Results 421 - 440 of 559
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Results from: Notes Author: Wild Olive Shoot Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
421 | Retribution? | Gal 6:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 201745 | ||
Dear Val, I do feel better to know that we’re good, really. As well, I know exactly what you mean concerning our communication in this manner. I’ll do better if I continually remind myself of that. And thank you for the nice guy comment, although, I’m surely not as nice as I probably should be. But I feel God’s improving me in that area also. Thank you sister. Stand in His grace, WOS |
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422 | Why Election | Eph 1:5 | Wild Olive Shoot | 187418 | ||
“According to the good pleasure of his will - The word rendered “good pleasure” - (eudokia) - means “a being well pleased;” delight in anything, favor, good-will.” … …”Then it denotes purpose, or will, the idea of benevolence being included - Robinson.”… …”The evident object of the apostle is to state why God chose the heirs of salvation. It was done as it seemed good to him in the circumstances of the case. It was not that man had any control over him, or that man was consulted in the determination, or that it was based on the good works of man, real or foreseen. But we are not to suppose that there were no good reasons for what he has thus done. Convicts are frequently pardoned by an executive. He does it according to his own will, or as seems good in his sight. He is to be the judge, and no one has a right to control him in doing it. It may seem to be entirely arbitrary. The executive may not have communicated the reasons why he did it, either to those who are pardoned, or to the other prisoners, or to anyone else. But we are not to infer that there was no “reason” for doing it. If he is a wise magistrate, and worthy of his station, it is to be presumed that there were reasons which, if known, would be satisfactory to all. But those reasons he is under no obligations to make known. Indeed, it might be improper that they should be known. Of that he is the best judge. Meantime, however, we may see what would be the effect in those who were not forgiven. It would excite, very likely, their hatred, and they would charge him with partiality or with tyranny. But they should remember that whoever might be pardoned, and on whatever ground it might be done, they could not complain. They would suffer no more than they deserve. But what if, when the act of pardon was made known to one part, it was offered to the others also on certain plain and easy conditions? Suppose it should appear that while the executive meant, for wise but concealed reasons, to forgive a part, he had also determined to offer forgiveness to all. And suppose that they were in fact disposed in the highest degree to neglect it, and that no inducements or arguments could prevail on them to accept of it. Who then could blame the executive? Now this is about the case in regard to God, and the doctrine of election. All people were guilty and condemned. For wise reasons, which God has not communicated to us, he determined to bring a portion at least of the human race to salvation. This he did not intend to leave to chance and hap-hazard. He saw that all would of themselves reject the offer, and that unless some efficient means were used, the blood of the atonement would be shed in vain. He did not make known to people who they were that he meant to save, nor the reason why they particularly were to be brought to heaven. Meantime he meant to make the offer universal; to make the terms as easy as possible, and thus to take away every ground of complaint. If people will not accept of pardon; if they prefer their sins; if nothing can induce them to come and be saved, why should they complain? If the doors of a prison are open, and the chains of the prisoners are knocked off, and they will not come out, why should they complain that others are in fact willing to come out and be saved? Let it be borne in mind that the purposes of God correspond exactly to facts as they actually occur, and much of the difficulty is taken away. If in the facts there is no just ground of complaint, there can be none, because it was the “intention of God that the facts should be so.”” Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible / Ephesians 1:5. I thought the above comments were very insightful when considering the question why God chooses some and not others. Stand in His grace, WOS |
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423 | how many unforgiven sins are there? | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166323 | ||
Propitiation: Reconciliation to God or what makes one acceptable to God. Justification: As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. There are as many and more sins not forgiven as there are those who do not have faith in Christ. Faith in Christ makes us acceptable to God and we are justified through that faith. Without Christ or faith in Him and what He accomplished, there isn’t any forgiveness, only judgment. WOS |
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424 | what if you die and have not repented | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166387 | ||
The unrepentant will only be those whom God has not called. Romans 9:16 "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." …” which is clearly meant that the reason why any man is saved is not because he wills it, but because God willed, accord to that other passage, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." The whole scheme of salvation, we aver, from the first to the last, hinges and turns, and is dependent upon the absolute will of God, and not upon the will of the creature.” – C. H. Spurgeon http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0442.htm Don’t misunderstand what “Free Will” actually is. Through faith in Christ, you can freely choose to act in harmony with God’s will, enabled by God’s Holy Spirit to do so. If God does not call you, you are free to act against His will. Your free will depends on the sovereign God, as does your salvation and not on whether or not you will it so. WOS |
