But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1Co 2:14)

"Ye must be born again!"—born of the Spirit of God which is being filled with the Holy Ghost. Only a born-again believer can receive the things of the Spirit.

To be born of the Spirit, the seeker must hear the gospel message, repent of his sins, accept the atoning blood of Christ for remission of his sins, be filled with the Spirit becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus walking in newness of life.

Perfect faith would secure perfect holiness.

Faith is complete trust and confidence in the living Christ.

By faith the believer accepts the conditions for receiving the promises of the Word of God and appropriates them into his/her life.

Faith is knowledge that what God has promised, He will perform.

Faith can move mountains.

Faith is the key to coming to God and receiving His manifold blessings.

Faith is the pathway for communion with God.

Faith is the wings of prayer that speeds petitions before the throne of mercy.

Faith is action—believing the Word of God and acting accordingly.

Faith is the opposite of unbelief.

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

"Oh Ethan liten up. The boy was born and worked as a missionary in the PI with his parents. He is a wonderful role model and it is not idolotry with me. Me thinks your jealous because you are not an American."
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Sports is idolatry. "Christians" place sports events before attending church. Competing against one another is against everything Christ taught. Praying to win is foolishness.

"Abigail,
How about "Hold to the traditions you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." 2 Thess 2:14 Are you doing this? Besides the printed pages in your Bible(the Epistles, etc) what other words are you holding too?
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I believe the Holy Bible, nothing added, nothing taken away. You do not know my beliefs, but I know yours, and I know the many things that have been added by evil popes that are anti-scriptural and extra-biblical.

2 Thes 2:14 is speaking of the traditions that were taught in the NT Churches and were accepted by the Spirit-led Apostles and Spirit filled leaders of the NT Church. The traditions that they followed were to not be added to or deleted from in subsequent stages of apostatized churches.

Deu 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it...

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

If those who call themselves Christian do not take a stand for righteousness even
at the cost of persecution, imprisonment, and death and refuse to compromise with the evils of society—God will send His judgment that begins at the house of God.

Luk 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Mat 10: 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Mormonism and Freemasonry are so intimately interwoven and interrelated that the two can never be dissociated. Mormonism was born in the throes of the holocaust provoked by the Anti-Masonic Morgan affair of 1826.

Mat 15:3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Mat 15:6 And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

Mar 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

Mar 7:9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Mar 7:13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Not the hearers of the law are justified but the doers of the law, that is the law of Christ, are justified. We are justified by faith, by grace, by the blood of Christ. But if we are found to be sinners while we seek to be justified by Christ, is Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification.

Even as all men were condemned resulting from Adam's transgression, so the free gift of salvation is to all men who will receive it.

Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

"As for Abigail, I guess she thinks the Christian Church is limited to what she sees with her physical eyes."
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The Christian Church is not a denomination. The Christian Church is the invisible heavenly body of Christ. The Christian Church is the blood-bought, Spirit-filled saints of God in which the invisible Kingdom of God has come on earth and over which Jesus Christ rules. His Kingdom cometh not with observation but is within the Spirit filled saints, and in them His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

" Dan wrote:
The only worship of God that is acceptable to Him must be through Jesus Christ. If ANY other route is attempted it is not really worshipping Him.
True. But it's permissible to ask others to pray to him for us."
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The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray. Nowhere in the whole bible can you find prayers being offered to any other than God, the Father; or God, the Father through Jesus Christ. Praying to any other entity is an abomination.

Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

" Either you and others really don't understand fully what Calvinists believe and teach concerning these issues, which, if that be the case, we can chalk it up to simple or willful ignorance,"
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How can anyone be willfully ignorant if they don't have free will? God would make them ignorant according to His choosing, and they would be helpless in the matter.

"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." John 15:16
This verse shows Jesus does the choosing."
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Your whole system of theology is based on humanity not being a free moral agent. Every Scripture you use is pointing to that fact. Jesus chooses His followers but they follow. Although we have a free will, we cannot transport ourselves into the kingdom of God, we cannot fill ourselves with the Spirit of God. God draws humanity by His Spirit, humanity responds with a willing heart, God responds by receiving the penitent sinner. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOSOEVER believeth might not perish. God does not go against His own will in that He is not willing that any should perish. People that believe they do not have a free will refuse to accept responsibility for their actions. They are making mock of God and His holy word and commandments. God demands obedience but they reply, "It is not required."

"Total Depravity is a condition of the mind. It is not a measure of the degree of criminality.
Jesus says they are evil even though they may give good gifts to their chilldren, which says that doing good does not make one good. Even Christ's righteousness imputed to us does not make us "good"; it does not make us righteous. It declares us justified which is a judicial act of God outside of ourselves. God looks upon Christ as our substitute. It is His righteousness not ours that is looked upon by the law of God. After we are justified by faith, the Holy Spirit begins santification in us to make us holy, but even that work is not perfected until we die."

