Results 641 - 660 of 701
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Sir Pent Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
641 | Ephesians 6:11 | Eph 6:11 | Sir Pent | 127887 | ||
Hi Teresa, EdB has given you a very good answer to your question. I would like to give you my answer as well. Your question also challenged me to write my thoughts on the subject please see type the numbers below into the “Quick Search” box at the top right corner of the screen to see what each of the pieces of the Armor of God means to me. Belt of Truth - 127881 Breastplate of Righteousness - 127882 Shoes of Peace - 127883 Shield of Faith - 127884 Helmet of Salvation - 127885 Sword of the Spirit - 127886 |
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642 | Armor of God : The Belt of Truth | Eph 6:14 | Sir Pent | 127881 | ||
“Belt of Truth” I always try to be honest. After all, it is one of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:16). I also think that in the long run this is the most loving thing to do. Even if someone gets a bad haircut and asks me what I think; I tell the truth. It may cause slight pain in the short-term, but it also builds trust, without which one can never develop a deep and healthy relationship. And If I can’t be trusted to be honest in the small things, then how can I be trusted to be honest in the big things. If I am willing to compromise my honesty simply to spare someone’s feelings to be hurt briefly, then how easy will it be for me to be dishonest when something much larger is on the line. At the same time, this honesty must be balanced with love (Eph 4:15). For instance, if I don’t like that person’s haircut, I could say that it looks like an ostrich made a nest on their head. That would not be a loving way to communicate the truth. Alternatively, I could say that I actually preferred the previous style, but was glad for them that they were enjoying their new look. This is honest and yet also kind. It is interesting to me that this piece of armor is the belt, which is designed to hold everything else together. I have to be honest with myself to even know whether I am really wearing any of the other pieces of the Armor of God. |
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643 | The Breastplate of Righteousness | Eph 6:14 | Sir Pent | 127882 | ||
I believe that righteousness is “being right with God”. Therefore, I apply this by trying to always be obedient to God’s will (Rom 6:16). This includes doing the things that God commands in the scriptures such as specific rules like remembering Christ’s sacrifice when I take communion (Luke 22:19), and general rules like “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). This also includes not doing the things that the scriptures say to avoid such as lying, murdering, stealing, and committing adultery (Ex 20, Deut 5). It is interesting to me that this piece of armor is the breastplate, which is designed to protect a person’s heart. This reminds me that I need to be righteous not only in my deeds, but also in my heart. If I lust after someone in my heart then it is the same in the eyes of God as committing adultery (Matt 5:28). Therefore I must guard my heart with this breastplate. |
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644 | Armor of God : The Shoes of Peace | Eph 6:15 | Sir Pent | 127883 | ||
“Shoes of Peace” I see two perspectives on this. The first comes from Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” The idea is that we should walk in the ways of peace (Prov 15:1). We should try to be a calming presence in places of strife and try to heal relationships that are broken (Prov 15:18). This is probably the most common perspective on wearing shoes of peace. However, there is a different passage in Luke 12:51 “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.” Here Jesus speaks about how the Truth of Christianity can also divide. Just like the parable of the sheep and the goats, those who have a good relationship with Jesus are separated from those who do not (Matt 25:32-46). There is no middle ground there. You can’t be halfway pregnant and you can’t be halfway Christian. So if we are to sometimes unite and sometimes divide, how can we always be wearing those shoes of peace? I see them like the sandals on Jesus feet when He was walking on the water (Matt 14:23-33). The waves were rough, and Jesus did not calm them until after He entered the boat. However, Jesus was at peace above the waves. In the same way, I try to have God’s peace within my soul whether the circumstances around me are peaceful or in discord (John 16:33). |
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645 | Armor of God : The Shield of Faith | Eph 6:16 | Sir Pent | 127884 | ||
