Viewing page: 93 of 5385
< Previous Discussion Page Next Discussion Page >
83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102
Posting comments is currently unavailable due to high demand on the server.
Please check back in an hour or more. Thank you for your patience!
I have a question - what is your definition of sin in this doctrine? Are you talking about real sin of disobedience to God or just faults and weaknesses we all face when we first get saved? God shows us these faults and weaknesses and as we pray and trust Him, He will help us overcome them and they will eventually go away. But sin puts enmity between us and God so how can we grow in Him if we are bringing enmity between ourselves and God? Romans 8:7 "and that he might reconcile both unto Him in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh." Those who believe in this doctrine, when I say I don't sin every day, are appalled and believe I'm being prideful. No pride, just peace in knowing I am living a godly life, without sin, because of being emersed in the blood of Jesus and under the power of the Holy Ghost. These doctrine diminishes the blood of Jesus and presents a weakened Holy Ghost.
9Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of theLordhath wrought this?
10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
11Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
12With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
13With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.
Do you believe that doth ear try words? the ancient wisdom can be use today and the keys unto woman?
I believe every one is born of God and has to have the ears to hear from him and mouth to eat from God but I still feel they choose whether or not how they have life.
Yes I believe and for me the ancient wisdom of God will work in current today with the keys of life unto woman! And I'm a private example and choose life from God to lengthen my days.
What I see in your comment is that "receiving Him" is something that we have to DO or NOT DO (not doing would be rejecting), and that it is ultimately up to US to either RECEIVE or NOT RECEIVE the gift of Salvation, as many teach. But again, that is a Salvation the rests ultimately on something we DO or do NOT DO. And those are "WORKS".
God DID NOT look down the the corridors of time before the foundation of the world and saw who would "receive Him" and who would not. And then chose to save those who would "receive Him".
What God sees is what we read in Rom 3. That is, NO ONE would seek Him nor "receive Him". But despite that, God made the decision to save certain of all those dirty rotten sinners whom He saw would not seek Him nor accept Him. These are what God refers to as the ELECT. And these are those for whom Christ died and paid the full penalty required by the Law of God for all of their sins. And obligated Himself to apply that Salvation to each and every one of those ELECT before their physical death by giving them a brand new Resurrected Soul, which in itself can never sin again (1 John), and make them New Creatures in Christ.
We do not know who are the ELECT of God. That is God's business not our business. We only know that God made that decision apart from any inherent goodness or righteousness in any one of us. If we are unsaved, we do not know whether or not we are one of God's ELECT. But God commands us to cry out to Him for Mercy as He begins opens our Spiritual eyes to our Spiritual condition and standing before the Law of God; that MAYBE God MIGHT save me. If we have become saved by God's Mercy we will begin to have the assurance of salvation as we see the desire in our heart to be more and more obedient to what God declares in His Word, the Bible, both in doctrine and in practice in our life.
We come to God with a broken and a contrite heart PLEADING for Salvation. Psalm 51:17 Luke 18:13.
We don't DECIDE to be saved.
Is belief, i.e faith (one is the verb the other the noun but the same word) a WORK? God answers that question in 2 Thes 1:11
11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the WORK OF FAITH with power:
God commands us to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ". And when we do that we are doing a "good work". But God is very clear that no work that we do can INITIATE nor MAINTAIN nor CONTRIBUTE to our Salvation in any way whatsoever.
God does not save anyone BECAUSE we Believe. But if and when God Saves an individual by His MERCY and GRACE alone, they will Believe. Our BELIEF, our REPENTANCE are good works that we do as a RESULT of our Salvation. And we will find in our life an earnest and ongoing desire to be OBEDIENT to any commandment of God, i.e the LAW of God.
If we are following a gospel where Salvation is the RESULT of any WORK that we do, we are trusting in a false gospel that cannot save.
So what must we do to be saved? THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO? We can only cry to God for His Mercy, like the Ninevites did in the very real hope that God might save us. And wait upon God to do a work of GRACE in our hearts if it is His good pleasure so to do.
