Results 6681 - 6700 of 6770
|
||||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Author: Morant61 Ordered by Verse |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
6681 | Our name erased or added to Book of Life | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 87970 | ||
Greetings John! Good morning my friend! Allow me to touch upon your points very quickly. I do want to bring the 'all' part to a close because we are going in circles, but you do raise a different issue with your other point. 1) All: The three examples you cite, to me, still do not proof your point. If Scripture says that Jesus went through all of Galilee, I believe He did. If Scripture says that the news spread through all Syria and that they brought all of those who were ill, then I believe it. If Scripture says that all things are possible to him who belives, then I believe it. I don't take the approach that I must first find a statement in Scripture reasonable before I will believe it! Now, I do believe that 'all' can be modified or limited by other words. For example: Acts 5:16 - "Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed." Here, 'all' only includes those sick and possessed who were actually brought to Jesus. Rom. 6:3 - "Or don?t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" Here, 'all', includes only those who were baptized in Christ Jesus. But, if 'all' is not modified, then it means 'all'. If you look 'pas' up in a Greek dictionary, you will not find a single listing for the meaning 'some'! ;-) Aside from the atonement verses, I am actually quite shocked that you advocate changing the meaning of 'all' if one finds it uncrediable. What is someone objects that they do not find it credible that 'all' have actually sinned (Rom. 3:23 and 5:12)? Or, what if someone doesn't find it credible that God really works in all things (Rom. 8:28)? Or, what if someone doesn't believe that 'all' things actually come from God (1 Cor. 8:6)? Arguing that 'all' is modified by the text is one thing, but rejecting 'all' because one does not find it credible is another! 2) Freewillism: Allow me to ask you a question. I know from previous posts that you believe that Christians can still commit acts of sin (as do I). When you sin, do you sin because you willed to or because God willed you to sin? Now, surely, you will not argue that God willed you to sin. If you do, then you make God the direct cause of a violation of His commands. Therefore, you did something that was against God's will for you when you committed an act of sin. Does that mean that God is powerless? Does that mean that you are in control of your eternal destiny? Have you wrested the right of God to judge out of His impotent hands? The answer is of course, no! The belief in the ability of man to choose certain things does not mean that God is impotent. It simply means that God has given us the ability to choose certain things. There are somethings that I can't choose. I can't choose where I am to be born! ;-) I can't choose to have the talent of Michael Jordan! But, I can choose what job I will work. I can choose where I will live. I can choose which congregation I will attend. I can choose to obey or disobey God. Now, what does Scripture say about this radical concept that man can accept or receive the gift of salvation? Rom. 5:17 - "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God?s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." Receive - Present, Active, Participle. The active voice means that the subject is doing the action. I know I have posted other verses on this issue before. Well, this is getting long, so I'll cease and desist now! ;-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6682 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 87979 | ||
Greetings John! Concerning 'all' my friend, see my new post entitled 'My Final Answer'. Concerning sin, I actually did ask you about Herod's sin. I knew that for non-Christians you would simply respond that they had no choice but to will to sin. So, I asked you if, when you as a Christian sin, you do so because of an act of your will or because of an act of God's will? Christians are specifically commanded not to sin! Christians have a new nature. So, when you as a Christian sin, is it because you willed it or because God willed it? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6683 | Our name erased or added to Book of Life | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 87980 | ||
ps.... If you look 'pas' up in a Greek dictionary, you will also not find the definition 'most or virtually all' either! ;-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6684 | Our name erased or added to Book of Life | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 87991 | ||
Greetings John! I thought I did answer that one already. Mt. 21:10 is an historical narrative. Jesus was the biggest thing around. So, I have no problem with the 'whole' city being stirred. I was never under the impression that an historical narrative could only be true if I agreed with it. :-( Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6685 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 87993 | ||
Greetings John! I am at a loss my friend. If I understand your response correctly, then the commands of Scripture have no meaning whatsoever. Paul commands us in Rom. 6:12 - "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." But, you are saying that when a believers sins, he is only doing what God ordained. So, God commands us not to sin, but then MAKES us sin? Yet, Rom. 8:9 says, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." We clearly do not read Scripture in the same way my friend. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6686 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88014 | ||
