Ask Me Help Desk - What it means to believe God

What it means to believe God

What have we Witnessed?

By reading and reflecting the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life- yes?

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We do not have the same scriptures Jesus had

Jesus 'is' the New Testament.

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And that translation is...?

What's Wrong with using the same one your Church Subscribes too?

If you Don't have the Bible what do you have?

Faith means believing God’s Word. Where is your Faith? I put my Faith in the Bible. Any attempt to refute, would be Contrary to Faith.

P.S. Trying to equate Hell and God's love...come on - Where are you guys coming from?

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Originally Posted by waltero

By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life- yes?

Now, tell us how you would do that.

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If you Don't have the Bible what do you have?

My hands to help, my feet to go to those in need, my ears to listen, my voice to encourage, my brain (cognitive function) to assess a situation, my heart full of love for those who are friendless and who need that love.

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Faith means believing God’s Word.

No, it doesn't. Try again.

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Faith means believing God’s Word.

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No, it doesn't. Try again.

Faith means 'believing' and obeying God’s Word.

Is that better?

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My hands to help, my feet to go to those in need, my ears to listen, my voice to encourage, my brain (cognitive function) to assess a situation, my heart full of love for those who are friendless and who need that love.

That's a whole lot of you. I really liked,

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my heart full of love

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What have we Witnessed...I mean what are we a witness too?

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Now, tell us how you would do that.

By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Faith means 'believing' and obeying God’s Word?

Believing what? Obeying what?

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That's a whole lot of you. I really liked

The life of a Christian. Faith put into action.

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What have we Witnessed...
By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus

To whom would you witness? How would you witness?

(waltero, I thoroughly enjoy reading and thinking about your short answers that go right to the point!)

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Believing what?

I believe that the universe was formed at God’s command. I believe that Genesis 1:1 gives to us the origin of the universe: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Why do I believe that? I believe it by faith because God’s Word says it.
I recognize there are another number of options which I may choose to believe as a relatively rational man, but I, by faith, choose to believe this. If you, of course, want to roam the universe looking for another explanation, then spend your time wisely.

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By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life

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Now, tell us how you would do that.

By Faith.

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If you Don't have the Bible what do you have?

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My hands to help, my feet to go to those in need, my ears to listen, my voice to encourage, my brain (cognitive function) to assess a situation, my heart full of love for those who are friendless and who need that love

Are Christians the only ones capable of good deeds? No! Pagans do good deeds. Some of them do very, very good deeds! Some of them do a lot better good deeds than Christians do good deeds. Well then, are pagans accepted by God on the basis of their good deeds? No. So what is it that makes deeds glorify God as opposed to deeds that don’t glorify God? It is that those deeds which glorify God are offered from the hands and lives and lips and feet of those who have been justified by faith, and their deeds are an expression of their acceptance rather than a means to acceptance. Not all good deeds glorify God. And good deeds don’t put us in a right relationship with God.

Do you have two volumes in your life? Do you have a volume that chronicles your life, and you would say, “Here was twenty years, thirty years of my life, and I lived without faith in God at all. And as of this day I began to live with faith in God.” See, faith is a decisive act. You don’t simply drift into it. There has to come a time where you stop believing in yourself and you start believing in God, where you stop depending upon yourself and things you can do to make your acceptance to God, and you say, “I can’t make myself acceptable to God, and therefore, I can’t do anything else other than what the ancients did, and that is take God at his word and regulate my life on the basis of it.”

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By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life

The B.I.B.L.E, that's the Life for me.

waltero said: By reading and reflecting on the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life

WG said: Now, tell us how you would do that.

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By Faith.

That's doesn't answer my question of "how".

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See, faith is a decisive act.

Hmm, I disagree. I found God? Nope, God found me!

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Well then, are pagans accepted by God on the basis of their good deeds? No.

I disagree with that too.

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That's doesn't answer my question of "how".

Easy, Believe in the Bible. Have Faith that the Bible is the Word of GOD.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Easy, Believe in the Bible. Have Faith that the Bible is the Word of GOD.

No, HOW! How would you be a witness to a stranger? How would you begin? What would you say?

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No, HOW! How would you be a witness to a stranger? How would you begin? What would you say?

What are you going on about? I never said Anything of the sort.

