God and the Bible

[Bob Estey]

[39] You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me;
[40] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40 RSV

Is everyone praying constantly as Paul instructed us to do (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?

 

[bbyrd009]

[39] You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me;
[40] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40 RSV

Is everyone praying constantly as Paul instructed us to do (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?

that would be fairly hard with our current understanding of what “pray” means, i think?
4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes

exchanged any wishes lately, Bob? What does that even mean, i wonder

 

[Bob Estey]

that would be fairly hard with our current understanding of what “pray” means, i think?
4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes

exchanged any wishes lately, Bob? What does that even mean, i wonder

I think to pray means to talk with God. I would talk to God, even if "pray" had a different definition. I hope people remember that praying doesn't just mean talking, but also listening. If we don't listen, we can't take advantage of all the advice God gives us. Right?

 

[bbyrd009]

I think to pray means to talk with God. I would talk to God, even if "pray" had a different definition. I hope people remember that praying doesn't just mean talking, but also listening. If we don't listen, we can't take advantage of all the advice God gives us. Right?

well Bob, i think “pray” is an englyshe word that loses some/most of the original import, and while Yah’s advice to me seems to usually come in the form of an irl example, i sure wouldn’t disagree with you there

 

[Bob Estey]

well Bob, i think “pray” is an englyshe word that loses some/most of the original import, and while Yah’s advice to me seems to usually come in the form of an irl example, i sure wouldn’t disagree with you there

Paul tells us to pray constantly. That seems like good advice to me.

 

[Webers_Home]

.
• John 5:39 . .You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you
have eternal life

That's still true even to this day; there are Jews actually believing they
obtain eternal life academically, i.e. from study. The Jehovah's Witnesses do
too; and they get that from John 17:3 which says, in their Bible:

"This means everlasting life: their taking in knowledge of you, the only true
God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."
_

 

[BARNEY BRIGHT]

.
• John 5:39 . .You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you
have eternal life

That's still true even to this day; there are Jews actually believing they
obtain eternal life academically, i.e. from study. The Jehovah's Witnesses do
too; and they get that from John 17:3 which says, in their Bible:

"This means everlasting life: their taking in knowledge of you, the only true
God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."
_

First of all when it comes to John 5:39 that scripture is in no way telling people who are truly faithful disciples of Jesus Christ that they will not find everlasting life by studying the scriptures. Some use this passage of scripture and interprete it as though Jesus were discouraging the study of the scriptures to get eternal life. At John 5:39, 40, we read what Jesus said to some in his day: “You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means of them you will have everlasting life; and these are the very ones (scriptures they are studying) that bear witness about me. And yet you do not want to come to me that you may have life.” By that comment Jesus was not discouraging his Jewish listeners from studying the Scriptures. Instead, he was showing up their insincerity their inconsistency. They realized that the Scriptures could guide them to everlasting life, but the very Scriptures that they were searching also should have led them to the conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah. But, they refused to accept him. Studying was thus of no profit to them because they were not sincere, therefore not teachable about the truth concerning those scriptures that they were studying. That doesn't mean you can't gain eternal life by studying the scriptures, just because these Jews who were studying these scriptures would not listen to what the scriptures they were studying were actually saying. (Deuteronomy 18:15; Luke 11:52; John 7:47, 48)

You're like those jews, you take a scripture like John 5:39 and put your interpretation on it and just as those jews, who were studying the scriptures to get eternal life and did not listen to what those scriptures were actually saying, but instead they put their own private interpretation on them and believed something other than what those scriptures were actually saying, so do you. If those jews had listened to what those scriptures were actually saying and not going by their private interpretation of them, then they would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah. But because they were going by their own interpretation of these scriptures that they were studying to get eternal life but not listening to what those scriptures were actually saying they would never get everlasting life by studying them. Not because studying the truth which is in the scriptures doesn't teach us about who the only True God is and who his only begotten Son is so you can get eternal life, as you're trying to say by putting your private interpretation on John 5:39.

 

[DavidB]

.
• John 5:39 . .You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you
have eternal life

That's still true even to this day; there are Jews actually believing they
obtain eternal life academically, i.e. from study. The Jehovah's Witnesses do
too; and they get that from John 17:3 which says, in their Bible:

"This means everlasting life: their taking in knowledge of you, the only true
God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."
_

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe we obtain everlasting life from studying? I didn’t know that is what I believe.
Do you believe knowing the only true God and the one he sent, Jesus Christ has anything to do with gaining everlasting life? Or do you think someone can just emotionally declare themselves to be saved even though they know virtually nothing about God and Jesus? Does a person need to know God and Jesus to have faith in them?

