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Christsfreeservant · Aug 11, 2024

“Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18 ESV)

In this passage in 2 Corinthians, it speaks of Moses at Mt Sinai who put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from seeing the radiance of God’s glory fading from his face after he had been with God face-to-face. Yet, the reference appears to be about another kind of veil that covers people’s hearts – the veil of unbelief. And, that veil of unbelief has continued to this day for the Jewish nation. As a whole, the Jewish nation refuses to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, Lord, and Savior. So that is why their minds are still veiled. But there is a minority of Jews who do believe in Jesus Christ.

Some of the Jews, however, are still trying to reach God through the Old Covenant regulations, and they never will, because they don’t understand that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law and the promise, and that the Old Covenant was temporary until Jesus Christ could be revealed. So, they are stuck in time with no way to “cross that river” until they decide to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who is the only one who can lift that veil of unbelief from their hearts. And he will do so whenever anyone turns to the Lord Jesus in repentance, faith, surrender, and obedience to God.

Many people are trapped on the side of life which only offers them doubts, fears, and lack of faith and trust in God/Jesus Christ. They are searching for something to fulfill them, but they are never finding what they are looking for because they are searching in all the wrong places – in pornography, entertainment, self-gratification, busyness, and temporary happiness and fulfillment. So many of them end up empty inside, ready to give up searching, confused and unsure about their future life. And finally their search ends in futility and emptiness and total lack of belief in anything.

The gospel is veiled to them. Their hearts are hardened through unbelief, so they cannot see the truth of the gospel. And it is Satan (the god of this age) who has blinded them so that they cannot see the truth. They are not free. The veil of unbelief still covers their hearts, as they are still trapped on the opposite side of life from the promise of eternity with God through genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. The only path for them to freedom is for them to step out in faith, to put their feet forward, to trust God/Jesus to part the waters of doubt, and to follow God/Jesus wherever he leads them.

Many people are on that opposite side of life from God. They are blinded to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and their only path to freedom is to step out in faith and to trust Jesus. For by faith we receive the Spirit of God within us, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom – freedom from the penalty of sin, and freedom from the control and bondage to sin in our daily lives, as well as freedom to serve God and to walk daily in obedience and in surrender to him and to his will for our lives. Oh, what freedom that is! I’ve been on that other side. I don’t want to ever go back!!

When we yield control of our lives over to Jesus and to the Holy Spirit within us through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and through our willingness to step out in faith and to follow our Lord Jesus to the other side of life, the veils of unbelief are not only removed from our hearts, but in their place is now the glory of God within each believer in Jesus Christ. And as we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, we are then able to reflect the Lord’s glory, which is ever-increasing as we continually yield control over to Jesus and we let go of the reigns of control over our own lives.

Our character and our lifestyles (our daily practices) will reflect whatever controls us and whatever fills our lives and minds, and whatever is our “god” or is most important in our lives. So, Christ’s glory can only be reflected in our characters and in our lifestyles as we are spending time with Jesus in his word, and as we are listening to his teachings, and as we are submitting to his Lordship, and as we are obeying his commands, in practice, and as we are being transformed to the likeness of Jesus with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit, and which is not from us.

The way in which this “ever-increasing glory” is then able to operate and to be reflected in our hearts and lives is through us renouncing secret and shameful ways (repentance), and by us refusing to use deception, and by us not distorting the word of God to suit our own purposes in order to excuse away sin and rebellion against God. To the contrary, we must set forth the truth plainly - through our words, our characters, our lifestyles, and through our witness for Jesus Christ. And we must humble ourselves and become the Lord’s servants.

Come, Ye Disconsolate

Lyrics by Thomas Moore, 1816
Arr. by Thomas Hastings, 1831
Music by Samuel Webbe, Sr, 1792

Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot cure.”

Here see the bread of life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heav’n can remove.

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Arcangl86 · Aug 11, 2024

RoBo1988 said:
Good timing for Intel - they received $8.5 billion

Did they though? From what I can tell they entered into a preliminary deal in March for that amount, but haven't been able to find anything saying that the deal has been finalized or the money distributed.

chevyontheriver · Aug 11, 2024

mourningdove~ said:
Michele Bachmann: Tim Walz is 'as radical as AOC or more'
(Member of Congress served with Kamala's VP pick for years)

Former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, now dean of the Robertson School of Government, served with now Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for years.

