Comments for Christ Jesus and Faith http://jesusandfaith.com Who is Christ Jesus and What is Christianity and Faith? Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:29:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 Comment on Welcome by admin http://jesusandfaith.com#comment-31104 admin Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:44:37 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?page_id=2#comment-31104 Aman Carol! And this is a result of believing and accepting what Jesus did for us when He paid the price for our sins. Aman Carol! And this is a result of believing and accepting what Jesus did for us when He paid the price for our sins.

]]> Comment on Can the 10 Commandments Save Us? by James http://jesusandfaith.com/2010/02/01/can-the-10-commandments-save-us/#comment-30933 James Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:54:58 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=222#comment-30933 Every moment of every day we are at some kind of crossroads making decisions that may seem insignificant. Sometimes looking back, we realize that a series of insignificant choices has landed us on a path we never expected to travel. I had one of those AHA! moments today, as I reflected on a movie I saw back in March of 2010. It was one of several sparks that awakened a desire in me, that eventually evolved into an online ministry focused on the love and grace of God. Every moment of every day we are at some kind of crossroads making decisions that may seem insignificant. Sometimes looking back, we realize that a series of insignificant choices has landed us on a path we never expected to travel. I had one of those AHA! moments today, as I reflected on a movie I saw back in March of 2010. It was one of several sparks that awakened a desire in me, that eventually evolved into an online ministry focused on the love and grace of God.

]]> Comment on Welcome by CAROL PITTMAN http://jesusandfaith.com#comment-28261 CAROL PITTMAN Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:29:38 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?page_id=2#comment-28261 repent be baptized in Jesus name and you shall receive the holy ghost that how we're saved repent be baptized in Jesus name and you shall receive the holy ghost that how we’re saved

]]> Comment on Did Christ Jesus Die for the Sins of Everyone? by admin http://jesusandfaith.com/2010/02/10/did-christ-jesus-die-for-the-sins-of-everyone/#comment-27677 admin Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:30:50 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=300#comment-27677 Hi Randy, You're not alone! This is a difficult subject for many people. I suppose one of the main problems is that people think that the scriptures say that Jesus did for <u>ALL</u> the sins of the world. We see verses like "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. If verses like this mean that Jesus has taken away the sins of everyone, then we can presuppose that no one has and no one will ever go to hell. But instead we do indeed see in scripture that people have gone to hell and people will go to hell. For instance the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 died and lifted up his eyes in hell. Some write this off as being a parable. But parables never reveal the name of the characters. Jesus names a man called Lazarus in this story. Then in the future, we see people at the Great White Thrown judgement being cast into hell, Revelation 20. So either the death and resurrection of Jesus took away everyone's sin or it didn't. Which is it? We can also ask the question" Will God drag people kicking and screaming into heaven against their will? One thing the scriptures teach us is that God will not violate anyone's free will. God wants people who choose to love Him and not people who are forced to love Him. That would not be love at all! So God in His infinite wisdom allows us to choose or reject his free gift of eternal life. Once we look at the Atonement of Jesus in this light, then verses like the following confirm that the Atonement of Jesus was a ransom for many, not for all, because many will choose to reject God's free gift. "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mathew 20:28". There is an article at the Christian Research Institute website entitled <a href="http://www.equip.org/articles/the-atonement-of-christ-and-the-faith-message" rel="nofollow">The Atonement of Christ and the Faith Movement</a> that really goes into depth about this topic as it relates to the faith movement. Maybe it will help you in your study. Here is an excerpt: "As Christians, we affirm that our salvation is based solely on what Christ did for us. And, we appropriate by faith what He has accomplished for us (Romans 3:21-4:5; Ephesians 2:8,9; II Timothy 1:8-11; Titus 3:4-7). By this affirmation we do not mean that saving faith involves nothing more than simply acknowledging that Jesus died for us, nor do we insist that a thorough and complete understanding of the Atonement is essential for salvation. Faith in the Lord Jesus Himself saves. And yet, such faith is based not only on who Jesus is, but on His finished work on the cross". http://equip.org Let us know if this helps. Hi Randy,

You’re not alone! This is a difficult subject for many people. I suppose one of the main problems is that people think that the scriptures say that Jesus did for ALL the sins of the world. We see verses like “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. If verses like this mean that Jesus has taken away the sins of everyone, then we can presuppose that no one has and no one will ever go to hell.

