Results 481 - 495 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
481 | Were Eve's desires sinful? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92797 | ||
Questions remain, I think. It seems to me that beauty, wisdom and nourishment do not exist in vacuums and are not meaningful in and of themselves. The question concerns the legitimate sources of these qualities. The lemon tree is very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat. Does that make a point? Some beautiful fruits are actually poisonous and it would not be wise to eat them. In any case one should deny oneseslf the pleasure of desiring a thing, beautiful or not, if the Lord has put it on the forbidden list. Many women are beautiful, but a man is not to desire the beauty of another man's wife. Also on that list are his house, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his ass, and any thing else that belongs to that other man. Secondly, can you explain what Jesus meant when he said that a man has committed adultery if he looks at a woman with lustful eyes? I hope that you are not going outside these words to say that adultery occurs only when the physical act is consummated. Jesus says that man is not to be desiring that woman. While he is lusting, Jesus says he is not only being tempted, he is sinning. She is his not his wife and he should not be desiring her. Likewise a man should not be desiring the wisdom that does not come from above because it is earthly, sensual, devilish (James 3:15). He should be aware of evil, enough to be able to recognize it and avoid it. God does not want us to know evil through the experience of engaging in it. Again, "Be wise concerning that which is good, but simple (You don't have to know a whole lot) concerning evil" (Romans 16:9). You say that Adam and Eve were already like God, so you assume they already knew good and evil. Don't you find it strange then that God says, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil? (Gen 3:22). Surely, he had not just become what he already was. Surely you do not think that to be made in God's image means to be like him in every way. Omnipotent? Omnipresent? Omniscient? Adam was not any of those things. In spite of Benny Hinn, I would say that Adam could not even fly. He was like God in some ways, but not in every way. He only acquired the knowledge of evil when he had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:7). The above matters may not be clear or of prime practical importance. However, I think it should be clear, and important to understand, that Jesus was not tempted to sin. He is God. He is not tempted with evil (James 1:13). He was tempted by the devil. This refers to the activities of the devil, and not to any internal drives or desires within our Lord. He knew no sin. He could do no sin. He is perfect. Much as the heat shows the qualities of pure gold, the testing showed us what Jesus was made of. He loved righteousness and hated iniquity. He was not tempted to sin. Tested and tried, yes, and he came forth as gold. Lastly, I trust that no one reading these posts will think that it is good to know evil. Know of its existence, yes. Know how to recognize it, yes. (I think that 'Emmaus' makes the point well, and we should look again at his post, above). But not to know it intimately, in detail, or by experience, no. A client told me she needs to learn from experience, not from simply listening. I asked her, in the presence of her fiancé if she planned to learn about adultery in that way. That seemed to settle the question for her. I hope it settles it for us all. |
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482 | TO KNOW JESUS IS TO LOVE JESUS | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 92544 | ||
No. I don't think so. Jesus is not changing the world. Jesus is saving people, taking them out of this world system, and he's coming back to take them out of this world. Then he's going to destroy this world. This world is not getting better. It is getting worse. But Jesus is saving people, one at a time. |
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483 | When did Adam become a sinner? | Gen 3:6 | Aixen7z4 | 92517 | ||
I am gathering that Adam was created with innocence. He did not become a sinner until he disobeyed God. That is when he got a taste of evil (Gen 3:22) and developed an appetite for sin. He was not able to get rid of it and he has passed it on to his children. Has it been by nature or by nurture that the trait was passed on? It was, and is, probably always both. But thank God for the antidote, which is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, then, it does not matter, the fact that we have inherited sin, since there is a cure for it. I judge that this question, and the answers so aptly given, are important. God did not create sin, and he did not make Adam a sinner. He created him with innocence and with free will, and Adam became a sinner by choosing to disobey. Thank God for the second Adam who knew no sin and who chose the path of obedience. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:19). |
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484 | release and faith | NT general Archive 1 | Aixen7z4 | 91313 | ||
