Nowhere in the Bible is Xmas condoned, just the opposite.
--Are we told to recognize Christ's birthday?-No.
--Is Christ's birthday within a month either way of December 25th?-No.
--Were shepherds in the field at night in December?-No.
--Were there three wise men?- No, the Bible does not say how many.
--Were the wise men in the stable, did they see the baby in the manger?- No, they showed up two years later;
----that is why Herod had all the children two years old and younger killed.
--Is the Christmas tree in any way associated with Christ?-No, in fact, we are told in no uncertain terms not to have one.
--Is there a Santa Claus?-No, what would he have to do with Christ?
--Are there flying reindeer?- No.
--Are there elves?-No.
If we tell our children all these lies, how do we expect them to suddenly believe that Jesus is real and not just another Santa? We must worship God in, "spirit and in truth". There is no truth in Xmas. Is that the way to raise your children, lie to them.
-- 1 John 2:21 no lie is of the truth.
In Jer 10:2-8, 600+ years before Christ, we are told that the heathen have a rite where they put up a tree and do all the things done at Xmass with it. We are told not to learn their ways is so doing. Is this not a similitude of what we are not supposed to do? Will you feel comfortable standing before the judgment seat of Christ excusing your participation.
-- Jer 10:2-8 Thus saith the LORD, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For THE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE ARE VAIN: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 8But THEY ARE ALTOGETHER BRUTISH AND FOOLISH:
Christmas = Christ Mass, brought in as one of the corruptions of the Roman Church.
Amen, brother, thank you. Obedience is the evidence of our faith; we cannot ignore all of the Scripture on enduring and overcoming. Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Hebrews 12:7, James 1:12, 1 John 2:13-14, Revelation 2:7,11,17,22, Revelation 21:7. I could list more, but just these cannot be ignored, and if we do, we are deceived.
Hello Charlesewald. When we read of God anointing His people, it speaks of a specific and special purpose for that anointing. When we see the first references (as in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus), we read about the anointing of Aaron, the high priest, and his sons for their service to God in the Tabernacle & on behalf of the people (e.g. Exodus 29:4-9; Leviticus 7:35,26; and others). This anointing was God's declaration of the separated office of the priests forever, equipped for service, and in public recognition of their appointment. Through this appointment, God specially enabled them to perform their tasks, but with it also came a grave responsibility to perform it exactly as commanded and in fear and trembling as they stood before God. Even the high priest had bells on his Ephod (robe) to give a sound as he went in the Holiest Place, did his work and exited it. If there was no more sound, then the priests serving outside knew that the high priest had died, whether under God's Hand or other reasons ( Exodus 28:34,35).
So that anointing, as special and yet grave in its administration to those priests, serves to demonstrate to us today, as God's children through Christ, the seriousness of our redemption and calling, to be called His very own. Having made us "kings and priests" unto Himself ( Revelation 1:6), we can only be found in such a blessed position in His family by also being anointed; not with that oil necessary for those priests, but with the Holy Spirit of God (that Heavenly Oil, if you will) that secures us as His children forever, Who teaches all things, and enables us to live this new life (in a corrupt world) unto God ( 1 John 2:20,27). As those not only anointed by the Spirit, but our bodies become the Temple of the Holy Ghost ( 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16), enabling us to live not in the fear and trembling of those old-time priests, but in redemption joy by the Spirit-given Power, of His Love, & self-control. Blessings.
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"
Ezekiel 36:26
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:27
"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Matthew 5:19
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2nd Cor. 5:19
2 Corinthians 5:19 teaches that in Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing (counting) people's sins against them. This reconciliation is complete, covering sins of the past, the present, and even those of the future, because Christ's sacrifice was once for all.
Past Sins: The believer's past life of sin has been fully forgiven through Christ's blood. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" ( Colossians 2:13). God does not hold a believer's former life of sin against them: "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" ( 1 Corinthians 6:11).
Present Sins: As believers still live in the flesh, we sometimes stumble, yet Christ's sacrifice continually avails for us. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" ( 1 John 2:1). His righteousness is always applied to us: "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" ( Romans 4:8).
Future Sins: Because Christ's sacrifice was once for all, even future sins are covered. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" ( Hebrews 10:12). This does not encourage sin but assures us that no sin can separate us from God's love. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor things present, nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ( Romans 8:38-39).
Thanks for your reply. I understand many see this as comfort, similar to what you hear at a funeral when the preacher says Bob is with Jesus in heaven. Am I going to tell that loved one No, he is not? NO, but what is the actual truth?
Ecclesiastes 9:5, if we die, we know nothing. Psalms 115:17 I believe that if our spirit were alive in heaven, we would be praising the LORD. Our only hope of eternal life is in Jesus; this comes when we are resurrected, not before, 1 Corinthians 15:52-54.