And after Kamala Harris tagged Walz as her pick for the Democrat party's nomination for vice president, she spoke out.

"I went to Congress with Tim Walz in 2006 and served with him for 8 years. On the outside, he looks like an awe-shucks, back slapping, nice guy politician, when in fact he is as radical as AOC or more," Bachmann said.

She said, "Because of Tim Walz, more people have moved out of the state than at any other time in Minnesota's history. Last year, $2 billion and 30,000 people left the state of Minnesota." And she noted Walz promoted "the strongest transgender protection bill in the country and the strongest pro-abortion bill in the country."

Michele Bachmann: Tim Walz is 'as radical as AOC or more' * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh

Former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, now dean of the Robertson School of Government, served with now Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for years.

www.wnd.com

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota is also coming out with revelations about Tim Walz and his time in Congress. It's interesting how you can't really hide your past.

Michelle Bachman was my representative in the third congressional district for a few years. Then she ran for president. Bachman got her political start by running for school board and my Republican caucus endorsed her with me rather vocal in support.

Oh, and I moved out of the state too, in 2020. I was NEVER going to move but when the Democrats in Minnesota were the first state to legislatively legalize gay marriage it kind of killed the desire to stay there. That was before Walz became governor, but he helped unglue me from Minnesota too.

DamianWarS · Aug 11, 2024

Roman57 said:
The debate as to whether homosexuality is a sin often revolves around the question whether or not its a choice. But this assumes that something has to be a choice in order for it to be a sin -- which is implicitly an Arminian assumption. So its interesting that Calvinists, too, argue that homosexuality is a choice. Why can't Calvinists say that homosexuality isn't a choice since everyone was predestined to either go to heaven or hell from birth, so including homosexuality as a part of this predestination-package won't be any more unfair? Thus, it would make logical sense if Arminians were to say homosexuality is a choice while Calvinists were to say that it isn't.

However, despite the fact that Arminians would logically be more likely to agree with the statement "homosexuality is a choice", Calvinists would logically be more likely to agree with the statement "homosexuality is a sin". Here is why. The reason for arguing that homosexuality is not a sin (despite Bible clearly teaching that it is), is the fact that, based on secular evidence, homosexuality doesn't seem to be a choice, while sin is a choice. So, again, the underlying assumption here is Arminian: namely, that sin is a choice. So, logically speaking, Calvinist can argue their way out of it by saying "fine, people are born gay, but homosexuality is still a sin, because according to Calvinism every sin is predestined from birth". An Arminian won't be able to argue that way so thats why the Arminian, if faced with a failure of refuting evidence against homosexuality being a choice, would be forced to try to argue that its not a sin.

Combining the two paragraphs above, here is what would happen. An Arminian would, logically, first take "conservative" position and try to argue that homosexuality is a choice. Then, after he fails to make his case, he would, logically, switch to "liberal" side and argue that homosexuality is not a sin. On the other hand, Calvinist would logically be fine simply maintaining a fixed point of view that partly agrees with liberals and partly with conservatives, namely "homosexuality is not a choice but its still a sin, since those people were predestined to sin".

Now, you might notice that in the above I didn't say they "believe" something; I only said "one would logically expect them to believe it" (with the word logically being key word). Because I don't think the actual opinion survey would confirm what I would logically expect in the above discussion. Why not? One logical explanation is maybe because Calvinists used to be Arminians prior to converting to Calvinism. So, back in their Arminian past, they had to say homosexuality is a choice. And then, after they became Calvinist, they never came back to re-evaluate their perspective. Either that, or a different explanation is that Calvinists want to give people milk before giving them hard meat. Openly admitting to predestination would be hard meat that many people can't bear. So, in order to give them milk (since the discussion in question is the one with either non-believers or not true believers) they have to pretend to be Arminian and then argue from Arminian viewpoint.

Homosexuality as a choice vs you are born with it are both flawed arguments.

Broadly speaking homosexuality is no more of a choice than heterosexuality is. I don't wake up and choose to be attracted to the opposite sex I just am and that's not something I can choose away so why is it any different for someone who is attracted to the same sex?

