Results 361 - 380 of 465
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Parable Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
361 | The Genealogy of Jesus? | Matt 1:1 | Parable | 47832 | ||
The question of Christ's lineage is not foolish, but rather established in scripture that we might see yet another prophecy fulfilled in Him. Teengurl, the verse you cite relates to the false pride of jews who felt they were of God by virtue of their geneological charts connecting them to Abraham and that anyone without such a chart was not truly a jew. By the way, why did you change your user name? Parable |
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362 | another hypothetical, applied ethics | James 4:7 | Parable | 47823 | ||
Yes, but perhaps this is for God to do, not us, because He alone is righteous. As I see it, my question relates more to the path of the paramedic than to the fate of Satan. I suggest the only option for a believer is to render aid without regard to consequences. This is consistent with Jesus' command to love our enemies, and Satan is THE Enemy. If we do nothing, we have not acted with love. In that case, we are no better than those who avoided the injured man in the story of the Good Samaritan. Also, if we let him die so present evil can be removed, I submit that present evil will be replaced with the evil that was done by us in letting him suffer and die. If we kill him, so much the more. |
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363 | another hypothetical, applied ethics | Not Specified | Parable | 47776 | ||
Here's another hypothetical to spark your imagination. Yes, there are many reasons it is silly, but that's why its called a hypothetical: You are a paramedic. You find Satan lying on the ground, injured and bleeding. Without first aid, he will die. Let us also say that if Satan dies, the evil now present in the world would disappear. Your options are: do nothing, let him die render aid, save his life kill him, hasten the removal of evil What should you do? Explain. |
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364 | another hypothetical, applied ethics | James 4:7 | Parable | 47778 | ||
Here's another hypothetical to spark your imagination. Yes, there are many reasons it is silly, but that's why its called a hypothetical: You are a paramedic. You find Satan lying on the ground, injured and bleeding. Without first aid, he will die. Let us also say that if Satan dies, the evil now present in the world would disappear. Your options are: do nothing, let him die render aid, save his life kill him, hasten the removal of evil What should you do? Explain. |
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365 | A hypothetical question | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 47774 | ||
Perhaps another possibility is this, although my answer no doubt is problematic, as I will demonstrate. Offer to take the place of the unbeliever. This what Christ did for us and if we are to be like Him, this is what we should be prepared to do. see John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." On the other hand, Jesus' work on the cross is completed, once for all. Romans 6:10 "The death he died, he died to sin once for all..." and 1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ died for sins once for all..." Also, in Luke 16, the story of the rich man and Lazarus, "31He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' Hence, it is unlikely the unbeliever will repent even if another volunteers to take their place. I note that Christ did volunteer with no guarantee that anyone would believe. |
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366 | How to explain Jesus' exclusive claim? | John 14:6 | Parable | 47744 | ||
Excellent response! Clearly, you have the kind of insight that comes from practical experience. We should highlight this response somehow for those who later do a search on this topic. Thank you! |
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367 | i dont go to church | Deut 5:16 | Parable | 47739 | ||
then start with the counselor at your school. | ||||||
368 | Is it just I don't wantto know the truth | Deut 5:16 | Parable | 47737 | ||
Pain can be a message that something is wrong, and it makes us attend to healing or stop whatever we're doing that hurts us. Listen to it. I think, that out of enthusiasm for the Lord, you have taken on too much. This is a sign that perhaps your efforts are being driven by your will and not His will for you. Pain can also be a sign of progress. Your view of the world is expanding rapidly, not just from knowing Christ, but also from the natural process of growing up. That's why they call them "growing pains". You can be comforted by knowing that everything God has done, He has done for you. RELAX. Trust Him to keep you safe. He has given you your parents to this purpose. Rather than work to bring email friends to Christ, let your life show the light of Christ to your family and friends. There is a famous saying "Preach the Gospel everywhere you go, and if you must, speak." This means live so others can see Christ in you, this is much more compelling than you trying to save them. After they see Christ in your life, they will be interested to know more. At that time, wait for the Holy Spirit to guide your words. Luke 12:11-12 says "...do not worry about...what you will say, 12for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." And yes, a 19 year old is a man, at least physically. I close with this thought "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." -- Proverbs 15:22 |
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369 | MASTURBATORY PROCLAMATION | 2 Cor 12:20 | Parable | 47671 | ||
Amen! Blessed are the peacemakers! Parable |
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370 | Maybe I should explain further... | Deut 5:16 | Parable | 47668 | ||