But instead we do indeed see in scripture that people have gone to hell and people will go to hell. For instance the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 died and lifted up his eyes in hell. Some write this off as being a parable. But parables never reveal the name of the characters. Jesus names a man called Lazarus in this story.

Then in the future, we see people at the Great White Thrown judgement being cast into hell, Revelation 20. So either the death and resurrection of Jesus took away everyone’s sin or it didn’t. Which is it?

We can also ask the question” Will God drag people kicking and screaming into heaven against their will? One thing the scriptures teach us is that God will not violate anyone’s free will. God wants people who choose to love Him and not people who are forced to love Him. That would not be love at all! So God in His infinite wisdom allows us to choose or reject his free gift of eternal life.

Once we look at the Atonement of Jesus in this light, then verses like the following confirm that the Atonement of Jesus was a ransom for many, not for all, because many will choose to reject God’s free gift. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Mathew 20:28″.

There is an article at the Christian Research Institute website entitled The Atonement of Christ and the Faith Movement that really goes into depth about this topic as it relates to the faith movement. Maybe it will help you in your study. Here is an excerpt:

“As Christians, we affirm that our salvation is based solely on what Christ did for us. And, we appropriate by faith what He has accomplished for us (Romans 3:21-4:5; Ephesians 2:8,9; II Timothy 1:8-11; Titus 3:4-7). By this affirmation we do not mean that saving faith involves nothing more than simply acknowledging that Jesus died for us, nor do we insist that a thorough and complete understanding of the Atonement is essential for salvation. Faith in the Lord Jesus Himself saves. And yet, such faith is based not only on who Jesus is, but on His finished work on the cross”. http://equip.org

Let us know if this helps.