But we are also not born with sexual preference which is an absurd (and disturbing) notion. I have 2 kids, male 9yrs and female 6yrs, neither one of them shows any sexual preference be it homosexuality or heterosexuality. They are kids and kids are not sexually motivated. Social constructs likes to label non-sexual preferences like the toys you play with or a favorite color, etc.... These constructs also play into environmental factors that can make someone feel out of place.

kids are influenced by these unique environments which can create positive or negative feedbacks when viewing same sex or opposite sex relationships or their own identity of where someone fits in, it also developes what is normalized and what isn't. This all happens before they go through puberty, as they mature physically they begin to translate all those existing environmental factors into attraction. It's a complicated process with many factors involved and should not be reduced to mere choice or being born with it.

In terms of Arminian or Calvinist reactions to homosexuality, choice is in opposition to being born with sexual preference and is not a theological position of choice as an abstract. Although "choice" is a poor word to champion "being born with it" doesn't reflect Calvinist theology as well as it's not about divine influence. "choice" is more of a misnomor to the defence of being born with sexual preference. Instead we should be saying early childhood development of sexuality is about learnt behaviors based on positive and negative environmental factors that can be accelerated and become more cemented in during key developmental stages like puberty as well as mirror social influences.

com7fy8 · Aug 11, 2024

I have seen consequences come to people after they have treated me the wrong way. People have died.

But there has been the temptation to feed on that and welcome it so I have special power; but that would be joining with Satan.

Because Jesus got rejected and He did not kill the people who treated Him the wrong way > Jesus says >

"the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them" >

This is in Luke 9:53-56.

Also we have how Jesus on the cross *prayed* >

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (in Luke 23:34)

So, that instant justice stuff could be Satan tempting you by promising you such swift revenge if you do things with Satan. Or, God could be showing you how He is able to do this, since you say you can need the help of "seeing is believing". And God could be testing you, to see if you will be humble about it.

In any case, it can be good not to give it much attention, since the perfect revenge is to have a lost evil person turn to God and trust in Jesus and become adopted as a child of God. And then the person is your brother or sister in Jesus and is helping against evil, now, instead of helping Satan. So, getting someone born-again is the better justice against Satan and evil.

And you can grow in faith so you do not need seeing in order to believe.

And faith is not only for trusting beliefs and accepting that God watches out for us. Our Apostle Paul talks about >

"faith working through love" (in Galatians 5:6)

Also, you can read and feed on how God took care of Joseph while people did bad things to Joseph > Genesis 37-50. People did horrible things to Joseph!! But I encourage you to read how God used all that, plus God made Joseph able to take good advantage of what evil people did, and how Joseph was able to see and work along with how God used even the evil to help to bring about the good which God was doing.

FaithT · Aug 11, 2024

Bradskii said:
Let's a guy was standing for a local council. I tell you how he avoided the draft, the sexual assault charge, he slept with porn star while his wife was pregnant, the comments he's made about women, all his failed companies, the way he talks about his opponents, the fact that he's a felon...I could go on and on. Any reasonable person would say 'Well...that's enough. No need to go on. I think we'll skip on this guy'.

But wait. How can you reject him? I haven't told you what his policies are. And again, surely all reasonable people would say 'I don't care what his policies are. His behaviour, his character, has excluded him from being considered.'

It seems that that's not the way the world works any more.

Agreed

Mark Quayle · Aug 11, 2024

tonychanyt said:
Mk 9:

Strong's Greek: 1321. διδάσκω (didaskó) — 97 Occurrences

BDAG:
① to tell someone what to do, tell, instruct
② to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting, teach

Mk 1:

Strong's Greek: 2784. κηρύσσω (kérussó) — 61 Occurrences

BDAG:
① to make an official announcement, announce, make known
② to make public declarations, proclaim aloud

Teaching was more personal and interactive, while preaching was more public and unidirectional. However, their meanings overlapped. Mark 6:

The method also was usually different. One common method of teaching was (and still is) used, where a statement is made as though absolute, that is not meant as absolute, but something to consider by which to bear upon other applications, and often followed soon after by a contradictory statement, also presented as absolute. Preaching rarely did (does) this.

