Proof God Loves Us

MamaBear asked:


In other words, why would Christians need to go through a Purgatory, to finish punishment for their sins, before entering Heaven, if Jesus took the full weight of all of our sins at the cross? Wasn’t the suffering of Christ enough? Or am I missing something?

I was raised Protestant, with no concept of Purgatory, so this is a puzzle to me. Thanks for any help!

seltian asked:

This is the first part of my video sereis dealing with the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura. In this video, I take several Scripture quotes that Protestants use to defend Sola Scriptura, and show why they don’t work.

Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:


Comparative Study between the Bible versus the Quran (33)

Chapter by Chapter and Verse by Verse;

(Chapter 33:1-10)

The Old Testament Verses from 1-10 are talking about Jacob, Rachel, Joseph and all Jacob’s wives and children PROSTRATED to Esau! This may be because the face of Esau is like the face of God!

The New Testament Verses from 1-10 are talking about a man with an UNCLEAN spirit, he saw Jesus, and worshipped him and said to Jesus: you are the Son of the most high God!

The Noble Quran Verses from 1-10 are talking about Seven different subjects; and they are: 1) Five commandments to the Believers, 2) Ten definitions for Allah, 3) Allah’s Covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, 4) The Quran forbade Two Wrong Social Customs, 5) The Honor of Muhammad and his Wives, 6) Allah repelled and beat the host of the disbelievers by the wind and angels! And 7) The Quran gives an amazing Medical scientific fact.

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The Noble Quran:

Chapter 33 in the Noble Quran is composed of 73 verses.

Verses from 1-10 are talking about Seven different subjects; and they are: 1) Five commandments to the Believers, 2) Ten definitions for Allah, 3) Allah’s Covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, 4) The Quran forbade Two Wrong Social Customs, 5) The Honor of Muhammad and his Wives, 6) Allah repelled and beat the host of the disbelievers by the wind and angels! And 7) The Quran gives an amazing Medical scientific fact.

——-

The Five commandments to the Believers:

Allah’s saying: ‘O Muhammad! (And you the believers):

1) Keep your duty to Allah, 2) Fear Allah in relation to breaking your pledge before the time of its expiry, 3) Do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites; do not obey them in what they ask you to commit of transgression, 4) And follow that which is inspired in thee from your Lord and act according to what you have been commanded in the Quran and 5) put your trust in Allah, for Allah is sufficient as Trustee

——-

The Ten definitions for Allah:

1- Allah is Aware of what you do,

2- Allah is sufficient to protect you

3- Allah is Forgiving and Merciful

4- Allah says the Truth

5- Allah explains the facts

6- Allah lead to what is right.

7- Allah is ever Seer of what you do

8- Allah is the Knower of what they say and of their intent to kill you (Muhammad).

9- Allah is the Wise, He enjoined that one should honour one’s pledge and forbade breaking pledges.

10- Allah will ask the conveyors of the message about their conveyance, and the loyal about their loyalty and the believers about their faith. And He has prepared a painful doom whose pain extends to their hearts for the disbelievers in Scriptures and messengers.

——-

Allah’s Covenant with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad:

Allah exacted a covenant from the Prophets, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. The covenant was to honour their pledges and that they should convey the message to one another; and that they should convey the message, the first to the last and that the last should believe in the first, and also command their respective people to believe in the message of Allah.

——-

The Quran forbade Two Wrong Social Customs:

1- The wife is the mother!

The Arabs had a bad habit; if a man get angry from his wife; he used to make an oath saying that she is my mother!

In this case, he considers her as his mother and hence, the *** between them will be forbidden because she is his mother!

The Quran forbids practicing this bad habit and says that your wives whom you declare to be your mothers by a simple oath are not your mothers!

2- The Adopted son and the Real son

The Arabs used to adopt sons. The adopted son at their custom has the same rights as the real son. He can heir his father, but he can not marry his father’s daughter because she is considered (falsely) as his sister.

