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Vice president’s rumored vacation visit to Disney resort sparks impromptu protest

I’m gonna break with what most are probably expecting and say that I hope the Vice President and his family had a wonderful time here in the communist wasteland of California. Despite our failing socialist government and policies and our violent illegal alien gangs terrorizing the people of this state, it was still a preferable vacation destination for VP Vance than the 49 other states he could have gone to visit. That’s a small point of pride for some of us Californians.
I’ve never been to California. I thought it would be somewhat diverse considering how large it is?

I dunno.
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The Holy Peoples and the Treaty

keras, why are you being so scornful ? If you disagree, simply give your rationale.
I have given proofs of what the Lord plans to do. You seem incapable of understanding it, let alone believing the Prophesies.
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 involves the resurrection of the bodies of Christians who have died, and the translation of the living Christians. As does 1Thessalonians 5:9-11 as Paul continues to talk about the resurrection/rapture that it will be before God's wrath begins.
But those scriptures simply do not say that at all. You add to what is Written, in a blatant and reckless way.
1 Corinthians 15:50-56, tells us when the translation into immortality for anyone, will take place; AFTER the Millennium, when Death will be no more...... Revelation 21:4

My aim and object here and in all my writings, is to get people to see the Truth of what actually is going to happen in our future.
WE are the peoples who will see it all, we have seen the resurgence of Judah and their success in fending off their enemies*.
Now; as over 100 Prophesies tell us, the Lord is going to send a world changing disaster to destroy His enemies, who include the apostate and Jesus hating Jews. Only a Christian remnant will survive in the Holy Land and the world population will be drastically reduced. Isaiah 34:2-3, Isaiah 13:11-13, +

* My belief is that the Israeli's have been helped by Satanic spiritual forces. They are not Gods people.
Proved by Daniel 12:1, where the Archangel Michael, who guards the House of Judah, will arise and save the few true and faithful Jews., ONLY those whose names are in the Book of Life.
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New belief among teenagers. What do you think?

I don't think anyone can define what something like Christianity means to someone else for them. Not you, not me, not anyone on either side of that transaction.
Given your POV, I'm not sure that really matters a whole lot.
I couldn't figure out what this argument was about, but it turns out it was just a wet noodle fight (metaphysics).
Yes, yes. We know how you disdain such things. So much better to just pretend that yours are simply the default, basic understanding than to engage with discussion on such things. Much more reasonable.
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Is This The New Normal?

That's odd. LBJ was a literal "New Deal Democrat" in the House and as Senate Majority leader pushed through the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960. (The now fallen "longest fillibuster on record" was made by Strom Thurman against the 1957 bill.)
Well, it appears both are true.

Here is an article that will likely get taken down that illustrates that both are true.

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Does the Bible command Christians to support the State of Israel?

Point being, to use Gen 12:3 as a mandate to "bless the modern State of Israel" is completely fallacious. It verbatim says God will bless those who bless Abraham, the man... himself. At that point not even the ancient nation of Israel, much less any so-called modern iteration. And where the blessing/curse is handed down through lineage, it becomes attached to the stipulation of obedience, and we know how that turned out.
I was probably thinking more closely of Genesis 17:1-8.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.’​
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Number of Americans who don't identify as Christian but claim 'personal committment to Jesus' nears record high: survey

Then it is a False Christ they are identifying with.

To many of them I am sure a personal commitment to Jesus is 'do unto others' & that's the extent.

The Gospel is he is sending us out to reach them.
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New belief among teenagers. What do you think?

I don't defend Nominalism, especially not your straw man version of it. The ontological status of universals is unfalsifiable in any case no matter which side of the question you are on. So what is the "larger philosophical issue?" That we can't decide for ourselves who we are, we have to wait for you to tell us? BTW, since you seem to be relying on revelation here, t might be interesting to know where in the Bible it defines "man" and "woman" as specifically excluding trans.
My "straw man version"? What have I misrepresented about the position that universals exist in name only? And declaring it "unfalsifiable" is hardly a defense, since there is no reason either epistemically or ontologically to prefer "falsifiability" in questions of what is real. We have plenty of desiderata we can appeal to in arbitrating such things, so relying on "unfalsifiability" is nothing but a cop out to avoid having to defend adopting a position. As for the rest of this reply, it's rather ironic that you accuse me of straw manning while creating your complete fabrication of my position as I have stated it, which is purely the philosophical adoption of nominalism(and by extension/or as a resulting from physicalist commitments). As for your question, the onus is on the one trying to insert trans into Biblical definitions of "man" and "woman" to show that trans is included, not to demonstrate that it is excluded.
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What's the use of faith alone?

