Question #1:
Dear Robert,
It is long since I had questions.
My first question is related to a statement made. The individual referenced that
God is not bipolar! How would you qualify such a statement? I do not believe
that there was any ill meaning to it. However, I felt that it humanizes Gods
character.
Secondly, there is an idea that for the Jews knowing God only, without
recognizing Christ, suffices for them for salvation. Knowing God is thus enough!
However, and I will reference Matthew 11:27 and John 14:6, to counter such a
believe to excuse especially the people of Israel. The Gospels (including the
Gospel of John) mostly points to the priests, teachers and leaders as those
wanting to kill Jesus. Therefor, this deduction! But we know that Acts 2-13
makes several reference to the people of Israel, as does 1 Thess. 2:14-15.
Gentiles are included, for all have sinned. Even so, the Word clearly states
that Christ has the power to lay down His life and the power to take it up (John
10: 15-18). Christ is the only way (John 14:6).
Your response will be appreciated.
Grace be with you,
Response #1:
Good to hear from you!
I couldn't even properly define "bipolar", except that I know that it is one of
those "interesting" psychology terms. I'm not much of a fan of psychology.
If you really want to know what makes people tick, read
the Bible. In any case, attributing or dis-attributing any human quality to
God is foolish (except if done by the Spirit in terms of anthropopathism;
see the link).
As to salvation before the coming of Jesus Christ, in a nutshell, believers of
the past looked forward to the coming of a Redeemer who would take away their
sins, but this of course was cloaked in shadows until His revelation at the
first advent (cf. 1Pet.1:10-12).
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Job 19:25-27 KJV
After the Messiah came in the flesh, and especially after the cross and
resurrection, Jesus is the only true object of faith unto salvation. Here's the
main Ichthys link to where this is covered in detail on the site:
The
Gospel before the Cross (in BB 4B)
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #2:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
Was wondering if you had any teachings on the subject addressed above:
Arminianism?
If you can direct me to this subject I would appreciate it.
Thanks so much as always,
God's blessing be always with you.
Your friend,
Response #2:
Always great to hear from you, my friend!
BB
4B: Soteriology contains all the concentrated teachings about
salvation (link). Within that study, you can find the section on
predestination
at the link. See also
"Predestination, Free Will and False Teaching" (at the link). You
might also have a look at BB 4A: Christology
(link); that study contains all the doctrines about our Lord Himself,
including His life during the first advent, passion week and the cross.
In Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #3:
Dr. Luginbill,
I've been reading through the BB 4B on soteriology
and have had some things clear up. God's Will is for us to seek Him, and we are
given free-will to respond to it or not. Because sinful men cannot possibly
respond to the Will of God without reconciliation, Jesus had to die in our place
in order for us to be reconciled to God.
John 1:12-13 NASB- (12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, (13) who were born, not of the will of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Once we believe in Christ's work, we are reconciled to Him and are capable of
using our free-will that He gave to us to respond to His Will.
It all just adds up so well.
Response #3:
Thanks!
Question #4:
You say this in BB 4B:
"God made us who we choose to be and who we choose to be is who God made
us."
Is this a way of saying that our choices are really God's choices
because our free will is a direct complement to His divine Will?
Thanks a lot
Response #4:
I think I'd rather put it like this: God found a way to let us make our
own choices so that those of us who were willing to do so could and
still have life eternal with Him ever after as a result.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #5:
Dr. Luginbill,
Okay. That makes sense. I guess I'm still trying to understand how God
decrees history while allowing us to make our own choices. If our
choices have to be lived out in real-time, I suppose it demonstrates
that what happens would have happened regardless and that these really
are the choices that individual people made, not something that God
solely did on His own.
I hope you're doing well. How's Louisville? I just started my online
classes this week but haven't returned to university yet. Trying to
manage things alright.
In our Lord,
Response #5:
I wouldn't beat myself up about struggling with this issue since most
theologies haven't got it figured out right either.
