Results 241 - 260 of 975
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
241 | The "whole message?" | Acts 5:20 | Aixen7z4 | 132562 | ||
You have hit upon something very important. The people were coming with the belief they could be healed physically. Belief for salvation, “saving faith” is something else. For that, they needed the message; the full message. It was that way with Jesus, was it not? In John 6 they came for the food, but they went away when they heard the rest of the message. In John 9, the blind was healed in verse 7. In verse 37 he heard the rest of the message, and in verse 38, he believed. When Jesus was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man (John 2:23-25). But there are some of you that believe not. Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him (John 6:64). There is a need to tell the whole story. I note how Jesus said on one occasion that he was doing a miracle in order for them to know that he has the power not only to heal but to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6). It seems then that the miracles were only designed to prepare them for the message. And now, the angel says, “Give them the whole message”. Peter gave the whole message. After pointing out that it was the power of Christ that has healed the man at the gate called Beautiful (Acts 3:16 he went on to preach the Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and to call for repentance (v.1 19) and faith (v. 22). Paul gave the whole message. In Romans 15:19 he made reference to the signs and wonders done by him, by the power of the Spirit of God; but also “I have fully preached the gospel of Christ”. He describes his gospel in 1 Corinthians 15. In Acts 20 he said that he had held back nothing (v. 20). What was the full message? It seems to be summarized again in Acts 20 and verse 21: “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”. |
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242 | Why was there fear here? | Acts 5:11 | Aixen7z4 | 132554 | ||
It is one of the reasons for judgment, that others may see it and fear. See Deuteronomy 13:6-11. God told them to kill the false prophets so that others may hear and fear. See also Deuteronomy 17:13; Deuteronomy 19:20; Deuteronomy 21:21, etc. The idea is that people will see the judgment of God and be afraid lest it come upon them because they do the same things. It is a deterrent, a teaching device. See what happens when there is no judgment and no fear (Ecclesiastes 8:11; Romans 3:18,12). Fear can cause a person to think twice about doing evil (Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 16:6). It is apparent, however, that people can become immune (Daniel 5:22; Revelation 16:8ff). We should thank God for the ability to feel fear. It helps us to respond to warnings (Amos 3:8; Hebrews 4:1). |
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243 | Rowdy, Rowdy, are you sure? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132482 | ||
Hi Brad: Make a list of the attributes of God as they are revealed in the Bible. Then tell yourself that it is only what God has revealed and that it is possibly only an infinitesimal part of what God is, that he has revealed to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Then tell yourself that the human mind is not able to grasp terms such as omnipotent and omniscient and omnipresent, that we cannot fathom infinity and eternity. One of the attributes of God is that he is inscrutable. We will never understand him in those terms. As I said before, he has provided that we can understand him in terms of his kindness, his mercy, and such. That is the way he wants us to know him (Exodus 34; Jeremiah 9). God is over us. We cannot put him under our microscopes. On the other point, please understand that 2 Timothy 2:15 is not talking about an intellectual exercise at all. Though some translations use the term “Study”, the apostle is really asking us to be careful. It is not asking us to do an intellectual thing to gain knowledge but to pay close attention to our behavior. Of course, we have to do that in light of Scripture. “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9)? “Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed" (James 1:25). Etc. But here again we find the need to match our knowledge with our practice. Even for the purposes of knowing him, we do not simply study. Knowing him is more than knowing about him. Knowing that he loves us, we decide that we should not henceforth live unto ourselves but unto him (2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Peter 4:2). We count all else but loss so we can get to kow him better (Philippians 3:7,8). This will cause us some difficulty, but we embrace the fellowship of his suffering (Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 2:21) and look forward to his resurrection (Roman 8:11; 2 Corinthians 4:11). We learn Christ by taking his yoke upon us (Matthew 11:29; Ephesians 4:20-32; Philippians 2:5, 12ff.). I think we understand that this knowledge (of him) is not an intellectual thing either, but a deeper understanding that comes from intimacy. We know him from the experience of walking with him (Revelation 3:20; John 14:21-23). |
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244 | Is there a way to get back? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132478 | ||
