anything can me spam and am honestly tired of these ESSAYS you guys are passing off as posts. This is overly exhausting to even attempt to read and does not compel one towards reading and even practicing Christianity, actually the opposite




O B N O X I O U S



P.S. I’m a Christian and have probably read the Bible unlike most of you

I somewhat agree with Tac(ky)tical, neodanubian's commentary can get excessive... I just read the verses he posts.
Not sure what the point of your P.S. is... the people posting and explaining verses from the bible haven't read it? Why brag about it anyway? “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."

Anyway, haven't posted here in a while, so here it goes:
Acts 2:3 - And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them,
Mark 9:49 - "For everyone will be salted with fire." [- Jesus]
Colossians 4:6 - Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

From these verses, we can see that before the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, they learned to control what they said to others and in general. We as Christians should be careful about what we say (with help from the Holy Spirit), whether we encourage or reprove someone.

O B N O X I O U S

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Numbers 16:1-3
Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?



In these verses, Korah with several other princes of Israel are trying to overthrow the hierarchy established by God when he rewarded the Levites for standing with Him after the other tribes of Israel made the false god of a golden calf. The priestly tribe of Levi was to have charge over the tabernacle and it's sacrifices, and in this instance Korah and others were covetous of their standing among the tribes. 

The bible in both old and new testament never teach that all people are created to be interchangeable; this is seen in men being forbidden to wear long hair or wear that which pertaineth to a woman, women being forbidden to become deacons, children being commanded to obey their parents, and many other examples. A warning against Korah's actions (his name in Greek being "Core") is found in Jude 1:11: "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core." 

Korah and those that still followed him were then swallowed up by the earth, after God warned them through first signs then by voice. Numbers 16:31-33: "And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation."

God takes pleasure in diversity- whether of animals, plants, geography, languages, or peoples. However, when it comes to salvation, we all have to go through the same door. Galatians 3:28 reads, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." The plan for salvation doesn't change based on your skin, your sins, or your salary; all that is required is your faith in the Lord Jesus.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me

Psalm 23:4

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

These verses describe another reason why God doesn't do what many unbelievers think that he should, in that they desire that God should punish the wicked immediately, while they are yet a sprout as this parable would put it. God knows who will be going to hell and who will be going to heaven, but we as humans cannot be sure.
Paul in the new testament is a good example of why having the servants gather up the tares before the whole field is ripe for the harvest is a bad idea. Acts 7:57-60 reads, "Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." The next verse is Acts 8:1: "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judæa and Samaria, except the apostles."
From these verses, our human judgement would dictate that Saul should be punished and would be counted among the tares in the parable mentioned earlier. Yet, as one reads the rest of the new testament, this Saul (renamed Paul) becomes the most well known apostle of Christ. Just because someone we know may commit sins that seem grievous or beyond reproof, does not mean that they will continue to live in that way.

Edited 3/12/2020 02:38:58

Matthew 27:22-24 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

Pilate is a picture of the choices one might make in regards to salvation. As Pilate did, you must make a choice concerning Jesus.
We all know that Jesus was the blameless, sinless, son of God- the only thing all Christian denominations agree upon. Even Pilate in his day knew that Jesus was blameless, as we see in Luke 23:4: "Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man."
Pilate's first course of action was to try to ignore the problem of Jesus. The Jews had delivered Jesus unto Pilate for envy, and Pilate's immediate reaction is to push the problem of Jesus back whence he came. John 18:31: " Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:" You cannot avoid Jesus. God is real, and you are accountable to Him.
Pilate then tried shrugging off the burden of making a decision concerning Jesus unto Herod. Luke 23:5-7: "And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilæan. And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time." Jesus remained silent unto Herod, who sent him back to Pilate. You cannot expect someone else to make the decision concerning Jesus on your behalf.
However, regardless of Pilate's conscience, he still delivered Jesus to be crucified. We are even told why he delivered Jesus to be crucified in Mark 15:15: "And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified." James 4:4 is a powerful verse with Pilate's desire to appease the people in mind: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." You cannot "pocket veto" Christ and be blameless.
Your final route of avoidance is declaring that you are not guilty concerning Christ's death. Pilate tried this in Matthew 27:24: "When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it." However, we are all undeniably sinners. Romans 5:17 reads, "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." Sin is part of our fleshly nature, and because of your, my, and everybody else's sins, Jesus had to be crucified on the cross. You are not blameless concerning the death of Christ.
Accepting Christ as your saviour is the easiest, most rewarding, and most important decision you will ever make. Rejecting Christ through one of many ways as we discussed above, whether of avoidance, delegation, or outright rejection, meaning you're one of those in the crowd wishing that Jesus was dead, you are condemned. Jesus in John 3:18 says it thus: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." You must make a decision, and you must make the right one.

