Thank-you for this explanation, which is spot on. I was raised a Catholic, but never a great one and spent all my adult life wandering. In recent years am a “revert” back into he Catholic Church. Read entire Bible with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bible in a year podcast (taking lots of notes and experiencing many miracles along the way!) this reading was part of our services today, along with 2 Kings 5:14-17 and Luke 17:11-19 about the 10 lepers. I had a hard time understanding the part about how God cannot deny Himself, thank-you it does make more sense now. The story of the 10 lepers in Luke cements the theme of todays 3 readings, it doesn’t matter who you are, if you are faithful, and as our priest emphasized, grateful and eager to worship God as he commanded, you will be saved. If you take God’s loving care in your life for granted and just go on living for yourself however YOU want, you will go the way of those other 9 lepers who were healed (cared for) but not saved. The other 9 lepers were healed, but never came back to even say thank-you… only the Samaritan did. So the last part cements that God will not go back on these promises so long as we remain faithful to Him. If we DENY Him, He WILL deny US. In reading the entire Bible in context I realized there are difficult concepts, meaning not only to understand but also to accept. We can NOT just live life as we please and expect to go to Heaven. We cannot put God lower in our lives, He must be 1st - at the top. Church vs. kids soccer game? Well, I try to look at it from God’s point of view. Everything in this material world will pass away, to put things in perspective we must ‘die to self’ and all our material and physical needs and wants to put God truly above all. Well, anyway, guess I am writing some of this in reply to other commenters. thank-you again, I understood most of the passage but not that last part, which you really helped with. Also, found it interesting this was a saying back in those early days of Christianity. I totally missed that, and did not realize!

Amen. This just further confirms the understanding the Holy Spirit lead me to regarding the concept of Awake to Righteousness and Do Not Sin. It's literally everywhere in scripture yet so many deny it and screech "works salvation!" while totally ignoring any explanation that it's Jesus that saves and if a person is truly IN Him & Him IN us good fruit will happen. He will prune the unrighteousness out of us over time & conform us to his will. But, they just love clinging to their sin and so make up any excuse to not let it go. God Bless you for this explanation.

2 Timothy 2:13 King James Version. 13 If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself. If we are sealed by the Holy Spirit after first believing in Christ and His finished work on the cross, we will remain sealed until the day of redemption even if we fall from our faith and choose not to believe anymore. He will not go back on His word, if it was a genuine belief and that person was sealed by the Holy Spirit, they remain sealed no matter what until the day of redemption. He is faithful to His promise, He cannot lie. (i.e. taking away your eternal life promised to you by Him through your faith in Jesus Christ. That would break the Holy Spirit's seal on you prior to the day of redemption, which is when you recieve your glorified body) We are gifted eternal life, which means life unending with almighty God. Praise God and all glory to the King of kings!

Scripture interpreting scripture is solid. Hermanutics 101.

John what does it mean that if we deny him, does it mean that he his commited to himself wether we deny him or don't deny him.

@fanboy270

Жыл бұрын

Get yourself a Bible app and type "deny him" into the search. Jesus talks about that in the Gospels and it confirms this explanation of this passage

Im not so sure. In the context of Pauls other writings like in Romans "if we have died" can refer to baptism and so we have already died with him. Since this is by faith I have understood "if we endure" to mean continue in the belief that we have died with him and now live with him. So the first is the begining of salvation and the last is the fullfilment of salvation. the last two could be what Pastor Piper is saying but because we are sealed by the Holy Spirit on the day that we believed according to ephesians 1 I have understood if we deny him to be never having believed and faithless to mean having believed but not bearing fruit. Since he cannot deny the Holy Spirit he will bring our salvation to fulfillment. Perhaps this is not in the text but is the concept valid?

so you can lose your salvation if you decide to deny God?

