Discuss Philippians 3 Page 7

There's nothing indicated in the Bible about cremation, whether for the Jew or Christian. The only possible cremation event we have is in 1 Samuel chapter 31, where the dead King Saul & his sons (killed by the Philistine army) were found by the people of Jabeshgilead & they burnt their bodies & then buried their bones; so this was not a cremation in its fullest sense.

But from a Christian perspective, we have no commandment to prohibit cremation & this is often taken up as an option, given the higher costs of buying a plot & the burial. And not knowing the RCC position on this (one would have to ask their priest), I would think that they too would permit it, under certain conditions. The early Church of the New Testament, would have used tombs or sepulchres as the Jews did, & so we today, generally bury our dead. My preference is for burial rather than cremation, though this is purely a person's choice.

Please guide me as to the verses regarding cremation. Whether pro or anti. We have read Genesis 3:19. Need further direction as it pertains to the Catholic Church.

We're introduced to Paul (then known as Saul) from Acts 7:58 onwards. Saul, by his own claim, was a Jew & a Pharisee (a religious leader, studied in Jewish Law), from the tribe of Benjamin ( Philippians 3:5,6). He also hailed from Tarsus, Celicia in Asia Minor (now Turkey). If you're keen to see the city & you have a map of Turkey, Tarsus is located between the cities of Mersin & Adana on the South coast.

Then from Acts chapter 9, you can read of Saul's mighty encounter with the risen Jesus Christ & from that event, Saul believed on Jesus, was baptized & later he was also referred to as Paul ( Acts 13:9). We generally hear the name Paul being used from hereon.

Paul wasn't one of the 12 disciples who walked with Jesus. However, since Paul had seen the Lord, received teaching from him (from Heaven while in the deserts of Arabia: Galatians 1:17), & called by Jesus to be His apostle ( Romans 1:1), the other apostles after some initial hesitance acceptance him. And of course, we know that God used Paul mightily to preach to both the Jews & the Gentiles of His saving Grace (his mission however was primarily to the Gentiles). Paul went on several missionary journeys & established several Churches, even in his own country. How very sad though, that Turkey now has Islam as its predominant religion, when at the time of Paul, he would have "turned the world upside down" with the power of the Gospel even in his home country.

So, if you read the Book of Acts, especially from chapter 7 onwards, you'll learn more of what I've shared here. And then his letters to the Churches are filled with wisdom, that which he learned from Jesus to teach Christians on how to live the Christian life victoriously.

I'm sorry, I don't read anymore in that Scripture, but read it as given. Paul often spoke of his life, before salvation & with Christ now, & it seems to me that the point he wanted to get across to his readers, was that the "life that he now lives" was formerly a life that was totally against & offensive to God, in spite of all his pharisaical knowledge & piety.

But now, he "counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" ( Philippians 3:8) as a further emphasis that he, who was once a somebody, became a nobody as far as man was concerned, but now a precious witness to the Grace of God, to be mightily used by God. With all this in mind, his abundant use of personal pronouns here & elsewhere, speak of his vibrant testimony to the Churches & to us of what God can do in a life once given over to religion & self-righteousness.

This is not what I wanted

Debra Take a look at 2 Timothy 25&26 also I Timothy 4:1-4 The same thing is still going on You confess Romans 10;9&10 to get born again of Gods Spirit baptism by water not needed.

What is the concision?

there is miracles in the lord yes yes it is real you have to give up fear it will kill you i have no more fear it will be done so mot it be god sends his angels they will watch over you

I certainly have no skill or knowledge to respond to such scientific experiments or goals. All I know is that man has never been able to, nor ever can, create something out of nothing. He may be able to replicate to some extent, but not create. As much as he has advanced in the scientific & medical spheres, a created being can never assume the creative powers & unsearchable wisdom of God. He might be able to build a robot to accomplish a myriad of tasks, but if he cannot tell where man came from & how things have come together, it can & should leave him humbled because of the minuscule amount of knowledge & skill that he actually does possess. Job chapter 38. He could, in His ignorance & self-worth, compare himself to the Almighty God, even as one who believes he has the power to control his present & future, but he is brought to total insignificance when he can't even stop the effects of sin on his life which ultimately leads to his death & eternal destruction.

