Originally posted by RBHILLWere you saying that a man with a speech impediment showed DoctorScribbles to the Lord?
Dyslexcia, I heard on the radio last night that a man with a speach problem lead 4 Dr.s to the Lord. And the man giving the Broad cast said that God made the weak things of the World to shame the Strong. So you see God showed his Truth though a weak person, just like he should his word though Moses.
Originally posted by kirksey957no God is the one who does it. All I can do is preach and Pray for the people who hear the word. And then it is God Holy Spirit that tugges at the hearts of people. When I had gone to a Billy Graham Crusaide I had felt that tugging but rejected it. But 5 and a half months late I accepted Christ. God never gave up on me.😀
Were you saying that a man with a speech impediment showed DoctorScribbles to the Lord?
Originally posted by RBHILLAlthough I have the utmost respect for Jesus' teaching, I am not a Christian. It has been my experience that I can work on becoming a kind, compassionate person who is effectively changing in very positive ways through other means.
Yes you can stop your wrong doing, but the Question is will you have Jesus help you?
Don't you think that God would allow for persons to find Him in differing ways, according to individuals' circumstances and aptitudes?
Originally posted by eagles54No, because not all roads lead to God, Jesus is the only way. Sin seperates us from a Holy God, that we do not know, the only way to know the True Living God is though Jesus.
Although I have the utmost respect for Jesus' teaching, I am not a Christian. It has been my experience that I can work on becoming a kind, compassionate person who is effectively changing in very positive ways through other means.
Don ...[text shortened]... ways, according to individuals' circumstances and aptitudes?
Originally posted by eagles54You mean it is to easy to be the TRUTH.
The only way for you, perhaps.
I do not mean to belittle your faith RB, but it's too exclusive for my taste.
Edit:Ephesians 2:8-10
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So you see God gave us Christ as a gift, a gift is something you recieve and accept. And Boasting is like bragging oh I have done this and that so I deserve Heaven. And I know Jews say Jesus was a good teacher and all, so then way don't they put the Gospels at the end of their O.T.
Originally posted by RBHILLThe problem with such hopscotch through the texts of the Bible is that it produces the error of ignoring most of the rest of the text, and when you engage in atomistic piling on of verses without due consideration of the context, you can prove anything. Revelation 3:20 is a good case in point. First it comes from one of the richest texts in the canon of "Scriptures" in terms of figurative language. Second, within that context--almost a constant feature of prophecy--the "verse" in question is part of a message to a specific church, the church in Laodicea, but not directly to church itself, rather, the message is addressed to the angel of that church. Am I to understand these words as if they are spoken to me, an unbeliever? On what grounds? Why are words spoken to believers (or the angel of a gathering of believers) used to importune unbelievers?
it has other verses that show a relationship, like abiding in Him, or Rev. 3:20 where Jesus stands at the door and knocks, will you let Him come in.
I suspect the truest answer to my last question is simple. These words are used this way because they offer a convenient proof text to people who prefer pushing their favored doctrines over careful study aimed at learning what the actual doctrines of their sacred text might be.
P.S.
Originally posted by RBHILL, quoting Wulebgr with the exception of the text within the parentheses
4.Do you believe that God's grace is irresitable (did you mean irreversible?); that if he has called you to election, you can run, as Jonah did, but you cannot hide?
No. I meant irresistible, which I somehow managed to misspell. The notion that it might be irreversible is part of some of the other questions. The comparison to Jonah should have made this clear. According to the myth of Jonah, God called him for specific work. Jonah did not want to obey. He ran in the opposite direction, but through the work of a giant fish (perhaps a whale) ended up on the beach where God wanted him. There are Christians who believe the call of grace to the elect--those God chose prior to the foundation of the world for eternal salvation--is irresistible. If God has chosen you, you will follow him. Those who disagree that grace in irresistible, these folks allege, in fact believe that good works will save you, despite claims to the contrary. For if you can resist God's grace, then your choice to accept it is your doing, not God's.
I'm not taking sides in this dispute, but I'm interested in knowing a litte bit about where folks stand, at least those folks who claim to follow "the truth of the Bible."
