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NASB | Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 18:6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. [Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2] |
Subject: Do all little ones believe? |
Bible Note: Charis, I will clap my hands and make a joyous noise to the Lord! I will sng to the Lord with a joyful voice! I will give joyful thanksgiving to Jesus Christ for dying for my sins! Praise the name of the Lord! I plead with you dear forum members, bear with me, this is a long post. First of all Charis, thank you for the mild rebuke. I have received correction from the Lord, hopefully as a good son. I simply cannot participate in this forum that means so much to me as a young boy who tosses a firecracker in the midst of a crowd, and then, stands back watching for the calamity it may have created. Second, thanks to you who participated in this thread with charis and myself(cwade, rextar, Tim Moran, jlpangilinam, One) and, mbooker for your prayers for our dear brother in Christ Tim Moran. Third, before I share with you the conclusion that come to or my "opinion", let me say that I have prayerfully chosen these words, for three reasons. One, we are studying and discussing the word of the Almighty Lord GOD. Second, I must say that if I, even unintentionally, stepped out of the guidelines of this forum and be asked to leave, that I would weep bitterly for days. Third, I do not like to waste other member's time, nor space on this forum, with any of my possibly empty or vain words. Well, finally, to the point! I will start with this verse: Rom 11:34 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? So then Charis I am as you and others are in understanding His ways. The original question "Do all little ones believe?" was from Matt chapter 18. From the commentaries that you posted, I can see that the majority of the commentators agree that Jesus was using the child as an example for hose who believe in Him. With this I agree. But as is always the case here on the forum, we(I) switched gears and started discussing the salvation of infants/babies. I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. I have this to say about the salvation of infants/babies. Mark 2:17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." I don't read anything in any of the four gospels where Jesus spent time specifically instructing children or infants/babies to repent. The only "children" accounts we read are those where Jesus healed them, raised them from the dead, cast demons out of them, blessed them, and let them come to him when the adults tried to forbid them. Where the children in need of the one true great physician? I would think that if children were in need of the physician, instead of reading that Jesus spent time with publicans and sinners, we would be reading that Jesus was at the orphanages or the children work camps. The other thing that we read about children is this: Matt 21:15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant Matt 21:16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus *said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?" Were these children of the believers only? or were there children of the unbelievers praising the King of kings? We (I) simply do not know. This post is getting long enough, so here is just one more thing. John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 20:23 "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." So does this mean that if I being a believer in Christ, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and filled with the Holy Spirit, that I, may forgive the sins of a baby/infant or child and their sins are forgiven since I've read in the postings on this thread that all are born into sin? (continued in the next post) |