Results 41 - 60 of 63
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: Bill Mc Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Does God hate or love sinners, or both? | Rom 5:8 | Bill Mc | 19776 | ||
Dear Ray, I freely admit that I did not put much work into my answer. Searcher56 is posting questions in which he is seeking to prove HIS point that we are still under Old Testament law. My proof is one of the responses that he gave to your answer to a recent question. Search56 himself writes: "Second, we are not free from the OT Law, just its punishment ... as already pointed out in other post." Such a statement is not only false, it is misleading. Rather than upholding the Law, it demeans it. To say that a law has no punishment makes that law meaningless and of no effect. If the speed limit is 65 MPH, and no one is ever given a ticket for breaking that law, then a 65 MPH speed limit becomes meaningless. How can one say that you MUST not go over 65 MPH, but if you do, then their is no punishment for it? One cannot enforce a law if there is no consequence for violating that law. The Bible says, "Thou shalt not murder." But if a murder is commited, then punishment should be executed. To say that there is no punishment for murder invalidates the law. This is the atrocity of those who would uphold OT Law as completely binding on believers today. They will make ignorant statements like, 'We are not free from the OT Law, just its punishment,' thinking they are upholding the Law when, in truth, it is a subtile attempt to destroy it. The wages of sin is ALWAYS death. To insist anything else cheapens the sacrifice that our Lord made on the cross. To insist anything else demeans the true purpose of the Law to show us exceedingly sinful that we might come to Christ. There are plenty of posts on this forum that offer solid scriptural proof that believers are under a new law and a new covenant. There are plenty of posts that offer definitive proof that the OT Law has passed away. But some on this forum choose to ignore that solid scriptural evidence by quoting the OT. That is their choice. But they seek to disturb the body of Christ, His church, by mixing law and grace. Paul says in Gal 5:12 concerning those who would try to put the church back under the Law: "I wish that those who are troubling you would (not just cut off enough to be circumcised but finish the job and) mutilate themselves." - His words, not mine. Christian, if you are led by the Spirit, then you are not under the Law - Gal 5:18. And the inverse is equally valid, if you are under the Law, you are not led by the Spirit of God. You get to choose. You can't have both. Choose wisely. No longer under Law, Bill Mc |
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42 | Why thru Adam? | Rom 5:12 | Bill Mc | 15989 | ||
Adam presented the human race, all of mankind. God created him first and he is the father of the human race. As a result, though Eve sinned first, she and Adam were one flesh and their sin has been passed down to all mankind. Paul reaffirms this in 1 Cor 15:22 - "For as in Adam all die (all who are born of Adam's seed are spiritually dead), so also in Christ all will be made alive (all who are born again in Christ are made spiritually alive). If we're are believers, we are no longer in Adam. We are now IN CHRIST. Hope this helps, Bill Mc |
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43 | What law(s) did Christ fulfill? | Rom 7:4 | Bill Mc | 14354 | ||
Hi B-Fabb, In my opinion, the Christian is no longer any of the law, whether moral, Mosaic, sacrificial, ceremonial, etc. Notice Romans chapter 7. Here Paul is using an analogy of marriage to illustrate this truth. He begins by stating that marital law is only binding as long as both members of the marriage are alive. When one of the partners dies, both are free from the marriage law. Starting in verse 4, he ties this illustration to what He calls "the Law". Through verse 6, he says that we (believers in Christ) were made to die to the Law so that we could be joined to another, Christ. He says in verse 6 that we have been released from the Law. Why? Because the Law died? No. Because we, through our death, burial, and resurrection with our Lord, died to the Law. Now, which Law is it? Keep reading through the rest of the chapter. Paul cites one of the big 10, "You shall not covet." Is this the moral law? Yes, obviously. He goes on to say that the Law is holy and righteous and good (more moral values) but that it caused him to see that he was spiritually dead because he couldn't keep it. It showed him his need for Christ. Let me conclude with Romans 8:3,4. Here Paul says that what the Law could not do (make us perfect before God), God did by sacrificing His Son. Because we are now identified, as believers, in Christ, and He fulfilled the law, the law (verse 4) is fulfilled in us. The law was to show us our sinfulness and spiritual death so that we would turn to Christ. Now that we have turned to Christ, we are no longer any of it - see Galatians 3:24,25. You can also search this site on the left of the page for others who have shared their views of this 'hot topic'. There is much debate (just as there was when Paul wrote to the Galatians). Grow in His grace. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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44 | difference. filling of joy and fruit joy | Rom 8:14 | Bill Mc | 15460 | ||
