Results 321 - 340 of 500
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Reformer Joe Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
321 | Who is the man in this verse? | Matt 22:11 | Reformer Joe | 29263 | ||
There are a couple of ways to answer this question. Parables were stories to teach one or two important truths, and everything in the parable doesn't necessarily correspond to something true spiritually. A good example of this would be in Luke 11 where we have the man beating persistently on his neighbor's door who reluctantly gives in to give him some bread for his guest. While we should be like the man outside in being persistent in prayer, we should not view God as someone who doesn't want to give to us but gets tires of us wearing Him down. In fact, the rest of the passage flatly says the opposite. In the case of the marriage feast, we don't necessarily have to hold that there are some people who will "sneak into Heaven undetected" to get the idea of the passage: that there are many who expect to be welcome in Heaven but are not clothed in proper attire (in this case, the righteousness of Christ). Jesus sums up the parable in 22:14: "For many are called, but few are chosen." Many are outwardly called to the feast, but only those who come on the King's terms will be granted participation in it. Reformed theology has a lot to say about the outward call to all men and the inward, effectual call of God to His elect, but suffice it to say that there are many who try to get into the feast without the proper credentials. One of the ministers at my church referred to this very parable this morning before our participation in the Lord's Supper, encouraging all who partake to examine themselves to see if they are "dressed appropriately" for the feast (i.e. if they truly possess saving faith in Christ alone). Hope this helps you understand better! --Joe |
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322 | John 3:16.. whoever believes not perish? | Rev 13:8 | Reformer Joe | 28934 | ||
Mylene: In answer to question #1... "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." --John 5:24 The very fact that we possess saving faith in Christ indicates that we are chosen. According to Reformation theology, all those who are chosen and possess the mental faculties to do so have or inevitably will embrace Christ, having received God's mercy. Those who are not chosen will continue in their unbelief and reap the just condemnation for their sins. Regarding question #2... "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." --John 3:18 Since those who are chosen are the only ones who will be persuaded and enabled to trust in Christ, then it logically results in those not chosen and given a new nature going to Hell. Regarding #3, The verse of Peter's you quote has been debated back and forth on this forum already. Arminians see the "any" and "all" in 2 Peter 3:9 as referring to those of the whole human race, while Reformed/Calvinist folks argue that the context of the argument in the rest of the chapter and the whole of the epistle lends itself to the conclusion that the "any" and "all" refer to members of the elect who will be saved at a future date. This is why God is postponing the end. As far as question #4, Arminians hold that the object of God's love is every single individual in the world. The Reformed argue that Jesus is not speaking of a specific, saving love toward every individual, but rather a love that is applied to those individuals that Jesus speaks of in John 3:21, those whose works were "wrought in God." The basis for this understanding is other passages in Scripture which clearly teach that Christians are chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1) as well as the reality that the entire world is obviously not saved, since people are passing into eternity without Christ even as I write this post. Number 5 is the trickiest question. It all depends on what you mean by a "secondary argument." If you mean that is it an issue on which our salvation hinges, then I believe that most on both sides of the debate would reply with an emphatic "no." People can be wrong on this issue and still be saved. Furthermore, I regularly fellowship with other Christians with whom I disagree on this issue. On the other hand, any church that takes the study of theology seriously at all will inevitably have to take a stand one way or another on this issue. The sermons from the pulpit will either have one slant or the other. It effects the evangelistic efforts and styles of its members, and it almost always leads to a difference in worship. If one takes theology and doctrine seriously, it will inevitably have an impact on the corporate life of the congregation as well as in the individual life of the believer. Theology truly believed will impact the whole outlook and behavior of the committed Christian. Of course, my fellow Christians who disagree with me on this debate will have their own interpretation of the differences, but I can tell you that in my case I felt convicted to leave a church that my wife and I had been members of for several years because of