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425 | how many unforgiven sins are there? | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166534 | ||
Luke, Concerning your statement: “Just another thought. So why do we continue to ask GOD to forgive our sins? He already has!!!! see no commandment the New Testament requiring us to do so. I only find we are to Confess out faults one to another.” Are you familiar with the Lord’s Prayer? WOS |
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426 | how many unforgiven sins are there? | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166540 | ||
Brother lionheart, I think 1 John 1:9 is agreeable in every way with the Lord’s Prayer as He instructed us to pray, Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. “Our hearts' desire and prayer to our heavenly Father every day should be, that he would forgive us our debts; that the obligation to punishment may be cancelled and vacated, that we may not come into condemnation; that we may be discharged, and have the comfort of it. In suing out the pardon of our sins, the great plea we have to rely upon is the satisfaction that was made to the justice of God for the sin of man, by the dying of the Lord Jesus our Surety, or rather Bail to the action, that undertook our discharge.” – Matthew Henry In response to Luke’s statement that we only need to confess our sins to one another and that there is no command to confess to the Lord, How is that so? Clearly, we see from Christ as well as John that confession of sin is to be offered and to the one who can truly pardon us and that does not belong to any of us. John was attempting in this letter, it seems, to be addressing some false teachings in which the reality of sin was being denied and encouragement of sin was being promoted. What better way to keep us on our toes than to have us recognize and confess that sin to God? Continual confession keeps us in fellowship with Christ. We are secure in the fact that our sins are forgiven but I think Scripture is clear that it is dangerous not to acknowledge that we still do sin. That acknowledgment is confession. We see a couple of items in confessing our sin as pointed out in 1 John 1:9. We first agree that our sin is sin and make a conscience effort to turn from it. Secondly, we ensure that we do not try to conceal our sin from God and ourselves. We continually see that we do in fact sin and must rely on God to overcome them. …“Penitent confession and acknowledgment of sin are the believer's business, and the means of his deliverance from his guilt. …” – Matthew Henry …“God is faithful to his covenant and word, wherein he has promised forgiveness to penitent believing confessors.”… – Matthew Henry …“He is clement and gracious also, and so will forgive, to the contrite confessor, all his sins, cleanse him from the guilt of all unrighteousness, and in due time deliver him from the power and practice of it.” – Matthew Henry WOS |
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427 | how many unforgiven sins are there? | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166591 | ||
Dear Luke, Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye:… Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. When Christ sets forth the pattern in which we should pray and includes specifics that we need to include, maybe not in an exact fashion, but certainly areas that we need to touch upon, what do you want to call it? A request? A recommendation? So be it, He recommended the pattern but seems to have been very specific with what we should be asking for and how. You can rationalize the Scripture with Him in time I’m sure, but He was obvious as to how we need to pray and what we are to ask, in some fashion, during. Commandment or not, we still disobey Christ when we don’t follow His instructions, or in this case as well, even His example to the best of our ability. WOS |
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428 | how many unforgiven sins are there? | Eph 1:7 | Wild Olive Shoot | 166606 | ||
There seems to be many of us lionheart, who at times attempt to rationalize Scripture and place it not so much out of context, but out of conscience. We sometimes fail to realize that what Christ deemed important to inform us and what the Holy Spirit lead the Apostles to record, was given to us for a reason and not as a filler. I find it hard to imagine that Christ Himself would demonstrate anything for us and be our example simply so we can say it isn't relevant and doesn't pertain because he never said, "this I command of you". If we would truly treasure every divinely inspired word God has given us, we would have much less rationalization and plenty more action in line with God's Spirit. Just another thought, can me confessing my sins to you or you confessing to me actually relieve us of the guilt we gain in sinning? Somewhat maybe, but surely not in full. I think it is an appropriate thing to do, confess one to another as Scripture dictates, but I also think it appropriate that the God who will pardon us is the only one that can remove the guilt as well, therefore, I'll confess to Him to be fully relieved. I’m with you on this one, if we don’t feel we need to confess and repent before God, what makes us think we will even do it before one another? Great point. WOS |
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429 | Can you lose your salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Wild Olive Shoot | 187863 | ||
