All Discussion PAGE 375

Friend,

Quoting you;

Pay attention to v25, "AND THIS WORD WHICH BY THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED TO YOU." so it means literally the Word of God, not Christ, etc"

Isa 49:8 "for a covenant to the people"

1 Pet 1:23, says 'LIVETH & ABIDED FOR EVER" the Scriptures are the words of God that became the letter from what the apostles lived, wrote & preach from under the inspiration of the Spirit. 2Cor 3:4-6 The letter of any dispensation kills, it the Spirit along that gives Life, 1Cor 15:45

Paul says, Gal 1:12, but came by Rom 10:17 that was in his Rom 10:8 this is Word of Faith, the gospel that he preached.

He received it by the Grace of God that appears in his heart, bringing him & the rest the Word of Salvation.

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ in every heart, Christ preaching the Gospel to them diffusing the fragrance of His knowledge, to those who believe it becomes an aroma unto life, to the unbelieving an aroma unto death.

The incorruptible Seed by which we maybe born again, if received & no one is born again until they received Him in this manner of His spiritual appearances within their heart.

Jesus takes personal responsibility of us, to teach us Himself in the way that He, Himself live, walk & overcame all the temptations of the devil,. It's the Good News that the angel proclaim to the Sheppard's. Hebrews 1:2 Spoken unto us through His Son, the 1John 2:27

1Pet 1:24 is man preaching the incorruptible words of God, which in his human wisdom, learning & knowledge he contradicts, for he neither knows them because he doesn't obey them, although he professes them 1John 2:3-6

Friend, I understand were your coming from, this way of believing & living, at one time turn my world upside down.

Acts 17:6 I've had always been dull of hearing & slow of heart to believe all the Holy Spirit ever spoke to me. Now I am paying attention, as for as offenses, I'm dead to that part within me. 2Cor 10:3 . Ephesians 6:12 who seek to rule in the hearts & minds of mankind.

Galatians 2:16-21 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be JUSTIFIED BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the GRACE OF GOD: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Hebrews 11

Hebrews 12:1,2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, LOOKING UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF FAITH; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

please remember me and my family today in your prayers , remember all the travelers this 4th of July holiday

You're right Scotty, that the TR is not a single manuscript but from many manuscripts, or texts of the Byzantine text-type. I did not go into this detail in my response to you, as I couldn't ascertain from your question whether you had a deeper knowledge of this or it was simply a passing question that arose when you compared Romans 1:16 with other translations. So my apologies. Yet, what you are seeking, although a commendable enquiry, I am unable to assist you because of the nature of the research; I'm certainly not proficient in this.

To be able to get into the letters or discourses of say, the early Church fathers (Ignatius, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, etc.) could be a formidable task. I hope that you will, in time & diligence, be able to source the information you seek - and if you remember us here, maybe post your findings which should make very interesting reading. Blessings.

Thanks for your comment Jema. Much appreciated.

Blessings.

Thanks GiGi for your input. One would need to do a detailed examination of those manuscripts & other texts to verify if & where errors are evident. And this is an exercise that I & no doubt most others, wouldn't be competent to do. For now, my only 'go to' is to the original languages, at least accepting what is given us in lexicons, etc., to ascertain how specific words were understood & translated into English. And as you know, from other discussions here on this aspect, findings can be either quite enlightening, accepted or relegated to the trash; that those exercises which find some other translations, such as the NIV/NASB can actually be more accurate (in our present comprehension of meaning & thought), than the 17th/18th Century productions is compelling. It's only where conflicts, omissions, etc. occur, that one would need to do a more thorough qualified analysis. And even these have been done, however, both sides of the fence (those holding firmly to the TR or those to the Alexandricus/Sinaiticus, et al, MSS) can also give compelling evidence in support of their position. Thanks again.

Hi GIGI, Glad your son and soon daughter-in law have a wedding planned! I hope and pray that this wedding can be a blessing to many. I think 21 is brave enough to plan and climb a mountain and I hope he will be ready to someday to be responsible to be a husband in the faith! Thanks for asking about my eye, I think I can see okay but it is always a bit blurry and reddish. Maybe for this site I should use a computer to see if the wording is larger. On this iPad it is way too small.