Hello Tim: I think we need a balance, a suitable combination of knowledge and practice. You have also mentioned spirituality, and I will give some thought to that, what it means. But I’ll say this about the other two. In school, we divided our time between lecture and lab, between study and practice, and that was good. I think you will agree. Would it not be good if we could do the same in church? It might force us to focus on the knowledge we intend to put to use. It might make us more proficient in doing the will of God. I am suggesting that we need to know the word of God well. I do not think that we can go too far with that. I said we should saturate our minds with the word of God. Maybe I should have said “supersaturate” instead. Maybe I should have said “overflow” as that might give us enough and to spare, so we could share with others. Is saying we can go too far I did not mean that we can get too much of the word of God. On the other hand I say that studying every doctrine of man is unnecessary. If we concentrate of the truth (John 17:17) then we will be prepared to recognize and deal with error. If we know the word of God, we need not know whether Calvin or Arminius agrees with us. This is not to say we have no need of teachers. It is to say we have no need of favorites. We should be careful if we find our studies leading us to say, “I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas”, much less to say, “I am of Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Whitfield, Toplady, Edwards, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, Schafer, and/or John MacArthur”. Listen. I know that denominations exist and people have favorite Bible teachers. Have no illusion that my writing here will put an end to that. Paul did not put an end to it by writing what he did in 1 Corinthians 1 and 3. But I would appeal to us to come together around the scriptures. I think that discussions of traditions will only serve to strain the chains that bind us. The other fact, so apparent here, is that these discussions lead us away from the practical applications of the word of God. How did we get to this, when the question was about the way we dress? I think it was good that we talked about helping those who may not dress the way they think the Lord wants, and how the church might help them. It may be that we’re needing more of that. But now we are getting to rules of thumb and principles by which traditions get their doctrines, and we seem to have come off the field. I fear it will only come to a competition as to who has the best rules of thumb. Better to get back to the original topic, I think, and to see how we can encourage people to behave the way they realize God wants them to, and how we can encourage the church to help them. I hope this explains why I would decline an offer to learn more about one of the traditions. Does anyone want to offer some ideas as to how one can encourage churches to support those who are trying to practice the word of God and having difficulty doing so? I just got a call from a sister who is having problems. She is so distraught because of the response she’s gotten from her pastor! She is inviting me to invade their meeting on Sunday or Wednesday to talk to him. Does anyone have scriptures pertaining to that? That is the type of need I see, and it seems to be in line with the thread the way it started. If this request is out of line, I hope you will still find it in your heart to be kind in your responses. |
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245 | Rowdy, Rowdy, are you sure? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132462 | ||
The idea of evaluating all available traditions in order to accept or jettison them, I am not sure of. I am not sure that it is worth the time, or necessary. The other idea, that knowledge is necessary for obedience is so obvious; I am surprised we find the need to mention it. When we obey God, it is with an awareness of him and our relationship to him. It is also clear that we must understand what he has asked us to do. Thank God for thus revealing himself, our relationship with him, and his will for us, thus motivating us to obey him. When God gave the Ten Commandments, he began by saying who he is. “I am the Lord they God” (Exodus 20:2). The people knew who was giving the commandments. Though they did not have the literature and the scholarship with which to discuss him, God had given then a show with sound and light (Exodus 19) to give them an idea of his presence and nature. This came after the ten plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea and other examples of his love and power. They were aware of who he was that was commanding them, and that was enough. “And all the people answered together, and said, ‘All that the LORD hath spoken we will do’” (Exodus 19:8). It is consistently clear and obvious that God tells us who he is and who we are before he tells us what he wants. As you say, we see it in the epistles. We see it also in the Revelation. “These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand … ‘Repent, and do the first works’”. And the sheep hear his voice, and they follow him. What I find is the Lord saying, “Behold your God” Isaiah 40:9. He delights that we would seek him (Acts 17:27) and that we should know him (Jeremiah 9:24). He says we should know his will (Ephesians 5:17). He says, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them” (John 13:17). “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein” (Revelation 1:3). What I do not find is the Lord saying, “Study your God”. I find it sad that people would be discussing evidences for the existence of God