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witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life

By reading and reflecting the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life- yes?

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Luke 24:48 You are witnesses of these things.

He is not Talking about us. Yet we are witnesses...witnesses to what?

Creation is a signpost which sends us forward so that you might be brought to that great signpost which is the cross of the Lord Jesus. And suddenly you realize that your own sin and your own rebellion and your own sense of emptiness is answered there at that cross. And it is in that that we come to a knowledge of the living God which has been intimated in his creation but which has been given fullness in the Scriptures and in Jesus.

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Originally Posted by waltero

What are you going on about? I never said Anything of the sort.

By reading and reflecting the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life- yes?

Would you witness to a stranger at the grocery story? If so, how would you begin a conversation?

By deflecting the Bible your pointed in the Wrong Direction.

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Would you witness to a stranger at the grocery story? If so, how would you begin a conversation?

Deja vu

Would you allow the Bible to witness to you?

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Originally Posted by waltero

By deflecting the Bible your pointed in the Wrong Direction.

How am I deflecting?

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See, faith is a decisive act.
Hmm, I disagree. I found God? Nope, God found me!

It looks as if you Don't have much to go on.
Faith without doubt, is a decisive act.

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How am I deflecting?

By deviating from its intended purpose.
What it means to believe God

The person who earnestly seeks God does not come to God and say, “Now, what kind of God are you?” and “Are you the kind of God that I want to believe in?” and all this kind of stuff. The person who earnestly seeks God says, “O God, you are my God, and I will ever trust you. And step by step I’ll go on from here.” You ever sought God that way?

For Abel, faith meant giving his best to God. For Enoch, it meant considering walking with God the most important thing in his life. And for Noah, it meant that he was concerned for the salvation of his household.

If you want to know why I would believe that, look above.

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Originally Posted by waltero

It looks as if you Don't have much to go on. Faith without doubt, is a decisive act.

I don't understand what you mean.

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By deviating from its intended purpose.
What it means to believe God

My question was, now that you believe, would you approach a stranger in a store and tell him/her about your belief? How would you begin such a conversation?

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The person who earnestly seeks God does not come to God and say, “Now, what kind of God are you?” and “Are you the kind of God that I want to believe in?” and all this kind of stuff. The person who earnestly seeks God says, “O God, you are my God, and I will ever trust you. And step by step I’ll go on from here.” You ever sought God that way?

I have never sought God. He found me.

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For Abel, faith meant giving his best to God. For Enoch, it meant considering walking with God the most important thing in his life. And for Noah, it meant that he was concerned for the salvation of his household.

As do you. As do I.

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Faith means believing God’s Word.
No, it doesn't.

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As do you. As do I.

How do you figure? Without faith you have nothing.

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I have never sought God.

WOW! that explains a lot.

God’s promise may come by way of the cross to the place of freedom, forgiveness, redemption, and safety. But if you would rather stay where you are, you will die in your sins.

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Originally Posted by waltero

How do you figure? Without faith you have nothing.

My faith is in Jesus Christ.

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WOW! that explains a lot.

God. Found. ME!!!

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God’s promise may come by way of the cross to the place of freedom, forgiveness, redemption, and safety. But if you would rather stay where you are, you will die in your sins.

Jesus died for me and took away my sins.

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My faith is in Jesus Christ.

Yet no faith in the Word.

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God. Found. ME!!!

The Cross came to you?
God’s promise...may come by way of the cross...But if you would rather stay where you are, you will die in your sins.

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Jesus died for me and took away my sins.

That he Did. How did you come to find out about this Jesus...Bible maybe?

Question: How does John 1:14 speak to you? We see that we Have Jesus (but he is away), do we still have the Word? Is the Word Obsolete???

John 1:14 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It reads: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Word did not just appear to be human; the Word became flesh.

I suppose a person could say that we believe in the same thing. We Didn't know Jesus. We are not Witnesses. We are witnesses of the Bible and His Word. The Word did not just appear to be human; the Word became flesh...transform yourself into the Word and be reborn. We have the Flesh, we need the Word.

