I had a good friend recently ask me the following question, which I attempt to answer here. His Question How does that same application of the word all apply in other biblical references? In particular would be Romans 3:22-24? The "all" here refers to both the righteousness from God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to "all" that believe (v.22), and the "all" who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (v.23). Of which this same "all" from verses 22 & 23 are justified freely by His grace and through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ (v.24). If the same "all" is those who believe,...
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Do you think it is possible to square Biblical events with science? I was speaking with a few European brainiacs (and atheists) over beers in NYC in January on the topic of Faith vs. Science. Andy proposed that the Scientific discipline is one which states Anything not Disproven is Possible while the Faith discipline is one which states I Believe, Even If I Know It is Not True placing the two paradigms in a nullifying juxtaposition so that they can not coexist. I asked the three of them whether they considered me a man of Science or a man of Faith, to which one of them stated (and the others laughingly...
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Synopsis A friend of mine recently read a statement on Wikipedia regarding Calvinism, and I quote, “One person is saved while another is condemned, not because of a foreseen willingness, faith, or any other virtue in the first person, but because God sovereignly chose to have mercy on him.” He brought the statement to my attention and asserted that this was one major reason in his objection to Calvinism as a system, because – according to his interpretation of scripture – this is directly opposed to “clear bible teaching”. I asked him to provide me an example of “clear Bible teaching”...
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A friend recently asked me this question after reading through The Roman Road: A Well-Engineered Path to Salvation. It's a fantastic question and gave me reason to write down my understanding of how they work out. Synopsis Let us begin by looking at the text at hand. First, Romans 10:9 – "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Second, Matthew 7:21 – "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father...
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Erik Weihenmayer is blind, yet on May 25, 2001, he reached the peak of Mt. Everest. Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didn't stop him. On a mountain where 90% of the climbers never make it to the top – and 165 have died trying since 1953 – Erik succeeded, in large measure because he listened well. He listened to a little bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him, so he would know what direction to go. He listened to the voice of teammates who would shout back to him, "Death fall two feet to your right!" so he would know...
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You doubtless remember many figures from history, Socrates, Plato, Albert Einstein, George Washington, the list goes on. These individuals, who influenced nations or impacted the world, are remembered because of the impact that of their lives. Jesus, who more than any one other person changed the face of world history, is remembered not so much for His life but for His death! Why do you suppose that is? Why is Christ's death any more interesting than Socrates, or Plato, or Einstein, or Mr. Washington's? What does the bible mean when it states that He died for our sins? What did His death really...
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A missionary working with children in the Middle East was driving her jeep down a road when she ran out of gas. She had no gas can in her car. All she could find was a potty chair. She walked a mile down the road and filled the pot with gas. As she was pouring the gas into the tank of her jeep, a large Cadillac occupied by wealthy oil sheikhs drew up. They were absolutely fascinated to see her pouring the contents of the pot into the jeep. One of them opened his window and said, "My friend and I, although we do not share your religion, we greatly admire your faith!" Some people see becoming...
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