Is your faith your own? - Is "the Faith" prescribed by a human institution?

[Johann]

That was your post #10,135.
When do you plan to follow your convictions?

I'm not trying to get rid of you, just wondering if your walk will match your talk. ???

[

Do you know me, O St. Steven? You speak as though you know my heart, but 'the Lord looks at the heart' (1 Samuel 16:7). What tool have you used to count and measure my words, to calculate that I post 12 times a day?

When I say I prefer a face-to-face discussion, I mean that 'as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another' (Proverbs 27:17). How can I know if your talk matches your walk if I have not seen your walk?

When I first came to this forum, I was 'zealous without knowledge' (Romans 10:2), hopping between doctrines like Calvinism and Protestantism, and that zeal led me to 10,135 posts—now 10,136.

But do not respond unless you have walked a mile in another man’s shoes, for it is written, 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged' (Matthew 7:1). I do not give you the authority to be overly familiar with me. This is where I draw the line. And by the way, I write this to you at exactly 11:07 PM from South Africa, my first post of the day.

 

[St. SteVen]

What tool have you used to count and measure my words, to calculate that I post 12 times a day?

LOL
I did the math is in post #416. (which you saw, since you asked about 12 posts per day)
The tool I used was a calculator and your own public statistics in your post sidebar.
There may be an error in my calculations. Correct me if I am wrong.

[

 

[St. SteVen]

But do not respond unless you have walked a mile in another man’s shoes, for it is written, 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged' (Matthew 7:1).

No judgment on my part. I was stating the obvious. You said you preferred face-to-face to online interaction. Your own forum statistics left me to question how that was possible. ???

I do not give you the authority to be overly familiar with me.

I used forum information that is readily available.

This is where I draw the line.

That sounds like a warning.

And by the way, I write this to you at exactly 11:07 PM from South Africa, my first post of the day.

How will you meet the daily quota with such a late start? - LOL

[

 

[GodsGrace]

Romans 3:21​

New International Version​

21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

Source: Bible Gateway passage: Romans 3:21 - New International Version

[

Interesting. I have the NIV sitting in front of me and it states the law both times.

Let's try this:

New International Version
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

New Living Translation
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

English Standard Version
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

Berean Standard Bible
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

Berean Literal Bible
But now apart from Law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, being borne witness to by the Law and the Prophets.

King James Bible
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

New King James Version
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

New American Standard Bible
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

NASB 1995
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

NASB 1977
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Legacy Standard Bible
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

Amplified Bible
But now the righteousness of God has been clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the] Prophets.

Christian Standard Bible
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets

American Standard Version
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But now the justice of God has been revealed without The Written Law and The Written Law and The Prophets testify of it.

Contemporary English Version
Now we see how God does make us acceptable to him. The Law and the Prophets tell how we become acceptable, and it isn't by obeying the Law of Moses.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But now without the law the justice of God is made manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.

English Revised Version
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Now, the way to receive God's approval has been made plain in a way other than Moses' Teachings. Moses' Teachings and the Prophets tell us this.

Good News Translation
But now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.

International Standard Version
But now, apart from the Law, God's righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets—

Literal Standard Version
And now apart from law the righteousness of God has been revealed, testified to by the Law and the Prophets,

Majority Standard Bible
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

New American Bible
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, though testified to by the law and the prophets,

NET Bible
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed--

New Revised Standard Version
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets,

New Heart English Bible
But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the Law and the Prophets;

Webster's Bible Translation
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being testified by the law and the prophets;

Weymouth New Testament
But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it--

World English Bible
But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;

Young's Literal Translation
And now apart from law hath the righteousness of God been manifested, testified to by the law and the prophets,

Yes....I could see what you mean.
Let me say it this way: I think the Amplified version and the New Living Translation explains it how I understand this verse to mean.
I'd say that the law is just any rule that God commands.
The Law is the Mosaic law that the Israelites were required to keep in the Mosaic Covenant.

 

[Johann]

LOL
I did the math is in post #416. (which you saw, since you asked about 12 posts per day)
The tool I used was a calculator and your own public statistics in your post sidebar.
There may be an error in my calculations. Correct me if I am wrong.

[

That's definitely a mistake—I was offline for about two months recently. I find that being online all the time isn't always uplifting, especially with all the disagreements and personal attacks. So, I've become more selective about who I choose to engage with in conversation.

 

[GodsGrace]

St. SteVen said:

Biblically I recognize "the law" and "the Law". (note small l and capital L)

I define "the law" as the 613 laws that were given to the Israelites alone by God through Moses.

