Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

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Nehemiah6 said:
Short Answer: No.

Everyone must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ AND His finished work of redemption in His death, burial, and resurrection. His death on the cross was the supreme sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Each one must believe that their personal sins were laid on Him, and that Christ paid the full penalty for their sins. Each one must believe that when they truly repent of their sins and idols, then their sins are remitted (forgiven).

And it is the blood of Jesus Christ -- God's Son -- which has purchased our redemption and keeps on cleansing us from all our sins.

All of this must be presented in the preaching of the Gospel. Whether or not it is being done faithful by all preachers is a different matter.
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Can a Believer live a victorious life if he doesn’t understand the Cross respecting sanctication?
 
Lanolin said:
Whos jimmy swaggart, I mean, should we be listening or taking any noitce of him, if we already read the Bible and know what it says.

If hes your pastor or preacher, great, but I would rather go to scripture than just repeat what my pastor says, cos he doesnt talk about every single thing everyone needs to know. Hes only gives 20 minute sermons once a week! The Bible takes daily study. I mean all preachers must know the basics of the gospel, its a given.

Having said that, many false preachers water down the gospel or embellish it with their own ideas.
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Swaggart was a televangelist back in the 80's and 90's. He committed adultery, was exposed, gave a farcical "repentance" message, and was "restored" to ministry very soon after. He has absolutely no credibility in my view.
 
MessageOfTheCross said:
Can a Believer live a victorious life if he doesn’t understand the Cross respecting sanctication?
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Sanctification includes both the Cross and the Holy Spirit.

1. Paul said (and this should be true for all Christians): I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20) This means that the power of sin, the power of the flesh, or the old sinful Adamic nature, was destroyed at the cross, and therefore sin shall NOT have dominion over you.

2. At the same time, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit within that Christians can live a victorious life in Christ: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)

Christians should not be focused on, or practising, sinful thoughts and deeds. Their focus must be on doing God's will. It is that simple.
 
Nehemiah6 said:
Sanctification includes both the Cross and the Holy Spirit.

1. Paul said (and this should be true for all Christians): I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20) This means that the power of sin, the power of the flesh, or the old sinful Adamic nature, was destroyed at the cross, and therefore sin shall NOT have dominion over you.

2. At the same time, it is by the power of the Holy Spirit within that Christians can live a victorious life in Christ: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)

Christians should not be focused on, or practising, sinful thoughts and deeds. Their focus must be on doing God's will. It is that simple.
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Why is the Cross of Christ so important as it regards the Holy Spirit?
 
Gal. 5:11 NLT: The Apostle Paul said, "Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised--as some say I do--why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the Cross of Christ, no one would be offended.

Paul is stating that the Cross is an offence? Why are people offended by the Cross of Christ and want to turn away from it and demean it?
 
Guojing said:
Are you unclear about this particular verse? As I have said, tell me how you would interpret this

15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
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I am going back to scripture, reassessing what I have understood. The facts of the Lord I start with is that our creator God is a loving God whose aim for us is to have us live with Him forever. That fact must be part of every interpretation. Another fact is that sin kills. What is of God produces,(here on earth) abundance, peace, what is good. Sin produces want, fighting, dark things. But added to this and what we must fit into this is that God created all things including sin. When God made up it meant there was a down. Wide has a narrow. So we can say that God causes sickness, poverty, etc. but only as a result of sin.

Thanks so much for reasoning with me and pointing me to scripture I have missed.
 
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MessageOfTheCross said:
Gal. 5:11 NLT: The Apostle Paul said, "Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised--as some say I do--why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the Cross of Christ, no one would be offended.

Paul is stating that the Cross is an offence? Why are people offended by the Cross of Christ and want to turn away from it and demean it?
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What Paul was teaching was a reversal of his former teaching. Before he taught that you must follow the rituals like fleshly circumcision, kosher eating to be saved. Paul reversed that and was teaching the cross was the way to salvation.
 
Blik said:
What Paul was teaching was a reversal of his former teaching. Before he taught that you must follow the rituals like fleshly circumcision, kosher eating to be saved. Paul reversed that and was teaching the cross was the way to salvation.
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If it is the way for salvation and sanctification why do many Christians no longer believe that?

1 Timothy 4 King James Version (KJV)

4 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
 
MessageOfTheCross said:
If it is the way for salvation and sanctification why do many Christians no longer believe that?

1 Timothy 4 King James Version (KJV)

4 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
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The Apostle Paul also said, "18 For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Why is the Cross of Christ the power of God? Are those people who think that the Cross of Christ is foolishness saved?
 
Blik said:
I am going back to scripture, reassessing what I have understood. The facts of the Lord I start with is that our creator God is a loving God whose aim for us is to have us live with Him forever. That fact must be part of every interpretation. Another fact is that sin kills. What is of God produces,(here on earth) abundance, peace, what is good. Sin produces want, fighting, dark things. But added to this and what we must fit into this is that God created all things including sin. When God made up it meant there was a down. Wide has a narrow. So we can say that God causes sickness, poverty, etc. but only as a result of sin.

Thanks so much for reasoning with me and pointing me to scripture I have missed.
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If you have this belief that God never changes, period, then yes, I can understand that it can be difficult for you to understand the true significance of the Cross, what Jesus did.

For me, I agree that God stays the same. Being a holy God, he must punish sin. David did not have the benefit of Jesus paying the penalty for his sin, so God had to punish David, even though it was tempered with mercy since David did not die.

For us under the new covenant however, Jesus paid for our sins, God punished Jesus on the cross so that he will never ever punish us for our own sins.

Thus, what you said about So we can say that God causes sickness, poverty, etc. but only as a result of sin, to me is incorrect. God will never cause me to be poor or sick because of my sins.

If he does that still, he would have to apologize to Jesus, who was my substitute. And God planned it that way, he cut the new covenant with my representative Son of Man, Jesus, so that I can be confident in his goodness.
 
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