Results 61 - 80 of 150
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: atdcross Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
61 | Paul's physical description | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165242 | ||
Would it be incorrect to say that all these detailed physical descriptions (ID#164890) of the apostle Paul seem to be based on conjecture based on tradition or speculative interpretation of certain texts and not on any convincing Biblical or reliable historical evidence? | ||||||
62 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165240 | ||
I fail to see why Paul cannot use the "first person" as a device in writing to others to explain a point. Sometimes, too much of an argument is made based on the grammer or the meaning of a word (not that it should be dismissed) and that is why some mistakes are made in interpretation, that is, in attempting to understand the intended meaning of the text. In any case, I am unfamiliar with Greek and cannot answer based on the Greek language or grammer (I'm bad enough with English!). But let me give and uneducated answer: Rom 7:6. Here the apostle is literally referring to himself. The illustration using himself begins from verse 7 through to the end. In these verses he is expanding on the illustration of marriage to make his point. Note that what he says in verse 6 is contrary to the what he states in the verses that follow. Regarding vs. 7-25, I have stated before my reasons for disagreeing with the interpretation that these verses literally describe Paul before or after conversion. In any case, "ongoing struggle against our 2 natures", however, the struggle in Rom 7 is seen as a losing battle against sin; it does not depict one who is walking in the Spirit as Galatians depicts it. Also, allow me to back up a bit. I do not mean that Paul was not a sinner or a slave to sin before conversion, nor do I mean to say that in all respects Rom 7 does not depict, to one degree or another, in one form or another, the apostle's plight apart from grace. Paul may have been a covetous person. The point is, he did not see himself as a covetous person before conversion. He saw himself as righteous according to the Law. Paul may have contended with a guilty conscience for some time, nevertheless, he seems to have mollified it's pangs with an evaluation of himself as righteous. I am saying, Rom 7 does not necessarily have any literal reference to the apostle's life before or after conversion. He is making a general statement concerning the law and man's condition in relation to it; it is applicable to every man as a sinner (not as a believer, cf. v.1). The point he wished to make was not so much what his life was or is like but what the Law is and its function (v.7). For example, before conversion Paul could not have seen that the Law was death (v.9-10) to him because he felt that he was following the Law and thus was, not a "sinner", but a righteous man; he felt that the commandment gave him life (Phil 3:6). Paul persecuted the Church because he thought it was the righteous thing to do. After his conversion, the apostle learned that his zeal for God, rather than establishing righteousness for him, brought him under the divine disapproval (Rom 10:3); and it is through hindsight he says, "when the commandment came to life, sin sprang to life, and I died" (v.9). I do not advocate "sinless perfection", however, I do believe the attainment (on this side of heaven) of living blamelessly before God is possible. I have met two persons who I believed lived such a life, at least, as long as I've known and been in close or intimate contact with them. That one may struggle against sin does not necessarily nullify the possibility of living in Biblical perfection (or blamelessness); Gal 5:16-17 does not speak against its attainment but for it. |
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63 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165237 | ||
Hi Doc, Verse 7 is describing the Law as holy and v.13 as highlighting sin. Regarding v. 18a, even unbelievers can be conscious that nothing good dwells in them. Not knowing their sinful condition is necessarily their problem; their problem is, once being conscious of it, they refuse to come to Christ for deliverance. I think that v.18b,19,21 are good descriptions of the unregenerate. Some even confess their situation in like terms. Again, the problem is not so much that they cannot realize their sinfulness but they cannot see the value of believing in Christ for deliverance. Verse 25 to me reflects the sinner’s plight without grace and the divine influence or work of conviction upon his conscience (it is possible the first phrase of thanksgiving is out of place). To me this verse is equivalent to what is stated in vs.19-21. So, yes, if anything, these verses are descriptive of the unregenerate. In light of Romans 8, I do not see how it can be otherwise. With all respect to the Puritans, if one is living