-
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.
P
The story of the prodigal son is Rich with many answers to questions we might have asked as we walk with our Lord.
One may be that the Lord provides our needs but what would happen if he gave us our wants. Would we become like the son in question?
Have you ever remained steadfast in your faith but got a little disgruntle at a back slidden saint who seems to be getting all the blessings after he repented???
Do you feel less than worthy that for a time you left your first love and now that you want that close to God feeling again he keeps you at a distance.
We cannot earn God's love nor buy it or deserve it. He gives it freely saints. He is mindful of you each day and waits for you.
Do we have a prodigal person in our life???? are you watching and waiting?????
We have a loving God that restores not only us but those we love. Those who we may know that are lost . Sin is pleasurable for a season but only God can use it to restore.
Are we so quick to judge what we see and forgetful of the things that are not seen?
John said God is love...the reason he said this is to make a invisible God ......visible.
One may be that the Lord provides our needs but what would happen if he gave us our wants. Would we become like the son in question?
Have you ever remained steadfast in your faith but got a little disgruntle at a back slidden saint who seems to be getting all the blessings after he repented???
Do you feel less than worthy that for a time you left your first love and now that you want that close to God feeling again he keeps you at a distance.
We cannot earn God's love nor buy it or deserve it. He gives it freely saints. He is mindful of you each day and waits for you.
Do we have a prodigal person in our life???? are you watching and waiting?????
We have a loving God that restores not only us but those we love. Those who we may know that are lost . Sin is pleasurable for a season but only God can use it to restore.
Are we so quick to judge what we see and forgetful of the things that are not seen?
John said God is love...the reason he said this is to make a invisible God ......visible.
That's not what is being taught by Jesus at all.
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10
Only the sheep, the coin and the son that are found again, belongs to the shepherd, the woman, the father.
While they are in a lost condition, they are sinners in need of repentance. Unjust. Unreconciled with God, just exactly as an unbeliever is unreconciled to God.
Only the "found" sheep, coin, son is reconciled to God: Justified. Reconciled to God.
It couldn't be any clearer.
For someone to become lost, they first must belong to God. Be His son. First be reconciled to Him. Justified.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:3-7
- Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
Can you honestly say the lost don't need salvation?
JPT
The lost sheep did belong to the shepherd, then became lost, no longer belonging to the shepherd until he returns in repentance.
There is no scripture in the bible that refers to the lost as someone who never believed.
To be lost, a person must first belong to God.
A person can not loose something they never owned.
I can't lose a coin that belongs to someone else.
JPT
Of course Paul taught the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that is the central part of our faith.
However the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that He preached and His Apostles were sent to preach is -
Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.
The way we obey the Gospel command repent, is to confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
Repent means to turn to God.
If you are called to turn to God, then by default you are called to turn from Satan as your lord.
The way that your express this obedience of faith, concerning the Gospel is to confess Jesus as Lord.
This is what grants the believer/obeyer of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins.
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. Acts 2:38
Peter did not say "repent of your sins".
A person can not "stop sinning" without the born again new Nature empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The way we are granted this, is by repenting, which means turning away from Satan and his kingdom, and turning to God, and confessing Jesus as Lord.
This is plainly what the Lord Jesus Christ taught to and commissioned Paul to do.
15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’ Acts 26:15-18
Repent is about being transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God.
It's about changing who you serve, as your Lord.
The Gospel of the kingdom is about changing the kingdom your are in, by changing the lord you serve.
The Gospel is God's call to humanity, to "come out of hiding", in darkness, and to come into the light, the kingdom of light.
JPT
-
1
- Show all
The word "confess" is the Greek word homologeō and it means to speak or say the same together with another.
We see in Scripture what God says about certain behaviors / activities.
When we sin, we agree with God (confess) that what His Word reveals concerning our behavior and/or activities is sin. We confess what His Word says about our sin. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 If we confess [Gr. homologeō — say the same thing God's Word says, agree with God] our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We see in Scripture what God says about certain behaviors / activities.