Not to drag this out, I will say, if we all have an immortal spirit, there is no death and no true gift of eternal life because we already possess it. John 3:15, John 10:28, Romans 2:7, Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:25. This is our promise. The others receive death; they will perish, John 3:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 2 Peter 2:12. The word perish is to destroy fully, permanent, absolute destruction. Revelation 21:8 their part, their punishment, and death will fit their sins, not burn for eternity.
Death is not a separation, as Greek philosophy puts it, which has influenced today's understanding.
3. The Voice of the Enemy (Satan, Demons, The World)
The Bible clearly identifies a voice of temptation, accusation, and deceit that opposes God.
Genesis 3:1-5: The serpent (Satan) is the first voice of temptation and deceit, questioning God's word: "Did God really say?... You will not certainly die."
John 8:44: Jesus said about the Devil: "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
1 Peter 5:8: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The "roaring" represents the voice of intimidation, fear, and accusation.
1 John 2:15-16: The voice of the "world" (value systems contrary to God) is also an influence: "Do not love the world or anything in the world... For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world."
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
Matthew 5:19
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
1 John 2:27
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:"
Exodus 20:10
"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:"
John 14:21
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. ( John 6:45).
( 1 John 2:23) states: Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Both these verses show that in reality; all those who are "true Israel" ( Romans 9:6) are those who are believers in God's only Son being the true Messiah. There are several things we can learn from this; the first and most obvious being that we can't separate the Godhead or choose to accept either the Old or New Testament by themselves as they are interchangeable and inextricably connected to the same Source. This situation is highlighted with those who don't like the behavior of God the Father in the O.T.; who create a god in their own imagination who only consists of the loving sounding verses Jesus spoke.
Of course this takes some cherry picking and wholesale bypass of say; an entire chapter dedicated to calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees; for example.
Another issue here is to conclude that God of the O.T. was only concerned with the law and judgment; and in the New Testament it is all about grace. This probably is easiest to come up with when we look at the Sermon on the Mount and diminish it to moral platitudes or somehow divorce the meaning from the Old Testament. When we look at almost all of the O.T.; there was a repeated and unavoidable meaning in the text of God's mercy or wrath in regard to blessings and cursings. The emphasis of the law can only be gleaned from the earlier books of the Pantateuch; we certainly see prophetic statements about Christ and His coming mission to Gentiles as well as Jews; as well as God being weary of the pomp and circumstance of Israel's offerings when they were caught up in adulterous and idolatrous behaviors. GOd spoke of a place of prayer for all nations ( Isaiah 56:7) as the ultimate Temple meaning.
Preparing for the Rapture (Part 6) More on the Devil's tactics
What I am saying is no doubt some cause for controversy but I consider it very important. What I mean is that Satan tempts us and we yield to it and indeed do sin at times but the deception for a true believer is that we can go back to our old familiar ways of the old nature and we soon find out that there is no more pleasure to the sin as it used to be. At that point the accuser torments our minds with fear; and then many it seems are subject to the false doctrine of losing salvation. This causes utter despair and many to give up on their walk. Hence we have a number of individuals like the walking dead or zombies where they are rendered useless or close to it in propagating the Gospel and that is Satan's chief endeavor.
If he can succeed in stealing our joy then the message or "display" we show forth to the world is something not drawing men to faith. Many don't want to admit their failures unlike some who are immature in the faith and at times tell us more than we want to know; but I would say if we err to that side there is much more hope that we will continue on in the faith. PRIDE is something which was mentioned in the earlier verse; the pride of life. ( 1 John 2:16). Satan's fall was because of this and if we think we are self sufficient spiritually we are likely to become this way. Again things must be in balance; I myself am alone often and we all need to learn to feed on the Word and grow in maturity as no one can do anything for us ultimately but to help us learn the tools which we eventually put to practice; even if that is in more service to others. I won't go so far to say that national pride HAS to be wrong; but taking a look at any holiday in America the idolatry as the chief end all of the weekend involved doesn't take a rocket scientist to ascertain.
Let this be a wake up call to those not taking the times seriously or those who have allowed the enemy to sideline.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 2:1-6
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Calvinism relies on telling a few clever lies to convince their followers of their distorted teaching. The Bible itself refutes their ideology in the following examples:
Did Jesus die for all, yes or no?
1 John 2:2 says YES
John 3:16 says YES
1 Timothy 2:4-6 says YES
2 Corinthians 5:14 says YES
Romans 10:13 says YES
1 John 4:14 says YES
But Calvinists say NO
Scripture saying Jesus did NOT die for all:
[none]
The Word of God says Jesus died for "all" and the "whole world" and "everyone" in those verses above. All means all, and the whole world means the whole world, and everyone means everyone. But cult teachings will try to twist this and say all does NOT mean all, and the whole world does NOT mean the whole world, and everyone does NOT mean everyone. It's like the serpent in the Garden of Eden who said you shall NOT surely die. It's obvious who is on what side by how they either affirm or denounce the scripture.