:)

If you look at the context and meaning that verse means He creates natural "evil" or calamity- in other words, natural disasters like tornadoes, floods, fires, hail, etc. Calamity is a synonym for this word. It does not mean God sins. Given the plethora of other verses showing God's goodness and love, I think it makes sense.

I would not let this one word in one verse lead someone to disregard 100 verses about God's goodness and love- that would not make sense. God is fair and this is a fallen world cursed- thorns and natural disasters and hardship. I believe our character is being tested in our short challenging life. Just because we face calamity doesn't mean God doesn't love us. No where in the Bible does it promise that we will be comfortable or that the purpose of life is to be "happy" as the world claims, although more peace and love is a nice byproduct of following God's will.

Hi Ronald,

I do think that the apostles knew before Jesus ascended that the gospel would go to the Gentiles because of Jesus had said to them about being witnesses of Him in Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world. Not many Jews lived or even passed through Samaria, so being told that they would bring the Gospel to Samaria would have meant that they would preach to the Samarians. Also, Jews did not live in all areas of the world, but they were told that they would preach to those parts, even those without any Jews.

They may not have thought that Samarians and Gentiles would be converted because they considered these people to be "not chosen", but they were to preach to them regardless. Many of them were surprised that salvation would come to Samaritans and Gentiles, but some like Philip and Paul, were not.

Hello One eighty - thanks for your response as it helps me understand more about you and where you are spiritually.

I'll share some "meat" with you that you can respond by telling me whether you agree or not with what I am sharing with you below.

In the following three verses, Jesus uses the term "...cannot be my disciple" implying that Discipleship is a mandatory requirement to becoming "saved':

"If any man come to me, and hate not [meaning love less than Christ] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." ( Luke 14:26)

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." ( Luke 14:27)

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all [of his worldly possessions] that he hath, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE." ( Luke 14:33)

In this last verse, Jesus is again saying to every Christian - in much the same way as he said to the rich young ruler - "...sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me." ( Luke 18:22-23)

When I came to Jesus some 30+ years ago, I had the choice to abandon ALL that I had and take up my cross and follow Jesus or chase family members who had rejected me for no reason at all. I willingly chose to make that choice to follow Jesus, and have never regretted doing so.

However, such choices also require God's people to bring forth "...PATIENCE and FAITH in all your PERSECUTIONS and TRIBULATIONS that ye endure" (2 Thes 1:4) together with "... INFIRMITIES, in REPROACHES, in NECESSITIES, in PERSECUTIONS, in DISTRESSES for Christ's sake" ( 2 Cor 12:10) while "...earnestly CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH" ( Jude 1:3) among those who "...corrupt the word of God ( 2 Cor. 2:17).

Given that most Christians profess that they have ETERNAL SECURITY (which contradicts Phil 2:12 and 1 Peter 5:8-9), how do you relate to the scripture verses in Luke 14 above?

Blessings, Alan

PLEASE, EVERYONE go see the movie "Sound of Freedom". it comes out in 2 days and the proceeds go to helping rescue sex trafficked children.!

Hello Carleton,

How is your vision doing now? Mt. Shasta is a beautiful mountain, but I have never wanted to mountain climb. Your son is brave.

My youngest son is getting married next week. That is a good thing for both of them.

I am staying well, thank you for asking.

NUM. CH. 23

Balak must have acknowledged that YHWH had the authority in this situation, even above himself.

Balaam's parable was that God cannot lie, for He is not a man, a created being, and He never sins, like all humans. Vs. 19 goes on to say that Balaam says that God is true to His word. Whatever He has spoken, He will do it.

Vs. 20-21 Balaam tells Balak that he has received a commandment from God to bless Israel, and He hath blessed Israel. This blessing cannot be reversed. God does not hold Jacob's sin against him because He has given Israel the means to have their sins forgiven and that the LORD is with Israel, bot against him. Balaam also says that the shout of a king is among them. I think that this is prophetic, concerning the Messiah King to come (Jesus Christ) who will bring salvation and forgiveness to Israel.