To the "Eucharist" again, though the Eastern iteration at least doesn't adhere to full "Transubstantiation", at least in word, the point is it was only a "hard teaching" because the Disciples insisted on "literalizing" it. The absolute irony here is the RC position engages in the very same, the Exact same error that caused the Disciples to stumble. Not "taking literal", but rather "literalizing". There is a difference. It's beyond tragic that these issues have caused such a divide.. such a simple thing. Like a generational family feud over misunderstood message.

Not exactly generational, since the doctrine of the Real Presence was not a controversy in the Early Church - nearly everything else was, including iconoclasm, Nestorianism, Arianism, Monothelitism, and more obscure errors such as Apthartodocetism (which is not the same as Docetism or even really related to it but was rather an anti-Theopaschite movement embraced by Emperor Justinian after he stopped pursuing reunification with the Oriental Orthodox and instead unleashed a massive persecution of them), and many other issues. Indeed of the ancient sects the only one to deny the real presence was the Messalians, whose views on worship were similar to those of the early Quakers, albeit more extreme.

Rather, the rejection of the Real Presence among otherwise liturgical Christians began during the Reformation, among Calvinists and Zwinglians, but not the Lutherans, or many Anglicans of the High Church variety (including all of the non-juring Scottish Episcopalians, who removed the Black Rubric and inserted the Epiclesis from the Divine Liturgy of St. James) but amusingly enough, even the Calvinists believed in the Real Presence in a spiritual way, just not in a physical way, and Calvinists, Anglicans and even Zwinglians believed the Eucharist was essential for salvation, they simply denied the real presence.

The idea of baptism and the Eucharist as not being a means of grace but as mere ordinances, or worse, as optional, emerged first among the Radical Reformation such as the Anabaptists, and later among the Quakers with their semi-Messalianism and among related movements, and then became more widely believe due to the growth of Restoratoinist churches such as the Adventists and the New Thought movement (Christian Science), the latter rejecting the sacraments altogether.

You are correct that the inability of Christians to come to an agreement about the Eucharist is tragic, but your timeline is wrong, since the Twelve Apostles were not in error in interpreting it literally, and nothing in the Scriptural sense suggests they were; the idea that they are is frankly scandalous, and it also contradicts the texts of the Institution Narrative. Christ our God did not say “this symbolizes my body” or “This is a memorial of my body” or even in the case of Receptionists “this will become my body when you put it in your mouth” but rather “This is my Body”, which is why Martin Luther to his credit carved that in a table at the Marburg Colloquy, as my Lutheran friends @MarkRohfrietsch @ViaCrucis and @Ain't Zwinglian will confirm.

”Do this in remembrance of me” is further misunderstood by those unacquainted with the original Greek. The Greek word translated as remembrance, anamnesis, has the sense of recapitulation; literally it means something akin to “Put yourself in this moment.” What it signifies is that in the Eucharist, we participate in the Last Supper with Christ and His Disciples, which is why the sacrament is called Holy Communion, because we are in communion with the entire church Triumphant and Militant through that action.


Thus, the minority of Christians who have rejected the Eucharist and Baptism since the 16th century are in error, which is tragic; their beliefs are not those of the early church (as is attested by all liturgical texts and commentaries on the Eucharist going back to the Didache and St. Justin Martyr, and including the various ancient anaphoras such as that of Addai and Mari, and of the Church in Alexandria, with second century attestation, the Anaphora of the Apostoles, included by St. Hippolytus of Rome in his Apostolic Tradition, which in various forms has always been used in Antioch and Ethiopia, being the basis for the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and under the belief, probably inaccurate, that it was once used in Rome (it seems probable that St. Hippolytus included it because then, as now, the Antiochian liturgy was the most common in general, since what we now call the Roman Canon if related to any anaphora was related to that of Alexandria, but is very possibly an isolate, and was clearly in use in the fourth century and probably the third based on other evidence, and the Roman church back then was extremely conservative, usually being the last church to adopt any new liturgical practice, so the idea that they would switch Eucharistic prayers is not credible, but this did not stop Annibale Bugnini from including a modified version of the abbreviated form of the anaphora in the Novus Ordo Missae of 1969 which in turn was copied by several liberal mainline Protestant churches in the disastrous liturgical reforms of the 1970s and 80s, but that is another matter.

