Crushmaster

Jerry, I'm sorry you feel that way. If you didn't intend to stir up a racial tempest, your wording indicated otherwise. No, I doubt responding to what you posted makes BroMatt think it makes him look better. I know it doesn't me, either. Most likely no-one else, either. Mayhap it's a lesson learned? There are times we all (including you) read posts differently than from what the writer intends and respond accordingly.

I would add that feminism also did men in. Most men caved into feminism, allowed and then accepted it. They allowed their wives, daughters and granddaughters to be influenced by feminism and to live according to feminism.

I don't know if pornography did men in (as a whole), but it certainly was/is a factor and has absolutely done those in who allowed themselves to get hooked on it. Today porn is ill effecting both men and women. I read somewhere that the biggest growth in porn is among women who are now becoming as open to porn as men.

No doubt porn has been, and continues to be, a major factor in the promotion of pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexuality and other deviant sexual sins. Today porn has taught young women that it's "cool" to be lesbian or bi-sexual or to at least "play" with other women.

If men and women had been raised in accord with Scripture, been born again in Christ, discipled in Christ and set on the path of righteousness, this would not have happened as it has. Christian churches greatly dropped the ball by backing off their solid biblical stands. The pastors who determined to preach a more "pleasing" message rather than a solid biblical sermon share much of the blame. Husbands, dads and granddads who refused or outright rejected their God-given duty to lead their families according to Scripture are much to blame.

Even among professed conservative IFBs it's become common to see pastors wives with unbiblically short hair, wearing suit type outfits, involving themselves in aspects of ministry they ought not, leading their daughters in the same path, etc. This is a shame to the pastor/husband/dad as well as to the wife/mother.

What it all comes down to is the rejection of Christ and His Word in favor of "the pleasures of the world".

America needs to repent, be born again in Christ and to follow Christ.

Why did Jesus preach in parables to stop people believing?

That is a valid statement. Scripture doesn't tell us the race of the Ethiopian but we may have an opinion as to the race.

I don't want to get in the middle of the two of you and your fun, but what does this mean?

That's assuming Scripture does allow marriage after divorce... :stirthepot:

Tattoos are vain and are a waste of money that could go to more needful things. I worked with a guy that had $45,000 dollars worth of tattoos on his body. They also need to be reworked every five years or they'll end up looking like a giant birth "mark". They can also be addictive. Any unbeliever would probably question why you as a Christian are getting one. Especially an IFB Christian. The image that they have in America isn't too compatible with a IFB Christian. Women will put across the image of a tramp (tattoos were originally a mark worn by whores during Paul's day) and the men will look like jailbirds or biker. You'll see superstitious Catholics with them sometimes. But an IFB Christian? Of course, I'm not talking about tattoos you may have had before you got saved. An evangelist friend of mine had his removed and regretted it because of the scar it left. His brother keeped his but never bothered with them again. There are fading creams that can be used to remove them and even better than that there is a laser removal technique that won't leave any scars.

Why does that mean God is not control of it?

Maybe this would work, brother (and I in no way support "Christian" Hedonism, nor am I fond of Piper)...

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Hedonism
God bless,
Joel ><>.
2 Chronicles 7:14; Romans 5:8.

@S-D

If you don't think that then your out of step with a lot of other Calvinists on that issue.


As for double predesintation, Crush is not disagreeing with all other Calvinists, if you study the systems there is a difference in the lapsarian systems, some don't believe in double predestination and others do. Here is a summary of the systems,

"Those are the two major Calvinistic views. Under the supralapsarian scheme, God first rejects the reprobate out of His sovereign good pleasure; then He ordains the means of their damnation through the fall. In the infralapsarian order, the non-elect are first seen as fallen individuals, and they are damned solely because of their own sin. Infralapsarians tend to emphasize God's "passing over" the non-elect (preterition) in His decree of election."

Supralapsarianism

1. Elect some, reprobate rest.
2. Create.
3. Permit Fall.
4. Provide Salvation for Elect.
5. Call Elect to Salvation.

Infralapsarianism
1. Create
2. Permit Fall
3. Elect Some, Pass over rest,
4. Provide Salvation for the Elect
5. Call Elect to Salvation

Like, I assume, Crushmaster believes, I do not believe in double predestination. I am infralapsarian.

As for kicking down sandcastles the child built, that is an inadequate illustration. God did not make man ruined, man did. Man has sinned, man hates God, man is corrupt because they have corrupted themselves, God did not make them to be destroyed they have made themselves fit for destruction through sin and corruption. God does not destroy people on a whim, it is because they deserve it, the same thing for the elect, they deserve damnation, but they have a substitute, that's the only reason they are spared. If God punishes a lawbreaker He is just, if He pardons some for the reason of the death of One Who died on their behalf He is just because atonement has been made. This does not make God a monster, man is the monster here, not God. The question we must ask is not "why doesn't God make it so everyone can be saved?" The question is: "Why did God make it so ANYONE could be saved?"