The key is this: Faith starts with God speaking. Faith comes by hearing; hearing the word of God. Abraham had faith because he believed God, and it is the same for you and me. Has God told you to say unto a certain mountian, "Remove hence to yonder place"? If God has not said that, then there is no such thing as believing God for that. O, My Friend, if God said, "It shall remove" then it shall remove. But we must first hear God speak. As for "releasing your faith", I think you know that that phrase was invented recently, and is not found in scripture. Not the words only, the concept is also absent. The word of god does not encourage us to put our faith into action, but Jesus did say, "Have faith in God". Listen to what God says. Repent. Believe. Love. Serve. Wait. Endure hardness. Have faith, my friend, in God. |
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485 | How was the identity known by Peter? | Deut 29:29 | Aixen7z4 | 91221 | ||
I looked up "Priciples of Bible Interpretation", and read many interesting things. I pray the Lord will yet help those of us who are simple and uneducated to understand what he is saying to us in the Bible. It is a good idea to "be silent where the Bible is silent". It is another matter, I think, to act as though the Lord had the writers of Scripture to record everything he or they had in mind. I will reveal now that I had begun the last paragraph with the words "I think". I decided to leave it out because I tend to use that phrase too much, I think, and because I assume you understand that I think before I write. While we are not to add to God's word, I think that we must think as we read. Sometimes a writer records the very words of a conversation, quoting the people. At other times he gives the topic of conversation or a summary of it. We do know, though, that in every case the people talking used words which could have been quoted. My point is that we are seem to be creating an unnecessary difficulty for ourselves by imagining that three people talked to each other with no one ever referring to the others by their names. "We don't know" is often a good response. I suggest that we should be careful not to overuse it lest we give the impression that God is withholding so much information from us. The Bible is meant to reveal God, so we can know him, and his will, so that we can do it. |
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486 | How was the identity known by Peter? | Deut 29:29 | Aixen7z4 | 91034 | ||
It is true that we should avoid speculation. Also, we should not add to the word of God. On the other hand, some things are apparent from the text that the Lord may not have spelled out. The passage says, (Mt 17:3) "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him". Matthew does not tell us what they were saying, but Luke tells us that they (Lu 9:31) "spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem". None of then records Jesus as saying, "Thank you, Moses. Thank you, Elias". And we should not add that. But is it fair to assume that names were never used in the conversation? The question suggests that God used some mysterious way to reveal the identities. But the life of Jesus himself shows that God used his words, and his works, to reveal who he was. |
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487 | A different translation...HELP | Bible general Archive 1 | Aixen7z4 | 89828 | ||
It is strange that the above article does not even mention the New Living Translation of the Bible which has been available to us since 1996. It is the best translation I have found, combining the accuracy, elegance and readability that the author of that article suggests should be there. He suggests that every Christian should own several Bibles. For those who cannot affort it, I suggest the New Living Translation. | ||||||
488 | How can one be sure of his/her salvation | John 3:16 | Aixen7z4 | 89320 | ||
I believe John McArthur would agree, 1 John was not written primarily to give believers assurance of salvation. Rather, it was given to help them to judge the teachers coming to them. The word "we" in 1 John almost always refers to the apostles. The word "they" refers to other teachers with other spirits. Clearly, some of the criteria can be applied to ourselves. Those of us who believe have the witness within ourselves. We have the Holy Spirit, and he witnesses with our spirits that we are the children of God. The other source of assurance is the set of promises God makes to us in his word. The promise in 1Jo 5:14 is similar to the one made in Romans 10:13. Paul explains in what follows that we must hear the gospel (that Christ died for our sins ...) we must believe (trust him completely, enough to turn from our sins and commit ourselves to him) and we must call upon him. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to lead us to Christ, creates faith in him, causes us to call upon him, and gives us assurance that we are saved. |
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489 | How is Jesus like a shepherd? | John 10:14 | Aixen7z4 | 88435 | ||
This writer thinks it belittles God's people and dishonors the Lord to say that we are like stupid sheep and that's why we need a shepherd. The simple fact is the Lord is God. It is he who has made us, and not we ourselves. We should be thankful that he has taken the role of Shepherd, to provide for us and to protect us, because we need it. There are thieves who come by only to steal from us, to kill, and to destroy. The Lord is our Shepherd. He gives his life for the sheep. So he is our Savior. But he is also our Maker, and he is Lord. Let us submit to him, and let us fear and honor him. |
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490 | the bible speakes of man or woman | James 5:16 | Aixen7z4 | 88311 | ||
Sometimes the word "man", as in "let us make man", is generic and refers to "mankind" in general, both male and female. Sometimes the word "man", as in "the man Moses", or "men", as in "I would that men pray everywhere" refers to males. | ||||||
