Arlene more questions, above you said "Sometimes we try too hard. All we must do is READ and STUDY our own Bibles and let the Holy Spirit of God do all the work for us. (II Tim.2:15)

AND WE SHOULD STOP LETTING OTHER MEN TELL US WHAT TO BELIEVE...OR NOT BELIEVE."

I agree to a point. When some of us go to church and listen to our pastors it is true that some are so far off base that they should not be preaching but on the other hand there are some that are true to the Word and are gifted to teach and preach. Even you yourself confessed that you follow the teachings of men e.g. J. Preston Eby and Matthew Henry, right? We all need to be like the Bereans of Acts 17:11 testing what people teach against scripture to see if it true or not but it doesn't stop there. As you cited above it takes the Holy spirit to spiritually enlighten us to determine certain truths. I also believe it is absolutely critical that Hermeneutics be applied together with seeking out enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.

Hermeneutics is essential because without it you can make the Bible say anything you want by taking things out of context or by taking something that is literal and making it spiritual or vice versa.

The example you gave above with Nebuchadnezzar and the statement you made "I DO NOT worship a "God" who is like Nebuchadnezzar who will throw people into eternal fire because they won't worship him!!" How can that comparison even be made? Nebuchadnezzar was an evil corrupt king who was unjust and is not our Creator. God is perfectly just our Creator loving without evil or deceit. So when Nebuchadnezzar sentenced Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego to the fire for not worshipping him it is NOT a fair comparison.

First of all God doesn't send anyone to Hell it is the choice of the individual who rejects The Lord. Well you say isn't that the same as what Nebuchadnezzar did? Absolutely Not! Nebu did it for all the wrong reasons, pride, power, self image, cruelty and to reiterate he was an evil and unjust king. God is the very opposite so if someone goes to hell it's because sin and rebellion cannot be tolerated in Heaven where everything is just and pure, it would be like the garden of Eden all over again if sin and rebellion entered there. That is why He gave us free will so we could choose and not be forced to be with Him because that would not be love. It's a completely different motive and from a different heart. In 2 Peter 3:9 it says God is not willing that any should perish but that All should come to repentance. Nebu did it out of spite because the three would not succumb to his evil corrupt rule. Some might say is it really just for someone to spend eternity in hell for sins committed on earth? I would respond by saying who are we to tell God, who is perfect, what is just? What I know is Jesus humiliated Himself by lowereing himself becoming a man and suffered a horrific death at the hands of mere men to save us from going there. Now I ask, do you think He would have suffered such a horrific death if it was something we could eventually undo ourselves?

For "walknbyfaith"....

My Goodness! From the mouth (and hands) of someone who calls their own name "walking by faith"....and faith is not in your heart NOR in your mind!

"Hermeneutics", is a technical "professional" word taught in Theological schools to those who pay to go to school to EARN A LIVING by distorting biblical truth. Great word to make someone try to appear to be smarter than they really are!!

I DO NOT SEE THAT WORD IN THE BIBLE...NOR IS IT SCRIPTURAL!

This perfectly points out the meanings of these verses:

Romans 16:17-18..."Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences CONTRARY TO THE DOCTRINE WHICH YE HAVE LEARNED, and avoid them. (vs.18) For they that are such SERVE NOT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, but their OWN BELLY, and by GOOD WORDS AND FAIR SPEECHES deceive the hearts of the simple."

II Corinthians 11:3..."But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your mind should BE CORRUPTED FROM THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST."

DO YOU THINK THAT MAN IS MORE POWERFUL THAN GOD????...and MAN is in charge of his own destiny???? And do you believe that pitiful, fallen, corrupted "MAN" can then CHOOSE BY HIMSELF to be saved or not??

Jesus had the PERFECT answer to people who believe this..."Jesus answered and said unto them, 'YE DO ERR, NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURES, NOR THE POWER OF GOD.'"