There is a simply & clear chain of divine action that can ONLY apply to the saved. Only the saved are glorified & justified, & the calling specifically effects that saved state. Only the saved will be conformed to the image of his Son.

Let the opponents of free & Sovereign grace malign the doctrine & its adherents as they will, they cannot nullify the truth of God's Word. Be warned against maligning God himself as S-D does. Be humbled before our Sovereign God.

Why do they twist the sacred Word? Perhaps because in their unregenerate state they believed they had freedom to repent & believe, or freedom to reject the gracious Gospel call according to their own free will. They assert God contradicts himself within a single verse when Jesus declares:
Jhn 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

They insist that the gracious Gospel call implies the innate ability of sinful man, dead in trespasses & sins to respond & come to life without the all-powerful "Breath of God" instilling spiritual life.

Jhn 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.

Jhn 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
....
6 ¶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

God uses his Word preached to call out his elect. He has ordained Gospel preaching to effect the salvation of his people, & laid that responsibility on us. Election gives no motive for neglect of God's commands whether in preaching, witnessing or living.

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

'Whom'? 'These'? There's a distinction. Who are 'these'? Those who love God. Those who are called according to His purpose (verse 28). These, He foreknew, He predestined, He called, He justified, He glorified. Are all justified? Are all glorified?

No. And no one here would disagree with that.
God bless,
Joel ><>.
2 Chronicles 7:14; Romans 5:8.

Scripture says we are not to cut or mark our bodies.

Tattoos have always been a sign of rebellion and even the woman who gets the little butterfly tattoo on her ankle is viewed as having taken at least a small step of rebellion. In surveys about such things it has been found that guys consider a woman with a tattoo, any tattoo of any size, to be "easier" than women who don't have tattoos.

Our bodies (Christians) are temples of the Holy Ghost and placing grafitti upon the temple isn't the right thing to do.

Tattoos are not viewed as Christian, they have always been associated with the outlaw, the rebel, whether along the lines of pirates, outlaw bikers, gang members or "tough guys". Tattoos give an appearance of evil. Guys with tattoos are rated as being "wild, rebellious, untamed". Not descriptives a Christian should carry.

If a person wants to remember the day he became a Christian he should use his memory or write the date in his Bible; not use it as an occasion to mar and deface the temple of the Holy Ghost.

Under the law, people weren't to mark their bodies. We are no longer under the law, but God's principles remain the same. The principle under the law was separation. The markings and cuttings that were done in OT times had to do with religious practice - that practice being paganism.

Today, we are commanded in the NT to be separate from the world. That means the philosophies of the world that contribute to the practices of the lost in the world. Tattoos would fall in that category, IMO.

We are told as Christians that our bodies are the temple of the living God. And that we are to take care of said bodies. Tattoos run the risk of infection (my former BIL got hepatitis from a tat...just one is all it took), which is not taking care of the body.

Tattoos are not wise. Many people have them, even in Christian circles now. Not just folks who got them when they were lost, but folks who get them after salvation (like the young man in the OP). But a new Christian needs to understand that Christians don't need to come under the power of the culture. We are new creatures when we are saved, and don't need to follow the philosophies and actions of those who do not love our Lord.

But the value! One camp participation is only $350.00 !

Do I hear stampeding feet and the flutter of fist clutched dollar bills in the air? No, it was just the refuse truck at the neighbor's house.

That 'Yeshua-do' name smacks of blasphemy to me.

Sounds like you believe in some kind of annihilation theology. Is that true? If so, that is a theology of a calvanisitc background. The bible is very clear that there is a Second death which is a resurrection to be judged out of the books at the Great White throne Judgement and those not found in the Lambs book of life will be thrown into a like of fire and tormented forever and ever.

Revelation 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Notice the words for ever and ever. These words mean "aion" in Greek. Which means age but not just the word itself but an unbroken age, perpetual time and/or eternal. These words are preceded by the word torment. This word is "basanizo" in Greek.)

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Those that are born again have no fear of the second death. Because we overcome by the blood of Jesus Christ our Savior.

1 John 5:4
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

1 John 5:5
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Revelation 2:11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

There are plenty of scriptures in the Bible that teaches the truth of everlasting life as well as everlasting torment, and not any amount evidence of the lie of annihilation that some teach.

In the King James Bible, only God is referred to as being "reverend". If I were a preacher of any kind, I would not use that title.

A man is a man, human and finite like the rest of us, and only God is to be revered for He is the only One worthy of reverence. :twocents:

Yes ma'am. Removed my post.
God bless,
Joel ><>.
2 Chronicles 7:14.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

It's not just unfortunate that this came up, it's unfortunate that there is female wrestling at all...

Ugh.
God bless,
Joel ><>.
2 Chronicles 7:14.

Absolutely wonderful Lord's Day yesterday! A powerful sermon followed by a very meaty Sunday school!!!

What a blessing that the Lord is with us each and every day and every day His mercies are new!

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth but the word of our God shall stand forever!

Cheer up! The Lord's Day is near!!! :clapping: