Results 61 - 72 of 72
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: McGracer Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53744 | ||
In the Andes, Romans 7:9 has been hotly by some of the world's best Christian minds for centuries (all of them probably greater and more educated than mine). No doubt it will continue to be. But here are my current personal thoughts on this difficult passage (subject to change as I grow): I believe that in verses 7-13 Paul is building upon his "marriage" thoughts in verses 1-6 and specifically expanding upon how he came to know sin and what is deserves - death (verse 7). He has already drawn an analogy for us in verses 1-6 of how God wanted to joined primarily the Jew (in this passage) to Christ, for he is speaking to those who know the Law (vs 1). In short, he states the the Jew, in Paul's analogy, is married to Mr. Law. How long does this Jewish marriage last? Until death separates them. The Jews loved the Law and thought that life was found in it. Like a marriage partner, it consumed their thoughts and devotion. But under Jewish law, the rule was that marriage was until death (we know that there were exceptions, but I'm speaking of the normal standard). So Paul says that God wanted to join the Jew who was used to being married to Mr. Law to Mr. Grace - Jesus Christ (vs 4). The only legal way for that to happen is for one marriage partner to die (vs 2). Therefore, through union with Christ's death, the Jew, who had died in his relationship to Mr. Law (vs 4) could also be resurrected with Christ and joined to Him in order to bear fruit (vs 4,6). But I believe that starting in vs 9, Paul shares his personal journey in this marriage relationship. He came (in his understanding as a young Jew) as a virgin, alive and pure, to be joined to Mr. Law. He thought that this marriage would be wonderful - joined to the Law (which he knew was holy, righteous, and good). A match made in heaven. :) But during the honeymoon Paul was shocked to discovered that there was someone else in the marriage bed with him and Mr. Law - Mr. Sin! He had believed that he was alive and pure when he married Mr. Law and he KNEW Mr. Law was pure. But their marriage quickly turned into a threesome. Where did Mr. Sin come from? Not from the Law. For the Law was holy, righteous and good. Mr. Sin had, unbeknownst to Paul, been inside Paul and Paul had unwittingly brought Mr. Sin into the marriage with him! Mr. Sin had been fairly quiet in Paul until that time to "sneak" into the marriage. Now that the marriage was finalized, Mr. Sin jumped fully to life in Paul and Mr. Law revealed to Paul that Mr. Sin (who Paul had unknowingly been joined to all along since birth) and therefore Paul needed to die! Mr. Law said, "I am holy, righteous, and good. I cannot stayed married to you, Paul, because you are joined Mr. Sin and the wages of sin are death. You have to die. In fact, you are already dead!" That was how Mr. Sin planned to end Paul's relationship with Mr. Law. What a marriage wrecker! But Paul never would have been fully conscious of Mr. Sin's presence in him and of his spiritual death if he had not met Mr. Law. Why? Because Mr. Sin had deceived him and had laid dormant until the opportune time to rear his ugly head and demonstrate to Paul that he couldn't stay married to Mr. Law. Paul concludes (vs 12,13) by saying that it really wasn't Mr. Law who was to blame for his death in the marriage. It was Mr. Sin's fault. It simply took Mr. Law to point out Paul's problem. Thankfully, God, being a God of ALL THINGS, found a way to turn this whole scenario on it ear. Through Paul's death(caused by Mr. Sin), God united Paul with Christ's death, and raised Paul as a new creature to be joined, not to Mr. Law, but to Christ Himself - Mr. Grace! Well, that's my take on what Paul is saying here. The beauty of God's plan is that He can take what is meant for evil and turn it out for our good. Paul saw this. That is why he knew that it was foolish for a new creation in Christ to try to go back to a marriage to Mr. Law. The marriage was over. The believer is now joined, not to something that reflects God (the Law), but to God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. Be blessed and enjoy your new marriage, bro. McGracer |
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62 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53729 | ||
In the Andes, Hey bro, you wrote: "Paul was refering to a time in his life when he was not spiritually separated from God. And when he understood the commandment, the nature of his flesh which was passed down from Adam arose and took advantage of the commandment and killed him. Thereby teaching him that he needed a savior." You are saying that Paul is refering to a time in his life when we WAS NOT spiritually separated from God. This means that he was spiritually joined to God - 1 Cor 6:17 (you're either in or out, right?). What do you mean that his flesh arose and killed him? The scriptures make it clear that once we are in union with God, we have "ETERNAL LIFE". How can someone who has eternal (no beginning, no end) have that life killed or taken away? Could you clarify how someone who is spiritually alive could die (knowing that ALL our sins are forgiven under the New Covenant)? Respectfully, McGracer |
