Posted on 04/17/2014 11:35:37 AM PDT by SkyPilot
A_Perfect_Lady, is that you? The language and syntax seems to match...and you have not commented much in the 2 years you’ve been a Freeper.
As for John 3:16...it isn’t much without verse 17 and 18 to go with it. Yet, it is well enough to use when speaking with a 5 year old...or with a man named Nicodemus...” I am an old man..Shall a man twice enter his mother’s womb?”
Now as to your points 1. Yeah...original sin is a bummer...to have been born already “wide of the mark”. Christianity teaches it but also offers the remedy. Paul teaches the equivalence principle...As in Adam all die...even so in Christ we’ll all be made alive....Since by man came death..by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Do see the principle...death came to man, from man must come life....yet being sinners it is impossible for us on our own to be restored to spiritual life...yet the deep laws of heaven state that our restoration must come thru man. This is where God bridged the gap and got Satan and his demons howling...God came as a man who knew no sin and there for should not have been subject to sin’s deathly wage. Yet choosing to die for our sakes...Christ took death captive there-bye making it possible for men to be a part of Christ’s resurrection. Our outer man perishes but our inner man is renewed day by day. Whether you believe it or not matters not to me in the end that is for God and you to work out; I know for myself that I must speak it write it, live it and believe it . As for a Saviour born of a woman alone, what is harder to believe: that God can proceed from the womb of a woman having been begotten there by the holy Spirit, as God in flesh using “our God given intellects” or to believe God can make sons of Abraham from the very rocks of the mountains? God given intellects indeed, since seed faith is said to be “God Given”, your remark is very ironic.
2. All Christians honor Mary as the mother of God, there are “interesting discussions” as to the limits of her role
but I’ll never scoff at God’s mom.(I have a feeling she’s gotten very good at baking that most wondrous of 21st century confections....the toll house cookie!)
3. lets bring vs’s 16, 17, 18 together so we can discuss the ‘condenmnation of the world’:Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
You obviously disapprove of Organized religion with its “aggrandized catch phrases”. Can you introduce me to your source of higher morality by which you base your disapproval? A flying spaghetti monster whispers into your ear perhaps?
Ahhh I think we’ve struck a nerve....To call Christians cultists, she would also have to call the founding documents of our nation cultish documents...all our laws and founding ideas have at least their root and source in Judeo-Christianity. It must be a living hell for “Lady” to live with the inconsistency as it is for many others on the left..which is why they try so hard to tear our country away from it’s root faith.
“lady” has the right to free speech....those rights having been given to us by God as Christians would claim, yet according to her, Christ is not divine and there-fore can not grant rights, therefor her freedoms have no morally and spiritually transcendent anchor...and rather are only in operation just as long as opponents to those rights can not bring a logical argument to counter those rights and or the naked force to enslave us and take away her rights.
Yet if our rights be ours by God in an organic indwelt way....then no force on Earth can compel a God freed people to give in to evil despotisms. Pharoah commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill the first born male children at birth, but their Fear of God compelled them to ignore Pharoah’s edict!
Where the spirit Of the Lord is, there is liberty!
You’ve gone and done it now, Elsie.
No need to get upset; but you are answering the question even if you choose not to post it.
My satisfaction means nothing.
Ponder the things you've read here over the years to come.
I'm quite sure they will be remembered.
This is on the masthead of our now very liberal paper in Indianapolis: The Indianapolis Star.
Gannett now has control over content.
>> “So the DISorganized kind is better? How about None_at_all?”
Actually, it really doesn’t matter because:
1. God and religion are not the same thing;
2. God does not care what we believe. If our beliefs help us in any way in our lives without harming others, then they are good with Him.
I know such concepts run contrary to everything we have been taught in the Bible. So I will add the following:
1. God is literally the force holding the Universe. His power is so immense NOTHING even comes close to being capable of even thinking about challenging Him. But you won’t feel any of this greatness reading the Bible. Instead, we read how Yahweh was being challenged by an angel, how he played with poor Job, how full of wrath and quick to anger he was with his people, etc.
2. Our lives on earth are very transient, just like the blink of an eye compared to eternity. We will go back to God and live in His physical presence once we leave this world. Since He is the real deal, why should He care whether we believe or not while on earth? Of course a belief in God helps when going through life’s hardships. But that is all there is.
