Results 41 - 60 of 154
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: stjones Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Do you seek God before you post? | Bible general Archive 2 | stjones | 103760 | ||
Hi, Kathy; The following was posted in response to one of Searcher's messages. I'm copying it because it does contain my (honest) answer to your original question: [reply to Searcher snipped] My answer is that sometimes I do indeed lean on my own understanding when I post. Other times, I seek God's will and have often re-written or simply skipped a message I had composed. The more curmudgeonly posts are mostly of my own devising. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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42 | purpose of christmas | Luke 2:20 | stjones | 103712 | ||
I think the key is verse 20: "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." We too should do those things. And at Easter, we should follow the example of the women who visited the tomb and ran off crying "He is risen!" Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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43 | watch me on how to live where is this | Phil 4:9 | stjones | 102309 | ||
Perhaps this is it?: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Phillipans 4:8-9 [NIV] | ||||||
44 | Where is the edification of the pope? | Eph 2:8 | stjones | 100631 | ||
Greetings, Born2LoveHim; I pray that the Lord will keep you safe and bless your witness there, and that you and your compatriots will be able to soon leave Iraq a more peaceful and hopeful place. Thanks for your service. You spoke of one "who says he has been christian all his life and then speaks of Catholicism" as if that were a contradiction. I hope you didn't mean it that way; I assure you that many faithful Christians practice Catholicism. It's true the Bible doesn't mention a Pope. Neither does is mention Primates (Anglicans), Presbyters (Presbyterians), or synods (many). Although there are those who seem to believe that salvation depends on the organizational structure of a denomination (or the avoidance of all formal denominations, the Bible does not say so. Does your comrade know who Jesus is and has he put his faith in him? If not, you have much more important things to talk about than how a denomination is structured. If he is saved, then I'll admit many a rousing discussion can be had about how Catholics do things vs. the rest of Christendom. And if I'm reading unfairly bwtween the lines, I apologize. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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45 | Can true Christians lose their faith? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 88578 | ||
Greetings, yampa78; I don't whether or not "true Christians" can lose their faith. As the replies to your question illustrate, this is a question that Christians have debated for centuries and are likely to continue doing so. I for one am quite comfortable not knowing the answer. Why? Because I'm the only "true Christian" I know. Outrageous! Please bear with me. I know lots of people who certainly seem to be true Christians, people whom I am about 99 percent sure are true Christians, people whose judgment and wisdom I trust - but not quite as much I trust Jesus and his word. There is no one on Earth whose ideas or opinions in spiritual matters I would accept in contradiction to the Bible. So I can't tell you whose name is written in the Lamb's book of life. Yours? Hank's? AO's? Charles Templeton's? Others? Don't know; can't say. I can only tell you with absolute certainty that mine is but should you believe me? No. Are there contradictions in the Bible? It sometimes seems so. But nothing in the Bible contradicts the Gospel. If the numbers in Numbers don't seem to add up, does that mean that Jesus is any less the Son of God, any less my savior? Hardly. I love the Bible; I study it and I sometimes teach it; I even get to preach on it occasionally. But make no mistake - I don't believe in Jesus because I believe in the Bible; I believe in the Bible because I believe in Jesus. I think maybe some of the people you cited put their faith in the wrong place - in the Bible, not in Jesus himself. The Bible points to Jesus from beginning to end. But what's more valuable - the treasure or the map? Jesus is the treasure; the Bible's greatest value to me is that it describes the treasure and shows how to find it. See 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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46 | Why are some ancestors not listed? | Matthew | stjones | 87373 | ||