Greetings John! Okay, final post on my end for two reasons. One, I have to start moving! :-) Two, we are spinning our wheels here! :-) First of all, I never once denied that 'all' in Rom. 8:28 means 'all'. But, neither does Rom. 8:28 that God ordains all things. It says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,....". There is a big difference in saying that God can take even my sin and work some good out of it and saying that God ordained my sin. Secondly, I wasn't ignoring Acts 4:26-28. It simply wasn't relevant to the question I had asked you my friend. We both agree that Christ was slain from the foundation of the world. We both agree that God can do whatever He wants! What we disagree on is whether man has any ability to choose to obey or disobey. I asked you about Christians who sin. Do they sin because God willed it or because they willed it? My understanding is that when I commit an act of sin I am disobeying God's will, not acting upon it. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6687 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88016 | ||
Greetings! I agree my friend! In the post to which you responded, I was trying to get across the point that man can will something which is in opposition to God's will. A Christian's acts of sin are a perfect example that man has at least some free will. God does not want us to sin. He does not will us to sin. He commands us not to sin. So, if as Christians, we sin, it is because we willed it - not God. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6688 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88034 | ||
Greetings Prazn! Thanks for the input! This great passage speaks of two great themes - God's will and God's mercy. The interesting thing is that other Scripture tell us explictly what God's will is and upon whom God wants to have mercy. Consider the following! 1) 1 Tim. 2:4 - "who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 'Wants' is the same verb used in Rom. 9. 2) 2 Pet. 3:9 - "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." This verse uses a different word for 'will', but it has pretty much the same meaning. 3) Rom. 11:32 - "For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." So, our interpretation of Rom. 9 must also consider these very clear statements concerning God's will and His mercy. Any attempt to restrict God's mercy does violence to these very clear statements. Just some more food for thought! :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6689 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88036 | ||
Greetings John! You just keep putting statements out there that I can't resist! :-) It must be preordained! ;-) Let me keep it brief though. 1) Romans 8:28: In your last post you wrote: "I did not mean, by citing Romans 8:28, to imply that it proved pre-destination." But, in a previous post (87983), you wrote: "That God causes all things to work together for good. All means all, does it not? Sin is a thing that occurs in our lives, does it not? Then God has predestined that sin...not for evil...but for good." This is the statement I was reacting to my friend. Rom. 8:28 does not say that God predestined sin. It says that God all things for good to those who love Him. There is a world of difference between taking something evil and using it for good and preordaining something evil would happen. 2) Acts 4:26-28: Allow me to clarify my friend. I believe that God has done what He wants, not just that He can. Where we differ is on what Scripture actually says He has done. Based on the Scripture verses we have been discussing I say that He HAS died for all and HAS shown mercy to all. :-) Secondly, even if your understanding of this verse is correct (in the sense that man's will played no part whatsoever), it still doesn't prove (as you state in your last post) that "EVERYTHING that has or will occur" has preordained. It would only proof the the murder of Christ was preordained, since that is the only act specifically mentioned in this verse. The word 'all' isn't used here! ;-) 3) Finally, concerning the two wills of God. Arminians also believe in two wills of God. We believe there are those things which God has decreed WILL occur and that there are things which God wants to occur but may not because of the freedom He has given us to obey or disobey Him. So, God wants all men to repent, but He has not determined that all men will in fact repent. I have no problem with that view of two wills. However, if like Calvin, one denies that man has any free will, then one is forced to believe contradictory statements. A) God does not will man to sin. B) God wills man to sin. If every act is a result of God's ordained plan, then God must be the author of sin. Adam and Eve did not have a fallen nature, so one cannot simply claim that they 'willing' sin in accordance with their sin nature. God must have MADE them sin. This is why Arminians ridicule, as Jonathan Edwards claimed, this view of God's will. One cannot believe that God 'ordains' every action and choice, and not have Him responsible for sin. He created us. He ordained our choices. But, He is not responsible for our choice? I used to write computer programs. This analogy would be like me writing a program which has encoded within it the formula (2 plus 2 equals 3), and then claiming that it is not my fault that the program can't add 2 plus 2! ;-) That horrible free will that you reject solves the problem quite nicely though. He creates us with the ability to choose. We disobey Him and choose wrongly. Thus, we are responsible for our choice. To illustrate this with the computer analogy, many people are working of AI in computers. Suppose that I wrote a program which could actually learn on it's own. Over the course of time, the program incorrectly learned that 2 plus 2 equals 3. Now, I can blame the program and not the programmer. :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6690 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88050 | ||