My point is that all ancient liturgical texts, and all church fathers, from St. John Chrysostom and his friend Theodore of Mopsuestia (who is sometimes claimed to have not believed in the real presence, but he did, he just had a strange idea about how the consecration occurred*.

The belief is also adhered to by nearly all Lutherans and by most High Church Anglicans (indeed many would say a belief in the Real Presence is a key indicator of the altitude of one’s Anglican churchmanship) such as my friends @Jipsah and @Shane R.

Nor, even among those Protestants who reject a belief in the Real Presence is the belief that the Eucharist is not salvific universal - many Reformed theologians regard it as a means of grace and believe Christ is spiritually present, if not physically present.

But if one finds oneself lamenting that the twelve disciples remained loyal to our Lord because they interpreted what He said in John 6 literally - that should be a red flag that one’s beliefs are extreme even by the standards of Baptists and other non-sacramental Christians.


* For the benefit of other members reading this post who have a genuine interest in the liturgy such as my Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox friends @ViaCrucis @MarkRohfrietsch @Jipsah @Shane R @prodromos @FenderTL5 @jas3 @Ain't Zwinglian @chevyontheriver @Michie and @fhansen - what Theodore of Mopsuestia believed might amuse you or bemuse you on some level. Specifically he believed that the Prothesis, the Liturgy of Preparation, which is a major part of the Eastern liturgy, where the Lamb (the bread to be consecrated), whether leavened or in the case of the Armenians, unleavened, is prepared, which is publicly a part of the Coptic liturgy but happens before the public celebration in the Byzantine Rite, but is nonetheless accessible in various ways for those who want to see it and not some kind of secret, had the effect of transforming the bread into the crucified body of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, and then the Epiclesis, which is again a major part of the Eastern Eucharist but a very minor part of most Western liturgies, aside from those of Scottish Episcopal heritage (which would in theory include the Episcopal Church USA, since they have in all official American editions of the Book of Common Prayer honored the promise made to the Non-Juring Episcopalians who ordained Bishop Seabury to always include the Epiclesis, which the Non Jurors obtained through translating a Greek manuscript of the Divine Liturgy of St. James), had the effect of changing the crucified body and blood of our Lord into His resurrected Body and Blood. Needless to say this is a very unusual belief, and is not the official doctrine even in the churches most influenced by Theodore of Mopsuestia, the East Syriac churches such as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Ancient Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church and certain of the Mar Thoma churches.
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Unless We Abide in Christ

Yes, Jesus was always the "Root", but you're mixing a couple different metaphors here. What unbelieving Jews were broken off from, and what believing Gentiles are "grafted into" is Israel.. the "Olive Tree" not the "Vine".
Jesus Christ is the root, but he is also the vine, and he is Israel, and all who believe in Jesus are Israel. We are Israel by biblical faith in Jesus Christ. But the point was that we who are in Christ, by faith in Christ, who are now spiritual Israel, can be cut off from Israel, from Jesus Christ, if we do not continue in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to his commands and in putting sin to death, by the Spirit. So, whether you are reading in Romans 11 or in John 15, the message is the same. If we do not continue in Christ, in walks of faith and obedience, but we go back to living in sin, we can be cut out of our relationships with Christ and not inherit eternal life with God. The messages parallel each other.
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Hello

This is how I know.

