Results 41 - 60 of 494
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Results from: Notes Author: stjones Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Cool Website | Bible general Archive 2 | stjones | 107649 | ||
Hi, punkiedo; Yes, God is omnipresent and can probably do more than one thing at a time. I just haven't seen any other examples of God dividing himself into three simultaneous manifestations in order to do them. You seem to be saying that upon coming out of the water, Jesus descended upon himself and then from heaven proclaimed that he was his own son and he was pleased with himself. I assume he proclaimed his love for himself in a similar fashion at the Transfiguration as well. I'm sorry; you still haven't accounted for this passage. Given your doctrine, I don't see how you can. Thanks just the same. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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42 | Cool Website | Bible general Archive 2 | stjones | 107640 | ||
Hi, punkiedo; I was curious to know if your Greek painter's views were consistent with the doctrine of the Greek Orthodox Church, so I turned to Google. My search for "greek orthodox trinity" turned up so many websites with the name "Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church/Cathedral" that I didn't bother to continue my investigation. I suspect that your Greek Orthodox believer was somewhat unorthodox in his beliefs. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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43 | Cool Website | Bible general Archive 2 | stjones | 107638 | ||
Greetings, punkiedo; I hope you won't think I'm piling on here. You recommended a website that denies an important doctrine in traditional Christian orthodoxy, so you should expect to be challenged. Surely you have found these views questioned in places other than this forum. Anyway, you didn't respond to the scripture Ed cited: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" Did Jesus descend upon himself like a dove? Did he speak from heaven to himself on earth? It's very easy to claim that every passage that mentions God the Father, Jesus the Son, or the Holy Spirit is speaking of the same person, calling him by different names. But it's a lot harder when all three appear in one scene - one person standing on earth, one speaking from heaven, and a third traveling between the two. How do you account for this passage? Thanks. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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44 | "God told me to do it" | Gen 22:1 | stjones | 107530 | ||
Hi, Ricardo; A couple of points: There was no benefit to God in testing Abraham's faith; as your friend Tim said, God already knew what Abraham's choice would be. We need to ask ourselves two questions when we study an event like this: 1) What was the benefit to or effect on the participants? Perhaps it was important for Abraham to know that God might make extraordinary demands, but he would always provide the means for satisfying them; at least, that seems to be what he learned and passed on to Isaac. And perhaps Abraham needed to discover for himself the depth and importance of his obedience. It was after passing this test that God reaffirmed his covenant with Abraham. 2) What did God want us to learn? Most of what happened during Old Testament times was not recorded. Only events and conversations of God's choosing were written down for us. So why did God preserve this incident for us? Was it his intent to teach us that he will sometimes ask us to do things that are wrong? If that were his intent, I would expect to see other examples; I don't. No, I think God wanted us to learn lessons similar to those taught Abraham. It is also important to remember the context of these events. It is silly to imagine that God will interact with us the same way he interacted with Abraham. None of us will be called to start a new covenant and a new nation as Abraham was. None of us will appear in the Bible. Abraham's experience was unique. Should we believe a virgin who in 2004 claims that Gabriel told her whe would bear the son of God? Of course not; that was reserved for Mary; it will not happen again. Like Mary, Abraham lived the life God set out for him. None of us will re-live his life. Finally, we need to remember that Genesis, the rest of the Pentateuch, the rest of the Old Testament, and the rest of the Bible represent a progressive revelation of God's character and will. Abraham had no Law to guide him; God was revealing his will a step at a time. It is likely that Abraham did not yet know that God abhorred the sacrifice of children. Through Moses his descendants knew it and so do we. If Abraham had not been paying attention the second time God spoke, he might have had a flimsy excuse for sacrificiing Isaac; we would have none. In short, with all of Scripture to guide us, we can be confident that God absolutely will not tell us to do wrong. There is no scriptural basis for believing that he would. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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45 | Christmas-Is It Christian? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 106923 | ||
Hi, AO; We'll have to agree to disagree. I welcome the "danger" and will joyously serve communion in my denominational church on Christmas Eve, praising God and singing Christmas carols from the hymnal with a grateful heart. Since a Merry Christmas seems out of order, I'll just wish you a good day. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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46 | Where did Cains wife come from | Gen 4:17 | stjones | 106914 | ||