James 2:1-7
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

These verses are a strong rebuke against the culture of the godless millionaire celebrity which prevails in society today. God doesn't hate all the rich- some he blesses with riches: 1 Samuel 2:7 reads "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." Yet we are warned often of pursuing riches for wealth's sake, as in Matthew 6:19-20: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal."
There are many verses proclaiming that enjoying the fruits of your labor is a blessing from God, such as Ecclesiastes 7:18-19: " Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God."
But in many other verses the rich are displayed as wicked and deceitful if they have gotten their riches through unjust practices, such as in Micah 6:10-12: "Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth."
Jeremiah 5:27-29 is God's warning towards nations who allow unfettered greed to occur: "As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"
In Jesus's ministry, he always had a focus on reaching the poor. Mark 11:4-5: "Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Note that the poor having the gospel preaches unto them is in the same category as miracles curing others of their infirmities, in Christ's eyes.
We are told that when we bless the poor- not for our own gain in job application padding or social standing- we will be blessed in heaven, which is far better than the blessings the earth can provide. Luke 14:12-14 "Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."

The riches of this world will pass in the twinkling of an eye, but God's word is eternal, and that is what we should glory in.
Psalm 119:13-16:
With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.

Proverbs 23:6-9 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

As believers, we need to be careful of who we associate with. Jesus did eat with sinners and publicans, but never with those who He knew had no hope of accepting salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 reads, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
When you get saved and get deeper into your walk with God, you will lose interest in the humor or hobbies you used to partake in; even seemingly innocuous things begin to lose their appeal on the basis of them being a waste of time. Ephesians 5:15-16 reads, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7 NKJV

Commentary: This kind of echoes the idea that you will reap what you sow. Those who are merciful are more likely to receive mercy themselves, because, let's face it: who wants to be nice and kind and forgiving to a mean and unforgiving person? (Though in this situation, mercy would be giving them what they don't deserve: mercy)

Philippians 3:4-9 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Paul is speaking here of his life prior to being saved by Christ. He followed the Old Testament and the examples of the Pharisees at the time as closely as he could. Yet, after he came to the full understanding of God through Christ, he counted all his works as nothing. Whatever we do in this life, or what others do on the behalf us after we pass away, will never be good enough to earn us salvation. Everything we need in this life is found on the Cross.

Genesis 4:3-12 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And
the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou
doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee
shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

These verses have a prophetic meaning as well as their literal one, the focus being on praise. We read in these verses of two different offerings made unto God- one which He respected, and one which He did not.
When we praise the Lord, as long as we do it in a manner understanding the Trinity in it's fullness, God will have respect unto our offerings. We are even told that groanings and murmerings are respectable unto God in Romans 8:26-27: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
We see that the ways in which we praise God are very unrestrictive in how we should pray and sing- quite different than the strict laws of burnt offerings under the Old Testament. However, one thing remains the same: we need to direct our praise in the right direction. Philippians 2:10-11 read, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
The name of Jesus is the key part of our prayers. It isn't enough for people to follow "the light that they have," it has to be through His name. God gives a great deal of attention to names in the bible- he renamed Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Saul to Paul, among many other examples, including cities, wells, and mountains. To apply "a rose by any other name is just as sweet" to spiritual matters is not responsible and will lead you astray.
We also see in the story of Cain and Abel that God is willing and even pushes Cain towards making a worthy sacrifice. God did not have respect unto Cain's offering- but He was not wroth with him, since at this time there was not a written law detailing acceptable sacrifices. Yet Cain, unwilling to be corrected, takes out his anger upon his brother Abel, who did nothing towards Cain to provoke him to wrath.
Later, after the Old Testament was given, there is another example of a disrespectful offering made unto the Lord, in Leviticus 10:1-2: "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD."
We see from these verses, that once the law is established, God no longer allowed for loose interpretations of what a respectable sacrifice would be. And now, just as He had rules in regards to sacrifice, there are rules now regarding praise. You must praise God alone, as in Exodus 20:3: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," and it must be through the name of Jesus, as in Romans 8:34: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

Genesis 41:50-52 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house. And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

