And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. ( Exodus 33:11).
Having wiped out my most recent attempt at this post TWICE now (aargh) I'll give it one final "hail Mary" as it were.
I suppose once I've committed the entire Bible to memory I'll stop pushing the wrong button to find verses online that knocks me out.
Anyway; I started posting today as I saw a couple individuals concerned about their salvation and it seemed to be a topic needing to be addressed. Earlier I stated that POST salvation that there is indeed a "two way" communication between a believer and the Lord; as it were in prayer. Proverbs 4:18 says But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Thus; if we know the Lord we learn to recognize our own flaws with mental processes and emotional issues as well as physical desires that all can lead us to sin. I consider doctrines of election as important for many reasons not the least being that God never changes and His covenants relate to that.
Hebrews 8:10 declares "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"
As a vessel fit for His purposes we are not our own as 1 Corinthians 6:20 states we were "bought with a price." Of course all souls are mine as Esekiel 18:4 states. There are two polar opposites we want to avoid; first fear and cowardice which is warned about in Revelation 22 as something that brings people to hell; but also being presumptuous in for instance; claiming that we no longer sin as believers.
God gives us courage; as He did for Peter after Christ's Ascencion. Dying to self brings true joy! It comes from God not our own hand!
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. ( Revelation 21:8)
These verses at the end of the Bible and representing the end of the wicked is the end result of those who won't heed to warnings such as 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; see also Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:5 and many other scriptures on the subject. We do well to heed to what was said in the last verse of 1 Corinthians 6 of this reference (v. 11) where it states that some were this but they have been sanctified and justified.
There are several issues here that I feel need to be addressed. First is the difference between a sinful lapse; a sinful habit and a sinful lifestyle. All three of these behaviors could be attributed to nonbelievers; albeit in today's society there would be few that would care about a slip up except perhaps some atheists who hold to what they consider a moral standard superior to much of society. Clearly as a Christian we shouldn't play games with God with any type of sin. The third category; however is something that must be abandoned; otherwise there is no fruit of our salvation. Also we undestand that breaking the law in one area makes us guilty of breaking it all ( James 2:10). Often one sin leads to another; whether it is abuse or abandonment of a family due to the greed of a gambling addiction (something which is being advertised currently in local media); or murder stemming from the bad fruit of adultery or fornication that usually is also tied to greed or jealousy; etc.
The word "fearful" in Revelation 21:8 is in many translations "cowardly". It results when men fear man over God which we are to have a healthy fear of and ignores ( Proverbs 29:25). Wanting the praise of men is at least equally if not worse because it compromises our bold witness against sin ( John 12:43).
Wondering what others believe about this verse about everything God created being "good"- Some use this to say it's morally ok for them to do drugs like weed, cocaine, mushrooms, meth?
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:" 1 Timothy 4:4 KJV. Also Genesis 1:31, Romans 14:14, Acts 11:7-9
At what point do we believe something is no longer God's creation, but a man-made creation, like a drug made in a lab? And how do we balance that with harming the body? "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
I have focused in today's postings on those who are nonbelievers; whether in an openly hostile lifestyle to God's Word; or a person who in their own efforts tries to be good and has the outward appearance of a morally responsible individual.
Exodus 12:48 states: A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it.
(in short no pain no gain)
Leviticus 17:8-9 shows the rules of sacrificing before God were the same for a foreigner as well as an Israelite.
These verses are brought out to demonstrate that in the house of God there is no pandering for special interests. In the age of Grace we must accept His sacrificial atonement for our sins; and live accordingly. Just as we can't let the enemy in the camp as a principle in the Old Testament; this verse in Corinthians along with others show that we CANNOT fellowship with those who are sexually immoral; which includes homosexuality; fornication and adultery (and the theme is repeated in 1 Corinthians 6:9). Similar warnings are found in 2 Timothy; Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians and other places. We also need to address the rest of the verse about greedy people or swindlers; and that in many cases involves the Pastor himself. Someone partaking in New Age would be an idolater; and a slanderer could be someone caught up in gossip and believing everything he hears or deliberately lying. Finally; a drunkard which may be the one sin people tend to agree on also needs to repent; but such a person when reformed tends to display the most radical changes of all. We all need to carefully examine our friend
Today people are often identified by their political affiliation or the community that they identify as "politically correct". In reality this often makes a particular sin the sum of their identity (such as those in the pro choice or same sex attraction crowd.) We don't see such titles given for individuals committing such activities in scripture; where infanticide was performed by those who would identify as idol worshippers (Molech worshippers for example); or sodomites would often be classified by their social status as to who was the perpetrator and who was the victim of such atrocities in the time of Christ. 1 Kings 14:24 talks in general about sodomites and the abominations that they were involved with; and it seems that they did live in the same area as we see with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah thousands of years before Christ.
We need to take heart; as we see in the story of Jonah that even the most wicked people can repent. Today it seems mainly with individuals who are "detransitioning" for instance that the Lord indeed can change people; and when we see legislation against preaching such truths those who used to live that lifestyle of course are most affected. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 identifies those now sanctified as believers who used to live sinful lifestyles. While it is true that there are particular sins; such as shedding of innocent blood that God particularly hates ( Proverbs 6:16-19); all sin leads to death. Clearly at this point the world doesn't celebrate someone who identifies themselves as a thief; extortioner; murderer and some other things but we should expect that it will once we get to the Tribulation or perhaps sooner when "anyone who kills you will think that they are doing God a favor." ( John 16:2).
We need also to get beyond the stereotypes the world is giving us of those in the LGBTQ+. Some are conservatives and some liberal politically for instance. More later.
I can share a little on this. Chapter 6 deals with the morality of the gospel. The first four verses are probably the ones in question.
Verses 1-3 deal with the prosecution of believers. Paul also gives an admonition.
1 Corinthians 6:4 is the instruction. He says, If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
This Greek word Exoutheneo has to do with the same word that we see in Romans 14:1 about let the older brother not despise the younger, or make light of.
This is a person that people don't take too seriously. And I think it's interesting that Paul is saying this on purpose because it's not a matter of picking out people in your midst who have all the education and experience, and to judge these matters because obviously they can't do it impartially. Take the person that God can use!
So he says to take the person that's least esteemed in the church. Of course that might not glorify you if someone comes up to you and says "that's you!"
We see the condition in Verse 7. Now therefore there is utterly a fault, and this is literally the word failure, among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take the wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
And then in Verse 8, it says no, but you do the wrong, and you defraud, and that to your brothers.
He's talking about Christians doing this to each other, not from the outside, but to each other. Christians are doing wrong in justice. They are defrauding. They're cheating their brother.
