The Bible Answers

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2020-07-23T10:13:00.000-04:00

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Tiller the Baby Killer

2009-06-02T14:04:00.000-04:00

I’ve often been challenged by pro abortionists as being self contradictory since I was in the military and had no problem with the killing of our enemies. The first and most obvious difference is the death of the innocent versus the death of the not so innocent. It is not that I had no problem with the killing of the enemies of the United States. All human life is sacred in my world and life view, including the lives of our enemies and yes, even those who commit murder. However, it can be a necessary evil to dispose of both categories.

Let us look at abortion from the stand point of American culture in its dealings with the enemies of the our country and convicted murderers.
1. When it comes to most wars America takes extreme efforts to avoid it. We know it will result in the deaths of our own and the deaths of others. It is often after many months or years of negotiating with our enemies that we go to war. Exceptions would be when we are directly attacked like Pearl Harbor and 911. Unprovoked attacks require an immediate response.
2. When it comes to the execution of murderers our courts have a system of appeals. Even then it can take almost a lifetime on death row before an execution is carried out. We also have an appeals process for much lower crimes, let alone murder.
3. When it comes to killing unborn babies it goes without negotiation or appeal. Where is the court for those who have no voice?

There is no other example of the taking of human life that goes without a second thought by many in our culture. The same liberals that have a problem with war and the death penalty have no problem with abortion on demand. Why is this? Who is the hypocrite now? The shoe is really on the other foot, isn’t it? It is not those of us who are willing to take the lives of our enemies and those who commit murder that are hypocrites. You would think a good liberal would want to protect human life at all cost. I find it ironic that the vegetarian, PETA, Earth First crowd isn’t on the other side of this issue.

I know we do not all agree that abortion is murder or that a fetus is an actual human life. For those of you who do not believe this ask yourself one question. Would I be any less dead if I was dead in my mother’s womb or dead after I came out of my mother’s womb? Dead is dead no matter when it occurs.

There may be some who read this that have gone through with an abortion or encouraged someone to do so. You may have regrets and deep sorrow as many do. There is something inside of all of us that lets us know it is wrong. If there isn’t then maybe you are a psychopath ( n. A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse.) This is obviously the mindset of those who aggressively support abortion.

The trouble with youth, the trouble with parents, the trouble with society

2009-03-01T11:22:00.004-05:00

2 Timothy 2:22
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

It would appear from this passage that not much has changed in 2,000 years. The young among us still need to be encouraged to "flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness".

I hear a great number of people openly wondering how our society got so far with teen pregnancies, drug use, the high school drop out rate and on and on. The passage above gives us a clue. No longer does society judge people. There are excuse makers among us that have gone too far.

To fix this we need to start holding our children to account for their actions. If they get pregnant before they are ready Christian parents say "well, at least they didn't get an abortion". Since when was the measure of morality not killing a child? It is still a shame for them to get pregnant in the first place.

When they do drugs I hear parents and others saying "It is just a phase, after all I had a wild youth". Since when did our bad behavior as young people justify more bad behavior. When did that ever make bad behavior acceptable.

When our children tell us they are going to drop out of school we tell them it is OK and we still love them. Since when was punishing your children showing a lack of love? To the contrary. The Bible tells us Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Let us first encourage our children to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Let us agree as a nation to bring our children back to some semblance of sanity through discipline.

Covenant Marriage

2008-12-04T09:10:00.002-05:00

Is the way we do marriage in America (and most Western countries) counter to the Biblical teaching on marriage? Doesn’t Paul say to avoid going to court with one another but to let the least in the Church settle any dispute?

After careful consideration of this question I must admit modern marriage is NOT the way God intended it. There are two ways to get married today. One is in a Church and the other is before a Magistrate. In either case if the marriage ends in divorce it is the Godless courts and laws that take over. There is no avoiding the fact that No-Fault Divorce has totally skewed right and wrong when it comes to divorce. The Bible has much to say on marriage and divorce. However, we will keep this post focused on the question at hand.