BobRyan · Aug 11, 2024

Xeno.of.athens said:
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

The name of the Lord is YHWH in Latin letters and יְהֹוָה in Hebrew. It is commonly pronounced as Yahweh or Jehovah.

ok but Ex 20:7 (third commandment) is not about pronouncing the Hebrew word.

Xeno.of.athens said:
Misusing God's name would involve using it disrespectfully or as if it had no value.

exactly!

Yuwang · Aug 11, 2024

SnowyMacie said:
Fake news has been a topic that has come up often in the last few months, with some saying it helped President Donald Trump win the election while the president himself called his “Golden Shower Gate” controversy another piece of fake news.

Around the world too, there have been various instances recently involving fake news — China, Germany and Sweden, among others, are mulling action against Facebook and other social media platforms for the propagation of misinformation; Pakistan’s defense minister threatened Israel with nuclear war based on a bogus news story; a fake news story about a blast in Thailand triggered the safety check feature on Facebook; and so on.

In a statement, the researchers from universities of Yale, George Mason, and Cambridge in the United Kingdom, said: “A new study compared reactions to a well-known climate change fact with those to a popular misinformation campaign. When presented consecutively, the false material completely cancelled out the accurate statement in people’s minds — opinions ended up back where they started. Researchers then added a small dose of misinformation to delivery of the climate change fact, by briefly introducing people to distortion tactics used by certain groups. This ‘inoculation’ helped shift and hold opinions closer to the truth — despite the follow-up exposure to ‘fake news’.”

Over 2,000 participants across the United States were tested for the study, in which they were presented with opposing statements on climate change — from false assertions about there being no consensus about climate change among the scientific fraternity to accurate ones like 97 percent of scientists agreeing on human-induced climate change.

Researchers found those who saw only the facts about climate change were quite likely, irrespective of political affiliation, to move toward believing in the scientific consensus. Those who were shown only the misinformation were inclined to move away from scientific beliefs. Participants who saw the accurate data followed by fake news had very little change in opinion, the two competing sets of data cancelling each other out.

Two groups among the participants, chosen randomly, were given two separate doses of “vaccines.” One was a general warning that some groups tried to mislead the public by talking about disagreement among scientists on climate change. The other was a detailed breakdown of such claims by the Oregon Global Warming Petition Project, explaining how the signatories were fraudulent (Charles Darwin and members of the Spice Girls are among them) and how less than 1 percent actually had a background in climate science.

It was seen that the groups so inoculated showed a marked shift in opinion toward believing in climate change, and its human cause.

Sander van der Linden, a social psychologist from the University of Cambridge and director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, and lead author of the study, said: “We found that inoculation messages were equally effective in shifting the opinions of Republicans, Independents and Democrats in a direction consistent with the conclusions of climate science. What’s striking is that, on average, we found no backfire effect to inoculation messages among groups predisposed to reject climate science, they didn't seem to retreat into conspiracy theories. There will always be people completely resistant to change, but we tend to find there is room for most people to change their minds, even just a little.”

Titled “Inoculating the Public against Misinformation about Climate Change,” the open access study was published in the journal Global Challenges.

Full article here: A Fake News Vaccine? Climate Change Misinformation Can Be Fought With ‘Inoculation,’ Scientists Say

I bet "Big Brother" would like to do that to keep all the slaves happily following the Party Line.
By the Way, What is "fake news"? Is it the big news stations?

Offline4Better. · Aug 11, 2024

Yuwang said:
I wonder, was the cop sleeping in the back seat at the time when Mr. Footman drove off in the car?
And, later, maybe the cop woke up and tried to get control of the car thus causing the crash?

No idea.

Yuwang · Aug 11, 2024

tonychanyt said:
International System of Units defines an hour = 3,600 seconds. A second is the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.

Genesis 1:

Darkness was first.

The light was next.

Darkness was followed by light.

The usage of "night" here was related to the darkness in verse 2. The usage of "day" here was related to the creation of the light and not the sun. Here, I define the first day as the time elapsed from Genesis 1:2 to 1:5.

Could the first day be defined as a 24-hour earthly solar day?