The Quran forbids practicing this social habit and says that those whom you claim to be your sons (the adopted sons) are not like your real sons; name them in relation to their real fathers. That will be more equitable in relation to lineage. And if you do not the lineage of their fathers, then they are your brethren in the faith and name them with names showing brotherhood in faith. This verse was revealed about Zayd who was adopted by the Prophet. People used to call him Zayd the son of Muhammad, but Allah forbade them from calling him so and guided them to what is proper.

Since then he named with his real father and his (real) name became Zayd the son of Harithah (his real father). And there is no sin for you in the mistakes that you make unintentionally regarding the identification of one’s parentage, but what is a sin for you is to attribute intentionally someone to other than his real father.

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The Honor of Muhammad and his Wives:

the Prophet Muhammad has a better right to preserve the children of the believers (than their selves) after they die, due to the saying of the Prophet Muhammad : ” Whoever dies and leaves behind a burden I will carry it for him, or a debt I will pay it back for him, or wealth it will go to his inheritors ” , (and his wives) the wives of the Prophet are like their mothers in unmarriageability. The wives of the Prophet used to teach the believers women and men of what they had seen and heard from Muhammad.

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Allah repelled and beat the host of the disbelievers by the wind and angels!

The verses say: Remember When the hosts of the disbelievers of Mecca came upon you from above the valley: and from below the valley: when the eyes of the hypocrites grew wild and the hearts of the hypocrites were running fast because of fear, and some believers were imagining vain thoughts concerning Allah and thought that Allah will not help His prophet. But Allah repelled the hosts of the disbelievers.

O ye who believe Remember Allah’s favor unto you; He repelled the enemy from you by sending a great wind and a row of angels ((you could not see) against the host of disbelievers.

——-

The Quran gives amazing scientific fact!

No two hearts in one man!

Allah has not assigned unto any man two hearts within his body.

It is really a very amazing medical fact.

We have never ever heard that a human being has two hearts within his body.

This Quranic fact indicates that we (in the future) will never ever hear about a man which has two hearts within his body.

This amazing Quranic medical law is not present in the Bible!

——-

[1] O Prophet! fear Allah, and hearken not to the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites: verily Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

[2] But follow that which comes to thee by inspiration from thy Lord: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do.

[3] And put thy trust in Allah, and enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.

[4] Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: nor has He made your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.

[5] Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if ye know not their father’s (names, call them) your Brothers in Faith, or your Maulas. But there is no blame on ye if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

[6] The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah, than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs (immigrants from Mecca to Medina who fled from the disbelievers): nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing of the Decree (of Allah).

[7] And remember We took from the Prophets their Covenant: as (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Musa, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn Covenant:

[8] That (Allah) may question the (Custodians) of Truth concerning the Truth they (were charged with): and He has prepared for the Unbelievers a grievous Penalty.

[9] O ye who believe! Remember the Grace of Allah, (bestowed) on you, when there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you): but We sent against them a hurricane and forces that ye saw not: but Allah sees (clearly) all that ye do.

[10] Behold! They came on you from above you and from below you, and behold, the eyes became dim and the hearts gaped up to the throats, and ye imagined various (vain) thoughts about Allah!

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Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?”

Jerry Richard Boone asked:


Since Jesus established his church, and the New Testament describes his church, do you think it might be a good idea to follow the biblical example: in church organization? in doctrine? in church worship? Here’s what Scriptures say about the church.

1. New Testament authorizes three positions in Christ’s church:

Elders

Elders (also called presbyters, bishops, overseers, pastors, or shepherds, without distinction of office or rank) were men (always men) chosen from the members to oversee and set an example for the congregation. Also they are to encourage the congregation with sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (1 Peter 5:1-4) (1 Titus 1:9) For the requirements for this position see: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.

Deacons

Deacons were men chosen to serve the congregation (overlook the daily distribution of food or wait on tables.) (Acts 6:1-7) For requirements for both the deacon and his wife, see: 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Paul also mentions deacons in his address to the church at Philippi. (Philippians 1:1) At least two men, Stephen and Philip, chosen as deacons in the Jerusalem church also preached or evangelized.

