I, too, am full of errors in my thoughts.

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#1
Friends, I, too, am full of errors, in my thoughts. At least in my thoughts. I have very bad thoughts sometimes, which I can't justify, can't explain, and don't know why I have such wicked thoughts. I know I am tempted to sin. And, at times in the past, I sinned. I fell into heresies.
I have repented of all of my heresies. And I pray now that I don't believe any more heresies or false teachings. And that I know and believe true sound doctrines.
But I am still very imperfect, and much in need of God's mercy (Titus 3:5), because I can't save myself by works of righteousness done by me. I need God's mercy (yes, Titus 3:5 is the heart of how God saves us: not by what we can do, but by what God does).
God have mercy on us. Amen. In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
 
B

Brandon777

Guest
#2
My dad grew up in Erie P.A. and that's where my grandpa lives. You seem like a good man to admit to bad thoughts. Maybe if you said them, we could help you process why they're wrong so they're less likely to come back.
 
B

Bloodwashed

Guest
#3
We all error, in word, thought, & deed. I am also very sure that not one of us has perfect doctrine. Question is, does not erroring in word, thought, or deed save us? Are we saved by perfect doctrine? I believe, "Jesus Saves!" Yes, Christ alone saves!!! All Glory To God!! Blessings Mark!
 
M

MaggieMye

Guest
#4
OldOrthodoxChristian: You need deliverance. When born again, all things become new. This means that your sins are forgiven and you have a new beginning WITH CHRIST as your Lord. There are things, however, that you must work out through fear and trembling, such as any generational curse that might be in your life. Curses are neither old nor new. But the CAN be broken and the demons attached to them (demons whisper their wickedness to us day and night and we must LEARN (See Hos 4:6) to overcome them) can be sent packing...cast out and off in the name of Jesus Christ.

Find a church that believes in the WHOLE Bible and seek deliverance. Ask the Lord to let you know when you have found the right one.
Maggie
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#5
MaggieMye;608134 said:
OldOrthodoxChristian: You need deliverance. When born again, all things become new.

This means that your sins are forgiven and you have a new beginning WITH CHRIST as your Lord. There are

things, however, that you must work out through fear and trembling, such as any generational curse that

might be in your life. Curses are neither old nor new. But the CAN be broken and the demons attached to

them (demons whisper their wickedness to us day and night and we must LEARN (See Hos 4:6) to overcome

them) can be sent packing...cast out and off in the name of Jesus Christ.

Find a church that believes in the WHOLE Bible and seek deliverance. Ask the Lord to let you know when you

have found the right one.


Maggie

Dear Maggie. I have found a Church that believes the BIBLE, not believes IN the Bible, but believes IN GOD, which is WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS TO DO: TO BELIEVE IN GOD, not to believe "in the Bible" APART FROM THE CHURCH THAT GAVE US THE BIBLE (see 1 TIM. 3:15).
Church of the Nativity
Old Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ (Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ (Old Rite), 247 E. Front Street, Erie, PA 16507
I am WAITING to hear from Father Simon. So he can arrange to get me a ride to church!
God save me! Amen.
In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
PS God is forgiving me as I have repented of all my past sins, forsaken my past, turned my back on sin, the sins of the flesh, the devil and all of his evil works, and have confessed my sins to God, and told them to my father confessor, our local Orthodox Christian archpriest. I feel renewed (alive again) in heart mind body and soul, and feel (believe with confidence in a feeling of joy) of being forgiven. I await further instruction from God's local catholic apostolic Church here in Erie PA.
John 15:26 convinced me (convicted me) of my heresy and told me I could no longer "be a Lutheran".
 
M

MaggieMye

Guest
#6
Dear Maggie. I have found a Church that believes the BIBLE, not believes IN the Bible, but believes IN GOD, which is WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS TO DO: TO BELIEVE IN GOD, not to believe "in the Bible" Are you seriously going to nitpic on semantics when you are in such a state of needing delivierance APART FROM THE CHURCH THAT GAVE US THE BIBLE (see 1 TIM. 3:15).GOD gave us the BIble, not any church! The "church" is the BODY of BELIVERS.
Church of the Nativity
Old Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ (Russian Orthodox Church of the Nativity of Christ (Old Rite), 247 E. Front Street, Erie, PA 16507
I am WAITING to hear from Father Simon. So he can arrange to get me a ride to church!
God save me! Amen.
In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
PS God is forgiving me as I have repented of all my past sins, forsaken my past, turned my back on sin, the sins of the flesh, the devil and all of his evil works, and have confessed my sins to God, and told them to my father confessor, our local Orthodox Christian archpriest. I feel renewed (alive again) in heart mind body and soul, and feel (believe with confidence in a feeling of joy) of being forgiven. I await further instruction from God's local catholic apostolic Church here in Erie PA.
John 15:26 convinced me (convicted me) of my heresy and told me I could no longer "be a Lutheran".
And therein, above, lies a huge part of your problem: adhering to doctrine made by men, rather that the simple, pure truth of the Bible. While the Catholic church does have some truth (mainly that Jesus shed His blood, died and rose from the dead all so we could be with Him in Heaven, there are FAR TOO MANY Pagan practices incorporated along with that. You are in a trap of tradition and legalism and IF you were to study the Bible on it's own with only Holy Spirit bringing the understanding that you are due, you would be one step closer to the true freedom in Christ that you seek. I was brought up Catholic. It does not, in it's wholeness of Catholicism, follow the Bible and in many places goes against it. For instance, speaking to the dead: MARY IS DEAD, yet they pray to her and that is a demonic deception. You want real freedom? Find a church that PRACTICES THE TRUTH of the Bible, not one that just claims it.
Maggie
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#7