You’ve strayed from the question. The original question to which Psalm25 responded and answered correctly was “can we loose our salvation?”. The answer is no. Why do you have to throw the timing issue into it? When we are sealed was not part of the original question and all that has been accomplished by its upbringing is to move away from the subject at hand which again is, can we loose our salvation. We understand your position and since nobody else will, I’ll respectfully request you quit pushing it. In the short two years I’ve been around on this forum, it has been discussed many times and each time it ends in the same fashion. Eternal security after all was the question, so why you don’t want to discuss it, as you posted you weren’t, is hard for me to understand. If you want to discuss the sovereignty of God and how we think we can override his reign, maybe you should start another post. That’s a topic I would love to discuss with the forum. Stand in His grace, WOS |
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430 | Can you lose your salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Wild Olive Shoot | 187871 | ||
Mark, Although I don't necessarily want to engage in a discussion where you and I don't see eye to eye, only because I respect your opinion and truly take in all you post as well with Tim, I think Psalm25 is correct if the issue is an eternal issue. Although, I don't believe Psalm25 wanted to take the discussion there. In light of what you and Tim have posted I see the point as far as using the text incorrectly to support a position and I understand the responsibility to correct a wrong understanding. However I don't feel that is the case here. If God seals someone today, is that sealing really eternal? Wouldn’t it rather be continuous from that point? Eternal describes all ages, not just from the present and forward, but all ages. According to 2 Timothy 1:9, who saved us and when? 2Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, “which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began; it is a gift, and a free gift, not at all depending upon any conditions in the creature, and entirely proceeding from the sovereign will of God; and it was a gift from eternity; there was not only a purpose of grace in God's heart, and a promise of it so early, but there was a real donation of it in eternity: and though those to whom it was given did not then personally exist, yet Christ did, and he existed as a covenant head and representative of his people; and they were in him, as members of him, as represented by him, being united to him; and this grace was given to him for them, and to them in him; in whom they were chosen, and in whom they were blessed with all spiritual blessings. The Ethiopic version reads, "in Christ Jesus, who before the world was"; but without any foundation.” – John Gill Romans 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Romans 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Ephesians 1:4, 5: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, John 17:2,3: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. What is eternal life if it is not eternal? Eternal as used in John 17:2: perpetual (also used of past time, or past and future as well): - eternal, for ever, everlasting, world (began). Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; God promised eternal life before the world began. Do you not think God made the promise actual at that point? He chose us in him before the foundation of the world. Who was the promise for if it wasn’t for those he chose before the foundation of the world? Stand in His grace, WOS |
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431 | Can you lose your salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Wild Olive Shoot | 187872 | ||
Tim, I better understand shift of the subject and do agree we need to be clear in supporting what we post. Please see post 187871. I value your input as well and would like your thoughts. Stand in His grace, WOS |
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432 | Can you lose your salvation? | Eph 1:13 | Wild Olive Shoot | 187879 | ||
Hey Mark, I agree. I don’t believe we could come to a mutual understanding on the subject and our debate would benefit nobody. But, just so you know where I stand, I hope it is in God’s grace, and that grace is freely dispensed according to His good pleasure. Ephesians 1:5,6: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 2Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: Eph 4:3–7: 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Stand in His grace, WOS |
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433 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157098 | ||
Does God have Faith? “Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and other Word-Faith teachers have a brand new revelation, “God operates by faith.” And we, too, ought to exercise the same kind of faith that God exercised when He created the world. Well is this new revelation really biblical? There are only two prooftexts from the Bible which are used to prove that God exercises faith, and they don’t support this doctrine at all. The first is Mark 11:22, this tell us: “Have faith in God.” Well, grammatically this could be translated, “Have faith of God,” or, “Have God’s faith.” And therefore the Word-Faith teachers commonly say that we are to have “the God kind of faith.” However, this is clearly a mistake. You see, in Greek the grammatical form here means not “faith that God has” but “faith, that has God as its object.” In context Jesus is exhorting His disciples to have faith when they pray — in other words, when they ask God for things, they are to have faith in Him [Mark 11:23-24]. It’s always object oriented. The second prooftext, Hebrews 11:3, says that “by faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the Word of God.” The Word-Faith teachers here twist this to read that God by His faith created the world. In other words, God had to exercise faith in order to create