Those who disobey and intentionally deceive others from the truth put themselves in grave danger of God's wrath.
The 2nd big lie told by some is that people don't have freewill to do anything whatsoever. Some contradict themselves by saying they still sin but isn't their fault, while others say they don't sin at all and are perfect like Jesus, an obvious lie that 1 John 1:8 makes clear. Verses like Joshua 24:15 that say for you to choose (Calvinists deny this means you're not choosing) or for you to open the door (Calvinists deny this means you're opening the door) Revelation 3:20 , John 7:17.
The biggest lie I hear many say about others- they claim others are trying to EARN their own salvation. That lie is straight from Satan. They know its a lie but will spread it anyway. They know that 99% of Christians believe in grace and believe it is a gift, not earned. But just because they believe God gave them a gift of choice like Joshua 24:15 says, they suddenly claim their motives are to "earn" heaven. So dishonest. Beware of wolves!
Thanks Gerald for sharing those thoughts & observations. Indeed, 1 John 2:27 along with Ephesians 4:11 are to be taken together. The Spirit has appointed teachers of the Word as He also ministers to each heart that belongs to the Lord. Together, they serve to build each one up and also to strengthen and edify the Church body. I see it as one complementing the other.
In John's epistle, the thought there is that the Holy Spirit will show us when erroneous teaching or doctrine is presented; that if we abide in Christ & follow the doctrines delivered to us, we will remain on track. And to help us along, the Church is blessed to have teachers to guide us in the Word & appropriate that Word in our lives. Maybe we should see them as God's instruments who, with the Holy Spirit, confirm to us the Word and help us increase in knowledge and faith, thereby baring more fruit to glorify our LORD.
Now, those who are not receptive, those whose hearts are not open to the truth, God continues to give them opportunities to come to Christ, but if they continue to reject the testimony, eventually God will give them over to a reprobate mind, a mind that allows them to continue to reject. Once that happens, there is no hope for that person.
This is why I was unable to connect the dots on what you were saying about this individual and using Romans 1:28. You say that those who knew this person considered him/her to be a Christian but if you read Romans Chapter 1 beginning at Verse 18, this person who seemed to be a Christian doesn't fit the description of a person who God gives over to a reprobate mind. If you go beyond Verse 28, it gives a long list of things which describe the things they were involved in. Also, they rejected the truth from the beginning and continued in their rejection, and the outcome is given to us in Verse 28.
Anyway, we stand in disagreement on whether or not salvation can be lost. I don't believe I will lose mine, and it has nothing to do with me being a good or righteous person because I have no righteousness of my own. But as long as I have Christ, I have righteousness because He is righteous. And He will never leave me, impossible!
If you don't mind, can you please give me your understanding of 1 John 2:19? Who are the "us" and "they" in this verse, and what is this verse saying to you? Thanks, brother!
In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, AND THE LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
When we recieve Christ we recieved LIFE!
We recieve Christ Spirit! ( A LIFE GIVING SPIRIT)
Christ Spirit cannot die!
We have been baptized by the Holyspirit into eternal life! We have eternal life now.
Eternal NEVER ENDS!
We were baptized into his death.
Our old man is crucified with him, he can never hurt us with our standing with the Lord!
We stumbled in these corrupt bodies every day! Even in thought!
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1
1 John 1:8 says "If WE say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
John is talking to saved people! Not someone who has lost their salvation!
John included himself! (WE)
There will never be a time here in this world where you will ever have no sin.
So if anyone can lose Christ/Salvation then no one was ever saved and never will be.
You also see the work of Christ as our advocate in Romans 4:6-8.
Romans 4:6-8 reads, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN.
We're covered with Christ righteousness!
It's the heart that has changed in a true believer.
There is no desire to sin.
It grieves Christ Spirit that we now possess.
We're forever changing in the likeness of Christ but we will never be perfect until we are delivered from this body of this death.
So, if we choose to walk away, where will we go? Christ is coming for us. He owns us. His Spirit is the mark of ownership.
In 2 Corinthians 1:22, we see that God has sealed us, and He has given us His Spirit as a guarantee or pledge in our hearts that we belong to Him, and that He's coming for us. Christ has purchased us. He just hasn't come to pick us up yet but the giving of His Spirit to us is the guarantee that He is coming for us.
I like to describe it as purchasing tickets to a sporting event. We own the tickets, but we have not picked them up yet. They are sitting at the will-call. It's the same with us as believers. We are sitting at the "will-call" so to speak, waiting for Christ to come for us. We're not going anywhere until He comes for us.
It is my belief that a true believer (one who has been born from above) cannot commit apostasy. A person who belongs to Christ will always belong to Christ. They will never leave.