I doubt it. The flow of time is not absolute but a relativistic experience. It depends on the local gravity or acceleration exerted on the time observer. To my reading, the first day seems short. God was the observer, 2 Peter 3:

This is not an equation but a simile. God is timeless and above time. No human observers were there to experience the first day. The first day marked the creation of light and delineated it from the creation of the following day. These days were markers of milestones and achievements placed by God. They are not related to the scientific SI definitions.

See also How old is the earth?.

The word "Day" in Genesis 1 in Aramaic is Heat which means the process, effort & thought, all of which is heat.
Therefore, those "heats" could take a long time from the human standpoint. There is no sense in defining the time to create as it occurred in stages that could have varied much time wise. Besides, what is time to Yahveh, the Creator of all things?

Offline4Better. · Aug 11, 2024

peter2 said:
No, thanks. Let people join or not the thread.
I'm not disappointed by our dialogue, Alex, whether or not you're a theologian ; and i wish you the same : a blessed day (how kind!)

You are welcome, bro.

Paul4JC · Aug 11, 2024

Paleouss said:
This statement is conjecture. Pure opinion without facts. I read this internet myth frequently, as it is spread without regard to proper research.

You again? Do we need another back-and-forth? Fallen Angels Sure, only you have the facts. Others who may have studied a subject for years, only have conjecture and opinions.

Rescued One · Aug 11, 2024

I don't know who gave me my sense of humor, but it's lifesaver!

Yarddog · Aug 11, 2024

Vambram said:
Meghan McCain is a neoconservative, not a true conservative. Her opinions are irrelevant to me. Ana Navarro is also irrelevant.

Are MAGA opinions important to you? There is little about them that are truly conservative.

Tropical Wilds · Aug 11, 2024

The Barbarian said:
He's losing it.

In order to lose something, you need to have had it in the first place.

timewerx · Aug 11, 2024

Michie said:
Yeah we do stocks. Crypto, etc. is a hard no at this point and our financial advisor agrees.

If you'll be just holding crypto, it's definitely not a good time now and it's definitely not good for long term holding. It's mainly a "high risk asset" and only good for short and medium-term trading with highly experienced traders.

E.C. · Aug 11, 2024

Markie Boy said:
I have been pondering this some and have a big question. I came out of Catholicism and am still working to find a church home.

The Priesthood is a pivotal thing as far as I can tell. If you believe you need a priest with Apostolic Succession you have to go Catholic, Orthodox, or possibly certain Anglican.

But dang if I can't find a priesthood in the New Testament, and it seems to be an early development, not an apostolic teaching.

Any insight?

"Presbyter" is a priest though it usually gets translated as "elder".

Over the centuries, from a linguistic standpoint, "presbyter" eventually morphed into "prest" for short which eventually became "priest" in English.

Originally the bishop, or "episkopos", would consecrate the Eucharist in the cities and the priests, or "elders", would distribute it to the surrounding villages, countryside, and whatever the 1st century equivalent to a suburb was.

perplexed · Aug 11, 2024

Landon Caeli said:
I wish, honestly, that I could see through the eyes of a democrat, just for a minute. Just to see what it's like.

..That's my honest wish. Just to understand.

What exactly don't you understand

The Barbarian · Aug 11, 2024

Her crowd sizes are bigger than Trump's now.

Postvieww said:
No one is getting shot and killed at a Kamala rally!

Judging by Trump's frantic tweets, it seems to be killing him.

Offline4Better. · Aug 11, 2024

orbiter said:
Peace in Christ.

The kingdom/government of God is within our hearts and minds.

It does not come from “observation”….the observation of external writings. Luke 17:20-21 .

Our God is our Judge and we are to do His commandments that are written in our inward parts. Do not let a man bring you into the bondage of the keeping and serving of the commandments of men who judge others according to their church handwriting of ordinances. They are servants of the sin by doing so.

We are in His kingdom/government when we keep and DO His commandments from the heart and mind where they are written. We are no longer under the government of natural men under heaven but we are in the kingdom/government of heaven above instead which supersedes the outside governments of man. He takes us out of the bondage of “Egypt”…the outside world.

We are dead with Christ from the “rudiments” (fundamental principles contained in handwritings) of the world.