And therein, above, lies a huge part of your problem: adhering to doctrine made by men, rather that the simple, pure truth of the Bible. While the Catholic church does have some truth (mainly that Jesus shed His blood, died and rose from the dead all so we could be with Him in Heaven, there are FAR TOO MANY Pagan practices incorporated along with that. You are in a trap of tradition and legalism and IF you were to study the Bible on it's own with only Holy Spirit bringing the understanding that you are due, you would be one step closer to the true freedom in Christ that you seek. I was brought up Catholic. It does not, in it's wholeness of Catholicism, follow the Bible and in many places goes against it. For instance, speaking to the dead: MARY IS DEAD, yet they pray to her and that is a demonic deception. You want real freedom? Find a church that PRACTICES THE TRUTH of the Bible, not one that just claims it.
Maggie
Maggie,
1. What is the Catholic Church.
1.A. Is Roman Catholicism and the Pope of Rome the Catholic Church?
1.B. Isn't the true Church called the Catholic Church? Isn't the true Catholic Church having Christ alone as Her Head, and not the popes of Rome, or any mere man?
2. How does a person study the Bible on it's own?

2.A. Doesn't that mean Acts 8:30-31 is false? The Ethiopian eunuch studied the Bible "on its own", and didn't know what the Bible meant by what it said.
2.B. Didn't St. Philip tell the Ethiopian what Isaiah 53 means?
2.C. Don't all Protestants follow a man, Martin Luther? Yes. Because all Protestants believe in justification "by faith alone", and Luther invented the doctrine by adding the word "alone" after the word "faith" in Romans 3:28, in opposition to James 2:24!
3. Where in Revelation does it say the 24 Elders are dead? If they are dead, how can they be praying to Jesus Christ? Don't you believe the souls of the dead are alive? Yes, their bodies are dead. That doesn't mean that THEY are dead. A Christian is more than his mortal body.
4. What is the simple, pure truth of the Bible?
5. What man tells you what the Bible means? If you don't listen to some MAN, you are disobeying St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
6. Where do you get your understanding of the Bible? Did the Ethiopian get his understanding "direct from the Holy Spirit", or did he get it from a man of God, and Apostle of God, St. Philip? See Acts 8:30-31?
7. Dear Sister, God bless you in Christ. After 1 Corinthians 14: comes 36-30. Which tells us not to be ignorant of the Truth of the Bible! And to not fail to listen to St. Paul, "If anyone think to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge what I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord" (ONT Orthodox New Testament, Volume 2, page 168, q.v.). Cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-35, op.cit., q.v.
If the Ever-Virgin Mary is "dead", then why does Revelation 12:1-6 picture the Woman as alive in Heaven?: This is Mary as a type of the Church. This is Mary as a type of both OT Israel and the NT Church, 12 stars, the 12 tribes of Israel; 12 stars, the 12 Apostles of Christ.
Why do some people "want the saints to be "dead"? Don't you believe that to "be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD"? Is Mary, the Mother of God, not present with Jesus Christ, the LORD?
Are not all the Saints whom we know are in Heaven, present with the LORD.
Saints in Heaven such as
St. Peter
St. Paul
St. John the Baptist
St. Andrew
St. John
St. James
St. Thomas
St. Matthew
St. Mark
St. Luke
St.Barnabas
St. Timothy
St. Titus
St. Jude
St. Philip
St. Bartholomew
St. Apollos
St. Silas
St. Stachys
etc.
God save us all from ignorance of God and the Scriptures. cf. 1 Cor. 14, cf. above.
God bless us everyone, in Christ Jesus. Amen.
MaggieMye: I don't follow Catholicism. I follow Eastern Orthodoxy, for Christ is IN ORTHODOXY, and ORTHODOXY is IN CHRIST. GOD (CHRIST) is IN HIS CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matthew 16:18).
Catholicism and Protestantism are TWO SIDES of the same coin, the same false INDIVIDUALISTIC, PRIVATE FAITH.
Orthodoxy, holy Orthodoxy, is "the faith once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3), the Faith of Christ and His Apostles, of His Church and His Bible.
GOD SAVE US. AMEN. In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#8
And therein, above, lies a huge part of your problem: adhering to doctrine made by men, rather that the simple, pure truth of the Bible. While the Catholic church does have some truth (mainly that Jesus shed His blood, died and rose from the dead all so we could be with Him in Heaven, there are FAR TOO MANY Pagan practices incorporated along with that. You are in a trap of tradition and legalism and IF you were to study the Bible on it's own with only Holy Spirit bringing the understanding that you are due, you would be one step closer to the true freedom in Christ that you seek. I was brought up Catholic. It does not, in it's wholeness of Catholicism, follow the Bible and in many places goes against it. For instance, speaking to the dead: MARY IS DEAD, yet they pray to her and that is a demonic deception. You want real freedom? Find a church that PRACTICES THE TRUTH of the Bible, not one that just claims it.
Maggie