this kind of struggle, of coveting (v.8), “of flesh sold into bondage to sin” (v14), of always doing what he does not understand and what is contrary to his good intentions (15-20) as a “prisoner of the law of sin” (v.23), and serving the law of sin through indulgences of the flesh (v.25) on the contrary, he ought to take the time to reexamine his spiritual state to see if he is of the faith (1 Cor 11:28; 2 Cor 13:5; 1 Jn 1:6; 2:4,29; 3:6-7; 5:3-5). No one is denying that there may be a struggle in the believer’s life but as I think another poster pointed out, it is not a struggle of losing and falling into sin as Rom 7 depicts it; but it is a struggle in which the outcome is victory over sin. Whether or not consistent victory over sin is actually the case in one’s personal life is not my argument. That the struggle in the Christian life should be one of victory is my point. If Romans 7 is descriptive of the apostle Paul’s way of life, notwithstanding Rom 8, we are looking at, from my point of view, a pathetic state of affairs. I would question how one could call a life of always wishing the good but always doing the evil instead as walking according to the Spirit. |
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64 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165236 | ||
Hi Doc, I have not noticed Paul using this sort of literary device in any other epistle. However, I am not convinced that its absence in any other of his epistles warrants dismissal of its use here. Briefly, my position is taken for the following reasons: 1. If Rom 7 is the apostle’s experience as a believer, chapter 8 seems to contradict it; the experience described in either one rules out the other. For example, one cannot simultaneously live in “of flesh” (7:14) and be “led by the Spirit” (8:14) or be “sold into bondage to sin” and be “free from the law of sin and death (8:2). 2. As far as before his conversion, Paul seems not to have been conscious of being a sinner against the Law but as one who followed it in all respects (Phil 3:6; cf. Rom 10:3), therefore, he would not describe himself as one who was covetous or unable to do the good that he desired to do (7:8,18-19). 3. As far as being a believer in Messiah, it does not seem feasible that Paul would admit, on the one hand, that he is absorbed in “every kind of coveting” or is “doing the very thing I hate” (7:8,15) and, on the other hand, boldly declare that when he returns to them, it will be “in the fullness of the blessing of Christ” (15:29) or, as in another epistle, that he has lived his life with a “clear conscience before God and men” (Acts 23:1; 24:16; cf. 1 Ths 2:10; 1 Cor 11:1). My position, as in the views of others, does not answer every question that may come up to refute it but, for me, it resolves most of my questions and better upholds the message and substance of the Gospel. |
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65 | "the law is spiritual, but I am carnal" | Rom 7:14 | atdcross | 165231 | ||
Hi Doc, With respect to Phil 3:6a, it seems to me that that apostle Paul did not consider himself a "wicked, sinful man" while he was persecuting the Church (cf. Jn 16:2). His evaluation of himself in 1 Tim 1:15 was on hindsight, which makes his statement in Phil 3:9 all the more insightful and effective against self-righteousness. The darkness (preferable to using the word "black") of Paul's sin is all the more dark indeed because, as a Pharisee, he was convinced of his own right standing before Yhwh. As an aside, to my way of thinking the texts, Rom 6:18 refers to the effects of enabling grace, not "judicial" righteousness; here it is the righteousness one practices as a result of being set free from sin through grace (cf. v19-23). |
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66 | But now...! | Rom 8:1 | atdcross | 165184 | ||
Thanks, Doc. I forgot to mention the grandchild is a boy named Josiah... | ||||||
67 | But now...! | Rom 8:1 | atdcross | 165182 | ||
Brad, thanks for the encouragement. I just read your profile and you reminded me to add the following to my own: "I am married with two daughters, ages 22 and 23, who are both serving the Lord; my older is married with one child (just born on 12/21/2005) and serves in a local church while my younger daughter is in her third years with the FIRE School of Ministry in North Carolina." |
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68 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165166 | ||
Thanks, Hank. Have a great year in the Lord. | ||||||
69 | "the law is spiritual, but I am carnal" | Rom 7:14 | atdcross | 165165 | ||
