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LOL!!! Many will think it is, sure... :) The Catholic Church is certainly very visible, yes. :) As are the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian... and countless others... churches. But Christ's Church is not visible as of now because we do not know for sure who its actual members are, because...

Jesus is the "firstborn over all creation" in the same sense that David (who was actually the lastborn and youngest of all his brothers) was made firstborn over Israel, meaning preeminent over, which is exactly Paul's context in Colossians 1. Aside from that, John tells us that without Jesus...

Do you mean to say "covered with," here? Oh well, no matter. What I would say to this is that I am catholic too... part of Christ's one holy, apostolic, catholic ~ universal ~ Church. And as of right now, that Church is invisible, meaning that we don't know for sure who all is actually a...

Uh... What??? What in the world makes you ask such a question? Do you somehow think I insinuated such? Well, again, I agree regarding the particular Greek word and it's true meaning, but your understanding of the entire passage is the issue. I was clear on that above, I think, so I'm not...

Respectfully, WPM, I... am not even sure what you mean by that. Grace and peace to you.

Just an aside, here, not directed at anyone in particular... Everyone here (I think) at least professes to be Christian, and as such, I would merely exhort us all not to... snipe :)... at each other. :) Grace and peace to you all.

Well, yes, because Peter himself is doing that. As for those who did (and who do) "really did follow Christ faithfully," because salvific faith itself is the gift of God (as Paul is crystal clear in enunciating in Ephesians 2:8), then those who truly fall away from the faith ~ "go out" from the...

Your posts are very colorful... :) And large... :) And as such very... excessive... :) But that's neither here nor there, I guess... :) I agree with this, but it has different connotations depending on the context in which it is used. (As an aside, this is also true of the Hebrew of the...

Agreed. And just regarding your second sentence here, if anyone truly is a brother or sister in Christ, he or she is then freed from slavery to sin and unrighteousness and thus a slave to righteousness. In other words, his or her whole inclination will be to live as becomes followers of...

Well, yes it is. We disagree. Who is the "they" Peter is speaking of here, BOL? The "they" refers directly to "false teachers... who... secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who brought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction" and the "many" who "will...

Sometimes, yes, as I said. In the Bible, no. Consider what Paul says in Romans 8, specifically verse 16, where, speaking of Christians, he writes, "...the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..." He's saying there is a Spirit ~ the Holy Spirit ~ who is a...

Absolutely not. While it's true there is no favoritism in God, that's most certainly not all that's being said... :) Okay, the writer of Hebrews says: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son...

Well no, VCO, I'm not forgetting anything. But surely you remember that there is no Jew or Gentile from God's point of view; we Christians (followers of Christ) are all one in Christ Jesus. And regarding Jewish-ness, VCO, you surely remember also what Paul said concerning who are true Jews in...

Well, that's the point, BOL. There are folks who think they're Calvinists... but are not, really, or, at least they think along some different lines as John Calvin really did. For example, there are folks out there who are really "hyper-Calvinists," hyper-Calvinism being an unintentional...

I think we're all at least kind of stubborn, don't you, SI? :) But, thanks be to God, one day we, like Paul and all those who have gone on before, will be delivered from this body of sin and death... :) Grace and peace to you.

Well, Christianity itself is not declining; God is building His Israel, and it will be completed. As Paul says in Ephesians 2, "(we) are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the...

I'm late this party, obviously... :) ...but I'm going to respond to this, at least: Eh... I would disagree with this, but that's neither here nor there, it seems. This is not true at all (other than Satan hating it, of course). Christ is literally reigning ~ from heaven, seated at the right...

Ugh... Disagree... :) Grace and peace to you, VCO.

No, but it seems you over-estimate the efficacy of our human emotions. You probably won't get the full impact of what I mean by that, but I'm going to leave that there. The Holy Spirit is not human emotion, or empathy, or anything of the sort. He is at work in us believers, for sure. How...

Okay, me it. :) Um, well, us it. :) Grace and peace to you.