We are dead to the world's “constitutions” by which they govern and judge themselves by. These governmental documents are the “gods” of the nations about us that we are not to copy them and place in our gatherings of our worship of God to keep and serve. God has given the nations to serve them (for now)...but we as His people are not to do the same as them and come up with governing documents (statements of faith, church constitutions, church by-laws, statutes, creeds, etc) to be placed in our gatherings in the worship of God. We are not to bring these abominations into His house.

Col 2:20-22 KJV
(20) Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
(21) (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

We PERISH in our mortal bodies for the keeping and serving of the commandments and doctrines of men which are put down in their handwritings.

(22) Which all are to perish with the using) after the commandments and doctrines of men?

We are to have no “other gods”…other “judges” (handwritings of ordinances) before Him. The world (“Egypt”) serves their “gods”….their governmental documents by which they judge themselves with. He has delivered us out of their bondage.

I am the “LORD our God” = He is our Living JUDGE. God=elohim= Judge. A scribe’s handwriting of ordinances is not living and not our judges. They are “dead works” that have no life in them by the keeping and serving of them.

He is the LORD our God (Judge) which has brought us out of the land of Egypt...out of the house of bondage. The keeping and serving of church handwritings of ordinances ("other gods") DO NOT bring us out of it.

Exo 20:1-4 KJV
(1) And God spake all these words, saying,
(2) I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
(3) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

A “graven image” is the handwriting graven by the pen of church scribes. Men have crept into the churches unawares and want to bring us into their bondage of keeping their church handwritings of ordinances….their doctrines and commandments of men. We are not to make these handwritings like the outside nations which have their “images”…their governmental handwritings…to bow down to and serve in our churches.

(4) Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

The LORD our God....our Living Judge has brought us out of the land of Egypt. We are not to be their (the outside world’s) bondmen.

Lev 26:13 KJV
(13) I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.

Let us not forsake the LORD and serve “strange gods”….

Jos 24:20 KJV
(20) If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

If we hear His voice and observe and do all of His commandments (which are within us), then the LORD our God (Judge) will set us on high ABOVE ALL NATIONS of the earth.

Deu 28:1-2 KJV
(1) And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
(2) And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

We must do HIS COMMANDMENTS of the LORD our God (Judge) and not go after "other gods" (the church handwritings of ordinances) to serve them. He shall make us the head and not the tail in this earth. If we serve "other gods", then we shall be the tail and not the head in this earth. The people of the outside world will rule over us....as we see today. We are under the curses of Deuteronomy 28 and not the blessings.

Deu 28:13-14 KJV
(13) And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
(14) And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

We must turn from "idols"....the images...the handwritings of men...and confess our sin....and the sin of our church fathers who came up with these handwritings for us to keep and serve. He will forgive us. He will remember His covenant...

Lev 26:40-42 KJV
(40) If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;
(41) And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
(42) Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

God is not the product of our own hands. He is not our handwritings…man's device...the images/idols/other gods. They are “other gods” that we are not to have before Him....the only LORD our God (the Living Judge). The fabrication of man's hand....the church scribes' handwritings...are not living words nor are the living judges like our Judge who is Living.

Act 17:29 KJV
(29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

We did service to “other gods” before we knew Him. We served the handwritings of men. By nature, they are “no gods”.

Gal 4:8-9 KJV
(8) Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Now that we have known God (our Judge), do we now want to return to the keeping of the “weak and beggarly elements (fundamental principles written in handwritings)?

Do we desire again to be in bondage to the keeping and serving of a handwriting of ordinances? Do we want to be put back under the handwritings of men to govern and judge us?

(9) But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements (rudiments...fundamental principles contained in handwritings), whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

God judges them that are outside (of the church) in this world. 1 Corinthians 5:13 .

He smites all of the “first born” (the mortal body is the first born) in the “land of Egypt”. The natural body is the “first” born and then the spiritual. 1 Corinthians 15:46 .

The Living Judge executes judgment upon their “gods”…their handwritings by which they self-govern and self-judge themselves with rather than having God be their King and having His commandments to keep and serve. The people in the outside world are mortally perishing under His judgment. They are children of His wrath by nature.

Exo 12:12-13 KJV
(12) For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.

