Results 81 - 100 of 154
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: stjones Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
81 | What is the tone of this statement? | Job 6:10 | stjones | 56182 | ||
Hi, Momma; I don't think Job is being prideful. He's doing what God expected him to do. Satan, in his exchanges with God in chapters 1 and 2, predicted that Job would "curse you to your face". Even Job's wife encouraged him to do so (2:9). But he doesn't. This statement is part of his defense against his friends' false accusations. Job's whole dilemma is captured in God's own description of Job in chapters 1 and 2. God himself describes Job as upright and blameless. It is a testament to Job's faith that throughout these tragedies that he does not deserve, he manages to say "though he slay me yet I will trust in Him." (13:15) Job is one of my favorite OT characters. I hope to have a long conversation with him one day. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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82 | I'm not sure this is applicable | Rom 9:20 | stjones | 55981 | ||
How about if your kid said "Dad (or Mom), I'll quit banging my head on the floor (definitely a vice) if you'll let me stay up and watch Dave Letterman (non-material, reasonable to a kid)."? I'd be careful about giving the creator of the universe an ultimatum. You can't enforce yours against him; he can enforce his against you. Besides, breathing is sufficient reward for quitting smoking. The same can be said for any vice. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones who used smoke three packs a day. |
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83 | Jesus and God the Father not the same? | Col 3:17 | stjones | 54464 | ||
Hi, meshell; Welcome to the forum. They are and they aren't. Short dumb answer but there are no short smart answers. Add in the Holy Spirit and you have a question that the church has wrestled with for 2000 years. Click on the Search link near the upper left corner and search for "Trinity". You will find a lot of information, some of it Scripturally sound. Let us know what you think. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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84 | Is salvation by faith only scriptural? | James 2:14 | stjones | 54385 | ||
Hi, 1Cor13; Read James 2 in light of Jesus' words in Matthew 25:31-46. To have faith (and salvation in Christ) is to have deeds. In James' example of Abraham, he says that Abraham's "faith was made complete by what he did". But it was not his action made him "God's friend". Note the Scripture that James quotes: "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness". Not his deed, his belief (faith). Verse 24 is, of course, the most troublesome ("...a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone"). I can only assume that this is something of a reprise of verse 17: "... faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" Otherwise it directly contradicts Acts 16:30-31, Romans 10:9-11, Ephesians 4:8-9, 1 Peter 1:8-9, and others that clearly state that salvation is by faith alone. Hope this is helpful. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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85 | Is Prosperity wrong in light of Mk 16:15 | 1 Tim 6:17 | stjones | 53558 | ||
Greetings; God is not against money and prosperity. As this passage indicates, He is against people who put money and prosperity ahead of Him. I have two different problems with some televangelists. (1) Some of them preach a greedy theology that says all faithful Christians are entitled to be rich. This is heresy. (2) Some of them live very ostentatious lives that make me wonder what their viewers who send in the money had in mind. Did they intend to build the Kingdom or the televangelist's portfolio? I have even heard some of these folks claim that Jesus was wealthy, thus excusing their own greed. When I financially support a ministry, I don't expect my money to buy garish gilded furniture, fancy clothes, or pink wigs. I expect it to feed the poor, provide medical assistance, and most of all to support missionaries in the field who live their lives and their faith in full view of those they are struggling to reach. I'm not sure whom your last question is directed to - who are the "hypocrites"? For those of us who are not in full-time service, God asks for our tithes and our free-will offerings. So a faithful, godly person might easily "spend more money on self than the Gospel". For example, my employer gives me money for writing computer programs and considers it value given for value received. It is up to me as a Christian to turn a portion of it over to God. To the extent that a televangelist makes me feel good, I guess he or she can keep the money and call it value given for value received. But to the extent that I give my money in trust that it will be used to effectively spread the Gospel, most of it should go for just that. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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86 | what to say to those who smoke weed? | Rom 13:3 | stjones | 53389 | ||
Greetings Qs; Sorry, your friend is just making excuses. A search for any of the words smoke, smokes, smoking, leaves, weed, or weeds in Leviticus only turns up references to burnt offerings at the altar or to incense. None of them condone smoking pot. But there is this verse about obeying the law. And there are plenty of verses about drunkenness (the alcoholic equivalent to getting high on cannabis). They're against it: "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) Sadly, if your friend's god is marijuana, God's word won't seem of much importance to him. Hope this helps a little. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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87 | What are the evidences of it, and how? | Matt 28:7 | stjones | 52452 | ||