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63 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53728 | ||
In the Andes, Hey bro, you wrote: "Paul was refering to a time in his life when he was not spiritually separated from God. And when he understood the commandment, the nature of his flesh which was passed down from Adam arose and took advantage of the commandment and killed him. Thereby teaching him that he needed a savior." You are saying that Paul is refering to a time in his life when we WAS NOT spiritually separated from God. This means that he was spiritually joined to God - 1 Cor 6:17 (you're either in or out, right?). What do you mean that his flesh arose and killed him? The scriptures make it clear that once we are in union with God, we have "ETERNAL LIFE". How can someone who has eternal (no beginning, no end) have that life killed or taken away? Could you clarify how someone who is spiritually alive could die (knowing that ALL our sins are forgiven under the New Covenant)? Respectfully, McGracer |
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64 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53727 | ||
In the Andes, In good humor (and good faith), let's banter this about a little bit: You wrote: "Paul said, death spread to all men because ALL SINNED." Sure all sin - but why? ALL sin because ALL are sinners. You don't become a sinner when you first sin. You sin BECAUSE you are ALREADY a sinner. It is because of Adam that we are sinners, not because of our own acts. Our own sinful acts just confirm to us what we ALREADY are. It is your birth that determines what you are, not your actions. I don't become a saint when I commit my first righteous act. I do righteous acts BECAUSE Christ is in me doing them - my new birth has already made me a saint. You wrote: "Paul is very clear that "where there is no law, sin is not held against man." vs 13" He is saying the before Mt. Sinai, committed sins where not taken into account. But don't miss verse 14 - NEVERTHELESS, sin still reigned. People still died and went to hell because they were born separated from God. Only those who had faith in God were counted as righteous and when to heaven. You wrote: "Babies must of necessity have clean consciences. Or they would go straight to hell. All men will sin (because of the nature passed down from Adam) and thereby need a savior. I'm not disagreeing with you on that." So, would you agree that babies have Adam's sinful nature passed on to each and every one? If not, how do you get around it? If so, how would God allow any creature (baby or not) to go to heaven with a sinful nature in it? Again, I don't believe that babies go to hell. I believe that there is an age of accountability. I just cannot conclusively prove it from scripture. McGracer |
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65 | What commandments to keep? | 1 John 2:4 | McGracer | 53726 | ||
Faith531, Sorry, my friend, you can't keep any of them. Not the Big 10, not the New 2. You can't do it. Only Christ ever did. He has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law (be perfect) and, because of our union with Him, they are thereby fulfilled in us also. Christ has met the standard. We never did and never can. He now fulfills the law of love in and through us. This is the law of Christ whereby He lives His life in His own to manifest the invisible God to a visible world. As He does this in us, it will certainly look like we are living under the Law (the Mosaic Covenant). But we are not. We are living by faith in Christ in us, the hope of glory. I hope this helps. McGracer |
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66 | Weird to act like a jew when your not? | Gal 5:1 | McGracer | 53724 | ||
In the Andes, I don't think it is weird, I think it is full-blown Galatianism. :) It is natural that man, with the absence of relational reality, will resort back to religious ritual. Of course, we "Christianize" it by sticking Jesus' name in here and there, but the bottom line is that it is a subtle attempt to blend OT worship in with NT worship. What should NT worship look like? What is the best way to have a NT worship service? I think that Rom 12:1 tells us - allow the Person of Jesus Christ to live through your body - this is your worshipful act. But if, for whatever reason we can or won't do that, we go for the externals. :) McGracer |
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67 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53721 | ||
