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Hi KW,
Men elevate understanding.
But Jesus prefers simple obedience.Mark 10:14
But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Quote (Nick Hassan @ April 02 2009,10:05) Hi 94,
Legalism confines God to judgement and not mercy.
My God is of love and mercy.
Hi Nick:John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish.”
This is the means by which God has chosen to have mercy on those who want to be saved.
You are always quick to say to others when they make a comment “Is it written”, and so, again I am saying that what you are indicating about people being saved other than through what is stated is speculation. Just like universalism.
No legalism here. God's desire and mine is that all may come to repentance, and I am praying asking God to do all that He can to bring every individual on the face of the earth to repentance.
Love in Christ,
MartyQuote (Nick Hassan @ April 02 2009,12:13) Hi 94,
Do you prescribe the mercy of God?
God's Word prescribes His mercy not you not I.Hi 94,
We should not assume our limited view of a God of Love is all there is.
He wants all men to be saved so makes exceptions to save as many as possible.Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Is this the faith of a child?
And
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Men elevate understanding.
But Jesus prefers simple obedience.
That is interesting to hear since it is written:
Psalms 119:169-171(NIV) reads:
Quote May my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word.
May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.But yes one must be humble and accept all of Jesus’ teachings and this is a point I have been striving to make.
Quote (wild_olive_branch @ April 02 2009,05:34) the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
That is true.Quote (Nick Hassan @ April 02 2009,17:01) Hi 94,
We should not assume our limited view of a God of Love is all there is.
He wants all men to be saved so makes exceptions to save as many as possible.
There are no exceptions, God is the same, yesterday, today, and for ever.
The only way man can be saved, is faith in his son Jesus Christ.(“to save as many as possible.”)?
You show a lot of confidence in God.
Georg
Quote (Nick Hassan @ April 02 2009,17:01) Hi 94,
We should not assume our limited view of a God of Love is all there is.
He wants all men to be saved so makes exceptions to save as many as possible.
That is not scripture brother Nick…that is your gospel…You can not show me one scripture that even ALLUDES to the thought of GOD:
“Making exceptions to save as many as possible”
The bible is clear on what we have to do…
Hi,
Blessed are the merciful..
If anyone gives you a cup of water..
Your sins are forgiven you…
Go and sin no more…
Love covers many sins…
Mercy triumphs over judgement…
When did we see you? ..Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote If anyone gives you a cup of water..
Do you remember what God said to those who subtract from His commands? And yet you drop off the condition that Jesus, who speaks the word of God, attaches to these words you quote. That does not seem wise.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Your sins are forgiven you…
Once again there is a condition to your sins being forgiven and that is regretting your actions and changing your ways which is what repentance is about.
Isaiah 30:15(NIV) reads:
Quote This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Go and sin no more…
That sums it up.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Love covers many sins…
That too is true since if you love your neighbor as yourself you do not sin.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Mercy triumphs over judgment
James 2:8-13(NIV) reads
Quote If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Nick Hassan wrote:Quote Blessed are the merciful..
But beware of false mercy which is only the enablement of evil; for God is not an enabler.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote The knowledgeable stumble.
Does that not depend on the type of knowledge one has?
2 Peter 1:5-9(NIV) reads:
Quote For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Quote (kerwin @ April 03 2009,13:17) Nick Hassan wrote: Quote If anyone gives you a cup of water..
Do you remember what God said to those who subtract from His commands? And yet you drop off the condition that Jesus, who speaks the word of God, attaches to these words you quote. That does not seem wise.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Your sins are forgiven you…
Once again there is a condition to your sins being forgiven and that is regretting your actions and changing your ways which is what repentance is about.
Isaiah 30:15(NIV) reads:
Quote This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Go and sin no more…
That sums it up.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Love covers many sins…
That too is true since if you love your neighbor as yourself you do not sin.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Mercy triumphs over judgment
James 2:8-13(NIV) reads
Quote If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Nick Hassan wrote:Quote Blessed are the merciful..
But beware of false mercy which is only the enablement of evil; for God is not an enabler.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote The knowledgeable stumble.
Does that not depend on the type of knowledge one has?
2 Peter 1:5-9(NIV) reads:
Quote For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Hi KW,
Try again with some of the scriptures and show us the conditions attached you say exist.Mark 9:41
For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.Mk2
5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.6But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Excessive knowledge causes stumbling.
Be as a child if you want faith.Hi KW,
Jn8
10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Mt5
7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.God is the Judge and not finger pointing men.
