Knight

Good discussion on Adam. What about another man in Scripture? A personal hero of mine has always been Joseph the earthly father of Christ. The Bible does not say all that much about him. He was a carpenter and of the line of David. We assume that he died before Christ began his ministry. (Though this is not expressly stated either.) What I find so facinating about him was the task he was assigned. To raise the Messiah as his own child. Can you imagine? I'd be overwhelmed by such a task. He could have chosen to run (He almost did until an angel appeared to him) but he chose to stay and take on this daunting task. Pretty awesome huh?

Men can be influenced by women?!?!?!?!?!?!?! That's the most outrageous thing I've ever heard! In all seriousness. A friend of mine has a theory about how satan fooled Eve. The hypothesis is that Eve couldn't have been in the garden for very long before she was tempted. The reasoning here is that she did not yet realize that serpents couldn't talk. The Bible does not say that she was shocked or surprised by a talking serpent. Just something to think about.

Thanks Wis. Thought I'd stick around long enough to find out what the Lord wants me to do.

According to the Bible this happened in one day. However, this could get us into the whole young earth vs. old earth discussion which is not the point of this thread. By the way. Did you ever think about some of the animals that were named? I'm convinced that the duck-billed platypus was made from leftover spare parts. I'd have loved to have seen the look on Adam's face when asked to name it. Hence the silly name.

Offhand I would say that he was lost, alone and incomplete. Kind of like we are before Christ draws us to Him.

Specific men or men in general? If it's men in general then you probable should start at the beginning with Adam. What kind of man was he? Did he learn his lesson after the original sin? How do you think he felt when one of his sons killed the other? What was it like for him to walk in the garden with God? Just a few generic questions. Angels, let me know if this is not the direction you intended for this thread.

This issue can be addressed through a study of Romans 9. Romans 9 NASB 1

I'm not sure what specific passages you are referring to. Without the context it is impossible to say for sure. If you're talking about the Genesis account then I believe that this referrs to literal birds and beasts.

Thanks RC. You too Lee. I had not thought of it quite like that. I am of the opinion that the beatitudes all have dual meanings. Now before you think I'm off my base hear me out. Each has the application to the point of our salvation. For example: Blessed are the poor in spirit for there's is the Kingdom of Heaven. Poor in spirit, in this context can also mean humble. When we approach God at the point of our conversion we humble ourselves before Him. We acknowledge that we must decrease and He must increase. There is also an application to our daily lives. We are called to be humble in our daily lives not prideful or arrogant. The same could be applied to peacemaker. It can carry the meaning you suggested as well as a command for Christians to be conflict resolvers instead of conflict creators. This is strictly my belief based on a study of these scriptures.

Good answers all around. Thanks.

Ok, I'm looking for opinions and information here. For the last several weeks I've been trying to assemble a lesson on the beatitudes. For the most part I've got a good handle on it but I have one point that I don't quite know how to put into words. This is my first attempt at assembling a Biblical teaching lesson. Matthew 5:9 says: "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called Sons of God. My question is this: How does one describe what it means to be a peacemaker? I have an understanding of this but I'm having trouble putting it into words. I'm not looking for a debate just information and opinions. If you know verses that describe this please post them. Thanks.

Luke, tsth, Good dialouge. Here's my $0.20: There are three parts to our salvation once we come to Christ. 1) Justification - This is what we frequently mean when we use the term salvation. We are cleansed of our sins and justified before God as righteous. The thief on the cross was justified by Christ. This step is instantaneous. 2) Sanctification - Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are transformed into a new creature. This is the process whereby we turn from our sinful ways. This takes place over time. (Sometimes a lot of time.) 3) Glorification - This is the final step when we meet our savior face-to-face and live with Him in heaven. All sin is wiped out at this time. Once we are Justified our Glorification is assured. The Santification process involves the good deeds you mentioned before. Good deeds serve one purpose to God when done by His people. They are a testament to His power and His Glory. They are tools of ministry used to spread the gospel. We do not choose God He chooses us by His sovriegn Grace. We are called to believe through faith and repentance. But how can that happen if He is not working in our heart.

GM, Just look at where that story is from and it should give you all the answers you need. Berkley, CA is about as far out there as you can get. I'm starting to think they're being affected by UFOs.