What Do These Scriptures Mean?

[SpiritPsalmist]

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<B>1 Thessalonians 5
</B>23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). (Amplified)


What does it mean for the God of peace to sanctify us through and through?

What does&nbsp;spirit and soul and body being preserved sound and complete and found blameless at the coming of our Lord mean?

Here's another one

<B>2 Corinthians 9
</B>8 And God is able to make all grace (every favor and&nbsp;earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need&nbsp;be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]. (Amplified)

What is&nbsp;ALL grace?

What is this saying about my circumstances and needs?

What is the purpose&nbsp;of abundance?

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Just curious about what others believe about those verses.&nbsp;

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[Andrew]

I'll answer the second part first Quaffer:

1. Grace to my church is not getting the punishment we deserved (forgiveness, no hell) but getting the blessings we dont deserve (righteousness etc). We can get what we dont deserve becos Jesus paid it all. But getting these blessings come only by grace (you can't earn it) thru faith (believe to receive).

2. When you are full of grace, the miracles and blessings flow, so that you may bless others.

the passage is talking about God's financial system and how to prosper financially/materially; God's economics -- the more you give the more you receive; and the more you can give in turn....and it goes on. its a flow/cycle. that's in the crux of the prosperity doctrine.

So if we follow God's economics (not the world's), we'll prosper in all situations, recession or not, SO THAT we can bless others. IOW you can't flow in God's prosperity system/cycle if you dont bless others financially/materially, ie give above and beyond the tithes.

that's the jist of it.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Andrew,

Did'nt Jesus tell the ruler that he should give his money away.&nbsp; Would'nt that mean that we are supposed to be poor?&nbsp;&nbsp;See Luke 18:22.&nbsp; How do these 2 scriptures not contradict each other?&nbsp;

"And when Jesus heard it, He said to him, One thing you still lack. Sell everything that you have and divide the money among the poor, and you will have rich treasure in heaven; and come back and follow Me"

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[Thunderchild]

Not in the least, Quaffer.

If I say to a man who has nothing "go, sell all you have and give to the poor," quite obviously that passage would have been misapplied. The rich young man came to Jesus and asked "what must I do." Jesus told him. The young man then admitted to the knowledge that this was in his case, not enough. There was something holding him back still. Jesus identified what that something was - "love of money". The young man could have had twice as much wealth and been at liberty to keep it, if the love of money did not intervene between him and God.

 

[Thunderchild]

What does it mean for the God of peace to sanctify us through and through?

It means that God doesn't wash the outside of the cup, and that he doesn't whitewash a sepulchre. Holiness isn't just the clothing - it is in the very fibre of our being. If we permit it.

 

[Andrew]

quote: "Did'nt Jesus tell the ruler that he should give his money away._"

there are 2 ways i know of looking at it:
1. as u mentioned, give to get more. but that man cldnt let go of his love for money.
2. which my church subscribes to: this guy was boasting about his works - ability to keep the laws -- so Jesus (the Law giver himself) dealt him the full requirements and perfection of the law. Jesus used the full extent of the Law to bring him to his knees asking for grace, to see his need for grace, after pointing out to him that he cant fulfill ALL of the law. (law schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ).