Bible Discussion Thread

Matthew 18:22 (about forgiving others) Jesus saith unto him, "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven."

Forgiving would be easy if one could FORGET the wrongs done to them.

When the wrongs done to someone play over and over in their heads, does that mean they haven't truly forgiven the offender??

I have friends who were raped. Maybe they did (try to) forgive their attacker, but do you really think they have ever forgotten for one second about that horrible incident? They never forget or get over it.

The minute one comes out of their mothers womb, everything said/not said, heard/ignored, done/didn't do, felt & thought is recorded in their memory for their entire life.

Matthew 12:37 (Jesus speaking)

"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."

Our own memories will either condemn or excuse us.

I feel like I'm living in a nightmare. I've haven't committed any (worldly) sins that are worthy of death.

I just don't know where I stand. I know that God is no respecter of persons and the righteous always suffer at the hands of the wicked.

Romans 2:13 "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

What laws? Which ones?

I look online or even out my front door and see this world swirling down the toilet. People are so blind. They don't know Jesus and don't want to. In the East Asian countries, all those people are idol worshippers. I'm sure someone has preached the Gospel to them at one time but they choose to worship their idols. Should I feel sorry for these people?

You can't force the Gospel of Christ on people who don't want it. Which is why we're supposed to set a good example.

And, setting a "good example" can get you killed. Like the Prophets, Jesus & his Apostles.

I just feel bad, like I haven't DONE enough for the Lord. I'm a coward. Always have been.

Why should God/Jesus allow a slacker like me into Heaven?

Wow, where to begin? Space would not allow me to answer all your questions. First of all, always keep in mind that what Jesus suffered on the Cross was for everything that would happen to us. He took our suffering and shame upon His self. All your answers are in the Cross. Take all your burdens to the Lord and lay them at His feet. Only Jesus can give you His Peace and the understanding to carry you through it all. Read the Bible daily! Honestly, I think you should order a Expositor Study Bible from Jimmy Swaggart Ministry. That Bible will truly open up to you all the Truths. Jesus said, " I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me". ( John 14:6) Another scripture is (Hebrew 13:5-6) " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do". (Psa.34:19) Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." Tell your friend to read Proverbs 3:16 and stand upon Gods Word. Trust and believe for He is the healer of all our suffering's. Jesus did it all at Calvary. We are to lean upon Him and His Living Word, the Bible. Amen.

@8152757794:

Thank You.

P.S.- Is that your phone number??

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On Romans 2:11 onwards. The apostle is writing about God not showing respect (or, partiality) between Jews & Gentiles. Those who have sinned without having the Law (i.e. Gentiles), will perish not having received the Law (God's Laws to Israel). Likewise, those sinning having the Law (i.e. Jews) will be judged by that Law (& of course, they will fail, for the Law made no one righteous, but only showed their sinfulness). Only the doers of the Law will be justified. So, what Law(s) can be kept perfectly to justify us before God? None, for all have sinned - & the Law only revealed the sin & extent of that sinful condition to the Jew.

Only faith in Jesus can save both Jew & Gentile. Those who keep God's Laws acceptably, are those who have the Holy Spirit & who are living out their lives through Him & by His Power ( Romans 8:1; Galatians 5:25). Both Jew & Gentile who are saved through Christ, are no longer bound to the Law that only brought death, but live in the power & joy of the Holy Spirit, Who helps us live beyond the Letter of the Law, living according to the dictates of the Spirit.

Lastly, one can never do enough for the Lord. How much is ever enough? But, if you're a praying person wanting to use the opportunities God lays upon your heart or directs you to, then every place you go to & every person you meet, may be what the Lord wants for you to share something of His Goodness. Any sense of cowardice will disappear - for the Lord will be your strength ( 2 Timothy 1:7) & your mouth - remembering your witness & life will be the catalyst for someone to become serious about his eternal well-being. You may be God's man for God's special moment in another person's life.

Thank You, Chris. I guess I'm just confessing my sins to all you good people because that is what we are told to do.

James 5:16

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

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Hi Dgjot. I'll just share on a few matters you raised.

On forgiveness & forgetting. I see 'forgiveness' as a matter of the heart, when one who has been unjustifiably hurt seeks to no longer hold that person accountable for the pain they've caused. The pain will still be there - only the Lord & time can bring healing, but to forgive someone simply means that you won't raise that painful matter again as your heart won't harbour hatred or grudge against another for doing that. To 'forget' the pain given, in most cases, won't ever leave, as that is a part of life's experiences that we retain. Some things we easily forget, especially those of a minor insignificant nature, but some things, even from childhood will always remain - & unfortunately, some of these will be painful & affect us even into adult years.

How does God forgive us? Does He even forget that we sinned against Him? We know that God's Forgiveness comes to us because His Son voluntarily took our punishment, paying for our sins that we could never ever pay for. But does God forget? If He did, then God wouldn't be Omniscient, as He knows & remembers all things that ever happened to us. But what God does do, is that our sins are cast aside, forgiven, & never held to our account, only because of Jesus' Sacrifice (remember Acts 7:59,60, when Stephen, as he was dying, asked God to not lay the sin of his murderers to their charge - in other other words, 'Lord forgive them', or 'don't charge them with this sin'. Peter forgave them & wanted God to also forgive them).

We might be cautious or even remain aloof from someone who has hurt us, but that doesn't mean that we haven't forgiven them, i.e. not holding anger, hatred or grudges. In John 2:23-25, we read that Jesus saw how many believed in Him by the miracles He did - yet, Jesus did not commit (or, entrust, have faith in) them, because He knew what they were like. But He still loved all of them & would always forgive.

Thank You, Chris.

You have hit the nail on the head my brother , we cannot forget , this is the power of forgiveness , this is its strength , the fact that we can remember exactly how we got all these wounds and scars and yet , we have forgiven . My dad was vile to my mom and I , after we escaped from him when I was seven , my mom seriously neglected me and psychologically tortured me . I was in my late twenties before I finally realised that none of this was my fault . I now know that both my mom and dad had very serious mental health problems , this has helped me to forgive them both . That doesn't mean that I trust my mom , my dad is dead . I know what my mom is capable of but through Christ I am now very strong , no matter what she does or says she can't hurt me any more , she's my biological mother but Christ is really my mother , God is my Father and it's because of their love and mercy towards me that I can now help my mom , physically and emotionally , at the end of her life , now she's just a vulnerable old lady who needs my help . Truly God and Jesus have strengthened me to enable to put the past behind me and be the best daughter I can be to her . It sounds easy to say this but you must stop thinking about past sufferings , come to terms with the emotions that these memories cause you to feel , once you get a hold of your emotions , which means allow yourself to feel them , you can put the memories to bed . Talk to God and really tell him how you feel , I know He already knows but it's very liberating to pour your heart out to Him , be honest , with yourself and with Him , only by acknowledging your true emotions can you hope to put the past behind you and focus on your future . Talk to God , He knows how you feel and what you've been through , He's waiting for you to talk to Him , He's waiting to heal you . You have nothing to fear from Him or any human , with His help you can let all this pain and anger go . Trust Him , talk to Him . Much love in Christ .

Thank You, Suze.

Addendum: It is true that according to Revelation; cowards will take their place in the lake of fire. We are also promised that when at trial the Holy Spirit will give us the words to speak ( Luke 12:12). We are as was said to the Corinthians the "Temple of the Spirit" ( 1 Cor. 6:19) if saved; and also He who has begun a good work in us will complete it ( Philippians 1:6).

May the Lord give you solace today. Agape. Rich P

Thank You, Richard.

It seems too obvious; I suppose to ask on a forum like this if you have faith in Christ and His atoning death and have confessed it to God and to men. This is the only way to truly receive and understand "agape" or unconditional love at the deepest level. I suppose the best example of an idolatrous culture is the Corinthians. There were clear moral lapses; to put it mildly there at all levels from illicit relationships; greed; pride and other vices. Paul was able to get them straightened out fairly quickly through rebuke from such a Godly concern as a parent.

I narrowly escaped being molested by a high school friend of mine. That was 40 years ago; and I found out recently that he passed away of bone cancer a number of years ago. I was also mentally abused as a child; and physically assaulted a couple of times; as well as had a lot of money and possessions stolen. Also went through a divorce with someone who claimed to be a Christian and married her lover. I was able at least to tell my dad that I loved him; and now am taking care of my parents in their advanced years while living at home.

I mention all this to say that I found through Christian counselling; prayer was perhaps the best antidote. Also; after a lot of angst during my marriage; I was given a study in the Book of James on how to be self controlled through proper spiritual disciplines; and although my life is far from perfect; the anger which would have me punch fists into walls hasn't caused me to flip out in say 10 years since I have been living on my own. The Lord has been faithful in providing me with solid fellowship; both in the past and now.

In terms of thoughts we have to realize that if we are saved; the enemy often infiltrates our minds; and we need to be able to shut him down; realizing that they often don't originate with us. He has promised to be our "front guard and rear guard" ( Isaiah 52:12; also see Psalm 91. Perfect love casts out fear ( 1 John 4:18).