And so the brother who is wronged, he files a legal action against his brother. With all the educated and all the well to do people in the congregation, everybody has their sides you see. You can't find too many people that are impartial.
He says this above and that not believing his opinion is "extremely dangerous doctrine". Interesting.
What matters is what God says, not one man's opinion, regardless of how loud he shouts it. I'm not aware of any scripture supporting his claim, but know of some saying the opposite.
1 Corinthians 6:19 The Word says our bodies are not our own, implying that it only temporarily hosts us.
1 Corinthians 5:3 - Paul says his spirit is present with them, although his body is absent.
Verses about sleeping awaiting judgment. The body is obviously dead, but the soul obviously is in a state of waiting.
Daniel 12:2, Job 14:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
What are we: a body or a soul/spirit? If a hand gets cut off do we really lose part of our soul too, or is it just a physical appendage separate from us?
Many have out of body experiences- well documented in books and videos, where people have hovered over their bodies watching and noticing things they could not have noticed if they were actually confined to their body.
In summary, Biblical evidence and personal testimony evidence does not support that claim above.
Hi Valmar. Thanks for addressing my question & I do agree with you on the incomprehensible Work of the Spirit in giving healing, exhortation, etc. What I was looking for pertains to your subject, viz. a believer's eternal security. And also to a comment you made, "the ability to lose one's salvation rests completely with that individual".
The way I understand the Scriptures, is that if we have the ability, or power, to lose/relinquish our salvation, then it presents questions not only to the Spirit's Work in saving a lost soul, but also the power we have to over-ride what the Spirit has done in our lives. Clearly, you believe that a saved sinner can either choose to depart Christ or to remain faithful to Him. My question then is: is it in the new spiritual make-up of the one now found 'in Christ' to ever desire to leave the One Who has delivered Him from so great a penalty & given him a new life with peace, joy & hope? Here, I'm not referring to a saved soul who through negligence or appeal of the flesh or Satan, strays & toys with the world. I'm confident if that soul is saved, then the Spirit will not let him go; and Momsage shared an apt testimony of this very work of God in her & her husband.
So to my question, I believe the more relevant Work of the Holy Spirit in one's life is that: He Convicts man of his sin ( John 16:8-11); He Regenerates, or gives re-birth to the penitent sinner ( John 3:3-7, Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 2:29); He Indwells ( 1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 5:5, John 14:16); He Baptizes ( 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5); and He Seals ( 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30). I'm sure you're conversant with these Scriptures, showing that salvation & securing is all of God, without any contribution from man. To Page 2.
OK, Ronald, but having read your reply I see it deserves or even requires an important clarification not only for you, but for everyone's knowledge here, as follow:
I highlight your point and I must consider it very important to "have a heart of love towards others as brothers and sisters" as you said in your reply. But it is important to highlight also this desirable behavior only exists and happens when the Truth is spoken, GOD is the Truth; Then, when someone speaks out having a heart of love as Peter in Matthew 16:22-23(take a look), that kind of "love" manifestation actually is a stumbling block, and it creates a deadly environment, as can be seen in Genesis 3:1&5.
That said, it is essential to discern the spirit(s) as JESUS discerned in- Matthew 16:22-23- , in order not to fall into the Devil's trap.
Be careful or then get ready
On the other hand, I don't bellit people, neither I feel superior, as you suggest in your reply, and who Judges is the Word of GOD, not me, the Word is GOD, understand? By the way, the Word of GOD is quick -the Word is GOD- , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged Sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we must give an account.
By the way, my Lord JESUS left very clear, saying: "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, false witness, blasphemies, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts: These are the things which defile a man- Matthew 15:19-20
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall Judge the world?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? (angels of the Churches)
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." God's prophetic words always come true. In a Psalm of David, that God put in his heart.
1 Corinthians 6:20
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?
Psalms 22:1
(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
Psalms 22:31
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Further thoughts on Luke 15 and parable of the Prodigal son and the lost sheep of the 99.
As believers we can truly have Godly sorrow that leads to repentance ( 2 Cor. 7:10). Such is the case with a new believer; but parables such as these show how we should continue as His sheep to live with such a love for our heavenly Father.
The primary point I wish to emphasize here is how a man's heart can harden to the point where a conscience is seared; hence beyond hope (1 Timoty 4:2). This is serious business; and we see it with professing believers and the world alike. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 gives us a list of the unrepentant sins; more specifically lifestyles which will end up with the sinner in hell. When sin happens it needs to be acknowledged as such; a personal offense to God; other people we know and society at large particularly in the categories of sexual sin; or mental and physical attacks on others. The man who covers up his sins ( Proverbs 28:13 will not prosper; therefore the verse states we should confess in order to obtain mercy. Somehow as believers it seems like it is a one time thing many times to ask for mercy; to beg for forgiveness or to seriously consider how tender His mercies truly are.
Consider Lamentations 3:22-23. In the midst of the most harrowing; graphically detailed description of God's city of Jerusalem being overcome by famine; disease and war we see this statement showing that God still holds out mercy; despite most of these calamities being a result of deliberate sins warned against by the prophets for many years. The parable in Luke 15 in regard to the older brother is almost the opposite scenario; someone who has an abundance of material wealth and still complains as to his father's forgiveness of his younger brother. This goes to show that spiritual blessings are not dependant on material wealth; and when we have success financially it isn't necessarily appreciated if we have a godless spiritual existance.
1 Corinthians 6:1-3 indicates that we should judge things within the Body of Christ rather than taking each other to court (secular). That is something that I wish I had investigated sooner when it came to my own divorce; namely Biblical separation and counseling which I only availed myself of after the divorce itself. Not too many talk of this aspect; but we make a vow to God with witnesses and a Pastor; shouldn't the church be at least involved in these decisions? That is a whole other matter; as I personally don't believe in divorce and remarriage when a spouse is still alive which my church at the time wasn't holding to as an essential doctrine.
Anyway that example shows me how disjointed we are in general with the lives and actions of those who have committed themselves to Christ (with the New Covenant scripturally); as well as with a public statement of faith for church membership.
Our actions affect ourselvs; our children but also others who we fellowship with. It seems that a lack of judgment is a bigger problem today; with very few admonishing others; or building one another up as iron sharpens iron today.
Another issue is that we see a symptom with a person's behavior but not necessarily the root causes. It reminds me of a lady today in a personal care facility who was very testy and had a few unseemly words to say in anger; but admitted that she was going through spiritual attack and responded well in prayer; and was willing to seek forgiveness. As with anything else we cannot change anyone; merely explaining the problem isn't enough; the Spirit must work in the person; or through us to convict the soul of the individual. We also run the risk of focusing on someone's eccentricities (such as an annoying personality) and can judge something as sinful when it really isn't. As others stated we need to show the love of Christ; those who are His children will sense when we are genuine in concern. Hope some of this helps outta room!!!