Dear Maggie!
GOD gave the world THE CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matt. 16:18, and the CHURCH WROTE THE BIBLE.
It didn't fall "magically from the Sky", ready made by "the finger of God". Unlike the Ten Commandments, where the BIBLE SAYS God wrote down the 10 Commandments. It's the only place where the Bible said God wrote anything Himself, except of course for the place where it says Christ wrote on the ground (and it doesn't reveal what Christ wrote down on the ground).
How do you know what you call the "church" practices THE TRUTH of the Bible, and not one that just claims it?
Who do you trust to be "the church"?
God bless you! In Erie Scott Harrington
PS What Bible verse says the words, "Mary is dead"? Just wondering! If not, why do you believe that, when the Bible DOESN'T SAY THAT!?
I was just truly wondering why you say things that aren't written down IN THE BIBLE!
 

jb

Senior Member
Feb 27, 2010
4,940
586
113
#9
OldOrthodoxChristian: such as any generational curse that might be in your life. Curses are neither old nor new....
Absolute nonsense...there no such thing as a "generational curse."!

Gal 3v13 states, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")."

When a person becomes a Christian there is a complete break from the past, becoming a new creation "through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" at the new birth, their sins having been forgiven through the shed blood of Christ. 2Cor 5v17, Titus 3v5, Heb 8v12, 10v22, 1John 1v7, Rev 1v5...
 
M

MaggieMye

Guest
#10
1. What is the Catholic Church.
1.A. Is Roman Catholicism and the Pope of Rome the Catholic Church?
First, let's look at the word "catholic". The word 'catholic', lower case 'c' refers to the "universal, collective body of people that claim or think they can claim and working relationship with Christ: Christians. The "Catholic" with the capital "C" is an noun/adjective describing a PORTION of the previously mentioned group of people, that adhere to a specific set of MAN-MADE and traditional 'rules', 'laws', or 'practices'
1.B. Isn't the true Church called the Catholic Church?
Not in the Bible, no. Isn't the true Catholic Church having Christ alone as Her Head, and not the popes of Rome, or any mere man? yes
2. How does a person study the Bible on it's own?
Read it. Believe it. Pray the scriptures. Do the what the Word/Bible says to do.
2.A. Doesn't that mean Acts 8:30-31 is false? The Ethiopian eunuch studied the Bible "on its own", and didn't know what the Bible meant by what it said.
No, he did not study the Bible. He studied the scriptures, namely Isaiah, which is of the OLD TESTAMENT, not the New. The NT had not yet been written!! Regardless, how would that make Acts 8:30-31 false? Your claim makes no sense.
2.B. Didn't St. Philip tell the Ethiopian what Isaiah 53 means?
IN THE BIBLE, ALL BELIEVERS ARE CALLED "SAINTS" and Yes, Philip helped the man understand.
2.C. Don't all Protestants follow a man, Martin Luther? Yes.
Well that would be idolatry, wouldn't it? CHRISTIANS follow CHRIST. "Protestants" is a word that describes a PORTION of group of people, mentioned above, that are a part of the "CHURCH" that have pulled away from the Roman Catholic Church and the pagan rituals it practices and teaches to be 'from God' but are not. These people believe that scripture is for everyone, whereas, until recently, the RCC believed it to be only for the 'priests'. And, BTW, All believers are also priests. Use Biblegateway.com to look up the words "saints" and "priests" to find this to be true. Because all Protestants believe in justification "by faith alone", and Luther invented the doctrine by adding the word "alone" after the word "faith" in Romans 3:28, in opposition to James 2:24! Whether or not the word 'alone' is in the original Hebrew is irrelevant in this instance:
Rom 3:28 (NASB) "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. " and in KJV "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
" in NEITHER of these versions does the Word read "faith alone"! And in James 2:24 "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." The "alone" is the same as "only". You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith ONLY. So, again, you not only erroneously accuse Protestants, you also do not either read the scriptures in their simplicity OR you do not understand what you read.
3. Where in Revelation does it say the 24 Elders are dead?
It does not say that anywhere in the Bible. If they are dead, how can they be praying to Jesus Christ? Don't you believe the souls of the dead are alive? Yes, their bodies are dead. That doesn't mean that THEY are dead. A Christian is more than his mortal body. See here: BibleGateway.com - Keyword Search: twenty-four elders
4. What is the simple, pure truth of the Bible?
Not real sure of what you mean here. The BIBLE is GOD's love-letter and instruction manual for life...to us. It reveals His history, His plan, His character.
5. What man tells you what the Bible means?
No one. God's Word is self-explanitory. If you don't listen to some MAN, you are disobeying St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is [n]improper for a woman to speak in church" Seriously? If you don't listen to a MAN you are disobey this verse?? Your lack of spiritual, let alone, natural, understanding amazes me! 1st, "Man" in the Bible refers to ALL HUMANS and is not gender-specific. 2nd, in these verse Paul was speaking to a specific group of people about a problem that was going on in THEIR church at THAT time. He was also speaking of JEWISH TRADITION, not of what God's take on the matter of women speaking and teaching as unto the Lord.
6. Where do you get your understanding of the Bible? Did the Ethiopian get his understanding "direct from the Holy Spirit", or did he get it from a man of God, and Apostle of God, St. Philip? See Acts 8:30-31?
See above, already addressed. UNDERSTANDING of Scripture, whether gotten by reading the Bible on one's own, or having it explained to you in a way that your spirit receives it as truth, COMES FROM HOLY SPIRIT.