the world. Again, this interpretation clearly is ruled out by the context. The whole chapter is talking about the faith exercised in God by human beings: “By faith Abel... By faith Enoch... By faith Noah... By faith Abraham... By faith Sarah...” [11:4,5,7,8,11], and so forth. The whole idea that God has faith is completely foreign to the Bible. Biblical faith is: human beings trusting in a God they cannot see, to do things that He has promised. God sees all and knows all from all eternity. So, God doesn’t need to have faith. And since God doesn’t need to have faith, the idea that we have to imitate God’s “faith” is clearly unbiblical. Remember, faith is always object oriented: Faith in God not faith of God. And if we mix that up, we have a faulty understanding of what true biblical faith really is. On the question of God having faith, that’s the CRI Perspective. I’m Hank Hanegraaff.” http://www.equip.org/free/CP1101.htm Why would God need faith if He knows all? WOS |
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434 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157108 | ||
C.S.M., I would have to disagree with your statement: “I say Jesus is the source, the developer, and the finisher of mankinds faith. He doesn't just have faith, he is faith, the source of all faith from God the Father.” Jesus Christ cannot be faith. Paul points out that faith is temporal. Christ is eternal. How can one be the other? Faith is clearly a spiritual gift as pointed out in 1 Corinthians 12:9. 1 Corinthians 12 7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. Sp on your logic, Christ is merely a spiritual gift? The Spiritual gifts will not last forever, Christ will. Faith will not last forever, Christ will. By the way, can you please let me know exactly where it was I twisted the words of God? If you can do that I’ll retract the statement. Clearly C.S.M., you fail to understand what faith is. Clearly, for some reason, you have faith and Christ mixed together as if they are the same. I worship Christ. Do you worship faith? Sorry brother but you seem very confused to me. WOS |
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435 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157109 | ||
C.S.M., When did faith and grace become part of the Godhead? I must have missed that when God revealed it to us in His Word. Can you point that out to me please? I worship in faith. I’m saved because of God’s grace. Faith and grace are not persons. The Father and the Son are. Why is that so difficult for you to understand? WOS |
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436 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157120 | ||
My definition of faith is God's definition, straight from His word as revealed in Hebrews 11:1 brother. I don't add to it, I don't take away from it. WOS |
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437 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157121 | ||
Grace is God’s forgiving mercy, His kindness, His freely bestowing upon me His gift of salvation. God is not grace. Yes He is the source, but he is not grace. I believe I have thoroughly defined faith as God has. Christ is not faith. Our faith is in Christ. Again, grace and faith are not persons. To refer to God as grace and Christ as faith is to add to God’s word. Something that God himself had warned us not to do. By focusing on attributes of the Father and the Son, and what they provide us, and equating them to the gifts they provide is to diminish their office. They, yes they, are even greater than the gifts they bestow upon us, therefore, they cannot be equated to those gifts. WOS |
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438 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157122 | ||
“Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity” (1Cor 13:8-13). In 1Co 13:13 we read, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Concerning “charity” Paul had already said, “Charity never faileth” (1Co 13:8). The word “abideth” means to “remain” or “continue.” When Paul said that prophecies would “fail” and special knowledge by revelation would “vanish away,” he used a Greek word that meant to be “abolished” or “cease.” He did not mean that the prophecies would fail to come to pass or be true, but that the gift of prophecy would cease in the church. The fact that charity (love of God) is the only gift that will never fail, tells us that there will be a time in which all of the gifts are in existence. There will be another time when the three; faith, hope and charity are in existence. Then finally when charity by itself will be in existence. This is proven by the definitions that the Bible gives concerning both of these gifts. Concerning faith, we read in the book of Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). When Jesus comes, I will see him for myself and will no longer need to see Him through the eyes of faith. I realize that it may be argued that the disciples had faith when they were with Christ at His first coming; but at that time he came as a humble servant and many, especially the religious leaders of Israel, rejected Him as the Messiah. When He comes in glory there will be no question as to who He is. When God’s people are glorified with Him the need for faith will have come to an end. Concerning hope we read, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Rom 8:24-25). The second coming of Jesus is that blessed hope. When Christ comes for me my hope will be realized and brought to fruition. At that time, when I see Him and I am with Him, I will only need the love of God for all eternity. These verses tell us that the time of faith, hope and charity in the church age must be before the Lord returns for His people. This means that tongues, prophecy and special knowledge will be done away with before the return of Christ. Now, when is that time? Paul is telling us in his epistle to the Corinthians