I was raised attending a fundamental Baptist church in east Texas. Every Sunday our preacher's sermon was about accepting Jesus as savior or go to hell. I heard about sin, hell, Jesus dying on the cross, and “believing” in Jesus. At age 13 we had a week long revival and at the end of each of his sermons the visiting preacher would walk up and down the aisle begging people to go to the altar to accept Jesus as their savior. At the first service I remember thinking to myself “I hope he doesn't come over to me.” Well, he did, and when he put his hand on my shoulder, I found myself walking down the aisle to the altar. I was met by my SS teacher at the altar, and he asked me if I wanted to accept Jesus as my savior. Of course, I said “yes” so he had me repeat a prayer after him. I was told that I was now “saved,” and the next Sunday I was baptized in the regular church service.

By the time I was about 17-18 years old I wasn't sure if anything I had heard in church was true. I didn't care anything about going to church; I forgot about God and did things teenagers do. Later I finished high school, went to college & graduated not knowing what kind of job/career I should pursue, and finally settled into a teaching career as a math teacher, got married and started thinking about things young married couples think about.

By the time I was about 25-26 years old I stated to question myself about thinking that God was not real. I had serious doubts about all the stuff I had been taught in church as a kid being true. I wasn't convinced that the bible was true or that God existed. I did not understand how “believing in Jesus,” if he WAS real, would save anyone, and I did not understand how saying a prayer “in Jesus' name would save anyone. None of it made sense to me and I just did not get it. But, although I did not “get it,” and I wasn't convinced that any of it was true, for some reason I began to think a lot about what would happen to me if I was wrong, and the bible is true.

After several miserable years of doubting the truth of the bible, I started going to the church that I grew up in and pretend to be a Christian. Deep down inside I knew that I seriously doubted that I was a true “believer,” and many times I would try to work up a sense of “belief” then say a prayer asking God to save me. Afterwards I would have peace for maybe a day, but then the doubts would come back and again the fear & misery took hold of my life. The “believe in Jesus” part was the main thing that had me confused; I did not understand the meaning of “believe.” I began to ask people at church a lot of questions about the bible & about believing in Jesus. I still wasn't sure if any of it was true, but I wanted to know one way or the other. I talked to our SS teacher, the preacher, and other Christians. None of them could give me any answers that convinced me of the truth of the bible. No one could explain to me how saying a prayer in Jesus' name would save anyone. No one could convince me what was meant by “believing in Jesus.” I was still as confused as ever and did not know what to do about the matter. I found some books in the church library written by well known Christians authors, and I read those books over & over. Those books only repeated the stuff I had already heard in church. I still did not have any answers that convinced me that I would be “saved” if I “believed in Jesus,' and that I could know, without a doubt, that Jesus would hear me & save me. I thought that there was absolutely NO way I could ever know for sure that I believed in Jesus & was saved. By this time my life was consumed with fear; fear that I had missed something; fear that there was a missing link somewhere that I would never find. Fear that was I facing a tragic future.

I was miserable, hopeless, and helpless. I realized that all the things “I” was doing were not getting me any answers. I did not know what I should do. One night as I lay down to try and get some sleep, I looked up at the ceiling of the bedroom and said a prayer to a God who I wasn't sure existed. I said “God will you show me how to believe in Jesus?” Then I went to sleep and slept better that night than I had slept in a long time.

The next night I found the big family bible, dusted it off, and turned to the Book of John, the Gospel of John. That was the first time I had ever read in a bible outside of church. I did remember someone in church saying that if anyone wants to know about Jesus to read the Book of John.

As I began to read from the first verse of the Book of John I noticed that, for some reason, I was understanding the words I was reading in a way that I had not understood them in the past when reading the bible in Sunday school class as a kid. It was as though there was something inside of me that was enabling me to understand the words. At first it was kind of like a dim light that allowed me to grasp little bits of information that got my attention. When I read the first 14 verses, something inside of me said, “That is Jesus, and he is God who became a man; he created the world everything in it.”
As I continued to read, the light became brighter and I began to see the words I was reading in a different way. When I read John 3:16 it reminded me of all the things I had heard in church about Jesus dying on the cross.

Two verses that really got my attention were John 4:23-24 which said that we worship God in Spirit and in truth, and I saw that I had just found that missing link. That missing link was/is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and that light just became much brighter as I realized that I was reading my answer from God. Suddenly I knew that God is real and that He was showing me the truth that I had been searching for.