Originally posted by eagles54That all you have to do is accept Christ as your savoir and that is it. No works can save you. So I was saying because you think just accepting Christ would be to easy to get to eaven.
Can you explain to me precisely what you mean here?
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
He God had hrist die for us, which he did not have to do but because od loves us and wants to spend eternity with us Christ Died for us.
Originally posted by RBHILLAccepting Christ, according to the Bible, is an enormous
That all you have to do is accept Christ as your savoir and that is it. No works can save you. So I was saying because you think just accepting Christ would be to easy to get to eaven.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
He God had hrist die for us, which he did not have to do but because od loves us and wants to spend eternity with us Christ Died for us.
responsibility. It means that you commit yourself to a life
of service to those in need without expecting to be repaid.
It means turning the other cheek when struck, it means
treating everyone you meet with the sort of respect
and dignity that you would Christ.
Nothing easy about that. It's damn hard to be a Christian
and, in my experience, 90% of the people who claim to be
Christians only do the first part: they only say, 'I love Jesus,'
but never show Him that love by treating everyone as He
would treat them.
One of my favorite parables is from St Matthew 21:28-32.
"What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first
and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vinyard today.' He said in
reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The
man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in
reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which of these two did his father's
will?" They answered, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, "Amen,
I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom
of God before you. When John came to you in the way of
righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and
prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not change
your minds and believe him.
It's not enough to say, 'I will work in the vinyard.' You've got to go
do it. Not enough Christians roll up their sleeves and do the work
that they are obligated to do according to their faith, according to the
words that they call Holy Scripture.
Nemesio
Originally posted by nemesio
Accepting Christ, according to the Bible, is an enormous
responsibility. It means that you commit yourself to a life
of service to those in need without expecting to be repaid.
It means turning the other cheek when struck, it means
treating [b]everyone you meet with the sort of respect
and dignity that you would Christ.
[/b]
1. You don't actually accept all parts of the Bible. So how can you preach to a Christian on ... how to be Christian, when the Christian faith is based on the Bible.
2. Can you substantiate this statement "it means
treating everyone you meet with the sort of respect
and dignity that you would Christ.
" with quotes from the scriptures ?
pc
Originally posted by pcaspian"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me."
2. Can you substantiate this statement "it means
treating [b]everyone you meet with the sort of respect
and dignity that you would Christ.
" with quotes from the scriptures ?[/b]
Gospel of Matthew
Originally posted by pcaspian
So how can you preach to a Christian on ... how to be Christian, when the Christian faith is based on the Bible.
Given that RBHILL claims to be a literalist (although he demonstrably
gives priority to some Scripture over others), I can conclude that,
through reading the Bible, he ought to hold the commands issued therein
as obligations. You aren't a policeman, but you can tell someone
that running a red light is wrong, you just can't enforce it. Since I am
not God, I can't enforce the punishment for not following one of Jesus'
charges.
2. Can you substantiate this statement "it means
treating [b]everyone you meet with the sort of respect
and dignity that you would Christ.
" with quotes from the scriptures ?[/b]
I hope that you will respond in my other thread in which you talk about
the idea of something's being objectively offensive.
Since I know that you will argue that 'one another' in St John 13:31-35
means 'only Christians,' I will take a different tack.
Logically, you can break down 'everyone' into two categories: 'Friends' and
'Enemies.' How should Christians treat their friends? How should Christians
treat their enemies? The same: both with love. See St Matthew 5:43-48.
I take the last line ('So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect'😉
to mean to 'strive for perfection' (since the command to be perfect is not
possible to follow). That is, treat your enemies in the perfect loving manner
in which the Father treats them.
How do Christians know who their neighbors are? The person who treats
them with love. See St Luke 10:29-37. Implicitly, your enemies become
your neighbors as you treat them with love, as above. One can easily
take this to mean that all people are your neighbors, and, as such, one
should treat them all with love.
Nemesio
Originally posted by WulebgrI am going to assume that he will take 'brothers' to mean 'brothers
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me."
Gospel of Matthew
in Christ' even though earlier in that passage it says 'all the nations.'
Nemesio