7. Dear Sister, God bless you in Christ. After 1 Corinthians 14: comes 36-30.
36-30? really? What did you mean here? Which tells us not to be ignorant of the Truth of the Bible! yet YOU were ignorant of the FACT that verse 34-35 were not to the Body at large, but to a specific group. A course in hermeneutics would serve you well. And to not fail to listen to St. Paul, "If anyone think to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge what I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord" (ONT Orthodox New Testament, Volume 2, page 168, q.v.). Cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-35, op.cit., q.v. OK??? POINT?
If the Ever-Virgin Mary is "dead",
She was not the 'ever-virgin'. She had SEVERAL other children after Jesus and scripture supports this. and Yes, she is D E A D and awaits the return of her Lord and Savior as do the rest of us. then why does Revelation 12:1-6 picture the Woman as alive in Heaven?: This is Mary as a type of the Church MARY has never represented the "church", the Body of Christ, His followers. This is Mary as a type of both OT Israel and the NT Church, 12 stars, the 12 tribes of Israel; 12 stars, the 12 Apostles of Christ. You don't seem to grasp that this is the rendition of the spiritual dynamics that have and will happen. THESE HAPPEN IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM. but have natural parallels.
Why do some people "want the saints to be "dead"?
Who want's them dead?? Don't you believe that to "be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD"? That is most certainly conditional!! Many are absent from their bodies...meaning, that 'no one is home upstairs' but they are NOT present with the Lord. Is Mary, the Mother of God, No, she is NOT. She is the MOTHER of CHRIST, not God the Father. not present with Jesus Christ, the LORD? No. She awaits the return of her Lord and Savior and His JUDGMENT DAY, just like the rest of us do.
Are not all the Saints whom we know are in Heaven, present with the LORD.
No, because we ALL...living and already dead, MUST BE JUDGED before we can go to eternity and be with Hiim.

God save us all from ignorance of God and the Scriptures. cf. 1 Cor. 14, cf. above.
God bless us everyone, in Christ Jesus. Amen.
MaggieMye: I don't follow Catholicism. I follow Eastern Orthodoxy, for Christ is IN ORTHODOXY, and ORTHODOXY is IN CHRIST. GOD (CHRIST) is IN HIS CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matthew 16:18).
Christ is in the HEART of every Born Again Believer who DOES the Word of God. Your denomination will get you nowhere if you are not Born Again. Any , and I do mean ANY denomination that CLAIMS to be the only ORGANIZATION that has God's truth, is a cult and should be walked away from. Do not be fooled, every denomination has doctrine of man within its confines.


Dear Maggie!
GOD gave the world THE CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matt. 16:18, and the CHURCH WROTE THE BIBLE.
Wrong again, Scott. God gave the world, CHRIST. And He gave Christ, the Church. The Church is composed of those that KNOW HIM and follow His mandates set down in scripture.

It's the only place where the Bible said God wrote anything Himself, except of course for the place where it says Christ wrote on the ground (and it doesn't reveal what Christ wrote down on the ground).
Wrong. Check out Dan 5:5 to see that God wrote on the wall.

How do you know what you call the "church" practices THE TRUTH of the Bible, and not one that just claims it?
I don't need to know. God knows the heart of EVERY person that Claims Christ as their Lord and Savior. In truth, many in the church to NOT always practice truth or even what they preach. God knows the heart.

Who do you trust to be "the church"?
Trust? That word makes no sense. The church, again, is made of ALL believers of Christ and His written Word.

God bless you! In Erie Scott Harrington
PS What Bible verse says the words, "Mary is dead"? Just wondering! If not, why do you believe that, when the Bible DOESN'T SAY THAT!?
Well use your commons sense. She was HUMAN and is nowhere in sight today. So where is she? She is not immortal and the Bible does not say she ever was. She was simply a young woman of about 14 who had great favor with God. WOMAN = human and at that time the lifespan was maybe 80 years or 120, max. Just because the Bible does not say she died, neither does it say she was every immortal and for anyone to assume she was is a deception.

I was just truly wondering why you say things that aren't written down IN THE BIBLE!
YOU say Mary was immortal and THAT is NOT in the Bible.

 
A

Abiding

Guest
#11
Christ became a curse for us...all was nailed to the cross...debt paid.
Now we renew our minds to the truth and the truth sets us free.

And we need grace daily to empower us against our carnal tendecies.
Noone is free from that till we are changed at His appearing.

Brother we are all there and we need Him all day every day.
So just live today, forget the past, and dont strive. Just rest in Him.
 
Last edited:
A

Abiding

Guest
#12
By the way you might be taking credit for that list of past deliverances.
Look at them as what He has done for you just like He promised, and He
promised to continue this work . And He will. His way and His timing,
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#13
Friends, I, too, am full of errors, in my thoughts. At least in my thoughts. I have very bad thoughts sometimes, which I can't justify, can't explain, and don't know why I have such wicked thoughts. I know I am tempted to sin. And, at times in the past, I sinned. I fell into heresies.
I have repented of all of my heresies. And I pray now that I don't believe any more heresies or false teachings. And that I know and believe true sound doctrines.
But I am still very imperfect, and much in need of God's mercy (Titus 3:5), because I can't save myself by works of righteousness done by me. I need God's mercy (yes, Titus 3:5 is the heart of how God saves us: not by what we can do, but by what God does).
God have mercy on us. Amen. In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
The first problem you have is your still seeking salvation. By your own admittance you do not have it. The reason your still looking for it is because your trying to earn it, and not give it to God.