Once saved always saved ✝️

@fanboy270

Жыл бұрын

He literally just blew OSAS away with a shotgun. I guess your ears aren't working. I urge you to go read this whole chp (and many others that echo these principles) VERY carefully and as many times as required until it sinks in. This REFUTES OSAS, along with many other places in scripture. But, this chp alone is very direct about what followers of Jesus must do. & while this verse is a little unclear on the surface AND frequently taken out of context, How he explains it confirms everything else in the chp. And confirms the re concept Awake to Righteousness & Do Not Sin; Which is literally all throughout scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Examine yourself against ALL of the Word not just the bits you like

@Beeloved936

4 ай бұрын

I was an Armenian for 50 years. My bold statement is: It's not true. When I systematically studied scripture . I find no fact check to prove this doctrine.

I just want to know how you interpret the word of the Bible is the correct way. The Bible is so open to interpretation especially since it’s thousands of years old and translated so many times. I believe god forgives, loves, and trusts. He hates the sin and loves the sinner. That is the exact reason for allowing his son to die for us.

@mattprairie3392

2 жыл бұрын

Also normally when you write something you finish with a conclusion. The final punchline. Why would it say he is faithful if we are faithless but not mean it? Have you ever had a difficulty where life hasn’t put you down hard enough where remaining in faith is hard but you wake up everyday still trying to believe?

@mkhardie6711

Жыл бұрын

There is not as much open interpretation as I used to believe. There is a great deal of mis-interpretation because some concepts are uncomfortable and difficult for modern people. But it still is nothing short of amazing and life-changing, for the better. You might try the Bible in a Year podcast through ascension press, Fr. Mike Schmitz is amazing and Jeff Cavins created the Great Adventure Bible format - same book but read in a more chronological timeline so it does make more sense.

@mkhardie6711

Жыл бұрын

@@mattprairie3392 we must pay attention to that comma separating “He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself”. That should be read together. It basically says He cannot deny who He is, or His nature, therefore He will not break His promises to us, as long as we are faithful. He can definitely deny us if we deny Him, it says so in the passage. Think about it, if He saves the faithless that means people who hate or reject (deny) God would also be saved… there would be no real reward for being faithful and we could all just do whatever we want (be faithless) and still go to Heaven. Denying God, pretty sure, means the same as being faithless. But it only takes a little bit of faith, like Jesus said, faith as tiny as a mustard seed can move mountains, so He understands our questions, doubts, and fears are normal… we must always be cultivating our little seeds of faith.

@Europeangardens

Жыл бұрын

​@@mkhardie6711 Yep, if we remain unbelieving, and end up in hell,(even if we don't believe in eternal damnation), no worries... because He remains faithful and believes in Hell for us. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Hebrews 4 1

@Beeloved936

4 ай бұрын

I suggest you get a good study Bible with the original language

Humm. That's incorrect. Reformed theology date back to Martin Luther's council of Trent! The SOVEREIGNTY of God is everywhere in Scripture.

More calvinistic lordship salvation trashing of the Gospel.

there is a major flaw in your reasoning. 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (NIV). Since Paul wrote this mid-first century, predating even the Gospels. So the God-inspired Scriptures are from the Old Testament, not the New. The New Testament is no more a Holy Book than the Mormon Bible.

@Beeloved936

4 ай бұрын

Sir. I'm afraid you've biten into a decaying apple!

@xjwcurious

4 ай бұрын

@@Beeloved936 Denying the historical data doesn't validate the flawed reasoning. The truth is what it is.

@Beeloved936

4 ай бұрын

@curiousatheist411 I would ask just one thing. Ask God if He is real. Go directly to the source. I pray you'll be surprised by the response. Are Atheist really curious? I truly hope you are just that, Curious.

@xjwcurious

4 ай бұрын

@@Beeloved936 Sorry for the delay. I rarely use this email account. But yes, I am and always have been curious. My curiosity got me kicked out of Sunday school when I asked why the Catholic Church changed the 10 Commandments. My curiosity got me disfellowshipped from the Jehovah's Witnesses when I questioned the blatant Armageddon lies we were taught. My curiosity led me to examine the actual history of the bible as a mere book, rather than seeing it as the word of god. Once I did that, I realized the bible, and all religions based on it, are false. When I died on an operating table in 2010, when I was still a Christian, I didn't see any bright light nor a fiery hell. I saw nothing. And that is exactly what the bible's theology means to me; nothing. It's a horrifying storybook, nothing more. And I thank my curiosity for revealing the truth to me.