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h. That it appears from the Word that Christians began worshipping the Lord on the first day of the week ( Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2), though attendance to meeting with others at the synagogue was still practised by Paul ( Acts 9:20, 13:5, 14:1, etc.), there appears a departure from the religious side of the Sabbath to the first day of the week, maybe in remembrance of the Lord's resurrection & a separation from the Jewish Sabbath which included worship. No doubt, the Sabbath still remained a day of rest for them.

I am personally not inclined to whether I worship on the first day, the second or even the seventh day, as the Sabbath Day significance has no application or meaning to me under the New Covenant. When I was in employment, the need for a rest day was still required & appreciated, but that's all there was to it. If Sunday as a worship day is a problem to some, then set another day aside to worship with the Lord's people. But if to keep the Sabbath becomes an unquestionable, non-negotiable requirement that can bring on the Wrath of God or disfavour to the people, then I simply cannot see that expressed in the Word or by the Spirit, & one would have to do some intricate exegesis to provide convincing proof.

Apologies for keeping this response lengthy (though brief, in some respects), but thought to raise some thoughts for you to chew on & respond where necessary, i.e. trying to lay down some groundwork to build upon. Every blessing.

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f. Jesus' time of suffering & death came, but also His glorious resurrection, that through this Divine Act of God to redeem ALL men to Himself, both Jew & Gentile would now be acceptable to Him through faith in the efficacy of the shed Blood. Was the Sabbath & the Law still current for the Jew? As long as they lived according to the requirements of the Law, they had to abide by it & were judged by it; if they failed in one part of the given Law, they had failed in all ( Galatians 5:3, Romans 2:13, James 2:10). When the Jew put aside the Law as necessary for salvation, then the application of the Cross became real: that which was based on faith & promise, & not on the letter that only served to reveal him his sin & to draw him to Christ ( Galatians 3:24).

g. So why then is the keeping of the Sabbath still necessary? For the Jew without Christ, it remains a day of rest, as an act of obedience to God, & using that occasion for religious exercises. For the Jew & Gentile who is now "in Christ", the Sabbath, as all other Laws, have no binding, other than the importance of setting a Rest Day aside from our labours, & the Laws that reveal God's Mind & Purpose for both religious & social responsibility. If one, whether Jew, Gentile or Christian, chose to keep any of the Laws, including Sabbath, then they were bound to keep it & the whole Law - there's no option to pick & choose. And by keeping the Law to justify ourselves before God, even one Law, then precludes us from the Grace of God through Christ, because that is diametrically opposed to the meaning of the Law ( Galatians 5:4).

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c. Numbers 28:9,10. Not only a day of cessation from labour, but was also used in religious activity: in this instance, sacrifice (a special burnt offering). From this, we might learn that the day of rest also involved sacrifice & maybe a rehearsal of the laws given by God to Moses. So we can't think of it as just a day to sleep-in & be totally unproductive in mind & spirit.

d. Various Scriptures concerning the 'do's' & 'don't do's' on the Sabbath are shown in the Word. The people could not "kindle a fire, collect Manna, trade in goods, or bear burdens". They could however, "be involved in military campaigns, weddings, feasts, offering of sacrifices, opening gates, changing guards, etc."

