Bible Discussion Replies PAGE 229

Hello One-Eighty, glad to hear from you.

Light and darkness are not divine entities, neither is evil and good. Before creation there was neither light nor darkness. God created these at the beginning of creation. As to evil and good, God is forever good, but evil is the absence of good. So, if He withdraws His goodness (blessing, provision, protection) from any being He created it is because the created being has chosen evil by sinning.

I just wanted to make these points to you today. I hope you are doing well and growing in the Lord each day, taking in His Word with a heart open to the Holy Spirit.

Hello Frankie.

Just one question. Personally are you in a sinless state? And when I say "sinless' I mean that you never sin? Have you reached such a stage in your spiritual life?

The definition of a "sinner" can be either:

1. someone who lives a sinful life.

2. Someone who strives to live holly but he fails sometimes, then repends, asks for forgiveness and washes himself with Jesus Blood.

Both the above are sinners, in the sence that people in both categories do sins. But who is considered by God as a sinner? Definetely not the second case. Why not? Because they cleaned (and are continously cleaning) themselves from the sins they do and so they are considered by God as "righteous" So they are eligible to enter Heanen. This is anyway what the gospel is all about. If it were about being sinless just because we are given the Spirit of God so to avoid doing sins, then what was the reason that Jesus sacrificed Himself? Only to clean us from what we had done till we were born again?

New birth. Regeneration and new creation/new birth do not mean a sinless state by no means.

Old natute. When the Bible talks about "the old man" does not mean old nature but it means the sinful person we were before getting to know Christ, the "new man" is the man that strives to live holy.

Often christians, especially the ones who are new in faith, due to an ignorance of God's Word put a big load over their shoulders. I used to be one of them. Although they strive to live holy, they are never pleased with themselves and think that God doesn't approve them. Why? Because they think that they should never fail any more, as if that was ever possible. They expect too much from themselves (more than God does). This is called "weak consciousness" in my language. And that origininates either due to an ignorance of the Bible, since they are new in faith, or due to their character.

Go to part 2.

To Plaintalk, I say this in response.

You quote Job 39:12 and you assign the "seed" to being the word of God. What you are doing is 'spiritualising' a statement of God to Job that was a literal question being put to Job by God that required from Job a literal answer. As Job had none aren't you being somewhat presumptuous here in your claims as to what the seed and the barn mean? An illustration of God's questioning of Job is shown in the verses below:

Job 39:1 "Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth [their offspring]? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? 2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil [their gestation]? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?"

Anyone can spiritualise scripture to make it say whatever they want it to say - but it doesn't mean that it is true. Therefore, I reject what you say about this verse.

In regards to your view on John 12:24, although Jesus compares Himself to a grain of wheat as you say, His death was aimed to bring "many sons to glory" ( Hebrews 2:10) through the new birth ( John 3:3-8). Jesus could not establish a glorious church on Earth through His people unless He died and was glorified ( John 7:37-39; Acts 2:33; Eph. 1). Christians today are expected to die as Christ did - but NOT in the physical sense but in the spiritual sense:

- In this, we are to crucify our 'Old Man' nature until "he" is DEAD - Romans 6:6.-

- If we haven't, then spiritually speaking, God sees us as "walking in the flesh" ( Romans 8:1, 7).

However, if we are truly "born-again", we will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others so as to bring more lost souls into God's kingdom. By doing this, we (as being that "corn of wheat) will then "...bringeth forth much fruit" - meaning, the lost souls into God's kingdom through personal evangelism, "...some [corns'] an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear!" ( Matt 13:3-9).

That's how I see it, Plaintalk.

With respect One eighty, you are taking your 'rationale' too far away from what has been presented to you by both others here and me.

I believe Richard H Priday provided another good example of answering your question where he said:

"God did create hell as well; but originally it was meant for the Devil and his angels. ( Matt. 25:41). Clearly; men enter in there because they are following their master; namely Satan rather than God. Therefore; all things work out for the good for those who love God ( Romans 8:28); but conversely; there is no peace for the wicked ( Isaiah 48:22; other passages)."

