Results 41 - 60 of 69
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: ChristLifer2001 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
41 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45686 | ||
Joe, Actually, I did partially answer your question. The Law is made for the unrighteous not the righteous. It still has a purpose and a function. But believers are no longer under it as a moral constraint or under it's punishment for failure to obey it. Children need to be taught the Law so that they will see that they are indeed sinners and turn to Christ. This is the Law's purpose. The law that James refers to is not the Mosaic Law (the 10 commandments), it is the law of Christ - love. James calls it the perfect law - the law of liberty. Hebrews 8:7 makes it clear that the Mosaic covenant was not perfect - it was "faulted." Why? Was there something wrong with the Law? No, of course not. There was something wrong with the ones who were supposed to keep it. So God has made a New Covenant and fulfills His righteous requirements in us through the Spirit instead of through external commandments. Galatians further does not call the Law "the law of liberty". To the contrary, Paul calls it a "yoke of slavery" - Gal 5:1. Paul even calls the Mosaic covenant the "ministry of death" in 2 Cor 3:7. Galatians demonstrates that we are no longer under the Mosaic covenant or the Mosaic Law. All the verses I listed from Galatians are quite clear with little room for "interpretation error." Now, does the Law reflection the moral character of God. Certainly. It thereby reflects the sinner's fallen nature also. But the Jews could never keep the Law, could they? Neither can we. In fact, apart from Christ Himself, we cannot measure up to God's actual moral character as reflected in the sermon on the mount and 1 Cor 13. But under the New Covenant, God has put His Spirit in us and we walk by faith in Him, trusting Him to lead and guide us as Christ lives through us. This will cause us to fulfill the law of Christ - loving God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. This is something that the OT Jew could never do because their hearts were not changed. So though we are no longer under the Mosaic Law for guidance or punishment, we have Christ's law fulfilled in us. As He does this, it will certainly look like the OT Law is being fulfilled, but it is from an internal motivation, Christ's love in our hearts - Rom 13:8; Rom 13:10; Gal 5:14. The Law could never cause the Jews to reflect God's moral character - they couldn't keep it. The Spirit of Christ in the believer does fulfill God's character and requirements - Rom 8:4. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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42 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45676 | ||
Raven, You write that the commandments of the Old Testament still hold true in the New Testament. I strongly disagree, but you obviously desire to cling to your convictions instead of the verses that I shared with you. Don't forget to take your animal sacrifice to the temple this Sabbath (this is commanded in the Old Testament) and to check for circumcisions at the door (another Old Testament commandment). I will move on. But, before I go, let me share these scriptures one more time: For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 Under grace, ChristLifer2001 |
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43 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45620 | ||
Joe, If you will regress just a couple of posts in this chain, you'll see that I have listed plenty of scriptures that say that the believer is no longer under the Law. Paul makes it clear that the Law was made for the unrighteous (sinners) and not the righteous (justified). Sinners still need the Law to reveal to them that they are indeed sinners. That is why we must use it in the training of our children. Until they see their need for a Savior, they will not come to Him. Yes, the Law still has use, but it must be used properly - and that is to show sinners their need for Christ and the cross. But once that has happened, we are no longer under that tutor. It has served it's purpose. We now walk by faith in the Spirit, not in the Law. Of course the Holy Spirit in us will never prompt us to break God's morality. But even if we do, we are still not put back under the Law - we are still under grace. If we, as believers in Christ, are going to try to live under the Law, then Paul says in Galatians 5:3: And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. With the Law, it is all or nothing. You are either under ALL of it - moral, ceremonial, cultural - or you are under NONE of it. Paul urges tells us we are no longer under it. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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44 | Raven, do you want ALL the Law? | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45604 | ||
Raven, Yes, this subject is about marriage and divorce. And you are going to the Law alone as your standard for discussing this subject. Have you even read the verses in 1 Corinthians 7 concerning this subject? What did you think of this passage? The bottom line is the Law is the Law, whether for salvation, redemption, sanctification, justification, daily living, etc. If you are going to be under the Law for ANY purposes, then you must be under ALL of it. You are either under ALL the Law (including it's sacrificial system with animal sacrifice) or you are under grace with NONE of the Law. The just (who are now are in Christ - justified) shall live by FAITH, not Law. The Law is not of faith, it is of performance, and the believer is no longer bound by it. That is what I am talking about. And it is VERY relevant to marriage and divorce. The Law says that adulterers must be stoned (both parties). This doesn't meet that they need to get high first :), it means they must both die. Do you suggest we follow the Law? So if you wish to teach believers to be under the Law, then you yourself need to be under ALL of it. ChristLifer2001 |