Think about it. The fact you have this question in your heart shows that something is not right. Trust that small voice inside you that tells you to LISTEN to your father. You don't need anyone to tell you how you are disobeying, you already know it but you want someone else to prove it to you. That voice you hear is the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention. That other voice, the one trying to get to disobey, is one you must not listen to. And yes, the scripture applies to you. You said "I want to bring him to Christ". Don't be fooled. The only one who can bring your friend to Christ is the Holy Spirit, not you. This is a dangerous time for you because you may fall into the sin of thinking you are able to do only what God can do. That was Adam and Eve's problem in the garden and all of us must remember that no matter how strong our faith or calling, WE are nothing. Give it to God, trust that His Will be done and honor your father with obedience to not just his words, but also his intention. |
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371 | But how am I disobeying them? | Deut 5:16 | Parable | 47663 | ||
By communicating privately with anyone over the computer, you are disobeying your father. Posting notes to a forum such as this one is probably ok with him, unless you engage in extended dialogues with just one person or you start to get personal. You said his instructions were "not to talk to "men" on here". There are good reasons your father gave you these instructions and even if you don't understand them, you must live up to his trust by obeying him in this. Believe me, his reasons are sound and if you disobey, you are putting yourself in danger. Absolutely DO NOT ever meet anyone you communicate with over the computer. There are thousands of sick men on the internet who are looking to deceive you into becoming vulnerable to them so they can hurt you. They might even pose as someone who needs you to bring them to Christ. You have done your part for this 19 year old person, let the Holy Spirit do His will in him. As it is, your have no idea that this person has been truthful, right? But God knows and He accepts your prayers for that person, but He does not want you to disobey your father nor for you to meet with this person. I know this from years of experience in this world where I have seen evil work its ways by lies and deception. This is one of those situations. I encourage you to tell your parents about what is going on. |
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372 | John 15:2, "cut off" or "lift up"? | John 15:2 | Parable | 47659 | ||
In v2, Jesus says "every branch of mine". In v6, He says "if a man does not abide in me". There seems to be a distinction between branches that are in Christ and those that are not. To me, it seems reasonable that they would not be treated in the same way. |
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373 | the barren branch never was a branch? | John 15:2 | Parable | 47658 | ||
I rather like Boice's view that "airo" means to "lift up" off the ground rather than "take away". To me, it is more consistent with the idea of branches actually being in Christ and His intention of making them fruitful. Otherwise, we must read into His words that some branches He referred to as "in Him" really were not or that barreness really means "dead", requiring us to explain how branches once alive in Him actually died or finally that He is expecting US, and not the Holy Spirit, to be the agent of our fruitfulness. Thanks for the commentary notes! Parable |
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374 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 47656 | ||
I am dismayed that you have resorted to invective. Specifically, I object to your use of the following phrases: "If there is anyone out there who is truly a Christian or who honestly wants to follow in a Lord/discipleship relationship with Jesus Christ" and "the spiritual status of this Forum is about as vibrant as a cold dead corpse. Is there ANYONE out there that is seeking a close relationship to Jesus Christ? Do all want to justify sin in wake of what the Bible and what our consciences clearly tell us?" These remarks are not consistent with the second rule governing posts to this forum, found in the green box after you hit "preview". It reads "This post is not intended as a personal attack on the authority of the Bible or on other users of this forum." Furthermore, Matthew 7:1-2 instructs "1Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Regarding Mark 9:43, Jesus did not talk about "doing away" with "thoughts", he said to "cut off" "hand" or "foot" or to "pluck out" the "eye" if they cause you to sin. Yet, I acknowledge that it would violate Matthew 7:1-2 if I said that because you soften Jesus' words that you don't want to be a "real Christian" or that your spiritual status is "cold" and "dead". Regarding Matthew 19:12, you say "Jesus clearly led them to believe that it was a reachable or attainable goal, by giving them some examples in verse 12. The examples Jesus gave in verse 12 are eunuchs; "12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[3] because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it." The footnote [3], at biblegateway.com, says the word translated "renounced marriage" can be translated "have made themselves eunuchs". As I understand the term eunuch, that is a male who is castrated. Is this what you meant by "attainable goal"? Is this how we can handle our "sex drive AND be able to remain pure and undefiled in both a marriage relationship and as a single person without a "necessity" to masturbate"? I submit Jesus discussion rather demonstrates that it takes EXCEPTIONAL circumstances to maintain continence and He only expects some to be able to accept this, yet He does not hold it against those who cannot. Parable |
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375 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 47622 | ||
