Commented
The word “Israel” has multiple usage in scripture:
A. It can refer to the Land.
B. It can refer to the natural descendants of Abraham, as well as proselytes.
C. It can refer to all those in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile.
….. so therefore Replacement Theology ignores this fact.
Also, the Olive Tree of Romans 11 would seem to be the same symbolism used in John 15 regarding the True Vine, as the concept of grafting in and cutting off of branches is the same, which would lead me to believe the Olive Tree is Christ, Himself.
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Commented
No one can fully explain Predestination, as tying it all together in our mind is impossible.
Both Calvinism and Arminianism have some scriptural basis, but both are wrong individually due to the amount of scriptures they ignore to make the theory work, or the absurd contortions they put on those texts to make them fit the theory.
For example, there is not yet a reasonable explanation why God would desire all men to be saved knowing He has already predestined them for Hell?
Or why He would call many, but with no intention at all of saving them?
I think foreknowledge gives us a clue, and yet it’s still beyond our comprehension.
“….elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:”
1 Peter 1:2
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The word “sin” might seem outdated in today’s world, but, ironically, sin has escalated in society, and the word or concept has become. uncool.
To deny the existence of one’s own sin is a denial of reality, to cling to an illusion, because sin is the fabric of our being, we are born that way, the Bible says.
This sin nature is an inherited nature, not learned. Sure, we learn to sin, but only because it is our nature to begin with.
Sin is the breaking of God’s laws.
Jesus went straight to the heart of it – if you have lust in your heart or thoughts you’re an adulterer. If we hate anyone we are a murderer.
Jesus said all manner of sins spring forth from the human heart and defile man.
The Bible says Jesus came to save sinners, to destroy the power or slavery of sin, and make us children of God.
He accomplished this by dying on the Cross.
By making Himself a sacrificial offering for sin He was once and for all destroying its power over man.
And if we truly believe Him and follow Him then His victory is ours.
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The story of the Chinese virologist dissident who claims to have blown the whistle on Wuhan Labs has been around for months but is only now being picked up by the media. Why now? Has someone behind the scenes decided now is the time to escalate tensions with China?
And, where might escalated tension with China lead things?
They are certainly going to take such allegations as aggression.
And if the allegations are proved to be true, what can the world do about it?
And further to the mix, is Obama’s connection to Wuhan Lab going to be probed?
Just some thoughts.
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God’s love is more than we can imagine.
And His wrath is also more than we can imagine.
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Continuing on the subject of election/predestination/foreknowledge:
It’s essential to define the use of the word “control” as this is the key issue: How does God sovereignly rule over the nations and yet not control all their actions, as in, force them to do evil?
God is in control, but He is not causing evil.
When evil is committed it’s not as if God controlled them to do it.
And yet God is in control.
And, when people commit evil, does it mean they have fought against God and defeated His rule and authority?
If a truly born again person sins does it mean they have defeated the work of the grace of God in them by the Spirit?
Would it mean the Holy Spirit lost that fight by supposedly failing to prevent the sin?
Would it indicate the work of grace was somehow not good enough to keep him from sinning?
From a practical application standpoint, what are we to apply in our lives when we consider Biblical foreknowledge and predestination?
A. Know that He foreknew you, chose and predestined you.
B. Know that it is by His grace and mercy alone you are saved.
C. Don’t trust in anything good you’ve done.
D. Know that if you sin the Father will discipline you, to sanctify you (Heb. 10)
E. Know that if you continue to resist the Holy Spirit in you it will lead to a hardened heart and deception, and if there’s no repentance God will justly reject you.
F. And you believe God would be perfectly just and right to condemn you if you continue to trample the Son of God under your feet.
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A heavenly hope is a much greater and life sustaining hope than earthly hope.
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Is there anything in your life which you can’t thank God for?
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I asked an SDA, will those who are genuinely born again and go to church on Sunday go to heaven?
This was his reply:
“Will those people who are genuinely worshiping on Sunday be saved? None of us can tell for salvation in His hands… ” unquote
And this is very common for them. They don’t have assurance of salvation.
They do say they believe in the grace of God, but there’s a catch to it, they are “under the law” so their conscience will always be tied to the Law, which condemns them, so they never have peace with God and blessed assurance by the Holy Spirit.
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Would you like to know that God has forgiven you everything you’ve done against Him?
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We sing the Doxology:
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!”
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The Lord is exceedingly great!
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In my opinion government should be a fair balance between free private enterprise and a welfare safety net. What that balance is is open to endless debate. But business is the driving force which provides employment, generates wealth and tax revenue, which in turn funds welfare. So destroying business ultimately destroys welfare. Many seem to think the government is a money tree, but, really, they’re elected to responsibly allocate YOUR money into whatever is needed. If you pay taxes it’s your money and hard work which keeps the nation going.
I don’t believe a rebellious and unbelieving people can be forced to adhere to scriptural principles, rather, my post is more about Christians choosing the best option available to them presently for maintaining some sense of order and peace, for survival purposes.
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Lockdowns are “supposed” to be about lightening the load on hospitals, not about magically making Covid disappear, because they don’t. It’s here to stay.
Of course, it’s highlighting oppressive government, so vote them out.
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On the subject of Foreknowledge and Election:
A. Truly God knew from the beginning everything that will happen, and every person who would be born, and everything they would ever think, say or do. (Which is incredible)
B. Therefore He certainly knew who would obey Him and who wouldn’t.
C. It makes sense to call or choose someone if you already know what their answer will be.
D. That man has been given a free will does not assume he doesn’t need Gods grace to come to God.
E. Certainly, God does not force people to sin or obey, that is, apart from their will.
F. Certainly, God did not create the human race as robots who are all just running on a pre-program, as that would make God the author of evil and a monster. That would mean God makes people sin.
G. And then, no one can take the credit for their faith, it is a gift.
H. So, it is beyond human comprehension how God can sovereignly guide a person to do His will without taking away that person’s free will, in the sense that He holds them accountable for their actions, and so both facts are true, but impossible for the human intellect to fully reconcile.
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Replied to an SDA:
To get a proper understanding of what Paul meant in Romans regarding the law we need to study Galatians.
Sabbaths are fulfilled in Christ.
This is why there is no mention anywhere in the New Testament that gentile believers need to keep the Sabbath.
Not even once is it mentioned or alluded to.
Rather, the evidence is that the church met on the first day of the week to set itself as distinct from Judaism.
As to salvation, Ellen G. White made it very clear that Sunday church attendance means one has taken the Mark of the Beast and is thus lost.
This means that she did not believe that one is saved by grace through faith apart from the deeds of the law.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets”
Romans 3:21
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What if the only way forward, or the only way out of your predicament is by prayer?
Would you be happy with that?
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It’s sadly ironic that a generation which no longer believes in the existence of Hell is turning their society into a living hell.
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Every weekend in some cities up to 50 or more people are shot.
Who is doing the shooting?
Is this the work of racists?
Is this the work of Conservative Trump supporters?
Could it be the dreaded white supremacists out on a shooting rampage?
Or are the vast majority of these criminals Dem supporters?
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In discussion with a Liberal-Progressive “Christian” it’s hard to know if it’s them or their demons talking to you.
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“Glorify your name!”
It begins with our thought life, then touches everything else.
Ian Vincent 