Posted on 07/22/2007 7:40:38 PM PDT by xzins
In this case I might just recommend it.
Do you believe in everything that Strong’s Concordance says?
Do you think Strong’s God inspired?
ROFLOL!
Er, you speak of "dark matter" and "dark enegry" as some "facts." They are hypothetical constructs, necessary plug-ins in the formula to balance out the equation. They have yet to be discovered. They "exist" only in the minds of those who are desperately trying to save the failed relativity theory.
We've been through this before. Nerds like Hawkings has already admitted to having been wrong, after 20 years or so of egotistical claims to the contrary. Astrophyiscs is an expensive toyland for immature adults who can't hold a regular job. It does absolutely nothing for the good of the world.
Do you throw out the word “Agape” from your Bible because it does not originate from Hebrew and Strong’s?
God's revelation was gradual and became full with Christ. Gospels define Christianity. The rest of the scripture must be interpreted through the Gospels and must be in full agreement with the Gospels.
In the Apostolic Church all scripture is equally true, even if being only a foreshadowing of Christ, and all scriptures are not ranked the same. In the Orthodox Church, the Divine Liturgy involves readings from the Epistles (a separate book that can be found at the cantor's stand); it is read by a lay person. The Gospels are read after that. The Gospels are at the altar, as a separate book. The Gospels can be read only by a priest/bishop. The homily that follows is based on the Gospel readings, never on the Epistle.
The Divine Liturgy also has a couple of Psalms (102, 145, Septuagint) incorporated into the text. Psalmology is heavily represented in the worship services during the Great Lent and the entire Old Testament is read in that period leading to Paschal Sunday (aka "Easter" Sunday). Also the evening services (vespers) include Old Testament readings.
Thus, the Church clearly considers all of the Bible to be inspired (since that which is read publicly in the Church is considered inspired and holy), but it is also clear that the Church does not place equal weight on all parts of the Bible and that the Gospels stand out as the crown jewel of the Holy Scripture, and have for at least 1,700 years.
It is my understanding that the 1st century Church considered only Tanakh (aka Old Testament) as scripture.
What is your opinion on the serpent seed doctrine the belief that Eve had sex with satan and produced Cain?
Orthodox certainly reject this heretical belief!
I haven't read it all....have you?
Do you think Strongs is God inspired?
Of course not. Do you believe your Magesterium is God inspired? Of course you do.
Therein lies our difference. [Mark 7:13]
Show the writings of Christian History that agree with you ?
.....Or is the God you believe in so weak that there is no historical data to back up your wild claims such as the serpent seed doctrine?
Since the consequences to the rest of scripture are indeed dire here, where does this rule come from? A Gospel-only approach nullifies much of the full revelation by God we are given in scriptures.
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Genesis 4:1 KJV)
Lets read it slowly together:
And Adam knew Eve his wife.
Ok lets pause here, ok? Now think about this before you answer.... who is the one who "knew" Eve? Was it the serpent? Was Adam the serpent? Well, in my book it says it was Adam and NOT the serpent and NOT Satan.
Ok, lets continue, shall we?
and she conceived, and bare Cain
So what happened after ADAM knew Eve? Think about it before you answer. Ready? "and she conceived, and bare Cain". Wow, just a natural birth following the usual and customary marital relations between a husband and a wife. No mystery there.
Now what does Eve do after Cain is born? Does she confess to her illicit relationship with Satan? No, she says that she received a son from WHOM? Again think about it before you answer. Who gave Eve a son? Look in your KJV. There it is. Cain was a gift from THE LORD!
So are you ready to admit that the Bible says your silly doctrine about Cain being the offspring of Satan is a false teaching? Or are you going to continue to be "carried about with divers and strange doctrines."
Ping this is the strangest doctrine I have ever seen on Free Republic. Without a doubt. There is a good reason why mainstream churches don't teach it. BECAUSE IT IS HERETICAL!
There is also a good reason why White Supremists believe it. Because it feeds on their idiotic ideas of inferior races.
