Results 381 - 400 of 494
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Results from: Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
381 | Is John 3:16 for real? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 28488 | ||
Hi, Dan; Thanks so much. Our choir has sung an anthem based on that passage (29:11-13): '"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."' The piece had been commissioned by a family whose daughter was murdered a few days before her wedding. This was a passage that her family turned to often in their grief. The anthem was beautiful; knowing its origin made it all the more precious and planted that passage firmly in my mind. Anyway, I'm glad I was able to help. God bless you too. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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382 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28486 | ||
Hi, Lanny; I hope I don't sound like I'm interrogating you.... Paul's words seem pretty clear - first person singular, present tense - so I can't see where your before-and-after interpretation might come from. I also can't think of anywhere in the Bible that says anyone other than Jesus can lead a sinless life. That is the goal, of course. The Bible contains many calls to Christians to live a holy life. But as a fallen race, failure is a certainty. Consider 1 John 1:8-10 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." Or Paul's much shorter "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Neither John nor Paul qualifies his statement by suggesting that it applies only to people before they are saved. Indeed both were writing to communities of believers, many of whom were undoubtedly saved. If we are able to live a perfect life, what did Jesus die for? Only to pardon those sins we committed before we were saved? That's not what the Bible says. In the passage above, John said "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.". And he continued "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:1-2) No before-and-after qualification, just an unequivocal statement that "if we sin", Jesus' death has already atoned for it. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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383 | How could Paul hand him over to Satan? | 1 Cor 5:5 | stjones | 28434 | ||
Greetings, Nolan; Two agreements in a row; we must be reading from the same book. ;-) I appreciate your encouragement. I'm sure you know that I respect your views even when I disagree with them. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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384 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28419 | ||
Hi, Lanny; Thanks for the reply. I am indeed implying that I can't live a sinless life. Which might be really depressing if not for the fact that even Paul couldn't manage it (Romans 7:14-24, for example). Are you implying that you are able to live a sinless life? If so, I commend you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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385 | Present tense | Col 2:17 | stjones | 28417 | ||
Thanks, Nolan; Nice to know I'm back on track. ;-) Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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386 | assurance of salvation | Matt 7:21 | stjones | 28394 | ||
Hi, Lanny; I hope I'm not piling on here, but this statement troubled me: "Only those that do the will of the Father shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.... God's will is ... that we sin no more" Are you saying that admission to Heaven is dependent on sinning no more? If so then it seems to me that Heaven will be populated exclusively by people who professed their faith in Jesus and dropped dead on the spot. I know I won't make it; I don't know anyone who will. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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387 | Translation | Rom 1:1 | stjones | 28392 | ||
Note to djconklin and EdB: Speaking from experience as one who has probably violated both rules 2 and 3, I think I can safely say that each of you has one foot over the line and one foot on a banana peel. Just my opinion, of course. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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388 | Present tense | Col 2:17 | stjones | 28389 | ||
Hi, drconklin; Mightn't it be true that Paul used the present tense because dietary laws, holy days and Sabbaths were a present reality and still observed by the Jews and promoted by the Judaizers? Those promoting adherence to the Law would not know or acknowledge that such requirements had been crucified with Christ. For them, not understanding that the Law was a mere shadow (i.e. Hebrews 5, 8-9), the rules would still be in effect and they would criticize Jesus' followers for not obeying them. Just my 2 percent of a dollar. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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389 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28327 | ||
Hi, serenetime; Scroll up about 20 messages or so in this thread to the one entitled "Greetings martyr! The Bible says that... " posted by my good friend Nolan Keck Sun 12/23/01, 12:06am. If you read down through that thread, you will find a most ... um ... lively exchange about this passage and what it means or doesn't mean. Enjoy. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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390 | How could Paul hand him over to Satan? | 1 Cor 5:5 | stjones | 28324 | ||
Hi, Nolan; I liked my answer in a related thread so much I decided to post it here too. ;-) There are two possibilities that I can think of: (1) This person, Mr. X, is already saved but abusing his freedom in Christ. Paul wants to cut him loose so he can directly experience the consequences of his sin. He will be cut off from the fellowship of believers and back in the world ruled by Satan. There he will find disease, jealousy, drunkenness and the whole catalog of ills described in Romans 1:20-32. Mr. X will either repent or waste the remainder of his life in this sorry state. Either way, his spirit will be liberated from his sinful nature. (2) Mr. X is not/may not be saved. By sending him back to the world described in Romans 1:20-32, Paul hopes that Mr. X will recall the teaching and fellowship of the church and realize that he is "exchanging the truth for a lie". He will, Paul hopes, return to the fold and be saved. In either case, a bad apple is being removed. At least that's how it looks to me.... Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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391 | how should christians view evolution | 1 Tim 6:3 | stjones | 28222 | ||
Hi, Mommapbs; Thanks for the reply. Behe's book is excellent. I don't know that he did away with every nuance of evolutionary theory but he certainly threw a huge monkey wrench into Darwin's works. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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392 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28209 | ||
Hi, Nolan; Agreed. 100 percent. No apologies. Amen! Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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393 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28189 | ||
Hi, Nolan; Bad choice of words, "bludgeon". So I'll apologize - hopefully the last apology in this thread. Iron sharpens iron. As I told Hank in another reply, you and Tim and kalos challenged me to do two things I don't do as often as I should - (1) dig deeply into a verse or two and (2) think out of the box (mine, not the Bible's) about God. We disagree on the answer but sometimes seeking the answer is its own reward. So I hope you agree that our tussle had value. I just checked myself over - a few bruises, no blood, no permanent damage. I hope it's the same with you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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394 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28184 | ||