Dear bigdaddy, Good question. To be 'filled with the Spirit' is to be controlled by the Spirit. Our joy comes from knowing that we have been reconciled to God and that, unlike Israel in the OT, we can now, each one of us, draw near to God. God has made each one of us in such a way that, as Pascal say, 'there is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of man that can only be filled by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.' As we abide in that relationship, we have joy in knowing that He is in us and we are in Him. The Acts 13:52 verse is saying, 'this is how they lived - they were filled with joy (from being in a secure relationship with God) and they were being filled (controlled) by His Spirit. And when we allow ourselves to be controlled by the Spirit, He (not us) produces the fruit. We are only called to bear the fruit, not produce it. Christ said that He was the vine and we are the branches. Do you ever see a branch grunting and groaning to produce an apple? No. The branch's 'job' is to let the life of the vine flow through it. As it does this, the branch 'bears' the fruit. In the same way, we have been 'grafted' into the Vine. As we abide in Him, He will produce the fruit through us. Another good example is a mechanical pencil. It is only doing what it is designed to do when the lead is flowing out of it. We do what we are designed to do 'good works' only as we allow the Spirit and His fruit to flow out of us to others. I hope this helps. So be filled with joy and filled with the Spirit. In Him, Bill Mc |
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45 | Please explain. | Rom 8:16 | Bill Mc | 18072 | ||
Hi Delaro, God's Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believer at salvation - John 7:39; Rom 8:9,11; 1 Cor 3:16; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Tim 1:14. When we become believers by putting or faith and trust in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is joined to our human spirit - 1 Cor 6:17. Therefore one of the things that the indwelling Spirit of God does is to give the believer the assurance that he, indeed, is a child of God - Rom 8:14; Gal 3:26; Gal 4:6,7; 1 John 3:1,2. And, accordingly, He does that by illuminating the above verses to our hearts. I pray this answers your question. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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46 | How can i keep my faith running on high? | Rom 10:17 | Bill Mc | 18610 | ||
Dear Kent, Yes, Satan can sometimes have a field day (or week, year, etc.) with us. But, my friend, the secret to the Christian life is not the amount of your faith. The secret is WHO your faith is in. Faith is only the conduit by which we access the power of Christ. Faith, by its very nature, requires an object. Everyone has faith in someone or something. The object of the Christian faith is not faith, but Christ. It is believing what God says is true. Faith is accepting God's viewpoint no matter what we may think, feel, or want. Christians put their faith totally in Jesus Christ - what He accomplished and what He will continue to do through us as His body. Satan was defeated at the cross by Christ. His major weapon, death, was taken away from him. Christ came to give us LIFE and life more abundant. So, Kent, you, by yourself, can never put Satan under your feet. But we can go to Christ as our head and He ever lives to make intercession for us. Satan will accuse us, not only to ourselves, but to God. But for the Christian, there is no condemnation because the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. Brother, its not our faith that needs to be renewed, its our minds. And this is done through the work of the Holy Spirit taking the things of Christ (in the Bible) and making them known to us. This 'known' is not just an intellectual knowledge, it is an intimate knowledge. It is believing Christ at His word and knowing that you know. Faith is merely the means by which we accept it because we can't sense it or see it. I pray this helps you. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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47 | Faith apart from reading the Bible? | Rom 10:17 | Bill Mc | 20320 | ||