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45 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45593 | ||
Raven, Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? - Gal 4:21 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." - Gal 3:10 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who PRACTICES them shall LIVE by them." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us..." - Gal 3:12,13 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But NOW that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A TUTOR. - Gal 3:24,25 For through the Law I DIED TO THE LAW, so that I might LIVE TO GOD. - Gal 2:19 It was for FREEDOM that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. - Gal 5:1 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. - Gal 5:13 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine. - 1 Tim 1:8-10 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. - Romans 10:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. - Gal 2:4 You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. - Gal 5:4 May you turn to faith in Christ alone. ChristLifer2001 |
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46 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45519 | ||
Raven, I wish you would read all of my note before posting a reply to me. It would be only fair to hear me out, don't you think? I believe Eph 5:25-29 with all my heart. I endeavor to do that. But how many of us do it PERFECTLY as Christians? How many of non-believers do this? What should a Christian woman do who, instead of having her husband love her as Christ does, he pummels her in a drunken stupor almost every Friday night? Is that God's will, brother? Would you tell this saint to just stay and endure it? You wrote: "And if people would truley pattern their lives after the bible you would not have all these disfunctional marraiges." I agree with you 100 percent, Raven. If we only could. But the reality is that we don't. And it truly does take two. What if one of the marriage partners is unwilling? You wrote: "If two people who are Christians get married and each of them love God more than each other then there will nothing but joy and love in their relationship and a lifetime together to worship God." I agree. But this does not come naturally. This requires the hardest thing that we can do as humans - self-sacrifice. And I've found that it rarely occurs. Apart from Christ in us, we cannot do this. And, as I've said, it takes two. Please read the rest of my notes to Dimples. Look at the scriptures I've cited and ask if they are true. I usually don't just publish what I think without some scriptural support, especially on such a "hot" topic where emotions can flare. I was divorced from my first wife in 1985. She committed adultery. I had "biblical grounds" but I loved her and did not want the divorce. But she did not want to reconcile, she wanted the other guy. I sought the counsel of a pastor friend of mine who insisted that if I let her divorce me, I would never again be in God's will. So not only did I have no control over my first wife (despite my prayers), according to his "biblical counsel", I would never again be in God's will because it was God's will for us to stay together. That time was like hell on earth for me. Yet, Christ never left me, never forsook me and has given me another beautiful Christian lady and we have 2 wonderful children. Was it God's will for me to stay married to my first wife? Yes, I believe it was. But is He a forgiving God? Is He a God who can replace what "the locusts have destroyed?" Yes, He is. He is a God of grace. I agree with the standard, brother. What I disagree with is the bondage and condemnation that we, as Christians, are so quick to mete out when, for reasonable, sound reasons that standard can't or won't be met. Blessings to you, brother. ChristLifer2001 |
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47 | you said I can remarry... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45498 | ||
Dimples, Please see my answer to your other question. ChristLifer2001 |
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48 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45497 | ||
Part 2 - So, what is God's will for marriage under grace - the New Covenant? Paul gives clear instructions in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16: 10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband **This is the ideal, two people remain together for life.** 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. **If one spouse leaves the other (separates), but they are still married, then don't seek marriage with anyone else. Why? They are still married to each other and, by God's grace, they can still reconcile.*** 12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord (Paul's opinion here), that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. ***Pretty self-explanatory, believer don't divorce your unbelieving spouse if they are willing to live with you.*** 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. ***Who better to witness about Christ to the unbelieving spouse than the believing one?*** 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. ***The believer "sanctifies" - sets apart - they family so that God may work through those relationships to bring all into salvation.