Balaam attests to the fact that it was the LORD who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, saying that he has the strength of an unicorn. Is Balaam speaking of Israel having this strength or the LORD?

Vs, 23 Israel does not possess any of these blessings through enchantment or from divination. but all has been wrought by YHWH and this is what will be proclaimed about the Jacob/Israel.

Balaam then goes on to say that Israel will drink the blood of the slain like a lion. This does not mean that the Israelites will actually drink blood as they are prohibited in the Law from doing so. It is just saying that, like a lion, Israel will totally destroy the enemies.

Balak tells Balaam to either curse Israel nor not bless them at all. Balaam answers, reminding Balak that he told Balak that he must only say all that the LORD tells him to speak concerning Israel.

So Balak again, takes Balaam to another mountain top, Peor. Balaam again says to build seven altars to sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams. Balak thinks that perhaps this time. YHWH will allow Balaam to curse Israel. So now this is the fourth mountain (high place of Baal). cont. pt. 4

NUM. 23

Oops I meant to say that Balaam went to a place to be alone.

YHWH put in Balaam's mouth the words He willed for Balaam to speak. And then Balaam left to see Balak. Whether God spoke the words He wanted Balaam to say or if He placed them in Balaam's mind, we just don't know.

When Balaam came before Balak and the princes of Moab, he spoke the words that God put in him. He used his office as a prophet of YHWH to pronounce a blessing upon Israel.

"How can I curse, whom God has not cursed? or defile those God has not defiled?

Vs. 9 is a bit confusing: "From the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations."

Is Balaam speaking of the LORD as to whom he sees or the Israel? The rest of the verse is definitely about Israel. As God's chosen people, Israel will be set apart as "holy unto the LORD" and not mingle with the other nations of the land promised to them.

Vs. 10 Balaam hopes to die a righteous death like Jacob did. In this verse, Balaam definitely desires to have the favor of God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did, so he must have had knowledge of them and their faith and that it was counted to them as righteousness.

Balak questions why Balaam did not curse Israel. Balaam's reply was that he must take heed of and speak what the LORD had put in him to speak.

So Balak takes Balaam to another mountain, a high place of Baal, so that Balaam can see the encampment of Israel, most of it except the utmost part of it. So some of the people were out of the sight of the place where they went, Mt. Pisgah. Again, seven altars are built and seven bulls and seven rams are sacrificed there. Again Balaam tells Balak to stay by the sacrifice as he goes off to meet the LORD off yonder. And again the LORD meets Balaam and gives him the words he is to say to Balak. Balak asks:

What has the LORD spoken?" So, it seems that Balak acknowledges the God of Balaam. cont. Pt 3

Thank you GIGI for your time! I hope you are well and the family too! We are all well here in No CA. Our pastor had a very nice message today on the prayers and supplications of Esther. Oldest son climbed Mt Shasta yesterday one of California's two Cascades! Trying to read more of what's being written here on this site as time affords. I hope many others are holding on to the faith once delivered.

Carleton

Thank you Bro. Dan, that's an excellent answer about not 'internalizing' pride or for that matter, any sin that finds its root in the heart. The real point of my example, is not just internalizing sin but when that very sin (at least the thought or recall of it), ever surfaces again. One may let pride go right at its inception to not become sin, but do we, or can we, in every instance not let our minds allow a reflection on it at a later point, even dwelling on it to some extent? If someone can be so disciplined & full of the Holy Spirit to so deal with it & for every sin that comes to entice, then yes, he is indeed abiding in Christ & has attained a state of sinlessness. But if he slips up even once (even though Christ's forgiveness avails), it proves he hasn't reached that state he's been striving for.

