How important is the truth to you?

[angels4u]

This was discussed in  our sermon in church last Sunday .

 

Galatians 1: 6-10

 

No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusionand are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

 

What stood out to you from the passage you read?

 

Questions:

How important is the gospel truth to you?

Why will understanding the true gospel produce anger at the false gospels?

What other gospels do you find that are easy for you to believe and why?

What are some modern false  gospel dangers our church could easily fall for?

Read vs 10: When you live to please only God and not people ,how does that change everything?

 

Jesus +anything else =nothing.

Jesus and _______nothing (no rules or laws) =everything.

If we love Jesus we would want to do things +live for Jesus.

[Ezra]

Since Jesus is the TRUTH, Truth must be as important to us as Christ.  And it is only Bible Truth that is of any consequence.  Furthermore, Grace and Truth are inseparable, since both came by Jesus Christ.

[angels4u]

Since Jesus is the TRUTH, Truth must be as important to us as Christ.  And it is only Bible Truth that is of any consequence.  Furthermore, Grace and Truth are inseparable, since both came by Jesus Christ.

Amen Ezra ~~~that's why it is so important to have discernment in all we hear..

 

Matthew 7:15-16

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?…

[bcbsr]

This was discussed in  our sermon in church last Sunday .

 

Questions:

How important is the gospel truth to you?

Why will understanding the true gospel produce anger at the false gospels?

 

 

 

Here's a related question. In light of what Paul said in Gal 1 and in light of his public rebuke of Peter whom he claimed that out of fear of men from James Peter did something hypocritical which impinged upon the gospel, they why in Acts 15 did Paul not have a fit when James cherry picked regulations from the Law and imposed them upon the Gentiles as conditions for salvation? 

[Matthew T.]

 

This was discussed in  our sermon in church last Sunday .

 

Questions:

How important is the gospel truth to you?

Why will understanding the true gospel produce anger at the false gospels?

 

 

 

Here's a related question. In light of what Paul said in Gal 1 and in light of his public rebuke of Peter whom he claimed that out of fear of men from James Peter did something hypocritical which impinged upon the gospel, they why in Acts 15 did Paul not have a fit when James cherry picked regulations from the Law and imposed them upon the Gentiles as conditions for salvation? 

 

 

James never did that. You mis-understand.

[Ezra]

why in Acts 15 did Paul not have a fit when James cherry picked regulations from the Law and imposed them upon the Gentiles as conditions for salvation?

James never did that. You mis-understand.

Correct.  It was the Judaizers throughout the Roman Empire who were insisting that observing the Law of Moses was necessary for salvation (along with faith in Christ). 

 

What James and the other apostles did was to seek the mind of God in this matter.  Therefore God the Holy Spirit directed them to give Gentiles just four commandments (which mostly go back to the time of Noah) as noted in Acts 15:

 

1. Eat no meats offered to idols.

2. Eat no meats of strangulated animals.

3. Do not consume the blood of animals.

4. Do not practice fornication.

 

Since this thread is about the importance of Truth, this truth must be recognized by Christians today.  To label this as "cherry-picking" is to ignore the fact the God gave these commands through the apostles.

[angels4u]

1 Corinthians 8:4–13

E

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know thatt“an idol has no real existence,” and that u“there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be vso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet wfor us there is one God, the Father, xfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and yone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things andzthrough whom we exist.

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, athrough former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, andbtheir conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 cFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care dthat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block eto the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating3 in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged,4 if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers5 and wounding their conscience when it is weak, hyou sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

[Ezra]

1 Corinthians 8:4–13

angels4u,

 

If you are quoting this to nullify what is taught in Acts 15, then you would be saying that God contradicts Himself.  Since you have made no comment, it could also mean that you are using this passage to support what is taught in Acts 15.  In fact, it does support Acts 15, since Hebrew Christians would obey these commandments and Gentile Christians were to follow suit.  So kindly clarify your reason for this quotation.

[angels4u]

Here is more information on the 4 things who were prohibited, I don't have much time to go more in detail right now but would this help?

 

"What does the Bible say about what foods we should eat (kosher)? Are there foods a Christian should avoid?"

