Posted on 10/07/2009 3:25:53 PM PDT by The Ignorant Fisherman
Greetings in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ! This brief letter is written to those of you who have been left behind. May I calm your great anxiety and fears with this great message of hope! God loves you and cares greatly for you. He has a great plan, purpose and future for you and your life. He wants only and always the highest and best things for you. So please give your ear and full attention to the words that follow. The days ahead will be days that will not be easy - in fact they will be quite horrendous. But be of good cheer and of good courage. Have Faith in Almighty God and His Word.
Jesus said, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but hath everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
God so loved us that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and mine! God has thus provided a way to restore fellowship with sinners (all humans), and to remove His righteous wrath that was upon us because of our sins and trespasses
(Excerpt) Read more at theignorantfishermen.com ...
BTW,
OK. Are you suggesting an apostle simply write an epistle to the errant church or individual?
If by "elite few" you are referring to the divinely and lawfully called and ordained elders of the Church, the answer is "yes".
No Jesus beat you to it he is the word!
The keys of the kingdom represents the power Christ has given to the legitimate leaders of His Church to discipline (binding) and disciple (loosing), all according to the Word of God.
I have asked you to clarify what you mean by "keys of the Kingdom", is it the heavenly kingdom, or an earthly kingdom and you don't reply. From what little detail you have offered I am guessing that you want a body of men to make all determinations on what is correct interpretation of Scripture. You also seem to be implying this body men have the power to determine who should get to go to the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 16:19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Is this the Reformed view of things, that Rome really isn't wrong but you can do it better?
ping to #286
Actually, I have not responded to that post. But I’ll get there.
Are you saying the kingdom of heaven, or a kingdom here on earth?
The term kingdom of heaven (aka kingdom of God) represents the spiritual reign of Jesus Christ over all creation. In particular, it is manifested by the indwelling Holy Spirit in the people of God. It is confined neither to heaven nor to earth.
The passage you quote says nothing of what you've been claiming. The passage refers to some being given the gifts that are crucial to preaching THE GOSPEL, not a group that decides who gets into the kingdom.
In a sense, yes, since the kingdom has an external manifestation as the visible Church of Jesus Christ. In that regard, I believe I explained the definition of binding and loosing had to do with discipleship and disciple. Discipleship has to do with teaching the nations the ways of God that they might be brought near to Him (Matt. 28:19,20), and discipline has to do with excluding from the people of God those who may profess Christ yet live immoral and ungodly lives without repentance or espouse obvious heresy. The keys represent an external, visible authority given to the ordained leaders (elders) of the church (Matt. 16:18,19; cf. Matt. 23:13).
Further, in 286 you asked:
I have asked you to clarify what you mean by "keys of the Kingdom", is it the heavenly kingdom, or an earthly kingdom and you don't reply.
I was working on this response. As I said, the kingdom is not limited to either heaven or earth. It is spiritual and universal.
From what little detail you have offered I am guessing that you want a body of men to make all determinations on what is correct interpretation of Scripture.
That is the responsibility of the ordained elders of the Church. You don’t want some unaccountable, half-cocked yahoo making those determinations.
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. … 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. (Acts 20)It is the elders’ duty to guard the flock against all sort of error, error of practice and errors of doctrine, from without and from within.
You also seem to be implying this body men have the power to determine who should get to go to the kingdom of heaven.
It is the elders’ duty to bind and loose in the visible Church, the visible manifestation of the kingdom. If a profligate comes into the assembly claiming to belong to Christ, yet his life and/or words are contrary to the commandments of Christ, he is not to be admitted. He obviously does not exhibit the saving faith of Christ’s own people.
Is this the Reformed view of things, that Rome really isn't wrong but you can do it better?
You are most likely mistaken in attempting to identify the Reformed teaching on the kingdom and Church with that of Rome.
That post of yours is clearly
More REPLACMENTARIAN et al
Garbage in/ Garbage out, I see.
Thankfully, thoughtful, perceptive people are used to the REPLACEMENTARIAN et al cutesy garbage can and other cartoons when hey have absolutely nothing to offer to even begin to cope with the PLAIN STRAIGHTFORWARD WORD OF GOD--e.g. about how
I see that SOLID SCRIPTURE
now increasingly has a very predictable
“response”
from the REPLACEMENTARIANS et al.
Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:17-18 speak to church discipline. The duties of discipline is placed on those ordained as officers of the church. Among those duties are the responsibility for restoring the elect, and for declaring the reprobate outside the church, retaining the full eternal penalty for their sin.
Amen. This is how I understand Scripture.
It's no coincidence dispensationalism branched out from this laissez-faire attitude of church order because both deny the God-ordained power of Christ's visible church on earth to positively affect society and to furher usher in the Kingdom of God on earth since the appearance of Christ.
Both concede defeat without engagement. Cui bono?
God ordained for Godly men to assume duties within His church to guide His flock and insure sound doctrine, according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. That's not of the papacy; that's Scriptural as the verses from Acts 20 attest.
Nonsense.
Dispensationalism has been with us from the first century of The Church.
And God’s everlasting unchangeable
PROMISES
to the children of Jacob
. . . a lot longer than that.
"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." -- Romans 9:6-8
All believing Jews and Gentiles - "all one in Christ Jesus."
Otherwise you have Christ not appearing to all people so none is without excuse; but just to some people and others who don't have to "love His appearing."
I don't see that in Scripture. I do see that, however, as weakening the antithesis Christ proclaims.
Dispensationalism has been with us from the first century of The Church.
a sophomoric response, it send it to the ...
And pigs fly and alien abductions are evidence of demonic activity.
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