Search results

I think it is a mistake to take one attribute or quality of God while ignoring the others to establish a doctrine. The Bible does not teach universalism. There are scores of text that deal with judgment, punishment and condemnation. Jesus is the Savior of the world but that simply means that...

Jesus is the Savior of the World. He is not just the Savior of Israel. That title does not mean all will be saved. It means he is the Savior of all.

Please let us know if someone is being unnecessarily rude. We want to encourage lively, passionate debates but don't want people feeling beat down and harassed. We hope everyone here who is kind, thoughtful and passionate will find a wonderful community in which to discuss and debate their ideas.

Good grief. There is just no way I can keep up with you two. Way too many posts for me to try to follow and comment on. Ha! Good luck gentlemen.

I will disparage your message when it is false and a clear misrepresentation of other people's beliefs. Notice the first line of that Creed... "I believe in one God," Trinitarians believe in one God that consists of three personas...Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is one. No Trinitarian...

FHII, Thanks for the conversation. I appreciated it. If nothing else, perhaps we each have a better grasp of why each of us holds to our position. I would only add that the "metaphor" I was speaking of related to Jesus "drinking from a cup" or being "baptized with the baptism." I think...

Peanut, Trinitarians believe "God is one." You are in error. Let's not knock down straw men.

Agreed. I like what Paul said to Timothy.... “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come...

Paul declares that the unbelieving Hebrews were "not my people," were "children of Hagar" and were "cut off" from the tree representing the faithful people of God. Moreover, he says, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” (Romans 10:1, ESV) Clearly...

“καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ [τῆς] γῆς. πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθʼ...

The word "baptize" in the Greek is an onomatopoeia. That is to say, the word sounds like what it is describing. The same could be said of English words like "smack" "pop" or "sizzle." Bap - tis - o in the Greek is meant to sound like the act. Just imagine someone doing a cannonball in a...

Copperhead, You made a general statement about the nature of God's promises that I believe are false. I have no desire to get bogged down in debate over your views on Ezekiel's temple, etc. The idea that God's promises to Israel are physical and lack fulfillment and God's promises to the...

Paul's interpretation of the OT and promises God made to Abraham and Israel contradict your argument.

FHII, Thanks for your reply and condensing this a bit. I know I can get a bit wordy, but I try to be thorough to alleviate misunderstanding. First, let me respond to the baptism and water point. Yes, I think baptism implies water, just as breathing implies air. The word simply means to dip...

Marymog, I understand your view on ecclesiology. Although, as you know, I don't think the person speaking is trying to discuss that point (although I am sure he agrees with you given that he is Catholic). Even as a Protestant myself, I agree that the "church of one" mentality is unbiblical...

Good topic. I think it is very important to have strong convictions as well as a strong sense of humility. I think it is important to have strong convictions because we live in a world that can often be "so open-minded that your brains fall out." We need to be able to test things and grow in...

No, I do not believe it is sinful to have a thought pop into your mind. As others have mentioned, it is meditating on those evil thoughts that is sinful. However, I would also say that we need to be cautious about the things to which we expose ourselves. If you regularly listen to hateful...

Bbyrd, That is a great question. 1) I dont think those who hold my position on water baptism would all have the same conclusion on the "baptism of fire." 2) There are three main views on what the nature of the baptism of fire. First, some equate the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit at...

Marymog, Thank you for responding. I had a very different take on the purpose of this article than you. I see nothing in this article that indicates the purpose of it is to help actively gay people stop being gay. Rather, the author says at the beginning of the article that it is about "the...

Thank you for your response. My mistake. I did not see Acts 19 quoted there originally. I must have been sleepy :). FHII, I believe Acts 19 validates my view regarding the great importance of baptism and its relationship to receiving the Holy Spirit. “and asked them, “Did you receive the...