NT BOOKS, LUKE 21:36

[Episkopos]

No a humble person understands that he can fall from Grace. He also understands that if he falls he is covered under the blood of Christ, so he repents out of thankfulness to the cross and not to save himself. How do you get on that list?

A - Admit you're a sinner
B - Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead
C - Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

but most rather confes that technology is lord. God bless

A human belief is basically an opinion. So many people I talk to...even on this forum, never go beyond their own opinions and beliefs. I ask them how they know they're "saved" and all I get is a verse reading or no answer at all.

Where is the testimony of an experience of the risen Lord?

 

[Heb 13:8]

A human belief is basically an opinion. So many people I talk to...even on this forum, never go beyond their own opinions and beliefs. I ask them how they know they're "saved" and all I get is a verse reading or no answer at all.

Where is the testimony of an experience of the risen Lord?

Their beliefs are their testimony. You can tell by what they preach, especially if they're preaching the finished work of the cross and the blood of Jesus. Not everyone wants to go into the gory details of hitting rock bottom.

 

[Episkopos]

Their beliefs are their testimony. You can tell by what they preach, especially if they're preaching the finished work of the cross and the blood of Jesus. Not everyone wants to go into the gory details of hitting rock bottom.

A person's opinion is their belief. A testimony is an experience. For example....I have never been to war...so I don't have a testimony about it.

 

[bbyrd009]

A person's opinion is their belief. A testimony is an experience. For example....I have never been to war...so I don't have a testimony about it.

well obv those preaching blood and being finished with picking up their crosses have no experience of a Risen Lord,
i guess

 

[Episkopos]

well obv those preaching blood and being finished with picking up their crosses have no experience of a Risen Lord,
i guess

I think one must ask more probing questions to ascertain with any certainty whether a person is speaking from experience or opinion.

There are ways to know...

For instance...if a person says they fought in Vietnam....ask them...what division, what battalion and what was the name of their commanding officer. If they become defensive....then you know!

 

[Heb 13:8]

A person's opinion is their belief. A testimony is an experience. For example....I have never been to war...so I don't have a testimony about it.

And if you need someone's testimony or the internet or even a youtube video to find God then I'll pray for you, Rom 1:20. God bless

 

[Episkopos]

And if you need someone's testimony or the internet or even a youtube video to find God then I'll pray for you, Rom 1:20. God bless

So you are saying you don't have one? A testimony?

May the Lord grant you one!

 

[bbyrd009]

I think one must ask more probing questions to ascertain with any certainty whether a person is speaking from experience or opinion.

There are ways to know...

For instance...if a person says they fought in Vietnam....ask them...what division, what battalion and what was the name of their commanding officer. If they become defensive....then you know!

we have this too; those who say they know anything don't know it like they need to yet. But imo on forums you have to make allowances, we have very limited means of communication here, you might notice virtually no Eastern or even Mid-eastern Christians here either, they have their own forums where our logical conversations would not even be allowed...or i guess entertained is a better word? But briefly, they don't come bc they would not be comfortable here, not bc this site is invisible to them or anything,

One doesn't realize it until it becomes more necessary, but there are different googles for every country, the point i'm wandering toward being that even though determinations are still dangerous to make on this larger scale--prolly even moreso, bc there are more possibilities, etc--generally speaking anyone can summarize an individual nation in a couple or few words, specific to a certain concept even, we might say "Where Italians and family are concerned, _________" with a pretty high degree of correlation with everyone else, and i guess i'm not supposed to come any closer to the point here sorry

 

[bbyrd009]

And if you need someone's testimony or the internet or even a youtube video to find God then I'll pray for you, Rom 1:20. God bless

pray for me too please, i want to be as far away as possible from those who say they have found God

 

[Episkopos]

we have this too; those who say they know anything don't know it like they need to yet. But imo on forums you have to make allowances, we have very limited means of communication here, you might notice virtually no Eastern or even Mid-eastern Christians here either, they have their own forums where our logical conversations would not even be allowed...or i guess entertained is a better word? But briefly, they don't come bc they would not be comfortable here, not bc this site is invisible to them or anything,

One doesn't realize it until it becomes more necessary, but there are different googles for every country, the point i'm wandering toward being that even though determinations are still dangerous to make on this larger scale--prolly even moreso, bc there are more possibilities, etc--generally speaking anyone can summarize an individual nation in a couple or few words, specific to a certain concept even, we might say "Where Italians and family are concerned, _________" with a pretty high degree of correlation with everyone else, and i guess i'm not supposed to come any closer to the point here sorry

They say in heaven...the British are the police, the Germans run the trains, the French cook and the Italians greet you.

In hell (this is a joke) The Germans are the police, the Italians run the trains, the British cook and the French greet you.

 

[Episkopos]

pray for me too please, i want to be as far away as possible from those who say they have found God

It's more like God finds us...or allows Himself to be found. This is the whole basis of Christianity. Reconciliation with God.

Salvation is a by-product of a restored relationship with God ...and not the main goal ...as a man-based doctrine would have it.

 

[bbyrd009]

To understand the 27 books of the NT we need to first know who is speaking to who, who is the author and who is the audience.

Gal 2:7-8 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

there are no Jew or Gentile in the kingdom, but maybe that is for later, so i would agree that there is much to be gained from recognizing the audience or the perspective the author was speaking from or to, meaning seeing that "Jew" and "Gentile" are not the clean two-party system that we kind of envision being extant back then, there were many diff sects of Jews, Paul likely came from the Stoic school, and we know of Zealots and Nazarenes and Nazarites and Essenes, and Sons of God and Magi, and on and on, barely scratched the surface here. The point being that there is no "Jewish truth" or "Gentile teaching" per se such as you might want to categorize wadr

 

[bbyrd009]

It's more like God finds us...or allows Himself to be found. This is the whole basis of Christianity. Reconciliation with God.

Salvation is a by-product of a restored relationship with God ...and not the main goal ...as a man-based doctrine would have it.

I came that you might have life, and more abundantly
"salvation" seems mostly defined much differently now i guess

 

[Episkopos]

I came that you might have life, and more abundantly
"salvation" seems mostly defined much differently now i guess

It is a huge error...to take away God's agenda and replace that with a human agenda. People tend to focus on themselves. THEIR salvation.

But there is no salvation other than entering into Christ. He is the Ark that saves us.

Of course God is merciful and will weigh our lives at the end. God will have mercy on whom He wills. There is no other formula.

 

[bbyrd009]

It is a huge error...to take away God's agenda and replace that with a human agenda. People tend to focus on themselves. THEIR salvation.

yes, we seek a reward for doing what we were supposed to be doing anyway i guess

 

[amadeus]

yes, we seek a reward for doing what we were supposed to be doing anyway i guess

Paul wrote this:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Rom 12:1

This is not special or extraordinary service, but only reasonable... Given the price methinks for many it would considered too much for God to expect.