1 John 2:3-5: speaks of keeping Jesus' Commandments, not specifically the Ten Commandments (there is a clear difference between them). Psalm 119: the Laws, Precepts, Judgements, etc. given to Israel; not to those in Christ Jesus.
"How do I determine what is sin and what is not?" The Holy Spirit Who resides in my life instructs me in all things I need to know or be alerted to: of ALL of God's Laws, of where I slip up, of things just not quite right that can be regarded as sin ( John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:30). The Decalogue in & of itself falls far short of what God would require of me. In other words, I would rather be subservient & obedient to the Spirit than to the Letter of the Law. And when I fail Him, I am gently instructed & helped to learn & follow His Path.
"So when we say that the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments, are not for us today", I certainly don't mean the Truth contained therein, including all other Laws, whether Israel or Gentile-specific, but I refer to the purpose of the Decalogue, as a whole package of Laws for Israel that demanded obedience or punishment (including obedience to the 4th Commandment).
This type of Law has no bearing on those now IN CHRIST, who have been delivered from that Law of sin & death ( Romans 7:6; Romans 8:2). If there was no Holy Spirit to indwell the believer, then yes, we must grab onto & perform all the laws we can find in God's Word & hope for the best in the Judgement. But the believer's salvation is secure because it is all of God (His Great Plan), all of Jesus (His Great Sacrifice) and of His Spirit (His Great Ministry), Who will 'present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy'. My obedience & confidence rests only in the Person of the Godhead, enjoying the liberty of serving Him as He directs & not conforming to a set of rules that was prescribed to judgement & death.
True Christ vs. Imaginary (further examination of confessors vs. possessors)
The parable of the wheat and the tares should be alarming to everyone; and necessary instruction. ( Matt. 13:24-30). It is said that the wheat and tares are indistinguishable from one another before they are fully ripened. It appears from this parable that God has His purposes for these two groups to remain until the end of the age. Most probably; this is testing for those who ARE true believers to ensure that they won't fall for the temptations of this world as well as false or compromised doctines as well as a lifestyle of sin. Again; our society in general doesn't seem to be finding too many newcomers to churches because of it is a novel practice; or the world is being turned upside down ( Acts 17:6) which were characteristic of the church in Apostolic times.
However; the "damnable heresies" ( 2 Peter 2:1) are increasing along with 1 Timothy 4:1-2; etc. are invading former solid denominations so that a person can have a sense of respectability and pride in church attendance that tells them what they want to hear. Part of this; of course is the result of decades of permissive society and decline of morals; both within and without the church walls; I have stated before no doubt that the destruction of marriages is what I consider to be the primary initial cause especially post World War 2 of what we see today.
A primary example here is how people look at 1 John 2:1-2 on confession of sin and forgiveness. While it is true that Christ's death took care of all sin; past and future; we still have to confess sin; and if someone has the Holy Spirit in them they cannot be content with sin ( Galatians 5:17). a LIFESTYLE of sin such as continual adultery; theft; fornication; and other actions means that ultimately we don't trust God as to His warnings such as in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 as to reaping what we sow; and don't trust Him to be in the driver's seat in our lives and our souls.
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19 Don't you know that your body is the temple of Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God ? You do not belong to yourself but to God; he bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory.
You get BAPTIZE with WATER where you repent from your sins and you RECEIVE the HOLY SPIRIT and then there is BAPTISM of the HOLY SPIRIT in which you receive the gift of the Holy spirit who will LIVE IN YOU and so IT IS WRITTEN that our BODY is a TEMPLE which means we CANNOT do any IMMORAL ACT(like self-pleasure) with our OWN BODY, it will be a SIN against GOD.
I hope you understand and would like to request you to read 1 CORINTHIANS it will help you to know more about the HOLY SPIRIT, GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IMMORAL ACTS, MARRIAGE.
hi Giannis! I can see where you might think I was saying that epilepsy is a sin. I was not saying that all cases of epilepsy are sin. The main cause for epilepsy is stress on the body. Whether that stress is caused by sin in the life of the body or by something ells. Only the person struggling with it can tell where that stress is coming from. I was trying to say that according to the KJB and some research that I have done, that the words lunatic and epileptic are derivative from the same latin word lunaticus which originally referred mainly to epilepsy and madness, as diseases thought to be caused by the moon. The King James Bible records "lunatic" in the Gospel of Matthew, which has been interpreted as a reference to epilepsy. I have had epileptic symptoms while committing the sin of adultery therefore the stress of knowing that I am committing sin is causing my epilepsy. It's a shame that we have drifted so fare from God that we start putting names for sin so that we can diagnose it as a disease or mental disorder when God just called it sin. The definition for lunatic is "great or wild foolishness" And anyone that would trade Gods love for pornography, adultery, lust, or any of the things in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 or anything that cools our affection for God is a lunatic and sore vexed with sin. I might add that LUST is a sin. Romans 1:21-32James 1:14-15Mark 4:19Matthew 5:27-28 What I am trying to accomplish in this fast is Psalms 51:9-17
P.S. Yes I am married to a wonderful woman that is supporting me in this fast and is helping through this. She prays for me every day.
Thank you brother for your kind words & yes, it's good to be back after a lovely short spell away. I did miss you all & tried to keep up to date with various submissions by folk, whenever I was able to connect with my intermittent internet.
And thanks for the reminder: 'by whom we are 'persuaded'. Every Spirit-filled believer ought to be constantly in tune with & be led of the Holy Spirit, though how often our flesh raises its ugly head & 'persuades' us to disobey. But we cannot claim ignorance or apathy when that happens - we WILL know it - the Spirit will not let a millisecond pass by without an immediate sense of straying off the path of holiness & truth - it just cannot happen to the one Spirit filled. What we do with His Word alerting us or convicting us, indicates how well we are walking in the Spirit ( Galatians 5:16,24,25) & pleasing our Lord.
When a man easily drifts into sin, sensing no spiritual alert, maybe even finding some Scripture & distorting it to fit his lust, that man truly needs to stop in his tracks, come aside for a while & "examine himself" whether he truly has the faith that saves, secures, & satisfies. And for many, I think, this is hard to come to grips with: how can they determine that the life they live, the decisions they make & recognizing how & when the Spirit is working, are truly of God & not from human capabilities & expertise? Human goodness & desires can often be intermingled with the Spirit's Voice & leading, bringing about confusion. But we should know the difference - as mature believers, it should be abundantly clear to us of the difference between the Spirit speaking (& persuading) and the persuasions from the flesh. And when the flesh is crucified daily, as the apostle did, we can be assured of being led only of the Spirit & our thoughts & hopes will always be directed heavenward. Every blessing brother & thanks again for sharing on this very important topic to remind us 'that we're not our own' ( 1 Corinthians 6:20).
