Results 261 - 280 of 464
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Results from: Notes Author: Sir Pent Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
261 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15960 | ||
The Bible determines truth, not experience. I completely agree with you Kalos. I do not share my experience as a proof (which I stated right off the bat), but rather so that others could have a better idea of where I'm comming from. The great theologian, Charles Wesley, had 4 ways to determine truth. It has become known as the Wesleyan quadrilateral. The four sides are: scripture, reason (logic), church tradition, and personal experience. However, of the four, the most important and critical side is scripture, and all other sides must be judged according to it. I have found this to be a balanced way of discovering truth. In my opinion, the idea that a Christian is able to deny Christ is supported by all of these sides. Let me take them one at a time. There are many scriptural passages (Tim Moran has done a good job of bringing up many of these on this forum) which at least imply, if not appear to clearly indicate that it is possible. Scripture also leads me to believe in "free will", and the ability of human beings to either choose to accept or reject God. Logic would lead me to believe that if a person had truly "free will", then they could reject and deny Christ at any time. I can see no rational reason why something would eliminate this abiltiy when a person became a Christian. There is definately an abundance of Church tradition which supports this idea. It is found in both the Catholic Church, the Methodist Churches, and many Pentecostal Churches. (On this point, I should add that there is also significant church tradition supporting the opposing perspective. This is particularly true of the Baptist and Presbyterian Churches.) And finally, I have shared already how my own personal experience is in line with this belief. Therefore, it is not for only one of these reasons, but rather for all of them, that I am convinced that it is indeed possible (although extremely tragic) for a Christian to deny Christ. |
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262 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 15961 | ||
Correction, to that last post: I meant John Wesley. Charles Wesley was his brother the well-known hymn writer. I apologize for the confusion. |
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263 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 16035 | ||
Dear Nolan, I am sincerely both humbled and honored by your preceeding post. I too count it a great privaledge to be able to spend time together on this forum after so many years of seperation. I also am very encouraged that we are both of one heart and mind in regards to using this as an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. You mention the different paths which people take. I want to let you know how thankful and proud I am of you for letting God direct the path that you have taken. As I think back, I remember several friends who have instead taken control of their own journey, and have gotten lost. Some of them were once strong Christians, and it is a source of deep sadness for me. And yet, it brings me incredible joy that you continue to run the race before you. I know that there has been hardship, and pain at times in your life, and this could have driven you away from your faith. However, I have observed that instead it has caused your relationship with God to grow and strengthen. Since we are on the subject of Star Trek, let me close by quoting a line said by Spock in the second movie. "You have been, and always will be, my friend." |
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264 | Can A Christian disown Christ? | Matt 10:33 | Sir Pent | 117774 | ||
Personal Note............................................. Hello Colin, Thank you for your extremely generous compliment. I praise God that He has so moved in your life that you have come to a saving relationship with Him. I see from your user profile that this has just been in the last few years. Keep running the race that God sets before you. His way is perfect! |
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265 | explane matt 12:31-33 | Matt 12:31 | Sir Pent | 117654 | ||
Referral to another thread........................................... Welcome to the forum Lonnie, You have asked a good question, and one that concerns a lot of people. Please type in the number 21448 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen to find some comments by myself and others on this idea. |
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266 | What in the Word is an 'office?' | Matt 15:9 | Sir Pent | 14395 | ||
I did a search, and found 34 occurences of the words "office" or its derivatives (offices, officer, officers) in the Bible. They all appear to fall under three basic catagories. 1. Offices of military nature. In the OT there are of course many references to officers in the armies of Israel and other nations. In the NT there are two kinds of military officers, Roman soldiers and officers of the Pharisees and chief priests (ie. John 18:3). 2. Offices of administration. In the OT there are several officers in government positions, which report to kings and pharaohs. In the NT an example of this kind of office are the tax collectors (ie Luke 5:27). 3. Offices of church responsibility. These are what I think your questions is referring to. In the OT the priesthood was referred to as an office, although in the NT this particular office seems to possibly be limited to only Jesus Himself (Hebrews 7:21-25). Paul makes a claim to an office of minister of the church (Col 1:24-26). There also are verses referring to the offices of Bishop (I Tim 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9) and the office of Deacon (I Tim 3:8-13). Of these two offices, that of Bishop seems to be higher and refers to being responsible for the care and stewardship of a church. The office of Deacon seems to be one of lay leadership within a church and a person whom others can look to as an example. |
