I belong to another forum besides this one, and the avid thread posters dive so deep into all these sub topics that I feel they forget about the basics. Repent, declare Jesus your Savior, and live the way Jesus wants you to live. Those are my personal beliefs, and I get lost in all of those long winded philosophical discussions as though they're all Biblical Scholars. Is any of that really necessary? I've noticed it creates a lot of bickering because everyone has a different set of beliefs.
Believing and Living it are enough.
- Thread starter CapeCodder
- Start date
Thank you for your observations. CFS is unlike other forums that allow bad behavior. The logo that CFS is built around is "Friendly Christian Forums" and our vision is to provide a safe and friendly place for Christians to gather to fellowship and to share.
Glad that you are with us here at CFS. Take Care and God Bless.
`
Glad that you are with us here at CFS. Take Care and God Bless.
`
As a scholar, I too am a firm believer in the basics for the faith Christ exemplified and inspired to be written for us. You did indeed point out some very important elements such as repentance.
On the other hand, I will also point out that there are some out there who are anti-intellectual, which clearly is not at all representative of what the Lord subscribed. There are those who are deeply touched by the deeply theological discussions that others find of no value to them. I love both camps, but at the same time find it problematic when one criticizes the other, for in the scriptures we see the Lord saying these things:
Proverbs 1:22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? For scorners delight in their scorning, And fools hate knowledge.
Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
If we criticize, therefore, fleshly pride in knowledge and craftiness, then I'm all in favor of that, but the Lord gives to us simplicity and complexity. He is the Source for all wisdom and knowledge. We reason because He has made us reasonable people, and has even called us to reason with Him:
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD...
I love simplicity, and I love depth. I'm not saying that you shun depth, but simply am seeking to add balance to the OP that seemed to be lacking when I read it.
Personally, I wish more people would ask questions, especially of those things that I or others have written that is not understood. There's no shame of asking.
MM
Hello CapeCodder;
Online Christian websites are still young, 23 years but less than 25 years old. My experience is 19 years. I've also been very social with face to face Church fellowship since 1975 ( I was saved in 1966.) I got so lost in the conversations because they were subtopics that would lose me. So I was forced to spend more time listening and asking questions that exposed my Christian babe knowledge. I'm glad I did and was blessed that most of my elders were patient and explained to me the Bible and how we should apply applications of Christ's teaching daily.
Since the beginning of Christian websites, have made sitting behind a computer and keyboard more comfortable. It allows us to expand our thoughts, questions, knowledge and opinions of the Bible on the internet that we normally can't during a face to face conversation, because most are just not comfortable. The keyboard has made it easier.
Are these topics really necessary? Yes. We don't have cookie cutter standard conduct for anyone who expresses themselves regarding their faith. We allow everyone to express themselves, but there are forum rules in place that allow one to express their faith, comfortably, but with respect to those who read, comfortably.
This is why at Christian Forum Site we have a staff of men who have served (or still serve) in the Pastoral ministry and women who are either married to a Pastor or are seasoned in their walk with Christ. We rely on all sources to help us monitor and moderate a fellowship that is aligned with the forum rules, while welcoming a friendly, comfortable and acceptance of one another in a forum setting.
At the same time, our ministry is the people business and I confess the staff does get challenged. So what do we do, log off, not pray, and forget about it? No.
I speak to at least 5 or 6 Pastor mentors, weekly, the same men that have held me accountable for 23 years when pastoring my former church. I bring this mentorship and guidance into my position as a moderator. These men are not only Pastors but good friends and brothers in Christ.
My advice to you, CapeCodder, is to bless others in our many other forums by what you can share that may encourage them. There are many non-members and readers on the world wide public that read the posts so you may also bless them as well. Should you come across a thread that is subtopic, sub-contextual or philosophical discussion that you don't feel led to post, don't wing it, simply move on to the next thread. But we have to give those writers a chance too.
You can also pm one of our staff and request a topic to discuss and we will prayerfully respond by initiating a thread, or start a subject, just like you did with Believing and Living it are enough.
CapeCodder, we're blessed by your membership here and I hope what I shared helps you.
God bless you, brother, and your family.
Bob
People love fan fiction. I wonder how much of Christianity is added on after the fact.
Fortunately we know with a high level of certainty that the books of the New Testament are accurately copied since at least the first century. If in doubt, return to the source.
I agree with you.
Lets clear the air.
There are two classes of people.......................#1 = The Saved. #2. = The Lost.
There are two locations we spend eternity. #1 = Heaven. #2. = Hell.
The saved go to heaven and the lost go to hell.
How then does one get to heaven?
Romans 10:9
" if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
John 14:6.......
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Going to hell is then a choice of freewill by all humans.
Is belief a choice made with the mind or a feeling of the heart?
I wouldn't say in this case the heart has hands to 'feel', but deals more with intensity or the whole being...
Romans 10:9-10 ESV
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Acts 8:36-37 NKJV
Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, "See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?" [37] Then Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
I am simply asking, "what does it mean to believe?" Can one choose to believe despite not feeling or is feeling a requirement?
Perhaps an analogy is in order. I can choose to be kind and act in a loving manner to another, and perhaps in time also feel love, but I cannot choose to feel love.