1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
Those who fall away were not true believers. If you look at the words "they" and "us," it's obvious that this is speaking of two classes of people, those who belong to Christ, and those who don't. According to this verse, those who walk away never were part of the "us," true born-again believers. A true believer will never walk away. I have been in discussions with people who say that salvation can be lost, that a believer can walk away from their salvation, and leave Christ. My response and challenge to them was to tell them that if they felt that they could walk away and denounce Christ and their salvation, go ahead and give it a shot. Prove it! They refused to take me up on the challenge. They mean someone else, not them! Go figure!
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
we are goanna sin daily and no one is perfect or without sin. If we could live a life sin free, God would not have sent his only son to die for us.
I understand we can't live however we want to and practice our sin. For the spirt is willing but the flesh is weak.
Like you, I do not believe Calvinism is true but I don't see it as such a big deal as you. You made it this far to marry and have kids- maybe you never discussed it before, proving that it already wasn't that important of an issue to you before. Many Christians have differing views on this and many are married and attend the same churches. Do you know if you disagree with all 5 pillars or just some? I think the 2 biggest are them believing they don't have freewill and not believing Jesus died for everyone like 1 John 2:2 says. You probably disagree with way more than just that if you actually read through the whole Bible together and line by line compared your interpretations. But why assume you have to agree on everything for a marriage to work? No two Christians will agree on everything and that's normal because we're all individuals. Why not instead focus on the main things you have in common? You're both Christians, believe in Jesus, and probably have more in common that you are realizing.
Maybe the real question is why are you choosing to have such a strong reaction to this of all things. You mention you're even worried for your family, but isn't your choice to view and react this way the real threat, instead of the viewpoints themselves? "extremely frustrated, devastated" are not normal reactions to just a difference of opinion. Did you really yell at your husband and call him a tyrant?! That's in violation of the Bible's teachings, probably marital vows to him, and that's unacceptable for a wife to treat her husband that way. That's the only thing shocking about this. Women sometimes have amplified emotions while pregnant. What if the opinions of Calvinism are simply a distraction from the real attack from the enemy deceiving you into resenting and disrespecting your husband? Ephesians 5:23-33 God bless you.
1) Many times God places things on our heart that are of little interest to others and we must bear the burden alone in full reliance on the Lord. This could involve our own personal struggles that we are not always free to share or the Lord for some reason forbids it. This may involve asking for forgiveness for others that have mistreated us as one example.
2) We must be alert to all methods of deception. This involves the world flesh and Devil.
a) The world. The world system and it's many forms of deception have been crafted by the enemy for many centuries.
There are vices which affect some and not others but no doubt there are one or two which we personally struggle with
in particular. Finding any comfort in the things of the world is something which we shouldn't do ( 1 John 2:15-16). Nor
should we rely on its riches or our own resourcefulness to supply our needs. This of course must be balanced by wisdom and hard work but ultimately we rest on the finished work of the Lord and trust Him to meet our needs. We focus on meeting needs of others whenever we can.
b) The flesh. It seems almost unnecessary to remind anyone of this issue in regard to distraction in our prayer life as it no doubt is painfully obvious to anyone trying to walk in the Spirit. Maybe I am assuming after almost a decade of not watching television; watching movies etc. that it is easy to simply not partake in some useless if not corrupted entertainment; although I am online and of course along with everyone else need to be vigilant to quickly bypass the scantily dressed and suggestive ads that pop up sadly quite often on Christian sites.
c) the Devil. I will conclude for today at leat on that third subject. BTW sorry can't seem to correct these margin issues.
Dear God Father in Heaven, You say I Am, We exalt You, we honor You, we love Your community. We live in difficult times Jesus, we live in the last hour. 1 John 2:18 We pray that You will give us wisdom and understanding in this Lord. We pray that our children and grandchildren are spared for all time to come, and all descendants. Halleluja Price the Lord! Eph 1:13-14 Thank you Lord for confirming Your word. Let us understand Eph 2:7-10 So we thank You for Your great and blessed gift You gave us in Jesus Christ. And we trust, Lord, that You will keep Your children as You have said, Give boldness so that "Michelle Collins" may open her mouth at the right time, Eph 6:18-19 Amen in Jesus Christ's Name.
Dear "Michelle Collins" we as believers must rest on the promises of the Lord. And let Him remember them. Or rather the powers and authorities will remember when we talk Guds Word Eph 1:18-23
That is where we find strength and power. Never despair continue on the good path, and you will know that the Lord is good. He brings those who are going home, Home. Love you in Christ.
1 John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children (TEKNIA-little born ones), abide in Him; That's the word remain (MENO). In order that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. So, he says abiding and remaining is the key. When Jesus comes, those who are abiding in Him, they will be ready for His coming.
Those who say they belong to Him, but are not abiding in Him, they will be left behind. It's not a performance. In Matthew 24:13, and the way the Greek text says it, it says the one who has endured to the end is the one who is saved. So, endurance is a characteristic, or evidence that a person is saved.
