Guojing said:

It will explain why the resurrected Christ did not tell the Israel of God at Matthew 28 that they no longer had to keep the law, and it also explains the behavior of the little flock at Acts 10 and Acts 21.

But as I said, it won’t matter to you.

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The vicarious death of Christ, and the shedding of His blood, saw the complete fulfilment of the old covenant arrangement and the instigation of new covenant. Nothing else! Calvary secured it all! Jesus cried out “It is finished” in John 19:30. This is taken from the lone Greek word tetélestai. This means completed, executed, concluded, discharged (as in a debt). It also means paid in full or accomplished.

What was paid in full or accomplished? The penalty and punishment for your sin and mine. It has been wonderfully and eternally paid for!

Once Christ gave up the ghost, the curtain in the temple was ripped in two, denoting that the old covenant was rendered useless. It was finished!!! Whilst the cross ushered in the new covenant, and the removal of the old covenant, many of the outward manifestations of the old covenant still remained, because of the ignorance and rebellion of man. God dismantled the outward facade of the disannulled covenant, removing every last vestige of it.

There's been a lot of violence by like-minded people, and judges need to start giving long prison sentences out as a deterrent to others.

bling said:

You say: “whatever will we have is His doing”, so how is that not something programmed into us?

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You see this life as a thing in and of itself. It is not. It is all God's doing.

Not that God can't see how we do, but I doubt that to him it makes any real difference whether he began something and let it progress, or whether he is actively, meticulously, seeing it through. Either way, the only thing that is real is so because he has established its reality. If we choose, we do because he established us, our choosing and our choice. It is real only because God is real. Where is any absolute spontaneity in that? Where is the little first cause? I see this the way I see the notion of "chance". You can call it "chance" and consider it real in your calculations, but in fact, "chance" is only a stand-in for, "I don't know". Your will is yours, and is real, and draws from God having created, one way or the other. So it is with "spontaneity". We can't calculate how "it" (whatever seems spontaneous) happens. It is not programming, but it is effected by myriad antecedent causes. We always choose what we most want at the instant of choice.

bling said:

I am a believer in a “Block Universe”, but that does not eliminate the individual making autonomous free will choices.

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No, of course it doesn't logically of itself deny autonomous free will choices. But it does give a point of view from which to consider the work of God.

bling said:

From God’s perspective everything happened at once, He is outside of time, but we are in time (time God most likely created).

The question is what “set” the free will choice an individual made? Scientist do not believe in a god making the choices, since that is outside their realm of reasons, so it is the individual themselves make the choices.

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Time is indeed a creation of God, as is very "reality", else he is not omnipotent, but subject to facts he did not cause.

bling said:

Verses supporting free will

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Remember that we need to establish, if possible, before claiming some verse passage promotes/supports "free will", just what free will is, and, if possible, what is implied by it. I know many Calvinists who would accept the dictionary definition that I think you would accept, yet they don't mean by it what you do. You and I both say, "real choice", but you think that means autonomy apart from GOD—"limited free will". I wonder what 'limited free will' can even MEAN! You and I both believe "responsible choice", but I think that is because of God's standard, and says nothing to our ability.

bling said:

Gen. 1-3 Did Adam and Eve have free will?

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No, and not even before they sinned. Nor did Lucifer.

bling said:

Exodus 35:29 “All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the Lord freewill offerings for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.” Are these truly free will offerings?

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That's a misuse of the verse. Maybe it wasn't you I've already discussed that with. It means voluntary, not commanded. Look up some other versions and the Hebrew Interlinear.

bling said:

Jonah 3: 10 “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” Did the people of Nineveh change what God said he would do?

How is this not saying that God’s actions are contingent on the choices of the people?

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Who planned that 'contingency'? Who established their choice? Are you implying he didn't know which route he would go before they did?

bling said:

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40). Note that Jesus does not say, "you cannot come", which the Greek does not say here, but, "you refuse to come", in order that you may have eternal life. It was their own rejection of Jesus and the Gospel, that would damn their souls, and not because they were "unable" to make the "choice" themselves.