 

[amadeus]

that would be fairly hard with our current understanding of what “pray” means, i think?
4336 proseúxomai (from 4314 /prós, "towards, exchange" and 2172/euxomai, "to wish, pray") – properly, to exchange wishes

exchanged any wishes lately, Bob? What does that even mean, i wonder

If we do not understand what we need to understand, can we not ask for help and receive it?

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matt 7:7-8

 

[Ronald Nolette]

[39] You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me;
[40] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. John 5:39-40 RSV

Is everyone praying constantly as Paul instructed us to do (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?

Do you pray 24/7? You should do a real study of what Paul said. It does not mean pray 24/7 without interruption or not thinking any other thoughts and concentrating on other things besides prayer.

 

[bbyrd009]

If we do not understand what we need to understand, can we not ask for help and receive it?

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matt 7:7-8

hey, nice avatar

 

[amadeus]

hey, nice avatar

Thanks!
That's me now. My previous one, without the beard, was several years old.

 

[Bob Estey]

Do you pray 24/7? You should do a real study of what Paul said. It does not mean pray 24/7 without interruption or not thinking any other thoughts and concentrating on other things besides prayer.

Well, Paul said, "Pray constantly." I try to pray 16/7 because I spend around eight hours in bed. Of course, we have our other thoughts and have other things to concentrate on.

 

[JunChosen]

Do you pray 24/7? You should do a real study of what Paul said. It does not mean pray 24/7 without interruption or not thinking any other thoughts and concentrating on other things besides prayer.

Each and everyday, I pray for my family that they may become saved. Each day I get out of the house, I pray for safety or when traveling by car for traveling mercies. I thank God when I see beautiful landscape on the mountain side and see how beautiful the ocean looks from above the mountain. I thank God when I see natural blind people sing so majestically especially songs like Amazing Grace, Haleluia and the like. The list goes on and on.

Do you think I pray without ceasing or do you think, thanking God is not a form of a prayer?

To God Be The Glory

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Well, Paul said, "Pray constantly." I try to pray 16/7 because I spend around eight hours in bed. Of course, we have our other thoughts and have other things to concentrate on.

So instead of constantly you pray 2/3 of the time then?

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Each and everyday, I pray for my family that they may become saved. Each day I get out of the house, I pray for safety or when traveling by car for traveling mercies. I thank God when I see beautiful landscape on the mountain side and see how beautiful the ocean looks from above the mountain. I thank God when I see natural blind people sing so majestically especially songs like Amazing Grace, Haleluia and the like. The list goes on and on.

Do you think I pray without ceasing or do you think, thanking God is not a form of a prayer?

To God Be The Glory

Thanks are definitely prayer. But Paul was not saying praying non-stop. When you look at the original language, you see Paul is exhorting us to pray in all situations, not a 24/7 prayer life.

 

[JunChosen]

Thanks are definitely prayer. But Paul was not saying praying non-stop. When you look at the original language, you see Paul is exhorting us to pray in all situations, not a 24/7 prayer life.

You are correct of course, it is not a 24/7 prayer life and I don't think Paul is saying that either. But if I understand the meaning of the term "without ceasing" correctly, it means never stop giving praise to God for all good and perfect things. Amen?

To God Be The Glory

 

[Ronald Nolette]

You are correct of course, it is not a 24/7 prayer life and I don't think Paul is saying that either. But if I understand the meaning of the term "without ceasing" correctly, it means never stop giving praise to God for all good and perfect things. Amen?

To God Be The Glory

Without ceasing is "adialeiptōs " and in this context means incessantly in the sense of fervency not necessarily in duration.

 

[Bob Estey]

So instead of constantly you pray 2/3 of the time then?

Depends on how you look at it. I try to pray constantly while I'm awake. A little common sense?

 

[shortangel]

that is so true, The Bible does tell us to pray without ceaseing, & true thst prayer means talking to God & listening, he also answers prayer with yes, no, wait, he wants us to be patient so he can answer prayer in his timeing