Sorry Saul Mine, was not trying to get into your business. Just impressed with you biblical knowledge.
I've am actually almost our of beloved family members. For sure, I have none that are active in the church. The good news is that
I start attending bible study on Tuesday as part of my small group program. This should provide good guidance. "Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them." (Proverbs 13:24 (NIV)) comes pretty close to what your fellow bible school student claimed.
What am I missing?
PS. Did as recommended and read all of
Romans 6. Still a little confused rtm3039
Hello
brother Ray;
I want to take a step back on this topic and encourage all of us.
What we have been reading in thorndale's thread is mixed with Scripture and from our study can form an opinion of what one believes.
rtm3039, you're asking a lot of questions, discussing what we arrive at from our study of the Scriptures and thank you, brother, for your honesty of being "confused", "distraction", "what am I missing" and "am I getting it?" Yes to all! You are getting there by engaging in this topic and thank you for asking.
In 2019 after reading your many testimonies at Christian Forum Site I'm very blessed that you have this zeal for your relationship with Christ and to follow Him, be the priest of your family, serve our Lord in your ministry at church, prepare for your new job and become a disciple (disciplined student of Christ) of studying His Word.
In some of the posts in this topic I was reading encouragement from one of our members to read the Scriptures and re-read the Scriptures. Another good lead from our member is to write down what you read. For years I wrote and continue to write down Scriptures and take the time to cross reference article teachings of the Old and New Testaments. You don't have to write a novel, but just write notes and add your devotional thoughts.
Pray and allow God to speak to you what you are studying. Share with your
Bible study teacher. Continue to ask questions.
You will minimize the
"confusion", "distraction", "what am I missing" and "am I getting it?" because its a promise from the Lord, your academic discipline of the Bible will increase and you will begin sharing your knowledge with other Bible students.
As far as Romans 6, In verse 6:2, in Christ we died to our sins but when we study deeper in verses 6:1-8:39, Paul is teaching sanctification. Sin's power is broken. When Jesus rose from the dead, the Father viewed us as rising with Him positionally. But there's more. Our union with Christ in His life, death and resurrection provides the basis of our justification, sanctification and glorification.
In Romans 6:11, "count yourselves dead to sin" means that we should regard our old sinful nature as dead and unresponsive to sin. We no longer have to be forgiven for
past sin. Going forward, every part of our bodies may still be vulnerable in sin, but in Christ, for every part we are empowerd to be a tool for service. For example, the tongue and mind of my body can be used to preach the Gospel. My hands and feet can be used for physical service.
Point is, God takes His believers through
His process in Romans, not a
slam dunk done. The same goes for His promise.
In
Absent from the body, Present with the Lord we need to carefully follow the Biblical revelations in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9,
1 Thessalonians 4:16, Hebrews 12:22-24, many more teachings of the Scriptures in between to Revelation 21 - 22, the study of Biblical revelations of physical death and bodily resurrection before we are with our Father in eternity.
God bless
you, rtm3039 and your family.