Search results

Submitting to the Holy Spirit's prompting to repent is an act of obedience--as is submitting to the waters of baptism. They are not requirements for salvation--but they are part of the journey of faith (sanctification). Let's not confuse justification with sanctification.

Repentance is not a requirement--it is the outcome of grace through faith. I did not choose to repent. I was "cut to the quick" (grief over the sin of my former life) and repentance was granted to me by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, "Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.” (John 14:21) He also said that loving God and our fellow men is the summation of the law and the prophets. One might...

This is the age of grace and mercy but, eventually, the Millennial Kingdom will be ruled "with a rod of iron"--absolute adherence to the rule of the Law. Mankind is tested in this world of sin and death but God will wipe away every tear in the Eternal State which we will share with Him and the...

Jesus cautioned about doing that or putting new wine in old wineskins as a way of speaking to the issue of Old Covenant vs. New Covenant.

God does not have to justify Himself to us. I agree that we would not want to promote a return to that rough justice (although I would like to see those who rape women and especially children, be locked up for a very long time).

Uh-no! But, those were different times and circumstances.

Israel was "between the rock and the hard place"--they could not permit most of their enemies (God said that the Land was "vomiting them out") to live. Their enemies would be constantly searching for "pay back" to them--for generations to come--the inhabitants of Canaan were really, really...

To be fair, it is speaking of true rape (if she cried out and was not helped) vs. voluntary adultery on her part. If she was truly raped, she would be permitted to live but she would be disgraced ("used goods"), so she could never marry. She would be forced to live with her father until he...

If you say so. ;) Where in Scripture is what you have said, spelled out?

He said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth and that the truth would set us free. Jesus' Jewish hearers would have known that the prophet, Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 23:6) said that in the future days of Messiah, He would be called "The LORD is our Righteousness" (Yahweh Tsidqenu in...

We probably need to define our terms. "Faith" in the Greek is pistis while "belief" is from the same root, pisteuo. It is not mere intellectual assent or "to know" which would be ginosko in the Greek. To "know" was not thought to be same thing as to "believe" whereas, in English, the words...

Now try free will and prophecy. ;)

If you are speaking of the Parable of the Four Soils from Matthew 13, it is interesting to note that the Lord never says that they "believe" but rather that they merely "hear the message and immediately receive the message with great joy." Paul said in Romans 10 that Israel both heard and...

What are you referencing that "Jesus Himself said"? Horrors, NO! They carry the whole idea of God's sovereignty to extremes--and truth is rarely found in the extreme of any theological position. I am merely saying that I simply don't know how the sovereignty of God (which I very firmly...

In what way? All sorts of heresies have been hatched through the centuries by ignoring the general thrust of Scripture and focusing narrowly on a line or two here and there. From what on earth are you drawing to come to that conclusion? No--Paul was obviously a student of the meaning of...

No--not everyone who claims to be a Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19, we see the Apostle Paul encountering believers in Ephesus who were without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 2:20-22 is quite likely referring to those who have not received the Holy Spirit--that...

It seems that one of the silent questions here is: "What constitutes 'works'?" How many old ladies do I have to help cross the street before I can consider it enough? Works are open-ended--how many do I need in my "works bank account"? And if I am keeping track of my works, howbeit that I am...

Is there any "reality" in Jesus being a door? Citing rhetorical devices do not make for a sound theology. Romans 7:4 contains a strong argument against adherence to the law: "You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ." Romans 2:29 is similar in stating that a true Jew is not...

No, what I actually said was: "There is no such thing as the Law of the Spirit." Paul is using a bit of hyperbole in the passages you cite. But, I don't think we should make a theology out of his linguistics and instead, reach for his meaning in light of the rest of his inspired teaching...