and strange the people would be trying to analyze him for his omniscience, his omnipresence, his omnipotence, etc. Notice that these characteristics are not the ones listed in Jeremiah 9 (loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness) or the ones in Exodus 34 (merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth). What is the difference? In one case, man is the scientist and God is the object. In the other case God is the sovereign and we are his subjects. What I do not find is the Lord saying to study his words. It is a fine point, because some equate searching the word with studying the word. Some scholars, incredibly, use “Study to shew thyself approved” to mean to make the word of God the object of intellectual exercises. Some believers read the word “Go” and they know what the Lord is saying, and they go. Some spend a lifetime studying words such as “Go” and they never get around to going. I never cease to be amazed at those who can analyze and explain the word “Love” to the nth degree, and yet they do not love. Their very presentations are characterized with so much pride and arrogance and aloofness, attitudes that one would not associate with love. The best experts in the word can also be so rude, so impatient, so dismissive, in their interactions. Yet they can explain the details of 1 Corinthians 13: that love is patient, love is kind. They do not show that they have learned to practice love. Yet they can explain why the simple expectations of our hearts are off base. Knowledge is necessary to obedience, but it seems that we can go too far in seeking knowledge, and forget to obey. God wants us to know him well enough to worship and to obey him. But it seems that it is the very awareness that God is too much for our minds that causes us to worship him. It may be, as Solomon says that study leaves us tired and too much study leaves us too tired to worship or obey. Yes, I know that some will say the more we understand God the more we will worship him. Some people never had a Bible. That includes Abraham back then, and the illiterate man in the jungle today. Some have only limited portions of the Bible in their language. Yet they have learned enough to respond to God. Thank God for the scriptures. We should read them. We should saturate our minds with them. We should seek the Lord and his will in them. But we can go too far. Some of us have gone to school to study the Bible. (It is not clear that we should have done that). But some have gone beyond that, to attach ourselves to particular schools of thought. That may be going too far. In so far as it fosters and maintains division within the church, it is clearly not desirable. The study of the word of God would have led to clear disobedience of the word. Surely they have studied the exhortation that there should be no schism in the body. |
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246 | Rowdy, Rowdy, are you sure? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132408 | ||
And thank you for your kind offer of help. I trust it will be OK with you if I decline. There are many areas in which I need help. But another discussion of Reformed theology is not one of them. The idea of considering the traditions of men is already settled with me. Now, some men answer harshly, and I do my best to avoid that. The question: “Do you think you know everything?” is one I have heard before, and I am doing what I can here to forestall it. Let us just say I do not have a felt need for the traditions of men, and no felt need to discuss any of them. If it helps let me also say that I have read more books, done more analyses, written more papers, than I care now even to remember. Should I have studied the religions of the world? Should I have compared and contrasted the major denomination of Christendom? I do not know. Truly I have found that “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). I have come to the conclusion that we are to “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”. Then you may ask why I visit this forum. Truly it is not to discuss the ideas of men or to learn from them. I am here to discover and to share ways to put the word of God into practice. My business is counseling, and I help people to do what the Bible says. My ministry is evangelism, and I seek in every way to preach the Gospel. At my age, that is about it for me. I seek to lay aside every weight so that I might run this race and finish it with joy, and theoretical discussions are, for me, a distraction. I learned some time ago that the ideas of men give rise to denominations and to division in the church, and that is not a good thing. They give rise to endless discussions with accompanying rancor and the result is further division. I have learned that I need to be one with every person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. I think we need to rely on the word of God alone, no other books, and the Holy Spirit. I realize there are others who think differently and I think we should not discuss it. As you can imagine, I think we can very well fulfill Deuteronomy 32:7 today. The days of old, and the years of many generations are covered in the Bible. Our father may very well be Abraham or Moses or Samuel or David or even Paul. He is the one who said “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). As for the elders, the apostles will do. They have told us (Hebrews 2:3,4; I john 1:3; etc.). We have always had to choose which tradition we would follow (Matthew 15:1-6;Galatians 1:14; etc.). I hope you find this response to be soft and gentle and loving, and that you can respond in kind (Colossians 4:6). I hope you will understand if I decide to stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught by our Apostle and High Priest, and by his apostles. The help I need is in practicing what they taught. |