If you stop and think about it, if you receive Christ, and your soul or spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit, your soul now belongs to Christ. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, how can we not endure to the end if He's living in us?
He's the one who causes me to endure. In the human I might be weak, but there isn't anything or anyone that's going to take me away from Christ. Not even my own sin is going to take me away from Christ. Nothing will separate me from the love of God.
Please take note of this, that HUPOMENO, remaining under, is a characteristic of one who is saved. They will make it to the end because God will make it through them. It will not be by human performance.
--Are we told to recognize Christ's birthday?-No.
--Is Christ's birthday within a month either way of December 25th?-No.
--Were shepherds in the field at night in December?-No.
--Were there three wise men?- No, the Bible does not say how many.
--Were the wise men in the stable, did they see the baby in the manger?- No, they showed up two years later;
----that is why Herod had all the children two years old and younger killed.
--Is the Christmas tree in any way associated with Christ?-No, in fact, we are told in no uncertain terms not to have one.
--Is there a Santa Claus?-No, what would he have to do with Christ?
--Are there flying reindeer?- No.
--Are there elves?-No.
If we tell our children all these lies, how do we expect them to suddenly believe that Jesus is real and not just another Santa? We must worship God in, "spirit and in truth". There is no truth in Xmas. Is that the way to raise your children, lie to them.
-- 1 John 2:21 no lie is of the truth.
In Jer 10:2-8, 600+ years before Christ, we are told that the heathen have a rite where they put up a tree and do all the things done at Xmass with it. We are told not to learn their ways is so doing. Is this not a similitude of what we are not supposed to do? Will you feel comfortable standing before the judgment seat of Christ excusing your participation.
-- Jer 10:2-8 Thus saith the LORD, LEARN NOT THE WAY OF THE HEATHEN, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3For THE CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE ARE VAIN: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 8But THEY ARE ALTOGETHER BRUTISH AND FOOLISH:
Christmas = Christ Mass, brought in as one of the corruptions of the Roman Church.
Amen, brother, thank you. Obedience is the evidence of our faith; we cannot ignore all of the Scripture on enduring and overcoming. Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Hebrews 12:7, James 1:12, 1 John 2:13-14, Revelation 2:7,11,17,22, Revelation 21:7. I could list more, but just these cannot be ignored, and if we do, we are deceived.
God bless,
RLW
Psalms 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Blessings
So that anointing, as special and yet grave in its administration to those priests, serves to demonstrate to us today, as God's children through Christ, the seriousness of our redemption and calling, to be called His very own. Having made us "kings and priests" unto Himself ( Revelation 1:6), we can only be found in such a blessed position in His family by also being anointed; not with that oil necessary for those priests, but with the Holy Spirit of God (that Heavenly Oil, if you will) that secures us as His children forever, Who teaches all things, and enables us to live this new life (in a corrupt world) unto God ( 1 John 2:20,27). As those not only anointed by the Spirit, but our bodies become the Temple of the Holy Ghost ( 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16), enabling us to live not in the fear and trembling of those old-time priests, but in redemption joy by the Spirit-given Power, of His Love, & self-control. Blessings.
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;"
Ezekiel 36:26
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
Ezekiel 36:27
"And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Matthew 5:19
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Blessings
1 John 2:27
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
Blessings
John 14:21
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Blessings
Psalms 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Blessings
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." 2nd Cor. 5:19
2 Corinthians 5:19 teaches that in Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself, not imputing (counting) people's sins against them. This reconciliation is complete, covering sins of the past, the present, and even those of the future, because Christ's sacrifice was once for all.
Past Sins: The believer's past life of sin has been fully forgiven through Christ's blood. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" ( Colossians 2:13). God does not hold a believer's former life of sin against them: "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" ( 1 Corinthians 6:11).
Present Sins: As believers still live in the flesh, we sometimes stumble, yet Christ's sacrifice continually avails for us. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" ( 1 John 2:1). His righteousness is always applied to us: "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" ( Romans 4:8).
Future Sins: Because Christ's sacrifice was once for all, even future sins are covered. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" ( Hebrews 10:12). This does not encourage sin but assures us that no sin can separate us from God's love. "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor things present, nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" ( Romans 8:38-39).
Any thoughts?
Thanks for your reply. I understand many see this as comfort, similar to what you hear at a funeral when the preacher says Bob is with Jesus in heaven. Am I going to tell that loved one No, he is not? NO, but what is the actual truth?
Ecclesiastes 9:5, if we die, we know nothing. Psalms 115:17 I believe that if our spirit were alive in heaven, we would be praising the LORD. Our only hope of eternal life is in Jesus; this comes when we are resurrected, not before, 1 Corinthians 15:52-54.