If you would trust God and his gospel. you would not try to keep earning it you would recieve his grace, and he would give you eternal life. thus your "fear" wouild be gone, and you could work on your sin issues, like we all have to. No one is perfect. I also doubt anyone on earth is 100 % correct in their interpretation of ALL of Gods doctrines spoken of in his word. You can't even find two people that agree on everything, that is unless they are apart of some institution where doctrine are enforced on people, and to dissent from any doctrine would lead to banishment, Such as happens in many, if not all denomination churches (including roman Catholicism and orthodoxy)

Your humility here is applaudable, Although I question your intentions, I just pray you are really seeking truth, and stop listening to men.. And then God can open your eyes to truth.

He is offering you eternal life Scott. Take it. Cherish it, Be gratefull for it. Then God gets all the glory. Because it is his work that gave it to you.
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#14
MaggieMye;608278 said:
And therein, above, lies a huge part of your problem:

adhering to doctrine made by men, rather that the simple, pure truth of

the Bible. While the Catholic church does have some truth (mainly that

Jesus shed His blood, died and rose from the dead all so we could be

with Him in Heaven, there are FAR TOO MANY Pagan practices

incorporated along with that. You are in a trap of tradition and legalism

and IF you were to study the Bible on it's own with only Holy Spirit

bringing the understanding that you are due, you would be one step

closer to the true freedom in Christ that you seek. I was brought up

Catholic. It does not, in it's wholeness of Catholicism, follow the Bible

and in many places goes against it. For instance, speaking to the dead:

MARY IS DEAD, yet they pray to her and that is a demonic deception.

You want real freedom? Find a church that PRACTICES THE TRUTH of

the Bible, not one that just claims it.

Maggie

Dear Maggie:

See Revelation 7 and Revelation 14. This shows the dead in Christ aren't dead. They are alive in the

Spirit. Only the bodies of the saints are temporarily dead. The saints are saved by God from the second

death, the death of the spirit/soul. So, the saints and Mary are alive in heaven.

Therefore: "But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.

In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction,

and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of men

they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive

great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried

them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine

forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. ...." Wisdom 3:1-7 RSV This is the Bible, and if you

think that is not, you're mistaken. Just as you have been mistaken about some other things.

but.... believe the Nicene Creed and you will do well.God bless you always in Christ Jesus. Amen. In Erie

Scott Harrington
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#15
The first problem you have is your still seeking salvation. By your own admittance you do not have it. The reason your still looking for it is because your trying to earn it, and not give it to God.

If you would trust God and his gospel. you would not try to keep earning it you would recieve his grace, and he would give you eternal life. thus your "fear" wouild be gone, and you could work on your sin issues, like we all have to. No one is perfect. I also doubt anyone on earth is 100 % correct in their interpretation of ALL of Gods doctrines spoken of in his word. You can't even find two people that agree on everything, that is unless they are apart of some institution where doctrine are enforced on people, and to dissent from any doctrine would lead to banishment, Such as happens in many, if not all denomination churches (including roman Catholicism and orthodoxy)

Your humility here is applaudable, Although I question your intentions, I just pray you are really seeking truth, and stop listening to men.. And then God can open your eyes to truth.

He is offering you eternal life Scott. Take it. Cherish it, Be gratefull for it. Then God gets all the glory. Because it is his work that gave it to you.

Dear eternallygratefull:
If I stop listening to men, I would have to stop listening to you, because you are a man. You're being illogical! What you say is you think I follow the "traditions of men".
I am fully persuaded (by John 15:26 and other verses) that Orthodox Church tradition is the Tradition of God. And that Protestant Reformation traditions are the traditions of men.
I am living in hope of receiving eternal life from Christ. I don't have to believe in faith alone or in Martin Luther's traditions to receive life from Christ Yes, God gets all the glory. That doesn't mean we don't have to obey him. Faith without works is dead. Lutherans however teach faith alone, without works, saves. Who does the works through us? God? God prepares them in advance for us to do, and we must do them in cooperation with His grace (Eph. 2:10). God save us (Titus 3:5) in His mercy. Amen.
In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#16
The first problem you have is your still seeking salvation. By your own admittance you do not have it. The reason your still looking for it is because your trying to earn it, and not give it to God.

If you would trust God and his gospel. you would not try to keep earning it you would recieve his grace, and he would give you eternal life. thus your "fear" wouild be gone, and you could work on your sin issues, like we all have to. No one is perfect. I also doubt anyone on earth is 100 % correct in their interpretation of ALL of Gods doctrines spoken of in his word. You can't even find two people that agree on everything, that is unless they are apart of some institution where doctrine are enforced on people, and to dissent from any doctrine would lead to banishment, Such as happens in many, if not all denomination churches (including roman Catholicism and orthodoxy)

Your humility here is applaudable, Although I question your intentions, I just pray you are really seeking truth, and stop listening to men.. And then God can open your eyes to truth.

He is offering you eternal life Scott. Take it. Cherish it, Be gratefull for it. Then God gets all the glory. Because it is his work that gave it to you.