This is where I see the point of difference is: that even the appearance of that ONE sin only proves that a state of sinlessness cannot be reached while we remain in these bodies & minds of flesh. Rather to echo the words of the apostle, that like him, we must accept that "with the mind we serve the law of God; but with flesh the law of sin". Sin in all its forms & intensities, will continue to make its appearance showing that a state of absolute freedom from sin is not possible & to believe so, is an unfounded expectation & I believe not given in the Word at all. But teaching that we can & should deal with sin, to immediately confess it, receive forgiveness & strive to be alert to it, will give the believer the right attitude to sin & God's expectation of us in our struggles. GBU

My friend, it sounds like your faith was being tested much like Job's was. In the book of Job God let satan take everything Job had. God allowed this to show satan that Job would not cease in his praise and that Job's faith was more than a "payment" for what God had provided for him. At the end of the trial God restored everything satan had taken from him. During all of it in Job 1:21 look at what Job says. 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD. In the midst of everything Job still praised God.

The devil worked through your dad to attack your faith. Do not let that be the end of your story.

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5 KJV

He said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Repent and turn to Jesus. I'll be praying for you.

Hi Giannis,

Whatever I have shared with you is what I have put to work in my own life, and all good things come from God, so all glory to God for his mercy and teachings.

Like all of us, I have been a sinner all my life and continue to sin. Thanks to God I am learning to conquer sin. I will give you one example of sin that I believe God helped me to see, and then break free from sin. Over the previous years, I have come to learn and God's Spirit has convicted me that sports is sinful for me, and I'm to avoid all sports now.

As a kid I grew up playing sports, as many children today do. I was a very talented baseball player and participated at a higher level than many of my peers. As I became older sports continued to be a big part of my life. I watched on TV, went to the events, and did bet/wager on the events. Baseball, football, basketball, horse racing, dog racing etc. etc. A good portion of my days/weeks, years were spent involved in this. Family, friends, and acquaintances aided my continued involvement. As time went on, I matured and became a Christian, and over time (years) I began to slowly feel uncomfortable with sports, because many of the players became bad role models, money became an overriding factor, and I could see myself, friends and family spending more time on this, and away from God. Sports became a sinful event to me, as I watched worsening bad behavior, swearing, sex/adultery, bad sportsmanship, and numerous sinful activities surrounding these events, including alcohol, drugs, gambling etc. etc.

I believe God intervened on my behalf, His Holy Spirit convicted me. To this day, I DO NOT even talk about sports with others, unless it is to inform them why I don't participate. I no longer watch, listen, or participate in any way. I thank God everyday that He has opened my eyes.

1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

GBU

NUMBERS CHAPTER 23

Cont...

Balak left to a place to be alone hoping that the LORD would come to meet with him. This must have happened often with Balaam, but he stated that "peradventure" the LORD would come to him. So, most likely, even though Balaam had a practice of going to a place to be alone to seek God's presence, God may not have always come to him, but did so often enough for Balaam to hope for it to occur.

When YHWH did appear to Balaam and Balaam spoke of preparing seven altars and the sacrifices for Him, YHWH did not reprimand Balaam's way of sacrificing to Him.

to be continued.. got to break away for a time.

NUMBERS CHAPTER 23

Continued...

In Job 42:8 seven bulls and seven rams were offered to YHWH by Job after having his amazing and life-changing encounter and conversation with YHWH. Job sacrificed on behalf of his "counselors" having forgiven them for their mis-counsel and asking YHWH to forgive them, also. In Numbers 23, Balaam also asks that seven bulls and seven rams be offered to YHWH on the high places where Balak took him to curse Israel. Unlike Job, Balaam asked for seven different altars instead of just one. Perhaps this was to have all sacrificed at the same time. Maybe it was a custom to do so among those who followed YHWH, or maybe having seven altars was the practice of the pagans when they sacrificed to multiple idols. We really don't know why Balaam asked for seven altars, but we do know that the number seven is so often referred to in Scripture and may therefore be a number to symbolize perfection of completeness or a reverend way to honor God.

In Nu. 22:40, Balak offered oxen and sheep on the high place before he sent for Balaam. So apparently, offering oxen and sheep was common for the Moabites (descendants of Lot) also. The next day (vs. 41) Balak took Balaam and took him up to the high places of Baal in order to view the Israelites camped below. We do not know if Balak worshipped Baal or not, but it seems so, but maybe most of the mountains in the area were places where altars were set up to sacrifice to Baal and so, in order to view the encampment one needed to go to a mountain which happened to be a place of Baal worship, as vs, 41 seems to imply.