Not to drag this out, I will say, if we all have an immortal spirit, there is no death and no true gift of eternal life because we already possess it. John 3:15, John 10:28, Romans 2:7, Romans 6:23, 1 John 2:25. This is our promise. The others receive death; they will perish, John 3:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 2 Peter 2:12. The word perish is to destroy fully, permanent, absolute destruction. Revelation 21:8 their part, their punishment, and death will fit their sins, not burn for eternity.
Death is not a separation, as Greek philosophy puts it, which has influenced today's understanding.
Thanks again, brother,
God bless,
RLW
continuation - part 3
3. The Voice of the Enemy (Satan, Demons, The World)
The Bible clearly identifies a voice of temptation, accusation, and deceit that opposes God.
Genesis 3:1-5: The serpent (Satan) is the first voice of temptation and deceit, questioning God's word: "Did God really say?... You will not certainly die."
John 8:44: Jesus said about the Devil: "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
1 Peter 5:8: "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The "roaring" represents the voice of intimidation, fear, and accusation.
1 John 2:15-16: The voice of the "world" (value systems contrary to God) is also an influence: "Do not love the world or anything in the world... For everything in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-comes not from the Father but from the world."
Matthew 15:3
"But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?"
Matthew 5:19
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
1 John 2:27
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."
Blessings
Exodus 20:8
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."
Exodus 20:9
"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:"
Exodus 20:10
"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:"
John 14:21
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
1 John 2:4
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
Blessings
( 1 John 2:23) states: Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
Both these verses show that in reality; all those who are "true Israel" ( Romans 9:6) are those who are believers in God's only Son being the true Messiah. There are several things we can learn from this; the first and most obvious being that we can't separate the Godhead or choose to accept either the Old or New Testament by themselves as they are interchangeable and inextricably connected to the same Source. This situation is highlighted with those who don't like the behavior of God the Father in the O.T.; who create a god in their own imagination who only consists of the loving sounding verses Jesus spoke.
Of course this takes some cherry picking and wholesale bypass of say; an entire chapter dedicated to calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees; for example.
Another issue here is to conclude that God of the O.T. was only concerned with the law and judgment; and in the New Testament it is all about grace. This probably is easiest to come up with when we look at the Sermon on the Mount and diminish it to moral platitudes or somehow divorce the meaning from the Old Testament. When we look at almost all of the O.T.; there was a repeated and unavoidable meaning in the text of God's mercy or wrath in regard to blessings and cursings. The emphasis of the law can only be gleaned from the earlier books of the Pantateuch; we certainly see prophetic statements about Christ and His coming mission to Gentiles as well as Jews; as well as God being weary of the pomp and circumstance of Israel's offerings when they were caught up in adulterous and idolatrous behaviors. GOd spoke of a place of prayer for all nations ( Isaiah 56:7) as the ultimate Temple meaning.
What I am saying is no doubt some cause for controversy but I consider it very important. What I mean is that Satan tempts us and we yield to it and indeed do sin at times but the deception for a true believer is that we can go back to our old familiar ways of the old nature and we soon find out that there is no more pleasure to the sin as it used to be. At that point the accuser torments our minds with fear; and then many it seems are subject to the false doctrine of losing salvation. This causes utter despair and many to give up on their walk. Hence we have a number of individuals like the walking dead or zombies where they are rendered useless or close to it in propagating the Gospel and that is Satan's chief endeavor.
If he can succeed in stealing our joy then the message or "display" we show forth to the world is something not drawing men to faith. Many don't want to admit their failures unlike some who are immature in the faith and at times tell us more than we want to know; but I would say if we err to that side there is much more hope that we will continue on in the faith. PRIDE is something which was mentioned in the earlier verse; the pride of life. ( 1 John 2:16). Satan's fall was because of this and if we think we are self sufficient spiritually we are likely to become this way. Again things must be in balance; I myself am alone often and we all need to learn to feed on the Word and grow in maturity as no one can do anything for us ultimately but to help us learn the tools which we eventually put to practice; even if that is in more service to others. I won't go so far to say that national pride HAS to be wrong; but taking a look at any holiday in America the idolatry as the chief end all of the weekend involved doesn't take a rocket scientist to ascertain.
Let this be a wake up call to those not taking the times seriously or those who have allowed the enemy to sideline.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 2:1-6
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Did Jesus die for all, yes or no?
1 John 2:2 says YES
John 3:16 says YES
1 Timothy 2:4-6 says YES
2 Corinthians 5:14 says YES
Romans 10:13 says YES
1 John 4:14 says YES
But Calvinists say NO
Scripture saying Jesus did NOT die for all:
[none]
The Word of God says Jesus died for "all" and the "whole world" and "everyone" in those verses above. All means all, and the whole world means the whole world, and everyone means everyone. But cult teachings will try to twist this and say all does NOT mean all, and the whole world does NOT mean the whole world, and everyone does NOT mean everyone. It's like the serpent in the Garden of Eden who said you shall NOT surely die. It's obvious who is on what side by how they either affirm or denounce the scripture.