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247 | Rowdy, Rowdy, are you sure? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132268 | ||
Thank you for taking the time to respond. What I want to say is simple. I think we put ourselves at a disadvantage when we get tied up with traditions of men and intellectual schools of thought instead of simply opening our hearts to the Spirit of God and the word of God. One gets caught up in a world of ideas put forth by men (though they claim to have gotten them from God’s word) and it takes so much time and effort to disentangle ourselves from them. We might want to simply ignore those nets, while still being aware of them, and take ourselves directly into the presence of God. As I pointed out, Abraham had no Bible, and yet he was a friend of God. Moses wrote a part of the Bible, yet he did not wrestle with the words. He went to God. If we are not careful we may make the word the major thing and the Holy Spirit a minor factor, simply to help us as we focus on the word. May I suggest that the Holy Spirit is the more important factor. The word is a guide, yes, and a check. But happy is the man who finds confirmation is Scripture for the thoughts that God has given him inside, in his heart, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Of course, it happens the other way as well, that the Spirit shows us God’s will in his word and enlightens us as to the application in life. ‘The Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days”, saith the Lord, “I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them”’. Please note that the Lord is not interested in what we know nearly so much as what we do (1 Corinthians 8:1). Imagine what God thinks of the fact we know so much about love but do not practice it. Love is the principal thing. Yet studious and educated people can be so unloving. On this forum, we operate in the world of words and ideas. If we looked out the window of this ivory tower unto the streets we would realize that most of the people, even the Christians, are unable to relate to the words we are using here: Soteriology, exegesis, hermeneutics. Nor is it because they are uninterested in the things of God. Most people have no principles of textual interpretation, except it is to simply take God at his word. They have not been to seminary or read the works of the scholars. They may not understand Greek or Hebrew, or even English grammar. But they understand that God wants us to love him and to love each others All of the word feeds into that, and that makes it all so simple. “An highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein”. I do not want to criticize or to pick at any point of doctrine because I think God knows we only hold to those points that divide us because of the company we keep. If we are uncomfortable when we think outside of that box, it may be that God is calling us to freedom from that box. There is tension between the flesh and the spirit (Galatians 5:17) but we are not encouraged to enflame this but keeping a constant eye on the traditions of men. I think it is these traditions that keep us arguing and moving so slowly to the truth. Forgive me if I am wrong in sensing this, but I do sense that you are tightly tied to one of those traditions. I guess, from your screen name, that you find your very identity in it. There is a tension then, because you are pregnant with the ideas of that tradition and would like to bring them forth. If I am correct, it would be very difficult for you to shake free of it, since you consider it the truth. But I am so impressed that in every group there are those who feel as strongly that their tradition is the truth. Instead of identifying the rules of interpretation in our different traditions, I would encourage all of us to shake loose of those traditions. Am I suggesting the impossible? That is what Paul did (Galatians 1:13-16; Philippians 3:8-14). Nor was he giving up the bad for the good. He was giving up the good for the better (Hebrews 7:19,22, etc.). And we might do ourselves good by following suit. That is all I mean to say here. “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing“. “Consider what I say; and may the Lord give you understanding in all things”. |
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248 | Rowdy, Rowdy, are you sure? | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132153 | ||
