistemology. His expressionwas precisely what I do see in cultists who praise me for "strengthening their faith" when I have pointed out the inconsistency in their world view. Thanks for your input! --Joe! |
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2327 | Is Jesus the 'Eternal Father'? | Is 9:6 | Reformer Joe | 6449 | ||
Okay...I have already debated Oneness extensively on this forum. If you want to look up my old posts and respond to them, fine. The fact is that without someone doing some serious intellectual somersaults around the entire New Testament, it is impossible to claim that Jesus is the Father or the Holy Spirit. All three are one God. The Father is not the Son, however. The Son is not the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father. The three persons interact with each other, One sends another, One obeys another, One reveals another, the Three belong to one another, etc. etc. etc. I stand by my assertion that God is either running some kind of "con game" by appearing to be three in person, or else the Trinity stands as a revealed doctrine of the Bible. Take your pick. I prefer an honest God. :) --Joe! |
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2328 | Is Jesus the 'Eternal Father'? | Is 9:6 | Reformer Joe | 6417 | ||
That is exactly what God did...John 3:16 is a pretty common verse, you know. --Joe! |
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2329 | Is Jesus the 'Eternal Father'? | Is 9:6 | Reformer Joe | 6381 | ||
Jim denies the Trinity, saying that the idea of God eternally existing in three distinct persons is not biblical. He holds to what is alternately termed modalism or "Oneness," which holds that Jesus Christ is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Now, how he explains the subject-object distinction between the persons of the Trinity as they act on each other in the NT is beyond me, as is how he explains all three being manifested at Jesus' baptism and the Father speaking from Heaven with Jesus standing on the Mount of Transfiguration. Either God is deliberately deceiving us into thinking He exists in three distinct persons, or that is really His nature. --Joe! |
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2330 | Is Jesus the 'Eternal Father'? | Is 9:6 | Reformer Joe | 6380 | ||
We must not "make" him anything, but rather recognize God as He is clearly revealed to be. Your comment about "refusing to let God become a man" shows your lack of understanding of biblical Trinitarianism. We have both been down that thread before, though, haven't we? In the Second Person of the Trinity, --Joe! |
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2331 | Is Jesus the 'Eternal Father'? | Is 9:6 | Reformer Joe | 6369 | ||
Thanks for the information. Modalism, for the church, is the most serious heresy regarding the nature of God. Please remember paragraphs! --Joe! |
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2332 | We may be missing something here | 1 Pet 3:20 | Reformer Joe | 6365 | ||
Well, on these forums, all of us are "butting in"! Your comments are most welcome. Yes, Noah was preacher of righteousness. I didn't mean to suggest that he kept silent during this time (or even before God instructed him to build the ark). What I do contend is that God purposed to desroy humanit with the exception of eight people. Proclaiming God's truth is to reveal Him, not only to "convince" others of the truth. We see this in Philippians 1:27-28, where the Phiplippians' unity in preaching the gospel served as a "sign of destruction" for the unbelievers persecuting them. Likewise, Noah's preaching (whatever form it took -- the Bible is silent on this) could also be considered to be God's "sign of destruction" for the rest of the world. My real argument against the study materials was not that Noah preached, but rather that God was unsuccessful in convincing the unbelieving world to repent. As far as God's patience in 2 Peter 3:9, let's take a look at why he is patient. It has to do with whom he is addressing. God is patient toward "you". To whom did Peter address his letter (v. 1:1)? Other believers. Therefore, God is not being patient here toward the non-elect, but rather toward the elect who have not been regenerated (including those who had not been born like you and me). There would be no other reason for God to be patient toward believers, since those already saved would not need God to hold back the second coming of Christ and destruction of the world (which is the context of 2 Peter 3:9). The "all" here is not all mankind (since no one but universalists argue that ALL will ever be saved), but rather all of God's elect (1 Peter 1:1-5). Likewise, was God being patient toward the rest of the world, or toward Noah in the time he was building his ark? God's wrath will be poured out on sinful humanity at some point in the future, just like it was poured out on those in Noah's day. At what point does an omniscient God "decide" that enough is enough, since both Arminians and Calvinists both argue that God KNOWS who will repent? Thanks for your comments! --Joe! |
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2333 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6364 | ||
*Sigh.* Well, I can see from your mean-spritedness just how wrong I was! Thanks for showing me the light of Arminian truth! :) Where is the verse saying that God OBLIGATED himself to "try and save everyone"? Not the verses saying that all those who believe are saved, since that is not a point of contention between the two camps. Where does it say that God has bound Himself to making a go at saving all? Acts 10:34-43 does not contradict the Calvinist perspective. Christ didn't die just to save Jews, which is what the crux of the argument between Peter and the Jerusalem church will be. By the way, it seems from the account of Cornelius that God pretty much had him elected for salvation. There are elect among Gentiles, as God clearly corrects Peter to understand. I use the word "kindness" because it is the word Paul used to describe God's motivation to save some of our wretched species. (Ephesians 1:4-6). His kindness and mercy toward some (not all -- Romans 9:15-16,18) leads to saving grace and regeneration on their part. What does the address label of Romans have to do with Paul's arguments regarding the univarsal sinfulness of all mankind and the showing of mercy to some and not to others? You seem to be contending that we "elected" ourselves here. Is that what 1 Peter 1 tells us? Is that what Ephesians 1 tells us? Nolan, this entire debate between us boils down to one thing: FREE WILL. You contend that we have the moral capability to choose God at some point. You refuse to even consider the possibility that your axiom here might not be so axiomatic. I contend (as does the Word of God) that we are not in any way ever inclined to follow God, and to place any part of the decision upon us gives us reason to boast. Since this debate has now degenerated to a point where you are mocking me, I feel it is best that we give it a rest for a while. There are more than enough posts here back and forth that our cases have been made, and I will be more than happy to let you have the last word. The truth, thankfully, does not depend on you or me, and I believe in a God who is sovereign enough not to need us repeating ourselves ad nauseam to reveal His truth. --Joe! |