Those who disobey and intentionally deceive others from the truth put themselves in grave danger of God's wrath.
The 2nd big lie told by some is that people don't have freewill to do anything whatsoever. Some contradict themselves by saying they still sin but isn't their fault, while others say they don't sin at all and are perfect like Jesus, an obvious lie that 1 John 1:8 makes clear. Verses like Joshua 24:15 that say for you to choose (Calvinists deny this means you're not choosing) or for you to open the door (Calvinists deny this means you're opening the door) Revelation 3:20 , John 7:17.
The biggest lie I hear many say about others- they claim others are trying to EARN their own salvation. That lie is straight from Satan. They know its a lie but will spread it anyway. They know that 99% of Christians believe in grace and believe it is a gift, not earned. But just because they believe God gave them a gift of choice like Joshua 24:15 says, they suddenly claim their motives are to "earn" heaven. So dishonest. Beware of wolves!
1 John 2:15
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 2:17
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
Blessings
Psalms 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Blessings
In John's epistle, the thought there is that the Holy Spirit will show us when erroneous teaching or doctrine is presented; that if we abide in Christ & follow the doctrines delivered to us, we will remain on track. And to help us along, the Church is blessed to have teachers to guide us in the Word & appropriate that Word in our lives. Maybe we should see them as God's instruments who, with the Holy Spirit, confirm to us the Word and help us increase in knowledge and faith, thereby baring more fruit to glorify our LORD.
(Part 2):
Now, those who are not receptive, those whose hearts are not open to the truth, God continues to give them opportunities to come to Christ, but if they continue to reject the testimony, eventually God will give them over to a reprobate mind, a mind that allows them to continue to reject. Once that happens, there is no hope for that person.
This is why I was unable to connect the dots on what you were saying about this individual and using Romans 1:28. You say that those who knew this person considered him/her to be a Christian but if you read Romans Chapter 1 beginning at Verse 18, this person who seemed to be a Christian doesn't fit the description of a person who God gives over to a reprobate mind. If you go beyond Verse 28, it gives a long list of things which describe the things they were involved in. Also, they rejected the truth from the beginning and continued in their rejection, and the outcome is given to us in Verse 28.
Anyway, we stand in disagreement on whether or not salvation can be lost. I don't believe I will lose mine, and it has nothing to do with me being a good or righteous person because I have no righteousness of my own. But as long as I have Christ, I have righteousness because He is righteous. And He will never leave me, impossible!
If you don't mind, can you please give me your understanding of 1 John 2:19? Who are the "us" and "they" in this verse, and what is this verse saying to you? Thanks, brother!
God Bless!!!
Well put!
In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, AND THE LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
When we recieve Christ we recieved LIFE!
We recieve Christ Spirit! ( A LIFE GIVING SPIRIT)
Christ Spirit cannot die!
We have been baptized by the Holyspirit into eternal life! We have eternal life now.
Eternal NEVER ENDS!
We were baptized into his death.
Our old man is crucified with him, he can never hurt us with our standing with the Lord!
We stumbled in these corrupt bodies every day! Even in thought!
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1
1 John 1:8 says "If WE say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
John is talking to saved people! Not someone who has lost their salvation!
John included himself! (WE)
There will never be a time here in this world where you will ever have no sin.
So if anyone can lose Christ/Salvation then no one was ever saved and never will be.
You also see the work of Christ as our advocate in Romans 4:6-8.
Romans 4:6-8 reads, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN.
We're covered with Christ righteousness!
It's the heart that has changed in a true believer.
There is no desire to sin.
It grieves Christ Spirit that we now possess.
We're forever changing in the likeness of Christ but we will never be perfect until we are delivered from this body of this death.
Thanks again Brother.
God bless.
(Part 2):
So, if we choose to walk away, where will we go? Christ is coming for us. He owns us. His Spirit is the mark of ownership.
In 2 Corinthians 1:22, we see that God has sealed us, and He has given us His Spirit as a guarantee or pledge in our hearts that we belong to Him, and that He's coming for us. Christ has purchased us. He just hasn't come to pick us up yet but the giving of His Spirit to us is the guarantee that He is coming for us.
I like to describe it as purchasing tickets to a sporting event. We own the tickets, but we have not picked them up yet. They are sitting at the will-call. It's the same with us as believers. We are sitting at the "will-call" so to speak, waiting for Christ to come for us. We're not going anywhere until He comes for us.
It is my belief that a true believer (one who has been born from above) cannot commit apostasy. A person who belongs to Christ will always belong to Christ. They will never leave.
