Jesus Loves You

[razeontherock]

I think it was Sarah that laughed - within herself. Still, your point is valid, but his trust could be SEEN by his actions, throughout his life. It took DECADES.

To Sith: "as I've become more aware of the presence of God and have seen how encompassing God's presence is, I no longer believe that God even cares about these differences of religion that we use to divide us. God, in my opinion, is way beyond any of that."

(Wish I wrote that. Still carries the sentiment I've been conveying here)

 

[b&wpac4]

I think it was Sarah that laughed - within herself. Still, your point is valid, but his trust could be SEEN by his actions, throughout his life. It took DECADES.

17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" 18 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!"

Well, of course. He was told to leave his father's house, head places he had no knowledge of, and do many things that.... well he circumcised himself. I have to think that right before then, there had to be some extreme doubt if he was really talking to God or if he was just hearing voices.

 

[razeontherock]

Most excellent point.

"Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? Gen 18:13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh."

I never noticed they both laughed about it. Doesn't Isaac mean laughter?

 

[b&wpac4]

I never noticed they both laughed about it. Doesn't Isaac mean laughter?

It does.

 

[Zeena]

Doesn't Isaac mean laughter?

Yes

"He will laugh"

1 Cor 2:9
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Ps 139:6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

 

[Zeena]

It does.

haha!

Beat me to it!

 

[Zeena]

n1 for a CUP A JO?

JOY to the WORLD!

ALL the boys and girls!

JOY to the fishies in the deep blue sea!

JOY to you and me!

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 

[SithDoughnut]

The Faith that's important in the Bible is that of Abraham. You're saying he believed in Jesus Christ?

You should talk with Zeena about that. She posted some verses that claim that the Faith did not exist before Jesus Christ. It's post #330, if you want to have a look at them.

So, your definition of faith involves God but not Jesus. We're getting somewhere.

The point you keep making is that you never learned any distinction between Faith and religious practice. That would perfectly explain why you found Christianity to be empty. I was a little older than you before I first learned better, and I also had a LOT of things propelling me to do so.

I still can't pinpoint what you overlooked.

I overlooked nothing; me and you are still working from different definitions of the word 'faith'. Are you constantly going to keep ignoring my request for your definition?

What is your definition of the word 'faith'?

 

[Zeena]

You should talk with Zeena about that. She posted some verses that claim that the Faith did not exist before Jesus Christ. It's post #330, if you want to have a look at them.

Make no mistake, Saint Paul is not informing his readers that faith was non-existant before the advent of Christ. Rather, he is exhorting fellow believers as to what exactly they've received, when they received Christ;

Hebrews 11:32-40
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy: ) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

 

[SithDoughnut]

Hebrews 11:32-40
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy: ) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

I know that, that's why I said 'The Faith', instead of just 'faith', as I am assuming that 'The Faith' is directly related to Jesus Christ, which is certainly what the Bible appears to indicate. Sorry if I misunderstood you, but I am currently playing a long guessing game here.

Just to clarify your position on this, faith existed before Christ, but Christ came to reveal The Faith and give it to us, right?

 

[Zeena]

I know that, that's why I said 'The Faith', instead of just 'faith', as I am assuming that 'The Faith' is directly related to Jesus Christ. Sorry if I misunderstood you, but I am currently playing a long guessing game here.

lol okay then, as you were!

 

[razeontherock]

Just to clarify your position on this, faith existed before Christ, but Christ came to reveal The Faith and give it to us, right?

Interesting perspective here. I used to know the context of this particular discussion better, but starting fresh:

Peter isn't the rock on which the Church is built. It's the fact our Father revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ! He addressed what you're asking about in the first chapter, if you'll allow me to snip to the most relevant bits:

"According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time...

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 1Pe 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."

So you see he wrote about something we can obtain now, and this has nothing to do with any religious practice.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

Originally Posted by SithDoughnut I know that, that's why I said 'The Faith', instead of just 'faith', as I am assuming that 'The Faith' is directly related to Jesus Christ. Sorry if I misunderstood you, but I am currently playing a long guessing game here.

lol okay then, as you were!

Let yer yea be yea and nah be nah

John 5:39 "Ye are searching the Writings that ye are seeming in them Life age-during to be having, and those are the ones-testifying about Me".

Reve 14:11 And the smoke of the tormenting of them into ages of ages is ascending and not they are having Rest day and night

 

[scraparcs]

Food for thought:
Peter denied Christ three times.
Paul had Christ followers stoned.

 

[SithDoughnut]

Interesting perspective here. I used to know the context of this particular discussion better, but starting fresh:

Peter isn't the rock on which the Church is built. It's the fact our Father revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ! He addressed what you're asking about in the first chapter, if you'll allow me to snip to the most relevant bits:

"According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time...

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 1Pe 1:9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."

So you see he wrote about something we can obtain now, and this has nothing to do with any religious practice.

You keep forgetting that we are talking about all faiths and religions, not just yours. For you, faith is separate from religion. For others, that is not the case. This applies within Christianity as well as within religion in general.

As far as I can tell, this all started with you misunderstanding a post. The plural word 'faiths' means 'religions' or 'belief systems'. They are synonyms. 'Faith' may be different for you, but the plural word means religion. There are many differences between faiths/religions/belief systems.

 

[razeontherock]

As far as I can tell, this all started with you misunderstanding a post.

No misunderstanding here. You'll never get to the Love of Jesus if you're paying attention to religious practice or belief systems. Lotsa people on here proving that point ...

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

No misunderstanding here. You'll never get to the Love of Jesus if you're paying attention to religious practice or belief systems. Lotsa people on here proving that point ...

And yet, the "it's not a religion, it's a personal relationship"-angle has only been around for a couple of decades, curiously coinciding with the time when people started to get suspicious of organized world views and their sweeping meta-narratives.

It's also patently false, seeing how even "personal relationship"-Christianity relies on the Scriptures and specific beliefs and practices derived from the same.

Religion is simply the belief in and worship of a god or gods, or in general a set of beliefs explaining the existence of and giving meaning to the universe, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

You don't need a hierarchy of priests in order to have a religion. All you need is an organized world view - and THAT is what Christianity is in virtually all of its variant strains.
If all you're saying is that attending church each Sunday doesn't make you a Christian - then I agree. But religion is something more than that. It doesn't have to involve ritual at all.

 

[SithDoughnut]

No misunderstanding here. You'll never get to the Love of Jesus if you're paying attention to religious practice or belief systems. Lotsa people on here proving that point ...

That has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand...

 

[b&wpac4]

And yet, the "it's not a religion, it's a personal relationship"-angle has only been around for a couple of decades, curiously coinciding with the time when people started to get suspicious of organized world views and their sweeping meta-narratives.

The other problem is that it could work just the same for my beliefs.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

The other problem is that it could work just the same for my beliefs.

Shalom b&w
I would think that myself dear friend

Reve 5:5 And one out of the elders saying to me "no be lamenting! behold! the Lion/lewn <3023> conquers, the one out of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, to open-up the scroll and the seven seals of it".

Reve 5:9 And they are singing a song, new, saying: "Thou are worthy to be taking the scrollet and to up-open the seals of it that Thou was slaughtered/slain/esfaghV <4969> (5648), and Thou purchase to the God in the blood of Thee, out of every tribe, and tongue and people and nation"

http://www.christianforums.com/t7245442-2/#post47285908
The "lambkin" in Revelation and John 21 question