wretched

I respect your decision brother.

Brother Scott, this is what I mean here when I warn men not to see and use God's Word as a reference for their already settled, "theological ideas" but to treat it as God intended as the Bread of Life; The Living Water. Please believe me my dear friend when I tell you that I do not want to win temporary debates on forums, I want all of us who have received seed to win the war satan has waged on our souls through the traditions (theology) of men.

Do this and you will fear no more friend: Bread of Life

I understand your stand brother and respect it. I simply view it from the standpoint of consistency in the NT and I correlate it to tares which God's Word also tells us "believe". But this belief is only in the mind and not in the heart. Mental belief lasts only as long as it is reinforced from without, heart belief results in the new birth. I believe this is why our end days "churches" are filled with tares constantly being reinforced from without but the hearts are not right in the sight of God. These receive a "gospel" with the costs already counted for them and then repetitiously reinforced. Take it from a former tare

That is close Scott and was definitely considered but doesn't fit if the issue being considered is sinful acts and not the condition of the heart in unbelief. The context of Simon is His disingenuous "belief" of which repentance was needful. Does that make sense?

Whatever it takes for the win Jim, you can have it my friend

Well that is because it is the only NT Book that associates repentance with sins directly Jim. Prior to that in the NT and before this current age ends repentance toward God is always the precursor of faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance in this current age is always described as changing of our misconception of God (whether atheist or religious) and our true purpose for existence and returning to the True God of all creation, the God of the Holy Bible. Returning because at birth we had an inherent knowledge of the God of creation but lost it to the world system after puberty. Romans 1:19-22.

Jim, the issue was the specific phrase to repent of your sins.

Oh my friend, you have made it abundantly clear early on that your views on doctrine have been determined through Mr Anderson's lenses. You can no longer distinguish his teachings from Scripture. All I am asking you to do is to get it from God alone and you will start to comprehend the Spirit of Truth and be free of this spirit of error. Follow the below link with an open heart unadulterated by men. Just try it for a few months and you will see the differences. Trust me you will get hooked and will see His Word as He intended, as The BREAD OF LIFE. Take it from a Former tare who followed all the "great men of God" for 30 plus years.

Please consider that you are partially correct in regards to homosexuals retaining or defending the reprobate sin: It is quite impossible for any homosexual to defend the practice and possess the Spirit of Christ. Homosexual practice and or defense of the practice is the direct result of not wanting to retain God in their knowledge. So any claim of Christ by them is a false Christ (changing the Truth of God into a lie) and not the Christ of the Bible. God calls it a reprobate mind manifesting itself with homosexual practice and defense. It is spitting directly into the face of God. Romans 1: 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; However, you are far more critically wrong in your defense of a powerless and non transforming Gospel which is NOT the Scriptural Gospel: For those who keep claiming that the fruit of the Spirit is a "works-based" salvation must abandon the Pauline Epistles for a time (they are too much meat for them) and focus only on the Gospels and the General Epistles. God says those are unlearned and unstable leading to their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. The meat of the Word within the Pauline Epistles is contained in their contexts which, by the way, mirror of Lord's direct teachings in the Gospels. However, the weed gainsayers and their proselytes pluck out and isolate passages from their contexts to justify the works of the flesh in them that supposedly "believe" but routinely practice or defend the works of the flesh and not the works of the Spirit. Throw away the merchandise from the gainsayers which teaches this error of the wicked making the Word of God of none effect with their traditions (just as the pharisees of Christ's Day) and listen only to God's Word and His Spirit will teach you if you truly are seeking Him.

Please consider my friend that passages like this within the Church Epistles confronted the tares and not the wheat within these churches. Jesus clearly stated that both wheat and tare would grow together until the harvest in all NT churches. Those he addresses before and after this immediate context are the tares, however, within the immediate passage he states: 9Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Those born of the Spirit or the true wheat would not continue in sin willfully. God used Paul to reiterate to the tares in Corinth the true fruits of the Spirit just as our Lord preached clearly in the Gospels (Sermon on the Mount is the prime example) explaining to them clearly that they did not possess it. Too many contextual passages to demonstrate so take a look here for a more thorough explanation: What is a tare?

Consider that the context of the effeminate passage which lists those who are "abusers of themselves with mankind" directly after effeminate. Wouldn't it make more sense to define effeminate as the transvestite types, trannies or the flamboyant homosexuals whom purposely wear make up/clothing to appear feminine and not the purposely meek and humble men who look like men but rather follow Christ's example and not Adam's anymore? 2 Tim 2: 24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. (I can list many like this all true to their contexts) There is the Biblical answer, these who puff themselves up as harsh, manly men in the name of Christ, are simply not the true servants of Christ. They serve another father unwittingly through the pride and lusts of the flesh....mammon is not money only, recognition and making a name for oneself is also mammon. They deceive themselves but still have time to repent if they would turn from using God's Word as merely a reference for their "theology" and feed on it daily as the BREAD OF LIFE.

Friend, it is your only hope. What do you have to lose? Besides everything that is. You claim to be truly seeking Him and all who truly seek Him will find Him but only through His Word. Your choice but choose wisely.

Well no surprises here my friend. You seem to display tremendous faith in your "doubts". Your fatal error is how you view God's Word. As with most of the religious you regulate it as merely a reference for yours or others theology and not the Bread of Life. Until you decide that true life can come only from it, you will remain in doubt. MATTHEW 4

Faith comes by hearing His Word friend, never by intellectual exercise or argument. If you are truly serious and truly searching for Him, then do this. BREAD OF LIFE There is no other way nor intellectual reasoning that will prove Him to you beyond all shadow of doubt.