Hi Tim, Did I say Happy New Year?! It is good to find common ground and to allow differences to sharpen our knowledge of God. With respect to the apostle "describing himself prior to his conversion," consider that position in the light of Phil 3:6 - "as to righteousness in the Law, found blameless." This verse seems to go against your comment that Paul, "as a Pharisee, who loves the Law of God, but finds himself unable to obey it, who wants to please God, but cannot." Two questions: 1. How do you reconcile your comment with what the apostle says in Philippians? 2. If Rom 7 describes his experience prior to conversion, how would you reconcile the apparent contradiction between what the apostle says in Phil 3:6 and Romans 7:8? (Should I have posted this as a question?) |
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70 | "the law is spiritual, but I am carnal" | Rom 7:14 | atdcross | 165155 | ||
Your question, "Have you noticed that Rom. 7:14-25 doesn't describe a struggle to avoid sin, but a complete inability to avoid sin?" is something I had thought of but failed to note in these discussions. I appreciate your observations and pointing this out. The Christian life is not one of being overcome by sin but of overcoming sin. If one is overcome by sin, I would think that person needs to rethink his/her position in Christ. Holiness is not a thing of dreams. |
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71 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165154 | ||
I usually do not give out information as such on profiles since my experience has been that others make unwarranted assumtions and use it to argue for their position, although one's profile is totally irrelevant to any Biblical or theological discussion. However, understanding that others can appreciate one's background and better understand why certain positions are held, as per your request, please read my updated profile. |
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72 | But now...! | Rom 8:1 | atdcross | 165153 | ||
Hi Tim, Very good and informative point! I wholeheartedly agree with your presentation of Romans 7 and 8. |
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73 | explain the doctrine of predistination | Rom 9:13 | atdcross | 165076 | ||
Hi Edwin, 1 Jn 5:1 - The text is not translated as saying, "Everyone who is born of God believes that Jesus is the Messiah," but the opposite, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God." To answer your hypothetical question, odds are it is possible to get more converted if the sacrifice of Christ was for all in the crowd rather than a certain few. |
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74 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165073 | ||
I'm sorry, Doc, but I do not understand your comment. | ||||||
75 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165040 | ||
Although I may inadvertently have not fully quoted the words of Rom 6:11, the intent of the apostle’s meaning is clear: we are to consider ourselves dead to son because we are dead to sin. This is the point he stresses in Romans 6:1-14 and 7:1-6. My “misquote” did not misrepresent the apostle’s meaning. No denial of a “sin nature” has been suggested. What is admitted throughout Romans 6-8 is that we have the power to overcome the “sin nature” and not be defeated by it; it is not inevitable that we commit sin because of enabling grace. Again, my position is that Rom 7:25 is not descriptive of the apostle’s experience as a believer. To interpret it as such would contradict Paul’s emphatic and implicitly experiential summation that “sin shall not be your master” 6:11-14). It would also contradict his self-appraisal as one who is blameless and in possession of a clear conscience before God. One who is “a slave to sin” or in the habit of practicing “every kind of covetous desire” cannot rightly make such a claim. Note: If 7:25 is reflective of Paul’s experience, (1) it would blatantly contradict his experiential declaration in 8:9: “You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature…”, and (2) Paul’s end would be only death since he asserts that those who are enslaved to sin – “live according to the sinful nature” – will die (8:13). I see no contradiction between 1 Jn 1:8-10 and 3:9.It seems to me that the apostle is declaring not a mere “overcoming [of] his reluctance” or a mere “laying hold of His willingness” but the actual and experiential overcoming of sin by means of our identification with the death of Christ In his death we died to sin, its guilt and power; in his life we live to righteousness by his cleansing of the conscience through forgiveness and the enablement of grace to obey the will of God. |
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76 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165039 | ||
