God is for us, not against us.

[Goatee]

Jesus is God. God is Jesus. Jesus said 'I AM'.

Paintings therefore have no problem to me.

 

[Ken Rank]

It's a product of old Roman thinking placed upon the young Church in Rome. Incorporated into Christianity by focusing on OT law and judgment. Judaism had great influence and the powers that be proclaimed that the Church in Rome was to lead the entire Christian nation in these matters. In other words accept what we say Christianity should be or die. All for the purpose of control. Nothing else. Certainly not the health and welfare of the people, as a hospital for the spiritually wounded as Christ set up in the east.

I prefer the Eastern Christian mindset. God is for us, not against us.

"So far as the east is from the west so far hath he removed our iniquities from us."

Forgive me...

We would disagree on this... I don't think you'll find very much in the way time period sources that would suggest that the church in Rome thought much of God's Law. Once the face of the faith shifted from being more Greek than Jewish (this around 132AD and the Bar Khokba Revolt) the idea of following law was considered Jewish and, by 150AD, we see in writings like in the homily Peri Pascha, Melito of Sardis writes “The God has been murdered; the king of Israel has been put to death by an Israelite right hand.” The whole "Christ Killer" concept begins and by 200, we have decrees being passed to make the faith appear less Jewish. If you're interested, I have written a short article on Christianity losing its more Jewish identity. If not, that's fine... it isn't the point of your post and I am not trying to hijack it.

Blessings.
Ken

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Another example of a fine mess from Roman ideas into the body of believers...

"Divine justice demands restitution for sin but human beings are incapable of providing it, as all the actions of men are already obligated to the furtherance of God's glory."

~ Anselm of Canterbury circa 1095 ad.

Um... wrong.

Forgive me...

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

We would disagree on this... I don't think you'll find very much in the way time period sources that would suggest that the church in Rome thought much of God's Law. Once the face of the faith shifted from being more Greek than Jewish (this around 132AD and the Bar Khokba Revolt) the idea of following law was considered Jewish and, by 150AD, we see in writings like in the homily Peri Pascha, Melito of Sardis writes “The God has been murdered; the king of Israel has been put to death by an Israelite right hand.” The whole "Christ Killer" concept begins and by 200, we have decrees being passed to make the faith appear less Jewish. If you're interested, I have written a short article on Christianity losing its more Jewish identity. If not, that's fine... it isn't the point of your post and I am not trying to hijack it.

Blessings.
Ken

Lots of things were filtered in, we would agree on that wouldn't we? Calendaring? Several pagan things, brought along to comfort those who see it a little different? For instance the filioque. The west has traditionally taken the viewpoint of Judaism... even down to what text (masoretic text stripped the OT of references to Christ by the Jews) to use when translating the OT to English.

Forgive me...

 

[Ken Rank]

Another example of a fine mess from Roman ideas into the body of believers...

"Divine justice demands restitution for sin but human beings are incapable of providing it, as all the actions of men are already obligated to the furtherance of God's glory."

~ Anselm of Canterbury circa 1095 ad.

Um... wrong.

Forgive me...

Hebrew is an abstract language but the Hebrew culture produces more concrete thought. Greek language is more concrete but the culture is more abstract... they tend to spiritualize things. This was a major issue in the first century... not only is the NT dealing with Jewish law (not to be confused with God's law but it is often confused by Christians) as well as Hellenized Jews (Greek thinking Jews) and then the gentiles or non-Jews. Sometimes parts of letters are addressed to one and not all of these and without knowing which, context is often lost. That's why it drives me nuts with one of these bible websites that as "context" gives the verse before and after the one you looked up. That isn't context... ANYTHING that is considered by the author is context. The NT is a Jewish writing whether we like that or not.... from the first century and interpreting it only in English with our Greek influenced Western minds while defining all the words as they appear TODAY in our dictionaries leaves an awful lot of food on the table because we lack so much context.

 

[Ken Rank]

Lots of things were filtered in, we would agree on that wouldn't we? Calendaring? Several pagan things, brought along to comfort those who see it a little different? For instance the filioque. The west has traditionally taken the viewpoint of Judaism... even down to what text (masoretic text stripped the OT of references to Christ by the Jews) to use when translating the OT to English.