Dear Steve, Of course people can come to faith in Christ apart from reading the Bible for themselves. Otherwise, the illiterate and the blind could never reach a point of putting their trust in God. God reveals Himself through many different ways. For some, He may use creation to initially draw men to Himself. For others, He may use the Bible itself, other religious writings, or other people. God does indeed draw men to Himself. In fact, the 'truest' revelation of God is not the Bible itself but the Christ of the Bible. He alone is the exact representation of God. Not even the OT was a true representation. Jesus told the Pharisees that they knew the letter of the word but missed the Spirit behind it. I believe that anyone who is truly seeking God will eventually have the Bible in their life in some form becuase it is through the Bible that the Truth, Jesus Christ, is revealed. Don't be afraid of being accused of 'heresy' here on this forum. I made a statement yesterday that I believe that if a man only had the ability to read and a Bible, that, because of the Holy Spirit's work as the teacher, that person could come to true saving faith and learn all he would need to know. Because of that statement, I was then informed that my viewpoint was also that which led to the start of Jehovah's Witnesses. What it all boils down to, brother, is that the legalists want to control you and your relationship with God rather than trusting that God is indeed revealing Himself to you and that He is the author and completer of our faith. The very ones that hold staunchly to God's complete sovereignty are the ones who will tell you to do it THEIR way or it just ain't good enough. Keep standing firm and don't let other attempt to squeeze your or God into a box. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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48 | Joe, is your reasoning not circular? | Rom 10:17 | Bill Mc | 20351 | ||
Sorry, double posted. | ||||||
49 | divorce and depart -- same meaning? | 1 Cor 7:15 | Bill Mc | 16965 | ||
Dear Hisgirl, The NASB renders this, 'Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace.' So, if the unbelieving party leaves or divorces of their own accord, the believer should let them go. God does not want us unequally yoked because, at our deepest levels, a saint and a sinner cannot see eye to eye on everything. And, according to this verse, He calls us to live in peace with our fellow man (or woman). Obviously, if the unbeliever has no problem with the believer's faith, then it is fine for them to stay together in peace. What better chance would the unbeliever have of hearing and seeing the gospel? Jesus said in Matt 19:8 that divorce is permitted because some people have hard hearts. And, as Malachi says, God hates divorce. But God hates all sin and there is no 'levels' of sin with Him. He hates it because it goes against who He is and He hates it because it hurts those whom He loves. Thankfully, the blood of Jesus Christ takes away all sin, no matter the severity EXCEPT for the sin of rejecting Christ. I hope this helps. In Him, Bill Mc |
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50 | Will I go to heavan | Eph 2:8 | Bill Mc | 16451 | ||
Hi chico98092, all of us have experienced doubts from time to time concerning where we stand with God. Often, it is because we are looking at our own lives and our own inconsistencies as a gauge for determining whether our salvation 'took' or not. But, my friend, as your reference verse says, salvation is a gift. It cannot be earned. As a gift, it can only be accepted. One of the problems people face with doubts is that they think, 'Now that I've accepted Christ, I'll get everything right.' And, inevitably, when we (or things) go wrong, we focus on our failures. So we mistakenly think that salvation is 'living like Jesus.' And who amongst us can do that? So when we fail, we wonder, am I really saved? There can only be two answers to that question: Yes, I am, but I'm not living the abundant life that Christ promised and I need reassurance OR No, I'm not. Only God alone knows our hearts but it does help to understand what salvation is and, sometimes, what it is not. Please permit me to share this with you. This has helped me to understand what true salvation is. It is very important to look at the scripture references. That is where truth is found. 