some of the natural results of Arminian theology. It had grown to a point where little confidence was placed in the Bible as a means of God's saving grace (emphasizing instead techniques and more contemporary music to be more friendly to the "unchurched" who, as far as I know, are still not in attendance at this church in any great force). Confidence seemed to be placed less on the Holy Spirit and His work in regenerating the sinner and more on what the church members could do in themselves to "bring a person to a decision," even if that decision were to be shallow and possibly not a true one for Christ alone. To sum up, to stay or leave a church should be based primarily on whether the whole counsel of God as found in Scripture is being preached faithfully and seen as the sufficient and complete guide to the Christian life; the administration of the Lord's Supper and baptism as Christ instituted them; and a system of church discipline that works to keep the church doctrinally pure and deal with obvious and unrepentant sin on the part of congregants. Hope this lengthy post helps you make whatever decision you need to make! Be in prayer about it, and search the Scriptures for the truth. --Joe! |
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323 | Why did God require only these things? | Jer 22:3 | Reformer Joe | 28201 | ||
Searcher: I don't see this as an all-inclusive list, but rather a simple segment of the law that these people would not fulfill. God often gives simple, direct commands that are merely a part of the whole law to demonstrate that we are not even capable of fulfilling the law in part without yielding to God (Romans 8:7-9). The case of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:21) is another good example of how a person will be told that that eternal life comes through a simple, direct act which demonstrates a larger obedience to the law (loving God completely and loving our neighbor as ourselves). --Joe! |
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324 | once saved always saved? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 28139 | ||
Yes, but please type in those exact words in the search box at the upper right! Happy hunting! --Joe! |
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325 | My husband and I are Christians . | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 28136 | ||
It is drunkenness that is condemned in Scripture. Wine was the common mealtime beverage (and still is around the Mediterranean). Our Lord consecrated wine for the Lord's Supper (yes, I am not a fan of grape juice and, yes, I know that exceptions need to be made). The temperance movement of the 19th century is what led to the abolition of wine in many Christian homes, and not any biblical mandate. Enjoy your wine and don't cause your brother to stumble (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 8:13). --Joe! |
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326 | Lucid? | Eph 1:13 | Reformer Joe | 27814 | ||
Yes...see my direct response! :) | ||||||
327 | Definition of worldly sorrow? | Matt 27:5 | Reformer Joe | 27789 | ||
NAV: I would not say that Jesus' sorrow was a worldly sorrow. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul is specifically speaking of the sorrow of the church at Corinth in response to his letter (most likely a rebuke). Paul is comparing the godly grief (God-given) that leads to repentance (God-given) rather than some kind of self-pity that results in no change of attitude toward the sin itself. Jesus never expressed either of these kinds of sorrows, because he was never rightfully accused of wrongdoing. I think Judas' suicide is perhaps the best example of a worldly sorrow leading to death (thanks to Sinclair Ferguson for this example). --Joe! |
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328 | When will I speak/pray in tongues? | Acts 2:6 | Reformer Joe | 27667 | ||
Are you sure you have your priorities right? "All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way." --1 Corinthians 12:30-31 "however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so that I may instruct others also, rather than ten thousand words in a tongue." --1 Corinthians 14:19 "Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying." --1 Corinthians 14:5 Regardless of whether you think the sign gifts are for today or not, Scripture is clear: 1. ALL do not speak in tongues, and that is apparently ordained by God (as all will acknowledge that we are gifted differently by the Spirit) 2. Speaking clearly the word of God for instruction is vastly superior to speaking in tongues. 3. Speaking in tongues is NOT the "pinnacle" of the Christian experience. Paul says that loving others is a "more excellent way" of edification, and that prophesying outranks tongues in importance. You are not missing out on the Christian experience because you do not speak in tongues. If you are missing out on it at all, it is because you do not find your sufficiency in Christ and the knowledge and reliance upon God's holy Word. --Joe! |
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329 | Bible publishing errors??? | Bible general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 27638 | ||