The blood of Christ saves us though. The blood of Christ cleanses us. He will pass over us so that the plague (death) shall not be upon us to destroy us (our mortal bodies are our earthly “houses”) like it does the inhabitants of the outside world….in the “land of Egypt.”

(13) And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

The blood of Christ purges our conscience from “dead works” (the dead works of the keeping and serving of handwritings of ordinances) to serve the living God….the living JUDGE.

Heb 9:14 KJV
(14) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

We are forgiven for the keeping and serving of the church handwritings of ordinances. He nails it to His cross. We must turn from these “idols”…images…handwriting of ordinances. We make a show of them openly when we cease from keeping them….coming out of the churches of fleshly-minded men who keep and worship the product of their own hands.

Col 2:13-15 KJV
(13) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
(14) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
(15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

We are to turn from “idols”…that is, IMAGES (the handwriting of ordinances) and serve the LIVING and TRUE God….the Living and True JUDGE. We are to keep and serve His commandments and statutes rather than man’s.

1Th 1:9
(9) For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols (image worship) to serve the living and true God;

The blood of Christ cleanses us from the dead works. He passes over our “houses”…our mortal bodies…so that we are delivered. He delivers our "houses"...our mortal bodies.

We shall not die like the outside world who is abiding under the wrath of God. The world and its lust passes away under His wrath. The “Egyptians” mortal bodies…those of the outside world who are serving their “gods”…are mortally perishing under His wrath.

Exo 12:27 KJV
(27) That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD'S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

We were once going to “church” and serving their handwritings. We were once the children of wrath (as those of the outside world) because of this.

But now we hear His voice and understand and we are to turn from “idols”…images…the handwritings of ordinances and unto the Living God…the Living Judge.

Colossians 2:20-22 is a slightly confusing verse, but I think I have the meaning down. It describes in ESV as "elemental spirits" of the world, while in KJV "rudiments". Seems that this verse refers to worldly forces (demonic forces) that are trying to turn us away from God. Seems that the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony was a sign of these dark forces working in this world.

Quote from Bible Ref: "The idea of 'elemental spirits' was also mentioned in Colossians 2:8. There, Paul was speaking of the fundamental theories of a non-Christian, fallen world. A second option is that 'elemental spirits' refer to demonic spirits. Paul clearly spoke about spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12) and may have had this in mind to wrap up the final verses of the chapter."

Source:

Colossians 2:20 - Printer Friendly

TallTexas · Aug 11, 2024

Yes I have done some study on predestinatin and pre-election . I have more questions than answers. Those two things I'm not sure about. But I like to read The puritans , I think there is much to be gleaned from their writings.

tranquiltestament · Aug 11, 2024

“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

There is an old saying that God gave a person two ears and one mouth. Therefore, a person should listen twice as much as he speaks. James words in verse 19 carries that same thought. It is surprising that very few people are good listeners. Too often, a person will listen to just enough to decide what the other person is going to say, and then either interrupts or does not pay careful attention to what else is being said; because he assumes that he already “knows” what the other person is going to say.

In another example, two people may be having a mild disagreement. One will listen to just enough to give him “ammunition”, and then he comes out with a response without fully listening to what the person had to say. Then the other person does the same thing! Is there any wonder that miscommunication occurs so often?

Careful listening is a skill that must be developed. Good listening requires a person to pay attention to what is being said and WAITING until the person is done. A person paying attention to a cell phone, a text message while “listening” to another person is not good listening. A good listener cares about what the other person has to say.

Careless listening can lead to misunderstandings, arguments, and even anger. But James warned that a person must be slow to anger. There are times where anger may be appropriate, but that should be the exception and not the rule. “Slow to anger” means that a person listens, considers, and only then responds. A hasty comment rarely leads to good results.

James wrote in verse 20, “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Passage after passage describes and commands that Christians are to love one another. Will there be disagreements among brethren? Of course there will be disagreements! Paul and Barnabas disagreed upon taking John Mark with them on their second journey.

Luke recorded in Acts 15:39-40 “And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.” Their disagreement did not prevent them from serving the Lord, and over time the disagreement was resolved.