1) Man's problem is that he is born spiritually dead to God and is in need of life. See Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1 2) God's solution to man's problem is to provide that life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. See John 3:16; Rom 6:23 3) Before God could give us His life, sins had to be forgiven. See John 1:29; Heb 10:17,18 4) The Good News of the gospel is that 'It is Finished' - we have been, through Christ's death, reconciled to God. See 2 Cor 5:18,19; Rom 5:10 5) In Christ, you are a new creation. See 2 Cor 5:17; Rom 8:1,2 6) So our decision is to turn from our unbelief and receive Jesus Christ as our life. See Eph 2:8,9; John 5:24 7) So salvation is being saved from the wages of sin (spiritual death) by the gift of God (spiritual life). Chico, many people have come to Christ for the forgiveness that He offers but that is only one-half of the gospel. Christ provided forgiveness of our sins so that He can actually dwell IN us. Christ did not come so that He could just get men out of Hell and into Heaven. He came so that He could get Himself out of Heaven and back into man, His most-loved creation. If we understand that Christ is our life and we can say with Paul, 'I no longer live but Christ lives in me' then here are a few more helpful thoughts: Abide in Christ - John 15:5 Walk in truth - John 8:31,32 Grow in God's grace - Titus 2:11-14 Renew your mind through God's Word - Rom 12:2 Feed on God's Word - Matt 4:4 Be encouraged (and encourage other believers) - Heb 10:25 Be strengthened by God's faithfulness - Rom 8:28 Give thanks in everything (even your weaknesses so they show you your need to rely always on Christ) - 1 Thess 5:18 I hope and pray this helps you, dear brother. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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51 | Doctrine of Election, Yes or No? | Eph 3:6 | Bill Mc | 18124 | ||
Dear kiss, The doctrine of election is NOT that God has elected some people and not others. It does not concern the you's and me's but, rather, the Jews and Gentiles. Does God know who will respond to His offer of salvation? Yes. But He also says the whosoever will may come. The doctrine of election means that God has predistined that the Gentiles would come to God and be conformed to Christ's image the same way that the Jews would - by faith. See these scriptures: Romans 9 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 6 It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 8 In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. John 1 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- Romans 1 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Ephesians 1 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 2 11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 3 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 4 4 There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Romans 8 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Ephesians 3 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. I pray that this helps you. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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52 | Propitiation or Faith? | Eph 3:6 | Bill Mc | 19206 | ||
Lionstrong, God's provision for forgiveness is Christ's redemptive work. God so loved the world (everyone) that He gave His only begotten Son (as propitiation) that whosoever (anyone who chooses) believes in Him (by faith) shall not perish but have eternal life (through Christ's resurrected life in us) All sins, except unbelief in Christ's work, are forgiven because Jesus' blood provides the payment for sins - Heb 9:22. With His blood being shed, Jesus proclaimed that forgiveness, "Father, forgive them..." God provided it. But we must receive it. You can't receive something by faith if you don't believe in it, can you? Let's say you were dying from cancer. But a brilliant doctor finally discovers a cure for cancer and mailed you a letter saying that he was sending you the cure. So he mails you the package with the cure in it. But when you got the letter you said, 'Ridiculous, there is no cure for cancer.' So when the cure arrives at your house (that the doctor provided), you simply throw the box in the trash because you don't believe the doctor's letter. If he was truthful and had discovered the cure, you would die needlessly. Not because the cure wasn't provided but because you hadn't received it by faith. Likewise, God has provided forgiveness and salvation for all men. Forgiveness was provided at the cross by Christ's blood. Salvation is provided by Christ's resurrection, eternal life. But not all men have received it by faith. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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53 | Propitiation: Forgiveness or Provision? | Eph 3:6 | Bill Mc | 19210 | ||
Lionstrong, I guess that I don't understand your question. Why do you perceive that my statements are diametrically opposed? I don't see a conflict. So let's let God respond, "...That God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...therefore...we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." His words, brother, not mine. Reconciled, Bill Mc |
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54 | Propitiation: Forgiveness or Provision? | Eph 3:6 | Bill Mc | 19225 | ||