Evangelists

Evangelists (preachers, ministers) are preachers of the Gospel. (Ephesians 4:11) (1 Timothy 4:13-16) (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

Those three positions were the only ones created for Christ’s church. Notice that no singular person was placed in charge of any congregation. And there was no higher organization than the local congregation. Synods, Councils, Conventions, Popes, Ecclesiastical Legislative Bodies, Associations or Conferences with delegates from different congregations are nowhere to be found in the Bible. They didn’t exist in the church you read about in the New Testament.

2. Christ instituted two church sacraments:

Baptism

Jesus ordered his apostles to make disciples in every nation “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus says baptism is essential for salvation. (Mark 16:16) And Peter says it is required for the forgiveness of sins. (Acts 2:38)

Who was baptized? Simon the sorcerer (Acts 8:13), the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:38), Saul, who was later called Paul (Acts 9:18), Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth (Acts 16:14-15), the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:33), Crispus, the synagogue ruler (Acts 18:8) (1 Corinthians 1:14), twelve disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5), and men and women at city in Samaria. (Acts 8:5-12)

What did all of these people have in common? They were all believing adults. Were children also baptized? Some claim there were, and they cite these passages to support their position. Acts 16:15 states that “[Lydia] and members of her household were baptized.” Acts 16:33 reads: “[The jailer] and all of his family were baptized.” And Acts 18:8 says that Crispus and “his entire household” were baptized.

Do “members of her household,” “all of his family,” and “his entire household” imply that children and infants were also baptized? Notice that the jailer “and his whole family” had come to believe in God. (Acts 16:34) Similarly, Crispus “and his entire household believed in the Lord.” (Acts 18:8)

In both instances, all believed, and all were baptized. Clearly we are not speaking of infants or very small children in this context. Those who were baptized were mature enough to believe in Christ.

How were these believing “adults” baptized? Romans 6:3-4 speaks of baptism as a symbolic burial with Christ. And in Acts 8:38 Philip took the Ethiopian eunuch “down into the water” to baptize him. Baptism was and is emersion. Throughout the first century baptism and emersion were synonymous.

Lord’s Supper; The Eucharist; The Holy Communion

In Matthew we read: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28)

In the Gospel according to John, the significance of this act becomes clear. Jesus: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

He repeated and emphasized his words: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:53-54)

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, explained where this custom originated. He says: “The tradition which I handed on to you came from the Lord himself: that on the night of his arrest the Lord Jesus took bread and after giving thanks to God broke it and said: ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in memory of me.’

In the same way he took the cup after supper, and said: ‘This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me.’ For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 REB)

Paul informs us that the early church carried on this tradition and tells us when they did it. “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” (Acts 20:7)

The apostle again speaks of the Lord’s Supper when he warned the Corinthians: “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:28-29)

Such respected historians as Eusebius of Caesarea and Johann August Wilhelm Neander tell us that Christians in the early centuries of the church took the Lord’s Supper every Sunday.

3. New Testament instructs us how to worship:

Prayer

Paul tells us to give thanks in all circumstances; (1 Thessalonians 5:18) for God’s help; (1 Timothy 5:5) for each other; (James 5:16) for whatever we want to request; (Philippians 4:6) for rulers, officials, and everyone. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

James says we don’t get what we want because we don’t pray for it. Or if we do pray for it, our request is denied because of our wrong motives. (James 4:2-3) Pray whenever you are sick or in trouble, advises James. (James 5:14)

Prayer was a part of the New Testament church’s worship. (Acts 2:42) (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

Giving

Paul tells us of the collection taken for God’s people in the Galatian and Corinthian churches. “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)

Reading Scriptures

By the early part of the first century, Jews had established the tradition of reading the Law and Prophets in their synagogue services. Paul told Timothy to devote himself to the “public reading of scriptures, preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13) Thus the Jewish custom was carried over into church worship.