But if a disagreement results in anger between two Christians, and it is not resolved, then the result can go beyond a simple disagreement into sin! James said that the anger of man does not achieve righteousness. Anger based on worldly pride, arrogance, or ambition will not further the cause of Christ and the Father.

In verse 21 James wrote, “Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” The worldly nature, the old many of sin, will not disappear easily. The worldly nature will fight and struggle to retain the dominance. And, when a Christian may think that the world nature is finally gone, it can suddenly reappear.

Growing and maturing as a Christian takes WORK. It is not easy, and sometimes it can be quite painful. But that nature MUST BE put aside. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said that a person cannot serve two masters. The focus must change from the world to the Lord. There can be no other way.

Instead, a Christian must “put aside” the worldly and receive the word with humility (Some translations use the word “meekness”). Why humility? The answer is simple. God has given every person the information needed to be able to achieve salvation. James wrote that it is able to save your souls! It is a precious gift that was freely given to people that did not, and do not, deserve it!

Not only that, but James described the it as “the word implanted”. The ”word implanted” sounds very much like the parable told of the sower of the seed. In the parable, the seed is the Word of God. The Word, the seed leading to life, has been sown.

But now, what does the person do with that seed?

Will it fall on the road and be carried away?

Will it fall on rocky soil, sprout quickly, but then whither and die?

Will it fall in soil, but the cares and worries of the world choke it out and it dies?

Or will the seed, the Word of God, fall on good soil?

Jesus said, “15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.”

tranquiltestament · Aug 11, 2024

“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

James was writing to Christians, and verse 16 was a clear warning. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” Christians CAN be deceived! Well, deceived in what way? Christians can be drawn away from the commitment they made to God the Father through Jesus Christ.

Many groups believe “Once saved, always saved”; but there are countless passages that warn that Christians CAN fall. Hebrews 10:26-27 states, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.”

Hebrews 6:4-6 contains an even stronger warning, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.”

One way to guard against deceiving one’s self is to consider the nature of God. Verse 17 describes God. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Love, beauty, kindness, gentleness are all qualities of God. He is described as the Father of lights. He does not change. He is no “variation or shifting shadow”.

The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” Dark is not the opposite of light. Dark is the ABSENCE of light. Therefore, Hell is described as “outer darkness” because God’s presence is not there and there is no light!

But God IS Light. There are no shadows, there is no “hidden agenda”, there is no double talk. God has laid out His message in the New Testament. And any person can read and begin to understand what God expects and why.

Sin leads to spiritual death, and a person cannot personally do anything to save himself or herself. But a way WAS instituted by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Good News (the Gospel message) proclaims that Jesus Christ, as both the Son of God and Son of Man, became the perfect sacrifice for all that are guilty of sin.

Therefore, a person that becomes a Christian, according to the instructions in the New Testament, has his/her sins forgiven, and has the hope and opportunity of being fully joined to God for eternity. That person is adopted into God’s family. As a child of God, that new Christian has been afforded the incredible honor of addressing God as “Father”.

Consider that fact. The Living God, the Creator of everything in this universe now views each Christian as His child and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. David wrote in Psalm 8:3-4, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”
Why would God love us enough for His Son, Jesus Christ, to die a slow, very painful death as the sacrifice for the sins of all people?

That has no answer in this life, but James wrote, “In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.” Christians have a special place in God’s eyes. Christians have spiritual blessings in this life, and a hope for the future. But with those blessings come responsibilities. Christians are expected to grow in knowledge of God’s Word – The Word of truth. Christians are expected to take their love and growing knowledge and change their style of living. There must be a difference within that Christian that reflects his/her love for the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Christians are to be God’s representatives, His “first fruits” in this lost world. When a person becomes a Christian, he/she is no longer perishing. Now, that Christian has the role of rescuer! When a person is drowning in a lake, a deep river, or the ocean, that person will perish unless someone throws them a rope, jumps in and helps them to shore, or bring a boat alongside.

Every Christian knows people that are drowning in sin. With a heart of love and gentleness, that Christian can reach on to others and show them that there is a better way to live. There is a saying that is very true.

“People will care for you say when they can see that you care.” The early church changed the world through the Godly lives of everyday men and women that quietly spread the Light of God to one person after another.

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