Lionstrong, Thanks for the clarification. Now I understand. I believe that all sins were forgiven at the cross, both believers' sins and unbelievers' sins. The forgiveness that we HAVE (posess) was provided at the cross (back then). The forgiveness that OT saints experienced from animal sacrifices, was provided at the cross - Heb 9:15. I don't believe that anyone will go to hell because of their sins (breaking God's law). I believe that they will go to hell because of their unbelief in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished. But again, Lionstrong, forgiveness is not salvation. You are not saved by being forgiven. You are not saved by being reconciled. You are saved by the indwelling life of Christ in you - Rom 5:10, Rom 8:9, John 10:10, the new birth, being born again, being made a new creation, all different words for the regeneration that God causes to happen to believers. Salvation is being saved from the wages of sin (death) by the gift of God, eternal life in Jesus Christ - Rom 6:23. Forgiveness of sins was necessary so that we could have ETERNAL life. If your sins were not forgiven, the first time you sinned after the indwelling of God's Spirit, He would have to leave you. But because sins were, and now are, forgiven, He will never leave us or forsake us. And all of this is experienced through faith. God says that it is true, so I believe it. So the defining issue after the cross, despite all our wrangling of words, is not whether we are forgiven or not. The question to be asked is, 'Are you in Adam or in Christ? Are you born again of not? Is Christ's Spirit in you or not? Are you a new creation or not? Are you spiritually dead to God or alive to God through Jesus Christ?' I hope this answers your question. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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55 | Christian-alcohol and smoking is it ok? | 1 Tim 5:23 | Bill Mc | 17307 | ||
Another aspect of this question is this: Both alcohol and nicotine are physically addictive. Paul lays down a good principle in Rom 6:16. He says that whatever you present your body to, you become a servant of. Granted, he is talking of sins here, and whether drinking and smoking are sins is debatable (Charis' answer was very good). But I think the principle still applies. Paul said that everything was permissable but not everything was profitable or beneficial. So, regardless of whether drinking and smoking is a sin or not, we still run the risk of not only death, but physical addition. This principle exist whether the issue is smoking, drinking, drugs, overeating, pornography, etc. Some things, if we practice them, will enslave us. As Bob Dylan says, 'Ya gotta serve somebody :). That is why Paul says to first present your body as a living sacrifice to God so that He can live in and live out of it - Rom 12:1. Paul urges us in Rom 7 that we have been set free from sin so we don't need to serve it anymore. We still can sin and there is still consequences that we reap if we do so. I hope this helps. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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56 | your argument proves my point! | Heb 1:1 | Bill Mc | 15449 | ||
Dear Amadeuse, "In these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son...and HE (Christ) is the radiance of His glory and the EXACT representation of His (God's nature." Yes, the Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL truth, and the focal point is that Jesus Christ is the TRUTH. Christ alone is the EXACT representation of God and His nature and one of the things that the Holy Spirit does is to reveal Christ through the illumination of God's Word. Brother, your post is replete with the exaltation of 'experience' - your experiences. I must, in love, caution you. Everyone's 'experiences' are different. And experiences can lead us astray from the truth. We must subject our experiences to the truth of God's Word. We accept Christ by FAITH, we walk in Him by FAITH. "As you have accepted Christ, so walk IN HIM." Faith is accepting what God says as true, whether our experiences verify it or not. Brother, people do not need to have a 'stronger faith.' The amount or capacity of faith is not the issue. The OBJECT of faith is the issue. Everyone has faith in someone or something. Faith doesn't save. Faith IN Christ saves. CHRIST is the object of the Christian faith. If you are truly 'experiencing' God, great. But I urge you to submit those experiences to the Word to discern if they are valid or not. Also, it may not be intentional, but your post is coming across as one-upmanship i.e. 