Hi Natasha St John! If you read in Revelation 7:4-8 It explains that the 144,000 are out of the 12 tribes of Israel. As we read on starting with verse 9 we see that the nations that make up the rest of the world, that have their garments washed white in the blood of the Lamb, are a multitude that no man could number. So the 144,000 are only those that God has sealed, out of the 12 tribes of Israel. Now we know because God's Word is truth and there is a thread in the bible. Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. In Matthew 7:21-23 says that God will say depart from me ye workers of iniquity. Also in
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 it says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. And in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So by fallowing the thread of the Bible we can clearly see that the 144,000 are only out of the 12 tribes of Israel, they are washed in the blood of the Lamb and sealed by God. The rest of the world is the multitude that no man can number and is also washed in the blood of Christ Jesus.
I hope this answers your question.
I always try to remember these verses; 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
c. As I wrote previously on this subject, I won't push my belief on when the Marriage or Marriage Supper takes place. If the marriage is yet to take place, how do we understand 1 Corinthians 6:17? Is our joining to Christ merely a spiritual connection or have we become part of Christ's Body?
Paul in the previous verses 15 & 16, wrote about the body that is joined to an 'harlot' is actually unified with her. How can this possibly happen (amongst them), if they are also "joined to the Lord (becoming) one through the Spirit?" Our relationship to Jesus is not only secure but our union to Him is even closer than the union of husband & wife (if I can describe it as such). Our spiritual life, indeed our whole life has its first appeal to Jesus' Spirit, well before our physical connection to our spouse. What He does in our lives & hearts can never be duplicated by another - not even close.
Is this then our blessed marriage union to Jesus? But if it is to be argued that another (second) marriage (after that completed redemption has taken place) is to occur in Heaven (or Earth), then really, I wouldn't pursue that; I don't think that is a critical matter of teaching, especially in this subject we've been discussing, of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation & their sequence of occurrences. Blessings brother.
Hello, God hates sin, but loves people despite them often choosing to sin. We need Jesus. That is the only way to salvation. But there's a trick satan has done to convince people that their sin is their identity. And if their identity, how dare anyone question it, right? When people like a certain sin, some assume that's "who they are" they are "born to do it" so how dare anyone judge them? That's one of the biggest lies. The biggest question is who do you want to follow: God or satan. If satan you can't go to heaven. Whose morals will you follow: God's or the world's? Which is most important social acceptance on this temporary earth or to please God?
I don't think anyone is born with a proclivity to do any sin. Babies are not interested in the sick things some adults choose to do. They definitely aren't born to do that. It's all learned and often groomed by parents and others. Lately, we've seen the goal posts continue to move to now include pedophilia and it is absolutely disgusting seeing people trying to push this evil. The "news" is trying to convince others that they're "born that way" to do that to kids. It's satanic to try to normalize the harming of children like we're seeing. Never thought I'd be seeing what I'm seeing. End times must be near. The world is very dark and evil and they hide all the harm they are causing others.
Hi Dana. You're referring to Hebrews 4:8: "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day."
In the Greek language, 'Joshua, or Yehoshua' (from the Hebrew), is translated as 'Jesus, or Iesous'. And we find the translators making the same change in Acts 7:45. So, the KJV translators are correct in understanding this Hebrew to Greek change, though as you wrote, it can be misleading to those unfamiliar with the account or reading through those verses very quickly. We can see from Hebrews 4:8, that the writer is referring back to verse 5 ("And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest": Psalm 95:11), & even all the way back to Hebrews 4:1 when the subject of 'Rest' is brought up.
Even though most Bible translations use the word 'Joshua', they are of course translating it correctly, but not according to the original Greek, which the KJV uses, & this name translates to 'Jesus'. If Greek was spoken in the Old Testament days, by all accounts, Joshua, who took over from Moses' leadership, would have been called 'Iesous, or Jesus'.
As for the RC Church changing the Sabbath to Sunday, I can't comment, not being RC. But the Bible shows that after Jesus died & rose from the dead, the early Church worshiped together on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week ( Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 6:2): Sunday. Sunday, to the Church then & now, never became the new Sabbath Day - Saturday always has been the correct Jewish Sabbath Day.
Leviticus Chapter 26- We are not our own, we've been bought at a price. 1 Corinthians 6:20
The Israelites were bought by God with the same price that we have been bought-the precious blood of Christ. So, since both Israel and Christians are bonded to God in a covenant of the blood of Christ, we should take heed that we walk in the way of God, for the blessings of God are manifold, not just for this life, but especially in the life to come. God's chosen people have an inheritance waiting in heaven that is beyond what we could ask or think. Nothing on earth compares to what God has in store for us! It is this eternal inheritance that caused God to call the Israelites sojourners as well as us. We are all looking forward to that better heavenly country. Heb 11:16; Rom. 9:22-23; Eph. 2:4-7
To live in the blessing of God is the best place to be altogether. Disobedience severs one from the blessing God desires for us and can bring many unpleasant and treacherous things to befall one who take lightly God's command for o44bedience and presumes upon the covenant promised to those chosen.
Verses 14-44 itemizes a long list of curses for disobedience. These consequences increase in severity (7 times over) with each step of discipline that God would bring upon the Israelites until they repent.
First, terror and wasting diseases will come upon them
Next, others will eat of the seed they sow. These enemies will defeat them in battle. They will be reigned over by those who hate them.
If they did not repent, God would punish them 7 times more for their sin.
He will break their pride of their power
He will make the heavens like iron and the earth like bronze so that the fields sown will not get watered from rain nor will the soil yield to the growth of a seed and be too hard for the plants to live. The trees will not yield fruit.
Then, if they do not repent, he will increase the punishment 7 times more.
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house(of God); and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit."
1 Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
Ephesians 2:19-21, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
Dear Christina, James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." How do you resist the devil? Like Jesus did when he was tempted in the wilderness. He did not argue, He quoted the scripture, and the devil fled each temptation.
The Word of God is our armor against Satan, our bullets, I like to call it.
Shoot as many as you need at him when he tempts you with unnatural relations. I give you Romans 1:26,27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Jude 1:7. Prayers going up.
Hebrews 10:19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (We can now come into his presence)
1 Corinthians 6:19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (Because he abides in us.)
1 John 4:4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is "HE" that is in you, than he that is in the world. (It is a "HE" that is in you that is stronger than he that is in the world.)
