Posted on 08/05/2013 10:31:02 AM PDT by Gamecock
Question:
Does the OPC use the crucifix in the church? If not, are they opposed to it?
Answer:
Thank you for your question. The answer is, so far as I know, the crucifix is not used in OPC churches, and here is why:
1.The Second Commandment (Ex. 20:4-6 and Deut. 5:8-10) forbids any picture or image of God, and that would include the Son of God, even as man. At any rate we do not know what Jesus looked like as there is no physical description of him.
2.The crucifix will always end up being an object of worship—regarded as holy. History teaches as much. The bronze serpent Moses made became an object of worship and was not destroyed till King Hezekiah did it (Numbers 21:9; 2 Kings 18:1-5). Roman Catholics have worshipped it, kissed it and held it to have mystical powers.
3.Christ did not remain on the Cross. In the Roman Church Christ is said to be resacrificed each time the Mass is celebrated. This is heresy; he died once for all—Hebrews 9:25-28.
We in the OPC have learned not to trust our idolatry prone hearts not to do the same as others have in the past. Hence, no crucifixes are used. So, yes, we are opposed to it.
>> “on their own petard” <<
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Ouch!
Something is wrong here. Tiberius took up the throne when his father Augustus died on August 19, 14 AD. Luke's writings were set forth in order, and Jesus was baptised in the fifteenth year of Tiberius' reign. That would be after August 19, 29 AD to August 16, 30 AD.
Where did your numbers come from?
Luke is important here, is he not?
Its OK, we knoe that you’re really celebrate. :o)
Okay...I need that recipe!
Christ’s Bema seat Judgment of the constituents of His Bride is some Thousand years plus a few earlier than the GET Judgment. The people judged at the GWT will be judged openly and fairly. The book of life will be opened so the one being judged can see if his/her name is in the book of life. None of the souls who make up the Bride of Christ will be judged here.
>> “But, did Christ die for us to live according to the OT?” <<
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By his own words, and actions, that is exactly why he came; to restore that which the Pharisees had corrupted back to it’s original Yehova given commands.
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He kept the sabbath perfectly; he observed every feast as written in Torah, and promised not to change so much as a jot or tittle.
He rejected each and every one of the Pharisee’s added Tokanot, and Ma’assim, and those are what Paul declared were hung on the cross.
John 17:21 is VERY important. AFTER Jesus sweated blood, AFTER He prayed for the cup to pass, He prayed that we should all be one, as He is one with the Father, so that the world would know Who sent Him.
The FR religion forum is not very encouraging as to our obedience.
You’re simply going by numbers that disregard the error in the Julian calendar. That error has now been addressed by numerous writers and researchers.
The great thing about Luke’s gospel is his effort to keep his notations in chronological order. I think that he consulted with many to do that. The things related there appear to have been given him by Peter.
The numbers that I have used here are from Rood’s as yet unrelased “Chronological Gospels” of which I have an advance copy (received it about a month ago).
It is the result of about 30 years of painstaking research by him, and others, including Karaite Jewish scholar Nehemia Gordon of Hebrew University.
It has been sent to be printed, and will be released at Shavuot this year.
Matthew 22: 29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ...
Matthew 23: 23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. ...
...
...Romans 10: 1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ...
>> “He prayed that we should all be one, as He is one with the Father” <<
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Yes, but not one in error!
For Christians to be one with catholics an Mormons would require a bond between Light and Darkness.
WE will all be one on the Sea of Fire and Glass at the first resurrection.
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“Matthew 23: 23
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything he (moses) tells you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” (emphasis added)
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I'm sure that you find this to make more sense!
I am not the one who can assure your salvation, and I don't pretend to. My statements reflect that. Only you and God know, and if you, as a graduate of Elim, I presume that you may believe as those whose theology is derived of that of Jakob Arminius. If so, and if Arminianism is true, your salvation is not secure. Therefore I must speak to you with that in mind. You easily jump to conclusions, and are now accusing me of being your judge. I am not, but if your treatment of Scripture shows flaws that undermine your soteriology, I must treat you as though you are not saved, no matter what you say, in the hope that you may indeed be moved to an assurance of irreversible spiritual birth.
You may find this offensive and provoking a retort, but that wouldn't improve your position, one way or the other.
"Pride goeth before a fall", ya' know! Wine can only make you stumble...
Sir, if I were you, I'd be very careful in talking about pride in someone else. Don't confuse it with a firm assurance.
No, I find your post laughable, since you speak with such authority about things in which you clearly are incorrect. Then, you ascribe notions about others and claim the high ground. That is defined as hypocrisy and is just a little above comedy. Your lofty rhetoric displays a supreme arrogance.
Have a nice life. You will be judged as you wish. I have already been judged!
Romans 14: 14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ...
I'm going by the numbers used by the historians giving the dates of Tiberius' reign. I am not making a mistake. one can change the frame about, but one cannot change the internal timing relationships. And however the Jewish calendar relates to some other way of plotting long scales, when the Bible says 14 Nisan, it is 14 Nisan, and the time to 25 Kislev is still the same rom year to year, though the time from 25 Kislev to 14 Nisan might not, IIRC.
You may mean celibate, and I am pretty sure my wife would be surprised to hear that.
I would like a copy too, and can it be done on a smoker?
Will it be available through Amazon and what is the approx price on it?
All of the early dates seem to have the error.
>> “though the time from 25 Kislev to 14 Nisan might not, IIRC.” <<
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That is a climatic/agricultural issue. If the barley is not ready, they insert the extra month. They must have Aviv barley for “First Fruits.”
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