'I have more of God than you do.' If you, brother, truly have the Spirit of God in you, Christ never bragged about Himself. Christ said, "What I say, the FATHER has told Me to say. The works I do, the FATHER has told Me to do. I don't do anything or say anything UNLESS the FATHER tells Me to." God the Father was His total source while Christ was here on earth. And, now that He is seated at the right hand of God, the Holy Spirit reveals Christ as our total source. Frankly, I don't believe that Christ would say what you have said in the way you have said it. There is ONE body of Christ, the church, and there is ONE Holy Spirit. And scripture says that if you don't have the Holy Spirit, you don't belong to Christ. The primary evidence of that is the outworking of love for Christ's body, other believers. You can't say that you love the head, Christ, and then disdain His body, we the church. Christ said that we should love God first and then each other as God loves us. We can't do this apart from His enablement. God STILL speaks through Jesus Christ. Christ IS the Word of God, not WAS. Look at the example laid before us in scripture. Christ, while on earth, did not glorify Himself or His 'experiences.' He IS God incarnate, yet He didn't brag about having 'wonderful experiences' from God that no one else had. And Paul exhibited the same attitude. Paul was caught up to heaven and had a revelation directly from Christ. He could have bragged about it. But he didn't. He said, "If I'm gonna boast about anything, it will be Jesus Christ and what He has done. I, Paul, am nothing." Of course, he was also given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble. Have you received THAT revelation? In Christ, Bill Mc |
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57 | Is eternal life possible right now? | Heb 1:1 | Bill Mc | 15451 | ||
Dear Amadeus, To answer your question, yes, if we are believers, we HAVE eternal life right now: 1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us (past tense) eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:12 He who has the Son has (present tense) the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have (present tense) eternal life. Christ is the Life. If we have Him, then we have the Life. It is received through His Spirit when we are baptized into Christ (not water baptism, folks). We are identified with His death, burial, and then resurrection. In Him, Bill Mc |
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58 | Could Jesus sin? Explain. | Heb 4:15 | Bill Mc | 14525 | ||
Steve, Jesus could not sin. The ultimate root of all sin is unbelief in God and what He says. Scripture makes it clear that 'anything that is not of faith (believing what God says) is sin.' Or check out what Christ said in John 16:8,9 - Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world of sin. He then defines that sin in verse 9 - "because they do not believe in Me." Sins (wrong actions or attitudes or lack of them by omission) are always caused by a wrong belief about what God says. Adam and Eve sinned (action) because they chose not to believe what God said about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And they chose, instead, to believe what Satan told them. So, could Jesus sin? No. He was fully human and fully God. God cannot sin because it is contrary to His very essence. That what be like saying, "Can God disbelieve what God says?" It makes no sense. Jesus could not, as a man, disbelieve what the Father said, or commit a sin because He was one with His Father. Of course, Satan's primary objective is to get people to disbelieve what God says or to twist it into a half-truth (which is still a lie). And he is very successful at it. Nevertheless, Christ said, "You will know the truth (what God says) and the truth will set you free (in both belief system and actions). Thanks for the question. It's a good one. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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59 | Lost my salvation? (Hebrews 6:4-6) | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17819 | ||
Dear John K, Tim has some good points in his post. The Hewbrews thought that they were 'saved' by keeping the law. Think how radical that it must have been for someone to come along and share the gospel message with them that they no longer had to offer their sacrifices, they no longer had to go to the temple to worship, they no longer had to observe the Sabbath. This was probably one of the earlier letters, at least before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, so these believers did not have the entire new testament to completely explain Christ and what He did. My understanding of this passage is that it was written to tell them that if they did not accept Christ sacrifice, then there was no other sacrifice left to take away sins. They could go back to the temple and offer their bull or goat but God would not honor that. Salvation was by faith alone in what Christ did. He was the once for all sacrifice. I.e. if they profess to accept His sacrifice and say, 'Yes, I believe this gospel, but I'm going to the temple to get my sins forgiven', that just doesn't cut it. God did away with that old system. The new system only requires faith in what Christ has done. John, consider this: Peter was not a regenated