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The debates have always gone on. We see one in the OT surrounding where Messiah would come from. He was said to come from Bethlehem, from Nazareth and from Egypt. We catch the debate in certain phrases -
Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
Or here: 40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him.
But as it turned out, He came from all three places He was said to come from. But did any man say, He will come from all three as impossible as it sounds, somehow He will come from all three? No, they debated which He would come from. They chose which verse they chose and insisted they were right and everyone else was wrong. Yet the scriptures stated all three. And it happened just as all three of them said, at different times.
Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
Or here: 40 When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “Surely this man is the Prophet we’ve been expecting.” 41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee? 42 For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.” 43 So the crowd was divided about him.
But as it turned out, He came from all three places He was said to come from. But did any man say, He will come from all three as impossible as it sounds, somehow He will come from all three? No, they debated which He would come from. They chose which verse they chose and insisted they were right and everyone else was wrong. Yet the scriptures stated all three. And it happened just as all three of them said, at different times.
Lambano
Well-Known Member
Harrumph! I thought "Free Download" meant "Free". As in "no charge".
I should know better. "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch".
That is how desperate I am Lambano and stunnedbygrace is keeping on chirping (sorry for that)
Lambano
Well-Known Member
To get the book, see both sides?
This is South Africa brother, no money to purchase these books and haven't seen this one.
J.
Lambano
Well-Known Member
I found Microsoft Edge is incompatible with the site, but Chrome can access it. But I see they still want you to set up a "free" account.
BarneyFife
Well-Known Member
The fact is, my friend, that every word that proceeds from the mouth of God is true and trustworthy. So the gift is free for all AND the elect were chosen before time. Surely you're familiar with the concept of paradox. You shouldn't allow yourself to be driven to despair. God is not pleased to have His children fretting that they will not be saved if they do not understand fully all of His cousel. Election is not an essential doctrine. Do you think anyone has gone to their grave unsaved because they never plumbed the depths of the mind of God?
Much has been said about the meaning of faith, but truth is simple. It is not to be found by the straining of neural pathways to the point of mental exhaustion. Faith is simply living, acting, and thinking as if God's word, plainly read, is true beyond any doubt.
If you're Noah, faith looks like building a giant ship for the purpose of carrying mostly animals on water that's never been in place before. If you're Abraham, faith looks like sacrificing your son of promise. If you're Moses, faith looks like leaving the nobility of the greatest empire on earth to become a shepherd in preparation for leading roughly 2 million barbarians through the wilderness to a goodly land you've never seen.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and comes by hearing, which comes by the word of God, and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. The Bible simply means what it says, and says what it means.
Pauline epistles contain the largest part of the technical manual portion of the Bible, and since their subject is, largely, the deep things of God, no one is suited to completely master them, no matter their deductive prowess or determination. One needs only to look around at the utter chaos students and theologians have made of them to see that. It's quite possible to drive oneself to distraction of the highest order in this way. 99% of people here will never admit to having difficulty understanding any of the things Paul wrote, and a majority of even those will not even admit it to themselves.
Someone will always come along who possesses more technical prowess than I, and thus I am left with uncertainty and doubt. I take my Pauline bread in very small bites and solicit very little help from men in understanding them. I know what I must do to be saved, regardless of what God has seen fit to cloak in obscurity or withhold from me, for my own good. He promises it. Seeking wisdom, which God gives liberally and upbraideth not, is another matter entirely.
(My views are just that—my views. No one is obligated to adopt or even consider them. I deliver them in the manner that is most natural to me. Some will not care for my style of writing. I am sorry for that. I wish I could please everyone, but alas...)
What kind of book would the Bible be if it were all easy to understand? Common. We cannot pick a theme or subject and insist that God make it plain to us. He is in charge of our curriculum and syllabi, and it is not safe for us to presume upon His providence. Grace will be given to meet the challenges God Himself prepares for us—not for that which commands our attention or curiosity. :)
BarneyFife
Well-Known Member
Righteousness is right-doing; holiness is being set apart for a sacred purpose. (A good place to start for meanings of English words as used in the Bible is Webster's 1828—modern English has been terribly butchered and adulterated.) In the end, the difference is negligible for us humans, I think. I feel like I'm surrounded by unnecessary complications much of the time here on CB. On second thought, it happens everywhere I go. Just generally speaking. It seems like you try to keep things fairly simple, for the most part. Thanks for that, btw. It is so much easier to communicate with folks like that. :)
BarneyFife
Well-Known Member
A lot of those free e-book sites are traps. If you check their DNS you'll find a lot of them are from Russia, where there seems to be a rash of scamming right now. Most sites that offer free stuff that is new are just aiding folks in the theft of intellectual property.
hmm… yes…but aren’t we seeking to do what is right in Gods eyes to the best of our ability but also seeking after the righteousness that will come to us by trust? We’re thirsting for something not in and of ourselves even as we learn about righteousness. That’s terribly simplified because He is always working on many things in us and with us to bring us into agreement with what He has said, while also working to unearth to us our awful lack of humility, while also patiently waiting for us to be ready to bear more.
When I talk about holiness, that’s not exactly what I’m thinking.
Sorry, missed the rest of the sentence somehow - being set apart for a sacred purpose.
or maybe what I mean to say is that definition doesn’t fully encompass it…
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BarneyFife
Well-Known Member
READ: Grace Faith Free Will - FREE FULL EBOOK
(It's hit-or-miss)
Read the Bible. It's not going to deceive you like books will. :)
BarneyFife
Well-Known Member
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