e. Till the building of the first Temple (Solomon's), all religious activity was contained in the precincts of the Tabernacle. When the Temple was erected, public worship & activity took place there. After the rebuilding of the Second Temple (c. 352 BC) led by Ezra, public worship recommenced. In Jesus' day, both the Temple & the Synagogue existed: as Chabad dot org says, "The purpose of the synagogue was to provide a venue to facilitate and enhance the Biblical obligation of prayer by adding a communal element." When the Roman army destroyed this temple in 69 AD, the synagogue remained the only place to come together. So, the Jews maintained the 7th day of rest as prescribed but also used that day productively in the synagogue. And this is where we find Jesus: both at the Temple ( Matthew 21:12,13) & also at the Synagogue ( Matthew 4:23), teaching but also condemning the religious leaders for their hypocrisy, high status, extra stipulations for the Sabbath, & grievous burdens laid on the people (Matthew chap 23). Jesus conformed perfectly to His Father's Commandment in treating the Sabbath as holy & in doing so, revealed to the leaders their failure to understand its meaning, both in rest & correct religious observance & practise.

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Hello Rodney. I see that this matter is much on your heart & with anything that requires serious consideration, I find that if we have the basic understanding of it, then we can confidently proceed from there. But if we have disagreement at that 'basic' level, then whatever proceeds from there, will amplify our objections & take us to further divergent thoughts & conclusions. So, with the Sabbath Day, it's only proper to understand what is given to us in the Word & what God requires of us by His Command. Therefore, I will state what I believe on that subject & you can take issue with me in point form, so that the matter might be properly addressed. And by the way, I'm here on this Site just as you & others are, to share, discuss & learn more from God's Word. May the Lord help us & give us His Wisdom.

a. Genesis 2:2,3. On the seventh day, God rested from His Work & blessed that day & sanctified it. Was God exhausted & worn out from that demanding work of creation? The use of the word, Shabath, indicates that it was simply a cessation of work. And in the Genesis account, I'm not trying to decipher whether the days of creation were literal 24 hour days, or days denoting extended periods of time. The point was that for six 'creation' days God involved Himself in work & on the seventh He desisted from such work which doesn't imply any physical weariness.

b. Exodus 20:8-11. The first direct instruction given to the children of Israel concerning this day of rest, Shabath. The keeping of this day holy (set apart) as with the rite of circumcision, marked out this people as belonging to the Lord, that which no other nation was given or observed. All humans & animals in the company of God's people had to desist from any form of work or else punishment by death followed ( Exodus 31:12-17). This command (or, any other commands) & any requirement to observe them, were not given to any other people except to Israel.

Hi Chris. .i do realise your have to respond to many question.just food for thought .i will be brief. Scientist have built enormous particle accelerator costing billion trying to duplicate what God put into existance by the" word of His mouth" they have tried to create life but to no avail .then they decided what the heck and they built a robot instead .hence we have Sophia.now that is another topic to descuss whenever you have the time .

Kind Regards

Rodney

Dear Chris .Thank you for your prompt reply. I m sure you agree when the heavens and the earth were created ,it was the creation of one God ,our creator. sadly Satan misleads the majority of us into believing there are many gods and many paths leading to the Kingdom of the true God and His Son Jesus Christ. From a logical perspective the creation of the heavens and earth ,the universe is to complex for us mere mortals to even try to comprehend adding to that indescribeable event God created the heavens and the earth in six days and on the 7th God rested and put aside ,"Santified a special day of rest.. a sign of our alegiance to our creator.my thought is this why on such a mind boggling event would the 7 th day of rest and worship over time now become the 1st day of the week. Would the almighty God allow such a change to happen? ! God forbid! I will bck up my claim with verses .Chris ,if i may call you Chis? I ask myself did the 7th Sabbath precede the Sunday of worship or viseverse.im using capital letter Sunday out of respect for your belief. I got to start replying to your verses of the day one reason being i read your prayers and they are of dedication and genuine concern for your fellow human beings .i am replying for the same reason out of genuine concern for my fellow human beings.May we according to God's word together descredit Satan and his lies and deceit .and i mean for us to do this being led by the Holy Ghost..if God is for us ! Who can be against us and i say this with conviction.please advise .