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2334 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6361 | ||
You sound like Mormons I talk to that thank me for "strengthening their faith" when I have totally shot down everything having to do with the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and their cultic views. And so your view holds that God unjustly caused Christ to pay a penalty that someone else will pay. You answered perfectly, Nolan. --Joe! |
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2335 | Dear InHzsvc, what do you mean by that? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6360 | ||
So Jonathan Edwards, the Great Awakener, was a heretic? Francis Schaeffer was a heretic? John Calvin was a heretic? Charles Spurgeon was a heretic? Augustine was a heretic? Martin Luther was a heretic? Wow. A long line of "election heretics" instrumentally used by God to help establish, reform, and increase the impact of His church (not to mention defend it against true heresies). --Joe! |
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2336 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6359 | ||
I get the feeling that you are trying to bait me here, Nolan... I think we both realize that we are in disagreement here. Repeating your charge every time I post does not lend to the credibility of your viewpoint. If Arminianism is true, then it will become obvious to those reading the debate in the thread. You don't need to "help it along" by blanketing the entire forum with your point of view. --Joe! |
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2337 | Christ dying only for elect? | Rom 5:6 | Reformer Joe | 6358 | ||
Actually, I was not speaking of Saul of the New Testament, but rather of the Old, when in 1 Samuel the Holy Spirit basically "takes him over" for lack of a better term and begins to prophesy, despite the fact that he is on a mission to kill God's annointed (David). The New Testament Saul is an excellent example as well, however. Please show me from Acts 9 or any of Paul's writings where he stresses or even MENTIONS his involvement in his own salvation. What is Ananias told about Saul in Acts 9 even BEFORE he sees Saul? The fact is that Paul is one of the clearest examples of NOT having a say-so in one's regeneration. In addition, I am somewhat confused by the rest of your post. You write: "But in each case, Jeremiah, Saul and Jonah did not choose God to begin with, and this is a point that Calvinists continue to dodge." That is nothing Calvinists dodge. In fact, that is our entire point! God chooses individuals. That IS unconditional election! It is the Arminian who suggests that somehow man plays an active role in his own regeneration. Again, Nolan, you are the one who is confused about the Calvinist view of salvation and election. Maybe I am not explaining it well enough. Calvinists do NOT say that individuals are born saved (i.e. regenerated, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and equipped for Christian service). Here is the order of events: 1. Election of individuals (God chose those whom he would save before the foundation of the world -- 1 Peter 1:1-6, Ephesians 1:4,11) 2. The birth of the elect (scattered throughout human history, including our future, they have a destiny already established by God, but they have not been "born again" at this point) 3. Upon hearing the gospel (and this is a necessary element that God decrees WILL happen in the life of the elect), the sinner's heart (previously rebellious toward God) is completely and totally changed by the Holy Spirit, making the sinner DESIRE to follow Christ when before there was no such inclination. 4. As soon as this happens, the sinner (without exception) places their faith in the substitutionary death of Christ, a faith that is a gift from God (Philippians 1:29, Ephesians 2:8-9). The Calvinist never suggests that the unbeliever does not choose to believe. The Calvinist argument is that all those who are predestined will believe, and all those who are not predestined will not, due to the fact that God withholds saving grace from some and extends it to others. It is God who initiates AND completes the regeneration of the elect. Faith is our natural response to having been regenerated. Placing our faith in Christ and being "born again" take place at the same time. The big difference between Arminian and Calvinist points of view is which one logically precedes the other. Calvinists say that the Holy Spirit's regeneration precedes and causes faith. Arminians argure that while there is some form of prevenient grace freeing the human will, faith precedes and causes complete regeneration. Please take the time to understand the Calvinist viewpoint and realize that I do not hold that we were born only once, but twice as Jesus said we must be. --Joe! |
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2338 | what is the will of God? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 6282 | ||
By knowing God's word (2 Timothy 3:16) By praying for wisdom (James 1:5) Did I mention knowing God's word is the source of Godly wisdom? "O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, For You Yourself have taught me. How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way." --Psalm 119:97-104 --Joe! |
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2339 | The dead bury their dead? | Matt 8:22 | Reformer Joe | 6276 | ||
Those who are not followers of Christ are spiritually dead. "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" -- Ephesians 2:1-5 --Joe! |
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2340 | What is the secret of contentment? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 6274 | ||
Christ. "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13 |
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