AnOrangeCat

This really nails it. At least for me, and I suspect most of us, there's always something we get tempted with day by day. Fortunately we're covered for that by the blood of Jesus.

I'm actually curious about this one. I've heard of the concept before but it's not one I've looked into very deeply. Is this something you'd be able to elaborate on in another thread maybe?

Not "dying" on certain hills reminds me a lot of when Paul told us not to quarrel over disputable matters like whether or not to eat meat and regarding certain days more highly than others. There's a whole lot that can be discussed but isn't really worth arguing about.

Agreed. Even though I do think people who are speaking against Israel are largely speaking from the perspective of ignorance and indoctrination I don't find the idea of protest and debate a bad thing on paper, nor do I think we need to agree with every decision the Israeli government makes. I suspect a lot of protestors grew up on notions of human rights and that war crimes were a thing and might be prosecuted. But for much of human history human rights have been an alien notion and conquerors have done as they pleased with the conquered. The ideas that there are standards of behavior to war and that even in armed conflict civilians will be spared are comforting, but the reality is those ideas are abandoned as soon as it's convenient. Enforcement is haphazard at best and nonexistent at worst, as the Ukraine war has repeatedly demonstrated.

Completely agreed. It creates ripples that can go across hundreds or even thousands of years. Unbelievers can look at it and stop to consider that maybe the Bible shouldn't be dismissed, and Christians can be encouraged in it.

I've been reading Romans lately. Romans 8:14-17 stood out to me. "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." It's always really nice seeing the Bible show such consistency with its message. And thinking about verses like this and the one you provided it's really incredible. Jesus is rightfully spoken of quite highly in the Bible, and despite our sin nature, past mistakes, and more we're adopted to the point of being considered co-heirs.

I second this. I think a lot of times people give Satan credit for things that are just assorted human evils and failings like the flesh and the circumstances we live in.

I agree with Charlie744. Not to sound discouraging but to share a bit of personal experience with the mental health profession I went to a clinic once years ago. I was a wreck and was also contemplating ending my life. They put me through three separate people to screen me and concluded I wasn't bad off enough so they put me on a waiting list. I heard back from them, and they just asked if I still wanted to be on their waiting list. It was unreal. My take home is that you have to both tell the docs and screening people what it's like at its worst and then you have to make them believe you're legit. Being composed worked against me, and when I started letting it all out I had better results.

I agree, and while we don't see much of Paul directly helping others in the Bible we get some clear statements made about the importance of helping others elsewhere. Jesus telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves, the instruction to bear one another's burdens, and the example James gives of faith without works being like seeing someone destitute and basically telling them "God bless you.", then doing nothing to help them out.

I agree, and while we don't see much of Paul directly helping others in the Bible we get some clear statements made about helping others elsewhere. Jesus telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves, the instruction to bear one another's burdens, and the example James gives of faith without works being like seeing someone destitute and basically telling them "God bless you." and doing nothing to help them out.

Pretty much my perspective as well. I've known people that fits like a glove. Being unhappy with a situation or ourselves should be a stimulus to change, but I think some people genuinely enjoy the attention, sympathy, and validation they get from others. No one says you do. As Marathoner stated in another recent thread regarding demon possession a lot of times people blame demons and Satan for things that are just the flesh or circumstances. In the Bible we're told to bear each other's burdens, to fellowship with other believers, and so on. Doing things on our own sometimes is inevitable. But it's not the intention that we do it all the time.