I believe we are witnesses, and we witness to the truth of Scripture. truth revealed in Scripture alone. God’s Word is sufficient and has the highest authority for all of life. Not the Bible and our own little fundamentalist predilections that we like to stick in there. Not the Bible and our own little legalistic tags. Not the Bible and anything at all. Just the Bible. The Bible tells us what the Bible means...not an infusion of God’s enabling power so that we may then work our own way towards a final redemptive conclusion, but the imputation of the righteousness of Christ; a forensic thing, so that it is all outside of me. All of my salvation is outside of me in the ultimate sense.

The Bible is the very breath of the living God; being God’s breath, it is of life and can impart life to us.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Yet no faith in the Word.

Jesus Christ IS the Word!

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The Cross came to you...God’s promise...may come by way of the cross...But if you would rather stay where you are, you will die in your sins.

Where do you think I am?

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How did you come to find out about this Jesus...Bible maybe?

I'm the first child born to a Lutheran pastor. I was baptized when I was three weeks old. I have spent years being a Lutheran elementary school student, Sunday School student, then later, graduated from a Lutheran college, was a Lutheran elementary school teacher/tutor/sub, a Sunday School teacher, and an adult Bible class teacher.

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Question: How does John 1:14 speak to you? We see that we Have Jesus, do we still have the Word? Is the Word Obsolete???

Jesus IS the Word!

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Faith means believing God’s Word.
No, it doesn't. Try again.

Then what did you mean by this?

If Jesus is the Word, then how can you have one without the other (your earlier statement, Different thread, contradicted)?

Also: In a different thread, I stated the same thing, and your reply; 'I don't know what that means.'
When you say "Word," I would Guess you're "not" talking about the Bible? If that is the Case, then there is no need for Further discussion.

So now your going with, 'Jesus IS the Word.' Good. It's a start.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Then what did you mean by this?

waltero said: Faith means believing God’s Word.
WG replied: No, it doesn't. Try again.

Our faith isn't in a book of words that has been mistranslated and misinterpreted and misunderstood. Our faith is in Jesus Christ. He said we are to love God and love one another.

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Jesus IS the Word!

And what Word is that?

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Where do you think I am?

I think you might be in the backyard (field at your Fathers house) With the Older Brother. Still waiting for the father to find you. Your Father found you, why don't you come into the house and Enjoy the party? Your younger brother found the Cross while in a pigsty...Father found (ran too) him while walking on the road.

Is Jesus body here with us, No. Is his Word here with us, Yes.
What do you think you're doing when you speak of his Word as being Corrupted!?!
The Word became Flesh...Literally!!! What else could it mean.

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Originally Posted by waltero

And what Word is that?

You already posted it:
John 1:14 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It reads: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

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I think you might be in the backyard (field at your Fathers house) With the Older Brother. Still waiting for the father to find you. Your Father found you, why don't you come into the house and Enjoy the party? Your younger brother found the Cross while in a pigsty...Father found (ran too) him while walking on the road.

How did you decide that?

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What do you think you're doing when you speak of his Word as being Corrupted!?!
The Word became Flesh...Literally!!! What else could it mean.

The Bible (not the Word) has existed for millennia and has been mistranslated, misinterpreted, and misunderstood all that time. Why are there so many Christian denominations? Why are there so many Bible versions? Why are there so many variations in Christian beliefs?

The Word is Jesus, Jesus is the Word (you said it). You can see Jesus throughout the Old Testament. "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.
Jesus is the New Testament!

The Old Testament is the Word, The New Testament is the Flesh (if you will).

Both are Waiting For Jesus to come. The Israelites, of the OT are waiting for Jesus to come...We are waiting for Jesus to Return.
The Future and the Past meet...the Word is here...both are waiting for Jesus.
The Bible is Much more than Just a Book!!!

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How did you decide that?

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I have never sought God. He found me.

You said God found you. God Found the Older Brother as well. God Came out to meet (God found) Both his Son's.
Yet we know which Son Sought after his Father.

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Why are there so many Christian denominations? Why are there so many Bible versions? Why are there so many variations in Christian beliefs?

I have Four Different Translations Of the Bible. If I have a problem understanding, I might grab another translation, with the hope of gaining a better understanding. As Far as Different Beliefs/denominations, I guess it doesn't really matter. It all depends where you're at in Jesus ( For Abel, faith meant giving his best to God. For Enoch, it meant considering walking with God the most important thing in his life. And for Noah, it meant that he was concerned for the salvation of his household). If Food or Speaking in Tongues or Faith healers, In the name of the father...in the name of Jesus etc. Rest assured, there is a Church for you...Jesus has it all...it is all in Jesus.