Hi, FT; You made a couple of assertions about God (he made you the way you are; he wouldn't dislike you because you ask why). But you are theorizing about a God you do not know, a God you are not certain even exists. You are describing God as you think he should be. Other than the time factor (you may get hit by a truck tomorrow and find that you dithered too long), there's nothing wrong with that; I did it myself for years. The danger is that armed with a pre-conceived idea of what God's nature should be, you will likely reject evidence of a God that does not conform to your idea. Better to be open to the possibility that your ideas may need adjusting. That is the essence of free thought. It is easy to go to the Bible and find reasons not to believe. It is easy to find reasons why God does not measure up to our standards. The fact is, it's easy to find fault with God. I do it often. But God isn't going to change his thinking to conform to my ideas, so I've found it much more reasonable to change mine to conform to his. Regarding Cain, you have had answers from mature Christians who have answered out their knowledge of God himself; they have gone beyond the bare facts to be found in Genesis. Having read the Bible as a non-believer and studied it as a believer, I can tell you that it reads entirely differently depending on which direction you approach it from. I'm not talking about some kind of secret knowledge here. I just mean that when I encounter an event that seems to make God look bad, I eventually discover that it was simply a matter of looking at it through my own eyes rather than his. If Cain is stumbling block for you, move on. As for the remark about cattle, I can only assume that you included it because you believe you have encountered some here. Perhaps you have. You will find cattle among "free thinkers" as well. You will find people who are so bound up by their own opinions of how things ought to be that they are utterly blind to how things are - they are far from free. I have a friend who is so enslaved to science that he changes his whole worldview with every promising new hypothesis. He believes he is a free thinker. I'm not promoting a debate here, merely hoping that you will ask yourself if your thinking is free enough to recognize the truth when you see it. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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47 | Christmas-Is It Christian? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 106866 | ||
Well said, JRM. Caroling tonight! | ||||||
48 | "..a prophet like me.". | Acts 3:22 | stjones | 106856 | ||
Hi, afro; If Jesus was just a prohphet, he sure was a lousy one. Prophets are supposed to tell the truth. C. S. Lewis observed that "a man who was merely a man and said the sorts of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher [or prophet]. He would either be a lunatic - on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon, or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God." BTW, it was this passage from "Mere Christianity", quoted in the sermon on one of my rare visits to my wife's church, that ultimately cleared the way for me to come to faith in Christ. If you have not come to that point, I pray you will. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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49 | A choice of what to refuse or choose? | Is 7:15 | stjones | 106824 | ||
Hi, Makarios; Yes, I agree. A friend and I were discussing this passage last night, so it was on my mind. I guess I was seized with a sudden urge to pontificate; I should learn to lie down until the feeling passes.... ;-) A blessed Christmas to you, my friend. - Indy |
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50 | A choice of what to refuse or choose? | Is 7:15 | stjones | 106820 | ||
Hi, Makarios; I agree that Isaiah is referring to the time when the boy reaches maturity, but I think it goes beyond that. I think Isaiah is stating positively that the boy will choose good over evil. Perhaps this is just intended as further confirmation of the prophecy's authenticity. But I think there are two reasons why Isaiah is saying, in effect, that the boy is destined to make the right choice. First, the boy is a sign from God and evidence of God's presence in that place and time ("God with us"). As a chosen one of God, we would hope that he would choose wisely; Isaiah says he will. Second, and more importantly, the boy Immanuel is himself a prophecy that will be brought to perfection in Jesus. The boy was a SIGN of "God with Us" for Ahaz and Israel at that moment in history; Jesus IS "God with us" for all and forever. Peace and grace Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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51 | Christmas-Is It Christian? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 106819 | ||
Hi, AO; As Tim has already pointed out, the example of Cain is irrelevant because there is no prohibition against celebrating Christmas (or Easter, for that matter). Indeed, the lesson of Scripture seems to be that God does not limit our worship to what he has specifically commanded. When God gave Samuel the victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7, he didn't instruct Samuel to set up a stone named Ebenezer to celebrate. Yet Samuel, on his own, did just that (v.12). That worhshipful act didn't seem to make God angry. In fact, in light of God's continued assistance against the Philistines, it seems he found Samuel's "unauthorized" worship quite acceptable. More to the point, God did not command the observance of Purim (Esther 9), yet there is no expression of divine displeaure with the Jews for doing so. It appears that God really doesn't mind when his people go beyond what is required in honoring and praising him. The wise man will ponder this and pray for guidance, would he not? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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52 | Christmas-Is It Christian? | NT general Archive 1 | stjones | 106797 | ||