I continued to read, and found 2 other verses that got my attention, John 5:39-40, where Jesus told the Pharisees that they were searching scripture looking for eternal life and those very scripture told of him, Jesus, but they would not come to him so that he could give them eternal life. Then the light became even brighter as I saw that Jesus wanted me to come to Him so He could give me eternal life.

Next, I discovered even more convincing words in John chapter 6, verses 28- 44, where Jesus told those who were questioning him about the work God the Father required of them, and he told them that the work God required of them was to “believe in” the one whom he has sent. IOW, to believe in Jesus. WOW, that really got my attention, and I was still unsure about the word “believe," but I kept reading because, although I wasn't sure what I was going to find, I was willing to accept whatever it would be if it convinced me how to believe in Jesus. In the rest of verses 30-44 Jesus told those who were questioning him that they can't come to him unless God the Father teaches & draws them to him, Jesus, as they hear and learn from him, God the Father. But the verse that turned that light on to full beam for me was verse 37 where Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

At the moment that God's Spirit turned that light on for me, I “got it.” All the things that I had heard in church as a kid, but did not understand, suddenly made sense to me. I saw that it's all about him. God's Spirit had just convinced me that the finished work of Jesus on the cross paid the penalty for my sin, in full, and that there is nothing that I could do or had to do to make myself acceptable to God for him to save me. I knew that Jesus took care of my sin problem for me, and immediately an enormous sense of relief overwhelmed my troubled soul. The Holy Spirit had just showed me that “believe in” meant to “depend on,” like a child depends on their parents to take care of them. I was convinced that God is real, the the bible is the truth, and that Jesus was waiting for me to come to him so he could save me and change me. I didn't have to try to believe; I couldn't help myself but to do anything except to believe. I could not have stopped myself from believing if I had wanted to. It was as though Jesus was right there in the room with me; no, I did not see a vision of Jesus, but I knew he was alive and there with me. I found myself talking to him, thanking him for dying on the cross for me, and I asked him to forgive my sin and to change me. I asked him to change me “his way.” I didn't really know what that meant, but that's what I wanted. Actually I came to “believe in” or to “depend on” Jesus before I called on Him. Like Romans 10:13-14 says, “...how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?”

That night, over 50 years ago I found a peace that I still have today. It is a peace that is impossible to explain to anyone who has never found that peace for themselves.

Yes, sometimes the devil tries to discourage me by putting the doubts back in my mind. He will try to get me to question my faith by telling me “you didn't really have enough faith,” or “ you didn't really commit your life to Christ,” or you didn't really repent,” or you didn't confess all your sin.” I remind the devil that it is not about anything I did, but it is all about what Jesus did for me on the cross. I will quote verse 3 of my favorite hymn to him.

My sin oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord Oh my soul

It Is Well with My Soul, Horatio G. Spafford


And then I quote my favorite scripture to him: John 14:6, “Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”(KJV)


John
Wow, John, it's great seeing how the Lord worked in your life! I read all your post. I like your story. It makes me wonder if there was error in what they were telling you? But as you saw too it truly is a work of God. You don't flip on a switch yourself, he does it.
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New belief among teenagers. What do you think?

Uh huh. My argument isn't "trans people being "out"' is a threat, but that it is a symptom of a larger philosophical issue. That you've provided no sensible defense of nominalism and instead resort to this sort of argument-by-assertion speaks more to your preference for "sophistry" than it does my own.
I don't defend Nominalism, especially not your straw man version of it. The ontological status of universals is unfalsifiable in any case no matter which side of the question you are on. So what is the "larger philosophical issue?" That we can't decide for ourselves who we are, we have to wait for you to tell us? BTW, since you seem to be relying on revelation here, t might be interesting to know where in the Bible it defines "man" and "woman" as specifically excluding trans.
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Vice president’s rumored vacation visit to Disney resort sparks impromptu protest

The fact that some of the protestors weren't taking covid seriously and not even wearing a face covering (how rude -- they should protest the other protestors -- props to the purple-haired one in the no-Nazis shirt for making sure they don't spread covid)
lol bro what year are you this from?
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What's the use of faith alone?