Hello DocTrinesofgrace: I am attracted by the spirit that you project, so I will chance an exchange or two with you. Please excuse my timidity because I have been lured and zapped before and while I take a stand for truth, I try to avoid unpleasantness. May I say that I think most people try to be comfortable most of the time. They choose traditions and denominations where they can be comfortable. If they are not comfortable they would like to transfer to another or else to stay home. Some people have been in a tradition for a long time (They may have been born into it or brought into it at a time of great need, similar to that of an infant) and it is very difficult to leave, therefore they find ways to accommodate to the norms of the group. May I suggest that a position like that is inimical to a search for truth since we are somewhat compromised by our need to please the people in our group. Many groups have rules of thumb or principles that hold them together. Examples are “The Bible alone and in its entirety”, “We speak when the Bible speaks and we are silent when it is silent”, “The Bible explains itself”, “We accept any experience that does not violate Scripture”, etc. We apply these principles, but we are unable to determine why we accepted them in the first place, except that they were chosen for us by the group. Why, for example, why does “the Bible alone” include commentaries on the Bible? Why does “the Bible in its entirety” not include the Apocrypha? Why can we not live on John alone? What if that was all we had? And what if we were like Abraham, with no Bible at all? What I mean to say is in three parts. First, we should not discount the social pressure to conform to our group, and the attendant limitations on our own integrity. Secondly, it is difficult to hold to the rules and principles as our minds search for truth. Thirdly, as I think you have stated, the norms of a religious group are not essentially different from those of any other social group. What is the alternative, then? Is it possible to acknowledge the existence of splinter groups but to give allegiance only to the Holy Spirit and to seek to fellowship as widely as possible with all Christians? That is what some of us have chosen to do, acknowledging all of the traditions while eschewing divisions in the body of Christ. What do you think? |
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249 | is it wrong to wear fine clothing | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132151 | ||
There is an answer, in the church. Our hearts were touched, and we came together at His Hows to discuss this case, almost as if it had been referred to us. What would we do? We think we have the answer and we trust that everyone everywhere can consider it. It is our judgment that this burden should be carried, not by one person, not by one family, but by the local church. We would base that principally on Galatians 5:2. We believe that other passages apply: 1 Thessalonians 5:14, Acts 20:35, Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:6, etc. But we should not have left out Galatians 6:10. Luke 14:33 has been quoted, and it applies. But it does not stand in isolation from the rest of Scripture. In fact it goes very well with Matthew 19:29 and Mark 10:30. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life”. We believe that the Holy Spirit showed the early church how this was to be operational zed. So we read in Acts Act 4:34 “Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need”. We anticipate that many would object to that as a form of communal socialism. But we believe the idea can work even in a capitalistic society. There is enough wealth to go around. The church consists of a wide variety of people, some with too much and some with too little. Or do people have to give away their things. There are businessmen in the church who can offer employment to the needy, teachers who can train workers, retired people who can offer their expertise, men who are older and wiser who can give advice, and rule and oversee. In fact, it seems that churches should be geared and prepared for situations like this. As a large group they can solve a problem like this that is too much for one individual to bear. We would appreciate your comments. Let me add before ending this, that we have tried this solution, taking needy cases to the church the client came from, and we have not always gotten a positive response. It seems that most church have other priorities, including building programs and suchlike. We do not mean to be critical here, nor do we attempt to dictate to the churches. If you think our idea is worthwhile, please share how we might get it across to the churches. If it is not, please also show us why with scripture. Again, I hope you will not decline to help us by sharing ideas, as we continue our attempts to help people. That includes worthy cases such as the one we are discussing here. |
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250 | is it wrong to wear fine clothing | 1 Tim 2:9 | Aixen7z4 | 132104 | ||
I hesitate to get involved in this since it is not clear to me what is happening here. Are these women saved? Are they attending church because they want to be saved? Does that church make a distinction? Some churches recognize members, visitors and seekers. A distinction is made in Scripture between salvation and sanctification. I think we will find that practical sanctification is gradual (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:26). But salvation is instantaneous (John 6:37;Luke 18:14; Romans 10:13), positional sanctification is instantaneous (1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Peter 1:2) It is a good and needed ministry, to help a new believer in the practical ramifications of their decision to follow Christ. But I understand the point made by PasserBy. A person must be willing to forsake all in order to follow Christ. Otherwise, as he says, we cannot be his disciples. We should try to help the people who have made that decision (1 Thessalonians 2:7). And may I say, it is one of the goals of our counseling ministry. We do not judge anyone, but we seek to help everyone who comes to us (Galatians 6:2; Romans 15:1). We need not judge God’s servants either (Romans 14:4; 1 Corinthians 