The main point is the genius (for want of a better word) of God. The
bigger and smarter one understands Him to be, the less all this seems
problematic. We really DO have choices. The cross proves that . . . in
spades. Think about it. What Jesus did in dying for the least sin of all
humankind cost more than the entire universe and infinitely so and He
died for every single human sin of all time. Why? He had to do so, so
that we could be saved. In other words, if choice were not so important,
God wouldn't have had to resolve choice (which leads to sin) by means of
the most expensive thing imaginable and actually unimaginable, that
is, the death of His One and only beloved Son.
So we choose, alright. But if we hadn't been able to do so, we wouldn't
be the truly free-willed individuals we are. The plan is perfect, and it
required both sides: our free will un-coerced and God's payment in the
highest possible coin for our bad choices to be paid for, namely, the
blood of Jesus Christ (i.e., His spiritual death for us on the cross).
He decreed what we would do and what He had to do . . . for us to be
saved.
Best wishes for a good semester in spite of everything, my friend! I'm
praying for you and your relations with your family daily.
In the Redeemer our dear Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Bob L.
Question #6:
Dr. Luginbill,
Okay. I think I do understand most of this. God didn't have the create
the universe with free-will creatures but He had the right to as long as
he paid the price for it. By making us with free-will and knowing that
we would fall into sin, he couldn't let us either die in our sins or
forgive our sins for no reason, so Jesus had to die on the cross. The
choice is an amazing blessing though because we get to decide our fate.
With God's decree, He just knows everything because He is God, right?
But just because He knows everything doesn't mean that we don't make the
choices? Sometimes I overthink it, but I think I basically get it. Tell
me if I'm wrong (as always).
The family situation has gotten better but they really just don't get
it. I'm tired of humoring their questions that lead to nothing. I told
them that they just need to get on
Bible Academy (link) and do it
because they'll never understand otherwise (John 3:3). Thank you for
your prayers. I'll continue to keep you in mine as well.
I always appreciate your input.
In Christ,
Response #6:
Yes, that's pretty much the way I would put it. God obligated Himself
when He was under no obligation to do so to save us when He did what
He did in initiating creation in the perfect way He did so. The plan is
absolutely perfect, so this is the only way it could work and only
through the cross. So we find ourselves on the perfect threshing floor
where the wheat is separating itself out from the chaff with every
decision we make in response to His ineffable grace in Jesus Christ.
I also used to think that it was just a matter of pointing people to the
right materials (in my case, the books and tapes produced by my mentor,
Col. Thieme). But it didn't take me long to figure out that the will has
to be there in the person in question, and where there is a will, God
always provides the way. So keep praying and remember: He also knew that
YOU would respond . . and that you love and care for your family (even
while they are being stubborn at present).
Thanks for your prayers too!
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #7:
Hi Dr Luginbill,
How are you, my friend? These below are not really important, so you can
ignore, if you are busy.
You know I was thinking of getting a good college level grammar book to
clean up my English (thinking about what you said). Reading old English
work would help to an extent, but then you learn things that have gone
out of style/acceptability.
Can I just say that I am on page 183 out of some 500 pages of The
Iliad?! It is sooo exciting! I am slowly, slowly making slow progress.
It is also kind of funny because people around me will be talking about
current events or shows and I am talking to myself things like "well, I
kind of want both Hector and Menalaus to win, but that doesn't work."
And me "I like the wording, but that doesn't mean much since I am a
newbie at this" and "isn't there a wooden horse at some point?". Lol.
Also, can I share something with you? Growing up (and I think you may
have grown up with this, too), faith in God is almost presented as
something you do absent any evidence (or even in spite of the evidence).
I mean they even call it "blind faith." But from what I can tell it is
actually more like someone who asks if you believe AFTER they have given
tons and tons of evidence and reason. If we take nature as evidence. The
Bible as evidence. His provisions before 'coming to faith' as evidence.
He even offers evidence in the Bible. Then His sacrifice. That is hardly
blind faith. What do you think?
I do still think reading English works that are published (various
levels of difficulty) is the best way to get better at the language. I
mean, does anyone know the names of the academics getting upset at
run-on sentences? But many, many people know about the Declaration of
Independence with it's paragraph-long-single-sentences.