Kind Regards

Rodney

Hello Rodney. Thank you. May the Lord add His special blessings to your lives too, & that you in return might be a blessing to others He draws to you. I'm usually on this Site each day, unless I need to be away, so please feel free to share your verses & thoughts that we might be enriched through the study of God's Word.

Hi Chris .May you and your family have a Blessed ,safe and festive holiday .i have verses which i would like to share .please let me knw when i can do so

Kind Regards

Rodney

Paul's letter to the Philippians was written by Paul (considered one of his letters he wrote while imprisoned in Rome). He wrote it to the Church in Philippi, which he founded during his second missionary journey. Philippi was a small city, founded by King Philip of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great). The residents were called Philippians. The other city close to Philippi was Thessalonica, which was the second city that Paul preached to during that journey. And so we read of Paul's other two letters to that Church also. Both Philippi & Thessalonica were in Macedonia (if you want to see it on a map, then it would be located just north of Greece).

Who or what is Philippians?

Thank you for your thoughtful post, Chris. Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world, is able to save to the UTTERMOST those who come unto God by Him, for He ever lives to make intercession for them. Salvation is all about a PERSONAL relationship with the Savior. He has even provided for us, by His FINISHED work on the Cross, the works for us to enter into. ( Ephesians 2:8-10). Many will say "Lord, Lord" to Jesus on the last day, and point to THEIR works as proof of a relationship (which was non-existent) with Him, when there is only ONE work God will accept for our Salvation and redemption: the BLOOD of a sinless, spotless Lamb offered at Calvary. The Apostle Paul knew there is ONE way to KNOW Christ: thru His Cross, His death, and His sufferings ( Philippians 3:7-11). There is a world-loving, sensual church today that has completely walked away from the meaning of the Cross: which is DIE to self, and become united with Christ in His Cross and partake of the Power of His Resurrection that flows from His Cross, which is the power of God and the Wisdom of God ( 1st Corinthians 1:23-24).

Once again, thank you for your great testimony Gary & all that you've shared here. Indeed, the incomprehensible wonder of it all: that God should choose us to be IN HIM even before the foundation of the World, to be holy creatures & without blame before Him; & also being predestined unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto Himself, Ephesians 1:4,5. Thus, as His children, so greatly blessed to have His Spirit indwell us, we can only but cry out "Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant (as serving under the Law that brought judgement & death), but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:6,7. What a privilege we have to be called the children of God & what the full import of that will be when we all stand together in that coming day, in great joy before His Glory having full understanding & in perfect love. We can hardly restrain ourselves awaiting that time ( 1 Corinthians 2:9,10).

And yet, in the flesh, we often fail to restrain ourselves from sin. Even knowing to do good, but not following through with it, it becomes sin to us ( James 4:17). We could cry out with the apostle, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" What a beautiful & correct answer: it's only possible "through Jesus Christ our Lord" ( Romans 7:24,25). It's by Jesus' Blood He cleanses us, by His Spirit He delivers us, & by His Promise He receives us as His children, made worthy to share in His Glory.

Unworthy as we might feel to receive any crown or prize, as the work of Grace in us has been all from Him & of Him, yet as the apostle ran his earthly race, he only saw the prize that lay before him that kept him alert, motivated & on proper course: the prize of his "high calling OF God IN Christ Jesus" ( Philippians 3:14): ultimately to be in the Lord's Presence, finding full rest from his manifold temptations & difficult labours.

Every blessing to you & to Richard - thanks for popping by.

1. Need more specifics in your question.

2. Genesis 15:18-21.

3. Romans 4:1-3.

4. Philippians 3:9.

Mystery Babylon in revelation 17 , most assume it's the RRC ,

Then who are her harlot daughters ? They hold the same teachings perhaps , this is a huge religious system mixed with the world .

We know the RRC excepts other religions and is ecumenical.

Even Billy Graham was in association with them .

The Nicene creed was the beginning of the RRC so how many hold to these doctrines ?

If it's not the RRC then who is it ? It would need to be way in the future, because only RRC would fit the discription currently.