So with God, must one believe with the heart or is it enough to want to believe and act as though one does, and perhaps in time feel belief inside?
Perhaps an analogy is in order. I can choose to be kind and act in a loving manner to another, and perhaps in time also feel love, but I cannot choose to feel love.
So with God, must one believe with the heart or is it enough to want to believe and act as though one does, and perhaps in time feel belief inside?
My simple take is when one is born again, they will believe from their heart. It transcends an intellectual or even an emotional faith.
If your defintion of "belief" here is trusting Christ as your Savior, then I would have to vote for "heart" over mind. It is an emotional experience; I don't see how it can't be. If a person decides to be "crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:20), they are giving up control of their life to Him. That's a biggie. It's a heart wrenching decision. It's not a decision you make with your mind, in my opinion. The scriptures already posted attest to that.
When I accepted Christ, it came with many tears, followed by a feeling of utter peace. Then a feeling of shame and bewilderment as I realized what Christ did for me, as I knew I wasn't worthy of complete pardon. My friend that I go to church with now went through a similar experience.
Mark 9:24 "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief".
Typically an encounter with Jesus as you read scripture involves some level of emotion.
Brother, if I may, our feelings are fleeting. They flow and they ebb. They go to the right, and then to the left, tossed all about because they are so very subject to our moment to moment situations, and therefore untrustworthy.
Hebrews 11:1, 3
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ...
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Read those verses carefully, allowing them to sink in, prayerfully.
Now, one may ask how we can obtain that substance of things hoped for, and acquire the evidence of things no seen. Well, believing, faith, those are operators that the Lord has supplied the substance for already through the things in nature that testify of His Glory. This is the beginning of understanding, and from this, we can then move forward:
Many a husband and wife have headed to the divorce court because of their not FEELING love for one another any longer, and usually on the basis of discouragement and no longer feeling that infatuation toward one another. Once they get to the point that they must either give in to their feelings, or work to bring their inner man and inner woman into conformance with what they "hope for."
Yes, you read that right. The wisdom we find in scripture, it sometimes seems counterintuitive, or even unrelatable. So, one can either believe the wisdom of scripture, or they can deny it and seek out some humanistic bent upon the topic that appeals to their fallen senses of right and wrong. Right there is the one item that's well within proximity to the prime problem most of mankind has with God, which is His Sovereignty. Man wants to formulate his inner world in accordance with his own musings and feelings rather than to realize that faith/belief are wild parts of our nature that must be tamed and brought into conformance with what we KNOW to be true rather than what we WANT to be true. It starts with our KNOWING that God is, and He is true, and that all men are liars, which includes you and me:
Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
It all comes down to the Judgement of God. That is the one operator of His Nature that makes all things solid in relation to faith in Him and His word about us and our nature. His nature is planted upon an immovable foundation that is not subject to our whims, and by conforming our minds, first and foremost, above all else, it is in that framework that our feelings are THEN seen for what they are...like wild beasts at times that MUST be brought into conformity with a choice that we were given the freedom to make, which is either obedience unto the Lord, or doing it OUR way.
Brother, please believe me when I say that once one arrives at that deeper understanding, that shines the light upon the fact that we, individually, are actually our worst enemy...not the devil and his demons, but we ourselves, and that's the price of freedom, in that we must fight the good fight daily, starting with ourselves and our sin nature that is wild and wanting its own way, and actually has a great deal of power over our emotions. That's why we should never "follow our hearts," but rather to NOT perish for lack of knowledge:
Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
Nowhere does the Lord say for us to follow our hearts. That's the world that says that, and that has led many weak-minded people along destructive paths.
Hope that helps.
MM
Allow me to give you what God said in Luke 10:27.........
"The greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”.
But can love be commanded?
If not, why did God say it?
Since love is commanded, then it must be within our power, in Christ, to love. Love, therefore, is a decision we make. Yes, love will often be accompanied by feelings, but emotion is not the basis of love. In any given situation, we can choose to love, regardless of how we feel.
Loving God begins with a decision. A decision then comes from the heart/mind in which we make a choice.
Now then, would you agree that we must make a choice to believe in our heart even though our mind might think something else. Isn’t this the essence of faith? Believing what we can not see or comprehend.
I do and it is. Thank you.
Ding, ding, ding......we have an winner.
Personally I don't understand why there are some topics that are forbidden. I have read such a list, and even though some of them made sense, others, not so much.
I remember seeing a similar list of banned topics in a political forum, and one of them was about the 9/11 attack. Banning such a topic in a political forum doesn't seem to make sense, but I guess there is wisdom behind their decision. I assume the same is true for a Christian forum.
I remember seeing a similar list of banned topics in a political forum, and one of them was about the 9/11 attack. Banning such a topic in a political forum doesn't seem to make sense, but I guess there is wisdom behind their decision. I assume the same is true for a Christian forum.
There are some topics that can not be agreed upon and do nothing but lead to circular reasoning.
The person who wants to speak in tongues will do so no matter what they read in the Scriptures or any explanation given to them.
The person who rejects the Rapture will do so no matter what they are shown in the Scriptures.
The conversation on forbidden topics "Never" end in a friendly manner!