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Sure, I can demonstrate this principle many times, to include Jezebel being given ample opportunity to repent, but she would not. (Rev 2:21) That doesn't imply that she could have. As you have seen throughout your life and from science and from past history, there is only one thing that ever happens: Whatever happens. "Could have" is our speculation. "We don't know". "Should have" demonstrates their responsibility—but "should have" does not imply "could have".

bling said:

Christ is God here on earth. The “whomsoever” does not mean only the elect, but lots of people, who then made the choice to accept or reject Christ. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40)

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Sounds kinda like the Jezebel thing. They do indeed refuse. I have not said differently. They are responsible for that choice. But WHY did they refuse? "Nobody knows" doesn't mean their choices are not a result of antecedent causes.

bling said:

To say: “Christ only reveals Himself to those who God have chosen to accept Him”, means God is guilty of not helping others to accept Christ.

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Hardly. First, it is you who places the judgement of "GUILTY" on the matter as if it was a bad thing for him to do. He has every right, and, he has every reason. Second, as your use of "whomsoever" ("whosoever", no?), just who is that that chooses him?

By the way, I haven't done an exhaustive study of everywhere the KJV or other versions use the term, "whosoever" or "whatsoever" etc, but in John 3:16 the Greek doesn't imply that just anybody random will believe in him, nor even that it is an act of the will. Look at the Greek Interlinear.

bling said:

John 15: 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

If they have no free will, they have an excellent excuse for sinning?

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Taking this verse in or even out of context, even, I see no logic in claiming it for "free will". How does the one thing imply the other in my arrangement? Did they not choose to sin? That's all it takes for them to be guilty of it.

bling said:

There are all the “whosoever” verses making it contingent.

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You'll have to list them. I dealt with John 3:16.

bling said:

If God is only saving some and not all for some unknowable reason, while saving all is just as easy for God to do, then a God that does not save all has less Love than a God who saves all.
The reason some are not "saved" is because they are unwilling.

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Again, as before. If God knew this was the scenario before creating, but created anyway, he INTENDED what his creating produced.

Yttrium said:

Well, sure. I'm certainly biased towards political extremes. I don't like far left or far right positions.

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For the most part, I'm the same. One of my biggest issues with partisan politicians is that they relentlessly follow an ideology, even if their ideological solutions aren't the best fit for the current situation. Or, they will dismiss a solution out of hand because it doesn't fit their ideology. Facts are selectively chosen or just plain fabricated. Making decisions in that manner will usually get you into trouble, and I think our government provides a perfect example of that.

When religion gets blended into politics, ideology becomes even more of a driving force. From my observation, this really tends to put the blinders on people. They no longer support their solution because it is the best / most viable solution, but because it is the more "righteous" solution. It becomes difficult to reason with people or have a meaningful conversation with them when they are in that state of mind.

SavedByGrace3 said:

CF has shrunk quite a bit since 2002, when I first joined. That is mainly due to the advent of social media sites like Facebook and others. I remember there being so many people posting that you could barely keep up with the new material being added to single threads. I wish it were like that again... but then I think people have changed somewhat in their posting content and method. I guess the practices of social media have crept into CF, and that is not good.

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Do you know if Soldier of Light has left CF ? Also do you understand John 3:13 Acts2:34

GoldenBoy89 said:

Go about our lives like we have been after every other shooting in this country?

Only thing that makes this one special is the soldiers targeted who were needlessly put there by the current administration.

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The Trump administration is trying to save as many victims as possible by arresting criminals. There is a great need for that.

The "guardsman" with the head injury is a woman. So sad, especially since they were on a legally dubious and morally unconstitutional assignment.
The wrong place and the wrong time.

Hvizsgyak said:

My point is that gender identity is a made up "science" and for a society, we shouldn't even have to engage in such nonsense (including wasting money on teachers to talk about it in college).

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It is a part of humanity. Whether it is embraced or forbidden, it is not new and historically, cultures around the world have dealt with it.