John 17:21-23. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
I IN THEM, AND THOU IN ME, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, (AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH HIM). "The Holyspirit is God's spirit in us!
Romans 8:11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies BY HIS SPIRIT THAT DWELLETH IN YOU. (It is the father, the son, and the Holyspirit abiding in us according to these scriptures.) AND THESE THREE ARE ONE.
Ephesians 4:4-6. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, AND IN YOU ALL.
With so many scriptures like this given a would be confusing if there were no trinity.
The way you have explained it often is well represented by scripture.
Romans 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ALL UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF MEN, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
This verse applies to everyone who has not accepted Christ.
( the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ALL UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF MEN, who hold the truth in unrighteousness)
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
No one will make it to heaven off their own righteousness.
It is the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us is what declares us spotless.
Having wiped out my most recent attempt at this post TWICE now (aargh) I'll give it one final "hail Mary" as it were.
I suppose once I've committed the entire Bible to memory I'll stop pushing the wrong button to find verses online that knocks me out.
Anyway; I started posting today as I saw a couple individuals concerned about their salvation and it seemed to be a topic needing to be addressed. Earlier I stated that POST salvation that there is indeed a "two way" communication between a believer and the Lord; as it were in prayer. Proverbs 4:18 says But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Thus; if we know the Lord we learn to recognize our own flaws with mental processes and emotional issues as well as physical desires that all can lead us to sin. I consider doctrines of election as important for many reasons not the least being that God never changes and His covenants relate to that.
Hebrews 8:10 declares "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:"
As a vessel fit for His purposes we are not our own as 1 Corinthians 6:20 states we were "bought with a price." Of course all souls are mine as Esekiel 18:4 states. There are two polar opposites we want to avoid; first fear and cowardice which is warned about in Revelation 22 as something that brings people to hell; but also being presumptuous in for instance; claiming that we no longer sin as believers.
God gives us courage; as He did for Peter after Christ's Ascencion. Dying to self brings true joy! It comes from God not our own hand!
These verses at the end of the Bible and representing the end of the wicked is the end result of those who won't heed to warnings such as 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; see also Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:5 and many other scriptures on the subject. We do well to heed to what was said in the last verse of 1 Corinthians 6 of this reference (v. 11) where it states that some were this but they have been sanctified and justified.
There are several issues here that I feel need to be addressed. First is the difference between a sinful lapse; a sinful habit and a sinful lifestyle. All three of these behaviors could be attributed to nonbelievers; albeit in today's society there would be few that would care about a slip up except perhaps some atheists who hold to what they consider a moral standard superior to much of society. Clearly as a Christian we shouldn't play games with God with any type of sin. The third category; however is something that must be abandoned; otherwise there is no fruit of our salvation. Also we undestand that breaking the law in one area makes us guilty of breaking it all ( James 2:10). Often one sin leads to another; whether it is abuse or abandonment of a family due to the greed of a gambling addiction (something which is being advertised currently in local media); or murder stemming from the bad fruit of adultery or fornication that usually is also tied to greed or jealousy; etc.
The word "fearful" in Revelation 21:8 is in many translations "cowardly". It results when men fear man over God which we are to have a healthy fear of and ignores ( Proverbs 29:25). Wanting the praise of men is at least equally if not worse because it compromises our bold witness against sin ( John 12:43).
"For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:" 1 Timothy 4:4 KJV. Also Genesis 1:31, Romans 14:14, Acts 11:7-9
At what point do we believe something is no longer God's creation, but a man-made creation, like a drug made in a lab? And how do we balance that with harming the body? "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV
Thank you.
But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
I have focused in today's postings on those who are nonbelievers; whether in an openly hostile lifestyle to God's Word; or a person who in their own efforts tries to be good and has the outward appearance of a morally responsible individual.
Exodus 12:48 states: A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it.
(in short no pain no gain)
Leviticus 17:8-9 shows the rules of sacrificing before God were the same for a foreigner as well as an Israelite.
These verses are brought out to demonstrate that in the house of God there is no pandering for special interests. In the age of Grace we must accept His sacrificial atonement for our sins; and live accordingly. Just as we can't let the enemy in the camp as a principle in the Old Testament; this verse in Corinthians along with others show that we CANNOT fellowship with those who are sexually immoral; which includes homosexuality; fornication and adultery (and the theme is repeated in 1 Corinthians 6:9). Similar warnings are found in 2 Timothy; Ephesians and 2 Thessalonians and other places. We also need to address the rest of the verse about greedy people or swindlers; and that in many cases involves the Pastor himself. Someone partaking in New Age would be an idolater; and a slanderer could be someone caught up in gossip and believing everything he hears or deliberately lying. Finally; a drunkard which may be the one sin people tend to agree on also needs to repent; but such a person when reformed tends to display the most radical changes of all. We all need to carefully examine our friend
Today people are often identified by their political affiliation or the community that they identify as "politically correct". In reality this often makes a particular sin the sum of their identity (such as those in the pro choice or same sex attraction crowd.) We don't see such titles given for individuals committing such activities in scripture; where infanticide was performed by those who would identify as idol worshippers (Molech worshippers for example); or sodomites would often be classified by their social status as to who was the perpetrator and who was the victim of such atrocities in the time of Christ. 1 Kings 14:24 talks in general about sodomites and the abominations that they were involved with; and it seems that they did live in the same area as we see with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah thousands of years before Christ.
We need to take heart; as we see in the story of Jonah that even the most wicked people can repent. Today it seems mainly with individuals who are "detransitioning" for instance that the Lord indeed can change people; and when we see legislation against preaching such truths those who used to live that lifestyle of course are most affected. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 identifies those now sanctified as believers who used to live sinful lifestyles. While it is true that there are particular sins; such as shedding of innocent blood that God particularly hates ( Proverbs 6:16-19); all sin leads to death. Clearly at this point the world doesn't celebrate someone who identifies themselves as a thief; extortioner; murderer and some other things but we should expect that it will once we get to the Tribulation or perhaps sooner when "anyone who kills you will think that they are doing God a favor." ( John 16:2).
We need also to get beyond the stereotypes the world is giving us of those in the LGBTQ+. Some are conservatives and some liberal politically for instance. More later.
Justification.
Sanctification.
Glorification.
If you are a Christian, you are guaranteed all three steps (see Romans 8:29-30).
You are forever justified, you are being sanctified, and you will for sure be glorified.
1 Corinthians 6:11.
All three of these things are from God's grace, not because of anything you have done or will do to earn them. see Ephesians 2:8-9.
You cannot earn your justification, you cannot achieve your sanctification, and you cannot merit your glorification.
You can do nothing without Christ.
John 15:4-5.
Romans 3:10-24.