So study Genesis 4:1. It's not that complicated. It refutes everything you believe about the Kenites.
Thank you for your encouragements!
No, but the interpretation must be in an agreement with the spirit of the Gospels.
It's not cherry-picking, it's a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. Being "invited" refers to the outward call of God to all men. Being "chosen" refers to the inward call of the elect
Yes, it's a parable but the true message behind it is that they were not chosen because of the way they presented themselves, not because God's didn't want them. God accepts all those those present themselves accordingly. If we get rejected it is our doing not God's.
They did condemn themselves. They were of the "Lord, Lord" crowd. They believed themselves deserving, but were not
Thank you! I am glad we actually agree on more than Holy Trinity! But, then you will turn around and tell me that God made them disrespectful and the whole agreement is out the window! :)
Foreknowledge and predestination are inseparable
They are but they are not the same. His foreknowledge does not make or force our choices. He incorporated our choices in his plan.
The Fall was predestined which caused all followers to be born into original sin
How can something that is predestined be a "sin?" Genetics predestine you to have certain color of hair, skin, height, etc. None of which is your doing or within your control, and you are not accountable for any of them. Sin, by definition, is separation from God. If that is not our will but God's, then it is not a sin. Again, He foreknows our choices and He incorporated them into His plan. He is not the cause of our sin.
God did nothing but leave Pharaoh alone, as He does when the sins of others are also a part of His plan
Precisely. So we can't say that God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart. He simply knew how Pharaoh's heart will be. God used the choices He foreknew Pharaoh would make and incorporated them in His plan.
I don't know what you mean by "credit" here. God created the reprobate, knowing they would be so...What exactly is the evil that God did or is responsible for here?
The evil would be to make them with the desire and intention that they become wicked and end up in hell. The intention counts, FK. God actually gives everyone a chance to repent before they die. That means that He can [cf Isa 38:5] change our fate based on that conditionrepentancewhich is clearly His choice.
By your reading, it appears that either man controls his own destiny, OR God is the author of evil
Man most definitely controls his destiny. We condemn ourselves with our own choices and have no one to blame but ourselves. In order to be saved we must come to God. In either case it is incumbent on us to do something that will affect our destiny. Man cannot save himself, but he can jump on the right train and God will save Him.
As Marlowe recently said: "God is in control, and man is responsible". I see no problem with this statement and agree with it completely. Yet, some believe it is a contradiction
Only a lawyer could say something like that. :)
If God is in control, then all evil is accountable to Him
No, because God is not a cause of evil. There is no room for evil in God. Evil is what God is not. God cannot be the source of sin because sin is separated from God. And causing someone to reject God and commit sin would be evil. God is in control because he knows everything and His plan incorporates all our choices. He cannot be surprised, so He is in control but not in control of our choices or else they are not our choices, but His. The only way we can be responsible while He is in control is if our choices are free and independent of God's will (by His permission, of course).
Well, if the concept of preexistence of the soul is pitted as being contrary to creationism, then obviously I believe in creationism. However, that does not obfuscate verses like: Jer 1:5 : "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
And st. Paul says something similar...all this means is that God (fore)knew them before they were born. That doesn't mean Jeremiah's soul existed and was waiting for his body to be formed.
The Eastern Orthodox in fact hold to the view that God created only Adam's soul and that his soul (now affected by the Fall) is passed on from generation to generation by the parents (even of course received Adam's soul through his living flesh and bone). This way we inherit the consequences of Adam's Fall (mortality), as Adam's soul was mortally wounded and destined to die. In other words, we are born spiritually ill. Put another way, our will is defective (the archaic meaning of which iswounded!).
The predominant Roman Catholic and I believe mainline Protestant belief is that God creates a soul at the moment of conception. This means that Creation is not complete! This also raises the question at which point does our soul then become defective due to the effects of the ancestral sin. Neither this nor the Gnostic teaching of the pre-existence of the souls provides adequate answer. One thing is certain: God does not create a defective soul!
