house

I agree. I think regarding Jesus Messiah as King is appropriate. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Matthew 28:18

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:12-14 I think Paul commented on his own life to make the point that we ALL have sinned. And by being upfront in admitting to the earlier false beliefs and wrong actions of his own past, Paul neutralizes having the sins of his past being used against him. But Paul also uses his own life to bring glory to God for His grace and mercy. As others have commented, Paul was appealing to those who were engaging in false teaching: I acted wrongly, but God's grace redeemed me and God's grace can redeem you, too. Hank - good point!

Well said!

The Magi were scholars who evidently studied astronomy, but I think it may be very inappropriate to call them astrologers. Doesn't that give credibility to astrology? There is a huge difference between interpreting a sign in the heavens and believing that the stars and planets affect our lives on earth. Here is a brief quote from www.bethlehemstar.net: Astrology holds that stars exert forces on men. Astrology is "...form of divination based on the theory that the movement of the celestial bodies

Was the star of Bethlehem a miraculous, supernatural event or a natural, yet remarkable celestial event, perhaps planned at the very beginning of Creation? Since God's Son arrived as a baby in a manger, the star being a miraculous, supernatural event seems out of place to me. However, the idea that God planned and arranged certain heavenly bodies far in advance as a sign and a guide to the Magi completely amazes me! At the same time, I think it is significant that the Magi not only recognized, but also followed the sign given by God. How is it that these foreign Magi from a far away land were the only ones (as far as we know) who correctly interpreted this astronomical sign in the heavens, visible in the skies for all the world to see? The Magi were seekers, and when they found something, they acted and followed up on it. May we be as diligent in seeking and recognizing what God tells us, and as faithful in following where He leads us. P.S. I found some very intriguing material about the Star of Bethlehem at www.bethlehemstar.net which I think is well worth checking out.

The announcement of the Messiah's birth to shepherds (of all people!) is a way for God to say to us with absolute clarity

Although the historical references to Caesar Augustus and Quirinius can be helpful in debunking modern "Jesus myth" proponents, I really don't think there was much doubt about Jesus' existence at the time Luke wrote his gospel account (probably before the destruction of the Jewish temple around 70 AD). Yet today these references do provide us with information regarding the actual year of Jesus' birth (prior to the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C. versus the presumed date of 1 A.D.). I think Luke was simply using a common method in ancient times of dating an event based on who was ruling (e.g. "In the year King Uzziah died

I think the real question is about exalting Mary as 'Mother of God' rather than her being "blessed among women." In the following passage Elizabeth calls Mary "the mother of my Lord," not mother of God or mother of my God. I have to wonder what Elizabeth or Mary herself would say about the concept of a created human being ever being considered the Mother of Eternal God! "In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!'" (Luke 1:42-43) Nowhere in Scripture is Mary called 'Mother of God,' nowhere in Scripture is Mary exalted as such and nowhere in Scripture does Mary make that claim. To the contrary, Mary's response is: "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." (Luke 1:47) There is no question that Mary was both highly favored and blessed as she was the mother of Jesus Messiah, the Son of God. However, I think the title 'Mother of God' is both non-scriptural and a point of confusion. Jesus is God's Son and Mary his earthly mother, but calling Mary 'Mother of God' incorrectly implies more than that.

Both Mary and Zechariah were presented with news that they were about to experience a miracle birth, and in Mary's case was probably totally unexpected. A big difference I see between the two is that I imagine Zechariah had spent most of his life wanting and praying for a son. Yet when he was told it was going to happen, he responded not with joy, but with skepticism. Mary's response is remarkable and on a personal level we ought to emulate her courage and her complete trust and surrender. At the same time, I think we should remember Zechariah: each of us needs to guard against becoming jaded as we go through disappointments in our life. I see Zechariah as symbolic of the bulk of the Jewish people, waiting and hoping for the Messiah yet not ready at His coming. May we, the Body of Christ, watch and be ready for His return as He instructed. (Luke 21:34-36) Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? Hard to say, although it was not God, but Gabriel who disciplined Zechariah. Maybe Zechariah had to be prevented from speaking any more words of unbelief. Maybe we can't imagine just how offensive our unbelief is. The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time." (Luke 1:19-20)

Yes, we have quite a few enemies, but if God is for us - what does it matter? God will prevail! The evidence for this is that God held nothing back to save us, not even His one and only Son, and having God for us makes me feel invincible.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NASB) As pickledilly wrote, verse 28 is saying "that in all things God works all for the good." To me it is more a statement of fact than a promise: Primarily, God's plan and purpose will not be denied; His goodness will prevail.Secondly, those who align themselves with God and His purpose benefit from His plan moving forward (while those "not with the plan" will not necessarily benefit - and definitely not those who oppose God).I agree with the comment by masika "that God works in "Everything", not just isolated incidents for our good." God is working on a much larger scale than causing everything to work together for your sake or mine; He causes all things to work together for His purpose. Here is my way of putting it: The water of this mighty river will eventually reach the ocean, and if your boat is in this river with the same purpose you are carried along, too. You certainly benefit if your boat is in the river, but the river does not exist for your benefit. Nothing can stop this river from flowing. It will go over or around any obstacle, and any deliberate attempt to block it will eventually be washed away. How does this verse give me hope? That the "river of God" will prevail and reach the ocean, and that it is taking me along!