In the Andies, Paul makes it very clear in Romans chapter 5 that, because of Adam's sin, were are all born sinners - vs. 12, 18, 19; Eph 2:1. These are God's statements, not mine. There is plenty of scripture to support this view. However, there are virtually no scriptures that talk about what happens to babies when they die, are there? David does talk about going to be with his son that died because of David's sin. That could mean heaven or it could mean the grave, I don't know. So, we have a choice. Are we going to base our theology upon issues where the scriptures are clear? Or are we going to base it upon hypotheticals? I will have to go with what I know is clearly taught. It is clearly taught that we are born dead in trespasses and sins. It is not clearly taught what happens to babies (or the mentally handicapped, or those who have never had a chance to hear the gospel). This does not mean that I believe that babies go to hell. We have personally had two miscarriages and I don't believe that God would send these children to hell. Does He make exceptions? I don't know. If He does, He is God, that is his prerogrative. I do know that He is perfectly loving and perfectly just and I trust Him to be God in this matters where things are not black and white. As far as Rom 7:9 goes, there are 3 main views of Paul's experience: 1. He is describing his preconversion state. 2. He is describing his post-conversion state of trying to live under and be sanctified by the Law. 3. He is describing the normal Christian experience. Regardless, he has already made it clear that all are born sinners in Romans 5. What do you think he is referring to? McGracer |
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68 | image of God | Gen 1:26 | McGracer | 53708 | ||
Evangeline, God is Spirit. Spirit gives birth to spirit - John 3. When God created man, He created him as primarily a spirit being. In other words, we each have a human spirit that will exist forever. It is our spirit that allows us to commune with and worship God. Our spirit is the means by which we relate to and know God. But He also created us with a personality (or soul). This consists of mind, will, and emotions. The soul is the means by which we relate to ourselves and others around us. And He created us with a physical body - flesh. The body is the means by which we directly relate to our world and others around us through our 5 senses. So man could be called a spirit being that has a soul that lives in a body. It has been said that we are not human beings with spiritual experiences but spiritual beings with human experiences. God makes it clear that if we are going to relate to Him, we must do so in spirit and truth. Of course, because of man's fall into sin, we are born with a spirit that is separated from God. Thankfully, because of Christ's work on the cross and His resurrection, God creates within the believer a new spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is called being born again of the Spirit of God and this makes it possible for us to have a relationship with Him. I hope this helps. McGracer |
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69 | Why do people try to disprove baptism? | John 3:5 | McGracer | 53484 | ||
Great post, New Creation - 2 Cor 5:17. As you have well-said, we obey BECAUSE we've been saved, not to achieve it. McGracer |
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70 | Can we stop preaching baptism? | John 3:5 | McGracer | 53482 | ||
NLightNMe, You wrote: "If baptism is not necessary for salvation, then can preachers stop preaching baptism?" I stated in my prior answer that we should be water baptized because it portrays the spiritual truth of the identification we have with Christ. Christ left us with two ordinances - water baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both of these are pictures of spiritual truth. Should we do them? Yes, we should. Are they required for salvation? No, they are not. They are visible manifestations that we have been saved. So I never said that we shouldn't be water baptized. I just said that it was not required for salvation. "Paul did come to preach the gospel. What is the gospel? It is the death, burial, and ressurrection of Jesus Christ. What represents the gospel...baptism." Very true. All I am saying is that we shouldn't mistake the representation for the truth. The demons believe that Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected. Salvation is when we put faith in the fact that Christ died, was buried, and rose again for our benefit. And we trust His works, not our own, to save us. "So, what man does is just as important as what the Holy Spirit does." I would phrase this "What the Holy Spirit does in and through man is what is important." Man can do many things of his own volition and it is flesh. All of our righteousness apart from Him is as filthy rags. It is what man does as God does it through him that counts for eternity. "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." "I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ." Again, I think that we need to keep the distinction between the Spirit baptizing us into Christ (the reality which requires no water) and water