Answer:Leviticus chapter 11 lists the dietary restrictions God gave to the nation of Israel. The dietary laws included prohibitions against eating pork, shrimp, shellfish and many types of seafood, most insects, scavenger birds, and various other animals. The dietary rules were never intended to apply to anyone other than the Israelites. The purpose of the food laws was to make the Israelites distinct from all other nations. After this purpose had ended, Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19). God gave the apostle Peter a vision in which He declared that formerly unclean animals could be eaten: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4;Galatians 3:24-26;Ephesians 2:15). This includes the laws regarding clean and unclean foods.

Romans 14:1-23teaches us that not everyone is mature enough in the faith to accept the fact that all foods are clean. As a result, if we are with someone who would be offended by our eating “unclean” food, we should give up our right to do so as to not offend the other person. We have the right to eat whatever we want, but we do not have the right to offend other people, even if they are wrong. For the Christian in this age, though, we have freedom to eat whatever we wish as long as it does not cause someone else to stumble in his/her faith.

In the New Covenant of grace, the Bible is far more concerned with how much we eat than what we eat. Physical appetites are an analogy of our ability to control ourselves. If we are unable to control our eating habits, we are probably also unable to control other habits such as those of the mind (lust, covetousness, unrighteous hatred/anger) and unable to keep our mouths from gossip or strife. We are not to let our appetites control us; rather, we are to control them (Deuteronomy 21:20;Proverbs 23:2;2 Peter 1:5-7;2 Timothy 3:1-9;2 Corinthians 10:5).

http://www.gotquestions.org/eating-drinking-blood.html

Question: "What does the Bible say about eating/drinking blood?"

Answer:InActs 10, the apostle Peter began to realize just how different this new Christianity was from Judaism. While praying on a rooftop, waiting for lunch, he had a vision. A sheet was lowered from heaven, containing many different types of animals. A voice encouraged him to eat. Peter balked, realizing that some of the animals in the sheet were forbidden under Jewish law. Three times the sheet lowered, and three times Peter refused.

The vision had a dual purpose. The most obvious was that, under the New Covenant, the ceremonial rules about dietary restrictions had been lifted. Christians are to be set apart and recognized by their love (John 13:35), not by their lunches. The second, and deeper, meaning was that Christ’s salvation was open to Gentiles just as it was to Jews. Immediately after the vision, Peter received a visit by messengers from a (Gentile) centurion named Cornelius who was ready to accept Christ.

Carnivorous Christians know and enjoy the message of Peter's vision. But the vision does not directly address the subject of eating blood, unless that’s included in the revocation of kosher law.

The Bible’s first prohibition against consuming blood comes inGenesis 9:2-4, where God tells Noah, "Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it." This prohibition was most likely a ban on eating raw blood (i.e., uncooked meat). For the first time, animals were an allowable food source, and God was making sure that Noah did not eat them raw. A Jewish Targum comments on this verse: "But the flesh which is torn from a living beast at the time that its life is in it, or which is torn from a beast while it is slain, before all its breath is gone out, ye shall not eat."

Later, the prohibition ofGenesis 9:4is iterated in the Law of Moses.Leviticus 17:14gives the reason behind command: “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life.”

It’s important to understand that New Testament believers in Christ have freedom from the Law, and we are to “stand firm” in that liberty (Galatians 5:1). We are not under the Law but under grace. “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink” (Colossians 2:16). So, eating a rare steak, blood sausage, blood pancakes, blood soup, or blood tofu may not be palatable to all Christians, but it is allowable.

There is another passage to consider. InActs 15, a question arose in the early church concerning what was necessary for salvation. Specifically, did a Gentile need to be circumcised in order to be saved (verse 1)? The issue came up in the church in Syrian Antioch, which had a mixture of Jewish and Gentile converts. To address this important issue, the leaders of the church met in Jerusalem for the very first church council. They concluded that, no, Gentiles did not need to follow Mosaic Law; circumcision is not part of salvation (verse 19). However, in verse 29, the leaders compose a letter with these instructions for the Gentiles in Antioch: “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.” At this point, we must keep the context foremost in our minds. These four commands from Jerusalem to Antioch all dealt with pagan practices associated with idolatry. Most, if not all, of the Gentile converts in Antioch were saved out of paganism. The church leaders were exhorting the new Gentile believers to make a clean break from their old lifestyles and not offend their Jewish brothers and sisters in the church. The instructions were not intended to guarantee salvation but to promote peace within the early church.

