The Testing Of Spirits

@Major once wrote here that Christ, son of Mary, was born of a dual nature. He was in the flesh - human, perfect and without original sin - thus the Son of Man, combined with the divine nature of God - thus Son of God. We are taught that only an unblemished, best first born is appropriate and Christ's main mission here was to die, crucified, an innocent, for the Salvation of our sins. To be the bridge back to God. Scripture tells us that Christ is the Word - made flesh. Genesis tells us the Word was from before the beginning. Christ forgave sins. Only God can do this. Christ said He is the Alpha and Omega. The OT says only God is that. Christ did not come so that we would worship His flesh -He came to show us how to worship God - who is not flesh. He follows and completes the OT Word. If just a righteous man was needed, his brother James was called the Just and righteous. He died in 62 AD. It was more than a man who died on that cross. Proof is in the resurrection.
 
In my heart of hearts, I pray that the Mormons, Islam, JW's, all the murdered, all the children, the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, and the 3 million others killed in concentration camps are all given a second chance to be saved. I should add all victims of wars. I want all the decieved to be given a chance of salvation. I still have problems with Hitler and Mengele but leave that to God's judgement. I know He knows best.
 
In my heart of hearts, I pray that the Mormons, Islam, JW's, all the murdered, all the children, the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, and the 3 million others killed in concentration camps are all given a second chance to be saved. I should add all victims of wars. I want all the decieved to be given a chance of salvation. I still have problems with Hitler and Mengele but leave that to God's judgement. I know He knows best.

God says, "Today is the day of salvation" and "Choose this day whom you will serve". There is no tomorrow.
 
In my heart of hearts, I pray that the Mormons, Islam, JW's, all the murdered, all the children, the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, and the 3 million others killed in concentration camps are all given a second chance to be saved. I should add all victims of wars. I want all the decieved to be given a chance of salvation. I still have problems with Hitler and Mengele but leave that to God's judgement. I know He knows best.

While I wish that was the case Silk, the reality of God's Word is that it is not the case. While our Lord is the inventor and creator of the 2nd and 3rd and 4th chance, that does not mean that we will all get a Second chance.
That is exactly why Paul preached so hard that "TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION".

Think for a second. Noah preached for 120 years that judgment was coming and NO one believed him until the rain fell then everyone believed him and wanted to enter the Ark. BUT according to Scriptures, "God closed the door". God's grace ended the moment the door was closed and that ended all chances to be saved. You see, DEATH ended the ability to make a conscious choice to be saved.
 
Re: Wiesel. I don't think? I have read anything from him but I may have 40 years ago. I was very interested in the Holocaust and Nazi hunters and I link him to that. I have watched documentaries about him and don't recall the quote being mentioned and I think that I would because I have been saying it since my college days and it always surprises people - because they think hate is the opposite of love. It would have to be equal to be opposite.

You are 40 years old!!!! Say it isn't so!
 
From the thread title, I'm looking at 1Jn 4:2-3 KJV (I've abbreviated): "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God" I'm trying to learn exactly what 'confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh' means.

When I read Matthew Henry's commentary, he says "Jesus Christ is to be confessed as the Son of God, the eternal life and Word, that was with the Father from the beginning; as the Son of God that came into, and came in, our human mortal nature, and therein suffered and died at Jerusalem. He who confesses and preaches this, by a mind supernaturally instructed and enlightened therein, does it by the Spirit of God, or God is the author of that illumination." Is Henry's commentary correct?

Expositor's has a very long write up going into many different beliefs around the time the Scripture was written. I was having some trouble following Expositor's because of the style of writing but one thing I noted it says "That 'in the beginning,' 'from the beginning,' of the Epistle and Gospel, includes nothing short of the eternal God."

CONTEXT my brother...CONTEXT. Allow me to add my 3 cents.

"Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God".

This is a test that is equal to and already given to us in chapter 2:22 of 1 John.
"Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son."

The inference to be made here is that the gnostic or quasi-gnostic teachers then denied the incarnation of Christ and refused to believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. The deduction then to be made concerning false teachers is that they are not inspired by the Holy Spirit as they claim, but are in fact against Christ and are of the same character as the Antichrist which is to come.