For you to reject these Bible-based 'Contrasts' depicted in the Bible to then ask questions like:

- Would you agree that whenever Light enters darkness, the darkness is abolished?

- If yes, then if God is darkness as He is Light, then He must be capable of abolishing Himself.

- Light abolishes darkness merely by showing us the darkness is not there. If this is true and God is responsible and the Source for both Light and darkness, then He would literally abolish Himself into non existence.

COMMENT: It seems your desire is to enter into "...foolish questions...and contentions" that I am not prepared to enter into on the following basis:

"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain." ( Titus 3:9)

Sorry, One eighty, but I m trying to be helpful here and not offensive.

Hi Rhonda. I believe that John 11:35 is the verse.

You're welcome Gigi.

God bless you.

Brother Richard H Priday:

Thought to PONDER ON.

In your comment:

When we observe SIN such as ANGER .....

Did Jesus ever get angry? Was he angry when he called them a generation of vipers?

John 2:15 And when he made a scourge of small cords, he DROVE THEM out of the temple .....

Was Jesus angry when he drove them out?

Yet he was without SIN.

Food for thought.

God Bless You!

Sister GiGi:

I never said nor believed you complained to administration, others read your comments and can react to those comments.

We are ALL the BODY of Christ, by the resurrection of Christ, ALL have become ONE, even our prodigal sons, even though they have not AS YET come to that truth, they will be DRAWN back to CHRIST.

God speaks of things that ARE NOT, as if they ALREADY ARE.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I WILL draw ALL MEN unto me.

Genesis 18:14 ... at the TIME APPOINTED, I will return to thee, according to the TIME of LIFE ....

John 14:6 I am the way, the truth and the LIFE.

God Bless YOU

Hi Jema,

I, too, do not report people because I want people to be free to participate on here.

Thanks S. Spencer for this clarification.

Hello again Earl,

My first post to you was seeking to know why you post on here with so many different names. I would love it if you would go back to posting as Earl.

Hello Richard,

The absence of youth and young adults in our churches has been going on for decades, but is more pronounced now in some congregation than in others. Having brough our children up to know the Lord and participate in church fellowship, they walked away in their high school years and have not returned. Sadly, this is a common story for so many believing parents.

I do not truly know how to remedy this in our churches, but, as you said, prayer is certainly a main factor. The draw of the world is so very strong with our children especially due to social media/internet services that are and instant "feed" for their desires. The increased busyness of being "on the go" constantly makes it difficult for children to accept a slower pace of thinking through ideas, analyzing information, and spending time in worship and reading of the Word (or reading in general!). I wish we could turn back the clock a bit and redo some of our approaches to family life now that we know how what we have done impacts our children, youth, and young adults. But we cannot. My hope is that God cares for the children and wishes to bless them despite how they have been brought up. But as an adult population, we certainly have need of repentance and seeking God's counsel in how to minister to the children, youth, and young adults in our sphere of life and influence.

Hello Earl, I have never reported you to admin.

Brother SSpencer:

I am not trying to hid my identity, whatever the problem, the site ceases to let me log in and make comments without creating a new account.

God Bless you.

Earl it's likely if you're locked out it would more likely by locking you out by your email not your name. Perhaps?

If they locked you out because someone reported you for changing your name, they would have had to report you six times.

They have moderators that unlike most of us, review every post and reply and you do stand out.

Here's one of the guidelines they enforce;

Use a consistent name and valid email for one account. Commenters are welcome to use a username instead of your real name, but it is not allowed to change this name in effort to conceal your identity or to have more than one identity. The email address entered must be a valid email address you can receive an email to. A valid email will allow you to know when you receive a reply, will allow you to manage and download your comments, and allow for easier technical support. Only one account is permitted per person.

They will allow you to use a consistent name no matter what you teach.

God bless.