person with the Spirit of God living inside him when he denied Christ. If anyone does not have the Spirit of God, he does not belong to Him - Rom 8:9. Peter was not, at this point, a new testament believer because Christ's sacrifice has not yet been made and the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. John, salvation is not how much you pray, read your Bible or how little you sin. Salvation is understanding the the wages of sin is separation from God but the gift of God is eternal life, knowing God. He who has the Son has the life. He who does not have the Son does not have the life. Faith in Christ is what saves you, brother, not faith in how well you live the 'Christian life.' None of us can do it perfectly. Do you understand that salvation is more than just having your sins forgiven? Salvation is life, eternal life that starts here and now. If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells IN YOU, He will give eternal life to your mortal (uneternal) body. Accepting Christ is more that knowing that your sins are forgiven and promising to live a godly life. Only Jesus can live a godly life. And He will as you place your trust in Him and abide in Him. Here, my friend, is the bottom line. Despite what you, I, or others may think about this passage in Hebrews, if you are IN CHRIST (if that is where your trust for salvation is), there is NO CONDEMNATION for you. Why? Because Christ took it. All of it. He was made sin so that you can be HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. The law of the Spirit of LIFE has set you free from the law of sin and death - Rom 8:1,2. If you have Christ's life, the Holy Spirit, dwelling in you, then even if you sin, you don't get sin's wages. Christ got them for you. Despite what you may have heard, it is NOT good for you to be scared of God. God has reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus Christ and is no longer holding men's sins (what they do)against them. Your sin cannot prevent you from coming to God. The only sin that people need to repent of is the sin of unbelief in Christ. This is what the writer of Hebrews is saying - you need to change your mind concerning what you think saves you. Where have you put your trust and faith, brother? Is it in Christ and Him alone or in your performance? Do you KNOW that He now lives in you? Christ said that He came to give us LIFE and life more abundant. Why? Because we were dead in trespasses and sins? Have you accepted Him not just for the forgiveness that He offers, but for His very life? God so loved the John that He gave His only begotten Son so that if John believes, not in John, but in Christ, John will NEVER perish. Instead, John will have eternal life, right here, right now. Do you believe this? Praying for you, Bill Mc |
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60 | Works in the Christian experience? | Heb 6:4 | Bill Mc | 17845 | ||
Dear Joe, You're correct, salvation has always been by faith and never by works. Before the cross, OT saints were saved by faith in whatever God's Word and revelation was to them - Heb 11. After the cross, we are saved by faith in God's Final Word, Jesus Christ - Heb 1:2. So, no, the Law could not save. But Peter's life was bridged in the OT and the NT. He became Jesus' disciple under the OT, while Christ was incarnate on earth- Gal 4:4. Was he saved at this point? Yes. But he was not a NT believer. After Christ died, the NT went into effect and Peter then became a NT saint through regeneration (crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ - Rom 6:4, Gal 2:20), with the indwelling of God Himself at Pentecost. We see no record whatsoever of Peter denying Christ after Pentecost. In fact, tradition says that he was crucified upside-down. What caused such a change in this beloved apostle? The indwelling Christ. My post never said that Peter was not saved before the cross. I said that he was not a NT believer - those who are reconciled, redeemed and regenerated by Christ's Himself - until after the cross. You may feel that I am splitting hairs here but the distinction is not mine, it is God's - Rom 8:9. Paul makes it clear, by revelation from Jesus Christ Himself, that after the cross, the Holy Spirit is the seal, the guarantee of what God has done in redeeming and saving us. It is non-negotiatable, either you are a Christian because Christ is in you and you are in Him, or you are not. In light of that truth, I was asking John not to gauge his relationship with God upon Peter's unregenerate example. He needs to gauge his relationship with God upon the secure work of Christ on the cross, not on his feelings or experiences. Feelings and experiences will 'catch up' as we place our faith and trust in the facts of the redemption that our Lord has provided. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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