Ezekiel 36:24-28 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
But here is the rub. We know the logs in our own eyes, and it makes us loathe to speak of the splinters in the eyes of someone glorying in a false sense of security, and thereby harming and soiling the very bride of Christ!
Is it more fearful to risk the approval of others than to fail to stand upon God's Word? I cannot balance my own sinful nature against another, and surely any sense of righteousness is like unto a filthy rag in the eyes of God.
I therefore pose a question based upon the Truth. Would any Christian parent be so willing to see their children led down a pathway to hell due to fear of condemnation?
What I am aiming toward in this discussion is the spiritual health of a body of believers.
Paul lashed out in I Corinthians against the behavior of a single member of that church and directed them to do what he would certainly do if he were present; put him out of the church.
As we know in the subsequent letter, Paul advised that they comfort - therefore forgive - that individual so as to spare him over much sorrow. But this did not imply that this individual be elevated to leadership! Such a matter has to fall within the purview of church government in the elders.
In all of the twists and turns of this discussion, arguments have been made from solid perspectives. The questions we need to ask of ourselves is whether or not we enter upon a search for answers with our own opinions in tow, or whether we ask for guidance in discerning that which is right and that which is wrong.
We should begin kneeling - not standing and preening. It is better to be a humble believer knowing that God is Love. He is also Holy and Just. Are we not also called to seek obedience to those attributes?
What does that mean and can anyone born of Adam do it?
If it means to judge against it or to sentence it. What is required to achieve this? Christ!
THE FACT THAT JESUS CAME IN THE FLESH AND LIVED A PERFECT LIFE APART FROM SIN DOESN'T DIRECTLY MEAN "CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH"
It's the fact that he in doing so, he destroyed the power and penalty of sin is where and how he condemned sin.
(For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.) Romans 8:2,
Adam was a living soul.
There are those born of Adam. "At one time we all were"
Jesus "A quickening spirit" ( God manifested in the flesh,) Born from above! "God/Christ spirit".
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH.
This life giving spirit of God in the flesh could not sin.
Christ didn't become a life giving spirit at Calvary.
Christ was a perfect Lamb "led" to slaughter. He didn't "become" perfect at Calvary!
An unblemished Lamb chosen for sacrifice is perfect before you sacrifice him.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Hebrews 2:14.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Christ done what the law could not do. Condemn sin in the weak flesh.
This is the sin in our members that Paul speaks of in Romans 7:23.
God bless.
I refer you to the post I sent here below that show why I believe that Jesus is God. Are you willing to believe what John says here in chapter 1? the Word (the Son) is God and became flesh (Jesus). He never ceased to be God while in the flesh. He added a human nature to His divine nature in order to live the perfect human life for us and be our sacrifice.
I will write more tomorrow with Scriptures.
Now, if you feel that "my decision to accept Christ of my own free will" is still a work towards Salvation, then it would be so if the Work of the Spirit was absent. There is no salvation where one decides to follow Christ without any regenerating Work. But when the Spirit is present, "accepting Christ" also equates to 'receiving Him', & that with gratitude. True, the sinner is completely dead spiritually & unable to muster faith to believe (which is a Gift of God anyway) - but what happens when the Holy Spirit is involved in the sinner to awaken the heart & open the eyes, that he might understand, repent, believe, & accept? I don't see this as Works - it's ALL of Grace. GBU
I believe, David 0921, that my "decision to accept Christ" was the response of a Work of God the Spirit before that. Let's look at the example in Acts 16:18-34 (of the Philippian Jailer & his salvation).
When he asked Paul & Silas, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?", Paul answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house". Clearly, the jailer had to do a work (= to believe). Was it a requirement to gain salvation which as you reminded us, is all of Grace alone? Not at all - it was a Response to receive the Gift- he had to believe to receive.
So what went on prior to this moment when the jailer cried out to know the way of Salvation? All we're told is that he witnessed an earthquake, saw prison doors flung open, & prisoners' chains falling off. What else took place? We're not told, but from we have before us, with the extraordinary events taking place before his eyes which he couldn't deny, caused him in a moment to re-examine his obstinacy towards the God of Israel, have a glimmer of the Truth from the witnessors search his heart, and of course, the Work of the Holy Spirit to convict.