In Colossians we find Paul instructing the Colossians and the Laodiceans to exchange letters he had written and read both. (Colossians 4:16) And in Thessalonians, he tells the church to read his letter to all the brothers. (1 Thessalonians 5:27) Thereby, what was to become portions of the New Testament was already being read in the church along with the Law and Prophets of the Old Testament.

Singing

Here are all the New Testament references to hymns, songs, and spiritual songs.

After Jesus and the apostles’ Passover meal, “they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30 NKJV)

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)

Paul: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19)

Paul: “I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” (1 Corinthians 14:15)

Paul: “What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.” (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Paul encourages us to: “admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

James: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” (James 5:13)

Notice musical instruments, choirs, and solos were not mentioned in church worship. They were later additions not authorized by the scriptures. Historically, the first appearance of instrumental music in church worship was not until the sixth century A.D., and it was not widely accepted until the eighth century.

A number of religious leaders including: John Calvin, John Wesley, and Charles Spurgeon strongly opposed the use of instrumental music in worship because of its absence in the New Testament.

Sermons

“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” (Acts 20:7) Also see Paul’s instruction to Timothy. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

4. Those miraculous gifts of the early church

Those gifts to the early church Paul lists: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, different tongues and interpretation of tongues were all necessary for the revelation and the confirmation of the unwritten gospel message. When the gospel was completely revealed and confirmed, the purpose for miracles, tongues, healings, and prophecies ceased.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul provides us with this explanation: “As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

In the original Greek, “perfect” in this verse means “completeness” or “fulfillment.” So, those miraculous gifts ended in the early church when the revelation of God’s word was complete or fulfilled. That is why you don’t see authentic miraculous events in churches today.

5. Other religious practices:

Fasting

Luke speaks of the Antioch church worshiping the Lord and fasting. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’” (Acts 13:2) In the next chapter we read, “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church [in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch] and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord.” (Acts 14:23)

We find no command in the New Testament to fast. However, in Acts chapters 13 and 14 we discover instances in which the early church did fast.

Foot Washing

“[Jesus] got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4-5)

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:12-15)

“Washing the feet of the saints” is also one of good deed qualifications Paul lists for widows seeking support from the church. (1 Timothy 5:9-10)

Even so, washing feet is nowhere declared a part of the church’s worship service.

Reciting Creeds

A creed is a compact statement of faith recited by the congregation during the worship service. Creeds, however, are nowhere to be found in the New Testament. No common human creed, no catechism, no confession of faith are authorized in the scriptures. They were all added later.

It’s true, the Lord’s Prayer is frequently quoted word for word. Did Jesus intend for that prayer to become a creed? Evidently, he did not. Jesus introduced his prayer saying, “Pray, then, in this way.” (Matthew 6:9 NRSV) It is general guidance - “Do it in this fashion” rather than, “I want you to repeat every word of this verbatim.”

Alter Calls

Pleas To “Just Accept Jesus Into Your Heart”

Repeating “The Sinner’s Prayer”

These three practices are found in some modern churches but are nowhere to be found in the Scriptures.

Since Jesus established his church, and the New Testament describes his church, do you think it might be a good idea to follow the biblical example: in church organization? in doctrine? in church worship? Why would Luke, Paul, Peter, James, and John provide us with such extensive details of the original church, if they did not intend for us to follow this pattern?

Which church do you attend? the one Christ established and Paul preached? or a man-made substitute? What’s the difference? One follows the Scriptures; the other doesn’t.

Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:


Comparative Study between the Bible versus the Quran (41) - C: The third part (I)

(Chapter 41:1-5)

The Old Testament Verses from 1-10 are talking about Pharaoh’s dreams of seven cows and seven ears.

The New Testament Verses from 1-10 are talking about Jesus’ prophecy about 1) wars and earthquakes and 2) many shall come in His name and shall deceive many.

The Noble Quran Verses from 1-5 are talking about 1) The Quran is a revelation from the Compassionate and the Merciful unto Muhammad whereof the verses explaining everything for people who understand. 2) The Quran gives Glad tidings and a warning and 3) the disbelievers said that their hearts are concealed and they are deaf and they mocked Muhammad!