Hi, AO; You said "[cars, computers, plumbing] have nothing to do with worship". I disagree. "Worship" is not something we do only on Sunday mornings or only on prescribed occasions or only in some ritual format. Worship is a way of life that acknowledges, honors, and praises God for no other reason than that he is worthy. Worship is daily recognizing and thanking God for his providence. God has provided us with no gift greater than Jesus. For the Christian, Christmas acknowledges, honors, and praises God for no other reason than that he is worthy. The celebration of Christmas publicly, visibly, and joyously gives thanks for Jesus' incarnation. I don't care what the secular world means by it. At least they are reminded yearly that a baby of some importance was born a long time ago. It's a start. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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53 | Two Christmases? | Is 9:6 | stjones | 106479 | ||
We seem to agree on everything! What fun is that? :-) - Indy |
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54 | Two Christmases? | Is 9:6 | stjones | 106421 | ||
I think maybe it's also a way to harmonize the Bible with the evolutionary theory du jour that suggests life arrived on Earth from outer space. I think it's worthwhile to try to understand why science and the Bible often differ, but I don't think the "Ezekiel's UFO" Theory is a very productive approach. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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55 | Two Christmases? | Is 9:6 | stjones | 106406 | ||
Too true. Perhaps you saw the question here recently about the "spaceship" in Ezekiel. - Indy |
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56 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | stjones | 105744 | ||
Indeed so. See you there. - Indy |
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57 | Storing Up Treasure | Eph 2:1 | stjones | 105736 | ||
Hi, Makarios; You said "There are no redeeming qualities in those who are not saved." I must disagree - not to pick on you, my friend, but because I have heard Christians say this and it has always troubled me. First, I assume you didn't mean "redeeming" in its narrow theological sense. There are no redeeming qualities because, as you know, it is Jesus who redeems, not any qualities of our own. So I asume you meant the word in its more common sense of "virtuous" or "worthwhile". I think this comment is contrary to both the Bible and everyday experience. Saved or not, we are all created in God's image. I don't believe that sin has the power to completely obliterate every hint of God's qualities within even the most reprobate member of God's creation. (As a Presbyterian, I hope I'm not sending Calvin spinning in his grave.) For example, there are several instances in Acts of Gentiles worshipping God before they were saved (Cornelius, Lydia, Titius Justus). Surely they exhibited some virtuous or worthwhile qualities. I seldom rely on extra-Biblical sources, but I agree with C. S. Lewis that in a quarrel, even the most hardened atheist will appeal to an innate sense of fair play - a concept of right and wrong that is part of our nature imparted by God. My own experience confirms this. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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58 | Is civil disobedience OK when... | Prov 3:13 | stjones | 105220 | ||
Hi, Ed; You're right, of course; it was only an imperfect analogy, not an equivalence. Two minor points - God's advice is not always found in the Bible and I think he likes to see us make correct choices using "the mind of Christ" he has given us. Jesus taught his disciples then sent them out, expecting them to do the job without running back to consult him every time they had to choose. They sometimes failed, of course, but they learned and grew spiritually. Grace allows us to continually exercise our renewed minds. Christian maturity is, in part, the ability to know God's will without asking. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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59 | Is civil disobedience OK when... | Prov 3:13 | stjones | 105213 | ||
Hi, Ed; Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I think the two statements harmonize in this way: If my children constantly ask me what they should do, they'll soon find an area where I can't help. My goal as a father is to equip them to make good decisions on their own in whatever circumstance they find themselves in. Such is the effect of renewing the Christian's mind and writing God's law on the Christian's heart. I think what Rosa Parks, Dr. King, and others did helped, but you're right that the resultant flood of legislation fell far short of its intentions. Good institutions can't make bad people good but good people can make bad institutions good. We are in complete agreement about coed dorms! There are many bad ideas in modern higher education, but that is one of the worst. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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60 | What light was created on day one? | John 9:5 | stjones | 105185 | ||
compudex; I like to be up front about things. I found your personal and insulting response to Mommapbs worthy of an abuse complaint (I was afraid she might be too nice to do it). I commend John 13:34-35 and Phillipians 2:1-5 to your attention. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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