God tells us exactly who He is in Isaiah 45:6-7....but read it for yourself, and you might learn a lot of truth about the working of God almighty. NOTHING IS EVER DONE ANYWHERE, EVER, EXCEPT BY PERMISSION OR CAUSATIVE ACTION BY HIM. Everything evil in this world is ALLOWED by Him. NOTHING happens over which He is not in TOTAL CONTROL. He is ALL POWERFUL, AND HE IS ALMIGHTY...yet puny, fallen, rotten-to-the core, deceitful "man" has the GALL TO SAY THE HE HAS THE CHOICE, inherent capability within himself, and the POWER to determine his own salvation...or not.

THAT IS PURE IDIOCY! THAT IS "PRIDEFUL" MAN IN ALL HIS GLORY!! THAT SHOWS VERY LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF WHO GOD REALLY IS...AND WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ALL OF MANKIND ON THE "CROSS OF CAVALRY". Luke 23:34......."Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."...


Maybe you can learn some TRUTH from someone who knows much more than all of us:


http://www.tentmaker.org/books/FreeMoralAgent-Eby.html

Piece within the link:


No one ever comes to Jesus without God having planned the time and the manner. No one ever "decides" to accept Jesus of his own "free will. " It is the volition of the Lord that moves powerfully and irresistibly upon the sinner to trust the Saviour, and not the will of the spiritually dead creature who loves darkness rather than light! "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me DRAW him..." (Jn. 6:44). Do you think that you came to the Christ of your own free will, as a free moral agent? Do you dare assume that your old corrupt mind and heart somehow became persuaded to violate its very nature and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? Then read Jn. 6:44 and Jn. 12:32 again and accept it for what it plainly says! Treat these verses with honesty. Jesus says that NO ONE can come unto Him apart from the irresistible force of God's drawing, and He also says that because He died HE WILL FORCIBLY AND IRRESISTIBLY DRAW A-L-L M-E-N unto Himself.

I sought the Lord, and afterwards

I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me!

It was not I that found, 0 Saviour true;

No, I was found of Thee!

Are you a born again believer? Then kneel humbly before your God and Saviour and confess that it was because HE DREW you, and not because you exercised some inherent prerogative of "free moral agency." Acknowledge His Word to be truth, and that just as surely as HE SUCCESSFULLY DREW YOU, He shall likewise draw and DRAW and D-R-A-W until He has drawn ALL MEN unto Himself! We ourselves are the living proof that He both can and will do it! "GOD hath saved us ... not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1: 9). "The Son giveth life to whom He will... " (Jn. 5:2 1). "I will draw all men unto Me." (Jn. 12:32).

BY ONE MAN

******************

AND THAT MAN/GOD IS JESUS CHRIST!

How can you possibly "walk by faith" and believe that "man" has power over his own salvation...or not????

BELIEVE THE BIBLE...NOT MAN!!

In Christian love....AND...in Bible TRUTH...

Arlene

Wow! You may want to re-read your post because quite frankly there is no love in it. Every accusation you have made against me and others you have demonstrated in yourself. You wrote

It is true that we cannot come to the Father unless He draws us but He knows who it is that will believe and who will not John 6:64-65 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

If we had no choice in the matter then Romans 1:19-24 would be null and void "19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen."

Regarding how you speak to others consider 1 Cor 13:1-7 "13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

RE: Walknbyfaith...


You do not know God, and you do not understand the Bible. If you did, you would not say those things that you did.

I have GREAT LOVE for God, and I have great love for those who LOVE HIM! But I have have disdain for those who call God a LIAR! As for "MAN"....he IS "puny, fallen, rotten-to-the-core, AND deceitful! I did not say that about YOU, specifically!! I, MYSELF, fall into those categories as well...as does EVERYBODY!... ALL MEN ARE THIS WAY IN THEIR INNER, FALLEN NATURE. That's why we ALL need salvation!

But PRAISE GOD, that we ARE BEING CHANGED, by HIM, from what we are NOW into what HE wants us to become IN THE FUTURE. None of us are there yet! but WE ALL WILL BE EVENTUALLY...in God's time, not ours! God's choice, not ours!

GOD TELLS US, HIMSELF, in I Timothy 2:3-4..."For this is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; (vs.4) WHO WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, AND TO COME UNTO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH."

If GOD tells me that He "WILLS ALL PEOPLE TO BE SAVED", then I, for one, will not argue with Him. I WILL argue with those who say differently and, thereby, call God a LIAR!!

I speak TRUTH in love....BECAUSE I LOVE THE TRUTH, AND I LOVE GOD...and I LOVE MY FELLOW CHRISTIANS enough to point out the truth to them when they are unable to see it for themselves!!

We LOVE our children enough to speak harshly to them when it is necessary because they will hear us no other way! We have to correct them!! And that's out of LOVE, not hate! God treats US harshly when He wants to correct us....ITS CALLED "TRIBULATION". And we ALL go through it....daily, or whenever necessary.

Did JESUS ever speak harshly to ANYONE??? He sure as heck did!!

Matthew 23:23..."Woe unto you, scribes and Pharasees, HYPOCRITES! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (vs.24) Ye BLIND GUIDES, WHICH STRAIN AT A GNAT, AND SWALLOW A CAMEL, (vs.25) WOE UNTO YOU, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but within they are full of extortion and excess. (vs.26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is WITHIN the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. (VS.27) WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are WITHIN full of dead man's bones.....(vs.29) WOE UNTO YOU, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,..."

HE (GOD) WAS ANGRY BECAUSE THEY WERE CALLING HIM A "LIAR".

Jesus was not always "sweet and gentle", nor is He now! HE IS GOD! He is almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, etc. And when HE SAYS THAT HE "WILLS ALL MEN TO BE SAVED", then I BELIEVE HIM. I will not argue with Him...BUT, I will argue to the death with those who say anything different.

You are REGURGITATING what you have heard in a church building by a Pastor. (OR what you have heard others speak of write).... I know this, because I have "been there and done that"...until I realized that the "honey-coated" gospel that was being preached by others was a lie....all the while shouting out why people will go to hell and "burn in torment forever"!!

That would make God WORSE than Nebuchadnezzar...or Hitler...or Pol Pot!!

God will perform His will, and His "will" is the only one that counts! Anyone who says that "man" can do the deciding for God, does not know God at all! God wants our love...and we will give it FULLY when we understand Who He really is. Who can possibly LOVE a "GOD" who TERRORIZES "man" into turning to Him because they FEAR WHAT HE WILL DO TO THEM IF THEY DON'T?

That's what Nebuchadnezzar did! And God told us that it was an "ABOMINATION" for people to throw their children into the fire in worship of Molech (Jeremiah 32:35)...and people actually BELIEVE that God would do the SAME THING that He, Himself calls an "ABOMINATION"???

NO, my friend, you don't know the God of the Bible! The God you worship is not the same one I worship. My God is all-loving, merciful, and JUST. Your GOD is vengeful and hateful...seeing vengeance in EVERY wrong doing...and causing people to do what He wants, and then punishing them for doing it. If people don't, won't, or can't believe NOW....THROW THEM INTO FIRE AND TORMENT FOREVER. This ISN'T the God of the Bible!

Yes, there is plenty of LOVE in me for God and God's true people...but not for those who LIE about Him or the words He has given us. And not for people who WON'T hear the truth, IN SPITE OF contrary evidence....and continually attack those who do.

My WHOLE ADULT LIFE has been spent in the caring for, AND LOVING, all kinds of people who were, for the major part, unlovable.....crying with them, praying with them and their families, mourning in deaths and disease...and sometimes spending half my sleep time in prayer for them. Then waking tired, and hurting in my bones and joints from the day before...and then doing it all over again the next day. And I did this for around 35 years. God put JOY in my heart for doing this...and I call this "love".

Arlene

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