491 | The Only Way to Heaven | John 3:3 | Aixen7z4 | 88309 | ||
True. Let us not forget also the need for repentance. Unless a person repents he will perish, Jesus said. We must give up our way for God's way. We must turn from sin to him and seek him with all our heart. When we seek him like that, he will be found. We call upon him, for he is near. We trust him, and we are saved by faith. Everybody ought to do that. | ||||||
492 | Salvation comes by asking for it. | John 3:3 | Aixen7z4 | 88307 | ||
Thought you would have quoted Romans 10:13. It says "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". The next verse suggests that thay will call when they have heard of him and believed on him. | ||||||
493 | GOD SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO WOULDNT LISTEN ? | Ezek 2:2 | Aixen7z4 | 83140 | ||
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall his word be that goeth forth out of his mouth: it shall not return unto him void, but it shall accomplish that which he please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto he sent it. And if any man hear his words, and believe not, he does not judge him: for he came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth him, and receiveth not his words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that he hath spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. If he had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. |
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494 | Are the 24 elders, the church,? | Matt 24:30 | Aixen7z4 | 75283 | ||
The Scripture which comes to mind is from Isaiah 28. I am not sure if it will help or make the matter more complicated, but it applies in many ways. "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken". God has chosen to give us information through gradual revelation, and the facts on any one topic are scattered throughout Scripture. In the end it is also through experience that he teaches us. The knowledge we gain is also not an end in itself but for the purpose of obedience. Take the broader view instead of looking so closely and you will see that the person Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 12 was himself. Likewise, the people the elders were talking about in Revelation 7 and 19 included themselves. Back on the first subject. The overall teaching of Scripture is that whereae God's justice requires his wrath, it is his desire is to save us from wrath. According to 1 Thessalonians 5, we are not appointed to wrath. According to Romans 8 there is no condemnation for us because we are in Christ. As in Jeremiah 30, some Jews are headed for a terrible time, a time of "Jacob's Trouble". Why? Because, as in Luke 19, they did not know the time of their visitation. Because they refused to believe, blindness was imparted to them, as in John 12 and 2 Corinthians 4. This blindness will not be lifted until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This we learn from Romans 11. The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled at the time of the Rapture. For those who remain there will remain only a fearful looking for of judgment, as we learn in Hebrews. Until that time they have been the ones to whom the evangelists have turned, as a group. See Acts 13. After the Gentiles have had their turn, the Jews will be given a second chance. They will look on the one they pierced and some of them will believe on him. But by that time they will be going through great Tribulation. 144,000 will be saved. We know they will be all Jews because there will be 12,000 from each of the tribes. But they will have gone through great distress. Why does God want us to know all of this? First of all, we should be motivated to flee from the wrath to come ourselves. Then, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. No one should be planning to go through the Great Tribulation. It will be a terrible time comparable only to hell itself. Those who are saved will escape both. During the Great Tribulation the church will be in heaven. You see the head pictured in Revelation 4. The body is there too. Others, Jews, will later be saved out of the Great tribulation. All who are saved will have escaped hell. These are the facts as I see them. The information about the nature of perception really should not have been necessary. Let's just say it is important to take the broader view. When we do, the little details will fit into place. Finally, think again. The purpose for God's revelation is that we might obey him. Knowing whatever we know about the tribulation, let us seek to escape it and to encourage others to flee to our Lord Jesus Christ. |
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495 | What is the best version of the Bible? | Bible general Archive 1 | Aixen7z4 | 42138 | ||
The best version of the Bible is ... all of them (1 Cor 3:21). Bible translators try to balance accuracy with readability and this balance is difficult to achieve. Young's Literal Translation tries to live up to it's name but is so awkward it has not been updated. The NASB has a reputation for accuracy. The New Living Translation is the choice for readability and is fairly accurate. The Amplified Bible tries to leave no stone unturned, and gives shades of meaning. Thank God for Web sites which make many versions available. This writer says, use them all. It is perhaps by combining them that you will arrive at the best sense of the word. You may arrive at a favorite, but you should keep the others around for reference. | ||||||
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