Later, Paul dealt with the same issue. It is perfectly all right to eat meat offered to idols, he says. “Nothing is unclean in itself” (Romans 14:14). But if eating that meat causes a brother in Christ to violate his conscience, Paul “will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall” (1 Corinthians 8:13). This was the same concern the Jerusalem leaders had inActs 15: if the Gentile believers ate meat with the blood in it, the Jewish believers might be tempted to violate their conscience and join them in the feast. One’s conscience is a sacred thing, and we dare not act against it (see1 Corinthians 8:7-12andRomans 14:5).

In short, ordering your steak rare or well done is a matter of conscience and of taste. What enters the mouth does not make us unclean (seeMatthew 15:17-18). Eating black pudding may not appeal to everyone, but it is not a sin. We live under grace. We have liberty in Christ. Others may have different convictions about food and drink, and in that case we voluntarily limit our freedom in order to better serve them and God. “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).


Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/eating-drinking-blood.html#ixzz3azYiSe2j

http://www.gotquestions.org/fornication-adultery.html

Question: "What is the difference between fornication and adultery?"

Answer:The modern dictionary definitions of fornication (voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other, which would include adultery) and adultery (voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse) are simple enough, but the Bible gives us greater insight into how God perceives these two sexual sins. In the Bible, both are referred to literally, but both are also used figuratively to refer to idolatry.

In the Old Testament, all sexual sin was forbidden by the Mosaic Law and Jewish custom. However, the Hebrew word translated “fornication” in the Old Testament was also in the context of idolatry, also called spiritual whoredom. In2 Chronicles 21:10-14, God struck Jehoram with plagues and diseases because he led the people into idolatry. He “caused the people of Jerusalem to commit fornication” (v. 11, KJV) and “to go lusting like the fornications of the house of Ahab” (v. 13 NKJV). King Ahab was the husband of Jezebel, a priestess of the lascivious god Baal, who led the Israelites into idol worship of the most egregious kind. InEzekiel 16, the prophet Ezekiel describes in detail the history of God’s people turning away from Him to “play the harlot” with other gods. The word “fornication,” meaning idolatry, is used numerous times in this chapter alone. As the Israelites became known among the nations round about them for their wisdom, riches, and power, which was a snare to them as a woman's beauty is to her, they were admired and courted and complimented by their neighbors, and so drawn into idolatrous practices. The word “fornication” is used in connection with pagan idolatry because much of pagan “worship” included sex in their rites. Temple prostitutes were common in the worship of Baal and other false gods. Sexual sin of all kinds was not only accepted in these religions, but encouraged as a means to greater blessings from the gods for the worshippers, particularly in the increase of their flocks and crops.

In the New Testament, "fornication" comes from the Greek wordporneia, which includes adultery and incest.Porneiacomes from another Greek word that also includes indulging in any kind of unlawful lust, which would include homosexuality. The use of the word in the gospels and the epistles is always in reference to sexual sin, whereas "fornication" in the book of Revelation always refers to idolatry. The Lord Jesus condemns two of the churches of Asia Minor for dabbling in the fornication of idolatry (Revelation 2:14,20), and He also refers to the “great harlot” of the end times, which is the idolatrous false religion “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-2, NKJV).

Adultery, on the other hand, always refers to the sexual sin of married people with someone other than their spouse, and the word is used in the Old Testament both literally and figuratively. The Hebrew word translated “adultery” means literally “breaking wedlock.” Interestingly, God describes the desertion of His people to other gods as adultery. The Jewish people were regarded as the spouse of Jehovah, so when they turned to the gods of other nations, they were compared to an adulterous wife. The Old Testament often referred to Israel’s idolatry as a wanton woman who went “whoring after” other gods (Exodus 34:15-16;Leviticus 17:7;Ezekiel 6:9 KJV). Further, the entire book of Hosea likens the relationship between God and Israel to the marriage of the prophet Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer. Their marriage was a picture of the sin and unfaithfulness of Israel which, time after time, left her true husband (Jehovah) to commit spiritual adultery with other gods.

In the New Testament, the two Greek words translated “adultery” are nearly always used, from their contexts, to refer literally to sexual sin involving married partners. The only exception is in the letter to the church of Thyatira which was condemned for tolerating the “woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess” (Revelation 2:20). This woman drew the church into immorality and idolatrous practices and anyone seduced by her false doctrines was considered to have committed adultery with her.


 

 

 

 

[missmuffet]

The truth is very important to me.Many people do not want to hear the truth.Truth is simply telling it like it is.Honesty.