God's promise to us in regards to our earthy life is made manifestly clear in Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
The important thing to notice in this verse are the major "ifs." If you want God to bless your life, no matter whether you make wrong decisions or just have a streak of bad fortune, you have to love God. Loving God isn't as simple as a declaration of love, however. To truly love someone is to put yourself in a situation where you are subjected to them in certain ways, a mutual example being in 1 Corinthians 7:4: "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife."
In order for us to truly love God, we must be in subjection to him and his laws. John 14:15 and 21 read, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." (Every time I bring up commandments relating to works, such as this above, I feel compelled to quote all of Ephesians 2, but I've done that in many other posts already.)
Joseph in the book of Exodus has terrible tragedies befall him, none an effect of his own doings. Yet, when his brethren come to Egypt for food, God redeems the promise He made unto Joseph, in that his brothers made obeisance unto him, and that through all his trials and tribulations he saved his family from starvation.
If you are saved, and you aren't following God's commandments, God will not be directing your paths to cause everything to work together for good. You must submit yourself unto God, not for salvation, but for your life on this earth, that you may live in a way that is pleasing to Him, and allow Him to direct your paths towards a fulfilling life.

I've been having some serious doubts. Why did God command the genocide of the Amalekites? Even if they were bound to violently oppose the Israelites and God's salvation plan forever, why couldn't God have made a solution which didn't include the killing of children and animals? I've read various explanations, but I found none satisfactory.

Edited 3/18/2020 10:40:28

@buffalo, good question, I've heard it before, and I'll get back to you with my answer sometime soon - that might require a lengthy answer. ;)

Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8 NKJV

Commentary: This verse seems very simple, but I think there actually could be many meanings to this. I'll focus on one, however. I'm now going to use a cheeky analogy: Glasses. When you're looking through glasses, they need to be clear for you to see perfectly - any scratches, dirt or smudges will distort or cover the image you should be receiving. I think this is a little like our hearts; they need to be clear (i.e. pure) of all the scratches, smudges and dirt of our sinful lives before we can clearly see God and His plans for us. If we can do this, we will be blessed. The good news is, we don't have to do it on our own. The Holy Spirit is here to mentor our hearts and help with the spring cleaning. I think that's awesome, and something I personally really need at the moment.

@buffalo, I was going to write a response myself, so I looked up some sources to get a bit of background and make sure I wasn't going to write anything heretical. However, this article impressed me so much I think I'll just link it: https://mercyhillchurch.com/why-did-god-command-saul-to-eliminate-the-amalikites/
This one's also very useful: https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/saul-and-the-amalekite-genocide/
Also, I think it is helpful when referring to this that God did something "worse" once - He flooded the entire earth and killed all the people in it except for one family. I think if one is going to raise objections about the amalekites, one has to also raise them about the Flood, because, as the article says, God's reasons for doing both things were probably very similar. The genocide of the Amalekites was an act of divine judgement on their race for their wickedness.
I'm not sure if that answered everything, but please let me know and I'll talk further if you'd like.
(That's my summary, but please read the articles, they explore it in more detail and look at more [very important] aspects of the situation)

Edited 3/26/2020 01:01:15

(Looks like I've been getting a few verses from the Beatitudes recently. ;)

Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9 NKJV

Commentary: God ultimately desires peace - the peace that was in the Garden of Eden before our Fall, the peace between God and humans, humans and humans. However, when we stuffed up, we ruined that peace, hence there is now war between each other, and war between us and God. But peace is a fundamental part of God's character, and when we try to bring peace to our world, we are showing that we are made in His image and are called His sons and daughters.

I'm renaming this thread Verse of the Week because uni's started and I have less time to write commentaries.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

Commentary: This verse is saying that our words are powerful, even to the point of having power over life and death (spiritual and potentially physical). Also, this verse points out that we will "eat the fruit" of our tongues - if we are talking negatively all the time, it will seem as though nothing good is happening, simply because we no longer notice the good things, because all we focus on is the bad things; hence we have eaten the fruit of our tongues. So take care, and speak only what is good, so that we may eat good fruit, the fruit of Life!

Edited 3/31/2020 04:15:50

Question: Are all Christians saints? And by saint, I mean that they go to Heaven. Or do some believers go to hell? I ask because I've heard the phrase 'all Christians are saints'. I pondered this and concluded that any so-called Christian who goes to hell wasn't a true believer in the first place. Is this accurate?

EDIT: I read both of those links. Very informative.

Edited 4/2/2020 05:18:32

To answer your question, buffalo, I would say yes, all Christians are saints (if saints are defined as people who go to heaven). I also agree with the statement that those who don't go to heaven are not Christians - if you truly are a Christian, your salvation is guaranteed.