Hi, Hank; Yes and no. The answer is not important. Seeking the answer is. Such questions challenge me do two things that I don't usually do - dig deep into a single verse or two and think out of the box (mine, not the Bible's) about God. Just another example of the journey being more important than the destination. Happy New Year to you too. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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395 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28094 | ||
Hi, Nolan; I'm sorry to have offended or upset you. I hope you can understand that I am unable to succumb to mere numbers and opinions and abandon what I understand the Bible to say or not say. As for your effort being "in vain", it was if your intent was to bludgeon me into submission - I do not share your certainty about Judas' fate. We obviously disagree; I had thought it could be respectfully. Despite all the impassioned assertions by you and others, the Bible does not explicitly say that Judas went to hell. It does not explicitly say that his repentence was of an inferior variety. It does not explicitly say that "his place" refers to hell. It does not explicitly say that "better to have never been born" is equivalent to damnation. These are all valid interpretations of what the Bible says, but they are not explicit statements. The interpretations offered by you and the others are plausible. I would have thought that by my uncertainty of Judas' current whereabouts I was acknowledging that. He may indeed be in hell. But other interpretations consistent with the rest of Scripture are possible too. Perhaps the certainty that Judas is in hell arises not from anything the Bible explcitly says but from a fervent desire to see him there. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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396 | is no one going to answer me? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 28046 | ||
Hi, Grace; Why do you play? If it is only to please God (as some suggest should be the case), you should console yourself with the knowledge that your "audience of one" truly does appreciate your hard work. But don't feel guilty if your motives aren't as pure as that. Maybe you play to enrich the congregation's worship experience. Maybe you play because someone asked you to. Christians are supposed to encourage one another (1 Thess 5:11). Encouraging is a gift (Romans 12:6-8). I don't think it's unreasonable to hope for encouragement from the congregation. For some reason, church musicians often seem to be the least appreciated servants, maybe because they "play" while others work. I agree with kalos. A word with the pastor or trusted elder might get your expectations (and needs) and the congregation's better aligned. I hope the collective wisdom of the forum has been of use to you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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397 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28044 | ||
Hi, Nolan; All excellent points. But I must continue in my ignorance - I simply do not know Judas' heart or God's final judgment on him. I appreciate the fact that you have relied on Scripture to support your conclusion. A lot of commentators have been cited in this thread, all claiming that Judas went to hell. I finally went to the commentaries and study Bible that I use to see what those writers thought. Not one of them addressed Judas' ultimate fate. I take this to mean that there are scholars who, like me, cannot find sufficient evidence in the Bible to declare with certainty what that fate was. I guess they are as ignorant as I am. ;-) Peach and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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398 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 28007 | ||
Merry Christmas, Tim; At least one day we'll know one way or the other. It's certainly nothing important enough to come between friends. It's almost a hobby with me to imagine (without contradicting Scripture) a God who is bigger and more surprising than I thought. I figure no matter what I come up with, my brain is still way too small to contain him. It helps keep me from thinking that I have him figured out. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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399 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 27999 | ||
Hi, Tim; Please see my (lengthy) response to Nolan. Peter's sin was vastly different from Judas' so I don't think they can be equated. I agree that Judas' actions after realizing what he had done seem wrong, but I don't see how he could have known what was right. He couldn't ask Jesus; he dared not go to the disciples, the religious leaders had betrayed him ("What do we care?") and until Jesus, everything he knew about God had come from them. As I said in the original post, I just don't know and I can't see that the Bible provides a definitive answer. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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400 | Judas went to hell? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 27997 | ||
Hi, Nolan; If I have you and Tim arrayed against me I know I've written something that requires further thought. But having thought about it a bit more, I'm inclined to defend my position. (That position, by the way, is NOT that "Judas went anywhere but hell". I said I didn't know where he wound up; I still don't know.) The various translations of Matthew 27:3 certainly do hold open the possibiliy that Judas truly repented. In these four, for example, the Greek word is translated as either "seized with/felt remorse" or "repented": [NIV] When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse ... [NASB] Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse ... [KJV] Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself ... [RSV] When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented ... Is this a word unrelated to true repentance? It is the same word that Jesus used in Matthew 21:28-32, translated first as "changed his mind" and second as "repent": [NIV] "What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.' 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. "Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" "The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." The second use is clearly related to gaining entrance to the Kingdom of God. We don't know what was in Judas' heart and so don't know if he truly repented. English translations of Matthew's gospel may not prove that he did, but they certainly leave it as a real possibility. The other passages are inconclusive. Judas in either Heaven or hell could not be a part of the disciples' earthly ministry, so they replaced him. "His place" might have been the field where he died - that was probably the last they'd heard of him. "Better if he had not been born"? Yes, far better than to be the one who betrayed Jesus. Perhaps Judas in his remorse/repentance figured that out and did what little he could to correct the error of his birth. What the Bible does not say is that Judas went to hell. It says he committed a grevious sin and the consequences of his sin were terrible. It describes the earthly cost to him - remorse, suicide, and universal contempt. It does not say that the cost included eternal damnation. I am not willing to judge Judas' heart. And I am not willing to assume that the actions of a man clearly driven by remorse and self-loathing were improper and somehow prove that he did not really repent. What I am willing to do is express thanksgiving to a God who could - and perhaps did - forgive even Judas. Peace and grace Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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