In answer to the jailer's question, Paul said, "Believe". And no doubt when Paul & Silas "spake unto him the word of the Lord (the Gospel), and to all that were in his house", they would have acknowledged their sins & repented. True, Salvation is all of Grace, but the sinner still needs to repent (a work), & still needs to believe (a work). All these must take place prior to salvation being given - not after. None of it are contributions towards a person's salvation - but all are responses to the Spirit's Work.
Christ's argument is: If your law calls judges gods, why should I be held guilty of blasphemy for saying that I am the Son of God?
As per the other argument trying to discredit the word "one" sounds like your argument is that one doesn't really mean one, because Jesus used it to describe believers being one. I don't see how being one in unity as Christ's body somehow means that all the Bible verses about Jesus being God and divine suddenly don't apply? The verse about the Father and Son being one is only one of MANY verses competing the picture. The Bible already says Jesus the Word is God so how can you disregard that?
God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 KJV
You: Word was "NOT" God?
"Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." John 8:19 KJV
Have you thought about how your belief reconciles with verses like this above?
Isaiah 7:14 -
Yes, Jesus is called Immanuel which means "God with us". People called Jesus "God". He's King of King and Lord of Lords. Alpha and Omega, first and last. Do you believe Jesus is Lord? I believe that is a requirement for even being a Christian. A Christ follower should know who Christ is.
1 John 5:7-8
John 10:30
John 8:19
Genesis 1:26
Genesis 11:6-7 (plural "us" which includes Jesus, as per John 1:1)
Philippians 2:5-8
2 Corinthians 5:19
John 1:3
Matthew 28:19
1 Peter 1:2
2 Corinthians 13:14
Deuteronomy 6:4
John 14:10
John 20:28
1 John 2:22-24
Matthew 1:23-25
Colossians 2:9
Acts 17:29
Romans 1:20
Isaiah 7:14
Hebrews 1:8
Isaiah 44:6
Isaiah 43:11
Or perhaps that God, before the foundation of the world, knew that you would be wise enough to accept a salvation that God offers and therefore chose you to become saved.
That is not what I read in the Bible concerning the nature of mankind that is DEAD in trespasses and sin and in BONDAGE to sin and Satan.
Nor is it what God declares regarding the nature of Salvation itself.
You are describing a salvation of grace + works. It is a do-it-yourself salvation program. Where Christ has done His part and now it's up to you to appropriate that salvation. That is a salvation plan that to one degree or another is taught in virtually every church of our day and is not the Salvation of the Bible.
Romans 3:10-18
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Salvation is all of grace. And is 100% the work of God. If we have become Saved, Our FAITH Our BELIEF Our OBEDIENCE is the RESULT of God having applied His Salvation to our life. It is in no way whatsoever the REASON nor the CAUSE of our Salvation.
I do not have time tonight to bring the biblical verses for why I believe this. Please be patient and I will get back to you tomorrow on this topic. I have family commitment tonight. Blessings.
Daniel 9:18-20 show how Daniel asked the Lord to remember the state of Jerusalem being in desolation and His promises (as seen in the book of Jeremiah) of reoccupation and return of the Jews after 70 years of exile (see Jeremiah 29:10). The sins of the people in question were something Daniel took on as a burden to himself in his prayers; fasting and supplications.
In terms of blessings of a general sort there is that of those who find a wife ( Prov. 18:22). There is also the offspring; or fruit of the womb that is specifically stated to be a blessing ( Deut. 7:13; and several passages in Psalms). Deuteronomy lists blessings for those who obey God's statutes and cursings for those who don't in extensive passages in Deuteronomy 28. As we look at God's chosen people in Exodus; clearly the Lord showed favor in physically delivering the Jews from Egypt; but as Romans 9:6 states not everyone benefitted from it. In fact only Joshua and Caleb survived from the first generation; even Moses was unable to enter the land but saw it from afar due to an isolated sin on his part ( Deut. 3:23 and following verses).
What we can count on in our sanctification and ultimate glorification ( Romans 8:30). All the prophetic scriptures will be fulfilled to the letter. This includes Israel being restored; the earth being renewed; Christ ruling in the Millennium; wars ending throughout the world; extended lifespans; etc.
