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Not necessarily. The idea of Jewish believers includes an idea of Jewish non-believers, so if the second thing is like the first...

"All have sinned" seems to eliminate both as possibilities. I think it's more nurture than nature. The child of an alcoholic is more likely to be an alcoholic, but there's no observable physical change in the child. It's patterned behavior - if daddy did it, then it's permissible for me too...

I don't know about opponents. The contrast seems to be between Jewish and Gentile believers... reading the verse like... 1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our (the Jewish believers') sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (the Gentile believers who would...

Perhaps Hebrews 10:4 needs an addendum? For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins... that's the scapegoat's job. I don't think much of the Levitical sacrifices. I don't think God wanted them (well it says so a few times). I think their effect amounted...

Christians aren't going to agree on everything. Find yourself a community that tolerates your eccentricities, if you can.

You missed the point.

Christianity isn't synonymous with the Bible (some here will disagree). Thomas Jefferson famously took scissors to his Bible and cut out all the miracles. He gets called a Deist too. As nearly as I can figure, a Deist who subscribes to the teachings of Christ, is just a Christian by another...

No... but that belief is more borne out of necessity than anything else. If that were so, what hope is there for anyone? At a glance, it seems to proclaim Unlimited Atonement (Calvinists in shambles). There's some wiggle room in the phrase 'whole world' if you start digging at it. The...

As I understand it, atonement just means 'covering' or 'smearing.' Here's the lexicon entry. When Noah built his ark, he 'atoned' it with tar. With regard to The Atonement, I think the idea is that Jesus has covered up our sins. They are no longer visible. Let's bring that back around to...

I know I already responded... and I think my responses on page 1 holds up pretty well, but I wanted to say a little more about this point... Have you ever tried to pin down exactly what Jesus taught? I have... and it turns out that 'the-genealogies-are-meaningless' is part of what Jesus...

Matthew 6 says more than that. First, it says nothing about unbelievers. It concerns the disciples, and the "hypocrites" who ARE believing Pharisees who are more concerned about virtue-signaling to others than actually doing good. Jesus tells His disciples that they should do good works in...

I agree - an eternity of torment is not a balancing of the scales. But neither is a free hall pass. If God is concerned with fairness, then some reckoning is required. In the appropriate measure, it restores balance. 1Corinthians 3: 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid...

The idea of fairness dictates that those who do good should receive the fruits of their labor, and those who do bad should reap the consequences of their actions. But that doesn't happen in this life. Evil men prosper by exploiting honest men's labor. God taking retribution is a balancing of...

It's the nature of scholars to discount what they can't explain - Christian or not. For Job? The creation story in Job does contain a mythology (God's speech, ch. 38-41), but otherwise... Most of the book is arranged as a dialectic philosophical work. While it makes reference both to events...

In Canaanite beliefs, their chief god EL was the father of all the Elohim. Many of his children - the "sons of EL" - were adopted. The coronation ceremony for Canaanite kings was an adoption to the god - thereby making them divine sons. (David observed such at his own coronation in Psalm 2)...

It's tied to the idea of atonement, for which the Hebrew word also most literally mean s "covered." To be naked is to be uncovered, un-atoned-for. Note that one of the first things God did for Adam after the "fall" was to clothe him.

I don't think I ought to speak for him. He speaks for himself. I don't find his post unrelated. A bit hard to parse, perhaps. Hey @dak , are you the same Daq I met long ago at Grace Centered Forums?

You asked 'grace or works?' We answered - faith Faith in what? you asked Faith in Jesus That seems to be the same answer Paul gives: 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

You have no idea what you're talking about. Your false piety makes you blind.

It's a bit more dramatic than that... The "lightning" in question destroyed a flock of 5,000 sheep. The text describes it as "the fire of God fallen from heaven." The "tornado" is described as "great wind" striking the home from all 4 sides. What is envisioned are the 4 winds of heaven. In...