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267 | Offices today? | Matt 15:9 | Sir Pent | 14413 | ||
Dear Charis, I apologize for seeming to limit the responsibilities of the offices that I mentioned to only administration of man-made institutions. I was merely trying to define the positions based on the structure they are a part of. In practicality, I believe that these positions are very important to fulfilling God's will and sheparding the flock. I mentioned that the lower office of "Deacon" was to be held by people within a church that can be looked to as examples. This is very important for a church. It is important for people who attend any church to be able to not only learn about God in sermons or Sunday School, but to also see how the Christian life is to be put into practice. It is also important for there to be people in a church who can be sought after for spiritual counsel and advice. This is an important "service to the faithful". As for the office of "Bishop" (or what we now call pastor), I believe that they too have an important role. I Timothy 3:5 speaks of them "taking care of God's church". Titus 1:7 calls them "God's steward", which seems to say that they are responsible for the faithful in thier congregation. This is such an important "ministry to the Lord" that it can be overwhelming at times to many of these people. I would like to also mention the third category of higher denominational administrations (what we now call Superintendants, etc.). I do not know of a Biblical precedent for such positions, and many denominations are consistently attacked for being merely man-made instituions. However, I believe that there is value to having a connectional body of Christ (although that should be a seperate thread). I also believe that these higher administrators are being of service to the faithful by setting a vision of how they can effectively accomplish the will of God here on earth. Of course I believe that God can give individuals direction for how to follow His plan, but often much more can be accomplished when a large number of people are working together for the same goal. |
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268 | who was Jesus | Matt 16:15 | Sir Pent | 117327 | ||
A clarification.............................................. Most of Aniset's post agrees with orthodox Christianity. However, it is not biblical that Jesus was "created" by God. Jesus was God, and therefore always existed and was never "created". Lordman11, please be aware that Aniset is a follower of a group called the Jehovah's Witnesses, which are considered to be a cult by almost all Christians (including those on this forum). |
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269 | What does Matthew 24: 28 mean? | Matt 24:28 | Sir Pent | 23553 | ||
Clarification .................................. Dear Ross, You were asked by another forum member what religion you identify with. I would also appreciate learning more about you, including this information. Would you please either respond to this post, or update your user profile (which is currently blank). Thanks in advance. |
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270 | Who is Jesus? | Matt 24:28 | Sir Pent | 24442 | ||
Personal Note .............................. Dear Lisa, I am just finishing a book by Steve Sjorgenson (mispelled) called "Conspiracy of Kindness". It is an excellent little book, and has terriffic practical ideas for easy yet effective evangelism for people like yourself who are "confrontational evangelism" challenged :) |
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271 | Where does it say two were in the field | Matt 24:40 | Sir Pent | 117273 | ||
Personal Note......................................................... Hi Emmy, In this post you quoted the "New World Translation" of the Bible, which is to my knowledge only used by Jehovah's Witnesses. I would request that you clarify your background by updating your user profile. If you are a follower of the Jehovah's Witness group (considered to be a cult by almost all Christians including those on this forum), then people deserve to be made aware of it. |
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272 | Where does it say two were in the field | Matt 24:40 | Sir Pent | 117328 | ||
Personal Note................................................ Hello Henry and Emmy, By saying that you are not affiliated with any religious organization, do you mean that you do not meet regularly with any particular group of believers, or that you're just not an offical memeber of any particular group? |
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273 | Where does it say two were in the field | Matt 24:40 | Sir Pent | 117715 | ||
Personal Note......................................................... Emmy and Hank, I am glad to hear that you are involved in a small group Bible Study (as long as the "small group" isn't just the two of you). It is very important for Christians to worship God not only as individuals but also in a corporate group. God designed us to be social beings, and desires for us to fellowship with other believers. He uses this to challenge us (Proverbs 27:17), and it is even a command (Hebrews 10:23-25). I would encourage you both to find a local church where you will able to do these things on a regular basis. |
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274 | Where does it say two were in the field | Matt 24:40 | Sir Pent | 117843 | ||
