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  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

OSAS - I was wrong...again

You're doing "my fact" regardless of whether you try or not. Here is the clear example: you're applying 2 Pet. 1:20 wrongly, because you are misinterpreting it. Therefore, it is obvious to me that the Holy Spirit is NOT speaking to you.

I sincerely doubt you will pay any attention to what I say here, but I will poke an attempt at correcting you on the matter. When Peter says the scripture is not of a private interpretation, he is talking about the written words which are revelatory coming from whatever way God spoke to the prophet. In Heb. it says, "in times past, God spoke in many ways..." including dreams, visions, angelic appearances, etc. So when the prophets wrote the scripture, they were writing what they saw and heard, not what they "interpreted" with their fleshly minds.

The interpretation we do today is not the same thing. We are interpreting scripture after the fact, in order to understand what the original writer meant. Therefore, there are rules of interpretation that everyone must follow in order to get as close to that understanding as possible. If anyone does not follow those rules, then it's a free-for-all for any cult leader to claim that he's heard from the "Holy Spirit." Prooftexts from the Bible are a dime a dozen, and even the Devil himself uses that method.

But rather than pay attention to the context of the scripture as one of the rules of interpretation, you are inventing ideas as you read it out of your fleshly mind. So if you refuse to hear what I'm saying, then this conversation is over.
You are interpreting nothing, there are many false prophet deceivers now, so interpret to yourself, is the answer anyone avoiding hr false prophets would conclude.


1 John 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.


2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
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Zohran Mamdani’s Real-World Constraints

What are these? Some sort of ancient mythical beast? I do remember the banks proclaiming they did not charge these when I got a CC ... 30 years ago.
Couldn’t we also, in theory, pass consumer protection laws that prevent that kind of arbitrary punitive rate hike?
  • Optimistic
Reactions: Hans Blaster
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An EBT Crisis?

I didn't really intend this thread to be about race, but okay. Anyway, I watched several minutes of the fist video from the 13 min. mark, and I have some problems with it, such as "correlation does not equal causation", and other things. I would watch all the videos, but the problem is, I may not focus on the parts you want me to focus on. I may focus on things you think are less important, or ignore things you think are important. Would want to tell me the points he makes that you might want to talk about?

I also am not interested in doing a deep dive into race. I didn't have really have a point beyond expounding upon my earlier comments regarding how such images can affect whether people are for or against certain benefits and aid. There have been various studies that have supported this. You may have a good heart and be sympathetic, but that's not the case for everyone. It's not even so much about having a good heart, it's about the stories and narratives people hear about others and believe when they don't have personal relationships and lived experiences to counter those narratives. Everyone thinks their one friend of xyz race is the exception to all the negative rules, they don't ever question if the rule is true in the first place.

The other two videos were just informative.

The commentary around here recently has been tame, but In the past there has been a lot of racial tension on this forum, especially during the height of the BLM movement, the Obama years, Trump’s first term and anytime there were racially charged news stories. I'm also seeing negative comments on social media from semi high profile people referring to SNAP beneficiaries as ghetto (always code for Black in modern usage), and an attempt to weaponize social media to turn public opinion against poor people in need.

In addition, those videos give some background on our country's history, including history around issues such as chain migration, which was originally intended to keep the majority of new immigrants from white countries. (I think that was mentioned in the last video, if not it's another one from their series.) Also, it addresses some of the stereotypes and narratives around out of wedlock births, and how the difference in stats between races is based more on economics than race. As well as how jobs leaving and public transportation being limited have affected some communities more than others.

Many of the present day political clashes have some roots in not wanting to help certain segments of our society. That's why so many people from other countries don't understand why things such as universal healthcare is controversial here. Aside from money and profits, which are HUGE, certain segments of our society don't deem other segments as "deserving" so they don't want everyone to benefit equally.
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Is 'once saved always saved' a biblical teaching?

If they fall, it's because their faith was counterfeit, it was not true saving faith, because true saving faith stands, and they did not stand. . .therefore, their faith was not true, saving faith, it was counterfeit.
yes clare773, they had no faith, no belief.
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Bill Gates Says Climate Change ‘Will Not Lead to Humanity’s Demise’

It's not too late to make things worse! I'm sure we can push it to an extinction-level event if we try. Don't give up.
@Nithavela buddy you changed your username didn't you. You little rascal.
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Reactions: Nithavela
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Hubble Constant (Ho) fixed to light speed, C and calculated as 71 k/s/Mpc. God did it!!

Ho is distance divided by time (i.e. velocity) all divided by distance. The distance units cancel out, leaving only inverse time.
That is abusing a maths principle. It's legitimate in some scenarious, but NOT in this situation, BECAUSE you are falsifying the situation. Use this equation:- oneMpc x C, divided by Ho = light years. Then divide by one billion to give the answers in BLY's, which will be around 13.8 BLY's.
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Even if (more likely "when") Momdani becomes NYC Mayor studies show the richest New Yorkers will stay

I thought we were talking about Tulsa.
Dallas is closer to comparable in size - it is also where quite a few NY'rs have moved to
The quantity of top-flight restaurants, museums, and artistic companies in NYC is unrivaled outside of a handful of the largest cities in the world. Dallas may have some great stuff (I've never been, but I assume this is true), but NYC has more of it.
It's a 3 hour flight DFW to JFK all those 'amenities' are entertainment - not a quality of life issue.