Take care,
Response #7:
I agree with you on faith. I don't find "blind faith" in the Bible (the idea may come from Is.42:19, but that is really something different).
(1) It is faith [in the Living and written Word], moreover, that substantiates what we hope for. [Faith] provides proof of things unseen. (2) For it is by this [very faith] that believers of old received their divine approval.
Hebrews 11:1-2
Faith is actually PROOF and through such faith we condemn the world
(Heb.11:7).
I think it's great that you're progressing so well and so fast with your
Greek! I'm probably going to do Odyssey with my second year class in the
spring (if I have anybody left after this disaster of a semester).
Generally, if we can get through just one book, I'm happy. You are on
track to do the whole Iliad! And no, no wooden horse you have to get
to the Odyssey for that.
Best way to learn English grammar: learn Latin or Greek. It's pretty
much impossible to get better at the rules from English grammar books.
As to busting up sentences, I think that has become the style because of
the general devolution of intelligence and literacy in our country. The
founding fathers read the Classics and as a result produced very long
and interesting periods in their writing which much less educated
English teachers of today would carve up and thus dumb-down.
Keeping you in my prayers.
In Jesus.
Bob L.
Question #8:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
This morning in our Sunday Bible Study, my wife asked me a question I
could not answer. As a matter of fact, both of us did not understand the
referenced verse. It appears that this is one of those verses that are
mis-translated?? We both don't understand why Jesus made this quote:
"Why do you call me good, no one is good except God alone."
Now we know that Jesus is both God and human at the same time, so He is
good. Why did He say there is no one good? What does the Greek text
really say?
Thanks so much for your help in understanding.
Gods blessings always,
Your friend,
Response #8:
Here's a link to where this is explained. The first Q/A talks about
the text (including translation issues); the second Q/A talks about the
reasoning.
As to the latter, in a nutshell, of course Jesus is/was "good" by any
definition. But why would an unbeliever call Him that? Unless the person
really believed that He was the Messiah and divine, calling Him "good"
was out of place and misunderstanding the basic sinfulness of the human
race no doubt also the basic personal sinfulness on the part of the
person doing the "calling". But unless we know we're mortal and sinful,
there's no hope of repentance unto salvation. So this is Jesus "calling
out" the one "calling Him good".
Do feel free to write me back about this.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #9:
Very happy to do it, Sir.
Thank you, Sir. I plan to visit some of my relatives tomorrow. Otherwise, it's
another Christmas I'll be spending alone. __ and her family left for her village
today. It's unlikely I'll see her until January.
Is your boy coming for Christmas?
Response #9:
He came through in October. Don't know when we'll see him again.
I've spent Christmas alone and I've spent it in the midst of many. The
one constant is that walking close to Jesus Christ it is happy, but
without that closeness any happiness is fleeting.
I pray for a blessed day for you with Him tomorrow. After all, every day
is Christmas and Easter and every other possible holiday for those who
are walking day by day with the One we love, the One who rescued us from
death by His own blood.
In our dear Savior Jesus Christ who died for us.
Bob L.
Question #10:
Dear Robert,
I have done much research on this subject and I need some clarification.
The norm is both by theology and tradition that the reference to the
'Angel of the Lord', to be a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ.
I would concede that with such a deduction I am comfortable. Especially
with the acknowledgment that this 'angel' is the one and only person of
Christ. Elohim, however, can be used interchangeably as a reference to
God or angels. This deduction is further strengthened by the idea that
this angel possesses divine attributes.
The challenge to my previous acknowledgment comes directly from
Scripture. The Word (eternal existence) is God (John 1:1) and was only
manifested/revealed (John 1:14) when the Word became flesh. Scripture
does make reference to the revealing of Christ to the world, sent by God
(Isaiah 53; Gal. 4:4).
The NT reveals a mystery regarding the giving of the Law to Moses as
explained by Stephen (Acts 7:53) and Paul (Gal. 3:19). Angels gave the
law to Moses. Christ is distinctly spoken of as greater than angels (Hebr.