The verses you cite are soteriological only in that they are evangelistic, and or evangelistic warnings. NOT soteriological mandates to Believers. This is a common stumbling block, and the root of many false doctrines.
It's not a stumbling block; it's the understanding of how it works. You're not saved by works of the law, as if pretending to be holy actually made you holy. But you are saved by being holy nonetheless. You're not saved by the mere act of faith, of having faith, alone, but by what faith means. Faith means union with God, connection to the Vine, apart from whom you can do nothing. And that, He, is the source of one's holiness, the only source.

Grace, faith, salvation cannot be separated from being just and living accordingly. The difference between the old and new covenants is all about something new, on a newly revealed and grand scale: grace, love, the Spirit of God living within us, with all three being intrinsically related to each other. And the purpose of this and of your very existence is to become like Him. Faith is the gateway to that path, that way, that God. That's the path we must be on, and remain on, and return to if we stray in order to become who we were created to be. That's our salvation.
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Blameless in the Law

(CLV) Php 3:6
in acrelation to zeal, persecuting the ecclesia, in acrelation to the righteousness which is in law, becoming blameless.


(CLV) Lk 1:5
There came to be, in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the routine of Abiah, and his wife, of the daughters of Aaron, and her name is Elizabeth.

(CLV) Lk 1:6
Now they were both just in front of God, going in all the precepts and just statutes of the Lord, blameless.

Who says it's impossible?

Matthew 5:48
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Does Yahshua call us to the impossible?
What is impossible for man, Jesus has accomplished for us. Now we just have to accept that and let the Spirit of God live within us.
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Vice president’s rumored vacation visit to Disney resort sparks impromptu protest

I’m gonna break with what most are probably expecting and say that I hope the Vice President and his family had a wonderful time here in the communist wasteland of California. Despite our failing socialist government and policies and our violent illegal alien gangs terrorizing the people of this state, it was still a preferable vacation destination for VP Vance than the 49 other states he could have gone to visit. That’s a small point of pride for some of us Californians.
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Faith without woks explained

Read Genesis 22:2 -12. Isaac was a young man. Some estimate Isaac's age to be in his late teens. Let's read about Abraham being declared to be righteous.

Read Genesis 15:2 -6. Abraham had no children when he was declared righteous. Abraham was declared righteous then at least 13 years later Issac was born. At that time Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac were circumcised. That was at least 10 years prior to him and Isaac going to Mt Moriah. That would mean Abraham had been declared righteous at least 23 years prior to when he took Issac to Mt Moriah for sacrifice. Hebrews 12:5-8 The question is had Abraham proved that he was a son of God, let God discipline him, before he took Issac to Mt Moriah. If he had then, he was righteous prior to offering to sacrifice Issac.

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. NKJV

James states that “scripture was fulfilled” which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. God declared Abraham righteous as stated above at least 23 years prior to the sacrifice.

Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. NKJV

The righteous requirement of the law of sin and death are fulfilled by those declared righteous by God who walk in the Spirit. God fulfills the law of sin and death so those who believe in Jesus can be sanctified by obeying Jesus' commands. God does this so the people who come for salvation can attain the level of perfection they are willing to work for.

When a person first comes in, they could enter heaven at that time as they are sinless and have been born from above. This does happen occasionally when the person who comes in doesn't have the faith to face withdrawal from sin, and they let Jesus put them to death physically rather than keep sinning. Jesus' love is unconditional. His love does not depend on how you conduct yourself.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NKJV

God fulfills the law for Christians for those who walk in the Spirit. He does this during the sanctification process for His sons. Abraham had proved he was a child of God sometime earlier during the 23 years. Yet, he continued to walk in the Spirit. If Abraham had decided to not walk in the Spirit at some point, as verse 13 states, be would have died physically and went to heaven. In heaven his faith had accomplished its goal and would be dead. Hence, the saying faith without works is dead.

James 2:22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? NKJV

By continuing in the Spirit Abraham reached the level of perfection he was willing to work for.

To answer the question can faith without works save a person? Yes. As stated above there are people who do not have enough faith to withdraw from sin. Read 1Corinthians 11: 27-32 verse 32 those who were disciplined to death were not condemned with the world. Had they repented and quit drinking they would have continued in the sanctification process.