College students pay for and study what they feel is interesting and important. This is capitalism, not a moral issue.

Fervent said:

I have issues with anxiety, and borderline panic attacks. One thing that I've found works for me extremely well is reciting the Jesus prayer, "Lord Jesus Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." Most of the time when i do this, I get this sense that I am not alone and my anxiety disappears and is replaced with a sense of bold confidence. I sense the Spirit carrying me, and know that what He wills, He makes provisions for.

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I resonate with this a lot. I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder over 15 years ago. Many, many years ago I took up the practice of praying the Jesus Prayer after reading about The Way of the Pilgrim. I have frequently sought refuge in that Prayer more times than I can count when anxiety rises. To remind myself--for in the panic it is easy to forget--that I am in Jesus' hands and He has my back. I rise and fall by the mercy of the Lord.

A man who needs to have a side hustle in order to keep his needs met (food, water, lodging, travel) isn't someone who is living high off the hog. St. Paul had a trade/craft skill that he could use to meet his bare necessities. I don't know about the East, but in the West there is a long tradition of monastics engaged in a trade (e.g. beer brewing or wine making) for the purpose of meeting certain basic material needs for the community, and raising funds for certain purposes.

It seems common sense to me to think that Paul was probably living, generally speaking, low on the dime. I can't imagine any of the Apostles living in reasonable comfort, their poverty would have been part of the Cross to which they were called to carry. Christ told them that they would have it rough, but to be courageous in Him who has overcome the world.

durangodawood said:

An absolute ton of pardons say otherwise.

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Says the auto pen. But this is the mantra of the left. Do you deny it? Why not put your money where your mouth is and send that woman back home?

Hello, my name is Dreyma! (Or at least, that is the alias I typically use online.)

I graduated from college last year with an education degree, and now I'm teaching English to high-school students at a small public school in a rural area. This is my first time working in a profession and my first time living away from parents, so it's been quite the adjustment.

I'm here because I spend too much time chatting in online communities that draw me away from Christ instead of towards him. I thought this might be a good substitute, a place that could strengthen my faith instead of making me feel ashamed or uncertain of it.

(I just need to make sure that I don't use conversations here as another excuse to procrastinate chores and lesson planning and grading...)

Gnarwhal said:

I think it's probably a both/and situation. Like you can pray it as a novena but you don't have to stop there either, especially if you find the prayer particularly beneficial to your faith and/or maybe that you have a particular devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots.

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I agree.

Dan Perez said:

aND THIS IS WHAT THE GREEK TEXT has to say in 1 Cor 11 :26 says

# 1 FOR // GAR is a Conjuncation

# 2 AS OPFTEN AS //. HOSAKIO. is an ADVERB

# 3 YE EAT //. EARHIO. in. the PRESENT TENSE. in the ACTIVE VOICE. is a SUBJNUCATIVE in. the PLURAL

From. this. , IT MEANS any assembly can have communion as many times as they wish !!

dan p

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Some do daily!

7thKeeper said:

There's also this case.

ChatGPT: US lawyer admits using AI for case research

The lawyer told the judge he did not know content from the artificial intelligence could be false.

www.bbc.com

I remember a few other stories where lawyers used ChatGPT or some other model to try and do their work faster and they got into hot water because the model produced references to cases that simply didn't exist.

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Yes, and the lawyer used the reference without checking? He should be disbarred.

Michie said:

Agency says Biden administration arrested, then released suspect

Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 17-year-old Mexican national accused of savagely attacking a woman with a hammer while she jogged in a Texas park.

The incident unfolded on Nov. 13 at approximately 5 p.m., when police in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, say they responded to reports of an assault in the 2300 block of Shiloh Road, according to a Plano Police Department news release. The female victim was jogging in Bob Woodruff Park when she was ambushed by a male assailant who struck her repeatedly with a hammer before fleeing the scene.


Police say the attacker tried to duct tape the woman, but she was able to fight him off.

