Marty wrote:
Michael,
I didn't mean education in such a broad sense, but rather that you listen to the lecture by presuppostionalist John W Robbins

Still knowing my own testimony and how God worked in my life to make Himself real to me Voddie Baucham's explanation of why he chooses to believe the Bible, which in his testimony of having no idea at all of what Christianity was all about, was absolutely essential in Him coming to saving faith in Christ.

Which he talks about in: Why I Choose to Believe the Bible.

Marty wrote:
Educate yourselves

And IMHO I agree with Voddie Baucham that foundational to our apologetics, or witness and gospel preaching if you will is knowing:

Dr. Voddie Baucham - Why I Choose To Believe The Bible

Why I Choose to Believe the Bible

Proverbs 22:17-21

Neil wrote:
You ignored my question, so I'll repeat & rephrase it: How is a deaf & blind person supposed to learn about God when he can't even see the creation which requires functional vision to perceive & appreciate?

Just a brief comment here:
A preacher named Chuck Misler has made an observation about Albert Einstein who was not a Christian, that Einstein saw so much wonder in the Universe (the Creation of God) that when it came to preachers they weren't speaking of the real thing when it came to God

In the attitude of despising not prophecying but examining everthing carefully and to hold fast to that which is good - Please do that and hold fast to what is good in:
How Great is Our God: with Louie Giglio

Bro. James wrote:
I say BULL!!!!!
I will not hold my tongue!!
I will buy more bullets !!
And I will FIGHT BACK!!!

2 Corinthians 10
1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Maybe NOT said this way, just practised:
Anti-bullying "laws" to disarm and pre-punish victims in a vain and worthless attempt to appease evil, hateful and wicked men.

That is just not enough.

and

ooooh wrote:
Ooooh Michael.
You are very close to supporting salvation by works in that statement. You are not harping back to your old RCC days are you?

Grace is NOT opposed to effort, Grace ought to encouragea and motivate one to diligent effort to serve Christ, to work out, NOT for, to work out one's salvation in fear and trembling because in genuine salvation, in genuine saving faith (which God Himself is the author of and gives), it is God Himself who is at work in the child of God both to will and to do according to His good pleasure and purpose,

Grace is opposed to merit.

So ever hear of grace being related to: denying ungodliness and worldly lusts?

Ever notice in 1 Peter how he exhorts the child of God to grid up our loins (that would be so we might go to work) in the same book he speak of what he wrote to us by the Spirit as being the True Grace of God?

Eswicke wrote:
That list is duties of the Church Michael.
Those who are ordained of God will have carried out some of these duties but not all, as indeed I have.
Duty is not faith.
Your post below "truth is testable" puts doubt on truth. Why else would you test it? Why else do you doubt God - to test Him?
OR
Do you have complete faith in God and what He has written and revealed?

As to "testable" maybe the word, "Confirmable" or "Verifiable" might work better for you.
My heart is in evangelism and building up the faith of genuine born again believers in the church, in this there is more than sufficient witness of an Almighty Infinitely Intelligent Creator in the Universe that (I am not sure this is the best word) coroborates our faith and witness to the lost (the faith God Himself authors and gives to us through His word and by the work of the Spirit).

John UK wrote:
Is this one of the things you are referring to Michael?-
Romans 1:18-20 KJV
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

It amazes me as it appears some want us to sever our minds from our faith to the point of even severing four faith from very real supernatural experiences that are of genuine Biblical faith.

Eswicke wrote:
Do you leave any room for 'faith' in your religion?

Let me ask you some questions, and please understand I have a lot of learning and growing to do in these areas.

Ever cast out devils?
Ever pray for the sick and see them healed?
Ever pray for a humanly impossible situation and see God intervene and do the impossible?
Ever have the Holy Spirit reveal to you something that is going to happen before it does?
Ever preach on a street corner and hand out gospel tracts?
Witness to a Muslim?
If you haven't, why not?

Neil wrote:
It is strange for a Christian to assert that we must test God's Word; aren't we warned against doing such a thing? Why should faith in the unseen need material props?

Maybe you don't know your Bible as well as you ought to.

