How is life treating you?
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Are you a minister? I thank you for your help.
In a different thread I was talking to someone there about the bible telling us God predetermines our lives. I recollect something in one of the testaments and it has been years since I read through the bible, we make our choices but God sets us on the path he wants us to go.
What do you think? Do we have any say in the direction we take? Or is everything controlled in its journey by God and his determinism?
And another question if you don't mind. Talking with someone in a different thread again. How do you know you are in God's grace? Is it a feeling? Do you change overnight? They said they did.
How do you know? And too, if there are only certain people meant to be in his salvation how do you know if you're not one of those?
Thank you for your answers and offer to help my understanding.
In a different thread I was talking to someone there about the bible telling us God predetermines our lives. I recollect something in one of the testaments and it has been years since I read through the bible, we make our choices but God sets us on the path he wants us to go.
What do you think? Do we have any say in the direction we take? Or is everything controlled in its journey by God and his determinism?
And another question if you don't mind. Talking with someone in a different thread again. How do you know you are in God's grace? Is it a feeling? Do you change overnight? They said they did.
How do you know? And too, if there are only certain people meant to be in his salvation how do you know if you're not one of those?
Thank you for your answers and offer to help my understanding.
I teach in my church and mentored by a pastor. I feel more led to prepare my kids so that they can go out from me and have 3x the impact as I alone could. Invest in a little over 15 years and our children could be our best evangelism methods. But obviously I spend time helping in other areas at church or other activities like using my social media outlets to also teach and share the Gospel.
Were you predetermined to write this or chose to?
This has been theologically debated for centuries. This really falls into the concept of free will. In my thread called The Absence of Free Will, you can find my defense of free will and of course the discussion between those who believe in absolute predeterminism.
https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/the-absence-of-free-will.187333/
Feeling are emotional and will not always be stable. You know because God tells us we are if our faith is in Jesus Christ for our salvation. God's promises have came true throughout centuries. Prophecy has never not been accurate in scripture.
Romans 11:6
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
It is something we do not deserve and could not earn. The Apostles suffered greatly for this promise and Paul even once claimed to be so bad under persecution that he had wished for death. Feelings doesn't secure or negate God's promises. Have faith in that and secure that in your mind so when trials come, you will not stumble.
If you love God, put your faith in Jesus, accepted him as Christ or Lord over your life, and remain faithful to the end then you will never have to doubt salvation. Jesus said he was the vine and we are the branches. Remain in him and you will live. To be cut off, you will die.
This is the theological debate between predestination and again free will.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Either God gave a choice for whoever would believe or John is lying in this verse. Of course, this comes from the doctrine of Calvinism or Arminianism. Most Christians fall somewhere in between them both.
You will have.
Arminianism------------moderate------------middle------------moderate-----------Calvinism
If I was to choose I am more middle to moderate Arminian. Close to George Whitfield and John Wesley. Not by choice but after reading the Bible first I found out my beliefs aligned more into that area. At that time I had no idea who or what Arminian, Calvin, Whitfield, Wesley, etc were and taught. Either side you fall on will not affect salvation. It will just affect how you see scripture.
To me evil is best explained by free will or else God would be the author of evil too.
Were you predetermined to write this or chose to?
This has been theologically debated for centuries. This really falls into the concept of free will. In my thread called The Absence of Free Will, you can find my defense of free will and of course the discussion between those who believe in absolute predeterminism.
https://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/the-absence-of-free-will.187333/
Feeling are emotional and will not always be stable. You know because God tells us we are if our faith is in Jesus Christ for our salvation. God's promises have came true throughout centuries. Prophecy has never not been accurate in scripture.
Romans 11:6
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
It is something we do not deserve and could not earn. The Apostles suffered greatly for this promise and Paul even once claimed to be so bad under persecution that he had wished for death. Feelings doesn't secure or negate God's promises. Have faith in that and secure that in your mind so when trials come, you will not stumble.
If you love God, put your faith in Jesus, accepted him as Christ or Lord over your life, and remain faithful to the end then you will never have to doubt salvation. Jesus said he was the vine and we are the branches. Remain in him and you will live. To be cut off, you will die.