I define "the Law" as the Torah, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible.

Here is one verses that uses both terms clearly.

Romans 3:21 NIV
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

Do you have reading comprehension problems?

[

Not very nice of you SteVen.
The 613 laws ARE PART OF THE TORAH.

Guess I have to say good bye to you AGAIN.
Please don't respond to any of my posts.
I'll leave you with this:
You cannot study the word of God by being obsessed with EVERY WORD....
You have to understand the big picture of which those words are a part.

Perhaps YOU are the one lacking reading comprehension??
So many questions posed that bring to nothing.

 

[St. SteVen]

Yes....I could see what you mean.
Let me say it this way: I think the Amplified version and the New Living Translation explains it how I understand this verse to mean.
I'd say that the law is just any rule that God commands.

Good.
That being the case, what does the verse mean?

New International Version
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

The Law is the Mosaic law that the Israelites were required to keep in the Mosaic Covenant.

That being the case, what does the verse mean?

New International Version
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

[

 

[Johann]

No judgment on my part. I was stating the obvious. You said you preferred face-to-face to online interaction. Your own forum statistics left me to question how that was possible. ???

And what about your statistics? You seem to be very prolific in your posts.

I used forum information that is readily available.

I said: I don't recall giving you permission to be overly familiar with me.

That sounds like a warning.

I have boundaries-don't intrude.

How will you meet the daily quota with such a late start? - LOL

What quota?
You don't know me @St. SteVen or what I'm doing-and here I am forced to answer you-not that I have to.
Don't impose.
Take this as friendly advice since we are to redeem the time.

Shalom lecha u'lemishpachah shelcha, Achi.

 

[St. SteVen]

That's definitely a mistake—I was offline for about two months recently. I find that being online all the time isn't always uplifting, especially with all the disagreements and personal attacks. So, I've become more selective about who I choose to engage with in conversation.

I wasn't trying to prove that you are online every day.
I calculated an average. Here's my post. Note bold emphasis.

April 2, 2022 to August 22, 2024 = Over 28 months for 10,000+ posts (approx 850 days) =12 posts per day on average, 7 days a week.

What are the statistics for your preferred face-to-face interactions? More than 12 per day?

Taking two months off could be healthy break. But it drives up the daily average.

26 months for 10,000+ posts (approx 780 days) = nearly 13 posts per day on average.
Should we subtract more months? Or is that it?

And how should we calculate your face-to-face interactions? I can't imagine they dwarf your forum record. ???

[

 

[St. SteVen]

St. SteVen said:
No judgment on my part. I was stating the obvious. You said you preferred face-to-face to online interaction. Your own forum statistics left me to question how that was possible. ???

And what about your statistics? You seem to be very prolific in your posts.

I'm not the one claiming a preference to face-to-face interaction.

St. SteVen said:
I used forum information that is readily available.

I said: I don't recall giving you permission to be overly familiar with me.

Since when do I need permission to quote public forum information?

St. SteVen said:
That sounds like a warning.

I have boundaries-don't intrude.

One step away from a threat.

St. SteVen said:
How will you meet the daily quota with such a late start? - LOL

What quota?
You don't know me @St. SteVen or what I'm doing-and here I am forced to answer you-not that I have to.
Don't impose.
Take this as friendly advice since we are to redeem the time.

Shalom lecha u'lemishpachah shelcha, Achi.

LOL
Why is a bit of fact-checking considered an intrusion?
If you claim that your preference is to face-to-face interaction, shouldn't you do something about it? Redeem the time?
Again, I'm not trying to get rid of you. Just wondering about an honest assessment. ???
How can you claim a preference to face-to-face interaction when the statistics don't support that conviction?

[

 

[Johann]

I wasn't trying to prove that you are online every day.
I calculated an average. Here's my post. Note bold emphasis.

Taking two months off could be healthy break. But it drives up the daily average.

26 months for 10,000+ posts (approx 780 days) = nearly 13 posts per day on average.
Should we subtract more months? Or is that it?

And how should we calculate your face-to-face interactions? I can't imagine they dwarf your forum record. ???

[

What did I just tell you? Do you want to force me to sit here the whole day having a conversation with YOU and your hundreds of questions?.
Here you have a blitz with another member on the Chok/law and you just kept grinding!
Don't grind me man-I'm not your friend.
J.

 

[BarneyFife]

The Father's will overrides the will of others. It does not exclude the exercise of free will among men. In the Garden of Eden God asked Adam and Eve to make a choice, whether to eat of the forbidden tree or not. God's will was that they not eat of it. But they over-rode God's will and sinned.