1. This isn't always the case but some people who are suicidal just need a little relief. That can come in the form of attention, comfort, distraction, or even a small change in circumstances. I often take the path of distraction because my usual perspective is that dwelling on their circumstance is what brought them to the bring of suicide in the first place, so getting their attention to shift to something more enjoyable is often in order in the short term. Changing someone else's heart, attitude, and long term circumstances is quite often outside of our control and is more the domain of God so my own strategy is to focus on short term mood boosters and providing a listening ear when the person seems to need it. 2. Yes. Suicide is normally the farthest thing from my mind because I've enjoyed life more often than not despite having depression and a melancholic outlook. Psalm 139:14 is a verse I've felt is especially applicable to me: "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." But there was a time of prolonged abuse and crushed hopes due to an abusive situation that was very much like a case of modern day slavery. To cite a particular instance to show how bad it was and how cautious I had to be I was threatened with homelessness because I told my host that the landlord dropped by and left a bill while she was at work. When I was told I might have cancer she flat out wouldn't take me to the doctor for a return visit. I had tried multiple times to get out of that situation and even recruited some friends but it never worked out. In the end a relative I was never close to and hadn't seen in decades came out of nowhere and intervened on my behalf, and I had a few other good turns after. So I got out of it because I stuck with it until God changed my circumstances. The world might call it a series of unlikely coincidences but more than anything else in my life that chain of events really solidified my faith and convinced me that God was looking out for me.

I largely agree, and with absolutely no intent to downplay OP's issue or anyone else suffering from this the matter is sometimes sensationalized within the Christian (Christian being used loosely) community to a degree that makes it an inaccurate spectacle every bit as much as Hollywood. Add that and how sometimes what might appear to be possession to some is just mental illness and it gets to be a very confusing affair where discernment is required.

This is something that I really wish got more attention both back at the day and in the present. It's a reminder that currency as we understand it today only has value when it's backed by something. I heard about it at the time and it made all kinds of sense. Even back then it wasn't something that was ever really reported or discussed. At least for me the experience was you had to dig into places with things that were normally dismissed as conspiracy theories if you wanted to hear and talk about this sort of thing with others. Currencies used to be backed by things with tangible value, like precious metals. They have intrinsic value and practical uses. Before metals were a big thing people traded food or things they produced. Things that were practical and useful for survival. Oil certainly has real value too. Now? An absurd amount of value is being placed on cryptocurrencies. What are they backed by? Nothing at all, and "mining" it increases power consumption. At least to my eyes that makes its intrinsic value and practical value a net negative, yet top cryptocurrencies are worth an absurd amount of money. It really makes you wonder what the big deal is and why world governments are looking to implement their own versions.

In the OT we see the practice of leaving a portion of one's crops ungathered for the sake of the poor instituted in Leviticus 19:9-10. That's a system that makes the removal of some of your fruits a law. We're not given a precise measurement on what's fair, but over and over again we see commandments for charity. As the NT says our bodies are not our own and should be used to glorify God. This idea seems very applicable to our finances as well. When the rich young ruler approached Jesus in Mark 10 asking what he needed to do the response was to go sell everything and give the funds to the poor. While I do believe we're more obligated to follow the Lord loving a cheerful giver these days the fact that the story is repeated across three of the Gospels is telling. Finally we're told over and over (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17, Titus 3:1, etc.) to obey the government and as Jesus put it, "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's". If that includes a redistribution system so be it. All that said I do personally feel like a system that takes all but the bare necessity to survive diminishes the impact of charitable giving. There's probably some happy balance that could be found in putting tax money to good use and while still leaving room to both enrich our own lives and be cheerful givers, but world governments being what they are today it's hard to see them legitimately striving toward that.

I disagree. Was the Corinthian church an utter failure because they had someone involved in incest? Did God discard Peter because he doubted when walking on the water with Jesus and later denied Him three times? Was David completely disowned because of his sin? Did God go "This isn't working out, time to abandon humanity!" because of Adam and Eve? Clearly not. Nowhere in the Bible do we see the apostles or God Himself saying that the system failed and that it was to be abandoned. Even after the incident with Ananias and Sapphira the sharing of resources seemed to continue as evidenced by an omission in the distribution system and the appointing Stephen and a "select few" others to oversee distribution in the very next chapter. I'd argue here that in leaving men to manage the earth He also gave them the authority to take their choice of government and economic styles. God gave a warning about monarchy yet allowed it anyway. When it was good it saw great heights. When it wasn't there was rampant idolatry and even prostitution going on in the temple. This is true of any government or economic style. Democracy is a nice thought when people elect leaders whose hearts are on God. It's a nice thought that through hard work a person can rise above where they started. But Biblical principles include a lot more than who owns what. They include things like caring for the poor, widows, and less fortunate. Any government, organization, or individual can operate under the two great commandments cited by Jesus or not. I'm just not seeing a strong Biblical case for or against any particular style. Like you pointed out God gave it to us to manage. All these systems are just different flavors of sin and misery when they stray from God.