The third list consists of only 13: (1) Abraham; (2) Isaac; (3) Jacob; (4) Judah; (5) Perez; (6) Hezron; (7) Ram; (8) Amminadab; (9) Nahshon; (10) Salmon; (11) Boaz; (12) Obed; (13) Jesse; (14) King David (1) Solomon; (2) Rehoboam; (3) Abijah; (4) Asa; (5) Jehoshaphat; (6) Jehoram; (7) Uzziah; (8) Jotham; (9) Ahaz; (10) Hezekiah; (11) Manasseh; (12) Amon; (13) Josiah; (14) Jeconiah (1) Shealtiel; (2) Zerubbabel; (3) Abiud; (4) Eliakim; (5) Azor; (6) Zadok; (7) Akim; (8) Eliud; (9) Eleazar; (10) Matthan; (11) Jacob; (12) Joseph; (13) Jesus It doesn't help to consider a "generation" to be a father-son pair either: (1) Abraham-Isaac ... (14) King David-Solomon (1) Solomon-Rehoboam ... (14) Jeconiah-Shealtiel (1) Shealtiel-Zerubbabel ... (12) Joseph-Jesus; (13) Jesus- I'm not certain why Matthew "exagerated" the third set, but it did produce a nice, symmetrical grouping of numbers significant to Jews. We can't say that he tried to fool anyone, since the names are right there to count. My assumption is that he was making a point that is somewhat lost on us modern Westerners rather than that he missed a generation in the third list or that he was trying to mislead. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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47 | Friends smoking cigars, bad or not? | Rom 14:21 | stjones | 86047 | ||
Hi, Extol_Him; I don't think the Bible tells us that smoking cigars is intrinsically bad. Like any other of life's pleasures (food, married sex, hobbies), keeping one's priorities straight and maintaining balance are the keys. Two things are troubling, however. 1) If you're in the US, your under-18 friends and the buyer were probably breaking the law. The Bible is not ambiguous about that: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." (Rom 13:1-2) 2) I can't imagine what kind of rationalization "for the taste' not the feeling" might be. Either way, they were seeking a pleasurable sensation and seeking to justify it. Again, pleasure is not necessarily a bad thing in itself, but looking for an excuse usually means you know what you're doing is wrong. Hope this helps. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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48 | Jesus battle w/devil for heaven | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 83745 | ||
Hi, Anna Marie; I think you'll find (if you read your Bible) that Jesus defeated Satan twice. The first time was in the wilderness when Jesus withstood Satan's temptations (and his company!) for 40 days. The second time was the resurrection when he took away the only real weapon Satan has - death. There is nothing in the Bible about a "battle" between Jesus and Satan. Jesus simply conformed to his Father's will, effectively ignoring Satan. He defeated Satan without firing a shot. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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49 | Why use the ambiguous word "Temperate"? | 1 Tim 3:2 | stjones | 83715 | ||
My electronic Thayers defines nephalios: "1) sober, temperate 1a) abstaining from wine, either entirely or at least from its immoderate use 1b) of things free from all wine, as vessels, offerings" from nephos: "1) to be sober, to be calm and collected in spirit 2) to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect" So it may not be as clear cut as you suppose. And the translators may be more honest than you give them credit for. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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50 | William Marrion Branham | Rom 3:4 | stjones | 82526 | ||
Hello again, tjkathiresan; You're asking me take Branham as authoritative when to do so contradicts the Bible. The Bible IS the word of God; Branham simply CLAIMS to speak for God - no proof from the word of God is given. If you could provide any Biblical support for your claims that all good fortune-tellers are prophets, or that the Bible can't actually be understood by ordinary people, I might be more receptive. Of course I believe the words of Peter and Paul; the Bible tells me who they were and where their authority comes from. The Bible tells me nothing about Branham (although does tell me a great deal about people who claim to be prophets or who preach a new gospel). Just out of curiosity, have ever read the Bible? or just the New Testament? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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51 | Prophet For This Age | Rom 3:4 | stjones | 81803 | ||