4:5) as each of us is accountable to him (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). On the original question, may I say that it is possible to train one’s mind so that we respect each other and not lust after people’s bodies. Consider 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:16; 1Thessalonians 4:4,5. Meditate on these things. Think about God’s purposes for the human body. It might help to sanctify your thinking. People who dress and behave in a provocative way so as to arouse sexual desire in strangers should be pitied, especially if they earn their living that way. As we relate to them we would do well to remember the Lords word to Jeremiah, though it was given in a completely different context: “Let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them” (Jeremiah 15:19). You are to influence them; do not let them influence you! (NLT). |
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251 | Mark 12 | Mark 12:30 | Aixen7z4 | 131865 | ||
Please consider that we love God by loving one another. The way to show love for God is to obey his commandment (Exodus 20:6, 1 John 5:3). And his command is that we love one another (John 13:34; Romans 13:9). Love means giving (John 3:16; James 2:16). But there is nothing we can give to God (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 50:12;). Everything comes from him (Acts 17:25; 1 Timothy 6:17; James 1:17). But God has obligated himself to give to his people and he allows us to be a part of this. He gives to us so we can share. So we love God by giving of what he has given us (Hebrews 13:16) including spiritual things (1 Corinthians 4:1,2) to other people. As to how we do it, the words are “with all our heart and soul and mind”. Some verses add or substitute “all our strength”. It indicates that we should do it joyfully, with no reservation. We should be glad to do it, and we should do our best. Add to that we are to love ourselves. In other words, I am myself one of the people God wants me to love. But we must treat all people equally, including ourselves. If we can do that, then we are fulfilling all God’s requirements. It might be useful to consider each of the instruments of love: heart, soul, strength, mind. But it seems to me that includes everything: body, soul and spirit; in other words, our entire selves. One additional thought. Our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). Our strength is small (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our human minds lack wisdom (James 1:5). We must depend on God to shed his love abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5) and then to share it with others (1 John 4:7). It is God’s love that we share, and since we have received it freely, we can give it freely (Matthew 10:8). What if people don’t receive it? That is what they did when God loved us through Jesus Christ. But he gave his life for them anyway. Greater love hath no man than this. In other words, no man can do any better, even if he devotes all of his heart and soul and strength and mind to it. You ask how we can do it. We would not be able to answer the question if Jesus had not come and shown us. Look at how he did it. He laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16). |
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252 | Eph 4:8("given") vs Ps 68:18("received)? | Eph 4:8 | Aixen7z4 | 131494 | ||
He received gifts from the conquered? And he gave those to the church? He recovered men from the powers that held them, and gave them to the church? Possibly so. It is somewhat distressing to see the different ways the one passage (Psalm 68:18) is rendered in different translations. We may get some help, I think, by looking at what other scriptures say on the same subject. Who were the conquered? Would they be the same ones we read of in Colossians 2:15, that “having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it”? Are they not the evil powers, aligned with the devil, that had us in bondage (Hebrews 2:14,15)? What gifts would he have received from them? Are they the same gifts he gave to us (Ephesians 4:11): apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers? Jesus knew that he should depart out of this world unto the Father (John 13:1) and in John 14:3,12 he said that he would. In John 14:16 he said he would pray to the Father, and he (the Father) would send another Comforter. In John 14:26 he said that the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, was the one the Father would send in his name. In John 15:26 he said that the Comforter would come, as he would be sending him from the Father, “even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father”. In Acts 2:33, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he shed forth that which they were seeing and hearing. In Acts 2:38 Peter told them that all believers would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul says that the Spirit is not only himself a gift, but he brings gifts with him. “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:11 “All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will”. It is evident that the same Spirit who gives gifts to the men also gives the gifted men to the church. Thus, “he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11,12). So, it seems that Jesus ascends on high, receives the Holy Spirit from the Father and sends him into the world. The Holy Spirit brings gifts to individual believers and gives those gifted individuals to the church for the purposes stated. |