Num. 23:1 When both Balaam and Balak were on this high place, Balaam asks for seven altars to be built and seven bullocks and seven rams to be brought to him on the mountain to be sacrificed. Balak did as Balaam asked. It was Balaam who did the sacrificing, but it was not to Baal, but YHWH. Balaam asked Balak to stand by the sacrifice. ..... cont. Pt. 3

NUMBERS CHAPTER 23

At the end of Chapter 22, Balaam arrives before Balak. Balak takes Balaam to the top of a mountain (a high place where pagans sacrificed to idols) in order for Balaam to overlook the camp of the Israelites and consider how to curse them. However, Balaam tells Balak that he can only say what YHWH tells him to say concerning Israel. Balaam seems to know that God is all-powerful and can strike him dead if he does not speak for Him in this situation. Balaam seems to have some fear of YHWH along with his belief in Him. It is most likely that Balaam had enough knowledge of YHWH and relationship with YHWH to worship Him and be used by YHWH as a prophet. Balaam's faith in YHWH was very incomplete and lacking many things that Abraham had in his faith in YHWH.

This chapter speaks of Balaam being called by Balak from his home country in Aram, which is where Haran was located. Nahor, Laban, Rebekkah, Leah, and Rachel all were from Aram which is in northeast Syria near the eastern tributary of the Euphrates.

With the contact of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with these relatives, it is likely that there was knowledge of YHWH taught from generation to generation. Balaam was obviously a prophet of YHWH just as Jethro was a priest of YHWH. Midianites were descended from the son of Abraham and Keturah. Abraham must have passed his belief of YHWH to this and the others sons of Keturah, so their descendants would also have faith in YHWH. It is apparent that God calls people from peoples that are not Israelites and communicates with them by appearing to them as He did to Moses. Balaam was among those related to the family of Abraham who was blessed with faith and knowledge of YHWH and with a prophetic voice and perhaps miraculous powers. He was blessed with speaking directly with YHWH. But it seems that, like the Israelites, Balaam was also influenced by the pagan beliefs and practices of those around him. Syncretism was so easily applied to one's faith. cont. Pt. 2

Hi Giannis,

Hey brother, I don't mean to intrude between you Hemorlan, and Texsis on this but my understanding is at this time the apostles had not been told the Gospel will also be given to the Gentiles, the time had not come. There were another 3.5 years after Jesus's ministry before the apostles were told the gospel of Christ will be given to the Greeks/Gentiles, the mystery, Rom. 16:24-25.

The Apostles stayed in Jerusalem and surrounding Jewish communities until after Stephen's death, and the persecutions. Philip the evangelist was the first to carry the gospel to the Samaritans, Peter had his dream, and Paul's conversion. To me, it is a fulfillment that Jesus had told them but they did not understand, it like they did not understand He was going to die on the cross, Acts 1:8.

He told them the Comforter would come John 14:25-26 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

They were learning from the Holy Spirit as we see in Acts 15, a learning curve, not a transition from the old to the new but a fulfillment and teaching of Jesus through the Holy Spirit same as we learn today.

God bless,

RLW

Promises for believers "practical" considerations.

And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: ( Deuteronomy 28:13).

Some things in our Christian walk may seem like worldly wisdom; but when we live in a society that is decaying much like the Roman Empire did we see how God contrasts the rewards of those with a work ethic compared to those who don't. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 states that if we don't work we don't eat; and amazingly enough Lenin who started Communist rule in Russia had the same ethic along with some early labor leaders in this country. The verse I have quoted could certainly apply to those who do NOT subject themselves to "usury" which God's people were told not to do or do to each other (see Nehemiah 5:7-10; Leviticus 25:36). That process; of course leads to bondage for extended payment well beyond that borrowed; and has many people in slavery in the world today.

When push comes to shove; when we ask God to provide income He will provide what is necessary in His timing if we are physically and mentally up to the work. To save money should of course be for our families and future inheritance as well as to meet our own needs; but also the principle of saving a little at a time is beneficial if we need to help those in our midst; particularly in the Body of Christ.