The problem with the Gnostic (particularly Origen's) teachings of the pre-existing souls is that this was tied to the Gnostic belief that rebellious angels were thrown to earth and imprisoned in a body as punishment! The pre-existence of the souls also leads to another heretical idea, namely that of re-incarnation which the Church anathematized along with Origen.
The idea of us being His instruments is found here, for example: Acts 9:15
That, of course, is anecdotal. We know that Acts and Galatians are not always in perfect harmony.
2 Tim 2:21 : If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master
This is essentially different from the claims made in Acts. Here the individual is cleansing himself which means that it is he, the individual, who makes himself an instrument available to God, not that God made him one.
But what is good? I think we both know that what God thinks is "good" is different than what we would normally think is good
Read the Gospels. :)
Thank you oh so very much for all of your encouragements!
That doesn't mean he "pre-made" him. He foreknew of him, what he will be like; but Jeremiah soul did not pre-exist his body.
I also am Christian. Part of our bible, it's very foundation is Jewish. You cannot divorce yourself from everything that Bible teaches nor do you have to imitate them
I don't think so. Jews believe that one makes himself acceptable to God by works, not by faith. Christians believe we can never make ourselves worthy of salvation.
We are brothers and sisters with the same God
By that logic, the Muslims believe in the same God. Jewish God is not a Christian God. Allah is not a Christian God. It takes little imagination to see that Christian God is different than either the YHWH or Allah in how Christians, Jews and Muslims experience their God.
Their eyes will be opened to Christ being the Messiah
We certainly pray and hope the whole world comes to Christ, not just the Jews. Personally, I doubt they will ever consider it. To them Christianity i sa bogus cult; after Jamnia (90 AD) they cursed Jesus of Nazareth, and commanded others to do the same. I am not sure if they still do.
So, he has fallen from grace but he is, or was, allowed to be in the garden, to tempt Jesus on earth and also to be in heaven talking to God (Job)
So, Satan was back in heaven after his fall from grace? LOL!
Actually, they are only necessary to save the foolish "unbounded" universe. There never was a reason (other than ruling out God's word) to assume an unbounded condition. If you revert to Humphreys' bounded, spheroid universe, the need for such constructs disappears completely. As a bonus, Humphreys' universe fits the declarations and known facts of God's word like a glove. It solves the ridiculous old earth and old universe nicely through the then useful General Relativity, since the gravitational dilation of time explains the appearance of age through the expansion of space. His equations have been attacked 'adhominem' style, but never refuted. (although the God-haters claim that adhominem attack is sufficient to refute anything that agrees with God's word)
Actually, SBC believes that Baptism has nothing whatsoever to do with salvation! :) God commands baptism and so it is very important. We see it as a public obedience to Him. From the BFM:
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's Supper.
Perhaps surprisingly, THAT'S the entire section on baptism. There's nothing about salvation. Now, concerning grievous sin, as the quote says, we believe that God promises us that those who are truly His will persevere to the end under His guarantee. One real possibility is that if someone is so obstinate in his sinning, but he is nevertheless a true believer, God will simply "take him home" if you get the drift. :) Presumably this would take care of the serial killer problem.
What does impaired grace and comfort mean?
It just means that when we step out of line here on earth, that God will discipline us back into line. God sustains us in all things, so for example, if I start stealing from the boss, then God might "artificially" make things happen for me to be found out, when I would have normally gotten away with it. I'll lose the grace and comfort of my job. "Grace" is not used in the salvational sense here.
I disagree with you about the Jews. Don’t you give God any credit for being able to work in the hearts of the Jewish people? Good heavens, Kosta. He’s working in the hearts of the Muslims and Jews as we speak. People who are in the know, i.e., missionaries and pastors in foreign lands, are experiencing that even now. God cannot be put in a little box of our making. HE is the one who will change their hearts and many WILL and ARE coming to Christ. You don’t hear about it because for many it would mean death (for the Muslims), but God is at work.
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