Paramedics transported the victim to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

In an initial update on Nov. 14, the Plano Police Department identified the suspect as Sergio Noe De Nova Duarte, who had been living in Plano, and charged him with aggravated kidnapping bodily injury, a first-degree felony. He was booked into the Collin County jail.

Continued below.

ICE: Illegal suspect in hammer attack on woman jogging in Texas park overstayed visa

Federal authorities have placed an immigration detainer on a 17-year-old Mexican national accused of savagely attacking a woman with a hammer while she jogged in a Texas park

www.christianpost.com

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So much suffering caused by lax policies.

Laughter's not necessary, simply smile.

GCMPT

Xeno.of.athens said:

"Baptism" implies water.

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And in. 1. Cor 10 :2. And all WERE ALL BAPTIZED UNTO MOSES in. the CLOUD. and in. the SEA ??

Does anyone see the WORD (. WATER //. HYDOR ) in. the Greek text ??

And how were thousands of ISRAELITES BAP[TIZED UNTO Moses ??

AND BA[TIZED INTO THE CLOUD and BA[PTIZED UNTO THE SAE. ??

SO why do you say it is IMPLIESD ??????

Is IMPLIES in. the GREEK TEXT ??

And there are 7 diffenent. kind of BAPTIZING. which is IT. ??

And in. Eph 4:5 it reads ONE LORD , ONE FAITH ONE BAPTISM. , so. we know there is ONLY ONE GOD

ONLY ONE FAITH. and who. are the ONES // HEIS. FAITH and ONE // HEIS BAPTISM SO WHO HAS ONE BABPTISM

SINCE there 7 pop them. ??

dan p

Dan1988 said:

Talk about filling in the blanks, do you really think that God has to justify everything He does to the likes of yourself.

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Or the likes of you. You've no guarantee that you aren't one of the Evil Robots, now do you?

Dan1988 said:

You come across like a control freak

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Really? How interesting! How long have you been into amateur psychology?

Dan1988 said:

, who demands detailed explanation of every single thing God does.

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Nah, I just sit back and marvel at the sort of rubbish that some folks believe that God does or doesn't do based on God-only-knows what. And part of the marvel is how that can blow and posture and pontificate s though they'd been given their, she we say, dubious, notions of what God will or won't do via Divine revelation of some sort.

Dan1988 said:

• Isaiah 40:13-14 These verses highlight that God has no need for counsel from humanity

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How novel! I'd have sworn that He hangs on your every word. <Laugh>

Dan1988 said:

• • "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him?"

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The actually question isn't whether God should accept my counsel, but whether anyone at all should accept yours. I read the Gospels, and I read your beliefs, and I'm dogged if I see very much overlap there. Why did our Lord have to die if He had already who would roast and who wouldn't before He created Adam.

Could He have done that? Of course! Did He actually do that? If so, why? Why God through all the trouble of ctrting the illusion that there was hope for at least some of humanity, when in fact there was none? And why did our Lord say so much stuff that, if your pernicious beliefs are true, were simply false?

Nah, the trick is that if your rubbish was actually true, then the gospel is simply a practical joke played to see how many will fall for it.

Dan1988 said:

• • "With whom did He take counsel

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Not with you, matey; on that we may rely.

linux.poet said:

My dad tried to evangelize her multiple times over the years with no luck. You can pray for witnessing opportunities for me and my brother if you want. I think we share the belief that people have inherent value, regardless of their behavior, and so if we are given opportunities, we will take them.

On the other hand, if she goes to hell, it's precisely what she deserves and I'm not going to have any regrets.

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God gives faith to every person He intends to save. We love others and desire their salvation, but God alone gives faith. True Christians are Christlike.:

EPHESIANS 4:32!

I don't consider him the most evil person on the planet. But like all the leaders out there making bad decisions, we are to pray for them in the hopes they turn from their ways. If they don't now, maybe they will during the trib.

I worked in DC near the White House and am praying God will protect all the law enforcers that are there and heal the wounded men who were shot by the man from Afghanistan. Please join me in prayer.