Hopelessness is not as black and white as one might think, in my opinion. There is a difference between experiencing hopelessness and being without Hope. We have no difficulty understanding why a person without Hope, without purpose, without God or a future with Him would be depressed, lack joy, be downcast, etc. Yet an unbeliever may not exhibit the characteristics of hopelessness described in this topic thread. Such a person might blissfully climb a ladder of "success" for a lifetime until they reach the top only to discover that their ladder was leaning against the wrong building. Some who are Hope-less do not behave that way until they recognize their true situation. On the other hand, what about this person? "I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning." "I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow

Where do we Christians get such a defeatist attitude towards sin? As nes said, our defeatist attitude towards sin is something we get from the people around us, and as RickJW said, "Many people believe that for man to sin is inevitable." This defeatist attitude that sin is inevitable is a deception, we are surrounded by it, and we know were it comes from

I am overwhelmed by the first question: In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Isaiah 53 He was despised and rejected by men... Jesus understands our sufferings because he endured it all himself

Why can't obedience to the law save us? Besides the well established fact that in our fallible, human state (our weak link) we are incapable of obedience to the law, I think there is more to it than that. Even if one kept the law perfectly it would not be enough because it appears that the law is just a tip of the iceberg! Jesus explained that our sin goes much deeper than our behavior; it's deep in our hearts: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who say to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22)

That's an interesting point of view, Rick. But you really didn't mean to say "even before conception" did you? That doesn't make sense to me. If having the Spirit of Christ means belonging to Christ and you believe everyone has the Holy Spirit from birth and even before birth, are you saying we are born belonging to Christ? I will agree with you that "we must study the Word of God." If there is something in scripture for the basis of this belief, please let us know.

Or is this primarily right living by force of will? hanks Oct 27 2008, 01:42 PM "We cannot do it on our own

As previously mentioned in many excellent posts, the law is good for revealing and defining sin, but not much help in overcoming it. Yes, the law defines what crime is, but it does something else critically important: it defines how restitution may be made. The sacrifice system of the Old Covenant had limitations, as Eudora points out in post #25, but I would say the problem had more to do with the animal blood sacrifices being insufficient than with the means of atonement itself. Without the law, the Old Covenant, what purpose would there be to Christ's death on the cross? When the perfect sacrifice was offered, complete restitution was made.

Why wouldn't we be better off just not knowing

I think considering when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans is a good idea. But before anything else I need to say I disagree with the statement in post #5 that "Paul was in his last days in Rome when he wrote this." In Romans 15:23-25, Paul writes to the church at Rome "

I am going to disagree with the notion that "you are a slave to whoever you obey." I think one can be a slave either by being dominated, or by their own submission. But one does not cease to be a slave by ceasing to obey! A slave who disobeys remains a slave, and one who must face the consequences of his or her disobedience. The only slaves who have no choice but to obey are those who are literally a slave to sin (i.e., dominated by sin). The irony of being a slave to sin is that your obedience to sin is hardly rewarded. I know I don't need to remind anyone here that "the wages of sin is death." Once the power of sin has been broken in your life, you have the freedom to choose whom you will obey. By submitting to God as Lord and Master, you become a "slave" but a willing slave. Choosing obedience to God is how one's bondage to sin comes to be broken. I believe continued obedience results in a growing, positive bond with one's new Master, while disobedience exposes one to the "old master" again. However, being disobedient to God does not mean that you no longer belong to Him, or that you are a slave to sin again. Oswald Chambers wrote: "But if we turn away from obedience for even one second, darkness and death are immediately at work again." from My Utmost For His Highest: http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/10/10/devotion.aspx?year=2008

Bad habits may be one reason we can sin unconsciously, but perhaps the biggest reason (for me) is unawareness. When presented with 'how do I offer the members of my body to sin?' my mind draws a blank. I personally need to meditate on Psalm 139: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. What changes in my daily life do I make to begin to offer myself deliberately to God? Besides reviewing the above Psalm, I think where I should start is taming my tongue, as advised in the third chapter of James. "

What difference does this understanding make in our struggles against temptation? We will continue to be tempted but this is nothing to be ashamed of (although feeling guilty about just being tempted no doubt pleases the Enemy very much). It is not a sign of weakness; our Lord Jesus faced temptations more than once. Everyone is tested, even top students. The only problem lies in failing to pass the test. This passage should give us confidence that we can overcome temptations because the power of sin over us has been broken and we can say, "I am no longer a slave to sin." As others have pointed out, we have the power to resist! If when tempted we do sin, it's because we choose to sin or because we do not rely on the power to resist we have through Christ, not because we are a slave to sin.

whose death/actual or figurative? Christ's death