In Search of Truth

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, Sorry for the incredibly delinquent response. I do not see anything in the text that would indicate John was speaking sarcastically, tongue-in-cheek, hyperbolically, or figuratively in any other way, such that we should not take his words at face value: Now this is the confidence tha...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, It is good to hear from you again! I'm sorry my post is so long. Some things seem resolved in my mind until another question arises and I feel like I'm back where I started because everything is interrelated. I think most of your questions relate to Bible authority and how to establi...

m273p15c

So, your experience trumps the Scriptures? I just want to make sure that I understand you.

m273p15c

Thanks for the quick answer! :) Acts 4:12 , Matt 1:21, Only Jesus saves us, not water. Who said water saves us instead of Jesus? Why would one exclude the other? Please let us consider the passages you referenced: "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given am...

m273p15c

I Read your scriptures, and I'm not bring a vision of the Lord or a revelation or anyone. I'm don't bring a word from the Lord, I'm just saying What Jesus did for me to get me saved is what he did for me. One million other people may never experience what I have but that doesn't make what happened ...

m273p15c

what am I to do about not having a church. I have my own vision of something but I'm not sure if it's of God or myself. If I could get a group of 5 truly born again people to fellowship with I'll be happy. I sent you a private message regarding this. The gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues....

m273p15c

Hi Mr. Pearson, You have raised a couple of very good questions. Here, I'd like to focus on the doctrinal questions: trinity, tongue-speaking, once-saved-always-saved, and Holy Ghost. I would concur that the Godhead consists of 3 distinct, unified, divine Beings, often referred to as the Trinity. I ...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, Those are a LOT of really good questions. I think we have discussed some of them previously, but I understand you have some new ones and feel they are related. I would be happy to individually examine your questions in the light of Scripture, but there are too many for me to examine ...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, May I offer the following in response to your valuable and most recent questions? In the New Testament, how are psalms, hymns and spiritual songs differentiated from one another? When Paul instructs us to sing and speak to one another in "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" ( Ephesia...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, First, let me apologize for what appears to be becoming a habit for me – a much delayed response. I pray this will still be helpful despite the terrible latency. :) Not only am I reminded that I shouldn't just assume something is acceptable because someone else in the church approves...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, First, let me apologize for the long belated response. I'm very sorry that I did not respond sooner. :( Second, I pray these thoughts will be helpful to you as you continue to meditate and study this good question. Churches and their leaders may judge to minimize or eliminate instrum...

m273p15c

I think the preceding verses are also helpful (quoting all here for context): The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship ." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, t...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, I believe there is some truth and error in what you have heard. You are correct. There is only one Holy Spirit ( Ephesians 4:4 ). And, virtually every positive reception of a "spirit" in the New Testament is a reference to receiving the Holy Spirit. (The only exception would be an op...

m273p15c

I'm sorry for the difficulties you have faced, but I am thankful and encouraged that you are overcoming.

It's always good to know a fellow truthseeker, who puts God and His truth above all else. I know it's not always easy, but you are doing great. Please keep "fighting the good fight".

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, Thanks again for the good questions. May I offer a few comments in response to your own? :) For instance, a man who sinned claimed scriptural support for insistence that he was automatically restored to a relationship with God, without repenting, in Proverbs 24:16: For a just man fal...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, I'm so sorry to hear about the difficulties you have been facing personally and with the church there. I appreciate your support of the truth at the congregation there, and I pray that your efforts and those of others will ultimately prove successful and that you may find some peace ...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, I'm glad to hear the previous comments proved helpful, but I'm sorry to hear that the false teaching is continuing to take a discouraging toll on the congregation. You are so right about all of us being susceptible to false doctrine. We must always be diligent in study and check our ...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, I'm glad to hear that financial support is not an issue. May I comment on some of your previous insights? I absolutely agree that our loyalty to God comes first! However, I have no option other than to sit silently in my pew because I'm female and therefore not permitted to teach in ...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, Sorry for the delayed response. I think you are on the right track, and I'm relieved that some things are improving. May I offer a few thoughts on some of your questions and observations? One passage the false teacher has used to support his doctrine is Psalm 19:12-13 where David ask...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, This is an important and excellent question. I don't think there is just one Scripture or principle to apply to this question, so it can be a difficult question to answer specifically, since each case varies. So, please allow me to offer a few verses and general thoughts: When we fin...

m273p15c

Hi churchmouse, There are 2 parts to this: First, I think the doctrine's question is extremely misleading. It is a red herring , if you will: I'm greatly disturbed because of a new doctrine being taught in the congregation I attend. ... It contends that we all sin all of the time without knowing it ...

m273p15c

I just want to bring up two points that seems to be lost in all of the frustration and anger resulting from this debate. ... what would happen if the person would be continually bombarded with the teaching that there are no absolute truths, no universal standard of right or wrong? Well, basically, ...

m273p15c

I think we already allude to the ancient roots of Calvinism, although we do not elaborate in such detail: Very few doctrines are more pervasive in modern churches and theology than Calvinism. Although not modern by any means , this doctrine is recognized by its most successful proponent, John Calvin...

m273p15c

You are not obligated to follow Matthew 18:15-17 in this case, neither do I think it represents the best approach here. For convenience, here's the NKJV: "Moreover if your brother sins against you , go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. B...

m273p15c

sure - no problem - please let me know what you find - i always appreciate others' insight

m273p15c

Thanks for the good question. There are some articles and discussions here: (The first article touches on your specific question.) http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/music_references.html http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/music.html http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/music_history.ht...