Marriage and divorce has been around as long as recorded history. In some cases civil authorities became involved in divorce and in other cases religious authorities held these courts. In modern America the rise of no-fault divorce has escalated to extremes the number and ease with which divorce takes place. For those with no religious convictions there is only the courts to appeal to for divorce. For those that believe in Christ there is another way.

Today courts honor 99% of all prenuptial agreements. In rare cases the courts will throw them out. This is usually due to both parties not having legal representation at the time of the signing of the prenuptial agreement. In some high profile cases, usually involving Hollywood types or high paid CEO’s and or Sports Figures, courts will throw out the prenuptial agreements due to some technicality. I’ve spoken with several lawyers from around the U.S. and have yet to talk to one where the prenuptial agreement was thrown out.

What can you do as a Christian to obey God rather than man? At the current time only three states allow for “covenant marriage” which basically binds a couple to go through the Church for any divorce settlement. You can Google “covenant marriage” and read many articles on the subject. Covenant marriage can be used like a prenuptial agreement. This would simply be a contract between to parties prior to marriage. In some states this covenant marriage can be agreed to after the fact.

Here is a link to one example of a pre and or post nuptial covenant marriage agreement.

Francis Schaeffer on the primacy of Scripture

2008-11-16T15:11:00.001-05:00

Ephesians 1:13-14

2008-11-16T14:49:00.001-05:00

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

2008-11-16T14:48:00.001-05:00

Doing Good to All

2008-11-16T14:46:00.002-05:00

The law of sin and death

2008-11-16T14:46:00.001-05:00

Faith Assurance and Conviction

2008-11-16T14:45:00.000-05:00

False teachers and Satan appear as Angels of Light

2008-11-16T14:42:00.001-05:00

Who chooses who?

2008-11-16T14:41:00.002-05:00

In the beginning was the Word

2008-11-16T14:41:00.001-05:00

Orthodoxy of Culture and Orthodoxy of Christianity

2008-11-16T13:20:00.001-05:00

Making peace to honor God

2008-11-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

What's the difference?

2008-11-15T15:39:00.000-05:00

Our Differences
When we come acorss a person in need we do not stop to ask ourselves if this person is a Christian, Jew, Muslim etc. Most people render assistance because they are inclined to do so. Recently there was an incident in the news that suggested an old man was left lying in the street after being hit by a car. Later, cameras on the street showed a number of people called 911. It also showed others standing there in shock. One of the first things we're taught about a person that has been in an accident is to Not move them. I believe most people wanted to assist but were afraid. Lawyers are waiting around every corner to sue someone that may be innocent of any wrong doing. What is one to do? However, that is not the main point because as soon as people gathered themselves they did go to assist this poor man.
The main point of this commentary is to point out that we as Christians should always be ready to help anyone in any way we can. I take this time to remind us all of the following from the Scriptures.
Luke 10: New American Standard Bible
25(AE)And a (AF)lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
27And he answered, "(AG)YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
28And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; (AH)DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE."
29But wishing (AI)to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
30Jesus replied and said, "A man was (AJ)going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
31"And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32"Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33"But a (AK)Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,
34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35"On the next day he took out two [a]denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'
36"Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
37And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

How should we dress for church?

2008-11-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

How to dress for Church
Dear roscoetn
Below is your question and an answer
Question: I have read somewhere in the bible that before you come
> before the Lord that you should wear your finest clothes. Could you
> find the scripture for me?Thank youAllen Veach
> Background: Pentacostal

Answer:
I have heard this said but personally I never read it anywhere. I did some searching today trying to find it in the Bible, to no avail. I even searched it out on Google and could not find it. However, I did find this very good article (below) on the whole subject of what we should wear. The article is found at this web address. http://www.iibee.com/credamus/dress.htm. There is no need for us to re-invent the wheel so we’re passing this approved article to you.

I will add that we must be careful when reading the Bible. The Old Testament is there for our benefit and reference. However, the New Testament takes precedence as it speaks to the Church. The Old Testament spoke to many various peoples including the Jews. I will have to write a short article on this to clarify things. Always ask yourself who the passage you are reading is referring too.