]]> Comment on Did Christ Jesus Die for the Sins of Everyone? by Randy http://jesusandfaith.com/2010/02/10/did-christ-jesus-die-for-the-sins-of-everyone/#comment-27594 Randy Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:57:41 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=300#comment-27594 I have been struggling with understanding this issue for a while now since my girlfriend and I view this differently. I am going back to Scriptures with no agenda and humbly reading passages and trying to change/fit my understanding around the unchanging truth in the Bible (and not vice versa). I am willing to change my viewpoint as my understanding grows, I just need help understanding. Presently (and I say "presently", because I know that I am a very limited creature who doesn't have all the answers and my viewpoint very likely may change several times), I am understanding Scripture to say that Jesus' sacrifice did not just make salvation possible, it actually WAS the propitiation or ransom that paid the price -- Jesus was the Passover lamb. In the OT, the high priest would sacrifice the Passover lamb to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel (not for the sins of every person in the world, just the chosen, ie. "Israel") and this was completely that -- a free gift of God not dependant upon anything the people would then do to receive it -- it made atonement. We know that the death of an animal did not actually pay for their sins but this was a symbol God had established to point to Jesus and the nature of His substitutionary atonement, namely, that it paid full atonement for the sins God's chosen. Maybe it is flawed, but that is my understanding of Jesus' substitutionary atonement. If this atonement was literally paid for every person in the world on the cross then I do not understand how anyone can go to hell. Suppose you are in a courtroom where there is a guilty party and another person takes the punishment for their sins, there is nothing then by which the judge can justly punish that person since the wrong had been paid for. We know that God is not unjust and so I guess I do not understand then how people can go to hell if their sins are fully paid. We are dead in our sins and dead things do not move of their own accord or give themselves life -- life needs to be infused from a separate source. Our free will is enslaved to sin and we will only choose apart from God. Therefore, it seems necessary that God would regenerate the person whom He had chosen so they can choose Him, and they do -- in fact, ALL those God has chosen will come to Him and believe. Our very belief is a gift from God. Any action on man's part to claw his way to this position of salvation seems to miss the point of our being "dead in our sins" and seems to add works to the gift of salvation. Therefore, a true belief in Him who saves and turning from the former sinful life seems to be the proof that you are saved (ie. You want to be saved? Believe!). Again, I'll ask it this way... if Jesus died for every person and made a way that everyone can achieve a status of having their sins paid for, then why do some believe and others not? If God's divine choice preceding and overruling this is not part of the equation, then one has to conclude it has to do with each person -- that there is something better about those who believe versus those who do not, for why else would they believe and other not? But this then elevates those who believe above those who do not and robs Jesus of the full glory by adding their work of believing to what Jesus has already done. Does any of that make sense? Can you at least see where I am coming from? Am I way off base here? Please explain where I am going wrong, I sincerely and humbly wish to add to my understanding. Please help me understand how Jesus can stand before the Ancient of Days in the heavenly courtroom and say of each person, "I have fully paid for their sins" only to have the Judge ignore that and still punish some for their fully paid sins. Thank you kindly, I sincerely look forward to your thoughts on both side of this issue to help me understand better those deep theological areas I am admittedly have a tough time comprehending and I will apply what I learn to help shape my own understanding. I have been struggling with understanding this issue for a while now since my girlfriend and I view this differently. I am going back to Scriptures with no agenda and humbly reading passages and trying to change/fit my understanding around the unchanging truth in the Bible (and not vice versa). I am willing to change my viewpoint as my understanding grows, I just need help understanding. Presently (and I say “presently”, because I know that I am a very limited creature who doesn’t have all the answers and my viewpoint very likely may change several times), I am understanding Scripture to say that Jesus’ sacrifice did not just make salvation possible, it actually WAS the propitiation or ransom that paid the price — Jesus was the Passover lamb. In the OT, the high priest would sacrifice the Passover lamb to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel (not for the sins of every person in the world, just the chosen, ie. “Israel”) and this was completely that — a free gift of God not dependant upon anything the people would then do to receive it — it made atonement. We know that the death of an animal did not actually pay for their sins but this was a symbol God had established to point to Jesus and the nature of His substitutionary atonement, namely, that it paid full atonement for the sins God’s chosen. Maybe it is flawed, but that is my understanding of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement. If this atonement was literally paid for every person in the world on the cross then I do not understand how anyone can go to hell. Suppose you are in a courtroom where there is a guilty party and another person takes the punishment for their sins, there is nothing then by which the judge can justly punish that person since the wrong had been paid for. We know that God is not unjust and so I guess I do not understand then how people can go to hell if their sins are fully paid. We are dead in our sins and dead things do not move of their own accord or give themselves life — life needs to be infused from a separate source. Our free will is enslaved to sin and we will only choose apart from God. Therefore, it seems necessary that God would regenerate the person whom He had chosen so they can choose Him, and they do — in fact, ALL those God has chosen will come to Him and believe. Our very belief is a gift from God. Any action on man’s part to claw his way to this position of salvation seems to miss the point of our being “dead in our sins” and seems to add works to the gift of salvation. Therefore, a true belief in Him who saves and turning from the former sinful life seems to be the proof that you are saved (ie. You want to be saved? Believe!).
Again, I’ll ask it this way… if Jesus died for every person and made a way that everyone can achieve a status of having their sins paid for, then why do some believe and others not? If God’s divine choice preceding and overruling this is not part of the equation, then one has to conclude it has to do with each person — that there is something better about those who believe versus those who do not, for why else would they believe and other not? But this then elevates those who believe above those who do not and robs Jesus of the full glory by adding their work of believing to what Jesus has already done.

Does any of that make sense? Can you at least see where I am coming from? Am I way off base here? Please explain where I am going wrong, I sincerely and humbly wish to add to my understanding.

Please help me understand how Jesus can stand before the Ancient of Days in the heavenly courtroom and say of each person, “I have fully paid for their sins” only to have the Judge ignore that and still punish some for their fully paid sins.

Thank you kindly, I sincerely look forward to your thoughts on both side of this issue to help me understand better those deep theological areas I am admittedly have a tough time comprehending and I will apply what I learn to help shape my own understanding.