I appreciate this comment a lot. Something that I've seen a lot of in the US, especially amongst Christians, is a phobia of communism and socialism. As much as I prefer capitalism I've often been of the opinion that any of these systems can work so long as they're tempered by Biblical principles. When those principles are absent then the implementation will inevitably gravitate toward extremes and sin. We saw it and can still see it in Communist China and Russia. But we can see it in our capitalism and democracy as well where principles are rapidly falling by the wayside in favor of money and appealing to every little demographic for votes.

Agreed. Different parts stand out more to me and are more relevant at different times in my life. It's the same for all of us. Today James is amongst my favorite books of the Bible. Earlier in life I probably would have gone with Revelation (still a favorite) or Ecclesiastes.

I feel like intentions matter. We're all human and thus imperfect and prone to error. But I'd say there's a distinction between someone who genuinely believes and is error and someone taking on the mantle of a teacher in the name of their own gain.

Yeah, there's those three instances of Christian being used in the Bible. With the term being used internally I wouldn't personally consider it extrabiblical. It's just not used much. Instead of Christians the Bible more often speaks of the church. I do think the term "true Christian" is extrabiblical, but the concept exists because its opposite is spoken of. Hypocrisy is something Jesus spoke out against a lot, and it stands out to me that the only group He seemed especially vocal in speaking out against were hypocrites and people trying to exploit faith for their own gain. Jesus and others in the New Testament also speak of false teachers.

The general explanation I've heard is that it was due to sin. Jesus took the sins of the world upon Himself and was in a way, temporarily separated from the Father. The idea is that He payed the price for all our sins and experienced the end results of that sin if only for a while: death, Hell, and separation from God.

I agree. Both it and type 2 diabetes seem more prevalent now than they did before. Doubtless some of it is due to more information and medical advancements, but I do believe (at the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist) that modern diet, lifestyles, and the assortment of chemicals are also contributing to these and other conditions we're seeing more and more of. Amen. Something that I personally came to in into was that Jesus concluded a parable with the idea that a servant who did wrong and wasn't aware of it would get off lightly compared to a servant who knew better and neglected to do what they should. We can get a sense of God's vision of justice there, and dementia seems like the very picture of someone unaware of what they're doing.

It can, yeah. In her case I don't think so. It didn't seem to add to the mix so much as amplify what was already there. She had a sense of goodness toward others that came off as very transactional and entitled for example. She'd be good to other people but then expected to get recognition and reciprocation in return. When she didn't get that she'd turn to manipulation and tantrums. Even before the dementia she was that way. Add to the mix a son and several grandchildren who were heavily involved in drugs and it was a recipe for a lot of hurt feelings and bitterness on her part. So the main differences in her before and after state was the degree and that she eventually became a danger to herself and others.

My grandmother on my father's side is an interesting case. She was my mother in practice and did a lot to expose both me and my sisters to Christianity. I think she meant well, but she also bought in to the prosperity gospel and some other dubious teachings. She seemed to use it in a way that was self serving sometimes. After her dementia kicked in someone in the mental health field described her as a psychopath. As the primary caregiver I ended up being the target of a lot of her abuse, and she behaved in some ways that weren't Christian at all. I'm potentially wrong in this belief but I think that what's in a person's heart will shine through even during dementia. What I saw and experienced during her dementia didn't paint a great picture. It left me wondering about where she ended up. On one hand I absolutely believe God is merciful and grants people who are mentally impaired a lot of slack. On the other it was clear that she had a lot of bitterness and anger for various reasons. Back to the question though, I still felt sympathy seeing the state she was in during life support. There's a lot to take to heart about her case, one of those things being that only God knows for sure what's in a person's heart. Even a decade after the fact it's still distressing to think that her standing with God by the end went so far off the mark as to land her in Hell.

I'm slightly late to the party but I very much agree with the premise. Salvation is free yet we see a lot in the Bible that speaks of judgment according to works that suggests the absence or presence of rewards and a varying degree.