The blessings of financial matters is promised for those who are living by faith (we see the example of Abraham in Genesis 13:2 as the first demonstration of this in scripture although technically the text of Job may be older as an example of God's financial blessings (see Job 1:16 and subsequent verses). Satan was well aware of God's provisions and favor and therefore we can be certain that he will attempt to thwart OR substitute God's blessings with his own which end up being dead ends and illusions.
( 1 Peter 5:8).
I realize that it's difficult to let go of the Decalogue, as many of us have learned to recite it, as with the Lord's Prayer, from our early years. But I've come to realize that when we truly examine the purposes of certain Truths given to us in the Bible, we must be pliable enough to let go of that which no longer serves any purpose for those in Christ. Just think how hard it would have been for Paul to let go of the Law which was ingrained into his belief system & practise for so long. But then he could say what he did in Romans 8:2.
Maybe, you could share your understanding of this: why Paul could say that "the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" ( Romans 7:12), and then proclaim his 'freedom from the Law that only revealed sin & led to his death'. Seems contradictory. Blessings.
Thank you Momsage, I would love to respond to you - I believe in good healthy discussions. And yes, you have made yourself very clear & I do note with joy that you truly love the Lord Jesus with all your heart.
The point of the argument here is, that you make reference to the Decalogue as "the foundation of knowledge...to Godly living", whereas I reject the Decalogue as having any part in a believer's life; that my 'foundation of knowledge' & faith, is based purely on what Christ has done on the Cross, the bringing in of the New Covenant in His Blood (the better Covenant, Hebrews 8:6-13), & the Spirit's Ministry in a believer's life.
When I consider the new life granted to me in Christ, how could I ever resort to a Law that was designed to show man (the Jew) his sin, his inability to keep the Law, & that only punishment would result? The Decalogue was limited to that - it offered absolutely no power to fully obey & grant salvation. The OT folk who placed their trust in God, looked & waited longingly to God to save them, and this God would do one day. How? Would it be by their obedience to the Law or through the Sacrifice of God's Son Who would open up the way for them also - a certainty into God's Presence?
The Decalogue is not God's complete set of Rules to reveal the innermost workings of man's evil sinful heart. It is but a snapshot of God's Requirements - and even here Israel failed, for who could keep His Laws perfectly (except the Holy Sinless One of God to come). If I fail the LORD by slipping into a sin, it certainly isn't the Decalogue that exposes it - it's the Holy Spirit in me Who convicts me of sin. Maybe, it is for this reason, that many believers feel it's okay to get angry, foster pride, use unholy language, etc.; Why? Well, "it's not in the Ten Commandments, so I'll be fine". But the Spirit searches out our innermost recesses for sin & quickly alerts us.
The Apostle Peter wrote this letter to Christians, mainly of Jewish birth, who were scattered to other nations (mainly resulting from the great persecutions from the Jewish leaders/Saul: Acts 8:1). Peter calls them the Elect of God, i.e. those whom God has chosen to be His. And what criterion did God use to make this selection? The Word tells us that they, and us who believe, are chosen by Him because He knew beforehand (foreknowledge) all those who would hear the Gospel of Salvation through Christ & would respond in faith.
So yes, God has chosen each one of us who believes - He didn't force us to believe just so that we wouldn't nullify His wise choosing by Him making a mistake; but He knew who would respond & to these were granted the gift & privilege of being adopted into His family (see Ephesians 1:3-14 for a greater picture of this mighty Work of God on our behalf). Does this then mean that we don't need to share the Gospel with those trapped & lost in sin because God will save them anyway if they are called to be His elect? No, we must share the Gospel with all, because not only are we not privy to those who would be saved, but God has chosen to save some because when they hear the Gospel, they will believe by the convicting power of His Spirit, & they will call upon the Name of Jesus to save them from the awful penalty of sin & estrangement from a loving God.