I came to the Knowledge of Jesus through his Word...that Word, the Bible.

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Originally Posted by waltero

You said God found you. God Found the Older Brother as well. God Came out to meet (God found) Both his Son's.
Yet we know which Son Sought after his Father.

Are you talking about the story of the prodigal son?

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I have Four Different Translations Of the Bible. If I have a problem understanding, I might grab another translation, with the hope of gaining a better understanding. As Far as Different Beliefs/denominations, I guess it doesn't really matter. It all depends where you're at in Jesus ( For Abel, faith meant giving his best to God. For Enoch, it meant considering walking with God the most important thing in his life. And for Noah, it meant that he was concerned for the salvation of his household). If Food or Speaking in Tongues or Faith healers, In the name of the father...in the name of Jesus etc. Rest assured, there is a Church for you...Jesus has it all...it is all in Jesus.

I came to the Knowledge of Jesus through his Word...that Word, the Bible.

Now I understand.

We need constantly to have our minds recalibrated by the Bible if our emotions are not to lead us astray. Jesus takes these emotional, disturbed, vacillating followers of his and turns them to the safeguard of Scripture. Now, is that not right?

“Make the Book live to me, O Lord. Show me yourself within your Word; show me myself, and show me my Savior, and make the Book live to me,” for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

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Originally Posted by waltero

We need constantly to have our minds recalibrated by the Bible if our emotions are not to lead us astray. Jesus takes these emotional, disturbed, vacillating followers of his and turns them to the safeguard of Scripture. Now, is that not right?

How do we accomplish recalibrating our minds by the Bible? Emotions lead us astray how?

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“Make the Book live to me, O Lord. Show me yourself within your Word; show me myself, and show me my Savior, and make the Book live to me,” for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

"Live to me" means what? You use phasing that I've never heard before. I gather you do not live in the US, and belong to a fundamentalist Christian group (Pentecostal perhaps?)

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How do we accomplish recalibrating

We need constantly to have our minds recalibrated by the Bible

The flesh (as in you and I) needs to die. Jesus takes these fleshly emotional, disturbed, vacillating followers of his and turns them to the safeguard of Scripture.

We are in Desperate need of the work of the Holy Spirit. As we Turn to the Bible, the Feebleness of our own minds, the waywardness of our own thoughts, so many things work against us. Not simply understanding what the Bible says but through the Scriptures, having a life changing encounter with God.

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Make the Book live to me.-"Live to me" means what?

The Bible is the very breath of the living God; being God’s breath, it is of life and can impart life to us.

I often repeat what I have posted before. Many articulate people here...I am not.
If I come across as a know it all, it is not my intension. This is more for me. I am gaining a much better understanding, when I write it down. I go to many different Churches. Need to get as much praise and prayer in as Possible. If you Don't walk with God here on Earth, you wont be living with him in Heaven.

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Originally Posted by waltero

having a life changing encounter with God.

I have when I was baptized. No doubts since then.

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If I come across as a know it all, it is not my intension.

No, not as a know it all, but as someone who has been brainwashed by televangelists and Pentecostal preachers.

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If you Don't walk with God here on Earth, you wont be living with him in Heaven.

"Walking with God" is not praise and prayer. It's something much different.

I have always known the Bible was the literal word of God. When I was on this site a year ago, I read some posts, and it appeared to me that some (unbelievers) were refuting the Bible. Declared, 'the Bible is Fallible.' Seeing some well educated people denounce the Written Word of God, Perplexed me. It raised some doubt in my mind. I then came to the realization that the Bible was all I have. It is what God placed in my hand, mind and heart. No way would I even begin to think that God would throw a monkey wrench into the mix. God is Perfectly capable of Preserving his Word, aka Bible. I made a conscious decision to believe (Faith) without doubt! And to hear from some crazy people, saying, God destroyed his First mistake...That is just looney!!! Well if that is the case, why shouldn't God Destroy it again? In fact he will...Fear and Tremble baby, it's a comin.

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having a life changing encounter with God.-

I have when I was baptized. No doubts since then.