*** 15 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. ***Here is the crux of the matter, if the unbeliever goes, let him (or her) go. Why? Because God has called us to PEACE not BONDAGE. There is no way to stay in an abusive relationship and have PEACE. It is BONDAGE and should not be the life-style of the new creation in Christ.*** 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? ***Pretty self-explanatory.*** Dimples, the bottom line is that as long as you are married, you are husband and wife - under modern law and under God's ideal. But if you are divorced, you are no longer husband and wife - period, in the eyes of the law and the eyes of God. Therefore, if you are divorced, by definition, you are no longer married and are free to remarry. Romans 7 validates this, not contradicts it. I truly hope this helps. I don't know what your circumstances are, but the bottom line is that we should live in PEACE, not BONDAGE. As in all things, follow the Lord's leading. ChristLifer2001 |
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49 | Why cant I remarry, even though... | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45494 | ||
Dimples, I am going to offer my views on this subject and let you decide for yourself. I will probably not be popular for taking this stance on this forum but the truth is the truth. Modern Christianity has made divorce the "unpardonable sin" and this was never God's intention. Yes, it is God's design that when we marry someone, we marry them for the length of our earthly lives. This is His highest will. It is the blue-print for Jewish culture, there is no denying that. But this is not the way things always turn out. In marriages, infidelity happens, physical abuse happens, severe psycological abuse happens, things go wrong. To insist that two people stay in an abusive relationship, whether it is sexual, physical, or psycological, is just plain legalism and doesn't stand up to scripture. The Christian world has grabbed the Jewish law (which the Jews never could keep) and made it the standard for Christian performance. Yes, that law does reflect God's character and moral attributes, but the fact remains that we, as NT believers are no longer under the law. We are under grace. As soon as someone (like me) says this, the legalist will immediately day, "That doesn't give you the license to sin." True. I don't need a license to sin. I can sin quite well without one. Nevertheless, even if grace is abused, it is still grace. God design for one man and one woman to be married for earthly life. This started in the garden of Eden way before the law was given. That is His ideal. However, His ideal was also that Adam and Eve not eat from the forbidden fruit. Where things do not turn out for the "ideal", we must trust in God's grace. In fact, we must trust in God's grace whether things are ideal or not. :) Jesus was born under the law and most of His teaching is law-based - Gal 4:4. But we, as NT believers are no longer under Jewish law. The church, by and large, has a really hard time accepting this. The Romans 7 passage which Paul wrote was NEVER intended as a marriage/divorce law. If we look at the context, it is extremely clear that Paul is using Jewish culture (marriage and divorce laws) to illustrate a spiritual truth. That being that mankind is born married to Mr. Law. But we, as believers, need to be married to Mr. Grace. The only way (except through adultery) for one to get out of a Jewish marriage is for one of the partners to die. Now Mr. Law did not die because his job is to lead the sinner to Christ. So, instead, we died in Christ to Mr. Law. Because of our death to the law, we can now be married to Mr. Grace, Jesus Christ. That is the whole point of Romans 7:1-6. It is an illustration to show that we are no longer under Jewish law and are now married to Christ - we are His bride! PTL! But the legalists comes along and takes this illustration and makes it the standard instead of embracing the truth that this passage illustrates. It is so ironic. Paul uses this illustration to show that we are no longer under the law and we use it to keep believers bound to Mr. Law! I would laugh if it weren't so perverted. Please see Part 2. ChristLifer2001 |
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50 | What is God's covenant with believers | Hebrews | ChristLifer2001 | 45409 | ||
John, Thanks for your kind words. I must tell you right up front that I am ignorant of what both Reformed or New Covenant Theology are. This doesn't mean that I may not hold to some of the beliefs found in these views but I have not studied either one of these "theologies" per se. Therefore my understanding of the New Covenant is based mainly upon self-study and letting the scriptures interpret scripture. Therefore, John, it is VERY important that you look at the following verses. (I could be lying to you, check me against the scripture, okay?) I do not believe that the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are the same. The book of Hebrews draws many distinctions between them, it is a book of contrasting the covenants. They went into effect at different times, they have different mediators, different priesthoods, different high priests, different sacrifices, different ministries, and different benefits to those under the respective covenants. An indepth analysis would be better served by private email but I will share with you, in brief, why I don't think that they are the same. Different time periods - the Old Covenant went into effect when Moses spoke the commandments to the Israelites and shed blood - Heb 9:18-21. The New Covenant went into effect as Christ's death (His shedding of blood) - Heb 9:16,17. Different mediators - Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant - Heb 9:19. Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant - Heb 9:15; Heb 8:6. Different Priesthoods - The priesthood actually changed, therefore the law changed too - Heb 7:11,12. Different High Priest - The Old Covenant had priest who were sinners, they had to offer up sacrifices first for themselves, then for the people. They were weak - Heb 7:27,28. But the High Priest under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted, made perfect forever - Heb 7:26-28. Notice that Christ's appointment as High Priest came AFTER the Law - verse 28. Also, unlike the OC priests, He holds His priesthood appointment forever - Heb 7:23,24. Different sacrifices - The OC sacrifices could never take away sins, they could only atone (cover) them. They couldn't cleanse the conscience either - Heb 10:1-5. Christ's NC sacrifice, however, did take away sins and cleanse us. And unlike the OC sacrifices which were endless, his sacrifice is once-for-all. For all sins, for all men, for all time - Heb 9:23-28. Christ's sacrifice of Himself in final - Heb 10:11-14. And under the NC, there is no sacrifice for sins left to be done - Heb 10:17,18. Different benefits - The OC offered forgiveness but it did not permanently cleanse the worshippers. The NC does. The OC did not give the worshippers a new heart or new spirit, the NC does. The NC did not allow men to come into the Holy of Holies. Under the NC, we are the Holy of Holies. Under the OC, God dwelt among His people (the Jews). Under the NC, God dwells in His people. The OC was faulty, not because it was bad, but because the people couldn't keep it - Heb 8:7,8. The NC is unilateral and enacted on better promises - Heb 8:6. The OC could make no one perfect in God's sight. The NC does - Heb 7:19. Besides all these reasons, Heb 8:13 says that the NC makes the OC obsolete. Although the NC went into effect at Christ's death, the OC was still observed by Jews until Jerusalum was burned in AD 70. The NC effectively took away the OC (not modified or integrated it) - Heb 10:9; Heb 7:18,19; Heb 8:13. With all of these differences and contrast, I see no way on God's green earth that these covenants are the same, do you? For them to be the same covenant under different administrations hardly seems to fit the picture drawn for us by the writer of Hebrews, does it? That would be like saying that an Volkswagen Bettle and a Jaguar are the same car, they are just sold by different companies. What do you think? ChristLifer2001 |
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51 | what are the divisions of the bible | Bible general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45304 | ||
Miriam, Steve has listed the theological divisions of the Bible. These can be very helpful to understanding the different literary styles. I wanted to share the fact that our Bibles are divided into the Old Testament (which means Covenant) and the New Testment (which can also be translated Will). Many folks see these two distinctions in their Bibles but have don't really know how they relate to God's overall plan of redemption. Hebrews says that the Old Covenant was merely a shadow of the reality that we enjoy under the New Covenant as children of God. Under the New Covenant, God has given His children a new heart and a new spirit and He remembers our sins no more - Heb 10:9-18. Another popular word for this covenant is grace - God's unearned blessings on us. These are the two major divisions of the Bible and we would do well to keep them separate in our understanding. The Old Covenant pointed to the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb of God and the New Covenant tells of it's reality. In the Old Testament, with few exceptions, God dwelt amongst but not in His people. New Covenant believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit Himself. What a wondrous thing God has done. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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52 | Christians don't take Jews seriously, y? | Gal 6:15 | ChristLifer2001 | 45268 | ||
Ramy, From God's point of view, there is now no Jew or Gentile, there is no longer that circumcised/uncircumcised distinction. We are either "in Christ" or we are "in Adam". Of course the Jews would like to disregard the Christians, Jesus Christ is a stumbling block for them because they seek to be justified by the Law and attain their own righteousness apart from Christ. And there is much of Christianity that seeks to bring Judaism into the church. Paul calls this Galatianism. Paul makes it clear that the only thing that matters know is whether or not we have placed our faith and trust in Christ alone. In Christ, Jew and Gentile can become one - one new creation indwelt by Christ. Our "gospel", as Christians, should not be to preach anti-Jewish beliefs. Our responsibility, as Paul exhorts us, is to preach Christ. Preach the truth and let it dispel the darkness. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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53 | Help. Someone's testamony has me upset | Rom 6:23 | ChristLifer2001 | 45257 | ||