As I stated, it seems to me that the apostle is using the first person in Romans 7 as a literary device to make the point that, as believers, we are not enslaved to sin through the Law. Sin need no longer be a problem. We have been given the grace (enablement) to overcome sin at every turn. True, there may be a struggle with the impulses of sin but we can gain and maintain the victory at every turn; we are not in the position where what we hate to do we do or where the good we want to do we don’t do. Such is a description of the sinner and not the saint, the unbeliever and not the believer. Luke 11:13 - As I read the passage, it does not seem to me that your interpretation is warranted. Jesus is not saying that the gifts others give are evil gifts while the gifts he gives are good. He is saying that in view of the fact, borne out by experience, that evil people can and do give good gifts to others, it is certain that God, who is not evil but absolutely good, will give good gifts to his children. An unbelieving father gives his daughter a gift certificate to Old Navy for her birthday to buy clothes she needs. Is that an evil gift, in and of itself, to God? “Sinful, fallen humans” are capable and actually do give good gifts and act in morally good ways towards others. The evil is not in the act of giving what is good but in it’s being an act done apart from relationship with God. Phil 3:4-6 - Yes, the apostle is referring to before his conversion and that is my point. With reference to himself he makes no assertions of having sinned against God or having a problem obeying the law as you contend he does in Romans 7. In the apostle’s self-analysis, he declares he is, with specific reference to the Torah, blameless; he does not see himself as one who had problems carrying out the letter of the law; Paul did not view himself as one who disobeyed Torah. Verses 7 and 8 emphasize the point I am trying to make. What did the apostle count as rubbish? “Every kind of covetous desire” (Rom 7:8)? No. It seems to me, as the context shows, that Paul counted as rubbish the righteousness he had established under Torah/Law. |
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77 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 165038 | ||
Unfortunately, Doc,you do not correctly understand. | ||||||
78 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 164986 | ||
Quick note. Unfortunately, I may have not been clear, which resulted in your misunderstanding of what I meant by my statement regarding inspiration. The point I attempted to make was that, in agreement with you, "only the writers of the Bible itself were inspired by the Holy Spirit." Therefore, I seek the illumination that comes from the Spirit. Although, admittedly, others of greater knowledge may be of help, they are not necessarily correct (even if held for 2,000 years). Where I perceive that the Bible teaches differently from what they espouse, my obligation is to remain under what I believe the Spirit is teaching me. In any case, with all due respect and I hope you will not take offense, your comments to me here are irrelevant - at least to me - because it offers no further insight to what is specifically being discussed. |
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79 | Paul had problems? No one acts good? | Matt 11:28 | atdcross | 164953 | ||
Hello Doc, Out of curiosity, where elsewhere other than in this forum have I expressed my views of Romans 7? No one’s experience in particular is being considered. Paul, as I see it, is just using the first person as a literary device to get his point across, which is the contrast between life under the law (which is not reflective at all of the apostle’s experience as a believer in Christ) and life under grace or “in the new way of the Spirit” (Rom 7:6). Please note that your reference to what I write is actually a quote Coffman’s Commentary as indicated. In any case, if Rom 7 demonstrates the apostle’s experience then as a Christian he is: 1. Dead in sin, v.9. 2. Deceived, v.11. 3. Unspiritual, v.14. 4. Enslaved to sin, v.14,25. 5. Without power to do the good, v.17f. 6. Continually does evil, v.19. 7. Imprisoned by “the law of sin”, v.23. Are these descriptive of a believer? Of Paul as he describes himself? As I mentioned before, unless the persons you mentioned interpreted the Bible for “2,000 years of accumulated understanding” under the inspiration of the Spirit, I am not obligated to agree with them. They certainly cannot be right in every point as they seem to disagree with each other in many. Nor, by the way, am I required to "measure up" to them. Without argument, they may hold the better place, nevertheless, however "better", my obligation is to have a clear conscience before God not men; I am to live according to that wisdom God grants to me, however faulty or lacking others perceive it to be (although, admittedly, any actual fault or lack is not due to God's giving but to my receiving). My apologies, but I do not understand what you are requiring I “elucidate”. |
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80 | explain the doctrine of predistination | Rom 9:13 | atdcross | 164952 | ||
To say that one must be "born again" before he can believe seems to be inconsistent, at least to me, with what the Bible explicitly states: "that whosoever believes...should have eternal life." (Jn 3:16; cf. 1 Jn 5:1). | ||||||
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