Greetings John! You wrote: "Where you stray from biblical reality into the murky realm of human wisdom, is in your pre-supposition that God created man for some reason other than His own glory." This is not a valid complaint. You have already established that we are allowed to use our human to determine when a verse is credible or not! ;-) But, seriously, did Adam and Eve simply follow their fallen nature when they sinned? They did not yet have a fallen nature. So, where did the 'desire' to sin come from? The arguement that someone 'willing' follows a preordained choice makes no sense at all. It is a direct contradiction. But, this argument doesn't work with Adam and Eve simply because they had not yet fallen, hence, they were not spiritually dead. So, where did their choice come from? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6691 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88051 | ||
Greetings John! You wrote: "Where you stray from biblical reality into the murky realm of human wisdom, is in your pre-supposition that God created man for some reason other than His own glory." This is not a valid complaint. You have already established that we are allowed to use our human to determine when a verse is credible or not! ;-) But, seriously, did Adam and Eve simply follow their fallen nature when they sinned? They did not yet have a fallen nature. So, where did the 'desire' to sin come from? The arguement that someone 'willing' follows a preordained choice makes no sense at all. It is a direct contradiction. But, this argument doesn't work with Adam and Eve simply because they had not yet fallen, hence, they were not spiritually dead. So, where did their choice come from? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6692 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88074 | ||
Greetings John! Thanks for the response my friend! Thanks for catching the type as well! ;-) You wrote: "They were free to choose spirtual good or ill, they chose ill. At the same time, God had known from all eternity that that would be their choice. He created them knowing what would occur." Finally, we do agree on one point! :-) But, you have previously said that God ordained every choice and action. So, we are back to the same question. Did Adam and Eve sin because they willed it or because God willed it? If the original sin of Adam and Eve was a direct result of God's ordained plan, then God is the author of sin. There is no way around this conclusion. If God is the author of Adam and Eve's sin, then He is also the direct cause of all the sins of those who followed Adam and Eve, who (according to your definition of freedom) followed the dictates of their fallen nature and sinned as well. This is where we part company. I do not believe that they Bible teaches that every single choice and action is ordained by God. There are some things which clearly are ordained - i.e. the death of Jesus. But, I believe that God sovereignly allowed man the freedom to choose to obey or disobey Him. This point has far reaching implications for the topic we have been discussing. I may not be able to respond to any comments for a day or two my friend. Today is the day I actually start moving. So, I will probably be offline until at least Wednesday. But, when I get back on, I will be operating at broadband speeds! :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6693 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88086 | ||
Greetings John! Aw! The famous 'it is a mystery' argument! :-) So, did God create Adam and Eve with the capacity to sin or did He ordain their very choice? If the former, then we agree. I believe that God created man with a will and the ability to choose to do right or wrong. If the later, then we disagree for God would be the 'direct' cause of Adam and Eve's sin. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6694 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88126 | ||
Greetings John! Paul argues in Rom. 9 for the Potter's right to use the clay as He sees fit. It does not say that God has the right to sin! James 1:13 says, "When tempted, no one should say, ??God is tempting me.? For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. " So, can God God not only tempt Adam and Eve, but ordain the act of sin which they commit? Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6695 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88153 | ||
Greetings John! I am getting ready to unhook my computer! :-) So, I will not be checking in for a little while. I did want to quickly respond my friend! You are correct that I have been responding quickly, but I hope not uncourteously! :-) As I understand your position, you seem to be shifting between two possibilities. You sometimes say that God ordains every choice and action. At other times, you say that God uses choices and actions for His glory. There is a big difference between the two positions. The core question of man's ability to exercise any free will comes to a head with Adam and Eve. Because Adam and Eve were created 'good', they had no depraved human nature. Thus, there are only two possibilities when it comes to their sin. Either God ordain (i.e. - made them do it), or they 'willed' to sin on their own. From my perspective, you can't or won't say that they willed it on their own because then you would have to admit that God does not 'ordain' every choice and action, but then again you can't really bring yourself to say that God ordain their sin. That is why I responded the by asking if God was free to sin. Simply put, if God was the direct 'cause' of Adam and Eve's sin, then He sinned by violating His own law and nature. So, my friend, you are going to have to decide whether or not you really believe that every choice and action is ordained by God. Just so we are clear, by 'ordained' I mean 'caused to happen by God's will'. I don't mean that He simply 'uses' something to accomplish His will when He ordains it. I mean that His will is the direct cause. I'll check back in a day or so for you reply my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6696 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88154 | ||