God bless and Good night.
I can share a little on this. Chapter 6 deals with the morality of the gospel. The first four verses are probably the ones in question.
Verses 1-3 deal with the prosecution of believers. Paul also gives an admonition.
1 Corinthians 6:4 is the instruction. He says, If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
This Greek word Exoutheneo has to do with the same word that we see in Romans 14:1 about let the older brother not despise the younger, or make light of.
This is a person that people don't take too seriously. And I think it's interesting that Paul is saying this on purpose because it's not a matter of picking out people in your midst who have all the education and experience, and to judge these matters because obviously they can't do it impartially. Take the person that God can use!
So he says to take the person that's least esteemed in the church. Of course that might not glorify you if someone comes up to you and says "that's you!"
We see the condition in Verse 7. Now therefore there is utterly a fault, and this is literally the word failure, among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather take the wrong? Why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
And then in Verse 8, it says no, but you do the wrong, and you defraud, and that to your brothers.
He's talking about Christians doing this to each other, not from the outside, but to each other. Christians are doing wrong in justice. They are defrauding. They're cheating their brother.
And so the brother who is wronged, he files a legal action against his brother. With all the educated and all the well to do people in the congregation, everybody has their sides you see. You can't find too many people that are impartial.
I need a part 2.
He says this above and that not believing his opinion is "extremely dangerous doctrine". Interesting.
What matters is what God says, not one man's opinion, regardless of how loud he shouts it. I'm not aware of any scripture supporting his claim, but know of some saying the opposite.
1 Corinthians 6:19 The Word says our bodies are not our own, implying that it only temporarily hosts us.
1 Corinthians 5:3 - Paul says his spirit is present with them, although his body is absent.
Verses about sleeping awaiting judgment. The body is obviously dead, but the soul obviously is in a state of waiting.
Daniel 12:2, Job 14:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
What are we: a body or a soul/spirit? If a hand gets cut off do we really lose part of our soul too, or is it just a physical appendage separate from us?
Many have out of body experiences- well documented in books and videos, where people have hovered over their bodies watching and noticing things they could not have noticed if they were actually confined to their body.
In summary, Biblical evidence and personal testimony evidence does not support that claim above.
Do you believe:
Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgement written, this honour hath all his saints.
1 Corinthians 6:2 ... the saints shall judge the world ......
This is GOD'S words not mine.
Psalms 82:6 I (God) have said, Ye are gods, children of the most high,
Psalms 82:7 But ye shall DIE like men (sinful flesh, on the cross of Christ) and fall like one of the princes (of this world)
Psalms 82:6 ARISE (by the resurrection), O god, JUDGE the EARTH, for thou shall inherit the nations.
Revelation 2:26 And he that overcometh and keeps MY WORKS, until the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Do you believe these words.
God Bless YOU!
Hi Valmar. Thanks for addressing my question & I do agree with you on the incomprehensible Work of the Spirit in giving healing, exhortation, etc. What I was looking for pertains to your subject, viz. a believer's eternal security. And also to a comment you made, "the ability to lose one's salvation rests completely with that individual".
The way I understand the Scriptures, is that if we have the ability, or power, to lose/relinquish our salvation, then it presents questions not only to the Spirit's Work in saving a lost soul, but also the power we have to over-ride what the Spirit has done in our lives. Clearly, you believe that a saved sinner can either choose to depart Christ or to remain faithful to Him. My question then is: is it in the new spiritual make-up of the one now found 'in Christ' to ever desire to leave the One Who has delivered Him from so great a penalty & given him a new life with peace, joy & hope? Here, I'm not referring to a saved soul who through negligence or appeal of the flesh or Satan, strays & toys with the world. I'm confident if that soul is saved, then the Spirit will not let him go; and Momsage shared an apt testimony of this very work of God in her & her husband.
So to my question, I believe the more relevant Work of the Holy Spirit in one's life is that: He Convicts man of his sin ( John 16:8-11); He Regenerates, or gives re-birth to the penitent sinner ( John 3:3-7, Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 2:29); He Indwells ( 1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 5:5, John 14:16); He Baptizes ( 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:5); and He Seals ( 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30). I'm sure you're conversant with these Scriptures, showing that salvation & securing is all of God, without any contribution from man. To Page 2.
OK, Ronald, but having read your reply I see it deserves or even requires an important clarification not only for you, but for everyone's knowledge here, as follow:
I highlight your point and I must consider it very important to "have a heart of love towards others as brothers and sisters" as you said in your reply. But it is important to highlight also this desirable behavior only exists and happens when the Truth is spoken, GOD is the Truth; Then, when someone speaks out having a heart of love as Peter in Matthew 16:22-23(take a look), that kind of "love" manifestation actually is a stumbling block, and it creates a deadly environment, as can be seen in Genesis 3:1&5.
That said, it is essential to discern the spirit(s) as JESUS discerned in- Matthew 16:22-23- , in order not to fall into the Devil's trap.
Be careful or then get ready
On the other hand, I don't bellit people, neither I feel superior, as you suggest in your reply, and who Judges is the Word of GOD, not me, the Word is GOD, understand? By the way, the Word of GOD is quick -the Word is GOD- , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged Sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we must give an account.
By the way, my Lord JESUS left very clear, saying: "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, false witness, blasphemies, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts: These are the things which defile a man- Matthew 15:19-20
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall Judge the world?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? (angels of the Churches)
The Word is GOD, self-executing.
Matthew 27:46
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?"
Psalms 22:1
"(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
John 19:30
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost."
Psalms 22:31
"They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this." God's prophetic words always come true. In a Psalm of David, that God put in his heart.
1 Corinthians 6:20
"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
Resharing.
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?
Psalms 22:1
(To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.) My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and he bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
Psalms 22:31
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
1 Corinthians 6:20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body."
As believers we can truly have Godly sorrow that leads to repentance ( 2 Cor. 7:10). Such is the case with a new believer; but parables such as these show how we should continue as His sheep to live with such a love for our heavenly Father.
The primary point I wish to emphasize here is how a man's heart can harden to the point where a conscience is seared; hence beyond hope (1 Timoty 4:2). This is serious business; and we see it with professing believers and the world alike. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 gives us a list of the unrepentant sins; more specifically lifestyles which will end up with the sinner in hell. When sin happens it needs to be acknowledged as such; a personal offense to God; other people we know and society at large particularly in the categories of sexual sin; or mental and physical attacks on others. The man who covers up his sins ( Proverbs 28:13 will not prosper; therefore the verse states we should confess in order to obtain mercy. Somehow as believers it seems like it is a one time thing many times to ask for mercy; to beg for forgiveness or to seriously consider how tender His mercies truly are.