False. I'm not doing what you say. But you are right; none of us understands the right interpretation of Scriptures 100 percent. But aren't you expecting me not to dissent from your "I'm saved", that's all there is to it, presupposition? Salvation is a journey, not just a one time event. By God's grace, I was saved, am being saved, and hope to be saved in the future. And I hope to endure to the end and be saved by God's grace. I'm not trying to earn God's grace. It's a gift. Works do not earn everything. They're what God has prepared beforehand, for us to do, that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).
God save us.
I do trust God and His Gospel. How can you say you know that I don't?
 
M

MaggieMye

Guest
#17
OOC, you do not understand that there are parts of the Bible that are literal and parts that are metaphorical/spiritual. WHEN you start to understand this, you will better understand the Bible.

Generational curses are in OUR blood because of the iniquity. Iniquity is in the Blood and while Christ did make the provision for breaking curses that come through our bloodlines, WE must appropriate that provision.
 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#18
MaggieMye;608829 said:
1. What is the Catholic Church.


1.A. Is Roman Catholicism and the Pope of Rome the Catholic Church?


First, let's look at the word "catholic". The word 'catholic', lower case 'c'

refers to the "universal, collective body of people that claim or think

they can claim and working relationship with Christ: Christians. The

"Catholic" with the capital "C" is an noun/adjective describing a

PORTION of the previously mentioned group of people, that adhere to

a specific set of MAN-MADE and traditional 'rules', 'laws', or 'practices'


1.B. Isn't the true Church called the Catholic Church?
Not in the Bible, no. I

Maggie: Where in the Bible does the Bible say that everything true and

Christian must be written down in the Bible before a true Christian can

ever believe it? Scott

isn't the true Catholic Church having Christ alone as Her Head, and not the popes of Rome, or any mere man?
yes


Maggie:
Amen.
Scott

2. How does a person study the Bible on it's own?
Read it. Believe it.

Pray the scriptures. Do the what the Word/Bible says to do.



Maggie: Amen. Scott

2.A. Doesn't that mean Acts 8:30-31 is false? The Ethiopian eunuch

studied the Bible "on its own", and didn't know what the Bible meant by

what it said.
No, he did not study the Bible. He studied the scriptures,

namely Isaiah, which is of the OLD TESTAMENT, not the New. The NT

had not yet been written!! Regardless, how would that make Acts

8:30-31 false? Your claim makes no sense.


Maggie. Your claim makes no sense. Isn't Isaiah 53 the Bible, a part of

the Bible, not the whole Bible, grant you. I did not say it was the whole

Bible. Scott

2.B. Didn't St. Philip tell the Ethiopian what Isaiah 53 means?
IN THE

BIBLE, ALL BELIEVERS ARE CALLED "SAINTS" and Yes, Philip helped

the man understand.


Maggie:

Yes. That Ethiopian's name is Saint Dan Djarada. But you wouldn't

know or believe that, because you reject oral tradition. Scott




2.C. Don't all Protestants follow a man, Martin Luther? Yes.

Well that

would be idolatry, wouldn't it? CHRISTIANS follow CHRIST.

"Protestants" is a word that describes a PORTION of group of people,

mentioned above, that are a part of the "CHURCH" that have pulled

away from the Roman Catholic Church and the pagan rituals it practices

and teaches to be 'from God' but are not. These people believe that

scripture is for everyone, whereas, until recently, the RCC believed it to

be only for the 'priests'. And, BTW, All believers are also priests. Use

Biblegateway.com to look up the words "saints" and "priests" to find

this to be true.
Because all Protestants believe in justification "by faith

alone", and Luther invented the doctrine by adding the word "alone"

after the word "faith" in Romans 3:28, in opposition to James

2:24!

Maggie: If all believers are priests, all believers can give other believers

communion. Which Scripture says that? Isn't the Eucharist given only

by priests or other Church clergy


who have received the Holy Spirit to do that from the laying

on of hands of a Christian Bishop?

The answer is yes. In any case, a person who has not been baptized

can't give anyone else communion.


Whether or not the word 'alone' is in the original Hebrew is irrelevant in

this instance:


Rom 3:28 (NASB) "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith

apart from works of the Law. " and in KJV "Therefore we conclude that

a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

" in NEITHER of these versions does the Word read "faith alone"! And

in
James 2:24 "
You see that a man is justified by works and not by

faith alone.
" The "alone" is the same as "only". You see that a man is

justified by works and not by faith ONLY. So, again, you not only

erroneously accuse Protestants, you also do not either read the

scriptures in their simplicity OR you do not understand what you read.


Maggie:

I do not erroneously accuse Protestants.

Martin Luther's Bible says "allein durch den Glauben", by faith "alone",

in Romans 3:28. Check your facts, Maggie. Luther said of his addition

to Romans 3:28, why he was adding the word "alone" which is not in

the Greek text of the NT, Luther said.

"It is so. And I will have it so. And my own will is reason enough.

It [faith alone] is so because I, Herr Doctor Martin Luther, say it is so".

In Erie Scott



3. Where in Revelation does it say the 24 Elders are dead?
It does not

say that anywhere in the Bible.

Maggie:

It says they are in heaven before the throne of God.