A thought on the resourcefulness of the Amish

Given the plethora of postings I have planted here today I will attempt to cease and desist for at least the rest of today. My last posting made a few statements on blessings and covenants of God.

In light of the current economic situation today; we face the very real spectre that our food supply may be in dire jeopardy; and hence may be the best investment to make. Precious metals as of late have taken a hit and we don't find an edible gold bar as an option. Those who are able to sustain their family and perhaps church communities that can do this with arable land will benefit uniquely; and the Amish are one example of "backward" culture that has managed to avoid starvation (as far as I know) by responsible sustainability of their arable land over the centuries. There is the tendancy to view such a mindset as like the cults; no doubt such ventures in the past have been used to entice people from true worship to that of the cult leaders. This should certainly not deter us from the positive lessons sustainability of this sort brings.

Given the insane state of much of America's youth today (and spreading to other countries no doubt); again we can see many advantages to communities who keep to themselves in this manner. There are unique problems and issues; of course in any community that we must avoid. Nonetheless it is worth considering; as our homes; our stocks; our possessions are of little value if we can't feed ourselves! The state of our power grid is grim; and whether it be an EMP; a terrorist event or a Carrington (solar flare) situation the crap seems like it is going to hit the fan at some point not to far from now unless a complete overhaul is undertaken. I am reminded of Deuteronomy 28:13 where we are told to be the "head and not the tail"; lending and helping others in difficult times. This is a deviation from a purely Biblical subject; but as James 1:5 shows God gives wisdom if we ask

God's provisions and covenants

Proverbs 18:22 states that he who finds a wife finds a good thing; a blessing from the Lord. This; as with any other scripture should be in context; in this case it is to a covenant for a lifetime partner (see Malachi 2:14). Time and space won't be sufficient to explore the relevant passages in Deuteronomy and how they apply today to a family being blessed; but nonetheless the principles apply as in Ephesians 5 and elsewhere are relevant today. Surely Billy Graham was right in stating that the "family that prays together stays together."

God is on display when a family is worshipping together in fellowship and harmony. I have seen functionally this tends to be a strength in the Reformed churches; but with the underlying risk of "religiousity" when children especially are simply living out a role and behavior that they are used to; rather than having any real meaning to them. In any case; it seems to stand out when this is a reality; when you see a whole family truly worshipping God it is an awesome and humbling sight; in my opinion.

Psalm 37:25 states that David never saw the righteous or their children begging for bread. As a dogmatic promise; I can't say that is a promise when you evaluate how many have starved especially in our world in recent years. However the OPPOSITE is certainly true; those weighed down by idolotry; and false religion certainly are more prone to calamity. The case of the cows roaming around in India in the midst of starvation has been a stark reminder of this situation.

When Jesus was on earth; it doesn't really say whether or not the work of some contributed to His ministry; it does mention some women supporting Him. Certainly Paul worked and we are all called to do the same. Too often it seems that the "mundane" everyday tasks of work and chores are somehow "less spiritual" than time in church fellowship. His blessings are material; and spiritual and it is hard to separate them.

That's a very petty thing for anyone to do , the only people I ever report are those who give their ages as under 21 . I don't agree with everyone on here but would never try to silence anyone . Hope you are able to stay around with us :) .

Children and prayer

I have probably stated this before; but I believe that children need a vision for their own generation. There are individuals I have met that stand out in that regard; so there is hope. I am in a unique disadvantage being an only child; in a non believing family.

I ASSUME that those who come to church that I know spend some time in prayer with their children. I am a bit mystified why locally at least there aren't any teenagers in youth groups; part of it is the demographics of my particular church. Sadly prayer for that subject seems to be lacking as well. This is why those who are saved need to have communication with older adults who are discipling them; and older adults should understand what they are going through in our suicidal; drug filled and occult type of society. There is one member who has some ideas such as bringing in interns from Bible colleges and youth ministers from the local area (as our church doesn't have one at present).