m273p15c

You are more than welcome, Marie! It's an honor and a joy to serve in the Lord's cause. ... If you have any other questions, comments, or feedback, please don't hesitate to send them. ... Please do look around the rest of the ISOT site and the WordsFitlySpoken site . ... May God bless us to have a s...

m273p15c

Thanks for the reasonable and humble response! Whenever you have time, I have collected a few lectures on the Holy Spirit, which you may find insightful: Turner, Robert, The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit , http://www.wordsfitlyspoken.org/audio/turner/Robert Turner - Indwelling of the Holy Spirit.mp3...

m273p15c

You are more than welcome! If I can serve in the Lord's cause and help others, it is a true joy and honor. You mentioned a topic that leads me to a couple of questions. The Holy Spirit is an interesting topic, and I believe that much of the division we see in "Christendom" is a result of misundersta...

m273p15c

Thanks for the excellent question! Many people, who either grew up believing "once saved, always saved" or were converted to it, are understandably uneasy with their personal salvation outside of OSAS. First, you should know that the Bible provides a clear basis for confidence in one's personal salv...

m273p15c

Per an anonymous request, here are several sermons by Paul Earnhart that deal with the subject of instrumental music: (The last three are my favorite, but they all overlap each other quite a bit.) http://www.wordsfitlyspoken.org/audio/earnhart/780B - Why No Instrumental Music.mp3 http://www.wordsfit...

m273p15c

If you were baptized "for the remission of sins ... in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" ( Acts 2:37-38 ), then you have obeyed the Lord's command ( Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16 ). Now, if you were baptized for any other reason instead, for example, to please family, to join some denomination, t...

m273p15c

I'm sorry for the lengthy delay in responding to you. Thanks again for your good question! :) There is both a simplicity and an incredible challenge in being a Christian. I would encourage you to look over this article about being a Christian: http://www.insearchoftruth.org/articles/salvation.html A...

m273p15c

I would like to spend more time with this, but off the top of my head, please allow me to offer 7 points: The Catholic council of Hippo was local - not "universal", and it only formally recognized what had already been commonly known among the brethren. Several verses ( II Peter 3:15 , plus Colossia...

m273p15c

That's a good question. How do you define "religion"? What does that word mean to you? It means different things to different people, so I wanted to make sure we are on the same page.

Thanks!

May God help us to have a sincere love of truth (II Thessalonians 2:9-12),

m273p15c

m273p15c

No problem. Thanks for the good question. ... No, I am sure it is fine to have people we respect. We are told that the people in the Old Testament were given as examples from which we could learn and draw hope ( Hebrews 11:1-12:2; Romans 15:4; I Corinthians 10:11 ). However, even though we "are surr...

m273p15c

Thanks for the good question. There's no need to apologize or explain your motives. :) These are good questions. About #1, this specific question is but one application of the generic question, "Are we obligated to follow all approved examples in the New Testament?" And, the answer, as I understand ...

m273p15c

Thanks for the article. Here are my thoughts: (BTW, I'm dancing to Bob Myhan's tune here, so I'm not explaining what I believe in the way that I would want. Consequently, this is way more complicated than I would like, because I'm not only explaining what I believe, but I am also trying to prove tha...

m273p15c

Thanks for the additional info! ... I was hoping for something more authoritative, but I appreciate your efforts.

m273p15c

Thank you for the interesting evidence. I am no scholar of history, so I am in no position to verify these claims without spending a lot of time in a library. Can you provide credible references or sources for each of these claims? There have been too many (1 is too many) modern con-artists, who hav...

m273p15c

Thanks for the good question! Some Bible concepts are more directly stated or more readily grasped than others ( II Peter 3:16-18 ). Consequently, diligent study is required to draw out these more difficult points ( II Timothy 2:15 ), and as a consequence, those who are either unwilling to study or ...

m273p15c

Sorry for the delay. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the article and are diligent to look to God's Word for His will, instead of looking to man's word. The ISOT web-site is owned and operated by a few individuals, who each attend non-denominational churches of Christ. Like all truthseekers, we hav...

m273p15c

I need to revisit the article on self-confidence and self-esteem. A Christian has every right to assess his own abilities and accept tasks that are equal or maybe even slightly greater than his estimation of himself, and then engage that task with enthusiasm and confidence. The purpose of the articl...

m273p15c

The answer to your question is yes and no. The ISOT web-site is operated by a handful of individuals without any form of sponsorship from any local church. In fact, where I worship, most of the members do not even know that I help on this web-site. :) So, it is individually owned and operated, and w...

m273p15c

I appreciate you sharing your opinion and current convictions with us as to why you are not a theist. Please allow me to respond by explaining in turn why I am not an atheist: Most physicalists or naturalists point to the great mass of scientific papers and textbooks that supposedly prove a possible...

m273p15c

Thanks for the good questions. Yes, you are correct. There are multiple "links" in the "chain" of salvation. If any of these links are broken, the entire chain is broken. God's grace and our faith are both required ( Ephesians 2:5; Hebrews 11:6 ). But, the faith must also be an obedient faith. If ou...

m273p15c

Thanks for the encouragement! Please feel free to post the link on Bethke's Facebook page or blog. I don't have a Facebook page, so I will leave that up to you. :) Yes, you are more than welcome to use the article in teaching your class. If you can provide a link back to the article, that would be g...

m273p15c

I'm glad to hear that. If I can do anything else to do, please let me know.

Thanks, and May God help us to have a sincere love of truth,

m273p15c

m273p15c

You are more than welcome. Thanks for the encouragement.

... m273p15c

m273p15c

Thanks for contacting us. I pray these answers will prove spiritually profitable to you. I would encourage you to be very careful in believing that God has spoken to you directly. In ancient days, many people believe that God had spoken to them, when in reality, their imagination, strong desire, or ...

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