baptism (which can certainly happen without the Spirit). Many folks are water baptized thinking that it saves them. It is clear from the scriptures that it is Christ's finished work that saves us. Water baptism illustrates simply that truth. Should we be water baptized? Certainly, just as we should pray, read our Bibles, share the gospel with others, give to the needy, and all the other works which the Holy Spirit does in and through us. But let's not mistake the RESULTS of the salvation that Christ has done in us for a MEANS to achieve it. So I'm not saying not to preach water baptism. I'm saying to preach what baptism REALLY is and means - union with Christ - and then offer folks the opportunity to publically display that wonderful union through water baptism. Hope this helps. McGracer |
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71 | Why do people try to disprove baptism? | John 3:5 | McGracer | 53473 | ||
NLightNMe, You wrote: "Why do people want to prove/disprove the importance of baptism. Some say that baptism is a requirement for salvation and some say that it is not." Water baptism is important as it is an outward display of an inward reality. In true baptism, the Holy Spirit identifies us with Jesus Christ - in His death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism is a physical picture of that spiritual truth - nothing more. "Being immersed in water by faith of redemption cannot kill you." True, brother. We are already crucified (dead), buried, and risen again in Christ. "It is to make us better." This is where there is a misunderstanding, bro. The only thing that makes us better is Christ's righteous, not water. You are either as perfect as Christ is through union with Him or you are a sinner. There is no in-between. This righteousness is accepted by faith, not by water baptism. "What is the big deal about trying to belittle baptism or try to prove that it is not necessary for going to heaven." Because the truth is that water baptism is not necessary for salvation or for going to heaven. Spirit baptism is but not water baptism. Water can do nothing to cleanse from sin. Without the shedding of blood (not the parting of water), there is no forgiveness for sin - Heb 9:22. "Whether we should get baptised is not the issue." True, the Holy Spirit faithfully baptizes EVERY believer into Christ - 1 Cor 12:13,27 "How should we be baptised is the real issue at hand." Amen, by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ. Water baptism is, again, just a picture of that. Food for thought: Is a picture the same thing as that being portrayed? No, it's not. A picture of you is not you. It is a representation of you. Likewise, water baptism is not the reality. It is a representation of spiritual reality. Nothing more, nothing less. But many Christians take the picture and make THAT the reality. Instead of agreeing on the truth that the picture represents, they make the picture a requirement for salvation and, in my analogy, argue over the frame, the colors, who took the picture, is it watercolor or oil?, on and on. We should be water baptized to witness to all that we have been spirit-baptized into Christ. But to make water baptism a requirement for salvation is not part of the gospel. Paul said that he came to preach the gospel, not to water baptize folks. This makes them mutually exclusive and demonstrates that while being baptized into Christ (what the Holy Spirit does) is part of salvation, water baptism (what man does) is not. I hope this helps. McGracer |
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72 | A reson for the H S to leave you | John | McGracer | 53472 | ||
Wings of Hope, As Inmyheart has said, the Holy Spirit will never leave someone in whom He indwells. He has joined Himself to the Christian forever - 1 Cor 6:17. He will never leave us or forsake us. Nothing shall separate us from His love. We do see instances in the Old Testament where, because of sin, the Holy Spirit departed from people. The Spirit left King Saul. David prayed for the Lord not to take His Holy Spirit from him after his sin with Bathsheba. And there is the sad account in Ezekiel where the Spirit leaves the temple. But these were all scenarios before the cross where Christ dealt with sins once and for all. Under the New Covenant (New Testament), the Holy Spirit does not leave us because the only thing that could make Him do so, sin, has been forgiven because of Christ's blood. The writers of the New Testament (and the Holy Spirit Himself) well understood this. Unfortunately, most Christians don't understand this because they try to blend Old Covenant with New Covenant. God certainly doesn't change but His dealings with mankind do. Under the New Covenant, God says of His people, "There sins and lawless deeds, I will remember no more." - Heb 10:17. This is why the Holy Spirit, once He indwells a believer at conversion, will never leave that believer. Hope this helps you. McGracer |
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