Verse 6....."We are of God; he that knoweth God hears us".

John includes himself with the other apostles as "spirits" who follow the Spirit of Truth and thus they proclaim the truth. The readers who truly know God will recognize and willingly accept the words of the apostles for what it really is, the Word of God!
 
Is it possible to be saved if you don't believe that Jesus is God?

NO!

But do not take my word for it.

Acts 4:10 & 12
"Be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even Him doth this man stand here before you whole".
Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved".

John 14:6, Jesus speaking says........
"I am the way the truth and the life and NO man comes to the Father except by me".
 
Hey Major (waving). Yes - I agree with what the Word tells us - still I pray that eyes are open and ears are unplugged. I mentioned the 10th plague of the Exodus because the scriptures tell us that the Hebrews had to do something, so the plague might "pass" them over. They only had the Word of God, as given to them, thru Moses. Dunno if it sounds as screwy yesterday as today (blood of what? on Where? --no not you WTM). Only the blood of a sacrificial lamb on the lintel (doorway) allowed them to avoid the Angel of death. And we have only the blood of the Lamb and His Word to be saved.
 
Has the teacher in this video received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

That is not my call to make, but it seems by his understanding that he has. No one's understanding is perfect or perfected. We have both seen something there that we question, yet the basic understanding is there. Even a child can pray in tongues without having all the instruction on it. Holy Spirit doesn't wait for that.
 
To ask it another way, if he doesn't have the Holy Spirit, how can he be speaking in tongues?

What he is calling tongues in his video is either genuine or it is not.

The only way the tongues in his video could be genuine is if he has the Holy Spirit.

He either has the Holy Spirit or he does not. Only God knows which is the case. All I can do is look at what he believes and teaches:

As we started to discuss previously, when I research the teacher in that video, John W. Schoenheit, I find it disturbing that he espouses that Jesus is the creation of God. Granted knowledge or thought of some of these concepts might not occur before a person is saved. Reading the articles on the site it is obvious he is familiar with Scripture. I agree no one's understanding is perfect or perfected, but I have to wonder would the Holy Spirit lead a person to espouse these kinds of beliefs about Jesus after he is saved?

He says John 1:1 is referring to "the plan, purpose and wisdom of God" and not to Jesus Christ. I could find no reference to Revelation 19:13 on the site, since it, using the same words for Word and God as John 1:1 says "and his name is called The Word of God." and they list it the same way in their translation of the bible. (His organization, Spirit & Truth Fellowship, has published their own Bible translation, the REV: "We believe that a translation that handles verses from our theological viewpoint will be a great blessing to all those believers who have reached the same conclusion about doctrinal matters as we have.")

Speaking of Jesus' origin, the site says (emphasis added) "... God was his source by the same process of special creation that brought the heavens and the earth into being. We agree that it is important for Christians to believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, because without that teaching, Jesus is merely the offspring of Joseph and Mary, and tainted by the sin of mankind. If so, he would be incapable of being our Redeemer, because he could never present himself as the perfect sacrifice for sins. In that case, Christianity would indeed fall apart. But nothing is lost if a shift is made in Christian thinking from Jesus being the 'incarnation' of God to Jesus being the creation of God, his Father. How sad that the vast majority of Christians believe the fable that God became a baby. The truth is nearly just the opposite—a baby became the Lord!"

In searching on Google, he is mentioned in association with The Way International and Christian Educational Services (CES).

That is not my call to make, but it seems by his understanding that he has. No one's understanding is perfect or perfected. We have both seen something there that we question, yet the basic understanding is there. Even a child can pray in tongues without having all the instruction on it. Holy Spirit doesn't wait for that.
 
If a person is a Christian, he has Holy Spirit dwelling in him. For the special gifting that comes with the Holy Spirit's baptism, and empowerment, we/he merely need to ask and submit to it. People who speak in tongues are from all levels of spiritual maturity. Holy Spirit is generous with Himself, even though some people misuse what He gives us. It is for us to be careful that we do not.
 
If a person is a Christian, he has Holy Spirit dwelling in him.

If a person believes they are considered a Christian, yes?

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
 
If a person believes they are considered a Christian, yes?

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

That is one event where actual believers received both water baptism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, something that too many Christians are not aware of.
 
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