That's a nice bit of equivocation you've got there.

So, we can't operate of our own free will, but both God and man can "over-ride" each other's will, is that it?

Reminds me of an old country song about oceanfront property in Arizona.

.

 

[GodsGrace]

That's a nice bit of equivocation you've got there.

So, we can't operate of our own free will, but both God and man can "over-ride" each other's will, is that it?

Reminds me of an old country song about oceanfront property in Arizona.

.

You don't seem to be understanding what @Randy Kluth has stated.
Man has free will.
Man was given free will in the Garden when God gave Adam a choice after He made the Edenic Covenant with him.
I'm sure you know that some covenants are unilateral and some are bi-lateral.
The Edenic Covenant was bi-lateral....both parties had to come to an agreement:
Man and God agreed to something....
IT WAS NOT a UNILATERAL COVENANT.

If you believe man's free will has been taken away, could you please show that using scripture?

God is SOVEREIGN....as I'm sure you know.

Sovereign means this:
God is above all and HE makes all the laws and rules not man.

Such a BIG GOD we have that He was not fearful of giving man FREE WILL.
Yes, absolutely sovereign...

Not like the god of some that believe His sovereignty precludes man's free will for some strange reason.

So....man exercises his free will.
However, God CAN override it at any time that He would want to.
Which He has on occasion....
But NOT NORMALLY.

This is what the other member means.

 

[St. SteVen]

What did I just tell you? Do you want to force me to sit here the whole day having a conversation with YOU and your hundreds of questions?.
Here you have a blitz with another member on the Chok/law and you just kept grinding!
Don't grind me man-I'm not your friend.
J.

Don't blame me if you have a life-controlling issue with the forum.
You replied of your own free will.

Go ahead. I'll give you the last word.

[

 

[Johann]

Don't blame me if you have a life-controlling issue with the forum.
You replied of your own free will.

Go ahead. I'll give you the last word.

[

 

[Johann]

I wasn't trying to prove that you are online every day.
I calculated an average. Here's my post. Note bold emphasis.

Taking two months off could be healthy break. But it drives up the daily average.

26 months for 10,000+ posts (approx 780 days) = nearly 13 posts per day on average.
Should we subtract more months? Or is that it?

And how should we calculate your face-to-face interactions? I can't imagine they dwarf your forum record. ???

[

Don't blame me if you have a life-controlling issue with the forum.
You replied of your own free will.

Go ahead. I'll give you the last word.

[

It appears that you're looking for attention and trying to maintain control.

Your Phobia:

The behavior described could be linked to "Atelophobia," which is the fear of not being good enough or of being imperfect. This phobia can lead to a strong desire for control and attention as a way to manage feelings of inadequacy or insecurity.

Alternatively, "Autophobia" refers to the fear of being alone or isolated, which might drive someone to seek attention as a way of feeling connected or secure.

No need to reply, I'm done here, on this thread.

 

[St. SteVen]

No need to reply, I'm done here, on this thread.

Wow. You were so hurt by my questions that you felt the need for revenge.

Is Revenge a Sin?

Most readers would answer in the affirmative. Yes, revenge is a sin... for us, but not for God. For us, but not for God? Why? Does God operate at a lower standard than he holds us to? Many would bristle at that question. Why? We are required to love our enemies. Jesus taught this as godly...

www.christianityboard.com

[

 

[Johann]

Wow. You were so hurt by my questions that you felt the need for revenge.

Is Revenge a Sin?

Most readers would answer in the affirmative. Yes, revenge is a sin... for us, but not for God. For us, but not for God? Why? Does God operate at a lower standard than he holds us to? Many would bristle at that question. Why? We are required to love our enemies. Jesus taught this as godly...

www.christianityboard.com

[

Nessun commento, Amico.

 

[St. SteVen]

Nessun commento, Amico.

Don't grind me man-I'm not your friend.

Make up your mind. - LOL

[

 

[GodsGrace]

Yes I do.

Do the ducks ("the reformed") believe that Jesus Christ will save every soul that ever lived?

Well, I do.

Where does scripture state this?

Do the ducks believe in hell?

I don’t.

Did Jesus not speak about hell - or, the opposite of heaven.

Matthew 10:28 Jesus said:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

and

Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

and

Matthew 24:41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.


There's more but that should be sufficient if we're to believe what Jesus taught.

Do the ducks believe in the trinity?

I don’t.

Quack, Quack.

Well, looks like you've invented your very own religion.
Maybe one day you'll come to have faith in the Christian religion.