Forgive me...

Well said and I agree. Blessings brother... time to get into something else today.

 

[RaymondG]

Did you know your God provided a way for us to grow new coronary arteries?

I didn't.
Our hearts are covered with arteries. Specifically they are called coronary arteries.

Apparently, if you have a major clogging in any of these larger arteries a tiny limb off an upstream branch will begin to bloom and grow. Replacing the lost blood flow to the needed area.

Proof to me that God loves us!

Forgive me...

God is amazing indeed. Is there anything too hard for Him?

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

I Thank God for this forum and the Godly people on it. Such a wonderful place.

Thanks. I feel so undeserving though.

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Hebrew is an abstract language but the Hebrew culture produces more concrete thought. Greek language is more concrete but the culture is more abstract... they tend to spiritualize things. This was a major issue in the first century... not only is the NT dealing with Jewish law (not to be confused with God's law but it is often confused by Christians) as well as Hellenized Jews (Greek thinking Jews) and then the gentiles or non-Jews. Sometimes parts of letters are addressed to one and not all of these and without knowing which, context is often lost. That's why it drives me nuts with one of these bible websites that as "context" gives the verse before and after the one you looked up. That isn't context... ANYTHING that is considered by the author is context. The NT is a Jewish writing whether we like that or not.... from the first century and interpreting it only in English with our Greek influenced Western minds while defining all the words as they appear TODAY in our dictionaries leaves an awful lot of food on the table because we lack so much context.

I find much to agree with here...

Forgive me...

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

Burning heretics seems to have been a favorite tag along...

How can anyone have ever thought this was of Christ?

Forgive me...

 

[rockytopva]

When I was in college I went on the Atkins diet...

1. My blood pressure raised to 147-100
2. Ringing in the ears with hearing loss
3. Swimmy headedness with vertigo

I was afraid I was coming down with Meniere's Disease. In which case I would have lost both my job and my drivers license. My doctor told me ten years ago that I would likely be deaf in three years, so I quit going to him.

What I did...

1. Prayer
2. Biblical diet - Beef, poultry, buffalo ***No Pork***
3. Started listening to RW Schambach and have posted some 70 videos of the guy.

Here ten years later I am just about totally healed, I went to the doctor and was so impressed with my vital signs that I had her write them down...

Wt - 243
Temp - 98*
Pulse - 100
B/P - 134/72

I feel like framing that little peace of paper! I want to loose additional weight. Looking back I feel most of my trials were the result of pork and deep fried foods. I do not think God was being a bully when he discouraged the use of pork in scripture. I do not feel all that bacon grease is good for the heart and arteries!

 

[Goatee]

Its not what goes into your mouth that defiles you!

 

[Goatee]

All God's food is clean. Everything.

 

[rockytopva]

All God's food is clean. Everything.

There are those of us who cannot eat everything the eye can see.

 

[Goatee]

There are those of us who cannot eat everything the eye can see.

We all have diferent tastes!

 

[OrthodoxyUSA]

There are those of us who cannot eat everything the eye can see.

Some of us try anyway.

Forgive me...

 

[RaymondG]

We all have diferent tastes!

Yeah, to me, guacamole looks like is shouldnt be eaten. It looks like something that would defile a man, as opposed to that which should go in. But I dont condemn those who eat it.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I agree. All through the Bible, including the Old Testament God repeatedly extends grace after grace after grace, and mercies.

THIS is our God:

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." ~Isaiah 1:18

This is true. God doesn't kill just because....he gives chances and has mercy but if you don't take it then theirs nothing left except punishment.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

I Thank God for this forum and the Godly people on it. Such a wonderful place.

Yes.

 

[Friend-of-Jesus]

Did you know your God provided a way for us to grow new coronary arteries?

I didn't.
Our hearts are covered with arteries. Specifically they are called coronary arteries.

Apparently, if you have a major clogging in any of these larger arteries a tiny limb off an upstream branch will begin to bloom and grow. Replacing the lost blood flow to the needed area.

Proof to me that God loves us!

Forgive me...

But at the same time, we have a genetic mechanism of aging and death. It's also love, though. We must go to heaven and not be stuck here on sinful earth full of all kinds of suffering.