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The Noble Quran:

Chapter 41 in the Noble Quran is composed of 85 verses.

Verses from 1-10 are talking about 1) The Quran is a revelation from the Compassionate and the Merciful unto Muhammad whereof the verses explaining everything for people who understand. 2) The Quran gives Glad tidings and a warning and 3) the disbelievers said that their hearts are concealed and they are deaf and they mocked Muhammad!

————

In verse one, Ha mim are two Arabic letters. It is said that they mean that Allah has decreed that which will happen, i.e. it will be manifest, and it is also an oath by which He swore. However, Allah knows best what He means by these letters.

Verse two says that the Quran is a revelation from the Compassionate and the Merciful.

Verse three says that this Scripture (Book) is a revelation from the Beneficent unto Muhammad whereof the verses explaining the commands and prohibitions, the lawful and unlawful. Allah sent the Angel Gabriel with it to Muhammad in the Arabic usage for people who have knowledge.

The verse indicates that the verses of the Quran are: distinguished, made plain expounded and explained in detail. These are the meanings of the Arabic word:” FUSSILAT”.

Verse four says that the Quran gives Glad tidings and a warning.

It gives good tidings of the Garden of Paradise to those who believe in Muhammad and in the Quran.

And it warns from the Fire those who disbelieve in Muhammad and in the Quran.

But most of the disbelievers turn away from believing in Muhammad and in the Quran; so that they do not hear and they do not believe in Muhammad or in the Quran nor do they obey Allah.

Verse five says that the disbelievers said to the Prophet,

A- Our hearts are veiled and shielded; they are masked, from that to which you call us, i.e. the Quran and the profession of Allah’s divine Oneness,

B- And in our ears there is deafness; we do not hear what you say to us

C- And they also said: between us and you there is a partition, a variance over religion, they covered their heads with their clothes and then said: “O Muhammad! There is between us and you a veil and we do not hear what you say “, to mock him.

D- so act, according to your religion for your own god so that we are destroyed; indeed we shall be acting!’, according to our religion for our deities, following our religion, in order to destroy you.

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The Verses 1-5:

[1] “Ha mim!”

[2] “A revelation from (Allah), most gracious, most merciful;-”

[3] “A book, whereof the verses are explained in detail;- an Arabic Quran, for people who understand;-”

[4] “Giving good news and admonition: yet most of them turn away, and so they hear not.”

[5] “they say: ‘our hearts are veiled (concealed) from that, to which you call us and invite us, and in our ears there is deafness and between us and you (O Muhammad) is a veil (a screen). So work as you will and we are working what we will!”

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Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?”

Lets ABIDE in Him asked:


God’s enemy, satan as a Man?

The enemy and even the demons,when they had any dealings with the Lord, would never confess or speak to the Lord and address Him as the Son of Man, but they always referred to Him as the Son of God. To do so would be to admit that a MAN was able to defeat them. I think that they would easily admit that God could defeat them, but NOT a man.. after all.. man is nothing to them… just someone that satan usurped and continues to defraud and utterly bring LOW. YET hallelujah.!! God became a man, this Godman Jesus Christ defeated satan as a Man and at the same time, brought man back to his right standing with God, giving man a way to fulfill what He was created to be in God’s eyes.