Once again, my intent is not to justify masturbation, but rather give account for my belief the Bible does not speak to it. This is indeed the point of your remark "...warn us against those who use Scripture or teach against what has been clearly revealed to us as the Truth". This whole discussion is about what it is that has been CLEARLY revealed as the Truth. With regard to my wife, I am not seeking the counsel of anyone on this or any other internet forum. I shared a personal example from my life in the hope that it might comfort others who may be struggling with excessive guilt over their own practices and to offer a suggestion as to how to manage themselves with a balance between discipline and compassion. "Just Say No", although a great idea, never was very effective for people struggling with drug addiction and in my experience, it's not much use for those who have normal, healthy sexual drive but who don't wish to fornicate or be adulterous. This is especially true for adolescents dealing with the powerful hormones driving their development. Teens please note: sexual energy is powerful and it must be respected with the utmost seriousness; do not think that masturbation cannot become a serious problem physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If I have misquoted you, I sincerly apologize. So that I won't misunderstand you, as you suggest, please clarify what you mean by "You can misquote or misunderstand me to any degree that you prefer." Finally, I note that you did not respond to my questions about Mark 9:43 and Matthew 19:11. I can see how my asking might be contrued as insincere, but I genuinely am interested in how you apply or do not apply them to this topic. Thanks for your patience with me. Parable |
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376 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 47617 | ||
My purpose was to consider the verses you suggested. So, I presented them in full and noted how in the discussion of sexual sin, each emphasized conduct with another person. Parable |
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377 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 47614 | ||
Makarios, Thank you for responding in the spirit of speaking the truth in love. As I stated clearly in my posts, I am not attempting to justify masturbation nor encourage anyone to sexual sin. We agree the Bible speaks clearly with regard to sexual immorality. For those who have not read the entire thread, my posts question why the Bible does not address masturbation at all, let alone with the clarity given to fornication, adultery, incest, beastiality and homosexuality. Obviously, Makarios disagrees. I have acknowledged Paul's compromise for our weaknesses regarding continence, i.e. marriage itself and sexual activity therein. Yet also, I have acknowledged Jesus' explanation of the origin of sin, i.e. that our sinful actions spring from the content of our hearts and our obsessive thoughts are equivalent to our obsessive acts. This is consistent with the many verses Makarios has cited. I agree that masturbation is not irrelevant or problem-free; it can lead to pornography and acts which clearly are sinful. Also, it is quite possible for people to indulge themselves with masturbation in the same way they can with eating (gluttony), drinking(drunkeness), leisure (sloth) and work (neglect of other responsibilities). Yet, in the example from my own life, masturbation has been part of coping with the loss of opportunity for intimacy, perhaps as a compromise similar to Paul's compromise with marriage, to help preserve fidelity during a prolonged test of my marriage. Am I proud of masturbation? No. Am I ashamed? No. Am I falling to temptation and indulging in sin? I submit the Bible doesn't say, but I do know that over this difficult time, I have not fallen to the temptation of adultery; I have honored my committment to my wife and I praise God that he has helped me in this. (and no, I did not say God helped me to masturbate!) Finally, I admit the possibility that I have been seduced by the enemy to proudly commit a sin I don't recognize in order to avoid committing ones that I do. This is true for more than just masturbation. The answer to this is conviction by the Spirit. If I sin, I pray He will show me the truth of this and that He will do so for all who need this lesson, as all of us do. Parable |
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378 | the barren branch never was a branch? | John 15:2 | Parable | 47525 | ||
In other words, as I understand the conclusion of the commentary you provided, the barren branch never was a genuine offshoot of the Vine. Is this an accurate description of what you believe? |
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379 | What then, is the meaning of John 15:2? | John 15:2 | Parable | 47512 | ||
I've not heard this interpretation before, i.e. the barren branch is really a dead branch. To a vinedresser, there is cleary a difference between a dead branch and a barren one. If John meant "dead branch", why didn't he just say that? This is hard for me to accept because in this metaphor Christ is the vine, the source of life for all the branches. To suggest that it is possible for a branch in Him to die is contrary to the idea of "everlasting" or "eternal" life. It seems we would then be forced to suggest that those branches that died were never really "in Christ", as your examples may be interpreted, yet the verse clearly describes them as being "in Christ". Alternatively, if we accept that "barren" really means "barren" and not "dead", and "takes away" means just that, then we are confronted with the notion that we must bear fruit to remain in Christ. For confirmation of this, we could appeal to James 2:26 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead", but I'm not sure this is appropriate. For James, deeds are in fact the fruit of faith, but he is talking about how we glorify God to others; faith alone is useless as even the demons have faith, v19. People are convinced by what they can see, faith in action. To me, John is speaking to theological issues, not the practicalities of daily living, so to take James remark to support this view of John seems like a stretch. However, the harmony of the Bible cannot be denied. To me, the best translation of "take away" is "lift up" and the best interpretation is that the vinedresser is working to bring the branch into fruition. I acknowledge this could just be wishful thinking on my part. Parable |
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380 | so "cuts away" means "prunes"? | John 15:2 | Parable | 47493 | ||
For the branches that bear fruit, I agree. But for those that does not bear fruit, the verse, by the translation "cuts away", seems to suggest the branch is removed completely. Are you suggesting that the fruitless branch is only being pruned, and not cut away altogether, in order to stimulate growth? |
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