JBL,I believe God exists because I find life meaningless to live without him.   Serving him gives my life meaning.I believe the God of Jesus exists because I desire to love as he loves.I believe the two are intertwined.Since I believe he is a loving God I am convinced all his actions are born of that great love.  So when things look down I r…[Read more]

Tim,Scripture tells us God is love.1 John 47 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.…[Read more]

Pierre,Are you being freed from sin? If the answer is no then you do not have the Holy Spirit as councilor or are not taking advantage of its presence. Jesus stated he would set those who obeyed all his teachings truly free from sin and he does not lie.I tend to think the Holy Spirit possesses those who have it but too many see the word…[Read more]

Pierre,I see both “to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy” and “those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Since when you call on the name of Jesus you also call on the name of God sin God made him King of everything it follows those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved as Acts 2:21.Acts 221 And…[Read more]

To all,Marty wrote:Quote Water baptism is symbolic of one's union with Jesus in his death. burial and resurrection.  In this, a believer is publicly showing that he has believed the gospel, and he has repented.  He has died to sin, his sins have been washed away(not by the water, this only symbolic, but by the blood) and is raised from the dead t…[Read more]

To all,Were the elders that had the Holy Spirit rest on them in the days of Israel's wanderings in the desert born again in spirit that day?

Gene,I am going to disagree with you on what the word “worm” means in Mark 9:47-48 as Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 66:22-24 and the context makes it clear the scripture is speaking of corpses. The worm spoken of it is therefore the worms that feed on the dead bodies as they lay in graves. The NIV takes that approach. The wording of this pas…[Read more]

Tim,Do you believe God’s definition of love?  I asks because among other attributes he clearly states love “does not delight in evil”, 1 Corinthians 13:4.When a parent who loves their child discipline them they do as you what they deem best for the child.  In this they are showing love for the child for they are showing they do not delight in evil…[Read more]

To all,Jesus teaches us in John 16:7-15 that when he ascends to heaven that he will send the Holy Spirit to believers in its role as a councilor of righteousness.   The Holy Spirit has come to some in other roles previously as is testified by Numbers 11:16-30.  In the later case it comes in it role of dispensing talents among men as God d…[Read more]

Quote (Stu @ Mar. 11 2011,11:43)Quote (kerwin @ Mar. 11 2011,15:51)Stuart.This thread is about a flaw in the teaching of the tenet of the Trinity and not about the existence of God so all I haver to say about the later is that the existence of artifacts in nature are proof that a deity or deities exist.  Those who deny such evidence are just…[Read more]

To all,Here are some scriptures that mention Gehenna.Matthew 18:8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.Matthew 25:41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are…[Read more]

Quote (t8 @ Mar. 11 2011,03:24)Yeah no probs Irene.I was wondering about hell being thrown into the Lake of Fire.Surely hell/hades must exist in order for it to be put in the Lake of Fire and if so, when does this take place?Hades is the waiting place of the dead and there will be no more death or dying and thus no need for Hades or Death.   It…[Read more]

Stuart.This thread is about a flaw in the teaching of the tenet of the Trinity and not about the existence of God so all I haver to say about the later is that the existence of artifacts in nature are proof that a deity or deities exist.  Those who deny such evidence are just being irrational.  It is of course according to the sinful nature of m…[Read more]

Tim Kraft,Is a parent disciplining their child for wrongdoing an act of love?Is a parent testing that child's skills an act of love when the child finds the testing unpleasant?

Pierre,You seem to fail to understand faith. That is why I used the miracle of the blind man and the pool of Siloam as an example. God was the one who healed the blind man whose faith demonstrated in him doing as Jesus instructed him to even as James states those faith will, James 2:18. So must we for faith without action is dead. James…[Read more]

Pierre,We are off topic but scripture actually states Paul is the minister of both the people of Israel and the Jews.   Paul does say he was given the grace to minister to the Gentile, in Romans 15:16 but that does not contradict what God stated in Acts 9:15 as Paul was speaking to the Church in Rome, which is a Gentile city.  He also stated he h…[Read more]

Tim,Scripture attests that the command to love one another is in fact a law.   It is not only a law it is the sum of all the laws that are from God.Romans 13:9(NIV)The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in thi…[Read more]

Pierre,immersed in Christ means to be immersed into the holy spirit; which is also called the spirit of Christ.Look at Acts 2:38-39 and you will see that the result of being baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins is that you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  One place the promise of the Spirit of Christ is written…[Read more]

To all,Scripture does not say that water baptism is symbolic.  It does say our old spirits are buried with Christ when we are immersed in him and each of us comes forth with a new spirit created like God in true holiness and righteousness.  That is the description of a miracle of God and not a symbol.

Quote (WorshippingJesus @ Mar. 09 2011,03:51)Quote (t8 @ Mar. 08 2011,16:42)There must exist a holding place for the dead and according to at least one parable there was a place for the wicked and another for the righteos and they are/were separate. Now we do know that Hell (or whatever the Greek word for that is) exists.Because God throwns Hell…[Read more]