In this society of rebellion even the thought of a child or teenager engaged in spiritual warfare for their parents seems to be as foreign as a trip to Antarctica. I would guess that the work ethic as it stands now and the tidal wave of worldly entertainment and distractions is a major hinderance. The one school in Texas who eliminated cell phones magically reported that everyone is learning better; hard to believe they didn't figure that out sooner; let's hope it spreads....

if the kids press enough for prayer (at least outside school teaching hours); and studying scriptures or discussing the Word in classes where a pertinent subject matter develops I believe things can change. The powers that be love to dictate what mantra and indoctrination kids should and want to hear; and if kids passively take it it will be assumed they have no incentive to change things. Will they lock up our kids for these things? If such children can excel academically perhaps it cannot be ignored.

Hi Giannis,

Our Addiction to Sin.

I your last post/reply to me you did not answer the question that I posed to you: Who would want to convince Christian's that they can continue to sin - and still walk with God?

The answer is the same entity that told Adam and Eve that they could sin - and would still be acceptable to God. Satan. That didn't end well for Adam and Eve. It will not end well for us either. So, Satan continues to this day, and he has not changed his methods of operation. He has infiltrated all of society, he is in our homes, schools, churches and in the minds of Christians. He has convinced many Christians that - we CANNOT STOP SINNING! In your last post to me you stated: "Because we still have a sinful nature and we CANNOT overcome sin." God tells us to STOP SINNING! The devil tells us we Can't STOP SINNING! When we accepted Christ and went through the process of being Born Again, we made a commitment to God that we would repent. If we continue to SIN we are not repenting.

I love you brother, and I want to share some thoughts with you to help you break the addiction to sin. First, you need to get Can't and CANNOT out of your vocabulary. Stop using this word! You can never accomplish any goal in this life - if you feel/believe that you Can't! If you believe you can't stop smoking, if you believe you can't stop drinking alcohol, if you believe you can't stop doing drugs, if you believe you can't stop abusing your wife, if you believe you can't stop overeating, if you believe you can't control your temper, this can go on and on and on, you understand this. You will never accomplish anything that you feel that you CAN'T! By using this word you have "defeated yourself" before you even get started! Throw that word away and learn to hate that word! See page 2

Giannis page 2

Replace Can't with the word CAN! God uses the word Can and loves the word CAN! He tells us throughout the bible that WE CAN! Start your day with GOD, and end your day with GOD. If we could pray/talk to God all day from the time we rise until the time

we go to sleep - we would NOT be able to sin. Constant prayer would not allow our body or mind to sin. Since most of us don't have the ability to spend the entire day in prayer as we are required to perform all the functions of living, working, eating, etc.

Work toward keeping your mind in God/Christ all day, whenever you can. When driving to work, pray, if you turn the radio on listen to spiritual songs, hymns. Share God with everyone you talk to. Spend time helping others. While you eat your meals pray and talk to God. When you are with your family talk about your goal to stop all sin. Help and encourage each other to stop sinning and encourage them to not use the word Can't. Fill your day with the word Can in all you do. Keep God 1st and foremost in everything you do everyday.

I have a lot of other ideas and suggestions for you and others here to break the stranglehold of Sin, and I will continue to present these methods in future posts.

To summarize: Replace the word Can't with Can! Fill your day with God!

Remember this: Write it down and post it somewhere that you will see it everyday: We all start out life as sinners - that doesn't mean we have to finish this life as sinners.

GBU

Prayer continued as to approach

Trusting relationships and prayers with individuals who are our "accountability partners" certainly is helpful. As stated before things meant to be in confidence should remain that way unless the safety of someone is in jeopardy. There are times when things are pretty evident; which can be shared with a small group but still not be discussed with others; we need to be wise and discerning in those matters.

