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God is within all. The purpose of a minister or pastor or priest is the teach the two commandments that Jesus gave at the last supper. To love God and each other. We do not need any book to find God within us. We need Love because Love fulfills all the laws.
God is not within all. That is a lie that Satan would have men believe. It is completely contrary to the word of God.
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God put us here to live life and to be love. He did not put us here to watch life pass by to "study, study, study and teach". There is no life in that.
Matthew 10:37 ''He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38) 'And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39) ''He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.''
Spiritual growth demands study.
2 Corinthians 2:15 'Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.'
The greatest virtue in the Christian life is knowlege of Bible doctrine. It is Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer that results in spiritual growth and blessing in the life of that believer. Learning Bible doctrine must be first in the scale of values of the Christian.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
It is Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer that produces capacity for life, love and happiness. It is by means of Bible doctrine that the believer comes to know and love God.
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When we learn to love, we have fulfilled to will of God. Books cannot love. People Love.
You may read the bible and understand it but to say that the bible is the only book that teaches abour Jesus and what He brought to the world is just wrong. THere are plenty of enlightened souls who have not read nor even heard of the bible. We don't need the bible or any other book to find the God within us. That is where you find Heaven.
The Bible is the only written word of God.
Heaven is not within us and God is not within every man. That is new age religion which is in direct contradiction of the word of God.
The members of the trinity indwell the body of the church-age believer. The unbeliever is spiritually dead and has no relationship with God.
Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3) Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
It is only through faith in Christ that anyone is delivered from the kingdom of Satan.
Colossians 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
John 8:24 ''I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.''
The pastors calling is to study and teach, study and teach. And it is the believers responsiblity to avail himself of the teaching ministry of a prepared pastor/teacher for the purpose of spiritual growth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 explains the purpose of the pastor and the responsiblitiy of the believer, which is to grow up spiritually.
God is not within all. That is a lie that Satan would have men believe. It is completely contrary to the word of God.
What about Jer 31 or John 17?
God's laws written on our hearts and in our minds? and we will be one with God as Jesus was one with God.... Or the kingdom of heaven is within you.. What does your doctrine say about those passages?
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The greatest virtue in the Christian life is knowlege of Bible doctrine. It is Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer that results in spiritual growth and blessing in the life of that believer. Learning Bible doctrine must be first in the scale of values of the Christian.
So Reverend has outgrown the bible because of spiritual growth and it seems you don't even use the bible but doctrine...
Do you understand that bible doctrine is man-made? So you are saying that rather than consult God yourself, a person must consult bible doctrine? I prefer to consult God directly...
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It is Bible doctrine in the soul of the believer that produces capacity for life, love and happiness. It is by means of Bible doctrine that the believer comes to know and love God.
So Bible doctrine is important but the masses are to stupid to read the bible themselves? Even the Catholics don't believe that anymore... thanks to the protestant movement!
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The Bible is the only written word of God.
Yes the Bible not bible doctrine!
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Heaven is not within us and God is not within every man. That is new age religion which is in direct contradiction of the word of God.
That must be a buzz word for you that causes you to shut out words of wisdom... like Pavlov's dog you are conditioned to believe this language is "new-age" when the bible itself tells us the kingdom is within us...
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The members of the trinity indwell the body of the church-age believer. The unbeliever is spiritually dead and has no relationship with God.
Which then means they are incapable of accepting God yet you say because of that they will burn in hell.... that doesn't make any sense... God poured his spirit on ALL MEN not just believers.
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It is only through faith in Christ that anyone is delivered from the kingdom of Satan.
LOL how can you have faith in something spiritual when you are spiritually dead? It is impossible yet you just stick with your man-made doctrine that says that... why?
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Colossians 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
So God delivers... not the spirititually dead guy.. right? So there isn't a choice for salvation but a deliverance BY GOD from darkness.
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John 8:24 ''I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.''
We all die... that isn't that unusual... some die in their sin and others don't... pretty straightforward. Just because you believe people who die in their sins are automatically destined for hell doesn't make the verse say that...
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The pastors calling is to study and teach, study and teach. And it is the believers responsiblity to avail himself of the teaching ministry of a prepared pastor/teacher for the purpose of spiritual growth.
Ephesians 4:11-16 explains the purpose of the pastor and the responsiblitiy of the believer, which is to grow up spiritually.
