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NASB | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart; Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil. |
Bible Question:
Hey Brother John If we could, I'd like to take this one point at a time. If that's ok with you, here's my first question. Mark 16:17 caused you a great deal of trouble because you never saw it fulfilled in the lives of saints today. If you had seen it fulfilled in the lives of saints today, do you think your views would be different? I too wonder when I see something in scripture but then I don't see it in the lives of believers. Or the way I like to say it: 'When my life does not line up with scripture'. When my life does not line up with scripture, does that mean 'it's not GOD's will' or 'that went away with the early church'? I do not believe so. I have heard that explaination before, 'that went away with the early church'. I want to be sure I am not making excuses for why 'this or that' isn't manifested in my life when scripture says 'this or that' should be manifested in my life. After this point is exhaused, I'd like to talk about Mark 16:17 and it's connection to the gifts of the spirit. May you dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Abba Father bless and keep you. btw, just to let you know, I grew up in a Baptist church and still go to one. |
Bible Answer: Good Morning Sister M, You wrote: "I have heard that explaination before, 'that went away with the early church'. I want to be sure I am not making excuses for why 'this or that' isn't manifested in my life when scripture says 'this or that' should be manifested in my life." First of all, let me assure you, I believe in the Divine inspiration and the inerrancy of God's Holy Word. When there appears to be a contradiction in Scripture, I know it is because of a basic misunderstanding of it on my part. The plain truth is: Some things are more difficult to understand than others. Most of the time (after having sought God for illumination) the answer comes from looking carefully at the context of the verse or verses in question. If the immediate context does not help my understanding, I must look to other verses on the subject for interpretation. I also look to teachers that God has gifted, and they have proven to be of great value as well (but we must be good "Bereans" and prove their teaching by scripture). The Qualifications Of Apostleship The first and perhaps most obvious evidence for temporary gifts is found in the qualifications for the gift of apostleship. When the eleven disciples sought a replacement for Judas Iscariot, the stipulations were clear: "Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection" (Acts 1:22-23). Notice two requirements: 1) company with Christ during His earthly ministry until His ascension, and 2) witness of the resurrected Lord. These were the qualifications which had to be met by the new twelfth apostle, who, as it turned out, was Matthias. Clearly, this eliminates any present day apostleship. It seems that the second qualification is what the New Testament specifically emphasizes. Paul cited it in defense of his own apostleship: "Have I not seen Jesus Christ?" (I Corinthians 9:1). This would also reveal that these requirements apply not only to that elite group of "the twelve," other apostles excepted, as it is sometimes argued. The qualification stands for all who would claim apostleship. The requirement is clear: no man can be an apostle who has not been a witness to the risen Lord. So unless someone is willing to claim that his age is more than twice that of Methuselah, there is no gift of apostleship today. The qualifications for it simply cannot be met.(Fred Zaspel) God Bless Sister M, John Already it is clear, then, that we cannot just assume that all the first-century gifts be given today. |