“Shield of Faith” The Bible defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen.” (Heb 11:1) A common struggle for myself as a scientist is to get trapped into only believing what I can sense and prove. Therefore, it is my faith that protects me from the temptation to cease believing in God, who cannot be proved. (As a side note, I believe that although God cannot be proved, He is the most likely explanation for everything. Please type in the number 22206 into the “Quick Search” box at the top right corner of the screen for more details on this subject) It is interesting that this piece of armor is the shield. In ancient times, there was a military strategy called a phalanx. It was developed by King Phillip II and used in dominating fashion by his son Alexander the Great. This strategy had soldiers in rows actually overlap each other’s shields. This gave them even greater protection. For more information please go to the following website. http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Macedonian-phalanx Similarly, I find great benefit to being part of a Christian community such as this forum or a local church. When I come across Bible passages that don’t make sense to me, I can gain insight from my Christian brothers and sisters (for example post 127772 yesterday). When I struggle with not being able to see God work directly in a physical way, other Christians like Virginia Blakesly, who have had experiences where they actually have had angels physically being seen protecting their house can encourage me (to read more about that story go to the following website. http://www.backtothebible.org/gateway/today/19522). |
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646 | Armor of God : The Helmet of Salvation | Eph 6:17 | Sir Pent | 127885 | ||
“Helmet of Salvation” I have found that one of Satan’s favorite ways to attack Christians is in their mind. A common technique is to bring doubts. In fact Satan’s first recorded temptation used this method. "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" (Gen 3:1) Another common doubt that Satan brings to people’s minds is “Are you sure that you’re REALLY a Christian”. Therefore I appreciate the assurance of salvation that God has given me. “I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Tim 1:12) It is interesting that this piece of armor is the helmet, which is the very thing that is designed to protect our heads. |
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647 | Armor of God : The Sword of the Spirit | Eph 6:17 | Sir Pent | 127886 | ||
“Sword of the Spirit” The Bible passage itself defines the sword of the Spirit to be “the Word of God”. This makes me think of the time when Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan tempted Him three times (Mat 4:1-11). All three times, Jesus responded by quoting scripture. I think that this is the example that Jesus wants me to follow. The strongest defense that I have against temptation is based on the Bible. It is interesting that this piece of armor is the sword, which is the only one that can be used to attack as well as to defend. I apply this by also using the Bible as my primary authority for bringing others to a healthy relationship with God (Heb 4:12). It not only protects me but also can be used to “point” others in God’s direction :) |
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648 | Armor of God : The Sword of the Spirit | Eph 6:17 | Sir Pent | 128057 | ||
Personal note.......................................................... Emmaus, Thanks for the compliment and also for the other verses you pointed to. It's good to share a thread with you again :) |
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649 | Does someone have an answer? | Eph 6:17 | Sir Pent | 128448 | ||
Another perspective................................................... Hi Elder Eva, Welcome to the forum. I was in a discussion in another thread a long time ago about this subject. Below is my perspective: "…(Luke 22:36)… why would Jesus tell them (the disciples) to bring swords, and then when they were actually in the garden, tell them not to use them. I do not think that Jesus wanted them to be able to defend Him. Jesus said that 2 swords was enough, (Luke 22:38) although that would obviously NOT BE ENOUGH to stop an entire company of soldiers. It seems that instead Jesus just wanted to make it obvious that He was choosing to allow Himself to be arrested. The fact that they had at least a couple of swords, but still didn't use them showed that Jesus was not taken against His will, but within it. This made His sacrifice for us and our sins even greater." |
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650 | Why does Paul's imprisonment lessen fear | Phil 1:14 | Sir Pent | 86323 | ||
Why would the fact that that one of the greatest leaders of the early church (Paul) was in jail encourage other Christians to share their own faith with less fear? This seems to be the opposite effect from what I would expect. | ||||||
651 | I'm still looking for the answer | Phil 1:14 | Sir Pent | 86331 | ||
Hi Prazn, I don't think that I've talked with you before, and it's been a long time since I've written here on the forum. Thanks for trying to answer my question, but I think I need some more help. Your answer was basically that Christians don't need to fear because God is on our side. I agree with that, but the verse is talking about something different. It says that the Christians had less fear becuase Paul was in jail, not becuase of their faith in God. That is why I am confused. How could Paul being imprisoned make them more confident to share the gospel? |