Personal Note............................................. Hi Henry and Emmy, I'm glad that you are meeting with other Christians besides yourselves on a regular basis. I also understand you desire for more response on the content of you original post. The reason why I asked about the JW group is simply because we have recently had one prominantly participating in the forum and I didn't know if you were coming from the same place. You are relatively new here to the forum with few posts so far, and I just wanted to see where you were coming from. Please don't be offended for that was not at all my intent. As for the content of your post, I did not respond to it due to the fact that it dealt with the rapture and eschotology. I have not really studied either of these subjects deeply and do not have anything of interest to share on the subject. Perhaps someone else will :) Finally, it's good to have you participating here on the forum and I look forward to more correspondence in the future. |
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275 | Blasphemy against Holy Spirit | Mark 3:30 | Sir Pent | 119109 | ||
Referral to another thread............................................ Hi Hank and Norrie, I would like to point you to another post on this subject. If you search for post number 15952 you will find my personal testimony of a time in my life when I rejected Christianity and God. I was most definately a Christian before it happened (as opposed to those who say such people were never saved to begin with). I did not reject God due to fear (as you are talking about the disciple Peter). Instead, I actually decided that Christianity and my faith in God were in error and turned my back on them. Thankfully, God allowed me to live long enough to come back to a good relationship with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And I am glad to know that I am saved and going to Heaven now (as opposed to those who say that once a believer denies God that they can never return). |
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276 | Blasphemy against Holy Spirit | Mark 3:30 | Sir Pent | 119129 | ||
Personal Note.............................................. Hi Norrie, I'm glad that God was patient and forgiving and allowed me to come back. I also haven't forgotten Star Trek, although I haven't watched most of the new shows, and the old ones don't come on anymore. As for your questions regarding blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I think that it is not a one time thing that can't be forgiven, but rather something that can't be forgiven as long as you continue to do it. For more of my thoughts on this do a search for number 21448. |
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277 | Words were ADDED to later manuscripts | Mark 16:9 | Sir Pent | 119494 | ||
An opposing view............................................. Kalos, Unless I misunderstand your post, you seem to be quoting the position that words have been added to our modern Bibles that were not originally meant to be there by the authors or God. I disagree with that position, and would recommend that people interested in this subject type in the number 15780 into the "Quick Search" box at the top right corner of the screen. This will go to a thread that contains many forum member's thoughts regarding the inspiration of the Bible. The consensus was that we can trust the Bibles that we have today just as much as the originals, and that is what I believe. |
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278 | Words were ADDED to later manuscripts | Mark 16:9 | Sir Pent | 119797 | ||
Personal Note............................................. Hi Kalos, Thanks for your response clarifying your position. I am glad to hear that you also believe the Bibles that we have today to be "reliable". One word of caution though would be that you seem to still be saying that there were times when the Bible that people had was not reliable. By saying that some of the later "manuscripts" had words added, or that "earlier translations" were less reliable, you still introduce doubt into the authority of scripture. If you can judge those previous Bibles to be faulty that the people of their day trusted, then how do you know that hundreds of years from now people won't say the same thing about our Bible today? I believe that God has protected the truth and accuracy of His Word throughout all the time, copying, and translating since it was first written. Therefore, I believe that the Bible was just as authoritative in the manuscripts that the early church had, as it was in the early translations (like KJV) that the people had hundreds of years ago, and as it is still today in all of the major translations (NAS, NIV, etc.). |
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279 | Words were ADDED to later manuscripts | Mark 16:9 | Sir Pent | 120431 | ||
My answer........................................................ Hi Tim, I'm always glad to see your posts on the forum, although they are less common than they once were. Your question of how do I reconcile all of the variant texts in ancient manuscripts is a bit too broad. However, just like the supposed "contradictions" that people often bring to the forum, I do believe that there is an explanation for each of them if taken one at a time. |
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280 | Words were ADDED to later manuscripts | Mark 16:9 | Sir Pent | 120511 | ||
Personal Note........................................................ Hi Tim, I'm glad that we share the confidence in the authority of scripture both when it was written and even still today. I also look forward to more participation from you when your life calms down a bit. Until then, enjoy the piano :) |
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