]]> Comment on Did Christ Jesus Die for the Sins of Everyone? by admin http://jesusandfaith.com/2010/02/10/did-christ-jesus-die-for-the-sins-of-everyone/#comment-27248 admin Fri, 11 Nov 2011 21:10:08 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=300#comment-27248 Hi Billy, If I understand you correctly, you are saying no one has to believe in Jesus to be saved. What would you say to verses like Acts 16:30-31 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. This is a poor analogy but I hope it helps you understand. Let's say I go to a grocery store and paid $100 for your grocery purchase and told the manager that this money is to go towards your next grocery purchase. Then I call you and tell you I have paid $100 to go toward your next grocery purchase. The fact that I paid $100 for your groceries does not put food on your table. You have to believe me and go to that store and accept the groceries that I paid for. Likewise we have to believe in Jesus and go to Him and accept His free gift of eternal life. Hi Billy,

If I understand you correctly, you are saying no one has to believe in Jesus to be saved. What would you say to verses like Acts 16:30-31 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

This is a poor analogy but I hope it helps you understand. Let’s say I go to a grocery store and paid $100 for your grocery purchase and told the manager that this money is to go towards your next grocery purchase. Then I call you and tell you I have paid $100 to go toward your next grocery purchase. The fact that I paid $100 for your groceries does not put food on your table. You have to believe me and go to that store and accept the groceries that I paid for. Likewise we have to believe in Jesus and go to Him and accept His free gift of eternal life.

]]> Comment on Did Christ Jesus Die for the Sins of Everyone? by Billy http://jesusandfaith.com/2010/02/10/did-christ-jesus-die-for-the-sins-of-everyone/#comment-27007 Billy Wed, 09 Nov 2011 07:21:39 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=300#comment-27007 So since jesus died for everyone. and only those who accept him will be saved. Jesus work is contingent on us accepting thus not the final atoning sacrifice. If what your saying is correct,( in that we play a role in our salvation)Jesus dying for our sins isn't enough. I encourage you to read romans 8:21-30 again. Jesus death was not the cause and us believing in him is the effect. Jesus death was the cause and effect. We are drawn to Christ because God chose us. Not because we chose to believe in God. So since jesus died for everyone. and only those who accept him will be saved. Jesus work is contingent on us accepting thus not the final atoning sacrifice. If what your saying is correct,( in that we play a role in our salvation)Jesus dying for our sins isn’t enough. I encourage you to read romans 8:21-30 again. Jesus death was not the cause and us believing in him is the effect. Jesus death was the cause and effect. We are drawn to Christ because God chose us. Not because we chose to believe in God.

]]> Comment on Intriguing Facts About the Amish by Robbi McKenna http://jesusandfaith.com/2011/10/19/intriguing-facts-about-the-amish/#comment-26497 Robbi McKenna Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:00:00 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=1538#comment-26497 Yes, the Amish are Christian. They are best described as Anabaptists. Their Christian beliefs are the driving force behind many of their customs and practices. Yes, the Amish are Christian. They are best described as Anabaptists. Their Christian beliefs are the driving force behind many of their customs and practices.

]]> Comment on Intriguing Facts About the Amish by admin http://jesusandfaith.com/2011/10/19/intriguing-facts-about-the-amish/#comment-25911 admin Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:36:09 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=1538#comment-25911 We haven't done much research but I have heard that the Amish are Christians. Can anyone verify this? We haven’t done much research but I have heard that the Amish are Christians. Can anyone verify this?

]]> Comment on Resurrection Easter Sunday Dance Video by mariah http://jesusandfaith.com/2011/04/22/resurrection-easter-sunday-dance-video/#comment-19802 mariah Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:32:44 +0000 http://jesusandfaith.com/?p=1336#comment-19802 Wow this is a great video :-) really cool. Anyone know if they will do the same next Easter 2012(<a href="http://easter2012dates.com" rel="nofollow">easter 2012 dates</a>) as well? This seems a lot of fun! Wow this is a great video :-) really cool. Anyone know if they will do the same next Easter 2012(easter 2012 dates) as well? This seems a lot of fun!

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