2 Timothy 2:11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him,


He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. NKJV


Those who do not have faith enough to face withdrawing from sin but still let Jesus put them to death had no works. Their faith was without works yet it still got them to heaven.

The point James is making is that the only way we can see if a person has faith is to see some works from them. It's not a good indication, but it's all we have.
Anyone who has truly surrendered to God's Holy Spirit will have the love within them so people can see God's works in their actions.
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Hello

I grew up in a church that was a 'good church' when I was very young but about half-way thru elementary school, it really changed. It became a church that taught 'you can believe whatever you want about Jesus here. We're not like those religious churches. If you believe that, fine, but you're probably not right b/c Science.'

I would come home very sad from school & very sad about myself. It continued into middle school & I became depressed. But I would come home from school & close the door & read the Bible I had in a drawer. I saw the Truth in it. The church we were going to claimed to be a church, but when I read the Bible, I thought 'it's not teaching any of this!' God himself taught me thru his Word. I didn't have my parents teach me it. I didn't teach it on my own. The Sunday School teacher didn't teach me. He did it.

I could've been pushed in so many different directions. But he saved me & is saving me.

More tests & storms have come, & as I've gotten older, I've gotten help from other people God has introduced to me in life thru his will, but he is still my Great Teacher, & his Spirit testifies to me.

I really liked happy-clappy churches at first, but I've grown to dislike happy-clappy churches. What they're really doing is turning it into an emotional or entertainment experience. What happens if you are not feeling happy? Can God's Word be lost if it's all happy-clappy? If you are church hunting, don't give up, they are not all like that, even tho it seems almost all of them are today.
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Does the "reign in the influence of Israel" movement need a Tucker Carlson to be credible?

I've been mulling this over for the past few days...

The Gaza issue is still "hot & heavy" in public discourse.

I've long maintained that it's a strategic error to have the "reign in the influence of Israel" movement defined and dominated by a political faction that seems to think that glorifying/celebrating Islamic Fundamentalism is the proper anecdote to it. (the people out in the streets wearing keffiyehs and waiving Palestinian and Iranian flags around, while burning the American flag)

I noted in a previous thread that it's a mistake to cheerlead for either side in a conflict for which both are acting unethically (especially when the "who to cheer for" decision is being made for rather superficial reasons)


Should some on the left welcome the recent statements of Tucker Carlson on this issue? -- as he's reaching people that nobody from their own side could ever reach on this particular issue?

Just on that one interview he did with Ted Cruz, it seems to have had a measurable impact on the Republican base...

In an Economist/YouGov poll conducted not long after the interview, only 23% of Republicans think the U.S. should get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel. (Down from 39% a few months prior to that interview)

I'd have to think that Tucker's grilling of Cruz played at least some part in that.

Are some progressives willing to accept the potential "help" on that issue, even if it comes from a source that may have contrasting viewpoints with them on other issues?
My inner pendant irks at the “reign” in the title…wouldn’t this better be “rein”?
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The return of Christ in Sept of 2040

Yes, Newton could have been wrong and yes it is a distinct possibility you could be wrong too.
I'll be surprised if I am. Like newton said, "let time be the interpreter".

There's a few videos of this Young Hoon Kim fellow going around. More like videos of his video. The sub titles don't match his voice. I can understand him fine without them. But I agree with the Brother. He says: "He is at the door. "Jesus Christ is God, and He is returning now".

That's what I said in the thread. It has to be happening now.

He gives wisdom to the wise.

The world’s smartest man with a 276 confirmed IQ says that Jesus will return in our generation.​


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Question About Fasting

I couldn't say it any better, time.

Your body works different when it's not fed. At worst, you will truly be thankful when you break your fast.

But if you are having trouble w/ electronics or hobbies, & they are becoming an idol, a fast from those would be very good for you too.

Remember to join your fast w/ prayer & Bible reading
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Dealing with perfectionism in an imperfect world?

I have been struggling w/ this too lately. How do you live in the world but separate from the world. The more attached you get to the world, the harder the world is. So you turn to Christ, & the more you cling to Christ, the harder it is living in the world b/c your affections change.
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