Charlie: Tell your Mormon friend that grammatical errors are not the fault of publishers. The types of errors a publisher makes are typographical ones. The grammar mistakes we see in the 1830 Book of Mormon (which have since been "corrected") are due to a fallible, unintelligent "translator" of some mythical plates written in a non-existant language called Reformed Egyptian. The fact is that the LDS had to clean up Jospeh Smith's poor command of the English language. Incidentally, a lot of the differences between the 1830 Book of Mormon and present-day editions are not grammar corrections but actual replacements of words and phrases due to changes in LDS teachings (such as banning blacks from the priesthood due to the "curse" that was put on the Lamanites). --Joe! |
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330 | Tie Isreal to "The Church" | Rom 11:17 | Reformer Joe | 27636 | ||
Okay...tall order, since there is so much Scripture here. This will be quite a "tip of the iceberg thing." Start off by reading Romans 9-11. Israel and the church are branches of the same tree. The Gentiles have been grafted on, but they are no less a part of the tree. Gentiles are spiritual descendants of Abraham: "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." --Genesis 22:18 "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise." --Galatians 3:29 "to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel," --Ephesians 3:6 The people of God are not merely those who are descended from Abraham. Being an Israelite genetically did not mean that one was an heir to the promise of Abraham or his spiritual descendant: "They answered and said to Him, 'Abraham is our father.' Jesus *said to them, 'If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham...You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." --John 8:39,44 "But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: 'THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.' That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants." --Romans 9:6-8 "Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called 'Uncircumcision' by the so-called 'Circumcision,' which is performed in the flesh by human hands--remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity." --Ephesians 2:11-16 Christ made the two into one new man. How is this for a start? --Joe! |
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331 | Want His justice or anger? Why? | Jer 10:24 | Reformer Joe | 27570 | ||
From your verse selection, it does seem that you were talking about judgment and chastening of the people of God. It is fair to state that God's anger is always just. What Jeremiah seems to be asking for is mercy from God. Scripture does indeed say that God chastens us and disciplines us as children. "He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently." --Proverbs 13:24 "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." --Revelation 3:19 God sometimes in his anger does destroy the body of a Christian. John 5:16-17 refers to a "sin unto death." Ananias and Sapphira see this first-hand in Acts 5. In his discourse on the Lord's supper, Paul suggests that by receiving it improperly many have become sick and that some have even died as a result of it (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). However, we can see from Jeremiah's verse that he completely understands what God's unmitigated anger will have as a result--being brought to nothing. --Joe! |
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332 | Want His justice or anger? Why? | Jer 10:24 | Reformer Joe | 27569 | ||
The reprobate justly get God's righteous anger. "But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?" --Romans 3:5-6 Christians mercifully get God's forgiveness through our propitiation, Jesus Christ. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." --1 John 4:10 Or were you talking about here on earth? --Joe! |
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333 | Who is the bride of Christ | Eph 5:25 | Reformer Joe | 27563 | ||
The church. --Joe! |
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334 | 1 Timothy 5 | 1 Tim 5:20 | Reformer Joe | 27561 | ||
Other than the pasages you quoted well, I would recommend a book entitled _Biblical Eldership_ by Alexander Strauch. It addresses a lot of the issues that you have raised. I regret to remind you of the obvious: that there may be nothing to prevent a split in the congregation. It is my experience that at times a split happens for reasons of keeping the congregation doctrinally pure, so not every split is a bad one (even though most if not all are heart-wrenching). Just make sure that, if that happens, you are on the biblical side of the split. And definitely be in prayer, because the Spirit of god can work in ways that we would consider impossible for human beings. --Joe! |
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335 | Is Godobligated to us, if so, how? | Is 45:23 | Reformer Joe | 27460 | ||