This is the theological debate between predestination and again free will.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Either God gave a choice for whoever would believe or John is lying in this verse. Of course, this comes from the doctrine of Calvinism or Arminianism. Most Christians fall somewhere in between them both.
You will have.
Arminianism------------moderate------------middle------------moderate-----------Calvinism
If I was to choose I am more middle to moderate Arminian. Close to George Whitfield and John Wesley. Not by choice but after reading the Bible first I found out my beliefs aligned more into that area. At that time I had no idea who or what Arminian, Calvin, Whitfield, Wesley, etc were and taught. Either side you fall on will not affect salvation. It will just affect how you see scripture.
To me evil is best explained by free will or else God would be the author of evil too.
Thank you for all of that information. I think if I pray and trust God will answer me I may know my truth.
The last part of your post is intriguing because in all these years away from the bible one scripture I remember is that which grandma instilled into us early. We each had a verse to remember of an entire chapter going through the whole bible as far as able during our summer break with her and family. This verse and another as well as John 3:16 are the only ones that come to mind today.
Lamentations 3:38 Good and evil alike take place at his command.
When God is the beginning of all things that exist where would something come from if not from God?
The last part of your post is intriguing because in all these years away from the bible one scripture I remember is that which grandma instilled into us early. We each had a verse to remember of an entire chapter going through the whole bible as far as able during our summer break with her and family. This verse and another as well as John 3:16 are the only ones that come to mind today.
Lamentations 3:38 Good and evil alike take place at his command.
When God is the beginning of all things that exist where would something come from if not from God?
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Wow this was helpful right now!-I´m in a bit of a rough spot right now
(https://christianchat.com/christian-family-forum/my-dad-left.195140/)
Thanks!
(https://christianchat.com/christian-family-forum/my-dad-left.195140/)
Thanks!
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sadly that is so true.
We really need to be brave. What if we started to change this? We can be the ones to seriously listen to others and pray for them and treat them in love as our brothers and sisters.
We should pray that God softens people´s hearts to act in his love and not hustling like the world does.
We really need to be brave. What if we started to change this? We can be the ones to seriously listen to others and pray for them and treat them in love as our brothers and sisters.
We should pray that God softens people´s hearts to act in his love and not hustling like the world does.
Roughsoul1991,
it´s awessome how you take so much time and answer all these questions and prayer requests and stuff. God bless you for that, I´m sure you have helped so many people. Please, could you also pray for me and give me advice? My story right now is in hte thread My dadleft. Thank you and God bless!
it´s awessome how you take so much time and answer all these questions and prayer requests and stuff. God bless you for that, I´m sure you have helped so many people. Please, could you also pray for me and give me advice? My story right now is in hte thread My dadleft. Thank you and God bless!
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It is a very good point you are raising. Maybe one of the reasons that people respond to each other in so much greater depth in a forum like this is because it is something that we do whenever we have time for it, are free to engage in conversations – without any obligation in day to day life coming along with it. My impression is that people are just too busy these days, full schedules, too afraid to get more burden loaded upon them. I also believe that the structure in the average church is not supporting true, deep friendships really. A pastor is supposed to care for too many. Organized "counseling teams" often do their "ministry", but there is not the true heart of a friendship, willing to carry each other's burden.
Thank you again for raising this. I totally agree, as Christians we are supposed to be knit together in a different kind of community. Smaller groups perhaps, sharing the lives with each other.
Thank you again for raising this. I totally agree, as Christians we are supposed to be knit together in a different kind of community. Smaller groups perhaps, sharing the lives with each other.
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Lamentations can be interpreted differently for example
Lamentations 3:38
New International Version
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Lamentations 3:38
1599 Geneva Bible
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not [a]evil and good?
Footnotes
Amos 3:6
1599 Geneva Bible
6 Or [a]shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people be not afraid? or shall there [b]be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
Footnotes
ra' also spelled rah: adversity
Bad or evil
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7451.htm
God inflicts tragedy evil on those who fail to keep His laws. Isaiah 45:7 shows this meaning in its own context. The evil spoken of is opposite to peace and prosperity, and so would refer to natural catastrophes such as trials, disappointments, plagues, wars, etc. These adversities God controls and sends upon man as a consequence of sin.