When we sin, we agree with God (confess) that what His Word reveals concerning our behavior and/or activities is sin. We confess what His Word says about our sin. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 If we confess [Gr. homologeō — say the same thing God's Word says, agree with God] our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Are you sure Heb 8:6 relates to the "renewed Abrahamic Covenant"?
Continue reading in Hebrews 8:
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
And the "better" relates to more than just "we [Gentiles] are grafted into the natural olive tree, which is the Israel of God".
You refusing to acknowledge the "some better thing for us" does not negate that what we have in our day and time far surpasses what was available to believers prior to Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was shed abroad. The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life, God resurrected Him on the third day, and Christ ascended up into heaven in order to send this most precious gift to us. We are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory (Eph 1:13-14). We are the "purchased possession" and it cost the Father the life of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We belong to the One Who paid for us. When we wander, He comes looking for us, He finds us, He lays us on His shoulder, and He carries us back.
Continue reading in Hebrews 8:
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people
And the "better" relates to more than just "we [Gentiles] are grafted into the natural olive tree, which is the Israel of God".
You refusing to acknowledge the "some better thing for us" does not negate that what we have in our day and time far surpasses what was available to believers prior to Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was shed abroad. The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life, God resurrected Him on the third day, and Christ ascended up into heaven in order to send this most precious gift to us. We are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory (Eph 1:13-14). We are the "purchased possession" and it cost the Father the life of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We belong to the One Who paid for us. When we wander, He comes looking for us, He finds us, He lays us on His shoulder, and He carries us back.
and there's MORE! Jesus was correcting the religious hypocrites, by pointing out the jealousy of the older (entitled) brother! This guy was a real piece of work, eh? And Jesus was speaking to these hypocrites via his portrayal of the immaturity of the reaction of the elder brother to his brother's "undeserved" welcome versus the Father's joy at receiving his lost son! So sad (the elder bro's reaction), eh? May we not be such.
The New Covenant is the [Renewed] Abrahamic Covenant, which Jesus made with Abraham as an everlasting Covenant.
If the New [Renewed] Covenant is not better, and established on better promises than the law of Moses, then what Covenant is?
3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:8-13
JPT
If a lion or wolf finds it while lost and devours it, then who does it belong to?
Who do sinners belong to Satan or God?
The promise of not being snatched from His hand is to those who hear [and obey] His Voice so that they follow Him.
Those who hear for a while then wander away and become lost are sinners: unreconciled to Him just as an unbeliever.
All the human reasoning in the world, will not change the words of Jesus Christ.
A lost person is needs salvation: repentance and reconciliation with God: Justification; being declared right with God.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Luke 15:4-7
- likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
A person who is lost - Needs to repent in order to be reconciled with God through Christ Jesus, in which they are justified.
A person who is lost - Is a sinner.
A sinner is someone who is separate from Christ. Hebrews 7:26
Jesus makes it clear that we must remain connected to Him in relationship; joined to Him as a branch is connected to the vine from which it draws it's life from, or we will wither.
Those who are separated from Christ, are separated from the eternal life that is only found in Christ Jesus.
If a lost sheep doesn't repent and return to God they will remain lost forever; death, die, perish
JPT
Yes "found" refers to a person who has been reconciled back to Christ, which means they were lost.
Could you define lost, as it pertains to Luke 15.
Is a lost person a sinner or a saint?
Is a lost person just or unjust?
Does a lost person need to be reconciled with God?
Do the lost need salvation: ie reconciliation with God- Justification?
JPT
First you talk about the Abrahamic Covenant.
Then you talk about the law of Moses.
These are two separate covenants.
Which covenant does Heb 8:6 relate to?
Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
I do not believe Heb 8:6 relates to the covenant God made with Abraham.
I believe Heb 8:6 relates to the covenant that I [God] made with their fathers in the day when I [God] took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt (Heb 8:9).
Then you talk about the law of Moses.
These are two separate covenants.
Which covenant does Heb 8:6 relate to?
Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
I do not believe Heb 8:6 relates to the covenant God made with Abraham.
I believe Heb 8:6 relates to the covenant that I [God] made with their fathers in the day when I [God] took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt (Heb 8:9).