Praying for Others

[SUNSTONE]

Please answer the questions I have on ...
Apostles, Your scriptures of why you believe the way you believe.

There are many examples of people not obeying God.
Jona didn't want to goto nenevah to witness to them about there doom if they didn't repent. God helped him with that, but it was still God waiting for Jonah to repent before He let him go. If Jonah wouldn't have repented, I believe God would have killed him.

Moses was told by God to goto Egypt to tell Pharoah to let His people go, but Moses was afraid and said he wouldn't go. God got angry and was about to kill him, it says that in the bible, but Moses changed his mind and then so did God, just like Jonah.

God tells how the people vexed his Holy Spirit over and over, in the wilderness, and guess what? God killed everyone of them except for 2.
Out of all the ones that came out of Egypt, only 2 crossed the Jordan river.

God shines his light on all men, but it is up to them to except it or not. My dad had a miracle on his arm and later on had an experience with God, but it wasn't untill many many years later did he turn to God.
That is why God is justified for sending people to hell if they don't choose Him.

Same with sin, He warns you about it, and if you do it, then you get punished for it, saved or not. He isn't some cruel being that bullys us around.
By His grace he gives us chooses in life to do right or wrong, I call it free will, you call it whatever you like, but it doesn't change the patern that God has set up.

Now if you would, please show me your scriptures for believing the way you do, I will hold them up to the Lord and find out what they mean.
I pray that the Holy Spirit guides both of us into truth on this matter.

 

[SUNSTONE]

Matt 25:14-31

This is the parable of the 3 servants that were given talents. One had 10 another 5 and another 1.
The first two did something with there talents, but listen to the last one.

[Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mone own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.]

Ref you also said the only time you sin, is when God removes his grace from you. Well check these verses out brother, and let me know what you think. Or at very least take it up with the Lord, you don't have to tell me a thing, nor does it matter to me. I am just trying to share the truth, and I don't care how it gets through or who it gets through too, just as long as it does get through.

[Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we "should" be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.] James 1:13-18
Also
[But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.] James 1:22

This is a major one!

[Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
THIS PERSUASION COMETH NOT OF HIM THAT CALLETH YOU. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.] Galations 5:7-9

 

[Reformationist]

Hey Sunstone!  I haven't forgotten about you bro.  I am going to address both of your previous posts I have just been swamped at work and I just moved into a new house so getting my wife to let me play around on the computer instead of unpacking is a risky proposition.  I'll get to them though.  Thanks for being patient.

God bless

 

[SUNSTONE]

bump

 

[Reformationist]

Originally posted by SUNSTONE
Please answer the questions I have on ...
Apostles, Your scriptures of why you believe the way you believe.

About what?  I am still lost on what it is you think I believe about the Apostles. 

There are many examples of people not obeying God.

I agree.

Jona didn't want to goto nenevah to witness to them about there doom if they didn't repent. God helped him with that, but it was still God waiting for Jonah to repent before He let him go. If Jonah wouldn't have repented, I believe God would have killed him.

Moses was told by God to goto Egypt to tell Pharoah to let His people go, but Moses was afraid and said he wouldn't go. God got angry and was about to kill him, it says that in the bible, but Moses changed his mind and then so did God, just like Jonah.

God doesn't work in "what ifs."  He isn't responding to us.  His entire plan for creation was finished before the foundation of the world.  I'm sorry that you feel that things hinge so much on your every decision.  But it's not true.  God doesn't get mad like we do.  Our unholiness is an abomination to Him.  However, everything He does regarding His children, Christians, is for their benefit.  Jonah and Moses were both Christians.  Disobedient at times, like everyone, but still they were His children.  He's not going to "change His mind."  You know why?  Because every decision God makes is the most righteous decision that could be made.  If He changed His mind He would be changing it to something not righteous. 

That is why God is justified for sending people to hell if they don't choose Him.

Goodness man.  Let me say it for the cheap seats.  IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU.  God is justified in doing anything He does because first, it's always righteous, second, we are His creation.  He didn't seek your counsel when He made His decisions about His plan.  It was His plan.  It is so arrogant to think that you can "hold off the Will of God" or that His plan for your life hinges on the choices you make.  What?  Are you more powerful than God?  Do you honestly believe that you, a created being, can thwart God's holy, divine, sovereign, providential plan? 

He isn't some cruel being that bullys us around.

I never said, or implied, that He is.  What does this have to do with anything?

Now if you would, please show me your scriptures for believing the way you do, I will hold them up to the Lord and find out what they mean.
I pray that the Holy Spirit guides both of us into truth on this matter.

Well, there aren't a couple of Scriptures that are the basis for what I believe.  The whole entire Bible supports my position.  What exactly would you like to know about?  Ask me a question and I will do my best to answer it Scripturally.

Not sure what the deal with the parable you quote is.  That has nothing to do with anything I've ever mentioned.

As to the verses in James, you must understand that there is a huge difference between "tempting" and "testing."  God never tries to entice His children to do evil.  He does, however, providentially orchestrate things in a way that will bring about His Will, no matter how you respond.  That's called sovereignty.  His decisions are not, and never have been, influenced by yours.  Do you have the ability to make decisions?  Of course.  Do you have the ability to make any decision?  Of course NOT. 

One more thing about these passages in James.  It's called CONTEXT.  I'm going to show you something that is VERY IMPORTANT to understanding the whole book of James.  It's in the first two verses of the book.  Pay attention now...

James 1:1,2
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, TO THE TWELVE TRIBES which are scattered abroad:

Greetings. 

MY BRETHREN, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

HE'S TALKING TO CHRISTIANS!!!! 

Now Sunstone...how can you possibly "count it all joy when you fall into various trials?"  You can only do so because you understand that IT IS GOD'S SOVEREIGN WILL THAT YOU BE TESTED BECAUSE THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PATIENCE.

As to your Galatians reference, as I said, God never tries to persuade His children to sin.  I never said He did.

God bless

 

[SUNSTONE]

Explain to me the parables of the 3 who had talents.
Tell me why the lazy one was rebuked for saying, I know you are a hard man reaping where you did not sow?

If you only sin when God removes his grace, then wouldn't it be God's fault that you sin?

If God is in total control, then how can we have decisions?

Explain to me why it says in 2 Peter, [The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.]
And in John
[For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.]

But you say that God picks some and not the rest, am I mistaken on your beliefs?These scriptures say it gives everyone a chance to come to God.
Also, the bible says it is God's will that all come to repentance, if that is true then why do some goto hell?


The bible gives examples of men changing God's will, like Moses, and Jonah.
God was going to do some damage they changed there minds so He changed his. Nothing wrong with that, God says it through out the bible, repent and I won't kick your butts.
But lets say they didn't change there minds, God would have just found another servant to do the job, they would have missed the blessing.

God's will for me is to be set free from sin, edify the church, and reach out to the lost. I can choose to do this, or not. If I don't someone else will do it, and they will be blessed with the statement "Well done faithfull servant."