Yet if the pastor misleads you and you die before HE/SHE realizes it then is it the pastor who goes to hell or you? We are each responsible for our own lives... our own salvation ... our own behavior.... Mike.. I hope one day you wake up from the doctrine of men (baby's milk) and share in the love and wisdom of God (solid food)... only time will tell I guess.
These men must prepare by means of study. They must learn the original languages. They must learn how to exegete the Scriptures and they must acquire the science of textual criticism. They must learn isagogics-the literary history of the Bible. They must learn the categories of doctrine. Then they are prepared to on their own, study study study and teach. Study study study and teach. Study study study and teach.
This is a huge contradiction to your earlier statement that it's simple. I guess that's why you never directly addressed it when I questioned you about the opposing views of denominations making it complicated.
Kat- why are you on a Christianity board if you aren't a Christian (your words, not mine)? Why do you debate about Christianity when you yourself say you aren't one?
And that many people reject the necessity of the pastor goes to the fact that in the end times many people will reject sound doctrine. God has established a system of authority in the spiritual life. Now of course the true mentor is the Holy Spirit. He makes spiritual phenomena understandable to the believer. The Holy Spirit works with the principles and doctrines that have been transfered from the pages of the written word of God into the soul of the believer. And it is the Holy Spirit who sovereignly bestows on certain men the spiritual gift of pastor/teacher who have the responsibility to study and teach--to communicate to the church the body of doctrine that is contained in the Bible.
These men must prepare by means of study. They must learn the original languages. They must learn how to exegete the Scriptures and they must acquire the science of textual criticism. They must learn isagogics-the literary history of the Bible. They must learn the categories of doctrine. Then they are prepared to on their own, study study study and teach. Study study study and teach. Study study study and teach. And it is the responsibilty of each member of the body of Christ to submit to the authority of the pastor in his teaching ministry regarding the communication of the word of God for the purpose of edification.
Here is what the word of God says about the purpose of the pastor.
Ephesians 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15) but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
These are the "precepts and doctrines of men" that seek control over you, period.The number of people ever likely to engage in serious scholarship is far too limited for it to be a necessary process for understanding God. I have done ALL the scholarship and I am absolutely convinced that it was not necessary after all. Think about it. If understanding God required scholarly inquiry to understand it, there would be incredibly few people who would ever accomplish it, let alone make any progress toward achieving it. It would be monumentally stupid to create an organism and then limit, in any way, the ability of that organism to understand its Creator. No, the understanding is readily available within all of us ("written in our hearts") and we have been given a guide (Holy Spirit) to help us to know in our hearts what is true. We must be sincere enough to wish to know it.
1 John 2:27 (New Living Translation)
27 But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
The New Convenant in Christ eliminated the need for teachers and authority figures.
Hebrews 8:7-13 (King James Version)
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8For 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:
9Not 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.
10For 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:
11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
2 Corinthians 3: 2-6 (King James Version)
2Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
"But all Scripture is divided into two Testaments. That which preceded the advent and passion of Christ—that is, the law and the prophets—is called the Old; but those things which were written after His resurrection are named the New Testament."
The term "new covenant" is in the Bible. Among other places it can be found in Luke 22:20
This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you
and Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Galatians 3:23
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Last edited by MysticPhD; 03-26-2010 at 12:29 PM..
This is a huge contradiction to your earlier statement that it's simple. I guess that's why you never directly addressed it when I questioned you about the opposing views of denominations making it complicated.
There is no contradiction. The issue in salvation is simple. Believe in the lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16:31.
After salvation the believer is commanded to grow up spiritually by means of inculcation of Bible doctrine into the soul.
Denominations are the result of disagreements concerning the word of God. Those disagreements result because many refuse to believe what the Bible has to say about something. For instance, the Bible is clear that baptism is not a requirment for salvation. But many choose to believe that it is based on a faulty understanding of the Scriptures. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ is God. But some simply choose not to believe that. The trinity is clear in the Scriptures but some simply deny the obvious.
The purpose and function of the pastor is to clearly understand and then teach these things to his congregation so that the church-the body of Christ might be edified.
There is no contradiction. The issue in salvation is simple. Believe in the lord Jesus and you will be saved. Acts 16:31.
After salvation the believer is commanded to grow up spiritually by means of inculcation of Bible doctrine into the soul.
