ml wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean, can you show me by Scripture that God's children are full of grace? Are you saying that the children of God have been given the attribute of grace in themselves?
When I type in 'full of grace' in my Bible search only one verse comes up, John 1:14 which says Christ is full of grace and truth.

The verse that immediately came to mind, and one which I pray often is 2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in GRACE, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

You asked for "full of grace" to which I would equate - "full of the Spirit" -there may not be any.

We do know that we are told to be "filled with the Spirit." We also know that though the Spirit resides in us, never to leave, we may grieve the Spirit through sin, lack of time in the Word or prayer, etc.

We are told in the following passages that we have this grace of God.

Ephesians 4:7 says, "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ."

Ephesians 3:7,8 "...[Paul speaking] according to the gift of the GRACE of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power. Unto me, who am ...is this GRACE given, that I should preach among the Gentiles..."

ml wrote:
cont. with Candle Lit
As a catholic I would confess my sins to a priest and then that priest would determine my penance, for example I might have to pray 2 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Marys. It goes like this:
Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Do you understand now what I meant by my first post?

It was gracious of you to answer my question, given that it was an interruption to the direction of your on-going dialogue with JY.

I was trying to make the point that Mary, the mother of Jesus, probably was "full of grace." However, the prayer prayed by the Catholic Church to Mary - their chosen mediator - is idolatrous. Jesus is our Mediator, our High Priest, our Saviour. There is no other name under heaven whereby one may be saved.

DJC49 wrote:
And I will mention you by name and location to the Father that He might bring to your remembrance that not only do you have a Mediator and High Priest who constantly intercedes and prays for you [Hebrews 7:25], but His Holy Spirit helps you in your weakness. [Romans 8:26]

ml wrote:
Mary was not full of grace, she was highly favoured, only God is full of grace.
(Luk 1:28) And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
(Joh 1:14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) FULL OF GRACE and truth.

I'm interested in your interpretation of "full of Grace."

What do you mean when you say, "Mary was not full of grace?"

What do you mean when you say, "[Jesus] was full of GRACE?"

Is there a difference in Stephen "being full of the Holy Ghost" in Acts 7:55?

Faithful Remnant wrote:
And take a few moments for prayer at home. It isn't that difficult or time consuming.

just a thought wrote:
Whatever wisdom some here may have, their sarcasm and name calling cancels out any good they may be trying to do!

I'm reminded of the apostle Peter when he walked with Jesus, bold, impetuous, always saying something that he shouldn't, but Jesus really loved Peter, even when He knew he would deny him. Of course, the elder Peter who wrote the epistles, showed what God does in sanctifying a man as he grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

Greatly blessed wrote:
No where in the Word of God does it say that God has chosen some people to go to hell and some people to go to heaven. On the other hand He does say that He is not willing that ANY should perish; but that ALL should come to repentance.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..."

Also, He is the "Bread of Life."

And, He is "the Water of Life."

And, He is the "Door."

The "Bread and Water" is available for the taking - No money required.

"Come, you who have no money, and buy. ."
"Come, you who are thirtsy, and drink. ."

The "Door" to Life is open. Come on in, while it is open.

The thing is that though it is available, people will not partake, and though the door is open, they will not enter, until the Holy Spirit "compels them to come."

John UK wrote:
W - WHOSOEVER will, let him take the water of life freely. Rev 22:17
O - Only those who truly repent receive remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38
W - When a sinner finds the Lord, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8
*WOW* If only men would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and repent of their sins, they would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and go on their way rejoicing, telling all and sundry about 'so great salvation'.

I hope *just a thought* doesn't see all this lavish praise. It may send him into apoplexy, as such feeds the pride and ego of the humble.

Me, I believe in "pats on the back" "well done" "good job" - we all need an "atta boy" at times, don't we? And I don't think it puffs us up. It just gives us a warm feeling inside that someone cares enough to notice.

DJC49 wrote:
To think that somehow the apostles could have possibly gotten the Gospel to places like the Americas in 35-50 A.D.! Or even 135-50 A.D.! Or even 235-250 A.D. and etc.!

Sorry, but virtually BILLIONS were never meant to hear the Gospel. Their eternal destiny was sealed even though Christ (supposedly) "made salvation possible" for them too through Universal Atonement.

Most people are afraid to even touch this issue, and your explanation is the best that I have heard, and, also, the bravest.

Now, I don't want to quibble, because I know that you would leave me in the dust, but would you please tell me who those people appeared to and why that the verses in Matt. 27:52,53 describe.

