Cyber Defender Of Scriptural Faith And Principles

Click to zoom in on my visitor map!

www.modmyprofile.com
My Five Factor Personality Profile
EXTROVERSION:
I have high extroversion.
And am outgoing and engaging, with both strangers and friends.
Truly enjoying being with people and bringing energy into any situation.
Enthusiastic and fun, I am the first to say "let's go!"

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS:
I have medium conscientiousness.
And am generally good at balancing work and play.
When I need to buckle down, the task meets its deadline.
But I've been known to goof off when I know I can get away with it.

AGREEABLENESS:
I have medium agreeableness.
I'm generally a friendly and trusting person.
But also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
I get along well with others, as long as they play fair.

NEUROTICISM:
I have high neuroticism.
It's easy for me to feel shaken, worried, or depressed.
I often worry, which prevent me from living life fully.
I tend to be emotionally reactive and moody, either flying very high or feeling very low.

OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE:
My openness to new experiences is medium.
I am generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way it is approved.
I am suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
To Whom It May Concern:
To those who wish to interact, or have become friends officially.
Thank you for getting in touch.
These terms and conditions have been set in place to highlight the author’s intentions as he does not wish to be accused of harassing or spamming unwilling individuals. It would be annoying, and highly inconvenient for him to come under any investigative magnifying glass.
The original intention of the author’s “MY SPACE “was for interaction.
It still is but now….
The primary goal is to share the message of the Kingdom of God, interacting with people from different religious affiliations. The goal is to bring others to the fullness of the divine message of God’s reconciliation through Christ.
Thus from interaction, my page has become primarily a page to answer queries and defend “Biblical Faith and Principles,” not only for fellow Christians but people of other faiths, skeptic, atheist, or agnostic alike.
An Atheist asked the author once, why the All Powerful God can’t reconcile the world to Himself. He can, and someday he will, but at this point of time, the Church has been entrusted to spread the “Word” in the “Here and Now,” so as to reconcile the world to Him and also to prove our worth.
To spread the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God” is the task of the Church; to convict and convert; the task of the Holy Spirit, not mine, nor any Christians. Frustration comes when we in our stupid zeal take it upon our shoulders to convert the other. It is this negligence of God’s commandment that on one hand; has lead to disappointment, with people loosing faith And on the other; to frustrations, name calling, and judgmentallism, a trait that Christians have become known (and rightly) hated for.
It is not for us to judge others, but to “DO HIS WILL”, who is going to hell or heaven is not for us to decide based solely upon (what we understand as) negative results of our efforts, in more instances than some; futile.
Thus if any Atheist, Agnostic, Skeptic, un-believer and believer has questions or issues with Christianity, theology, life, or the life hereafter he or she is free to ask.
Send an email or type a comment, “Is No Mister Know All” but will try his best to answer each query to the best of his abilities.
NOTICFICATION 1
1. Person in question should preferably be on the friends list.
2. The author has permission to use comment boxes for articles he writes.
3. Interaction is encouraging, with COMMENTS” more than welcome, however, if interaction is one-sided for too long, you may find yourself deleted.
4. And if you have a bright idea for using the authors space for questionable graphics, please reconsider before sending it to him either through messages or in his comment box.
NOTIFICATION 2
1. If on the friends list, you do not wish articles as comments, please inform the author of your objection, if not, your silence will be taken as consent.
2. Please delete the author from your friends list if you do not wish to have anything to do with Christ and him.
Talking about the weather, sharing common interests or hobbies is also welcome.
ICLAF =)
Cyber Defender of Biblical Faith and Principles.

“SALVATION” Free or Worked for....
Jam 5:19-20 Brethren (fellow Christians), if any of you do err from the truth (if any of you stray from the truth) , and one convert him (and one turn him back towards God); Let him know, that he which converted the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death (He which turns the sinner from his sinful way shall save a soul from separation from God), and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Does this mean;

1. We loose our salvation if we backslide?

2. That salvation is received by our works?

If so then;

1. What is the meaning of the crucifixion? Do we not believe salvation a free gift of God?

A Reply……..