3. The notion of a jealous God only comes from the Bible. No true God will feel threatened by man-make gods or idols. God knows very well why we appeal to a higher power in our times of need. Those gods and deities are nothing more than crutches to help make life easier, especially in generations past.
And the good news is, there is no need to wait for a second coming because there won’t be one. The moment we leave this earthly life we will go back to God and immediately realize the truth: that God has nothing but love for us.
Both man and woman are tainted, hence what comes forth is a born sinner. But the one alleged to be sinless also came through a tainted woman. That’s my point and the reason I arranged the two statements to give the best contrast.
I am not the other poster; but seeing her courageous posts challenging the religious mainstream did give me the motivation to post mine.
I don’t think any mortal can convincingly answer the questions I raised, though I appreciate your trying. Since you seem happy and secure in your beliefs, I think you should just keep them the way they are regardless of what other posters believe.
This is for you, Lady. It’s Christianity in a nutshell. If nothing else comes out of it for you, you will certainly understand how Christians and how they think of you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMyV9632PZA
I a having a bit of a personal problem which has kept my up all night. Hard to make much sense of anything, so I ask that you and anyone else reading this post forgive I many errors.
Some of my words were unkind, Lady. I was wrong in doing that and sincrely apologize to you and ask your forgiveness. You certainly have the right to disagree and I should have cooled my redheaded hot-tempered self when Igot angry over what I perceived as words that were insulting to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit necause never in my life have I had a greater love than His love. In other words, my actions were un-Christlike, and I have a deep regret and have asked God’s forgiveness and now ask yours as well.
Lady, ever since this thread began I’ve been praying for you and I know that I’m not the only one. I can’t help but feel that He’s going to open your eyes and your heart. Praying not only that God reach your heart and you come to accept His wondrous love, but also that He bless with his good things. Once you come to a point where you want to accept Him, you are going to be amazed at how your life changes once your are given His Holy Spirit.
Finally, have you ever heard of Tim Keller? He’s superb in answering question from people who outright reject the Bible. Frjkerer. his ministry is aimed at the “intellectuals” and his material is great. I think I’ve watchede every vid of him on youtube. (SORRY. But it is very hard to type and just getting in a sentence is taking forever.) He and his lovely wife, Kathy, have their ministry in NY and were blown away by how many began attending service. If I recall correclt, he now preaches at several places on Sunday and his ministry reaches out to people just like you. If you would like, I can search our some vids for you.
BUT, the one who really blows me away is Chuck Missler. Some may disagree, and that’s fine, but Missler opens up the Bible like no one else I’ve ever heard. If you ever get a chance and want to see the Supreme Intellect, sit back with a cup of coffee (or beverage of choie) and listen to one of his “Beyond...” vids. You will be shocked like never before.
For the rest of you , would you please say a little prayer for me for release from pain. ... and I wouldn’t mind at all if you asked for it to go away forever. ;-) Also, please have a looksee at the vid if you have time.
Worn to the bone from it at this point and have taken enough hard meds to kill an elephant. So, I know this post is going be rough reading. Even proofing it myself is beyong me at this point,
Warm regards,
SC
Sorry, you three. I meant to ping you to the post. Rough goingfor me at the moment.
Wish you all wonderful and beautiful weekend.
SC
“God does not care what we believe...God is literally the force holding the Universe. His power is so immense NOTHING even comes close to being capable of even thinking about challenging Him...We will go back to God and live in His physical presence once we leave this world. Since He is the real deal, why should He care whether we believe or not while on earth? No true God will feel threatened by man-make gods or idols. God knows very well why we appeal to a higher power in our times of need. And the good news is, there is no need to wait for a second coming because there won’t be one. The moment we leave this earthly life we will go back to God and immediately realize the truth: that God has nothing but love for us.”
Question(s):
How do you know what you [claim to] know? What is the basis for your beliefs? What “religion” are YOU following (yes, yours appears to be a religion - a man-made system of “beliefs” that seeks to explain the spiritual/supernatural realm)? Is it some set/sub-set of an existing/identified sect of those who have developed their own set of beliefs about the “creative force” (God) at work in the universe? Or is it your own individual “best guess” as to the nature of all things, based on your own experiences? What are these, your tenets, based on? How should we come to trust them with our eternal existence (your doctrine identifies this concept; readers must assume you believe in one?) How can we know to place enough confidence in YOUR spiritual practices (which seem to allow for an awful lot of, shall we call it, wiggle-room) so that when we “Go back to God” we will find Him waiting there with open arms, and not a book of record? You seem to suggest that, based on His character, He would not be like the latter, but the former. How do you KNOW about His character? How did you come by this information?