There are many other admonitions in scripture for husbands; wives and children to follow; as well as single people and widows.

If we call ourselves "Christian" and are lacking in any of these disciplines and we find God blessing someone who is not a believer because they are following some of these principles we should not be surprised. God is impartial and blesses those He wishes to bless; curses those likewise according to His will. (see Luke 16:9-13 as to how to use "unrighteous mammon"

Promises for believers

For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him (Phillipians 1:29). Acts 5:41 is in a similar vein; namely being thankful for being worthy to be persecuted in His name; which is promised for all true believers. ( 2 Tim. 3:12; etal). The promise of being chastised if we are a true child of God and other sufferings aren't exactly the first thing we focus on

when it comes to God's promises. But of course if we consider these hard sayings first; we can learn to appreciate the more pleasurable promises in a greater way.

The opposite is true of course; in light of Hebrews 11:25. Sin runs its course of earthly pleasures; which lead up to eternal condemnation. For God's children; however there are pleasures evermore in His right hand ( Psalm 16:11). The fullness of life is also mentioned in that verse which corresponds with John 10:10 in living life to the full. Food and clothing are promised in the Gospels ( Matt. 6:25); (compare with 1 Kings 17:6 where the ravens brought Elijah food). Notice that shelter or a place to rest His head is mentioned as lacking in Matthew 8:20; which made some turn away from following Him. Surely Christ Himself did stay in peoples' homes for short interludes; but He also spent many nights on mountains in prayer; or sleeping on a boat.

Much prayer; of course seems to be edifying when focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. God states in Isaiah 55:11; that His word will not go out void; but accomplish His purposes. If we are doing His work; then we can be sure to reap what we sow; in terms of reward (see Psalm 126:5). Heavenly treasures are a promise for those who are serving out of a pure heart (see 2 Timothy 4:7-8). Therefore; the end ouf our sufferings in Christ will bring eternal glory that outweighs anything on earth. (see Romans 8:18). 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 also discusses "momentary afflictions" that don't compare to heavenly bliss.

Hi Chris, my understanding from what I've read about the sources used by the translators of the KJV is that they used the translation Erasmus made in English in the 1300's from the Latin Vulgate and the Textus Receptus. Both Erasmus and Jerome (shoe translated the manuscripts into Latin) were Catholics, though many centuries apart as to when they lived and translated.

The KJ translators also used the translations you mentioned: Tyndale, Bishops, The Great Bible, Cloverdale, etc. The Textus Receptus (Received Text) are manuscripts Erasmus used to create his translation in English. The Textus Receptus was compiled only a few hundred years before the KJV was translated, although the content of the manuscripts go back to the Masoretic Text and a few other ancient examples.

The manuscripts that have been discovered since those of the TR are much older that those of the TR and there are a great number more of them from different origins. I think that these are very reliable, at least as reliable as the TR. But since the TR is based on the Masoretic manuscripts (which date much later that the Septuagint and were created by the Jewish rabbis well after the 1st century) I feel that the Masoretic Test is very flawed because of the errors in thinking of these Masoretic rabbis. I just cannot trust the writings of Rabbis who deny Christ is the Messiah, incorporated Babylonian syncretism in their teachings, created the Kabbalah and other occultic writings and practices. I would tend to trust the much older manuscripts that were copied by Christians in the early centuries after Christs' ascension.

Hi, I desire to learn more, so please give your scriptural authority for the following statement you made.

"To send these two female spirits that were with him from the beginning..."

GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST to give us all discernment to rightly divide HIS word. 2 Timothy 2:15

Thank you.

July 2, 2023

Sinless Perfection

I'm reading comments that conclude once God has "saved" us, which actually takes effect in our life when we become Born Again by God's action ALONE, we can actually reach a state of Sinless Perfection in this life. And if we read passages like 1 John 3 and isolate them from the rest of the Bible we might arrive at that understanding. But we MUST compare scripture with scripture and develop our understanding regarding the Nature of Salvation based upon anything and everything that Bible teaches regarding that critically important doctrine.