Hello, tjkathiresan; You said "Can u show me one prophecy that is failed that was spoken by William Branham." Well, he "predicted" that America would be destroyed in 1977. I guess he said that without the approval of his personal angel, so he couldn't claim to "prophesy" it. But it doesn't really matter. You said "Bible cannot be understand spiritually and the secrets of the bible cannot be understand by all the people." That contradicts what the Bible itself says. The Bible is given to all God's people, not just to a few who claim to know its "secrets". If that came from Mr. Branham then he is a false prophet - in other words, a liar. You claim that "u have to accept him as a prophet and his message". No, I'm sorry; I am under no obligation to believe anything he said. You may be correct that is very good at predicting the future. Paul encountered a slave girl in Phillipi who was good at predicting the future too, but she was no prophet. See Acts 16:16-18. Indeed, the Bible is full of diviners, sorcerers, magicians, and charlatans who serve Satan, not God. I will tell you frankly that if Mr. Branham's "prophecies" contradict the Bible, he is one of them. He seems not have paid much attention to the Bible, relying instead on the voices of "spirits"; it's not hard to guess who sent them. I pray that you will put your faith in Jesus alone, revealed in Scripture, and not in any earthly "prophet". Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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52 | Knowing God's Secret | Rom 3:4 | stjones | 81768 | ||
Greetings, tjkathiresan; You said "God reveals his secrets only to his servants who are prophets.prophets only can explain or reveal all the secrets." Are you suggesting that the Bible cannot be understood without the assistance of a prophet? Surely not - the Bible says otherwise: "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: 'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:12-16) If you're talking about a secret that is not revealed in the Bible, how would anyone know that the "prophet" was telling the truth? This is a question that Mormons and Muslims should ask themselves. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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53 | 1 corinthians 14:34 | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 81295 | ||
Greetings, krzyhors; Search on ID# 2988 (right side near the top) for a recent discussion of this topic. My opinion is that the only way to harmonize Paul's instructions regarding women in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 with his overarching theology of grace, freedom, and unity in Christ is to assume that he was dealing with a specific situation, not laying down a new law for women. But there was plenty of disagreement. I hope you find the thread helpful. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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54 | holy spirit guide men to write bible | 2 Tim 3:16 | stjones | 80646 | ||
... from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -- 2 Timothy 3:15-17 I don't recall if the Holy Spirit is explicitly named in another passage. Given the nature and work of the Holy Spirit, it certainly reasonable to assume that it was the Holy Spirit who did the "breathing" (inspiring). Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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55 | Is 'Pneuma' really feminine? | Jer 7:18 | stjones | 80639 | ||
Hi, Tim; The Presbyterian Church (USA) has been struggling with this gross heresy for more than ten years. There is a fringe school of radical feminist theology that has been promoting the "goddess" Sophia and denigrating Jesus for a long time. Unfortunately, because some of our leaders are very "open-minded" and gullible, these folks find the dark corners of our denomination comfortable. In addition to their own novel interpretations of the Bible, they appeal to many other authorities - pagan religions, ancient heresies, bogus gospels such as Thomas and Mary, Enlightenment rationalism, sometimes just their own sexual urges - to challenge orthodox Christian belief. One of their leading lights (Rita Nakashima Bock, IIRC) once said of Jesus' atoning sacrifice "we don't need people hanging on trees and blood dripping and weird stuff". I don't know if gbennett76 is part of this crowd or not, though the mention of Sophia along with the rest of it is certainly suggestive. If he or she is an admirer of this stuff, no appeal to reputable scholarship, Christian tradition, or Biblical authority is likely to succeed. They have already abandoned those things. At a human level, I have never understood why they claim to be Christians and choose to infest Christian seminaries and churches. Then I consider that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) and the driving force is clearly seen. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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56 | Judas Iscariot saved our not? | Rom 10:9 | stjones | 80624 | ||