(Please consider as you answer that how you respond may very well serve as a sort of “spiritual map” for those who might be seeking to understand the God you seem to know about. You based all this on the following assumption: “Actually, it really doesn’t matter...” How do you KNOW this? What if you are wrong and, in the end, it does matter? What if, instead, things like this matter: Prov. 14:12? What then?)
And just HOW did you come by this information?
What makes you think I want to waste MY valuable time, fussing with unknown people on the Internet???
It’s very kind of you to apologize. I want to make it clear that I don’t think Jesus was a bad person. I don’t think he was sent by a loving God on a mission of mercy, but I don’t think he was anything particularly negative. As I said before, I suppose I’d compare him to William Wallace: a man who wanted to free his country from foreign rule. (Now I confess, I think Paul was a nutcase.) But it really is just my opinion. I read the Bible like I’d read an Agatha Christie book, searching for whodunit. That’s all.
Every person coming from the womb is his or her own person and grows into being responsible for actions of his or her own...not the actions of the mother. Momma can be a murderer but son still be a preacher... even an offspring’s own blood supply is separate from the mother.
We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb, not by the blood of his Mother. Her Taint and her life is her own. So thus was the Life of Christ and his sinlessness, both being his own and not intertwined with that of the mother.
Mary was sin tainted
true..but our Lord
taught...
It is by our own deeds
that we are painted...
Mother of God praised and worshipped the fruit of her womb...
“Oh the Lord of my Salvation”...
She took in God’s Spirit and gave Birth to HIS Love
proving Christ’s words be true...
the taking in is not what corrupts
it’s the evil outflow that disrupts
and makes the soul a living tomb....
“I read the Bible like I’d read an Agatha Christie book, searching for whodunit. “
I understand, APL, because I was where you are now until Jesus got hold of me. Also, the Bible takes years of dedicated, serious study - a lifelong one, that is - and the Good Book requires a different approach by the reader than do other books. There is no other book like it on the planet. It’s a tough study once a person is exposed to what’s underneath the stories of the people, events, etc.; and that alone can be a hard task. But, what excitement and joy to be shown more! The more a person tries to understand, the more God rewards that person for the time spent in His Word. He will allow those who truly seek Him to discover more and more.
One sentence can apply to many different people, different times, different situations, etc., but the message in the whole is consistent. So many authors, so many years apart, long and far distances apart, and all of their writings point to one person: Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, there He is.
It’s said by Jewish scholars that there are 70 layers (or applications) to Torah. I’m often taken aback when I’ve found (or been shown) a new layer. One hundred lifetimes would never be enough time to discover all the layers.
Right now, I’m very, very tired and wiped out. I hope you can make sense of what I’m trying to say. (This is especially embarrassing given your profession.) I’m almost certain it’s unreadable. But, I get so excited by even speaking of His word. Once a person realizes the truth of the Bible, its majesty and intellect and glory, and on I could go, he or she will be changed forever. Personally, I walked around quite a bit unstable when I began to realize the layers were there in plain sight..
Genesis 1:3-4 has had my attention for MONTHS now. The more I learn of Quantum Physics, the more I see that that particular field of science is almost quoting word for word parts of Genesis and I believe they don’t even realize it. At any rate, it’s nothing short of amazing and is one mind-blowing study.
Here’s wishing you a great weekend, Lady. And keep up the good work, Teacher, for you may be the first hand that’s ever rocked a child’s cradle.
Sincerely,
SC
I’m not sure how to respond because I can’t tell if you want to continue this conversation or to just end it on a positive note.
The “layers” of Scripture that you refer to are revealed to us in the perfect timing of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, we will never ever be fully aware of everything the Scriptures have to tell us. How wonderful is that?!
Your post is spot on Claire, I do hope that you are feeling better, prayers lifted, my sister in Christ.
“happy and secure in your beliefs, I think you should just keep them the way they are regardless of what other posters believe.”
Well...”bless my heart”...eh? Well may the Lord bless your heart as well...and infuse his life into your very being!
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