The heaven declare? Do you know? Is it experiencial to you or just nice sounding words on a page?

They are without excuse because? Do you know? There is a reason and if I may the reason is not 'they don't have a Bible' is it, right?

Certainly, God Himself has given us the Bible and we ought to read it like our lives depend upon what He says because they do. And God likewise saw fit to give us minds and we ought to use them.

Hint:
Proverbs 22:17-21

Neil wrote:
I know the Flood occurred because the Bible Tells Me So, not because of fossils in sediment, which prove nothing.

Now we might do well to consider that the Truth is "testable", there will be in that natural world "evidence" that what God has told us is indeed true.

If memory serves me AIG has done a good work pointing to this reality.

Scripture talks about real places, real historic people, events that really happened, specific prophecies God fulfilled literally.

Barry from KY wrote:
I have a question, if a person believes in their heart, that Jesus is their Savior and he rose from the dead, and sits on the right hand of God his father, but has questions about creation, is he still saved???

First, if the person you are asking about is genuinely born again of the Holy Spirit, genuinely saved _ What will that look like in an individuals life?

Their life will! NOT Maybe, but will be utterly changed. Will they be instantly perfect and exhaustively knowledgable in all things? Let's not be out of our minds. So what will we see?

IMHO I believe we will see in them God's sovereign work of sanctification, discipline and correction, equipping and conforming them more and more into the image of His Son Jesus Christ _ which includes a growing up into the Truth, into genuine Biblical Doctrine (including a literal 6 days of Creation) and the living it out in ones life.

Observer wrote:
Titus 1:16
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

in great contrast with:

Those working out their salvation (NOT working for ) working out their salvation in fear and trembling because God Himself is at work IN THEM both to will and to do according to His good pleasure and purpose, because they are indeed born again of the Spirit of God and it shows in that they hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ and in love for Him, with great joy, willingly follow Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

and adding this after reading JY's post

John Yurich USA wrote:
Romans 10:9 states only one requirement for salvation. Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Baptism, church membership or fellowshipping is required for salvation.

BUT for the benefit of those who do love the Lord Jesus Christ and are grieved at any false teaching and misrepresentation of what genuine Salvation is all about.

So listen, there is one preeminent requirement for Salvation.

A sacrifice so completely entirely Holy that it takes all the wrath of God against sin and satisfies divine justice and so changes those who entrust themselves to the sufficiency of this power sacrifice given in the immeasurable love of God that it changes utterly the very hearts of those who believe, to no longer live for themselves but for the Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose again on their behave.

No wonder Scripture tells us, 'if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed.'

John Yurich USA wrote:
If those individuals in Matthew 7 did not worship Jesus as God then they were unbelievers. Anyone who worships Jesus as God is not an unbeliever.

So look at Matthew 7:21-27 for even in the RC Bible the CONTEXT of what Jesus says is clear. NOT that they worshipped Him as God, He is, the 2 ND Person of the Godhead, AND EVEN THOUGH they called Him, 'Lord, Lord', BUT THAT they DID what He told them, or not.

John Yurich USA wrote:
Yes the Holy Bible is my Bible as I believe the Holy Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God. Period. I have always believed the Bible to be the infallible and inerrant Word of God. How can you state that I don't believe that?

For your enjoyment:
Bullwhip Guy

Starts with love wrote:
When you live in a Muslim Country

Jesus told us, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

And in another place, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels."

It looks like the hope for one in a Muslim country is in loosing their life at the hand of those who adore the same god as the RCC, for the sake of belonging to Jesus Christ, who is worth more than life itself, and even the life of one's own children.

SteveR wrote:
{ahem}

BUT here is the "rub?", on one side we have men humbly listening to what God Himself says, with the honest consideration, He knows what He is talking about, means what He says and says what He means

on the other hand we have, let's call them religious scholars, like Augustine, Calvin, the Popes and even to some measure yourself telling us, "the Bible really doesn't mean what it says", "this is what it really means." Kind of like Augustine's famous allegorical interpretation of the parable of the 'Good Samaritan.'

SteveR wrote:
Thank you for sharing those answers, blessed are those given the eyes & ears to understand that truth