1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
Those who fall away were not true believers. If you look at the words "they" and "us," it's obvious that this is speaking of two classes of people, those who belong to Christ, and those who don't. According to this verse, those who walk away never were part of the "us," true born-again believers. A true believer will never walk away. I have been in discussions with people who say that salvation can be lost, that a believer can walk away from their salvation, and leave Christ. My response and challenge to them was to tell them that if they felt that they could walk away and denounce Christ and their salvation, go ahead and give it a shot. Prove it! They refused to take me up on the challenge. They mean someone else, not them! Go figure!
Blessings in Christ!
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1 John 1:10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
we are goanna sin daily and no one is perfect or without sin. If we could live a life sin free, God would not have sent his only son to die for us.
I understand we can't live however we want to and practice our sin. For the spirt is willing but the flesh is weak.
Like you, I do not believe Calvinism is true but I don't see it as such a big deal as you. You made it this far to marry and have kids- maybe you never discussed it before, proving that it already wasn't that important of an issue to you before. Many Christians have differing views on this and many are married and attend the same churches. Do you know if you disagree with all 5 pillars or just some? I think the 2 biggest are them believing they don't have freewill and not believing Jesus died for everyone like 1 John 2:2 says. You probably disagree with way more than just that if you actually read through the whole Bible together and line by line compared your interpretations. But why assume you have to agree on everything for a marriage to work? No two Christians will agree on everything and that's normal because we're all individuals. Why not instead focus on the main things you have in common? You're both Christians, believe in Jesus, and probably have more in common that you are realizing.
Maybe the real question is why are you choosing to have such a strong reaction to this of all things. You mention you're even worried for your family, but isn't your choice to view and react this way the real threat, instead of the viewpoints themselves? "extremely frustrated, devastated" are not normal reactions to just a difference of opinion. Did you really yell at your husband and call him a tyrant?! That's in violation of the Bible's teachings, probably marital vows to him, and that's unacceptable for a wife to treat her husband that way. That's the only thing shocking about this. Women sometimes have amplified emotions while pregnant. What if the opinions of Calvinism are simply a distraction from the real attack from the enemy deceiving you into resenting and disrespecting your husband? Ephesians 5:23-33 God bless you.
Here are some summary points
1) Many times God places things on our heart that are of little interest to others and we must bear the burden alone in full reliance on the Lord. This could involve our own personal struggles that we are not always free to share or the Lord for some reason forbids it. This may involve asking for forgiveness for others that have mistreated us as one example.
2) We must be alert to all methods of deception. This involves the world flesh and Devil.
a) The world. The world system and it's many forms of deception have been crafted by the enemy for many centuries.
There are vices which affect some and not others but no doubt there are one or two which we personally struggle with
in particular. Finding any comfort in the things of the world is something which we shouldn't do ( 1 John 2:15-16). Nor
should we rely on its riches or our own resourcefulness to supply our needs. This of course must be balanced by wisdom and hard work but ultimately we rest on the finished work of the Lord and trust Him to meet our needs. We focus on meeting needs of others whenever we can.
b) The flesh. It seems almost unnecessary to remind anyone of this issue in regard to distraction in our prayer life as it no doubt is painfully obvious to anyone trying to walk in the Spirit. Maybe I am assuming after almost a decade of not watching television; watching movies etc. that it is easy to simply not partake in some useless if not corrupted entertainment; although I am online and of course along with everyone else need to be vigilant to quickly bypass the scantily dressed and suggestive ads that pop up sadly quite often on Christian sites.
c) the Devil. I will conclude for today at leat on that third subject. BTW sorry can't seem to correct these margin issues.
"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."
Blessings
Dear "Michelle Collins" we as believers must rest on the promises of the Lord. And let Him remember them. Or rather the powers and authorities will remember when we talk Guds Word Eph 1:18-23
That is where we find strength and power. Never despair continue on the good path, and you will know that the Lord is good. He brings those who are going home, Home. Love you in Christ.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Blessings
1 John 2:28 - And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And now, little children (TEKNIA-little born ones), abide in Him; That's the word remain (MENO). In order that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming. So, he says abiding and remaining is the key. When Jesus comes, those who are abiding in Him, they will be ready for His coming.
Those who say they belong to Him, but are not abiding in Him, they will be left behind. It's not a performance. In Matthew 24:13, and the way the Greek text says it, it says the one who has endured to the end is the one who is saved. So, endurance is a characteristic, or evidence that a person is saved.
If you stop and think about it, if you receive Christ, and your soul or spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit, your soul now belongs to Christ. He says He will never leave you nor forsake you. Well, how can we not endure to the end if He's living in us?
He's the one who causes me to endure. In the human I might be weak, but there isn't anything or anyone that's going to take me away from Christ. Not even my own sin is going to take me away from Christ. Nothing will separate me from the love of God.
Please take note of this, that HUPOMENO, remaining under, is a characteristic of one who is saved. They will make it to the end because God will make it through them. It will not be by human performance.