Terry wrote

" R K
Thank you
most edifing indeed"
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Very edifying to sinners indeed are words of encouragement in sin. Ministers preach and teach sin instead of righteousness and condone and partake of the sins of their followers. The organized churches are filled to capacity with unrepentant sinners that are being encouraged in their misdeeds instead of being admonished to repent and turn to God with their whole heart. God is a holy God and demands holiness in His saints.

Numerous souls think their sins are not bad enough to send them to hell. They rely on their own personal goodness, all of which is done through selfish motives and is as filthy rags in the sight of God. The goodness that people see in themselves before salvation is false—there is none good, no not one. However, calling the works of righteousness that are accomplished in and by the saints after being cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus and being filled with the Holy Ghost that leads and guides in all truth are not filthy rags. Righteous were the holy men of old that moved in the Spirit and recorded the Word of God. The Apostles and true saints of the NT were holy and were accomplishing the works of God. It is a misnomer to call obedience to Christ by His followers filthy rags and snow-covered dung. Jesus' blood does not cover dung, but rather cleanses and purifies the soul, turning the sons of Adam into saints that show forth praises unto God through obedience.

" If Luther was referring to our own righteousness as dung and Christ’s righteousness as the snow – that’s a very appropriate picture. Anything that we might see as righteousness in ourselves God sees as a filthy rag (and if you look into it the actual thought is pretty filthy indeed)."
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Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Mat 25:37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Luk 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Jam 5:16 …The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

1Jo 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

1Jo 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

"Total Depravity is a condition of the mind. It is not a measure of the degree of criminality.
Jesus says they are evil even though they may give good gifts to their chilldren, which says that doing good does not make one good. Even Christ's righteousness imputed to us does not make us "good"; it does not make us righteous. It declares us justified which is a judicial act of God outside of ourselves. God looks upon Christ as our substitute. It is His righteousness not ours that is looked upon by the law of God. After we are justified by faith, the Holy Spirit begins santification in us to make us holy, but even that work is not perfected until we die."
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1Pe 1:15-16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Rom 12:1 …that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

1Co 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

"So, no such thing as divorce?
Umm, what about the woman who when she doesnt cook the food right, gets her skull fractured in 10 different places, and ends up in the intensive care close to death's door. Or, the mother who is so beaten down and intimadated while he the husband turns on her children, horse whips them, locks them in the barn with no food for days..the list goes on. and on, the alcoholic that goes to the bar, drinks out the foodmoney, and buys harlots at the bar drinks all round, while his wife and kids are in rags. .the last one wasnt for a christian. however, there are christians who do the above."
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What God has spoken will enture forever. He changes not. Many scenarios can be cited, but God has spoken. There are no loopholes in His word. We are expected to obey the commands of Jesus Christ if obedience costs us our lives. Jesus Christ foretold that we will be persecuted and killed for His namesake.

The Word of God does not forbid separation but God forbids divorce and remarriage. Everyone thinks their case is unique and deserves unique treatment. God knows all circumstances and if the injured party places trust in Him with obedience to His word, God will take care of the rest. Have faith in God.

" Abigail,
I see you've joined the ad hominem club.
I have no doubt that many of those who call themselves Calvinist today have no idea of what the puritans of old preached. They preached the old time religion of repentance and turning from sin. Preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield literally brought the fires of Hell into many of their sermons which the Holy Spirit used to convert many to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
May God give us men like those old puritans to preach today with the power of the Holy Ghost."
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I have read many books and sermons by preachers of old that truly preached the old time religion with fires of hell and repentance, but that is not what I have seen on these threads from the Calvinists. There seems to be a departure from the faith.

" Abigail wrote:
...The description in Isa 64:6 describes the Calvinists because they do not believe they need to repent... Abigail
Many Reformed churches (Calvinist) confess the Heidelberg Catechism, which says:
88. In how many things does true repentance or conversion consist?
Ans. In two things: the dying of the old man, and the making alive of the new. (Rom.6:4-6; 1 Cor.5:7; 2 Cor.5:17; Eph.4:22-24; Col 3:5-10)
89. What is the dying of the old man?
Ans. Heartfelt sorrow for sin, causing us to hate and turn from it always more and more. (Ps 51:3-4, 17; Joel 2:12-13; Rom 8:12-13; 2 Cor 7:10)
Sounds like repentance to me."
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Do you do it, or do you merely talk about it. From what I hear on these threads, repentance is a work of the flesh and obedience is trying to be saved by the deeds of the law and earn your salvation.