Chynna, Our faith does not rely upon the "things that brought us to God", dear sister. In fact, it isn't even faith that saves you. It is your faith IN CHRIST ALONE that saves you. Our salvation rests upon Christ's redeeming work on our behalf - He was crucified to provide us with forgiveness, He was buried, and He was raised again to provide us with eternal life. This are all historical facts in the Bible and it is the Person and work of Jesus Christ that saves us, NOT our experiences. All of us have different experiences. All of us are drawn to God through difference paths. But it is God Himself who has saved us - freely by the gift of eternal life. The beauty and bane of the internet is that anybody can say anything they want to and people are susceptible to believing it as truth. However, as Christians, we believe that the Word of God (Jesus Christ and His revelation - the Bible) is truth. Anyone can claim visions, dear sister, but Christ alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The beauty of the gospel is not that men are caught up to heaven, it is that heaven now indwells us. If we are going to judge our beliefs by other's beliefs and experiences, our's will usually be different. We must judge our beliefs according to the scriptures, not experiences. I don't believe that God ever "tempts" anyone to become a Christian by the impartation of divine knowledge. We are not saved by what we COULD know if we accept. We are saved by what we DO know according to the scriptures. The free gift of God (salvation) is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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54 | What is God's covenant with believers | Hebrews | ChristLifer2001 | 45124 | ||
Wilson, Welcome to the forum! The covenant that you are under as a believer in Christ is called the New Covenant. This is what the words "The New Testament" mean. This New Covenant went into effect when Christ died - Heb 9:16-22. The New Covenant is vastly superior to the old covenant - it is a better covenant because it is unilateral - Heb 8:7,8. God announced the New Covenant - Heb 8:8-12, the Holy Spirit testified to it - Heb 10:15-18, and Jesus Christ proclaimed during His earthly ministry that it was coming - Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25. The New Covenant replaced the old - Heb 10:8-10; Heb 7:18,19; Heb 8:13. There is a new priesthood, a New High Priest - Jesus Christ, and a new once-for-all sacrifice. The most important benefit of this New Covenant is that God has given us a new heart and a new spirit and He remembers our sins no more - Heb 10:17,18. There is no longer a sacrifice for sins - It is finished! We are now, as believers, ministers of the New Covenant, not of the Law - 2 Corinthians 3:6-11. I'll close with a quote from Spurgeon: According to this gracious covenant, the Lord treats His people as if they had never sinned. Practically, He forgets all their trespasses. Sins of all kinds He treats as if they had never been; as if they were quite erased from His memory. O miracle of grace! God here does that which is certain aspects is impossible to Him. His mercy works miracles which far transcends all other miracles. Our God ignores our sin now that the sacrifice of Jesus has ratified the covenant. We may rejoice in Him without fear that He will be provoked to anger against us because of our iniquities. See! He puts us among the children ; He accepts us as righteous; He takes delight in us as if we were perfectly holy. He even puts us in places of trust; makes us guardians of His honor, trustees of the crown jewels, stewards of the gospel. He counts us worthy, and gives us a ministry; this is the highest and most special proof that He does not remember our sins. Even when we forgive an enemy, we are very slow to trust him; we judge it to be imprudent to do so. But the Lord forgets our sins, and treats us as if we had never erred. O my soul, what a promise is this! Believe it and be happy. - Charles H. Spurgeon Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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55 | Can a christian still get to heaven if | NT general Archive 1 | ChristLifer2001 | 45050 | ||
Muffy, CDBJ is right, Christ paid for ALL sins for ALL time for ALL mankind on the cross. The question is, did your uncle receive this forgiveness by placing his faith and trust in Christ alone. If he was saved, then he was completely forgiven by Christ's blood shed at Calvary. All sins, except the sin of unbelief were forgiven at the cross. We accept that forgiveness as part of our redemption - Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:4. After the cross, which provided this forgiveness, we don't keep on receiving forgiveness by asking for it. We are either totally forgiven or we are not forgiven at all. See also Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 2:13; 1 John 2:12 and especially Revelation 1:5. I hope that your uncle was indeed saved, sister, and that he was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. ChristLifer2001 |
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56 | is man still being created in God's ima | Gen 1:26 | ChristLifer2001 | 45045 | ||
Lady K, Technically, no, man is no longer being "created" except spiritually at salvation. Adam was the only man ever truly created - spirit, soul, and body. Every man since then has been "born" of human parents, not created by God. Now to the other part of your question. Only Adam was created purely in the image of God. He reflected the traits of his creator. Christ alone now reflects the exact representation of God but He was not created. :) After Adam fell, this image was still there but it was marred. He no longer accurately reflected his Creator. He spiritual died the day he ate from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" and became separated from the life of his Creator. Please notice Genesis 5:3. There Moses states that Seth was born (not created) in Adam's fallen image, not God's image. And so it has been down through the ages. We must be careful on this issue because of it's importance to our culture and beliefs. If we say that man no longer bears the image of God, it would seem to justify abortion, euthenasia, etc. On the other hand, if we say that man still bears the accurate image of God, then everybody is A-okay and therefore does not require redemption. So it is important to make the distinction - fallen man still bears the image of God but it is no longer accurate. Only by being born-again can man once again, reflect the attributes of His Creator. It is Christ in us that allows us to become what God's design for man is, children of God, created to contain and reflect Him. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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57 | Looking for verses regarding addiction? | Rom 11:32 | ChristLifer2001 | 45043 | ||