Scott

If they are dead, how can they be praying to Jesus Christ? Don't you believe the souls of the dead are alive? Yes, their bodies are dead. That doesn't mean that THEY are dead. A Christian is more than his mortal body. See here: BibleGateway.com - Keyword Search: twenty-four elders

Maggie.
That's exactly what I am saying.
You say I am "praying to dead saints".
I'm saying the saints who have passed on aren't dead. You say they ARE dead.
Aren't St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. John, St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, St. James, St. Jude, the Virgin Mary all alive in Heaven now?
Scott



4. What is the simple, pure truth of the Bible?
Not real sure of what you mean here. The BIBLE is GOD's love-letter and instruction manual for life...to us. It reveals His history, His plan, His character.

Maggie
AMEN

Scott
5. What man tells you what the Bible means?
No one. God's Word is self-explanitory.

Maggie
That's not so. Acts 8:30-31 proves it is not self explanatory. A book cannot explain anything. It takes a man, given the Holy Spirit by Christ (see John 16:13) to rightly divide (discern) the word of truth.
Scott

If you don't listen to some MAN, you are disobeying St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. "The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is [n]improper for a woman to speak in church" Seriously? If you don't listen to a MAN you are disobey this verse?? Your lack of spiritual, let alone, natural, understanding amazes me! 1st, "Man" in the Bible refers to ALL HUMANS and is not gender-specific. 2nd, in these verse Paul was speaking to a specific group of people about a problem that was going on in THEIR church at THAT time. He was also speaking of JEWISH TRADITION, not of what God's take on the matter of women speaking and teaching as unto the Lord.



6. Where do you get your understanding of the Bible?
Did the Ethiopian get his understanding "direct from the Holy Spirit", or did he get it from a man of God, and Apostle of God, St. Philip? See Acts 8:30-31?
See above, already addressed. UNDERSTANDING of Scripture, whether gotten by reading the Bible on one's own, or having it explained to you in a way that your spirit receives it as truth, COMES FROM HOLY SPIRIT.

7. Dear Sister, God bless you in Christ. After 1 Corinthians 14: comes 36-30.
36-30? really? What did you mean here?

Sorry. Typo error!

Which tells us not to be ignorant of the Truth of the Bible! yet YOU were ignorant of the FACT that verse 34-35 were not to the Body at large, but to a specific group. A course in hermeneutics would serve you well.

Maggie. How do you know that?
1 Corinthians 14 is for the whole church, not just for the Corinthians. If it is NOT, we couldn't read any of the NT, could we?
Scott


And to not fail to listen to St. Paul, "If anyone think to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge what I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord" (ONT Orthodox New Testament, Volume 2, page 168, q.v.). Cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-35, op.cit., q.v. OK??? POINT?

If the Ever-Virgin Mary is "dead",
She was not the 'ever-virgin'. She had SEVERAL other children after Jesus and scripture supports this. and Yes, she is D E A D and awaits the return of her Lord and Savior as do the rest of us.

Maggie. We've been over this many times.
Why does Mary have to be dead?
Don't you acknowledge Elijah and Enoch were taken to heaven without dying? Couldn't Mary have been taken to heaven after she died. And yes, Mary did die. It's called her Dormition. But then I believe she was resurrected and assumed bodily into heaven. It's not a dogma. But it can be true. There's nothing that proves it can't be true.


then why does Revelation 12:1-6 picture the Woman as alive in Heaven?: This is Mary as a type of the Church MARY has never represented the "church", the Body of Christ, His followers. This is Mary as a type of both OT Israel and the NT Church, 12 stars, the 12 tribes of Israel; 12 stars, the 12 Apostles of Christ. You don't seem to grasp that this is the rendition of the spiritual dynamics that have and will happen. THESE HAPPEN IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM. but have natural parallels.
Why do some people "want the saints to be "dead"?
Who want's them dead?? Don't you believe that to "be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD"? That is most certainly conditional!! Many are absent from their bodies...meaning, that 'no one is home upstairs' but they are NOT present with the Lord. Is Mary, the Mother of God, No, she is NOT. She is the MOTHER of CHRIST, not God the Father. not present with Jesus Christ, the LORD? No. She awaits the return of her Lord and Savior and His JUDGMENT DAY, just like the rest of us do.

Maggie. If Mary is not the Mother of God the Son, then God the Son is not God. You have to understand why the historic Church calls her Theotokos, the God-bearer, the Mother of God. Scott PS Mother of God does not mean mother of God the Father. Mother of "God the Son", Jesus Christ. Is not Christ God? If you deny Mary is the Mother of God, then you imply that Christ is not God (the Son)!


Are not all the Saints whom we know are in Heaven, present with the LORD.
No, because we ALL...living and already dead, MUST BE JUDGED before we can go to eternity and be with Hiim.

God save us all from ignorance of God and the Scriptures. cf. 1 Cor. 14, cf. above.
God bless us everyone, in Christ Jesus. Amen.
MaggieMye: I don't follow Catholicism. I follow Eastern Orthodoxy, for Christ is IN ORTHODOXY, and ORTHODOXY is IN CHRIST. GOD (CHRIST) is IN HIS CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matthew 16:18).
Christ is in the HEART of every Born Again Believer who DOES the Word of God. Your denomination will get you nowhere if you are not Born Again. Any , and I do mean ANY denomination that CLAIMS to be the only ORGANIZATION that has God's truth, is a cult and should be walked away from. Do not be fooled, every denomination has doctrine of man within its confines.