You have God who allowed the Egyptians to live despite their hostility towards the Israelites. Eventually, after God's people cried out to Him, God began to turn His wrath away from the Jewish disobedience and then began to judge Pharaoh and Egypt. It was bad, it was a calamity, it was God's rah, adversity or state of hardship or affliction; misfortune.
Hebrews 7:26
English Standard Version
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Jesus as God incarnate shows us God on a personal level. To be holy you must be without sin or evil. To commit moral evil would be in direct opposition to His character. Moral evil is unjustified. God's wrath is always justified.
Hope this explains it.
In order to allow choice and true love, God couldn't force His creation to love him. Forcing someone to love you isn't true love. Out of this choice, mankind had the free will to choose God or self. Out of choosing self, you see evil being committed or due to the fallen nature of the Earth, you see natural disasters. God, of course, can work within the world to bring good and direct mankind towards His end goal. Just as Judas was held accountable for his betrayal but yet good came from the betrayal.
Lamentations 3:38
New International Version
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Lamentations 3:38
1599 Geneva Bible
38 Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not [a]evil and good?
Footnotes
- Lamentations 3:38 That is, adversity and prosperity, Amos 3:6.
Amos 3:6
1599 Geneva Bible
6 Or [a]shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people be not afraid? or shall there [b]be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?
Footnotes
- Amos 3:6 Shall the Prophets threaten God’s judgments and the people not be afraid?
- Amos 3:6 Doth any adversity come without God’s appointment? Isa. 45:7.
ra' also spelled rah: adversity
Bad or evil
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7451.htm
God inflicts tragedy evil on those who fail to keep His laws. Isaiah 45:7 shows this meaning in its own context. The evil spoken of is opposite to peace and prosperity, and so would refer to natural catastrophes such as trials, disappointments, plagues, wars, etc. These adversities God controls and sends upon man as a consequence of sin.
You have God who allowed the Egyptians to live despite their hostility towards the Israelites. Eventually, after God's people cried out to Him, God began to turn His wrath away from the Jewish disobedience and then began to judge Pharaoh and Egypt. It was bad, it was a calamity, it was God's rah, adversity or state of hardship or affliction; misfortune.
Hebrews 7:26
English Standard Version
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
Jesus as God incarnate shows us God on a personal level. To be holy you must be without sin or evil. To commit moral evil would be in direct opposition to His character. Moral evil is unjustified. God's wrath is always justified.
Hope this explains it.
In order to allow choice and true love, God couldn't force His creation to love him. Forcing someone to love you isn't true love. Out of this choice, mankind had the free will to choose God or self. Out of choosing self, you see evil being committed or due to the fallen nature of the Earth, you see natural disasters. God, of course, can work within the world to bring good and direct mankind towards His end goal. Just as Judas was held accountable for his betrayal but yet good came from the betrayal.
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Thank you. God is great to give us this opportunity. I happily pray for you as you struggle in this season of heartbreak, possibly loneliness, and questions that involve why me, why this, why that. I'll check your thread out because without context I can only mourn with you as God will lead you to stable ground. Just as Peter began to sink while walking on the water. He took his eyes off Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will no longer sink but be lifted up to solid ground.
Romans 12:15
New International Version
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Romans 12:15
New International Version
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Should do name tags with emoji faces and let people pick one to match the heart.
Or just become friends and share.
One thing I liked about the Quakers was their use of the term friends in regards to a church fellowship
Quakers, also called Friends, belong to a historically Christian denomination known formally as the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church
Or just become friends and share.
One thing I liked about the Quakers was their use of the term friends in regards to a church fellowship
Quakers, also called Friends, belong to a historically Christian denomination known formally as the Religious Society of Friends or Friends Church
That is definitely a introduction. Hey! I deserve death here's why lol. Just kidding I'm sure he wasn't as blunt with it.
Love is one of those things we need in life to survive. Love from God, love from others, or loving yourself as in knowing you were creating in God's image prepared for good works that God has planned.
Love is one of those things we need in life to survive. Love from God, love from others, or loving yourself as in knowing you were creating in God's image prepared for good works that God has planned.