When we observe sin such as anger; we are often responsible to confront our brother; if necessary. Offering prayer in that situation is usually better in an impromptu request; even if we can't meet up with them until later. We should desire others to be real; to open up about the real issues bothering them; as well as being free to express what the Spirit is leading us to pray about. Hebrews 4:12 talks about the "thoughts and intentions of the heart." In that sense; I believe prayer should at times be uncomfortable; exposing things we need to submit to the Spirit; breaking through spiritual strongholds; etc. Sadly; it seems 9 times out of 10 people want to have casual conversation about all their issues without committing it to prayer rather than the other way around. Maybe when people plan to meet even socially in church events prayer should be the introduction and concluding remarks.

As to prayer for our nation; revival is a common theme. I question WHY this is the case; risking whatever controversy that ensues. Even in true ones in the past the enemy often wreaks havoc; hence they tend to be rather brief; and there seems to be little regard for the risk of a false one and prayer against such things. It certainly begins with the believers ( 2 Chronicles 7:14) but of course we can't neglect the part of turning from our wicked ways. Man in general apart from the Spirit's prompting has NO DESIRE to be Holy; and hates God. Many will fall away in the last days; and anyone God draws will be saved.

Prayer: A starvation diet

Given prayer is; in my estimation a key element in the function of a church it seems in most congregations it is like Elijah being fed in the wilderness. I am not really sure why; but most of the time prayers seem very sterile and brief before a church service begins; I an't remember a time when even five minutes were devoted to it even in a time of distress; grief or conviction of a Pastor even over the subject he is preaching on.

As to a set weekly prayer meeting; sadly one of my previous churches had nothing to that affect. The Pastor had concerns about "inappropriate" requests in such surroundings; although he encouraged families to pray when together. That was a thorn in my side; as I saw many that loved the Lord there seemingly being squelched; I moved to another city so the Lord removed me from that situation but it was sad to see in my opinion.

As to those who do have some weekly event; it is often in my church what seems like a machine gun voicing of long lists of names (many of whom are shut ins that I haven't yet met-Lord willing I can arrange to visit some of these individuals in the future). The participation is pretty decent (about 8 to 10 in a church of 60 or so) which I would say is better than the participation in most churches. I have been bugging people about the women's prayer which for now is a no-go after some time with monthly prayers. My past experience seems to show me that women often are more passionate and tenacious in such undertakings; men could learn much from them the way I see it.

There is nothing WRONG with telling someone who needs prayer for what; at least it is some detail. We often hear about someone having an illness (especially with many elderly in my church); what we don't seem to hear as much is prayer for family members who are unsaved; and rarely for individuals who admit struggling with sin. Gossip MUST be avoided; of course when one shares in confidence. More to come...

Free thinkers vs church polity

In my last posting; I teased the idea of those who seem to enjoy "passing the buck" of all decision making in a church to the local Pastor. The risk; of course besides overloading the pastor with extra responsibilities is that it can make either him or us prideful.

Of course; with any subject there is usually one extreme that is as bad as another. Without some guidelines we risk having a chaotic service; and introduction of doctrines not carefully considered in light of scripture to name two issues.

Church polity; as best as I can understand it; is a set methodology for a given denomination in regard to a Catechism of a certain type; order of events and time scheduling of church services; baptisms; communion; music style; etc. There are individuals who assist with budgeting and who are in charge of various ministries (prayer; community service etc) that are part of the church calendar.

I have some advantage having attended a variety of churches to see different approaches in this area. There are certainly times when I have taken issue with the way things are done; most commonly in regard to prayer and usually the lack of sufficient time and participation which occurs. I have found even where there is a strict set of boundaries there is often small group and other venues where ideas can be given. Generally Pastors don't want to have to tell everyone what to do all the time; as in my church people seem to have the wherewithal to visit the infirmed and elderly; share the Gospel with strangers and participate in weekly prayer meetings and service projects.

I have also found even in the formal worship there are times when I disagree doctrinally enough to warrant sufficient reason to bring it up with a Pastor afterwards. Most of the time it is a misunderstanding. This can occur with small groups whenever we use sources outside the Word itself error can occur. This is why we should never exalt a teacher over God.

