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NASB | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above--spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. [Rom 1:20] |
Bible Question: Thanks for the thoughtful answers to my question. This is the first time I've ever been on a forum and I'm surprised that strangers would take time to respond. Can I ask one more? You say that the Holy Spirit will direct me to a scripture - this would seem to be what Christ refers to in John when he talks about the comforter bringing to mind what we've learned (were you refering to what we've learned or did you mean something else?) But you also say that God will show me his will for my life - can you give me a scripture reference where we're given an example of this or taught how to do it? How will I know if I've been obedient to God in step #1? How can you tell if you've really heard God or if you're just hearing your own will? In all the examples I can find in the Bible God seems to speak in a pretty clear voice - people don't always seem to obey but they always seem to hear. You don't see Jonah saying "Did I hear something?" What am I missing? As I previewed this it sounds more argumentative than I intended. Please don't be offended, I think you're probably right since almost everyone I've ever heard or read on the subject of prayer says just what you are saying. |
Bible Answer: God Does Not Mumble ____________________ 'God's specialized instructions "are not mumbled. They are not whispered. They are not nudged."' ____________________ 1949: You ask: 'How can you tell if you've really heard God or if you're just hearing your own will? In all the examples I can find in the Bible God seems to speak in a pretty clear voice - people don't always seem to obey but they always seem to hear. You don't see Jonah saying "Did I hear something?" What am I missing?' Excellent question! You are correct. God does speak in a clear voice. 'How does God speak to us? 'I have to make clear what my point of view is so that it's not misunderstood. Let me capsulize it for you very quickly. My point of view is basically four quick points: 'First of all, learning to hear the voice of God is not taught as a Christian discipline that we must learn in order to live the optimal Christian life. This is the "hotline to God" view in which we get specialized and tailor-made instructions for our personal lives. That is not taught in Scripture. 'Secondly, God sometimes does give specialized instructions, so I'm not saying that God can't do that and I'm not putting God in a box. He does sometimes give specialized instructions. He did in Biblical times and He does in the present. But when we read in the Bible especially in the New Testament, which is what our discussion is about today when He has done it, such specialized instructions are clear first of all. They are not mumbled. They are not whispered. They are not nudged. And they are, almost without exception in the New Testament, a sovereign intrusion by God into the circumstances rather than something that is first sought by a Christian. 'Thirdly, God's intrusion in these cases is sometimes through special gifts in the body that I believe are in full operation today, but are by very nature individual. In other words, every person has his own gift and each person does not have every gift. So this working through gifts can't be a means of every Christian hearing from God. In other words, sometimes God intervenes with a prophetic word, but since prophetic words only come through those people who have the gift of prophecy, it's not the kind of thing we all have to cultivate, to learn to do. 'Finally, there are clearly workings of the Spirit in the area of teaching, conviction of sin and comforting of individual Christians. I admit that those workings are private, individual and tailored to individual people. Those kinds of things are not in question here.' ____________________ Acts and the Voice of God by Gregory Koukl To read more go to: (www.str.org/free/commentaries/theology/actsvoic.htm) |