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NASB | Matthew 13:1 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting beside the sea [of Galilee]. [Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15] |
Bible Question:
T or F? "God is a gentleman. He won't tamper with your free will." 'Sloppy Slogans' 'There's nothing wrong with catchy ways of expressing a conclusion based on careful consideration. In fact, Jesus was a master at using short, pithy statements (known as aphorisms) to drive a point home. Sloganeering in the hands of the unskilled, though, tends to be a sloppy business. The kernel of truth is lost beneath a pile of misleading chaff. 'Many slogans are not answers, but clever dismissals. No careful work has been done to justify the verdict. Let me explain. 'One truism I've heard regarding the problem of God's sovereignty versus man's freedom goes something like this: "God is a gentleman. He won't tamper with your free will." The statement has a ring of truth to it, and as a slogan it has populist appeal. Yet, more often than not, the statement is like a roof hanging in mid-air; the more demanding foundational work needed to support it simply has not been done. 'For example, this maxim is vulnerable to a couple of simple observations. First, the Scripture doesn't make this particular claim about human freedom. It doesn't even imply that God is a gentleman who won't interfere with our lives. To the contrary, there are a number of biblical examples that indicate just the opposite. 'Take Paul on the road to Damascus, for instance. He was in total rebellion against God. He dragged Christian men, women, and children into prison and even presided over executions. Paul was, in his human will, an enemy to the cross of Christ. So God knocked him off his horse on the Damascus Road, blinded him, then spoke to him like thunder from the sky (Acts 9:3-7). Was God tampering? It looks like it. 'Consider poor Nebuchadnezzar. God had him chewing grass with the cows in the fields of Babylon for three years until he finally looked heavenward, came to his senses, and gave God the glory (Daniel 4:28-37). Was there any divine pressure here? Seems like it to me.' ____________________ Faith and Philosophy by Gregory Koukl. To read more go to: (www.str.org) |
Bible Answer: God is at war with the sinner ____________________ Rom 5:1 ASV "Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" The sinner may think he is not at war with God, but God is most certainly at war with the sinner. "*peace with God.* Not a subjective, internal sense of calm and serenity, but an external, objective reality. "God has declared Himself to be at war with every human being because of man's sinful rebellion against Him and His law "(Rom 5:10; compare Rom 1:18; 8:7; Ex 22:24; Deut 32:21,22; Ps 7:11, John 3:36; Eph 5:6)" (p. 1700, MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997). [Looking up the above Scripture references and reading them before replying is advisable.] |