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652 | I'm still looking for the answer | Phil 1:14 | Sir Pent | 86414 | ||
I think that is a good answer ................ Dear Scribe, Thanks for your response. That sounds very reasonable. Paul's example of sharing his faith while in prison would be very inspriring to the people around him. Hopefully, Christians today find it equally inspiring. |
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653 | is naked picture of your spouse wrong | Phil 4:8 | Sir Pent | 20103 | ||
Yes, it is wrong ................. Dear Raychel, Welcome, I don't think I have spoken with you before. I do think that it is wrong to send a naked picture of yourself to someone for 3 reasons. 1. When you take a picture of yourself, it must be developed before you can send it to someone. Therefore, your husband would not be the only person seeing the picture, but also people involved in the development process. 2. Also, by having a permanent record of yourself naked, there is always the chance (and it is probably a significant chance) that it will at some point get into the wrong hands, and could cause someone else to sin. 3. Finally, I think it is a bad idea, because it focuses too much on the physical aspect of love. If a man is to be apart from his wife for a long period of time, I think that the wisest way for him to remember her is for their commitment and close friendship that they have together. These things can be maintained across distance. However, the physical side cannot be maintained when apart. Therefore, I think that it would only be frustrating to concentrate on that part of the relationship. Over time this could also possibly lead to temptation to sin. Therefore, for all three of these reasons, I think that the wisest course of action would be to not take such a picture. |
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654 | Reconcile means what? | Col 1:20 | Sir Pent | 61843 | ||
Welcome to the forum, Nita .............................. The definition of "reconcile" is "to make friendly again, settle". I believe that due to the fall of mankind into sin both through Adam and in our own lives, we harm the relationship that we could have with God. This hurts Him, and so God has provided a way for this relationship to be reconnected. The way that this is accomplished is through Jesus death on the cross to take away our sins. When we accept God's forgiveness, we are once again able to "be friends" with God since the problems that got in the way are "settled". |
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655 | What is the Godhead? | Col 2:10 | Sir Pent | 112984 | ||
My answer........................................... Hello hh141, The "Godhead" is simply another term for God. It usually is refering to all the persons of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) together, instead of just one of them. I suppose the best Bible verse to support this name of God would be Colossians 2:9-10. Here it talks about the "fullness of Deity" being in Jesus, and that He is the "Head" over all things. |
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656 | N.T. circumcision? | Col 2:12 | Sir Pent | 22903 | ||
Support, Personal Note ......................... Dear Nolan, I completely agree with you on this post. It occurs to me that I don't seem to get to respond to you very much, mainly because I agree with you so often. Therfore, I thought I'd take this chance to just encourage you to keep up the good work! |
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657 | Physical sports contests? | Col 3:17 | Sir Pent | 61852 | ||
A Suggestion .............................. Dear Cyclist, I believe that it is possible for a person to use even their physical strength to bring glory to God. You are not alone as a Christian body builder. You might want to check out the website: www.team-impact.com |
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658 | Physical sports contests? | Col 3:17 | Sir Pent | 61865 | ||
Personal Note ....................................... Dear Cyclist, I'm glad that it was helpful. We haven't had a lot of interaction on the forum in the past, but I look foward to sharing future threads together. |
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659 | Physical sports contests? | Col 3:17 | Sir Pent | 62199 | ||
Personal Note .................................... Dear Cyclist, I'm glad that you liked the website. Keep putting God first. I hope your competition goes well for you. Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage. |
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660 | Making the most of the opportunity, how? | Col 4:5 | Sir Pent | 113279 | ||
My answer.................................................. Hello Mommapbs, I think the answer to your question is in the next verse. Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." Now if only we could all do that on this forum consistently :) |
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