when that point in time will be. It is when “that which is perfect is come” (1Co 13:10). No wonder Paul said, “Now abideth, faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” I know many interpret “that which is perfect” to be the coming of Jesus Christ and His millennial kingdom; but as we have just pointed out, the three gifts of faith, hope and charity must exist by themselves before His coming. And not only that, but also the word “that” suggests a thing and not a person. Why don’t we let the Bible itself tell us what is the meaning of “that which is perfect.” According to the lexicon, the word perfect in the King James Version comes from a Greek word meaning: “brought to its end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; full grown, adult, of full age, mature.” Now ask yourself, what was completed in this age before the Lord’s return? Well, again, why don’t we let the Bible tell us. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 we read, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” This verse is immediately after the verse that mentions, “that which is perfect” which shows us that Paul means exactly what the lexicon says concerning the word “perfect.” And what were the childish things that Paul had in mind that would be put away when that which is perfect or complete had come? Well, it should be obvious to any reader that he was speaking of the early gifts of tongues, prophecy and special revelation knowledge given to the members of the infant church during the apostolic age. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Grove/3718/tongues.html WOS |
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439 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157131 | ||
C.S.M., I refuse to debate this any further with you. I have provided answers, clearly supported by God's word, unadulterated. You have not brother. You continue to read into God's word something that is neither there nor supported. As far as I am concerned, this conversation is over. I've done all I can to correct your equating the Godhead with their gifts and diminishing their offices. I will not continue to explain again and again from where my definitions are derived when I have clearly shown they are supported by God’s own word. Your attempt to run me in circles has surely failed, for I am clear on what God’s word instructs and what His Holy Spirit has taught. As a matter of fact, I discontinued even reading your last post because I'm sure, like the others in this thread, it uses God's word out of context and will prove to be unfruitful. Peace to you brother. WOS |
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440 | ehesians2vs8 | Eph 2:8 | Wild Olive Shoot | 157140 | ||
C.S.M., Forgive me, for my curiosity got the better of me and I did finish reading your post. Before I depart from this discussion, I feel I must address some of your unfair claims against me. I really don’t know what you are debating. My disagreement as stated in my post was this: From post # 157108 You said: “I say Jesus is the source, the developer, and the finisher of mankinds faith. He doesn't just have faith, he is faith, the source of all faith from God the Father.” I said: “Jesus Christ cannot be faith. Paul points out that faith is temporal. Christ is eternal. How can one be the other? Faith is clearly a spiritual gift as pointed out in 1 Corinthians 12:9.” You also stated that God is grace and Jesus is faith in another post that was not part of this thread, post #157084: you said: “God is grace, Jesus is Faith which produces peace.” Then in another post you stated that God’s word is His faith, as is God requires faith, post #157074 you said: “Since the just must live by faith, and Jesus said you live by every word of God. God's word is God's faith.” I debate all of these as being unsupported by God’s own word. Before I venture into answering you questions yet again, let’s look at what I disagree with. You claim Jesus is faith, God is grace and God’s word is God’s faith. Why would God need faith. God knows all. God’s own definition of faith is Hebrews 11:1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. So tell me what does God hope for? What is it that God cannot see? Why do you think God needs faith? Yes He is the source of our faith but he needs not faith. Like you have stated, God can call into existence anything He desires out of nothing. So why do you find it hard to believe that God can give us faith without Himself having it? Secondly, you claim Jesus is faith but have failed to provide the Scripture that supports that. Faith is a gift from God. As pointed out, gifts, with the exception of love, will not endure forever. We know Christ will endure forever. So how can Christ be faith? Again, sine faith is a gift, its source is God, but faith is established in Christ, Christ is not faith. God is grace? Grace is God’s free and unmerited favor toward sinful humanity. My definition is a paraphrase of this but is essentially the same. This definition can be found in any Bible Dictionary or concordance, yet you struggle with it as being factual, dismissing it as something I heard someone say. Yes, I heard God say it in His word. So again, point me to the Scripture that identifies God as being grace. God surely does give us His grace, but He is not grace. Now to address specifically your questions and statement in this post: You ask: “why do you reject God's clearly stated definition of grace in Eph 1:6 as his acceptance of believers in the beloved? You do agree he is talking about Christ Jesus, the beloved, don't you?” I believe my definition is accurate to that Scripture and yes He has given us grace because of His Son Jesus. I don’t deny that, but that does not define grace. You are surely mistaken if you think it does. It explains why God has given us His grace. Continued in next post… |
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