Yes...God is not obligated to us, except in circumstances in which he has already unconditionally bound himself by his word. "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" --Numbers 23:19 --Joe! |
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336 | Does God look for faith? | Luke 5:20 | Reformer Joe | 27432 | ||
Stephen: I do not see Luke 5:20 as the man being brought ot Christ by his friends, but rather forgiven based on the sovereignchoice of God the Son. Notice how he tells the Pharisees that he has the authority to forgive sins. At least one of the purposes for him doing so in this man's case was to clearly demonstrate that very authority that he possessed. --Joe! |
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337 | THANK YOU JOE | Rom 1:18 | Reformer Joe | 27424 | ||
Zion: Glad I could help! I suppose that your second question has to do with Romans 1:21. "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." This is a continuation of Paul's previous discussion on God revealing himself clearly in creation. This verse begins the response of sinful humanity to God's self-revelation. God, by virtue of being the creator and infinite in his perfection is absolutely deserving (and rightfully demanding) of our total praise and obedience. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, our chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. That was the purpose for which we were created. However, thanks to the Fall, our natures have been corrupted and we no longer serve the purpose for which we have been created (i.e. total allegiance and worship and obedience of God). R.C. Sproul uses the term "cosmic treason" to describe this supression of God's revealed truth and our unwillingness to honor God as the God that he is. Therefore, the judgment that will befall those who have rejected Christ is not based on rejecting Christ in itself, but this rebellion against God the Father. We all stand guilty of rebellion against our perfect Creator. Only those in Christ are forgiven of that sin and the sins resulting from that. The rest of Romans 1 illustrates the result of such defiance of God and the depths of the depravity to which God gave humanity over. --Joe! |
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338 | Kind of truth | Rom 1:18 | Reformer Joe | 27354 | ||
Zion: In addition to Lionstrong's comments, I would just like to point out that the rest of the Romans passage itself points out what that truth is: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." --Romans 1:18-20 So while Jesus was the clearest expression of God that has ever been revealed to the world, Romans 1 is speaking of things that have been clearly seen (and yet suppressed) since the creation of the world (i.e. creation itself). This is what theologians refer to as "the light of nature" or "general revelation." This truth has been made known to all, been made evident within all men, and yet in our sin we reject it. This revelation reveals God the Father to us, but this revelation reveals nothing about salvation for the sinner. That is when we come to the Bible, the other level of "truth": "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth." --John 17:17 Scripture, in that it reveals everything we need to know regarding the salvation that is through Christ alone, is often termed "special revelation." This self-revelation on God's part is above and beyond the general revelation in creation that simply leaves sinful humans without an "out." The biblical narrative, properly seen as Creation (Genesis 1-2), Fall (Genesis 3:1-14). and Redemption (Genesis 3:15-Revelation 22:21) presents the revelation needed to save the sinner. Therefore, in answer to your question (I think), the truth presented in Romans 1:1-3:18 is the truth that CONDEMNS the sinner. Verses 3:21-24 begin to reveal the gospel, which is the truth that SAVES the sinner. Hope this helps steer the discussion along! --Joe! |
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339 | Election? | Mark 13:20 | Reformer Joe | 27139 | ||
It seems like it has been ages since we have opened up this can of worms! :) I would do a search on "elect" to find the multiple threads on this issue. For relevant Scripture passages, which also have been thoroughly fleshed out from both sides of this debate, I would recommend Ephesians 1, Romans 8-9, John 6, Matthew 13 and 1 Peter 1 to look at what Jesus and the apostles say/write regarding the role of God and how much man can/will do in his unsaved state. Of course, John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 and Acts 2:38 also come into play. The debate, of course, is how the two sides of this coin (God's choosing according to Scripture and man's responsibility to repent and believe according to Scripture) are reconciled. Happy reading! There is a lot here. --Joe! |
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340 | why did jesus speak in parables ? | Ps 78:2 | Reformer Joe | 26926 | ||
Hello, Anonymous! You have written a lot of great works throughout history, so I just wanted to compliment you on most of them! As to your question, Jesus answered it Himself: Metthew 13:10-16. --Joe! |
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