Nothing while searching through the Scriptures?
Your missing out.

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brainwashed by televangelists and Pentecostal preachers.

Do you mean, Brainwashed by the Bible. I'll take it.

What's a Televangelist? Would I be needing a TV for that? Maybe I could barrow yours ;-)

The Flesh is weak. Sounds like your feeding something that's supposed to die...Kill the TV (if it were only that easy)!
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Nothing while searching through the Scriptures?
Your missing out.

Like what? The blessing in my life were my parents, especially my father, plus I have always had Christians around me in my life to be sounding boards.

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What's a Televangelist? Would I be needing a TV for that? Maybe I could barrow yours ;-) The Flesh is weak. Sounds like your feeding something that's supposed to die...Kill the TV (if it were only that easy)!

I don't watch TV, am too busy interacting with real people.

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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith.

How about John 13:34-35? That's my calling in life.

God is non denominational. Religion is the construct of men. Humans are imperfect but they are trying their best...some of them at least.

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How about John 13:34-35? That's my calling in life.

That is true. Feel free to pick up on any Scripture that moves you. Be careful when Lambasting the Word (Bible) of God.
I am Truly Happy you found your Calling.

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
We are told to make Disciples, not Christians. A disciple is someone who is committed to a journey of learning, service and growth.
I have much to learn...why do some Christians feel the need to burst my Bublé? You can try, it doesn't phase me. Although I do learn more here than elsewhere. I Simply Don't understand why Anybody would try and make a point of it..."A point", trying to prove error in the Word. Take what you believe and run with it. I'm sure you will gain a better understanding sooner or later.

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God is non denominational. Religion is the construct of men. Humans are imperfect but they are trying their best...some of them at least.

Humanity is headed for the Grave. There is nothing in, and of themselves that can stop that.

God, is not in the world; the world is in him. The existence of God cannot be demonstrated. For a God whose existence could be demonstrated wouldn’t be a God; he would just be another object in the field of human vision.

The Bible paints a picture. Believe, and you might get a glimpse of that picture. It takes Faith.

By reading and reflecting the scripture, I can be a witness to Christ Jesus in my personal life- yes?

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No you can't

By accepting the Scriptures as our only authority in matters of faith and practice...

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I disagree with that

And our interpretation of Bible doctrine leads us to believe.

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Where do you get that?

The Scriptures of the Old & New Testament as being verbally inspired by God and inerrant and infallible in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.

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Not Possible

What am I missing?

Are we missing anything?

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Originally Posted by waltero

The Scriptures of the Old & New Testament as being verbally inspired by God and inerrant and infallible in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority.

What am I missing?

We don't have the original writings.

What am I missing?

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We don't have the original writings...making it null and void!

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(Making it null and void)

Correction: 'You' (Faith), don't have the original writings...apply Faith.

Jesus, declares that the Scriptures point to him.

Jesus says the whole Bible is about him. He is not asking us to hijack the text and force him into the pages of the Old Testament. Rather, he simply, humbly, and truthfully says in effect, “Look and see me there! No pressure necessary. You don’t have to read me into the text. Merely read the text and I emerge.” But even after we meet Jesus in the Bible and are converted, we are not finished with his book. Instead, our conversion marks the beginning of a lifetime of going deeper and deeper into the Word of God.

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This holds true today as it did yesterday...Jesus said it (his word is true and everlasting)

Or, simply continue using the Bible, in order to refute the Bible...be honest.

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Originally Posted by waltero

We don't have the original writings...making it null and void!

I did NOT say that the Bible is null and void!

For instance, in ancient cultures, male-male sexual interaction in the Bible involved age and/or power differential. The most abrupt change in Bible translations referring to same-sex behavior (using the word "homosexual") happened in the 1946 RSV.

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Originally Posted by waltero

Or, simply continue using the Bible, in order to refute the Bible...be honest.

It's all or nothing for you, isn't it....too bad. God's love for us is bigger than all or nothing.

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I did NOT say that the Bible is null and void!

That's what you've been saying all along!

Look at post #35

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God's love for us is bigger than all or nothing.

It's ALL JESUS! There is no "us."

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Originally Posted by waltero

That's what you've been saying all along!

Look at post #35

I am not quoted or saying anything in #35. Those quotes are NOT from me!