Regards,

Mike Kelly

Begin Quoted Article:
I had questions about what to wear to church:; Should I dress up in my finest clothes? If I dress up for church, am I dressing up for God's benefit or the other members of the church? If I don't dress up and it causes the other church goers to look down on me, am I being a stumbling block and causing them to sin? If I do dress up, do I make others who can't afford to dress up a stumbling block, by condoning wearing your nicest clothes to church? Is it not my heart that goes to church and not my wardrobe, doesn't Christ live in me 24 hours a day; and if I should dress up for church to be in Gods presence, should I not always be dressed up, for isn't God with me always? If the reason I dress up when I go to church, is because the church is the house of God, isn't the body the temple of the Lord that is always with me; and if so should I always be dressed up, or should I go to church in my everyday clothes?
These are the questions that were going through my mind. So I went to the Bible to try to find the answers. The following scriptures are all take from the New American Standard version of the Bible.
James 2:2-4 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing fine clothes, and say,"You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man,"You stand over there, or sit down by my foot stool," 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?
What I get out of reading James 2:2-4 is that you should not judge people by their appearance, but treat everyone equally. Now comes another question, if when people judge you by what you are wearing makes them sin, should you dress in a manner that you think they won't judge you to prevent them from sinning, or should you not dress up for them and rebuke them if they judge you to prevent them from future sin? Because it is possible that people might judge you regardless of what you wear.
1Tim 2:9 Likewise , I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,
1 Peter 3:3-4 Your adornment must not be merely external braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
1Peter 5:5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders: and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
1 Peter 3:3-4 says that God doesn't care about your outward appearance, but that it's what is in your heart that counts. I feel 1 Peter 5:5 says to be humble, I feel that dressing up in your finest clothes is more prideful than humble.
Jonah 3:5 Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them.
2 Kings 1:1 And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD.
Rev 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us.
Daniel 9:3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
Luke 10:13 Woe to you , Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
The previous verses describe how people in the past dressed to please the Lord. They dressed in sackcloth to humble themselves before the Lord. Sackcloth is dark goat hair used in making sacks, and worn in times of mourning.
The following are Bible verses have to do with those who dress up to impress other people.
Mark 12:38 In His teaching He was saying:"Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places,
Matt 23:5 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.
The following verses state not to worry about what you wear, because all that is important is you seek the Kingdom of God, and follow God with your hearts, and not with the garments you put on your body.
Matt 6:25 For this reason I say to you,do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing.28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field , which is alive today and tomorrow thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 "Do not worry then, saying,"What will we eat? or"What will we drink?"or "What will we wear for clothing?" 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Joel 2:12-13 "Yet even now ," declares the LORD,"Return to Me with all your heart , And with fasting , weeping and mourning;13 And rend your heart and not your garments."
2 Corinth 5:12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.
The next few verses reminds us that we are all in Christ always, and 2 Corinth. 10:7 reminds us to look inwardly, and not outwardly, and that just as one person in a church is in Christ so are we all, and we should not judge other members of Christ' body by only looking at them outwardly.
2 Corinth. 10:7 You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also are we
1Corinth 6: 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1 Corinth 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
We as members of Christ' body are always in His presence, and there is no time that we are instructed to dress differently than any other time. I feel that God wants us to worship Him with our hearts and motives, not with the clothing we put on. This is my opinion based on what I understand of what I've read in the Bible. I am not saying that you shouldn't dress up. You can dress however you like, I don't think how you dress matters, but if you decide to dress up for church, I just think you should examine your motives, and not judge others by their appearance.God is the only judge, it is not our place to judge anybody, especially on merely their appearance. I would like to conclude with a verse Jesus spoke.
Matt 11:6 " And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me"

Does the 120 years mentioned in Genesis 6 refer to the human lifespan?