Hi, SoC; I'll take a different approach. There is only one reliable and authoritative source of information about Jesus - the Bible. [Various spurious "gospels" (Mary, Thomas, etc.) have found new favor among worldly theologians even though they were recognized as heresy by the church in the second and third centuries. But there is no reason to accept them or their fables about Jesus. So apart from the Bible, there is no where else to go.] Jesus was a either liar, a nut, or a truth-teller. The evidence in the Bible all points to him being who he said he was. He said he was divine and there's no reason to dispute his claim. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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88 | Quality of an Executed Man's Clothing | John 19:24 | stjones | 52443 | ||
Hi, Daniel; The commentary I consulted said this: "The Romans customarily removed and confiscated the clothing of the crucified, thereby heightening his shame and giving the soldiers some benefit for their labors." This seems like a simple and plausible explanation. After all, driving nails through a living man's flesh is not something that a nice, well-adjusted 21st century person would do. My guess is they just weren't very pleasant people. I don't know that there is any particular connection between the behavior of the Roman soldiers and tales of white women snatching a souvenir at a lynching. The Roman soldiers were participants in a world-changing event and behaving in a way that was prophesied in Psalm 22. The same can't be said of a white mob in the 20th century. If there is a "universal" here, I think it's just plain universal depravity. In a fallen world, people do cruel and nasty things. Just my 2 cents worth. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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89 | Need Biblical support for programs | Acts 2:47 | stjones | 52408 | ||
Welcome, Eric; Short answer: If the program itself in Biblical, it's Biblical. There's nothing inherently Biblical or un-Biblical about the existence of such a program. Long answer: God wants his church to grow. As long as the program itself is ethical and scripturally sound, I wouldn't worry about it. If its purpose is to reach out to the community and bring people into fellowship with the Body of Christ, that's Biblical. If the purpose is to grow the budget to fund a new softball diamond, I'd be concerned. If the program tries to attract members of other churches, that's divisive. If the program is expensive and has serious long-term impact on missions and other forms of outreach, that seems to miss the point of the Great Commission. But if we worried about the mechanics of running a church today v. NT times, we wouldn't have heat, air conditioning, Sunday school, hymnals, or bulletins. (Elsewhere on the forum, there's a long list of things we wouldn't have.) We wouldn't have a sound system, we wouldn't tape our services, and we certainly wouldn't breathe a word of our existence on radio or TV. That's my .02 of a dollar; hope it's helpful. Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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90 | Did ananias and sapphira go to heaven? | Acts 4:32 | stjones | 50929 | ||
Greetings, jewdiza2j; I don't think anyone can say for certain because no one but God knows what was in their hearts. The preceeding passage Acts(4:32-37) describes the believers' behavior; in comparison, Ananias and Sapphira look like unbelievers. The instant judgment (or at least making an example of them) seems to support this. But they could have been saved believers who made a really dumb choice. Perhaps lying to the Holy Spirit in this way (Acts 5:3) grieves the Holy Spirit and hence is an unforgivable sin ("But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." - Mark 3:29). The Bible does not explicitly tell us, so nobody can say for certain. Much better to assure one's own destination, then look for them there! HTH Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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91 | Mythology and the bible? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 50796 | ||
Greetings, katagious2; Myths appeal to humans because they speak to the deepest needs and fears of our hearts. It is no surprise that man-made myths should bear a superficial resemblance to parts of the Bible. The Bible was inspired by one who knows those needs and fears better than anyone. None of these myths span the time, geography, or variety of authors that the Bible does. You won't find another story written by dozens of authors over the space 1500 years that holds together from beginning to end. And beware of junk mythology that is posted by revisionist mythologians. If you go to the original sources, you will find little that corresponds to the trash you find on the internet. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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92 | Do you care about the denomination... | Eph 4:3 | stjones | 50141 | ||
Hi, GandT; Please don't take offense, but did you read what I said? "[any denomination's] doctrine is inferior to Scripture. If the Bible says I'm saved, I'm saved; I wouldn't join with a denomination that says I'm not" My denomination's doctrine correctly identifies what one must do to be saved. I know it is correct - not because I conform to what the denomination says but because the denomination conforms to what the Bible says. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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93 | Why is killing enimies in the OT okay? | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 49934 | ||
Hi, jmartin; Just to add a little to (the other) Steve'e reply: The question is, whose enemies? The OT does not condone killing ones personal enemies. Does God sometimes tolerate it? Yes, just as he toleraties other kinds of misbehavior. I didn't kill my daughter when she got her tongue pierced (ouch!); that doesn't mean I approved or encouraged it. But God does condone killng his enemies. Death is the consistent penalty for disobedience. Whether God chooses the Israelites or fire and brimstone to do the job is purely his choice. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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94 | When was the book of Job written? | Job | stjones | 49919 | ||
