steve i must disagree...it is certanly possible to lose your salvation once you have it. once saved is not always saved. dont have time or energy to get into it at the moment, but i would certainly be willing to discuss with you via message/email if you like...
and on the subject of "sin unto death"...kind of touches on loss of salvation as well actually...- once we have been saved and made righteous through christ - placed in a place of righteousness through NO WORK OF OUR OWN - there is no single act or series of acts that can remove us from that place of righteousness save rejection of christ. who are we to think that our actions are enough to move us from a place of righteousness that god has placed us in. just as none of our acts are good enough to bring us salvation save belief in christ and acceptance of his sacrifice on the cross, so none of our acts are bad enough to remove us from salvation save rejection of christ.
the bible is clear that drinking wine (alcohol) is NOT a sin - however drunkenness is.
that's not to take anything away from those who have decided due to personal conviction that they should not drink. i completley respect that decision and understand the reasons for it, however to say that because one person feels they shouldnt drink that means all christians shouldnt isnt right.
i can tell you exactly why - adam is a general word for mankind - also the name of the first man - Adam.
its like if I had a dog and decided to name it Dog. not that complicated. seriously...man created the first man with (virtually) unlimited genetic possibilities...thats where all the other "races" came from - all one race really, but the diversity that we see in humans today is a result of the amazing ability to adapt that god built into us in his infinite wisdom. cain's wife would have been one of his sisters...also - if adam and eve werent the only two people then god would not have needed to send his son to save ALL OF HUMANITY b/c there would have been other people still perfect, still in unblemished relationship with god that would not have needed saving...god would have only had to send his son to save some of humanity.
sorry man, but i just dont see it...i think you are seriously misled and i will pray that god reveal his grace to you!
i happen to agree that old earth christianity doesnt do anyone any good. who are we to pick and choose what parts of the bible may or may not be true etc...
i believe that it happened just as the bible says - a day is a literal day (i have studied it a little...) - a 24 hour period, adam and eve were the first humans created by the hand of god and all humanity is descended from them.
it is my belief that true science (unadulterated by evolutionistic thinking etc) actually provides great proof for a young earth and in favor of creation...again, i dont hav extensive knowledge on the subject, but i have heard some teaching and done some reading and to put it simply, the young earth/creation school of thought simply makes more sense....
the physical act of being baptized in water is NOT necessary for salvation - it can be a symbol of your commitment to christ, the renewing that is going on inside of you, the death of the old (sinful) nature and the rebirth of a new (christ's) nature, which is a good thing...obviously some could argue that it can also be used as a thing of pride, which could be true in some cases...but in genereal water baptism is a good thing - however NOT necessary for salvation.
with that said, i think anybody who has major issue with being baptized in water as a symbol of their love and commitment and sanctification to christ and what he has done for them (that is what it is intended to be) needs to seriously re-examine their christianity.
a few thoughts i would like to share...i have to confess i didnt read the whole thread - but, i read a few posts and think i have the general gist so here goes lol...apologies if any/all of this has already been reiterated
1) man was created perfect, in gods image, sinless in nature with a direct connection to god. he was created for relationship with god - to love him and be loved in return. perfect love and relationship however requires choice so in order for the relationship not to be automatic god had to put the possibility of sin and separation (tree of knowledge of good and evil) within reach of man.
2) man (adam) sinned by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - this was the one thing he was specifically instructed NOT to do by god - this sin lead to separation from god for adam and all of humanity down the line. picture it as being put into a cage of sin - because adam and eve were in effect in the cage, all of their offspring was by default born into this cage as well, and their grandchildren and on down the line. we had given the keys to the world - that we were supposed to rule over - to the enemy, satan and placed ourselves in bondage.
3) because of this all of mankind is sinful in nature from the moment of their birth. we sin without ever trying to or meaning to, we are sinful unconsciously. nothing we can do on our own can ever change that. this is why jesus had to come. gods plan of salvation.
4) because manking was sinful by nature, in order to escape that jesus could not be born in the conventional way - or he would have been trapped in the sinful nature of man just the same as everyone else. god had to break the human bloodline in order for jesus to be born outside the "cage" of sin. he was born from a virgin in order to be free from sin - this allowed him to be fully man, and fully god while not being trapped in the same way that the rest of humanity was trapped. his mission was to recover the keys to the cage that we were trapped in and open the door so that we could again have free access to god, salvation and all that he has for us. he accomplished this by dying on the cross and rising again and defeating satan once and for all.
5) now the cage is open for us - mankind is still born in separation from god, however the way has been made clear for us to reconnect with god - it is up to us whether or not we walk out of the cage and into the freedom that god offers us. sadly, many people dont realize this and still live as though the cage were locked tight with no way out.
6) we all have free will and it is up to us whether or not we accept gods free gift of salvation. god knows who is going to be saved and who is not and while it is true that many peopkle die and have died each day without hearing the gospel, god is god and his ways are not our ways - he is all powerful and first of all it is his perogative whether or not we get a chance at salvation - not with that in mind, he loves us and the bible says he desires all to be saved - whose to say what methods he uses to enable the gospel to be heard to those who havent heard it in the conventional way. after all, all creation speaks to the glory of god according to the bible. and god can speak through dreams, visions, angels and who knows what other means. regardless it is not our place to judge or questioin - he is god. all powerful, all knowing and the creator of us - who are we to question the creator of all of life and everything we know?! we are only resposible for our life and what we do with it - i mean to spend mine loving god, getting to know him more and better and serving him with everything i am.
the first reference you make is part of the overall story of creation. god is describing the order of when he created things and how it all fit together. the second reference in genesis 2 is a specific snapshot of the creation of mankind that he referred to in chapter one. a detailed description of the general reference previously noted.
adam was the first human created, the first one of his (our kind), there were none others liike him. then eve was created and all of humanity is descended from them.
probably one of my favorite songs ever...by a band called brave saint saturn...just a little thought provoking tidbit about who jesus is and how he can relate to us.
IS "THE GIFT OF TONGUES," OF MODERN PENTECOSTALISM BIBLICAL?
Posted : 25 Aug, 2009 07:09 AM
Just a few things i would like to add to this discussion...
1) The gift of tongues IS clearly biblical - Mark 16:17, Acts 2:4, Acts 10:46, Acts 19:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28-30, 1 Corinthians 13:1, 1 Corinthians 14:5-6, 18, 22-23, 39.
2) The gift of tongues IS available to everyone, but not necessarily everyone will receive it.
3) Whether or not you speak in tongues has nothing to do with your salvation.
4) The gift of tongues is largely intended to be a private thing between you and God. There are times when it can be public for the edification of the church, but generally only if there is an interpretation.
5) Tongues is a GIFT, not a right.
6) Just as our great God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today and forever, so are his gifts. If it was available to the Church in the Bible then it is available to us today.