1:7-8). The Lord created everything, including angels (Col. 1:16).
Therefore, could this angel not perhaps be a chosen vessel to
deliver/message on behalf of the Father and the Son in ways as
referenced in Scripture. Professor J.M. Wilson refers to the angel of
the Lord as: "Angel of the Theophany". A summary of the angel's
appearances to individuals in the OT: with Hagar, with Abraham, at the
sacrifice of Isaac, with Eliezer for protection, appearing to Jacob,
appears to Moses/Joshua/Gideon, leads Israel out of Egypt, etc. In
Exodus 23: 20-23 the Lord commands an angel to lead Israel and they must
obey. Yet, this angel can not forgive sins (V21), this adds to my
question the veracity of this angel, as referred to as 'the angel of the
Lord', to be the pre-incarnate Christ? The Books of John and Hebrew
succinctly refutes the identification of Christ as an angel and/or an
archangel in whatever form or status.
I trust that this explanation is not a conjecture, but is detailed
enough to enable you to respond.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you,
Response #10:
Christ did manifest Himself before the incarnation. He was not and has never
been an "angel" in the sense of being one of the finite angels, those
pre-human-creation creatures who also have the image of God. But what were the
OT believers to call Him? When He manifested Himself it was a clearly
supernatural event but of a Person who was visible and glorious. For them to
have been able to distinguish Him from an angel of God would have required a
detailed theology lesson impossible to understand before witnessing the
incarnation (cf. 1Pet.1:10-12). We do have all the information from scripture we
need today to take that lesson and understand it. This then comes down to
individual cases in scripture, and that requires interpretation of specific
passages.
Here are the main links at Ichthys for this:
Cases of Christophany in the Old Testament (in BB1)
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #11:
Dear Robert,
The Lord used only the bread in this scenario with Cleopas and an unnamed
companion from Emmaus. Their restrained eyes were opened; for now they see Him,
knew Him and He vanished, after their breaking the bread together
Why not the cup? Is it because the blood of the Lamb was not yet presented in
heaven in the Most Holy Place?
I do practice the full scope of the communion with both emblems included.
Continue to overcome in Christ our risen Lord.
Response #11:
Good to hear from you hope you and yours are doing well despite the current
unpleasantness.
As to your question:
1) The Lord had already instituted communion at the last supper and made it
abundantly clear what it meant and that the foundation of it was "remembering
Me" rather than any details of ritual.
2) If He had said "in remembrance of Me" at this time that would have let them
know before He was ready to let them know that it was He who was with them.
3) It is certainly possible to ask for blessing on a meal without engaging in a
formal communion ritual though I do commend the procedure of remembering the
Lord, who He is and what He did for us (represented by the bread and cup
respectively), whenever we eat and drink. See the link:
"The Communion
Ceremony outside of the Local Church".
4) Remembrance of Him is the key; He is "the Bread of Life" and by "the Blood of
Christ" we are saved; so if we are remembering Him, His Person (the bread) and
what He has done for us in being judged for ours sins in the darkness on the
cross (the cup), that in my view trumps any and all other aspects of ceremony.
Some links:
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #12:
Hello Dr. Luginbill,
Until today, I never heard the words "Decision Theology". Yesterday, I
thought about developing a study with the title "Decisions". I talked
with another believer and told him about this study I was thinking of,
and he mentioned "Decision Theology". I know what it is now that I have
heard the term, but was wondering if you might have a teaching/comments
on this subject.
It is my view, and maybe I am wrong about this, that each person must
make a decision to either accept or reject Jesus Christ as their LORD
and Savior. Salvation is a gift of God to all mankind, but, in order to
partake in the gift, we must receive it. Now I know that nothing we do
adds anything to this gift, but we must either accept or reject the
gift.
Appreciate always your thoughts and assistance.
God's richest blessings be upon you,
Your friend,
Response #12:
I agree with you entirely, my friend. This is one of the reasons why I find traditional theology most distasteful. Honestly, one would think these people who worry about such things had nothing better to do.