Numbers Chapter 21

8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Mishael

which verse talks about the children of israel being beaten by snakes

Those were very noble & compelling comments you shared Adam. May your spirit & mind be encouraged as you walk this Earth with temptations & tribulations encircling you. The Lord of Grace be your constant companion & strength, so that you may walk with head held high, with great joy in the abundance of grace given to you. Hebrews 4:16; James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34: All of Grace.

I am suffering but didn't Jesus Christ, as precious Emmanuelle, suffer also? I am undergoing tribulations, but doesn't this mean those eyes of unquenchable fire are upon me? I die daily to my flesh while Jesus gave up the ghost upon the cross, Heavenly Father's only begotten literally died but then was resurrected! I will honor this love, I will respect this power and even offer up my undeserved life to that which is greater than any indeed.

Our duty as Jesus Christ's servants is to preach His Gospel. Can we make judgments about anyone BEFORE we tell them the Gospel? I don't think so. However, once we have preached to someone, and they react to the news of Christ as a dog/swine(they reject it, mock it, insult it etc), their blood is on their own head. We are clean.

Acts 18:6 'And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, YOUR BLOOD BE UPON YOUR OWN HEADS; I AM CLEAN'

And again, Acts 20:26-27 "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of ALL MEN. For I HAVE NOT SHUNNED TO DECLARE UNTO YOU ALL the counsel of God."

And again, Mark 6:11 "whosoever shall not receive you, NOR HEAR YOU, when ye depart thence, SHAKE OFF THE DUST UNDER YOUR FEET for a testimony AGAINST THEM. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city."

And again, Matthew "whosoever shall not receive you, NOR HEAR YOUR WORDS, when ye depart out of that house or city, SHAKE OFF THE DUST OF YOUR FEET."

Perhaps seeds were planted/watered by us and later that person will come to their senses, but the Bible tells us our duty is fulfilled. We depart from them and warn others.

Matthew 7:6 'GIVE NOT that which is holy UNTO THE DOGS, neither cast ye your pearls BEFORE SWINE, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.'

We see here, Christ Jesus never required us to babysit or go after the dogs or swine. Rather, he warns us to beware them.

Philippians 3:2 "BEWARE OF DOGS, beware of evil workers" Dogs are people who reject the Gospel of Christ. God compares them to evil workers.

And again, in Titus 3:10-11 "A man that is an heretick AFTER the first and second admonition REJECT; Knowing that HE THAT IS SUCH IS SUBVERTED, and SINNETH, BEING CONDEMNED OF HIMSELF.

And the word is God .

Amen .

And we know Jesus is the Son of God not God . Amen .

Alex comments on the written word and the living word, Jesus said search the scriptures ( the written word ) in them you think you have eternal life but it is them that testify of ME WHICH IS THE H.G. the living WORD, REMEMBER he said the H.G. will testify of me, My words are Spirit and life but there is no eternal life in the scriptures the written word, doncha see that if eternal life were in the written word our lord shed his blood in vain and the cross was just foolishness. Jesus was the LIVING WORD made flesh and blood a Celestrial being not a terestrial being. I am not of this world you are of this world but i am not of this world you are from beneath i am from above he told the jews. The bible is precious and holy but there is no eternal life in paper and ink, eternal life is only in his blood which is the living we are made clean by his WORD OR HIS BLOOD. Natural Israel were sola scriptura but they stoned almost every prophet that God sent them and rejected the Christ so much for the written word,Mary was not impregnated by the written word but by the living word, Christ Jesus is the LIVING WORD made flesh and blood not the written word made FLESH and blood true Redemption can only come by his blood,Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world i love the bible but it cannot remove the sins of the world . That good seed is the living word not the written word. Its answers to the 2 lights the lesser light is the written word, But the greater light is the living word. But Jesus said if we walk in the nite light th lessser light we are gonna stumble rememeber David ok gbu