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253 | Eph 4:8("given") vs Ps 68:18("received)? | Eph 4:8 | Aixen7z4 | 131468 | ||
Hello: You seem to be concerned that Paul did not quote what David had said exactly. David had said that Jesus received gifts, and Paul is saying that he gave gifts. I would say we should thank God for the way he inspired both of those writers to reveal God’s will. But Paul was doing more than just quoting. The Holly Spirit was revealing to him something that was hidden in the psalm. Look at the passages again: Psalm 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men. Ephesians 4:8 When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. We should say that God wanted to know a little more through Paul. Jesus received gifts for men and he actually passed them on. Of course, Paul tells us even more: Eph 4:9-16 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Etc. We should not be surprised that the New Testament writers reveal more than the Old Testament writers did. Moses told us about a rock (Exodus 17:6). Paul tells us that it was really a Rock and that the Rock was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). David spoke about Christ in Psalm 16:9, but we would hardly realize that until Peter explains it in Acts 2:25ff. The whole idea of a church with gentile members was hidden in the Old testament but revealed in the new. But it is perhaps the greatest revelation we have in the New Testament is the truth about salvation, a truth tat was not as clear in the Old. “Of which salvation the prophets enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto us: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven” (1 Peter 1:10-12). |
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254 | Eph 4:8("given") vs Ps 68:18("received)? | Eph 4:8 | Aixen7z4 | 131376 | ||
Jesus received gifts from the Father and gave them to men. That's the way it goes. The Father also gave him power and authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:7,10) and to give eternal life to us (John 17:2). The Father sent him into the world to die for our sins (Hebrews 3:1), and he sends us into the world to preach the gospel (John 20:21). In the relationship between the Father and the Son, and between the Son and us, these things happen (1 Corinthians 11:3;12:6;15:28). |
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255 | What does watch over your heart mean? | Prov 4:23 | Aixen7z4 | 131257 | ||
The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do”. Many other Translations use the term “Guard your heart”. It might conjure a picture of something precious that we cannot well afford to lose, some sort of crown jewels, maybe, that must be guarded at all cost, “with all diligence”. Otherwise, it paints a picture of the heart as some sort of precious, fragile vessel or container that must be handled carefully. Some things must be put into it; the word of God, for example. “Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart” (Proverbs 4:21). The singer of Psalm 40 is wise then, for he says, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8 ). He says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart” Psalm 119:11. The law of his God is in his heart (Psalm 37:31). Christ wants to be in it. It is God’s will that Paul prays for; “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (Ephesians 3:17). Some things must be kept out of it. "Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them" (Proverbs 22:5). It is pictured as some sort of vehicle, that we must steer as it goes along. “Be wise, and guide thine heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:19). Even if it is a pushcart, and we walk behind it, we must not trust it to set the path. “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). Keep your heart. Be careful with it. Keep it full, of the word of God. Keep it clean. Keep it on the right path. Keep it, like the Savior is in it. Keep it with diligent care. Watch it. Guard it. Protect it. Because “out of it are the issues of life”. “It is the wellspring of life”. “That’s where life starts”. “It affects everything you do” (NLT). Seems that everything you think, say, or do, depends on it. If so, then we may need to watch it, and to understand it better. |
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256 | Why is our love important? | John 13:34 | Aixen7z4 | 131256 | ||
Isn’t that the truth? As so often is the case, the answer to the question is in the context. If it is important that the world know we are his disciples, then it is important that we have love for one another. Jesus says it is the way they will know (John 13:35). A disciple is a follower of the Master. How can we be a follower of Him if we do not have this characteristic? That is what he did. He loved his own (John 13:1). If we follow Him, we will love His own. But there is not enough information here to know if that is all the questioner is looking for. Is he asking what is so important in our love for the brethren that Jesus would single it out, among all of his characteristics, to make it the sign of discipleship? If so, we might say it is because love is the principal thing. God is love. Love is of God. Jesus came from God and no matter what else he did, he could not be of God if he did not show love. These themes are developed in John’s first epistle. Is he asking why it is important today? If so, I would suggest that it is not so important today. The fact is that believers do not