Then He said to the woman, Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.
Luke 7:50 NKJV
"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!"
Acts 16:31
If that's not clear, I'm not sure what is. Making people ask questions about "reception" just creates unnecessary doubt. Salvation is not just for philosophy majors. Any poor schlub can be saved. And God wants ALL to be saved. Yes you receive the gift. Yes you decide to receive the gift. Yes this results in salvation. But how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? That is what we really need to get to the bottom of . . . apparently.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:14-18 NKJV
I understand the Bible. It is very clear. Theologians and theology, not
so much.
In Jesus,
Bob L.
Question #13:
Dr. Luginbill,
Thank you for letting me know about Bible Basics 7. I
actually saw the posting a few days ago and have started reading it. I can't
wait to spend more time on it but I am presently studying
BB 4A Christology and am at the sections describing
the Hypostatic Union and Kenosis right now.
This is so interesting to me, but very hard to grasp without slow, deliberate
reading and re-reading and looking up all the verses that support the concepts.
So it is taking me some time to digest it. I don't want to hurry through it. I
have so much to learn but I am hungry to learn more - it's almost a craving, if
you know what I mean. Thank you again for the notice. May God continue to
protect you and hold you in his loving hands.
Response #13:
Thanks!
For what it's worth, I re-read these materials all the time as well
(currently in BB 3B: Hamartiology).
Serious study of the Word of God pays all sorts of godly dividends in
this life and the next!
So keep on fighting the good fight, my friend!
I'm keeping you in my prayers.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #14:
Good morning, Dr. Luginbill,
I am sorry to report that I'm not doing better. Unfortunately, I am
completely in the quicksand up to my nose and struggling. In
conversation with my healthcare team, we have concluded that, at this
point, I am the sickest (psychiatrically) that I've ever been. And
that's saying a lot because I have been through so much. In the last
couple of weeks, I have been inundated with so many things over and over
again. After I take one blow, I don't have a chance to recover before
another blow comes. And they just keep coming with seemingly no end in
sight.
I struggle with self-harm behaviors - [omitted]. My team tells me that I
do this because I would rather endure physical pain than mental pain.
Also, during this time period, I have lost 70 lbs.
Just like self-harm, I also struggle with suicidal / homicidal ideation.
I'm not trying to alarm you. My team and I have put guardrails in place
to prevent me from being able to act on either of these, but the
thoughts and desires are so strong at times that I just can't deal with
it. Sometimes, I genuinely want to see others hurt as much as I'm
hurting, and also I just want to stop existing because it's just too
hard and I'm so tired of fighting. It's very scary and I pray to God
continually for help.
I know that the last thing you need is all my heavy stuff but I need
your help with a question that I'm struggling with minute by minute. How
do I know that God loves me - you know, me personally? Not just God
loving all those that choose to believe in Him, all members of the body
of Christ, etc. How do I know that God loves me in a personal,
individual way? I've been trying to find a nugget of scripture to grasp
and hang on to while I'm flailing in the wind. But everything I read
just seems so general. I hope you can point me in the right direction.
Thanking God for you and your ministry every day.
Sincerely,
Response #14:
"How do I know that God loves me . . . ?" The best answer to that
one: Jesus paid for your sins on the cross. He died for YOU. He paid for
YOUR personal sins, one at a time.
Too many Christians take that for granted. But dying for ONE sin was
more than the whole universe and Christ died for ALL of our sins. He
died for yours, for you, for you personally. And what He suffered in
dying for ONE of your sins and we all have committed more than the
hairs on our head or the sands on the seashore was infinitely more
than everything you have suffered in your life since birth or will until
He calls you home.
We would have to have some idea of the glory of God, far veiled from us
at present, to have the slightest idea of the magnitude of the cross.
But in dying for one sin, Christ would have done more for you than if He
gave you the universe on a platter and He died for ALL your sins.
Whatever we think we're suffering here, it's nothing compared to the
lake of fire, the place we'd all be headed if Jesus hadn't paid the
price for us. You are in God's divine decree, sanctified to belong to
Jesus Christ, and PAID FOR with the blood of Jesus, that is, His
suffering for all of your sins. Mine too, I'm very happy to say. Does
God love us? God knows!
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:6-8 NKJV
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.
1st John 4:9 NLT
Praying for your deliverance.
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #15:
Dear Dr. Luginbill,
I am currently reading your book on BB 4B
Soteriology. After coming to saving faith at the age of 43, the
memory of how I abused my own free will, given to each of us by God,
still haunts me. The devil still attacks me with my guilt. I've been in
this fight with the devil for close to a year now. Though I'm typically
a pretty quick learner I'm having a slow time learning to use the armor
provided by God. For me, the biggest challenge is keeping on the helmet
that protects the mind. Which leads me back to my original reason for
writing regarding Soteriology. Would it be proper or Biblical for one,
once they have submitted to Jesus as Lord and Saviour, to ask to
relinquish our God given free will? In my heart it's settled, I no
longer want to do things my way. Yet I still have freedom to sin. Since
God paid such a high price for my sin already I am ashamed knowing I
will still sin in this life.
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
By God's Grace may this email find you well,
Response #15:
This life is all about choice. That is why we are all here. And for
believers, that is why we remain here after salvation. The world is
God's great threshing floor where He separates the wheat from the chaff.
And He also determines the quality of each grain of wheat through the
process of life and history. Of course it is really WE who do the
determining. His perfect plan has allowed us that right, the
self-determination of free will inherent in the image of God we have
been given. So please don't wish away your free will. Free will is
faith. What you need is to develop your faith. God is perfectly
faithful. Most of the tests we're given in this life are aimed at
helping us see that and trust Him more and more each day if we are
willing. So if you have a problem, the solution is God. He is willing
and able to help you but you have to trust Him and not rely on
yourself. Don't worry about the devil. Focus your heart on the Lord in
the Holy Spirit.
What you may be seeing as a disadvantage is actually a very great
blessing. Still being here in the world and still having free will is an
opportunity to do what the Lord is calling you to do. Don't just sit on
defense and try to win the battle against sin in a vacuum. Like all
other things in this life, defense never won anything. No. You have to
take aggressive offense action, namely, commit to spiritual growth.
If you are reading the Basics Series, then you are on your way with
that. Keep it up! And take pains to believe and remember what you're
being taught and to apply it to your daily walk. Be praying. Be
thinking godly thoughts as you interpret everything you see and
experience in light of the truth you're learning AND believing. Focus on
your eternal reward. That is how to win the victory in a way that
glorifies Jesus Christ.
Remember. He not only forgave your sin when you believed but now
forgives you every time you sin thereafter (1Jn.1:9). Jesus is our
Advocate as well when we do err (1Jn.2:1-2). And don't wallow in guilt!
That sort of morbid obsession with the past is the devil's ace trump
along with fear (guilt and fear are very closely related). Fear God
instead and determine to do what is right.
But if you stumble, rejoice that you are a child of God and redeemed by
the blood of Christ. Moping about the past is most definitely NOT what
the Lord wants from you. And don't worry about getting away with
something. The Father is perfect disciplinarian. No one ever gets away
with anything but we are all blessed to be treated in grace and love
and receive far less than we deserve.
(12) [It is] not that I have already gotten [what I am striving for], nor that I have already completed [my course]. Rather, I am continuing to pursue [the prize] in hopes of fully acquiring it [this prize for whose acquisition] I was myself acquired by Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I do not consider that I have already acquired it. This one thing only [do I keep in mind]. Forgetting what lies behind me [on the course] and straining towards the [course] ahead, (14) I continue to drive straight for the tape, towards the prize to which God has called us from the beginning [of our race] in Christ Jesus. (15) So as many as are [spiritually] mature, let us have this attitude (i.e., of focusing on our spiritual advance and reward and not getting hung up on what lies behind: vv.13-14), and if in any matter your attitude is off-center, God will reveal that to you (i.e., assuming you are mature and are advancing as you should). (16) But with respect to the progress you have made, keep on advancing in the same way!