Ephesians 2:8-9 says; “For by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift from God,…not by works …so that any ban can boast”

Thus in the light of that, we not delivered from sin and penalty because of our works! It is because Jesus Christ was crucified on Mount Calvary so that we could receive the free gift of salvation. He paid it all by doing so.

So what do we do with; Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Endurance; is not in the context of works, but of faith.... he that believes/endures/puts his trust in me till the end, endures in me till the end will be saved, completely.....and this reminds me of a hymn that we sung in church which goes like; “Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey,” till the end.

However; The surrounding text of James seems to indicate that salvation is by works and faith combined! This is in complete contradiction with the rest of scripture!

The point in the book of James, as well as the point with this classic text, is that salvation is not simply an academic or theoretical sort of thing. Rather, salvation inevitably leads to good works. James' point, essentially, is to wonder how a person can have faith without it having some rather significant impact on one's life. Good works are the natural, inevitable consequence of grace. God taking up residence inside a believer (by means of the indwelling Spirit) cannot help but have rather significant impact on that individual's life.

You may say you have faith, but what is the proof of that faith?

You may say you do good works, but then what is the point of doing good works if it not the outcome of your faith?

Romans 1:16-17 Emphasizes this very fact For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Salvation by grace results in a person being used by God to accomplish the task that God has designed for that person to do. The good works that any person accomplishes are the consequence of God working in the person, not the person doing them through his or her efforts. That's why Paul makes the statement he does in;

Galatians 6:14: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Moral of the story is; A very basic premise of hermeneutics is that if an interpretation leads to a contradiction, then chances are there is a problem with that interpretation.

TONGUES!!!

Someone Quoted in my comment box: Speaking in tongues is the New Testament phenomena where a person or persons speaks in a language that is unknown to him. This language is either the language of angels or other earthly languages (1 Cor. 13:1).

That Someone Claimed in my comment box: It occurred in Acts 2 at Pentecost and also in the Corinthian church as is described in 1 Corinthians 14. This New Testament gift was given by the Holy Spirit to the Christian church and is for the purpose of the edification of the Body of Christ as well as for glorifying the Lord.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE Why would I want to babble in a language unknown to me, when God can understand my English and my Hindi? I’m no angel but I am of the earth and know only these two languages.

Thus it makes no sense to me as to why I would want to blabber in a language that is foreign to me when through prayer in my own language I can converse with him.

What occurred in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost was totally different from what occurred in the church at Corinth, and occurs in the charismatic churches today. On the day of Pentecost, the miracle was not in the speaking of tongues but in the hearing of it. No such incident ever occurred after that, ever.
THOUGHTFUL RESPONSE I have an open mind on this issue, I wouldn’t say that it cannot occur, it can. And Paul speaks a lot on the issue, but what occurred on the day of Pentecost was never repeated.

The tongues that Paul mentions is a different kind, that which you spoke of in 1 Cor. 13:1. Here human interpreters are required to interpret, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit did the interpretation. Thus it never ever occurred, and if it didn’t it would be unwise to misinterpret the incident to prove ones point.

Tongues may be one of the gifts of God, I am not contesting that, but personally I’d rather speak to God or converse with him in a language both God and I understand.

Each one of us is given a different gift, and I would like to use the ones that God has given me, rather than argue over a theological issue theologians have not been able to figure out through the ages…..!!!

My task is to follow up on the Missio-Dei of God, to spread the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God.” To do the best in convincing the world of my resurrected Lord, reflecting him through my life, works and deeds, to convert is the task of the Holy-Spirit.

He has given me the "Great Commission,I am happy to have been chosen for it.

To try to convince is mine! To convict and convert His!

Amen!

SALVATION & GRACE: can believers loose this free gift?

Matthew 18:23-35 do we understand what it means to fall from grace without loosing our salvation?

"Salvation is once and for all," but that does not mean that we cannot fall from grace.