Consider Lamentations 3:22-23. In the midst of the most harrowing; graphically detailed description of God's city of Jerusalem being overcome by famine; disease and war we see this statement showing that God still holds out mercy; despite most of these calamities being a result of deliberate sins warned against by the prophets for many years. The parable in Luke 15 in regard to the older brother is almost the opposite scenario; someone who has an abundance of material wealth and still complains as to his father's forgiveness of his younger brother. This goes to show that spiritual blessings are not dependant on material wealth; and when we have success financially it isn't necessarily appreciated if we have a godless spiritual existance.
Anyway that example shows me how disjointed we are in general with the lives and actions of those who have committed themselves to Christ (with the New Covenant scripturally); as well as with a public statement of faith for church membership.
Our actions affect ourselvs; our children but also others who we fellowship with. It seems that a lack of judgment is a bigger problem today; with very few admonishing others; or building one another up as iron sharpens iron today.
Another issue is that we see a symptom with a person's behavior but not necessarily the root causes. It reminds me of a lady today in a personal care facility who was very testy and had a few unseemly words to say in anger; but admitted that she was going through spiritual attack and responded well in prayer; and was willing to seek forgiveness. As with anything else we cannot change anyone; merely explaining the problem isn't enough; the Spirit must work in the person; or through us to convict the soul of the individual. We also run the risk of focusing on someone's eccentricities (such as an annoying personality) and can judge something as sinful when it really isn't. As others stated we need to show the love of Christ; those who are His children will sense when we are genuine in concern. Hope some of this helps outta room!!!
1 John 2:3-5: speaks of keeping Jesus' Commandments, not specifically the Ten Commandments (there is a clear difference between them). Psalm 119: the Laws, Precepts, Judgements, etc. given to Israel; not to those in Christ Jesus.
"How do I determine what is sin and what is not?" The Holy Spirit Who resides in my life instructs me in all things I need to know or be alerted to: of ALL of God's Laws, of where I slip up, of things just not quite right that can be regarded as sin ( John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:30). The Decalogue in & of itself falls far short of what God would require of me. In other words, I would rather be subservient & obedient to the Spirit than to the Letter of the Law. And when I fail Him, I am gently instructed & helped to learn & follow His Path.
"So when we say that the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments, are not for us today", I certainly don't mean the Truth contained therein, including all other Laws, whether Israel or Gentile-specific, but I refer to the purpose of the Decalogue, as a whole package of Laws for Israel that demanded obedience or punishment (including obedience to the 4th Commandment).
This type of Law has no bearing on those now IN CHRIST, who have been delivered from that Law of sin & death ( Romans 7:6; Romans 8:2). If there was no Holy Spirit to indwell the believer, then yes, we must grab onto & perform all the laws we can find in God's Word & hope for the best in the Judgement. But the believer's salvation is secure because it is all of God (His Great Plan), all of Jesus (His Great Sacrifice) and of His Spirit (His Great Ministry), Who will 'present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy'. My obedience & confidence rests only in the Person of the Godhead, enjoying the liberty of serving Him as He directs & not conforming to a set of rules that was prescribed to judgement & death.
The parable of the wheat and the tares should be alarming to everyone; and necessary instruction. ( Matt. 13:24-30). It is said that the wheat and tares are indistinguishable from one another before they are fully ripened. It appears from this parable that God has His purposes for these two groups to remain until the end of the age. Most probably; this is testing for those who ARE true believers to ensure that they won't fall for the temptations of this world as well as false or compromised doctines as well as a lifestyle of sin. Again; our society in general doesn't seem to be finding too many newcomers to churches because of it is a novel practice; or the world is being turned upside down ( Acts 17:6) which were characteristic of the church in Apostolic times.
However; the "damnable heresies" ( 2 Peter 2:1) are increasing along with 1 Timothy 4:1-2; etc. are invading former solid denominations so that a person can have a sense of respectability and pride in church attendance that tells them what they want to hear. Part of this; of course is the result of decades of permissive society and decline of morals; both within and without the church walls; I have stated before no doubt that the destruction of marriages is what I consider to be the primary initial cause especially post World War 2 of what we see today.
A primary example here is how people look at 1 John 2:1-2 on confession of sin and forgiveness. While it is true that Christ's death took care of all sin; past and future; we still have to confess sin; and if someone has the Holy Spirit in them they cannot be content with sin ( Galatians 5:17). a LIFESTYLE of sin such as continual adultery; theft; fornication; and other actions means that ultimately we don't trust God as to His warnings such as in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 as to reaping what we sow; and don't trust Him to be in the driver's seat in our lives and our souls.
You get BAPTIZE with WATER where you repent from your sins and you RECEIVE the HOLY SPIRIT and then there is BAPTISM of the HOLY SPIRIT in which you receive the gift of the Holy spirit who will LIVE IN YOU and so IT IS WRITTEN that our BODY is a TEMPLE which means we CANNOT do any IMMORAL ACT(like self-pleasure) with our OWN BODY, it will be a SIN against GOD.
I hope you understand and would like to request you to read 1 CORINTHIANS it will help you to know more about the HOLY SPIRIT, GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IMMORAL ACTS, MARRIAGE.
GOD BLESS YOU SISTER!
P.S. Yes I am married to a wonderful woman that is supporting me in this fast and is helping through this. She prays for me every day.
And thanks for the reminder: 'by whom we are 'persuaded'. Every Spirit-filled believer ought to be constantly in tune with & be led of the Holy Spirit, though how often our flesh raises its ugly head & 'persuades' us to disobey. But we cannot claim ignorance or apathy when that happens - we WILL know it - the Spirit will not let a millisecond pass by without an immediate sense of straying off the path of holiness & truth - it just cannot happen to the one Spirit filled. What we do with His Word alerting us or convicting us, indicates how well we are walking in the Spirit ( Galatians 5:16,24,25) & pleasing our Lord.
When a man easily drifts into sin, sensing no spiritual alert, maybe even finding some Scripture & distorting it to fit his lust, that man truly needs to stop in his tracks, come aside for a while & "examine himself" whether he truly has the faith that saves, secures, & satisfies. And for many, I think, this is hard to come to grips with: how can they determine that the life they live, the decisions they make & recognizing how & when the Spirit is working, are truly of God & not from human capabilities & expertise? Human goodness & desires can often be intermingled with the Spirit's Voice & leading, bringing about confusion. But we should know the difference - as mature believers, it should be abundantly clear to us of the difference between the Spirit speaking (& persuading) and the persuasions from the flesh. And when the flesh is crucified daily, as the apostle did, we can be assured of being led only of the Spirit & our thoughts & hopes will always be directed heavenward. Every blessing brother & thanks again for sharing on this very important topic to remind us 'that we're not our own' ( 1 Corinthians 6:20).