So tell me.. How critical was it for Jesus to accomplish all that He did as the Son of Man. We appreciate and recognize Him as the Son of God, but what of the weight of Him being a man do for us as men today?
What kind of stage did He set for us to follow in?
Ty for posting
Hi Josh:)
I truly appreciate the point that you are making regarding Christ’s perfection… even as Adam was made perfect. But we need to truly appreciate that Christ contained a Life. This Life is the Divine Life of God and as the grain of wheat He died to release that life to us.. producing us out of Himself as the many grains and many brothers:)
Adam never possessed the LIFE of God since he never partook of the Tree of Life that was a type of Christ in the Garden.
Even today as believers, we are in a better standing then Adam, in that we not only possess the Life of God in our spirits upon regeneration, but we also have been made partakers of the Divine Nature of God and live the very life of God day by day:)
what a blessing we have received through all that Christ has accomplished as a MAN:)
HALLELUJAH!!
Well brother Blue.. you had me shouting out HALLELUJAHS all over this kitchen of mine what that awesome response.
Watered my entire being..
I hope everyone who visits this question reads what you have shared today and are given a fresh seeing of exactly what the Lord did as a man FOR US and what He will continue to accomplish THROUGH US as the ONE NEW MAN on the earth..Hallelujah brother blue.. there is a Man on the Earth that is made up of the many sons and daughters of God. This man is FULL OF GOD as his Life and as His Person and this man will be used to CRUSH satan. Praise the Lord. May we all arrive at the oneness of the Faith and the full knowledge of Him …at the FULL GROWN MAN .. this man who is at the measure of the stature of the fulness of CHrist.. GLORY TO GOD!!! AMEN!!

Prof.dr. Ibrahim Khalil asked:


Comparative Study between the Bible versus the Quran (43) - C: The third part (I)

(Chapter 43:1-5)

The Old Testament Verses from 1-10 says that there was a famine; Joseph’s brothers took Benjamin with them to get corn from Egypt!

The New Testament Verses from 1-10 says that the chief Jewish priests bound Jesus and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate. They delivered Jesus (for envy) to be crucified.

The Noble Quran Verses from 1-10 are talking about Allah Swears by the Quran which makes plain the lawful and unlawful, the commands and prohibitions, that the Quran is noble, glorious, decisive, exalted and it is above all the scriptures that came before it

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The Noble Quran:

Chapter 43 in the Noble Quran is composed of 89 verses.

Verses from 1-5 are talking about Allah Swears by the Quran which makes plain the lawful and unlawful, the commands and prohibitions, that the Quran is noble, glorious, decisive, exalted and it is above all the scriptures that came before it

—————

Verse one interpreted as Allah says: He has already decreed that which will happen, i.e. He has shown it. However, Allah knows best what He means by these two letters, Ha Mim.

Verse two says that Allah swear by the Quran which makes plain the lawful and unlawful, the commands and prohibitions that which will happen has already been decreed; it is also said Allah swore by the (Ha) and (Mim) and also by the Quran which makes plain the commands and prohibitions, the lawful and unlawful, the book that manifests the path of guidance and what one needs of [the prescriptions of] the Law.

Verse three says that Allah Has appointed it and spoken it, i.e. the Quran in the Arabic usage, hence the oath, so that you may comprehend its meanings and know what is in the Quran of the lawful and unlawful, commands and prohibitions.

Verse four says that the Quran is indeed, fixed, in the Mother Book, the source of all the scriptures, namely, the Preserved Tablet, which Allah possess; and it is indeed exalted, above all the scriptures that came before it, wise, containing excellent wisdoms, noble and glorious, decisive in explaining the lawful and the unlawful.

In Verse five Allah asks this question: Shall We utterly ignore you, shall We remove from you, O people of Mecca, the revelation and the Messenger? Or shall We leave you uncared for, without commands or prohibitions because ye are a wanton folk, because you are profligate, idolatrous folk who do not believe in Allah, as is in His foreknowledge? The answer is: No!

—————

The Verses 1-5:

[1] Ha Mim

[2] I swear by the book that makes things clear:

[3] We have made it an Arabic Quran, that you may be able to understand (and learn wisdom).

[4] And surely it is in the original of the book which we possess, truly elevated, full of wisdom, it is indeed sublime, decisive.

[5] Shall we then take away the message from you and repel you, for that you are a people transgressing beyond bounds and you are a sinful nation?

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Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: “Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?”

Noel Jameson asked:


Can the meaning of love be found in insightful love quotes? After all, mankind has been looking for the true definition of the word for generations. While some may insist that true love can not be summed up in words, I personally beg to differ. These insightful love quotes speak volumes.