2008-11-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

Below is the context from the NAS. Genesis 6 (New American Standard Bible)New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Genesis 6 The Corruption of Mankind 1Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3Then the LORD said, "(A)My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, (B)because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The New Living Translation says it this way: Genesis 6 (New Living Translation) New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. Genesis 6 A World Gone Wrong 1 Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women[a] and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not put up with[b] humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years." After some research I tend to differ with this translation or the thought that God was limiting the lifespan of man to 120 years. Why? The answer is simple. Unlike Psalm 90 which places the general limit to a man's age between 70 and 80, a thing we can see that has varied widely throughout history, there is no evidence man's lifespan was 120 years (give or take) during this time or after the flood. See the list of ages below for reference looking at the ages of men after Noah. Adam 930Seth 912Enosh 905Kenan 910Mahalalel 895Jared 962Methuselah 969Lamech 777Noah 950Shem 600Arpachshad 438Shelah 433Eber 464Peleg 239Reu 239Serug 230Nahor 148Terah 205Abraham 175 The closest one to 120 years of age is Nahor who lived to only 148! It is clear that the lifespan of man dropped after the flood but we don't see 120 years. What else could have this passage meant? Many have suggested this 120 year period was from the time God revealed that He decided to flood the earth until he actually did it. Noah was 500 when he first mentioned in Genesis 5:32 and in his 600th year when he entered the ark according to Genesis 7:11. While that is only a period of 100 years we do not have a reference of time when God said man's remaining days would be 120 years. It could have easily been a 120 year period for all we know. I would not get dogmatic about this at all. It is very difficult to tell for sure. All we know is man's lifespan did not seem to be shortened to 120 years but gradually was shortened to between 70 and 80 years. I would lean towards this scripture suggesting it was 120 years from the time God made the decree that he was going to destroy life on earth until he did so by the flood, Genesis 6:7.

Is the Pope really Christ's Representative on earth?

2008-11-15T14:17:00.001-05:00

What is the basic difference between the world religions and true Christianity?

2008-11-15T14:14:00.001-05:00

Are Islamic suicide bombers martyrs?

2008-11-15T14:02:00.002-05:00

Can Christians Drink Alcohol

2008-11-15T13:51:00.001-05:00

Question:I would like to know all bible verses referring to the subject of "drink". Fernented drink specifically. Both pro and con. Old testament and new. The issue is under much discussion in my community.

Answer:You can find all 367 verses relating to Drink by clicking the link below.http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=drink&searchtype=all&version1=49&spanbegin=1&spanend=73You can find all 240 verses on Wine by clicking the link belowhttp://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=wine&searchtype=all&version1=49&spanbegin=1&spanend=73These verses are in NAS version but you can look them up in whatever version you use. I will answer your question directly. First, I am assuming you are referring to the myth espoused by many that the Wine in the Bible was non alcoholic or that drinking at all is a sine.For brevity’s sake we will cover only the New Testament verse that is most often quoted against drinking. Ephesians 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,Here is King James if you prefer: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit,The keyword is “drunk.” Drunk does not have a legal basis at the time the Bible was written. For example, one cannot say at a blood alcohol level of .10 you are legally drunk according to the Bible. You can only determine what drunk is by seeing the actions of the person. In my humble opinion, someone is drunk once they act counter to the Scriptures. If you are treating people badly, breaking the law or making a fool of yourself I believe you are drunk.On the other hand, if you have a few drinks with friends, do not treat people badly, do not break the law or make a fool of yourself you are not drunk in the sense of Ephesians 5:18.The word translated to wine is “something pressed” in most passages I am familiar with. Some have argued that this is a grape juice and not an alcoholic wine. Let’s look at the first miracle of Jesus.John 2:10 and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."In this particular verse is the evidence that the wine did contain alcohol. If it were grape juice then people would still notice the difference between good and poor wine. Having had experience with drinking in my youth I can testify that after you have a certain amount to drink you can barely tell the difference between good and poor wine.If these two main arguments are not good enough there is always Church history. When did the prohibition of alcohol begin? Any student of history will tell you it started right here in America via the Fundamentalist and Pentecostal movements. Here is a good article link to Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/features/ask/2002/jul12.htmlConclusion:The Bible does not say drinking is a sin or else you may see the commandment “Though shalt not consume alcohol.” It simply says “don’t get drunk.” Jesus would never have turned water into wine if it were sinful. History shows that alcohol has only become a topic of discussion in the North American Churches in the past 120 years. Since the issue of alcohol is localized to the Americas one must ask if Christianity is only correct from the American perspective.I do hope this helps to answer your question.

The Authors of Proverbs

2008-11-15T13:43:00.001-05:00