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Stan, even if you want to assume that a 1th century carpenter’s son from Galilee was multilingual, His audience certainly was not. So of course Jesus preached in Aramaic. Aside from the few Aramaic insertions, what we find in the gospels aren’t Jesus’ actual words, but what people memorized of...

I’m not at all suggesting, we must ignore our differences, I’m saying we should try to resolve them. Just as Lutherans and Catholics did when through ecumenical dialogue they arrived at a “a common understanding of our justification by God's grace through faith in Christ.” Actually I’ve been to...

The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that was in wide use among Hellenist Jews when the NT was written: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septuagint

Kerwin, for all we know Jesus did not speak Greek, but Aramaic. It was the authors of the Gospels who used the Septuagint, not Jesus.

True enough. I already stated that if fundamentalist evangelicals got hold of a Luther Bible including his introductions to the texts they’d recoil in horror. His main focus was the Epistle to the Romans, in which Christ had encountered him. In comparison he did deem some other texts of little...

What’s worse than unity just for unities sake is division just for division’s sake. Remember, Christians are called to unity: Eph. 4:1-16. Frankly: I’d be very surprised if you knew the finer theological differences between Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Calvinists, Zwinglians...

Hi there Josho, thanks, but I’m not a moderator any more. Couldn't ban you even if I wanted to. :D

The question of evil is indeed the toughest one. Personally I have no answer for it other than that I hope that in the end all will be good. And even that can easily sound as if it was belittling suffering. So all we’re really left with when confronted with suffering is to “weep with those who...

You are right. I explained myself badly: I meant torturing children in the fully blown sadistic killing way. Of course human beings are capable of that, too. But most people will see it as deeply wrong. The problem that arises from the view that our morals are simply the product of your...

Well Stranger, you don’t seem to know much about Christianity outside the Bible-Belt and I don’t blame you. God knows I learn daily how little I know about Christianity outside Europe. The situation over here is that – for historical reasons – some regions are almost entirely Catholic and some...

Those of us whose feet are guided “into the way of peace” do (Luke 1:79). The believer will do what the Lord says not out of fear but out of love: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph. 4:30) I believe we live in the church-age, that...

Oh yes, Jesus was well versed in the Hebrew Bible and could not only quote from it but weigh it as he frequently did when He discussed it with the Pharisees. And here and there he boldly said “But I say to you”. You know why He could teach people “as one having authority, and not as the...

I found it more useful to point out that humanism is deeply rooted in Christianity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_humanism Concerning relativism I like to point towards the Moral argument. Most atheists I know are decent people and it gets under their skin: When they say morals are...

We’ve been there and done that, Stan. So the questions of what ‘god-breathed’ may mean exactly and which Scriptures 2 Timothy possibly could have referred to in a time when there wasn’t a NT yet aside: surely you see that there is a difference between being "useful for teaching, rebuking...

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new. 18 All this is from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ...

It’s not me who requires that it is followed but Jesus Christ. Following it is not a ‘law’ like the Mosaic law, but the result of His spirit abiding in us and perfecting us. It’s the transforming power of His love and grace that makes us want to obey Christ’s commandment and that enables us to...

It’s Reformation day. The 499th! All this year Protestants around the world will be celebrating in anticipation of the 500th year anniversary. And what’s most amazing: the Catholic Pope joins in and prays and celebrates with us! How wonderful such reconciliation is. Praise God! “Pope Francis has...

1.) Far be it from me to whitewash church-history – in its 2000 years of existence Christianity has erred terribly in many ways – but our shared history is not all bad. 2.) Exactly Stranger: the Reformation did help remove restraints that the Church had upon Western man. It so happens that...

Where in Scripture does it say that Scripture is the final authority? When I read the Bibel I get the Impression it means to tell me that God is the final authority.

I find it a bit self-contradictory to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, whilst openly refusing to follow His commands. Imho the Sermon of the Mount just explains in so many words the one command Christians ought to follow: the double-commandment of love. It is indeed not a “law” in that...