1. “Love is a portion of the soul itself, and it is of the same nature as the celestial breathing of the atmosphere of paradise.” ~ Victor Hugo

2. “One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is love.” ~ Sophocles

3. “It’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

4. “Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.” ~ Voltaire

5. Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away.” ~ Dorothy Parker

6. “To love another person is to see the face of God.” ~ Les Miserables

7. “Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” ~ Dr. Karl Menninger

8. Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration.” ~ D. H. Lawrence

9. “For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation.” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

10. “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.” ~ Oscar Wilde

11. “Live through feeling and you will live through love. For feeling is the language of the soul, and feeling is truth.” ~ Matt Zotti

12. “Love is like playing the piano. First you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart.” ~ Author Unknown

13. “Love won’t be tampered with, love won’t go away. Push it to one side and it creeps to the other.” ~ Louise Erdrich

14. “Love is a force more formidable than any other. It is invisible - it cannot be seen or measured - yet it is powerful enough to transform you in a moment, and offer you more than any material possession ever could.” ~ Barbara De Angelis

It is true that the dictionary does not have an adequate definition of love. After all, it’s not easy to put such passion, fire and depth of emotion into words. These 14 insightful love quotes, however, prove that love can indeed be defined.

Joe Mueller asked:


Some of the main points of Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, can be summarized in the acronym TULIP. The letters of the acronym stand for what has become know as the five points of Calvinism. These points help to succinctly describe the fundamental theological assertions of the Reformed faith and were crystallized in the Cannons of Dort, which were issued in 1618-19 as a response to Arminianism.

The first letter of the TULIP acronym stands for ‘total depravity.’ This is the notion that man is completely and utterly hopeless in his pursuit of self-made righteousness. At conception, the sin of Adam hangs over the head of the new person condemning them to death and life of complete and utter God rejection.

They are incapable of faith and thereby barred from pleasing God in any way. Even though actions may appear to have merit or praiseworthiness, these actions have none and only serve to condemn the individual to death since they are born of a complete disregard for God and his splendor. In sum, man is in a very deep pit of his own making with absolutely no way for him to get out under his own power.

But there is hope in the second letter of the TULIP acronym, ‘unconditional election.’ God, in his great mercy and love, has chosen to save men from the greatness of their sin and misery. This choosing certain men to receive this benefit is called ‘election.’ It is ‘unconditional’ because there is nothing in the object of the election that somehow moved the subject to make that particular election.

Instead, it is despite the condition of the object that God chooses to elect any given man. The fallen nature of man puts us at war with God so this act of God is one where he brings reconciliation and peace between himself and his enemy. Calvinism asserts that he does this freely and without respect to the individual whom he elects.

This election is done to a certain number of individuals, a principle summarized in the third point of Calvinism ‘limited atonement.’ What Calvinists mean by this is that Jesus Christ, the means of salvation to all who believe, died only for those that God has elected unconditionally.

His death is only atones for the sins of the elect because that is the only group of people that Jesus died for. Christ did not die for those that will eventually spend eternity in hell for the rejection of the glory of God because that would mean that Christ’s death was insufficient to save those individuals.

The next point of Calvinism is that the call of Christ is an ‘irresistible grace.’ When God elects you, you are unable to resist that election. God is so beautiful and so marvelous that when he wills that we should perceive a portion of him as he truly is that our human hearts, so starved of true life and beauty in this sin infested world, are forever locked to him in a bond of affection and devotion. Momentary lapses in sin are not able to keep us away from the all encompassing love of God.

This leads to the final point of Calvinism - the ‘perseverance of the saints.’ What a Calvinist means by this is that all those that God has truly elected will persevere in the faith despite momentary setbacks of sin or suffering.

They will continually be transformed more and more into the image of Christ and become more and more obedient to the law of God, not as a way to justify themselves before him, but because they know that sin hinders their experience of joy in Christ and because it dishonors the God that saved them. The true believer will stop sinning and act righteously.

Rose Ariadne asked:


There was once a time, when magickal beings started appearing on earth; wise ones who knew that since they came from nature and would return to nature it was urgent that they didn’t affect the delicate balance of all that constituted our environment on this paradise. They revered the land, the seasons, celebrated the Sun and the Moon and held all animals sacred to their hearts.