love one another as they should. Also, there are false religions and cults where the members do show love for one another. It is as though Satan is mimicking the sign and leading people astray. People have to believe without seeing love among Christians. They have to be drawn by other factors such as their own need, the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit. Whereas demonstrated love among the brethren could help, they have to do without it. Is he asking why we should consider it important? Then I would answer that it is because it is the command that Jesus gave. It is important that we do what Jesus says. Indeed, Jesus does not give us many details about the ways in which we might show love for one another. He seems to be leaving it up to us to find ways to show love. The apostles found ways and shared a thousand of them with us, in things that we can do for each other. Look up “one another” in the KJV or “each other” in another translation. They also remind us that love is not a saying but an action. The questioner must be aware of that since speaks of “demonstrated love”. Since it is so important, we ought to practice it. |
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257 | ....one another! | John 13:34 | Aixen7z4 | 131249 | ||
Isn't it ironic, though? It was such a wonderful idea, to start this thread! In some sense this is a getting-together of Christians, like we might have in church. What an opportunity to do some of these things for one another. And yet ... Look back over the thread and see what we did to one another. It is like church, at least when we try to get away from sitting in rows and actually start interacting. I was very glad to see this list. I have made one myself. But I wonder now what good it is to have it when it is so hard to put any of it into effect. It is ironic because, in the plan of God, love is the be-all and end-all of it all. We have to begin with love. The command is to love, and that one command consolidates all commends, including love of God. When we love one another we have fulfilled the whole law, including the command to love God. But love means we think no evil (1 Corinthians 13:5). In this case, that means we do not assume that the brother is out to get us. We give one another the benefit of the doubt, that we mean well, that we are here for each other’s welfare. This could be a place where we have great joy and consolation in the love of the brethren (as in Philemon 1:7). It is ironic because we are not sure that anyone can afford to do that here. We realize that someone can come on even now to disagree with every point that has been made here. We can see into each other’s hearts and know each other’s motives and be just plain nasty and dismissive. But this was an opportunity for us to practice loving one another. Why do we miss it? Since no one is going to answer, I will say that the reason is fear. That strange emotion, that appeared in the Garden of Eden, comes to ruin everything. We have to overcome it in order to love. We have to take a chance. Take a stand, and do it. |
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258 | Springs? Source of life? | Prov 4:23 | Aixen7z4 | 131211 | ||
"Keep thy heart with all diligence", KJV says; "for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). It would be interesting to hear some comments on that. |
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259 | is bible real? | 2 Tim 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 131004 | ||
Sometimes the Bible seems like a fairy tale. The stories of Adam and Eve, of Joseph, and Joshua, of David and Goliath and Daniel in the lion’s den, these may seem like fantastic stories people could have made up. But the Bible deals with places and people that are not only historical but which exist today. Thus, Eden is in Iraq and Jerusalem is where it always was. The Jews are the same people the Bible talks so much about. The street that Jesus walked with his cross and the hill on which he was crucified still exist today. The Bible tells what happened and what will happen, and these can be checked against other sources, including today’s newspapers. More than that, the Bible tells us about ourselves and how our spiritual needs can be met. Act upon the word of God and you experience his promises of forgiveness, and peace. It is a guide for our lives. The Bible is a most realistic and meaningful set of books. |
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260 | How many words/verse are in the Esther? | 2 Tim 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 130999 | ||
My dear friend: Do you really believe that is the reason God gave us his word? Is it so we can count the verses or words or letters in one of the books? God has given us his word (John 17:8) so we can know Him and his Son (John 17:3). He wants us to know his will and to do it (Deuteronomy 29:29). His word is supposed to lead us to faith in Christ (John 20:31) and to a life of faith (Colossians 2:6). It is amazing to see people using the Bible as trivia when it is such a treasure. Let me encourage you to dig a little deeper. Even in the book of Esther, although you do not find His name there, you can find God. And that is what God wants (Jeremiah 7:23,24) I am sorry not to have answered your question. I am sure your curiosity has not been satisfied. But I trust you can accept this word of encouragement. The message in the word of God can satisfy the soul. |
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