A perfect illustration for all of us is found in Luke chapter 15, the story of “The Prodigal Son"

This story speaks of how a young adult, a "Son of God" living in a perfect home finds the grass greener on the other side and falls into the sins and temptations of the world.

He leaves the protection of his loving environment and goes out into the world and squanders all his wealth, wealth he had never earned but had been given as his share of the inheritance, free.

A day comes in his life when he is completely broke, his fair weather friends refuse to even recognize him and he ends up in the pigpens of life.

And that point in his life he realizes his mistakes, the turning point in his life is also the turning point of our sinful lives, when we too fall out of the unmerited favor (grace) that God bestowed on us through the advent of Christ.

Thus the prodigal son speaks to himself saying; "I have sinned against my father, I will return to him, and when I get home ask for his forgiveness, I will say; "Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of your hired servants."

And his father responds to him as God our heavenly father does, by taking us back into his arms and clothing us with His righteousness.

The story of the “Prodigal Son” reveals the heart of the father who will not only forgive us our sins once we repent, but save a sinner and take back a son that sins.

All it takes a believer is to realize that he has sinned against his father.

FOR A SON IS A SON FOREVER, provided he is a son for if he isn't he cant loose that which he never had.

For Ephesians 2:8-9 states ; “For by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift from God,…not by works …so that any man can boast.”
Amen

DO UNREPENTED CHRISTIANS GO TO HELL?

Once upon a time someone wrote; And like I said!

I agree with falling from grace and repentance.But, we don't go to hell if we die before coming back to Christ. To imply such would mean God takes back His promise. Being in Christ is not an invitation to sin, and if we continue to sin, do we lose our salvation and end up in hell if we have unrepented, deliberate sin in our life.

RESPONSE!

Now that is a hypothesis that comes into the realm of the “What Ifs.” And what if's are never conclusive, or answerable.

This is where God's discretion comes into play, a place or situation one shouldn't go. The "What If's" are between the God and the sinner.

However, if a sinner dies unrepentant, it is a different context altogether. And here is where the question of "Salvation" becomes the primary concern, rather than "Grace."

This takes us back to the question of the Root of Salvation and the Fruit of Salvation. It also takes us back to the statement Christ mentioned that states being;

"Many will be called but few will be chosen." Thus we then have to ask;

IS MY REPENTENCE TRUE?

IS MY FAITH SOUND?

AM I REALLY A TRUE SON OR DAUGHTER OF GOD, OR I THINK I AM?

Do I have the Fruit of Salvation to prove it?

For a Son/daughter is a Son/daughter of God no matter what, provided he or she is so.

Only God knows the true nature of ones heart and mind, as such we must trust the "What Ifs" of life and people to Him.

BECAUSE;

“What the If’s” of life "WAS" "IS" and "WILL BE" beyond the human realm and comprehension.

It is God's way, accept it and move on towards what he really wants you to do.

And this seems one of them. Thus those who continue to ask as to what happens to unrepented christians may find answers unsatisfactory. For we are not God, and with all the troubles in the world, its not palatable to be God..

At this point the only thing that may be satisfactory is; "By their fruit they will be known."

How do we know whether they died repentent or unrepentent.

There are some matters where it is best to say; “I don’t know,” and leave it up to God’s discretion alone.

Amen!

BAPTISM; is it really necessary?

MARK 16:16

Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that does not believe shall be condemned.

This verse is frequently used by baptismal regenerations to show that baptism is necessary for salvation. It says he who believes and is baptized will be saved. Therefore, they conclude that baptism is a necessary part of becoming saved. But, does this verse prove that baptism is necessary for salvation?

If we look at this verse closely, we see that it is composed of two basic statements.

1—He who believes and is baptized will be saved. 2—He who does not believe will be condemned.

Clearly, the common factor of both statements and the determining factor as to if one is saved or condemned is whether or not he believes. In interpreting this passage correctly, it is important to realize that while it tells us something about believers who have been baptized; it does not say anything about believers who have not been baptized.