Hi, Mike7; This is one of those questions that many of us would like to see all wrapped up nice and neat and tied with a bow. However, there are many suggestive passages in the Bible, but no definitive answer. Judas was seized with remorse (Matthew 27:4-7); did his remorse lead him to repent and call upon God to save him? The Bible does not say. Someone had to betray Jesus in order to fulfill prophecy. Was Judas like Joseph's brothers (Genesis 45:4-8) - what he meant for evil, God meant for good? It seems likely, but the Bible doesn't say so. Did Jesus include Judas in his call from the cross to "forgive them" (Luke 23:34)? and did God indeed forgive them? The Bible does not say. Judas committed a terrible sin. Was the sin bigger than God? No. Was it bigger than God's ability to forgive? No. Was God willing to forgive it? Maybe. I don't know where Judas wound up, but I do know this: God is sovereign and Judas is wherever God wants him to be. As Radioman2 said, some believe he was saved, some believe he was condemned. I believe that no one on Earth knows. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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57 | Does the Bible say protect Israel | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 79844 | ||
Greetings, LANAY; The modern state named Israel is not mentioned in the Bible. The Israel of the Bible was created by God; the modern state was created by the U.N. in 1948. The Israel of the Bible was a people, the descendants of Abraham, who were given the land of Canaan to occupy. Eventually, because of their disobedience, God allowed that land to be taken from them and the people of Israel to be dispersed. Israel ceased to be a nation in the political and geographical sense. In Jesus' time, the political and geographical entity know as Israel was simply a Roman province. I don't know of any reason to believe that the U.N. was acting on God's authority and command when it created the modern state it called Israel. The Jews, the ancient people known as "Israel" continue to play a part in God's plans. But I don't believe that the modern state, also known as "Israel" has any special Biblical importance. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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58 | Does most of the Gospel say women teach? | 1 Cor 11:5 | stjones | 79265 | ||
Hi, Searcher; As I said, I am satisfied to let your congregation silence women. In my congregation women speak because we find no reason to believe that grace, freedom, and unity in Christ are selectively cancelled in God's own house. I am content with that arrangement and have no desire to change your mind or get in a proof-texting war with you. Since you have not proposed any way to harmonize that overarching message of grace, unity, and freedom in Christ with Paul's remarks concerning what he "allows", I'll stick with I have learned through prayer, study, and many discussion with mature, wise Christians. I have explained my position and I respect your right as a Christian to disagree with it. I don't know whether you respect or even recognize my right to disagree with you. I hope you do; I have avoided this forum for a while because I tired of the shrill admonitions of people who think they have an exclusive franchise on God's truth and demand that everyone else agree with them. I hope that's not you. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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59 | Women and hair | 1 Cor 11:5 | stjones | 79217 | ||
Greetings, jesustheanswer; I don't know if these passages are cultural, peculiar to the situations in Corinth and Crete, or what. I do know that nowhere is his writings about gifts, the body of Christ, or the preaching of the Gospel does Paul say anything that differentiates between men and women. The passage you cited clearly states that with respect to Christ, gender is irrelevant: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-27) According to Paul, female believers are "sons of God". Those who wish to silence half of the sons of God in church must find some way to reconcile Paul's comments about women which seem rather limited in scope with his overall theology which is centered on Christ, not gender. And no, I'm not a women's libber, a feminist, or anything of the kind. I'm not thowing out parts of the Bible I don't agree with. I don't know why Paul wrote what he did about women. I only know that it contradicts most of what he wrote about the work and roles of all Christians. Until someone can explain away Galatians 3, I'll cheerfully accept women as elders, teachers, and preachers. Until someone explains why Paul never mentioned maleness as a prerequisite for preaching, teaching, evangelizing, administration, or anything else we are called and gifted by the Holy Spirit to do, I'll not seek to silence women. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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60 | God not around sin how satan go to him | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 75300 | ||
Greetings, glazedoughnut; God probably does not enjoy being in the preseence of sin, but he is strong enough to tolerate it. Job 1 and 2 say that Satan appeared before God and that God spoke with him in a rather congenial way. That is sufficient evidence that God can be in the presence of sin. The rest of the Bible provides sufficient evidence that he doesn't like it much. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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