Dear Maggie!
GOD gave the world THE CHURCH (1 Tim. 3:15, Matt. 16:18, and the CHURCH WROTE THE BIBLE.
Wrong again, Scott. God gave the world, CHRIST. And He gave Christ, the Church. The Church is composed of those that KNOW HIM and follow His mandates set down in scripture.

Maggie. Half-true. Not the full truth.
God gives the world Christ. Where? In the Church? Otherwise Matthew 16:18 and 1 Tim. 3:15 make no sense, if there is no visible church? But yes, the Church is composed of people who know Christ, you are perfectly right about that. You just don't understand what the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth, is and means. You thinks it can be any denomination founded 494 years ago, or even more recently, teaching doctrines of men never taught in the first 1054 years of Church history.
Scott


It's the only place where the Bible said God wrote anything Himself, except of course for the place where it says Christ wrote on the ground (and it doesn't reveal what Christ wrote down on the ground).
Wrong. Check out Dan 5:5 to see that God wrote on the wall.

How do you know what you call the "church" practices THE TRUTH of the Bible, and not one that just claims it?
I don't need to know. God knows the heart of EVERY person that Claims Christ as their Lord and Savior. In truth, many in the church to NOT always practice truth or even what they preach. God knows the heart.

Maggie. Amen.
Who do you trust to be "the church"?
Trust? That word makes no sense. The church, again, is made of ALL believers of Christ and His written Word.


Maggie
How can all believers teach contradictory doctrines? That makes no sense. The Holy Spirit is not double minded or schizophrenic or capable of deceiving anyone, or of teaching errors. Yet some people who come "in the name of Christ" teach doctrinal errors? How can they, then, be "the Church"? That makes no sense!
Scott

God bless you! In Erie Scott Harrington
PS What Bible verse says the words, "Mary is dead"? Just wondering! If not, why do you believe that, when the Bible DOESN'T SAY THAT!?
Well use your commons sense. She was HUMAN and is nowhere in sight today. So where is she? She is not immortal and the Bible does not say she ever was. She was simply a young woman of about 14 who had great favor with God. WOMAN = human and at that time the lifespan was maybe 80 years or 120, max. Just because the Bible does not say she died, neither does it say she was every immortal and for anyone to assume she was is a deception.

Maggie. I did not say Mary is immortal. I did not say Mary never died. I said she's not dead now.
Scott

I was just truly wondering why you say things that aren't written down IN THE BIBLE!
YOU say Mary was immortal and THAT is NOT in the Bible.

Dear Maggie. Again, you say that I say things that I did not say. Mary died. You say, "She is dead". I say at least her soul is alive in Heaven now, and maybe her body as well. It's a possibility, isn't it, because of what happened to Elijah and Enoch. These men have not died yet, have they? What about them? Are they immortal? No. They'll come back during the tribulation, be killed, and resurrected. Scott


 
Nov 23, 2011
772
0
0
#19
OOC, you do not understand that there are parts of the Bible that are literal and parts that are metaphorical/spiritual. WHEN you start to understand this, you will better understand the Bible.

Generational curses are in OUR blood because of the iniquity. Iniquity is in the Blood and while Christ did make the provision for breaking curses that come through our bloodlines, WE must appropriate that provision.
Maggie
Where is generational curse taught in the Bible, and which Church Father taught it? If it isn't taught in the first 500 years of Church history, how can it be true? At the very least, God spoke through the Holy Spirit for a historically verifiable way from 325 AD to 787 AD, and these councils are part of God's Church History. None of these councils said "generational curse". See Ezekiel 18 if you think the Bible teaches original sin and generational curse, which seems to be a form of original guilty, inherited iniquity.
EZEKIEL 18 seems to speak against the concept of generational curses.
Scott
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
#20
Dear eternallygratefull:
If I stop listening to men, I would have to stop listening to you, because you are a man. You're being illogical! What you say is you think I follow the "traditions of men".
I don't want you to listen to me, what ever gave you that Idea? I am just a man. I want you to listen to God.

I am fully persuaded (by John 15:26 and other verses) that Orthodox Church tradition is the Tradition of God.
well thats sad. Because they are not. Your thinking you still have to earn your salvation proves it.

And that Protestant Reformation traditions are the traditions of men.
actually most of them are offshoots of catholosism and orthodoxy, which would make you correct.


I am living in hope of receiving eternal life from Christ.
that is what separates a true Christian from one who is going through the motions and trying to earn it. We KNOW we have it.. why? Because GOD SAID SO.

I don't have to believe in faith alone or in Martin Luther's traditions to receive life from Christ Yes, God gets all the glory. That doesn't mean we don't have to obey him. Faith without works is dead. Lutherans however teach faith alone, without works, saves. Who does the works through us? God? God prepares them in advance for us to do, and we must do them in cooperation with His grace (Eph. 2:10). God save us (Titus 3:5) in His mercy. Amen.
In Erie PA Scott R. Harrington
in other words. WE MUST WORK TO EARN SALVATION. which again proves your church teaches a works based salvation. They can twist it all they want.

The meaning of grace is unearned favor. It is mercy. If you have to work to recieve mercy it is not mercy, it is a reward for work accomplished. Paul makes this clear. if it is works, then it can't be of grace, for then grace stops becoming grace.. why? because it is not freely given, it is earned. That means it is not of grace, it is of works. You can't have it both ways. PERIOD.

But you can't see this. because you are following men and not God.