Questions about Paul

[steamforthis]

In Romans 13:11, what does Paul mean by believe?
Does he mean believe in Jesus or believe when the
second coming was?

And what are general thoughts/responses to ideas that Matthew 24:26 warns of Paul?

 

[football5680]

By believed he means when they first accepted it. I don't know what translation you are using but the word first is in many but you might be reading one without it.

He means believe when they first accepted Jesus and the faith.

Matthew 24:26 doesn't apply at all. Paul is not speaking of the end of days, he is speaking about their salvation which is entrance into heaven after death. Jesus is saying in the end of days people be impersonating him and claiming they are the Messiah and you should not listen to them or go out to see the supposed Messiah.

 

[hedrick]

"Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers."

Note that "when we became believers" is actually one word: believed, however the grammar and context led the translators think it was referring specifically to the start of belief.

"believers" is a pretty common name for Christians. So he's referring to when we first became Christians. I do see a parallel between this and Jesus' parables with God coming when he is least expected. This, like those passages, is a warning to be ready. I think it's hard to separate Jesus second coming and our death. The same kind of warning applies to both. It's whichever happens first for us.

 

[ace4]

Its in your heart, you should feel it!

 

[x141]

And what are general thoughts/responses to ideas that Matthew 24:26 warns of Paul?

No, it doesn't refer to him specifically.

Paul was on his way to understanding as the rest of the disciples were, and wrote out of this understanding just as people do on this forum.

There are a lot of teachers out there who have come in his name saying they will teach you (as the woman at the well made reference to), and there are many that follow after them, thinking by what they hear that Christ is somewhere other than in them and they wander after this as an image, to obtain what others appear to have and by their own thoughts they have judged they do not.

It the same garden scenario as it was in the beginning, no different.

There are a lot of things that surround Paul that through the perception of the church has played out to the bondage she now finds herself in.

John reinforces that you have no need for any man to teach you as Jesus spoke of, even though it appears he wrote attempting to do just that.

We are coming up on the time and have begun to enter into it where it speaks about that they shall not teach anymore every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD. This was what Christ came to reveal, that this teacher/light/life/kingdom/Father/Son is in us, and that if we would quite our mind, and be still, he will lead us in and out, and we will find the pasture he has provided us to eat from.

The church system, was a system for the wilderness journey. Those two days have ended and their altar has now become bloodless, or without life, and is a witness built by three tribes (wisdom, knowledge, understanding) to show as a witness to this truth for those who have entered into the land so to speak.

The wilderness was the place of preparation for the day of his showing, which is found in the voice of One, but this showing is in us.

I could say a lot about this and how it relates to where we are in this thing (revealing of the Son), presently, but it will not be in a form where I become an accuser.