In order for this verse to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation, a third statement would have had to be included. That statement would be: “He who believes and is not baptized will be condemned” or “He who is not baptized will be condemned.” But, of course, neither of these statements is found in the verse.

Throughout the Bible, in every dispensation, people have been saved without being baptized. Every believer in the Old Testament (e.g. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon) was saved but not baptized. The thief on the cross was saved but not baptized. Cornelius was saved before he was baptized (Acts 10:44-46.

Remember the thief on the cross was not baptized yet Christ said; “Today thou shall be with me in Paradise.”

Baptism is a testimony of our faith and a public declaration that we believe in Jesus Christ. The Scriptures clearly tell us that we have eternal life the moment we believe (John 5:24), and belief always comes before being baptized. Baptism does not save us any more than walking an aisle or saying a prayer saves us. We are saved when we believe.

But please keep in mind that Mark 16:16 is within the context of the “Great Commission.”

Matthew 28:19 states “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Does it mean that baptism is being included with belief? After all wasn’t Christ Baptized? Didn’t the Holy Spirit enter him at the point of His coming out of the water?

Abraham; was saved by faith, (Romans 4:1-25), but the question is; how do we know that he was saved, what proof does the Bible show of his being saved?

With Abraham it was the action of the knife coming down in obedience to God’s command that shows the outward sign of his inner belief, conviction, faith and commitment.

Baptism also is the outward sign of the inner commitment.

Baptism does not save you, but are you saved if you refuse Baptism?

For if you are saved there really will be no hesitation.

MORAL OF THE STORY If you have the opportunity to get dunked, Get Dunked!

For when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." (Acts 8:12)

Acts 8:34 (KJV): "And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?"

Acts 8:36 (KJV): "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?"

Acts 8:37 (KJV): "And Philip said, If thou believe with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Acts 8:38 (KJV): "And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him."

Thus, if one has the opportunity to, and one is has had the opportunity to be properly convinced, it is better to be on the safe side and be dunked!

But please keep in mind that when you are in the act, it is not the act that is saving you, rather you are doing the act because you are saved

Amen!

THE FAITH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT FATHERS

What do you do when people believe that baptism is necessary for salvation? And that you are going to Hell if you're not baptized?

A RESPONSE

Baptism is the outward sign of the inner conviction and commitment. A commitment that occurs after one repents, believes and asks Christ to be the Lord and Savior of ones life, a point in time when the individual is saved through his belief and faith of Christ being his personal Lord and Savior.

For if there is no repentance, their will be no belief, and no Salvation either. For if works save us, then there really is no point in Christ dying for us. The scriptures is filled with passages that man shall live by faith alone.

Abraham was saved by faith; the act of the knife coming down was the evidence of his commitment to God. A point to remember is, the institution of Baptism is no where in the Old Testament. If Baptism is necessary for Salvation, how did Abraham get saved?

Take the case of Enoch in the Old Testament, he walked with God and was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).

Enoch the father of the long lived Methuselah and the great grandfather of Noah, with God for three hundred years. It was a long time for a man to support a holy life and communion with God without any relapse worthy of notice.

There is something very expressive in the phrase, "walked with God." In short it means;

1. The man who walks with God walks humbly.

2. The man who walks with God exercises a living faith.

This, according to the apostles, was the main spring of all those graces which gained Enoch the reputation of walking with God. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death, and was not found because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God: but without faith it is impossible to please Him."

Thus without being Baptized Enoch was taken by God, so also was the thief on the Cross, for he realizing Christ to be the Son of God, repented, believed and exclaimed, “Remember me in Paradise.”

Did Christ say; “Thou has repented, believed, thus thou has to be baptized, come let us get down from the Cross baptize thee, so that thou receives eternal life”?

No!

Christ said, “Today thou shall be with me in Paradise.”

It was by faith alone that people like Abraham and Enoch were saved. It is that faith, the walk with God that saves us too. Whether we are baptized or not is not the criteria for Salvation.