Jewel, As Searcher56 has said, wise biblical counsel should be sought out. You don't need to be told to continually "repent" and you don't need to be Romans 8:28'ed to death. What you need is someone who is trained in the area of biblical Christian psychology. Exchanged Life Ministries excels in this area and through biblical counseling, they can help you along with the Holy Spirit to understand addictions - what they are, where they come from, and how to have victory over them. As to the answer to your question, Paul talks about addiction in Romans chapter 6. He lays out the fact that Christians are now dead to sin and alive to God. Christ has set us free from the penalty and power of sin. But this does not mean that we can't persist in sin. Therefore, in verse 16 he says that if we go on presenting ourselves to sin, we will become slaves to it. Sin is addicting. And it is pleasurable - for a season. This is not God's design for our lives but it does happen. There are answers for you, Jewel, it is not God's will that you remain addicted. But it is a complex series of events that have led you where you are and quoting a verse or two will not, in itself, set you free. It is the truth behind God's words that set us free, not the words themselves. So please seek out some solid biblical counseling that can help you discover the roots of your addictions i.e. why you first turned to these things for comfort, escape, dependence, etc. Until you and the Holy Spirit get to the root, you will be forever trying to stop the action without changing the errors in your belief system that causes the action. Jesus said that the truth would set us free. The inverse of that is that error will bind you. He is the truth, He desires to set you free, and when He does it (as opposed to your doing it), you will be free indeed. If you check this website www.aelm.org you will find a list of ministries in different states that can help you. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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58 | Where does the Bible say all have heard? | John 14:6 | ChristLifer2001 | 44616 | ||
Brother Tim, Just an interesting side note: Rev 14:6 records that John saw an angel flying in the mid-heavens preaching an eternal gospel to all those who live on the earth, to every nation and tribe and tonge and people. It is interesting that I have heard most of my life that Christ cannot return until the gospel is preached to the whole earth. Of course Matthew 28 seems to give us this "great comission." But it also seems that God Himself completely fulfills this prophecy just before the six bowls of wrath are poured out and the subsequent battle of Armageddon when our Lord returns. Just a side note. Enjoy your blessings in Christ, ChristLifer2001 |
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59 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44564 | ||
Joe, thanks for the welcome! You wrote: I see by your posts that you believe in the finality of the cross and the reality of His resurrection. The fullness of God's grace! It's all Him and His work. Indeed I do, brother! It is Finished! Our sins are forgiven (all of them) and we now have new life in Jesus - Christ's very life in us! Our salvation is by grace through faith from first to last. I'm thankful for that because I don't always perform so well :). He gave His life for us, in order that He could give His life to us, so that He could live His life through us! Enjoy your blessings in Christ! ChristLifer2001 |
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60 | God forgive no matter what | 2 Cor 5:8 | ChristLifer2001 | 44563 | ||
ChristianLuv, After the cross, there is only one sin that God will not forgive - the sin of rejecting the Son of God as your Savior. Forgiveness of sins is found in Christ and His work alone. Therefore, rejecting Him is forfeiting the forgiveness of sins that He offers. This is why Hebrews 10:26 says, "For is we go on sinning (not believing in Christ) willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth (the gospel message), there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (though these Hebrews had the gospel preached to them, they were tempted to go back to the temple and offer their Old Covenant sacrifices to cover their sins) but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. The person who has rejected Christ has, according to verse 29, trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the (new) covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace. This is the post-cross unpardonable sin. The sin of unbelief in Christ's sacrifice cannot be forgiven, it must be repented of. If we have not accepted Him and His once-for-all sacrifice, then we must or suffer eternal separation from God. Hope this helps. ChristLifer2001 |
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