Greetings Joe! Thanks for the response! I remember our discussions in the past and I recall that you and I pretty much see eye to eye on this point. However, John seems to deny that man can make any free choices whatsoever, including Adam and Eve. I would agree with how you summarized the creation. Of course nothing took God by surprise! I even believe that there are times when He overrides human will to accomplish His plans. For instance, some bad guy might try to kill me or my family and God zaps him! :-) I would never seek to imply that man has unlimited freedom of will. But, I do believe that God has made us free moral agents. So, Adam and Eve sinned, not because God 'made' them do it, but because they choose to do it. The reason I started this particular topic with John though is that he appeared to by saying that every choice and action is a direct result of God's will. By the way, I was reading about Jehu the other day. If I recall correctly, there was an interesting passage where he had some people buried at a particular location because he remembered God's prophecy against that family and he wanted to make sure it happened like God said. :-) What an example of human and Divine wills working in harmony! :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6697 | Was it our choice to be born physically? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88324 | ||
Greetings Doug! Pretty much everything you said, I agree with. The only difference is that while you stopped at Rom. 9:16, I go on to Rom. 11:32. :-) Arminians do not believe that salvation is dependent upon the will of man. It is all of God. It is a gift, but the gift is offered to man and must be accepted. If Christ did not draw, no one could be saved. But, John 12:32 says that Christ will draw all men to Himself when He is lifted up. To me, my friend, one must read Romans 1-11 as a unit. The whole 11 chapters demonstrates that God's plan of election was to always work through individuals and nations in such a way that Rom. 11:32 was possible. Thanks for you response! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6698 | Whose will causes a believer to sin? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88326 | ||
Greetings John! Good morning my friend! If you believe as Joe does on this question, then we may not be far off from one another after all. Here is a summary of what I believe: 1) God is sovereign. 2) Sovereignty does not mean that God has to be the direct cause of every action or event, though He certainly could be. 3) God sovereignly allowed man limited freedom of will - to obey or disobey. 4) God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, but was not the direct cause of their sin - their will was the direct cause of their own sin. 5) God created them anyway and used their free actions for His glory. I do not believe in absolute freedom of will for man. Our freedom is only within the confines of the moral and physical limitations placed upon us by God. The reason I misunderstood your position is that you seemed (to me at least) to be unwilling to say that God was not the direct cause of Adam and Eve's sin. In my understanding, if God were the direct cause (i.e. - Adam and Eve had no choice but only did what God made them do), then God would be the Author of sin. Knowing they would do it and allowing it is different from ordaining that it must happen. Let me know what you think my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6699 | Who hardened Pharaoh's heart? | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88330 | ||
Greetings Doug! I will take a stab at this question by simply quoting Scripture (sans commentary)! :-) Ex. 4:21 - "The LORD said to Moses, ‘‘When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." Ex. 8:15 - "But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said." Ex. 8:19 - "The magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘‘This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said." Ex. 8:32 - "But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go." Ex. 9:34 - "When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts." Ex. 10:1 - "Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them" Ex. 11:10 - "Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country." Ex. 14:4 - "And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this." Ex. 14:8 - "The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly." Ex. 14:17 - "I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen." 1 Sam. 6:6 - "Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When he treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?" Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
6700 | Define Spiritual death ("Dead in sin" ) | Rev 13:8 | Morant61 | 88359 | ||
Greetings John!' Somewhat successful! We still have a few things to move and lots of things to do as of yet! :-) Spiritual death is first and foremost seperation from God, both judicially and relationally. Deravity is first and foremost the status of being born spiritually dead. Thus, natural man, apart from God's grace does not seek God. Fortunately for us, God makes all of the first moves by dying for us and drawing us. Spiritually dead (to me)though does not mean unable to respond to God's grace. Even spiritually dead people make moral choices every day. Not every sinner is as sinful as they could possibly be. So, even though sinful man is spiritually dead, and born thus, he is capable of making moral choices. Why doesn't every sinner commit murder? Why doesn't every sinner cheat on his or her wife? Sinners sometimes do good. The man who jumps in front of the truck to save the life of a young child does good. Of course, being born spiritually dead, one cannot simply 'do good' and make it to heaven! :-) So, when God reaches out first by drawing all men, and His Holy Spirit begins to convict sinful man of his or her sin, I believe that the unregenerate man can exercise an act of will to either accept or reject God's offer of grace. Well, back to the grind my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 ] Next > Last [339] >> |