"And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

_____________

Maybe a new acronym would be easier:

A - Alienated from God

G - through His Grace are

A - atoned for by the blood and

P - will persevere as saints

E - because they are elect

__________

Yeah, I kinda like that - "AGAPE"

What'd ya think?

itsaboutheremnant wrote:
candlelit, my new moniker simply refers to my newly established calvinist credentials and is not intended to refer to the entirety of scripture.
since we are doing the 'its about' thing tho may I say that its not 'about jesus' its about the glory of jesus which attribute i am pitifuly unsuitable to even mention
you mention only 2 of the 17 attributes of our creator yes i am aware of those two, question is do you meditate upon the other 15 ?

You seem quite pleased with yourself, and I found your post amusing.

DJC49 wrote:
Frankly, I don't believe that there's any coercive quality, sense, or element in God's Irresistable Grace whatsoever. I don't think that Calvin believed that either.
Consider this analogy:
Like a formerly DEAD plant being made alive, the plant is now restored to its originally intended purpose and capacity so that once the SUN appears, the plant now irresistibly bends itself towards the light -- the sun's rays are overwhelmingly compelling.
No coercion involved -- it's CERTAIN what the LIVING plant will do!

Mike wrote:
Candle Lit, is it possible that some might "walk away justifying it as God's blessing on themselves and God's wrath or non-interest in the other - His Sovereign Will" because they hold that God has set them example by selecting them for salvation, while passing by others who are left to suffer?

I think John may be right, though, you are stirring the pot.

May I say, it is NOT about the remnant, but it IS about the Saviour.

Your testimony will be your walk with the Lord as those men with whom you work see how that is fleshed out. We remember the men of the OT as having "walked with God." Was it St. Francis of Assisi (sp?) who said, "Preach the gospel, always, and, when necessary, use words?"

The post on the sovereignty of God seemed to use that doctrine to summarily dismiss those whose lives include poverty of material goods as well as poverty of spirit, as being God's will.

I love the sovereignty of God when rightly presented. It is the most comforting doctrine that the child of God can have, but I think it can be used in a way to justify not doing what should be done. And, as the post from *dailyreading* seemed to indicate, it can take away any thought of responsibility that comes from seeing others suffer, while the observer can walk away justifying it as God's blessing on themselves and God's wrath or non-interest in the other - His Sovereign Will. It can be a way to assuage the guilt that comes from being comfortable while another suffers.

The person posting did not indicate what they did in terms of helping with the physical needs and sharing the gospel, so I can't comment further.

As to the person with the old earth theory and you trying to share the Biblical account - I had a similar experience- where I mentioned the Noahic flood. The other person fumed with disgust at the suggestion. Men do not want to acknowledge God because they have to do something with that knowledge - accept or reject.

Observer wrote:
Jesus said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:9
I am sorry if the truth offends you and my post removed from sermonaudio. It is the truth that is always rejected by the multitudes.
"For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:14

Repent and believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that ascribes all the glory to God.
Repent in trusting in the arm of flesh!
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Believe His Words, His Doctrine, His Truth for it is life onto the soul.
May God's Word through the Holy Spirit effectually work in your hearts unto the acknowledging of the truth.

Remember that Jesus had a heart of compassion for the lost.

Remember that "He was a man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief."

Remember that "He bore our iniquities on the Cross."

Remembering Him, when calling sinners to repentance and belief in the Saviour, will elicit compassion for those still lost and arouse gratitude in our own hearts for Him saving us.

Dear Observer,

It is not your understanding or faith in a system of theology that will save you!

It is faith in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ as presented in Scripture that saves. Trust Him and He will straighten out your belief system!

John UK wrote:
And when humble Bible believers appear before the bar of Christ, they will gaze upon the one they love and remain speechless for the sheer wonder of seeing him who had loved them and betrothed them to himself.

Saved by His Grace wrote:
"For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days."
Mark 13:19-20

Now that His Return is closer than ever, I feel apathetic, kinda like the disciples waiting on Jesus while He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Now, when I should be given to prayer, I find it hard to focus. I seem to be slumbering when I should be vigilant.

John UK wrote:
After my conversion I began to read the Bible in big chunks, and it was not long before I saw predestination and election and a particular redemption of some only. It disturbed me so much that I went to my pastor about it. He was very kind and gracious towards me, and gave me a similar booklet to read that you mentioned. I think it was called Tulip, and it was written by Charles Spurgeon. In that booklet, which was ideal for me as a newly saved soul, I discovered wondrous things, and realised I had misinterpreted the Bible in a bad way. I've never forgotten that great little booklet which helped me see the truth in the correct way.
It is very sad when these glorious truths are misunderstood; that's what leads to ion

It would seem that the Lord led us to read some of the same writers, and that some of the same people influenced our lives on a similar timeline.

That's a blessing because I know of few of like-mind and heart. For many the Bible is a good book, just words on paper, but for others they are life.