One of my favorites! Tradition holds that it was written by Moses or by Job himself. It may have been written during the time of the Patriarchs (2000-1800 BC); some say Abraham was familiar with the story. It is definitely quite old and is unique in this sense: It is the only book in the Bible that is neither about the Hebrews nor known to be written by a Hebrew (assuming that Solomon wrote the books attributed to him). This suggests to me that it predates Abraham and speaks of a time (like the early chapters of Genesis) when God dealt directly with people or through individual priests like Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18). Indeed Job himself functioned as something of a priest to his children (Job 1) and his friends (Job 42). Hope this is useful. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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95 | When should a person leave a church? | Ephesians | stjones | 49442 | ||
Hi, kalos; Are you growing spiritually in that church? Do they worship God and teach the Bible? Are you in the company of spiritually mature believers? If the answer is yes, then maybe that's the best place for you. Give serious thought to what God wants you to put into church, not so much what you want to get out of church. I hate what my denomination's leaders are up to; I hate the constant assaults on the Bible from the left. But I don't attend a denomination; I attend a local church. For me the answer to all of the above questions is yes. So I stay. Beware of churches that produce nothing more than an emotional high and sermons that do no more than make you feel good. There are lots of "hot-tub Christians" (Charles Colson's term) out there who leave their service feelin' good - but unchanged. Jesus and Peter and Paul seldom made their listeners feel good. They just made them better. Just my two hudredths of a US dollar. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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96 | JOE THROWS ONENESS INTO HERESY | Bible general Archive 1 | stjones | 49436 | ||
Hi, RevC; How do you account for the multiple refences that Jesus (1) makes to his father (2) and the Holy Spirit (3) in John 14-17? Is Jesus saying that he will ask himself to send himself? Is he saying to himself that he has lost none of those he gave himself? Who is he speaking to in John 17:3 ("Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.") and who sent whom? Call me dense; I just don't get it. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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97 | catholic and protestant salvation view | Eph 4:3 | stjones | 49342 | ||
Hi, bravostarr; I'd love to give you a deep historical and theological response, but I can't. I'll just mention that my sister-in-law, born, raised, and committed Catholic for 60 years, says that she was saved by faith in Jesus. We are brother and sister in Christ, plain and simple. I don't care that she's Catholic and she doesn't care that I'm Presbyterian. Ain't it grand? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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98 | is homosexuality a sin? | Rom 1:27 | stjones | 49312 | ||
I think there's an even more telling passage: "... since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.... Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie.... Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Romans 1:20-27) Homosexual behavior is presented by Paul as the most grevious example of turning away from God and his will. One of God's "invisible qualities" is his wholeness - the blending of what we see in humans as male and female qualities. This is illustrated in Genesis 1:27: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Later we see God's intent that "... a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 1:19). Without going into detail, I think it is safe to say that human anatomy makes God's plan for human sexuality completely obvious. Further, I think the becoming "one flesh" that occurs between a (married) man and a woman reflects the image in which God made us. Two people of the same gender becoming "one flesh" present a distorted image - it is a lie. Paul isn't saying that homosexuality is the worst sin. He's saying that God's design is obvious. To turn away from what God clearly designed our bodies to do can't be blamed on ignorance. It requires willful and intentional rebellion. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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99 | Numerology??? | John 5:39 | stjones | 47160 | ||
Greetings again; Is there anything in the Bible that says we should look for magic numbers and hidden messages? Wouldn't our time be better spent seeking discernment and wisdom in the plain words of the text? Using computers to find secret codes flies in the face of every principle of exegesis and interpretation. What value do you see in this stuff? What information is gained? How does this information relate to faith in God and Jesus? Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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100 | What about Bible Codes and apologetics? | John 5:39 | stjones | 47053 | ||
Greetings, rrscott; Bible codes are numerology, nothing more. There is nothing in the Bible itself to suggest that "searching the Scriptures" for magic numbers has any value or validity. I don't believe that god plays parlor games with his Word. Hugh Ross, like Galileo before him, challenges us to re-examine our assumptions about the relationship between the general revelation of the created universe and the special revelation of the Bible. Both revelations point to God; one day we will see that they do not contradict one another. Peace and grace, Steve aka Indiana Jones |
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