Psalm 32
1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.2Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Excessive knowledge causes stumbling.
I will not agree with your statement since the passage I quoted from 2 Peter instructs us to seek knowledge and other virtues in increasing measure. I will though say that the knowledge of the world will cause one to stumble if it distracts you from the true pursuit of being like God in true holiness and righteousness.
Now you quote Matthew 5:7 but did not handle my point about false mercy. Do you believe that God enables evil? I doubt it since that would be accusing God of doing evil and you know he cannot even be tempted by evil. I understand that like me you have fears for the final destination of your friends and family but I urge you not to let those fears cause you to commit the evil of enabling their evil. I assure you God does not want them to perish but would rather they would change their ways and do what is right and thus live. That is what mercy is to God.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Try again with some of the scriptures and show us the conditions attached you say exist.
I have addressed this before but since you have quoted Mark 9:41 I will point out the word “because” which heralds the condition “ye belong to Christ” which tells us those offering the cup of water are true believers in Christ and since they are true believers they will do as Christ commands. What part of what I say do you think is false?
In Mark 2 you again link the forgiveness of sins to faith and that faith is obvious that Jesus is the Promised One of God. If you believe that Jesus is the Promised One of God then you will do as he teaches and repent of, regret and turn away from, your sins and that is why Peter declared on that Pentecost so long ago:
Acts 2:38-39(NIV) reads:
Quote Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
Now I am not sure what your point about John 8, a debatable scripture, is since I agreed with you about the statement “go and sin no more”.
I will point out though that God is patient with us and suffers the sins we do in hopes we will learn from the error of our way and change our ways and do what is good. This does not mean God enables evil but rather he resists it in ways short of demanding out lives. This also does not mean that he will always choose not to demand our lives at some time for our sins if we insist on continuing to sin because Jesus was truthful when he stated “repent or you too will perish”.
What I have said already in this post also applies to Psalm 32 so I see no need to handle it separately.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Be as a child if you want faith.
I do seek to be humble and obedient to God but that does not eliminate His command to seek godly knowledge and other virtues in increasing measure.
Hi KW,
Does it urge us to seek intellectual head knowledge or the given grace of Spiritual Knowledge?2Peter1
1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Does it urge us to seek intellectual head knowledge or the given grace of Spiritual Knowledge?
Yes, that is what I said. Intellectual knowledge is the knowledge of this world which can be a stumbling block on the road to obtain the true righteousness and holiness that is the fruit of the true and godly knowledge that comes from God.
Hi KW,
Again sin is your obsession but salvation relates to belief.[Jn3]
Sin is ever according to the Beholder and he chooses to overlook the sin of some[Ps 32]
As with Abraham God has granted in mercy that outside of the way certain works towards the brothers can save.[Mt25]He gave us a gospel to preach of hope and salvation but not of condemnation.
He is Judge.Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote Again sin is your obsession but salvation relates to belief.[Jn3]
Here is the command God gives about obeying Him.
Deuteronomy 32:46-47(NIV) reads:
Quote he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Do you think God changed when Jesus died and said you do not have to obey all I command of you? Isn’t that telling people who do not want to change what their itching ears want to hear? Isn’t it also changing the grace of God into an excuse to sin? If you believe God did those things then your God is not the God of Jesus.
Rather did he not fulfill the law by providing a way to keep all his commands first in promising the Holy Spirit and then in delivering on that promise so that those that chose to live by the Spirit would stop sinning. It is love to God to obey all his commandments and not to cherry pick the ones you choose to obey.
So yes, God commands us to be obsessed with overcoming our sins and He assures us that if we believe Him then we will receive and live by the Holy Spirit and thus stop sinning when we reach full maturity in our Lord Jesus. Have faith for all things are possible through God.
Nick Hassan wrote:
Quote He gave us a gospel to preach of hope and salvation but not of condemnation.
The gospel is of hope and salvation because through it one can obtain the true righteousness and holiness of God but it also condemns those who choose to reject it even as it is written:
John 12:48(NIV) reads:
Quote There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.
Hi KW,
You say
“So yes, God commands us to be obsessed with overcoming our sins “
No we are told.
Heb4
“10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. “We are told to seek first the kingdom because it is the Spirit that enables sanctification and not the useless striving of weak men.
We are to become sons of God led by the Spirit as only the Holy Spirit can make us holy in the sight of God.
If we seek our own righteousness then we are discarding the robe of righteousness of the Son which can and should cloak us.
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