Think about it - the cost of living is 39% less - save those money hungry people 1.6 million a year - that's a whole lot of weekend or evening trips.
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Is 'once saved always saved' a biblical teaching?

You deny all I show you clare73, and I can correct all you are able to ever speak about, as long as the Lord gives me the answers to answer you with.

True saving faith remains true, or it does fall away, that is why both chapters you quote here speak of believing in the promises of God because BY FAITH THEY STAND.
If they fall, it's because their faith was counterfeit, it was not true saving faith, because true saving faith stands, because it is preserved by the Holy Spirit (2 Co 1:22, 5:5, Eph 1:14), and they did not stand. . .therefore, their faith was not true saving faith preserved by the Holy Spirit, it was counterfeit faith.
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Is 'once saved always saved' a biblical teaching?

that is precisely an example of counterfeit faith. . .it was a "faith" that did not save.
Read it again. . .they claimed to be doing it in Jesus' name (Mt 7:22-23), that's a statement of faith.
That is not a statement of faith, neither was it a faith, of any sort, and it 100 PERCENT was not a faith that FALLS AWAY.


clare73 said: It has everything to do with an example of counterfeit faith which you deny. . .counterfeit faith is also the faith that falls away from the belief one once had.



They never had a faith, it therefore cant fall away. (NO BELIEF WAS ONCE OR EVER HAD BY MANY FALSE PROPHET/WORKERS OF INIQUITYUNGODLINESS/FAITHLESSNESS.)
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Does Regeneration Precede Faith?

No, the OP does not make any contention about temporal sequence. In fact, I specifically said in the OP that "this does not ... deny the simultaneous experience of these realities in human perception." The key point is that John's grammar expresses logical priority.


Correct, "when" is not the issue. John's point expresses a logical relationship, not a chronological sequence. The argument is not that believing "did not start in the past." The argument is that believing -- whenever it begins -- presupposes being born again as its logical cause. The one characterized as "the believing one" is so because he "has been born of God." That's what the grammar of the text is conveying.


Where have I argued for "believing after salvation"?

Your examples reflect a misunderstanding of the argument in the OP. Each of these verses uses aorists to describe events in experience or outward sequence, not gnomic statements employing a perfect passive indicative. The semantic core of the perfect tense in Greek denotes a completed past action with abiding results (think γέγραπται, "it is written..." -- literally, "has been written," emphasizing that the writing being quoted was completed in the past but continues to exist and remain relevant). This is distinct from a simple aorist, which typically narrates completed events without necessarily highlighting their effects.

Eph. 1:13 narrates the act of believing as completed by the time of sealing. This does not imply that the believer generated that ability independently. This text is fully consistent with the logical priority of sealing presupposing God enabling belief.

Rom. 10:13-15 addresses the outward hearing and calling of the gospel, not the internal, sovereign work of God producing faith. Again, fully consistent with the principle that those who believe do so because God has worked in them.

1 Cor. 1:21 emphasizes the effectiveness of God's wisdom in salvation. Belief is the channel through which salvation is experienced, yet this is still consistent with belief presupposing God's logically prior enabling work.

Nothing in these passages denies that regeneration underlies the believer's ability to respond. The logic of 1 John 5:1 (among other text we could go to as well) remains: faith does not originate independently but is God-given and effectual.
Regardless of the lexical argument in this verse, the experience still ends up being chronological, even though it may seem simultaneous, for these reasons:
1. According to 1 Cor. 2:14-16, a person must first be spiritual (i.e. made spiritual by God) in order to understand the gospel enough to believe and obey it.
2. Eph. 2:5 implies that "dead in sin" means unbelieving state of mind (and heart), that God regenerates the person in that spiritually dead state, resulting in spiritual life, and ability to believe the gospel preached.
3. No one can decide to believe something they don't believe. They must first be convinced of the truth of the narrative before they will ever choose to believe it. Therefore, being convinced of the gospel, they are simply choosing to believe what they already believe, since they have been persuaded. The persuasion comes first (God regenerating), then the faith comes after (choosing to believe and obey).

Again, since the gospel is spiritually discerned, the only way a person can believe it is if God regenerates them by the indwelling Holy Spirit and enables them to believe in their heart, which they do because God has revealed it to them. God is the one who creates the spiritual ears to hear the gospel and believe.

With this understanding, not only is "has been born of God" logically the cause of "believes," but it is also chronologically prior. It may be true that chronology can't be extracted from the lexical argument of 1 Jn. 5:1, but contextually and hermeneutically, it can't be otherwise.
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