When we do this we will come to this understanding, I believe:

Mankind, unlike any other life form that God has created, consists of a 1) a BODY(flesh and bone and blood) that we can see and touch and feel that will ultimately die, be buried, and return to the dust (unless we are living when Christ returns). And this is true for every Human, saved and unsaved; and 2) a SOUL (the spirit essence, or mind, as the Bible speaks of our Soul) that we cannot see or touch or feel, but is every bit as real a part of us as our body. So our BODY and SOUL combine to create who we are and determine our complete personality.

The Bible is quite clear that before God applies His Salvation to our life we are Spiritually Dead, i.e. a Spiritual Corpse if you will, and in complete rebellion against God both in BODY and SOUL.

When God "saves" us we become Born Again in our SOUL existence and God has performed the MIRICLE of giving us a New Resurrected SOUL which CANNOT sin. But nothing has happened to our BODY and won't until the Last Day during the Resurrection / Rapture of every True Believer when God gives us our Spiritual BODY and True Believers will become a complete SINLESS personality ( 1 Cor 15)

Before that occurs we still lust after sin in our BODY and will never obey God perfectly and can even fall into grievous sin like David did. This despite our Resurrected Soul and our ERNEST ONGOING DESIRE to do the will of God.

Frankie, Pt 2

About the 2nd case, I think I was clear that I mean people who fail during their strive to follow God's commadements and then repend and clean themselves. Do you still consider them sinners?

Peter 1:23, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.".

You stated that the incorruptible seed is Christ. But I read it means the Word of God. See the next 2 verses, ie 24,25. "24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Pay attention to v25, "AND THIS WORD WHICH BY THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED TO YOU." so it means literally the Word of God, not Christ. Christ is often called the Word because through Him The Word of God was revealed to people. But not in any case that we read Word we assume that it talks about Jesus, it is about literally the Word of God.

About the rest you have written, I am sorry I can not follow you, because I think you try to join things together using verses that, to me, are irrellevant, ie you use Rom 12:1-2, which says about renewing of our mind by the Spirit as new birth, I don't see it like that. Again Gal 3:2, Matt 9:29, to me, they have nothing to do with us having the Spirit partially of fully.

Anyway Frankie thanks for your reply. Don't take my answer as offensive. Just my beliefs are different from yours. Thanks. GBU

Hello Frankie

I am bit confused with what you say. You stated there are 2 stages of sanctification, the 1st being the state that Adam was before falling, the 2nd is a state like Christ's. But I think that both are sinless states, aren't they?

Anyway let's see the whole thing practically. In science, say Physics, for a theory to become a Law it must be prooved experimentally, if not it just remains a theory, never becomes a law. So we have the theory that people can live a sinless life. Now, the experiment. Have you met somebody who claim that they can live a sinless life? I haven't to be honest. And if in reality that can not be done there are 2 cases, either 1. the theory is wrong or 2. we have misunderstood the theory, it is not explained as we thought it is. In our case it is impossible that the theory ie God's Word is wrong. so that leaves the idea of wrongly understanding the theory, the Word of God.

Yes, sanctification is a progres work, we agree on that, it is the end of the road we disagree.

About a progressive or instant salvation. There are many verses that salvation is aquired believing in Jesus, John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.". But we have to work out our salvation as in Phil 2:12 says. The grk for that "work out" means to "work something to give it a shape". So it means, in my opinion, to work out our salvation (which means through our saved life) to give ourselves the shape (character) of Jesus. Then Paul moves on saying with "fear and trembling". Why? Because salvation can be lost. How? In many ways ie 1. if we leave the narrow path and follow world's sinful ways and die in our sins, 2. even if we stay in the faith but still remain stubborn and unrepented about things we do and die in such a state and so on. God gives us a whole lifetime to get things straightened in our lives, but at the end of the meal the bill comes to the table.

Part 2 next.

The life of the Lord Jesus Christ is not of this world, & neither are those who come to be partakers of Him.

Think about it, how do you read His life in the Scriptures