Denominations are the result of disagreements concerning the word of God. Those disagreements result because many refuse to believe what the Bible has to say about something. For instance, the Bible is clear that baptism is not a requirment for salvation. But many choose to believe that it is based on a faulty understanding of the Scriptures. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ is God. But some simply choose not to believe that. The trinity is clear in the Scriptures but some simply deny the obvious.
The purpose and function of the pastor is to clearly understand and then teach these things to his congregation so that the church-the body of Christ might be edified.
Hi, still not a universalist. But......from what I can tell....the universalists are banned from EVERY "christian" board out there. They are kicked out of the churches (synagogues) and have been for hundreds of years. And they even get quite a beating on City Data .
"Christianity" for the most part has been dominant throughout the world, not persecuted. I mean I'm not sure what the stake was about,and that goes for both the Catholic and Protestant "churches." Again, I don't see anywhere in the Bible where the disciples were burning people at the stake for "choosing" not to believe!
Maybe you should rethink what persecuted means. I believe the people torn apart by lions and burning to death while people cheer would feel a little more persecuted than a guy on City Data typing sentences.
They are banned because they are not Christian and Christians do not want their message. They do not share a common thread with us as much as they try. They are not kicked out of anywhere they have made their choice and they must lay in the bed they have made for themselves. I would suggest you read some of the links of why they were banned. I am aware of them and have seen them. It can be summed up simply in that if you are Christian be Christian, but if you want to be a Universalist be a Universalist. Every Christian I know doesnt want to be a Universalist.
If Universalists are banned from Christian forums it is not the fault of the Christian, but the Universalist. They have made their bed of their own free will (even if they dont believe in it) and they will lay in it. They face no persecution from Christians, but they will face the call to return to Christ. There is a distinct difference between the judgement of God (which is coming and many do choose destruction) and the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the unbeliever. Before you start calling someone persecuted, it might be better if you understand the difference. Conviction by the Holy Spirit is not persecution.
There is nothing to be rethought here. What is not Christian is of the world and thus is a persecutor. Christians reject the world and its false teachings. Scripture tells He was persecuted and that we also will be persecuted. Just because something is words on a forum does not make it any less a persecution. There are Christians facing worse persecutions than this and Christians know the whole world will soon experience these persecutions. What happens in a simple forum is only a precursor of things to come. I speak of things deeper than your assessment.
Last edited by Aschultz73; 03-26-2010 at 12:51 PM..
I am old and weary of the task of correcting the"precepts and doctrines of men" designed to retain control over you. I share the extensive knowledge that I have attained over my life to free you from the deceits and misguidance about God that dominate your lives. I have tried to use my scholarship to counteract the false witness and scholarship that is used to keep you in bondage. I do this in "love of God and each other" in the hope that you may free yourself from the oppression of others and experience the pure love of God untainted by the designs of men and the motivations of fear of punishment or desire for reward.
In my most recent meditations I have detected increased animus directed at my soul (powerful external hate and anger targeted at me). This is unexpected and troubling to my soul. I shall withdraw from this venue until the peace of my meditations is uninterrupted by such vehemence and evil. I sought only to help clarify the true nature of our God and His desires for us. I apologize to those who have been driven to such hatred and anger toward me and my efforts here. Forgive me. I did not mean to cause you such distress. God Bless and Be Well,
Mystic
They are banned because they are not Christian....
Oh, is that right? So let's review what I believe, shall we?.
1. I believe that God justifies the ungodly:
Rom 4:5 But to the one not working, but believing on Him justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
2. I believe that Jesus died for the ungodly, on the cross, to justify the ungodly, with His own blood:
Rom 5:6 for we yet being without strength, in due time Christ died for ungodly ones.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath through Him.
3. I believe that Jesus' one time act of righteousness (His death on the cross) will bring life to all men.
Rom 5:18 So then, as through one deviation it was toward all men to condemnation, so also through one righteous act toward all men to justification of life.
4. Further, I believe that God testified to His justifying the ungodly in the very resurrection of Jesus:
Rom 4:25 who was delivered because of our deviations, and was raised because of our justification.
I would also say if you do not believe that God justifies the ungodly on the merits of Christ alone, you have not been imputed with the righteousness of God. Not only are you not a Christian, you are a pagan that believes in a pagan God.
That's what I believe. So should you my friend. Believe the Good News of the Gospel.
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I prefer to consult God directly...
. 
Goodbye for now