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 it says, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. And in Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So by fallowing the thread of the Bible we can clearly see that the 144,000 are only out of the 12 tribes of Israel, they are washed in the blood of the Lamb and sealed by God. The rest of the world is the multitude that no man can number and is also washed in the blood of Christ Jesus.
I hope this answers your question.
I always try to remember these verses; 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
c. As I wrote previously on this subject, I won't push my belief on when the Marriage or Marriage Supper takes place. If the marriage is yet to take place, how do we understand 1 Corinthians 6:17? Is our joining to Christ merely a spiritual connection or have we become part of Christ's Body?
Paul in the previous verses 15 & 16, wrote about the body that is joined to an 'harlot' is actually unified with her. How can this possibly happen (amongst them), if they are also "joined to the Lord (becoming) one through the Spirit?" Our relationship to Jesus is not only secure but our union to Him is even closer than the union of husband & wife (if I can describe it as such). Our spiritual life, indeed our whole life has its first appeal to Jesus' Spirit, well before our physical connection to our spouse. What He does in our lives & hearts can never be duplicated by another - not even close.
Is this then our blessed marriage union to Jesus? But if it is to be argued that another (second) marriage (after that completed redemption has taken place) is to occur in Heaven (or Earth), then really, I wouldn't pursue that; I don't think that is a critical matter of teaching, especially in this subject we've been discussing, of the Rapture, the Great Tribulation & their sequence of occurrences. Blessings brother.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Hello, God hates sin, but loves people despite them often choosing to sin. We need Jesus. That is the only way to salvation. But there's a trick satan has done to convince people that their sin is their identity. And if their identity, how dare anyone question it, right? When people like a certain sin, some assume that's "who they are" they are "born to do it" so how dare anyone judge them? That's one of the biggest lies. The biggest question is who do you want to follow: God or satan. If satan you can't go to heaven. Whose morals will you follow: God's or the world's? Which is most important social acceptance on this temporary earth or to please God?
I don't think anyone is born with a proclivity to do any sin. Babies are not interested in the sick things some adults choose to do. They definitely aren't born to do that. It's all learned and often groomed by parents and others. Lately, we've seen the goal posts continue to move to now include pedophilia and it is absolutely disgusting seeing people trying to push this evil. The "news" is trying to convince others that they're "born that way" to do that to kids. It's satanic to try to normalize the harming of children like we're seeing. Never thought I'd be seeing what I'm seeing. End times must be near. The world is very dark and evil and they hide all the harm they are causing others.
In the Greek language, 'Joshua, or Yehoshua' (from the Hebrew), is translated as 'Jesus, or Iesous'. And we find the translators making the same change in Acts 7:45. So, the KJV translators are correct in understanding this Hebrew to Greek change, though as you wrote, it can be misleading to those unfamiliar with the account or reading through those verses very quickly. We can see from Hebrews 4:8, that the writer is referring back to verse 5 ("And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest": Psalm 95:11), & even all the way back to Hebrews 4:1 when the subject of 'Rest' is brought up.
Even though most Bible translations use the word 'Joshua', they are of course translating it correctly, but not according to the original Greek, which the KJV uses, & this name translates to 'Jesus'. If Greek was spoken in the Old Testament days, by all accounts, Joshua, who took over from Moses' leadership, would have been called 'Iesous, or Jesus'.
As for the RC Church changing the Sabbath to Sunday, I can't comment, not being RC. But the Bible shows that after Jesus died & rose from the dead, the early Church worshiped together on the Lord's Day, the first day of the week ( Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 6:2): Sunday. Sunday, to the Church then & now, never became the new Sabbath Day - Saturday always has been the correct Jewish Sabbath Day.
The Israelites were bought by God with the same price that we have been bought-the precious blood of Christ. So, since both Israel and Christians are bonded to God in a covenant of the blood of Christ, we should take heed that we walk in the way of God, for the blessings of God are manifold, not just for this life, but especially in the life to come. God's chosen people have an inheritance waiting in heaven that is beyond what we could ask or think. Nothing on earth compares to what God has in store for us! It is this eternal inheritance that caused God to call the Israelites sojourners as well as us. We are all looking forward to that better heavenly country. Heb 11:16; Rom. 9:22-23; Eph. 2:4-7
To live in the blessing of God is the best place to be altogether. Disobedience severs one from the blessing God desires for us and can bring many unpleasant and treacherous things to befall one who take lightly God's command for o44bedience and presumes upon the covenant promised to those chosen.
Verses 14-44 itemizes a long list of curses for disobedience. These consequences increase in severity (7 times over) with each step of discipline that God would bring upon the Israelites until they repent.
First, terror and wasting diseases will come upon them
Next, others will eat of the seed they sow. These enemies will defeat them in battle. They will be reigned over by those who hate them.
If they did not repent, God would punish them 7 times more for their sin.
He will break their pride of their power
He will make the heavens like iron and the earth like bronze so that the fields sown will not get watered from rain nor will the soil yield to the growth of a seed and be too hard for the plants to live. The trees will not yield fruit.
Then, if they do not repent, he will increase the punishment 7 times more.
He will cause more plagues to come upon them.
"Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house(of God); and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit."
1 Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
Ephesians 2:19-21, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
The Word of God is our armor against Satan, our bullets, I like to call it.
Shoot as many as you need at him when he tempts you with unnatural relations. I give you Romans 1:26,27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Jude 1:7. Prayers going up.
Bless you!
Hebrews 10:19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (We can now come into his presence)
1 Corinthians 6:19. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (Because he abides in us.)
1 John 4:4. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is "HE" that is in you, than he that is in the world. (It is a "HE" that is in you that is stronger than he that is in the world.)
John 17:21-23. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
I IN THEM, AND THOU IN ME, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, (AND MAKE OUR ABODE WITH HIM). "The Holyspirit is God's spirit in us!
Romans 8:11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies BY HIS SPIRIT THAT DWELLETH IN YOU. (It is the father, the son, and the Holyspirit abiding in us according to these scriptures.) AND THESE THREE ARE ONE.
Ephesians 4:4-6. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, AND IN YOU ALL.
With so many scriptures like this given a would be confusing if there were no trinity.
The way you have explained it often is well represented by scripture.
God bless you.
Romans 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ALL UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF MEN, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
This verse applies to everyone who has not accepted Christ.
( the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ALL UNGODLINESS AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS OF MEN, who hold the truth in unrighteousness)
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
No one will make it to heaven off their own righteousness.
It is the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us is what declares us spotless.
Yes we minister to everyone.
God bless.