Our identity in Christ

Galatians 2:20 puts the focus on being crucified with Christ and the life now lived being that in the Spirit. Our identity should be understood as part of His Body; which is the physical representation of Christ on earth today; functioning together to act as "salt and light" until He comes ( Matt. 5:13-20). This idea of being saved to be part of a community is opposed to our "rugged individualism" mentality here in the West especially. Without this understanding we are putting all of our spiritual growth under the Pastor who is somehow supposed to be the only one who shapes and molds us into Christ's image. Thus; we only evangelize; do service projects; corporate prayers; missionary ventures; etal. under his directive; scheduling and tutelage. In such an approach we are placing an undue burden on someone called to have the role of an elder to play all the other roles such as accountability partner; and we are also liable to fall away should the leader of a church fall into error or sin himself.

Every church seems to have individuals that stand out for service (usually but not always a minority); and others that; for one reason or another make an appearance on Sundays (whether primarily to support family members; ritualistic purposes; etc.)

As adopted sons and daughters of the Kingdom we share a stronger bond than what we find in our own families. Some will not reach out in that capacity toward others. Psalm 27:10 reminds us that even if our mother and father forsake us; we have refuge in Christ. Perhaps more time fellowshipping with those in the foreign mission field whose families have shunned them for being a Christian would help many of us. Those churches involved with international college students in exchange programs; for instance have an advantage in such exposure as well as unique evangelistic opportunities.

I always say we may as well get along now; since we are going to spend eternity together.

Thank you David0921 for going through my response to your questions. And for yours as well; to which I agree that we can see the Gospel (the Way of Salvation) at work as soon as man lost his intimate connection with his Maker through sin. All that God did for Israel was to demonstrate His Love & yearning for their love & worship. And yes, this was a progressive work which should have been meaningful to the alert prayerful ones giving hope for their future & of the nation. And it was for them that Christ came & we are also the beneficiaries of their salvation, to provoke them to jealousy ( Romans 11:11). Praise God for those Jews who are turning to Jesus, being drawn to the Light, believing in the Messiah that came & gave His Life for them. GBU

What is the smallest Verse in the Bible? Josh 3:?

Does this App have A Study Like Questions to a Verse?

Hello Moha4med. The Bible doesn't teach us that there is an appointed angel for killing people. The closest Scripture I could find is in 2 Kings 19:35, where the angel of the LORD went into the camp of the Assyrians and killed 185K people. This was God's action in response to the prayer of King Hezekiah of Judah asking God to save them from the hand of the Assyrians. And God sent His angel to carry out this destruction.

So neither Jesus Christ nor any other person before or after Him (except the above reference), who faced death had any angel involvement in their deaths. For Christ, it is recorded in Luke 23:46, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." Jesus released His spirit back to the Father & in so doing He died on the Cross. And in Ecclesiastes 12:7 we read, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The spirit of man cannot perish, for it is spirit, as God is Spirit. Man's spirit at death returns to God, for God to direct it to its abode awaiting acceptance or final judgement. So, your other questions are not applicable because there is no angel of death that Jews or Christians are told about. I know that in Islam, Azrail is believed to be the angel of death (Surah 32:11), but none recorded in the Bible nor in the Jewish Tanakh. There maybe mention of this in other Jewish literature or the Apocryphal writings, I can't be sure.

Thank you Chris for that very lengthy and comprehensive response.

I would only respond by saying that the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation is first and foremost the Gospel of Salvation. And that God continued to add to our understanding of that ONE TRUE GOSPEL as He added to the Bible. So that we must read and harmonize the entirety of the Bible, as God would open our understanding, of that ONE TRUE GOSPEL in order to understand the true Nature of Salvation.

And that it is God Himself that applies His Salvation to those whom He saves throughout time in giving them a faith and trust in Him. And the Salvation of every individual that God saves is 100% the work of God Himself.

We can make no contribution to our Salvation in any way and are entirely dependent upon the Mercy of God to save us and to apply that Salvation to our life because we by nature we are in total rebellion against God as we read in Romans 3.