As civilizations grew and selfishness and greed enveloped the world, wars and destruction became common and human beings found weapons to kill each other and thought of themselves as civilized and advanced societies. They created new religions and almost destroyed the old magickal cultures.

Deep in their hearts, some of these beings still held on to old beliefs and traditions which were the secret to the survival of our universe. These religions were called “pagan religions” by the ignorant warlords who used the new religions to conquer and destroy magickal people they called “savages” and “heathens”. They also tried to kill and burn people who did not believe in these new religions and called them Satanic or evil to incite the common people to destroy them.

Further, they came up with the idea of “Hell” where people would go to, if they did not believe in these new religions.

However, magick always prevails. In spite of the greed and ignorance of these so called “advanced” religions, some of the wiser, gentler, nature worshipping religions survived. They didn’t bomb each other, they didn’t create havoc and they didn’t pollute the world. They respected the environment, taking only enough, leaving plenty for others and never breaking the laws of nature.

Wicca is one of those nature loving religions that was practiced in Northern Europe before the advent of the middle-eastern Judeo-Christian religions and is now on its way to a revival in many parts of the world.

The Wiccans celebrate the cycles of nature and the four seasons, the Sunrise and Sunset as well as the phases of the Moon. They worship the Female Goddess as well as the Male God, and believe that all of us have the power of the cosmic energy that created us. “Wicca” is the old English term for witch. All ancient religions practiced some form of magick. Most of the witches worshipped nature and looked upon all creation as sacred.

Unlike some of the other religions which accept a male God and give up everything to HIS will, Wiccans believe that the Goddess and God are divine powers WHO guide us in our search for spiritual harmony and our urge to CREATE.

Nature had to take a backseat to wars and politics while fundamentalists attacked each other with bombs and chemical weapons to manipulate nature for selfish purposes. The answer to this catastrophic behavior is simple - to return to a peaceful, nature loving way of life.

Natural religions are being accepted back into cultures as a response to the tremendous damage done by modern religions on the earth’s resources and environment. Wicca seems to be one of the answers to such a dilemma.

Anyone can join the Wiccan religion. Although there are groups of Wiccans (covens) that make rules and initiate others into this religion, there are no basic requirements to join this religion other than a yearning to live a life of peace and joy in harmony with nature.

Anyone wishing to join the Wicca religion can read and study its history, principles and practice, perform the self-initiation ceremony and start practicing the religion immediately.

Wiccans usually have certain objects that are used for rituals and spells. To increase concentration, objects such as candles, incense, large pots (cauldrons), cups (chalice) and natural treasures such as sticks, stones, wood, etc are used. The symbol of a 5 pointed star, called a pentagram is especially significant to this religion and is used in rituals and ceremonies. To emphasize the importance of these ceremonies, Wiccans use ceremonial robes and wands. There are many books and websites on the Wiccan tools and sacred objects used in rituals.

Wiccans believe that whatever we do in life, whether it has a positive or negative outcome, we get it back three-fold. This is sometimes called the Threefold Law. Because of this belief, Wiccans always think before doing harm to anyone.

Magick is the method of directing energy that is around us to produce a pre-determined outcome. Magick is a command that is directed to the world with the expectation of immediate action. It’s a reinforcement of an expected outcome, without a hint of a doubt that it may not happen. Magick not a plea to an all powerful God, it’s a command to the divine Goddess of nature who is always ready to make it happen.

Tis the witching hour of night,

Orbed is the moon and bright,

And the stars they glisten, glisten,

Seeming with bright eyes to listen

For what listen they?

John Keats (1795 - 1821)

Wicca is a healing tradition that is based on the love of the Earth. Herbs and healing crystals as well as stones are usually used in rituals. The more they practice the religion, the better they get at understanding how spirituality can restore the world. Wiccans can help heal people with herbal remedies and other holistic healing methods such as Reiki and Meditation.