"Unto you therefore which believe he is precious..." ( 1 Peter 2:7). If we truly belong to the LORD, Jesus is the most Precious One in our lives, for He has chosen us to be saved with so great & costly a salvation. Unbelievers might stomp on Jesus, curse & ridicule Him - but to us He is precious and our delight, & we can be ever thankful for being chosen to be His.
Ultimately, this is blasphemous to the teachings of God's Word. God's forgiveness of our sin is eternal. But, there are consequences to the commission of willful sin in the belief beforehand that God will make it all right- presumptive in believing by doing so God has granted permission.
Paul was very adamant that pastors and teachers are held to an even greater standard.
Would a church or body of believers be led by such a person? It seems the body of elders would be remiss if they allowed such a person to lead worship or serve in any capacity of leadership.
I believe God has the power to forgive even the most vile of sinners, and unlike us the power also to forget. But to repair such a rift with God is on the shoulders of the sinner in genuinely seeking forgiveness instead of assuming it!
If we viewed the sins and transgressions of any one of us as torn pieces of a picture, God has the power to tape us back together. The damaged image would again be whole, but the seams created by our memories have to remain as lessons to us; thus consequences.
It seems to me evident that the person standing before God should be disqualified to lead others because that is not in accordance with the Scriptures.
"OH My God, to not steal or kill or commit lust or lie or envy or worship false Gods, especially through graven images and be loving and respectful of our parents. We live by the 10 commandments because we love God and want to be obedient to Him.
Biblekeeper12 believes no one in the bible was able to live by the 10 commandments or by the other laws GOD gave but there are many who did; Job, Esther, David Danial, Joseph, Joseph and Mary and many more. I would appreciate a reply if you want.
God bless you.
To remind God of blessings promised in the Scriptures; if done in the correct way is honoring to God. Without discernment; however we may not be aware of what this means; and also if we are living in a sinful lifestyle we are trying to deliberately ask for something we cannot have as long as we refuse to submit to the Lord and we are producing bad fruit.
The church much like Israel has certain CONDITIONAL as well as unconditional promises. The POSSESSING church (that is those who have the Holy Spirit and are truly saved) is and always will be a subset in this age of the confessing or professing body of believers (i.e. the church). The difference is there are some who believe in the true God and others in a God of their own imaginations; fitting the parameters that a person finds reasonable; or comfortable living with by mentally cherry picking what appeals from the Word and filing the unpleasant verses somewhere in the cobwebs in the back of their mind.
God is no respecter of persons ( Acts 10:34 also Romans 2). He does whatever He chooses and we know for certain that He desires glory for Himself and no other. (See Isaiah 42:8). John 16:10 shows how God seeks glory for the Son; therefore His desire for worship is never selfish as He always does the Father's will. This is selfless love and shows an example of how we are to live. If we thank God for things in our lives that bring us into sin such as excess money for greedy gain ( Titus 1:11); we are only heaping greater condemnation on ourselves.
I have never said we are gods;
I QUOTED what GOD said:
Psalms 82:6
Isaiah 41:23
John 10:34
The scriptures are Christ's WORDS, not mine.
I'm sorry you don't believe what Christ says.
But Christ SAID, men would believe the words of other men, before they would believe his words, and his words WILL NOT return unto him VOID, but will accomplish that which I please.
Isaiah 55:11
God Bless YOU!
You are not being called out to go to heaven.
You are being called out to be a priest and judge in the Kingdom of God.
The Old kingdom of Israel under Moses was just a shadow of the New KINGDOM under Christ, and his priesthood.
The meek shall INHERIT the EARTH.
God Bless YOU!
Isaiah 45:9 Woe unto him that striveth with his maker! Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth ....
Ezekiel 38:21 And I will call for a sword (the word of God) against him (the WORD) throughout all my mountains (peoples): saith the LORD: every man's sword (word) shall be against his brother(s) (word).
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT MAN, unto the measure and the stature and FULLNESS of Christ:
God's plan is for us to strive against each other, Joseph's brother DID NOT like the word their brother Joseph spoken, and sold him into slavery.
But look what Joseph said, by the spirit of Christ:
Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought EVIL against me, but God meant it unto GOOD, to SAVE much people alive.
Just walk in the truth of the WORD, his ways are not our ways.
God Bless YOU!