Philippians 3:12-16
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #16:
Hi Dr.
I pray all is well with you. How is the first week of classes going?
I have a quick question. What is the difference between Christ's Spirit
indwelling in a believer (Gal 2:20) and the Holy Spirit's indwelling? Do
they have different functions? Are the phrases (Christ's Spirit and the
Holy Spirit) used interchangeably?
Can you please shed some light on this subject for me? I will also
attempt to do a study on my end but I wanted to get your analysis as a
foundation.
Thank you and God bless you sir.
Response #16:
First, I got your package yesterday phew!!! You certainly have done a
lot of work . . . and very good work too! Those who are blessed to have
access to your teaching there are a privileged lot! You're all set for
the next phase later this year (praying for that to happen as early as
possible). Hold onto your paper copies. OCR software has gotten very
good. You'll be able to scan all of these papers and create computer
files without too much editing.
As to your question, first, indwelling of Jesus Christ (Jn.14:20;
Rom.8:10; 2Cor.13:5; Eph.3:17; Col.1:27) and of the Spirit (Rom.8:9; cf.
Jn.14:17; 1Thes.4:8; 2Tim.1:14; Heb.6:4) are facts.
The purpose of the Lord's indwelling is for unity, fellowship, and
encouragement:
(20) "And I do not ask concerning these only, [Father], but also concerning all of those who believe in Me through their word, (21) so that all [of them] may be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I also am in You, so that they also themselves may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. (22) And I have given them the glory You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one."
John 17:20-22
To all [believers] God desired to make known what wealth there is in this glorious mystery regarding the gentiles, for it is that Christ your hope of glory is in you.
Colossians 1:27
The purpose of the Spirit's indwelling is empowerment on every level,
learning the truth, applying the truth, developing and functioning in
our spiritual gifts. This is a very long and exhaustive discussion to
have. Here's the link to BB 5 where just
having a look at the outline will give you an idea of that.
Keeping you in my prayers, my friend!
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #17:
Thank you Dr and I am glad you received the package today. Your
mentoring and guide in the Word has bear fruit and without you, I
couldn't have done this ministry.
I know the Lord has and will continue to bless you, not only temporally
but the world to come.
As far as my question, thanks for answering and there is a difference. I
didn't know that. The scriptures you give me will help guide me in my
study. I may preach on this. It is very important applicationally to
know.
I will let you know if there are any other questions.
God bless you in Jesus Christ our Lord
Response #17:
Sure thing, my friend write any time!
Question #18:
Hi Bob,
Matthew 4:24-25 (NASB)
24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to
Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains,
demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds
followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and
from beyond the Jordan.
Question: Syria and the Decapolis are gentile areas. I thought Jesus
sought to avoid preaching to the gentiles?
Matthew 12:15-16 (NASB)
15 But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and
He healed them all, 16 and warned them not to tell who He was.
Question: Why did our Lord warn the crowd if they didnt know who He was
because they almost never got that He was the Son of God?
In our Savior,
Response #18:
1) The point is that His fame spread so far and wide that even Jews from
the surrounding regions outside of Palestine came to Him rather than the
other way around where He would have had to travel to those outlying
regions.
2) It's a misleading translation. Better:
And charged them that they should not make him known.
Matthew 12:16 KJV
We see from other passages as well that this celebrity was a curse and
something He eschewed (Matt.8:4; 9:30-31; 14:13-14; Mk.1:43-45; 3:20;
8:26; 9:30; Lk.4:42-44; 5:15-16; 5:19). While sinful human beings crave
fame, for our Lord the ultimate celebrity of all time being
celebrated far and wide only made His ministry more difficult. In fact,
He went to lengths to repulse those who were really not interested in
the truth, using parables, for one thing, going up to the mountain tops
to teach the disciples who cared enough (after being healed or fed) to
still seek Him out.
There's a good lesson there for us all. If somehow Ichthys became
"famous" for fifteen minutes I would not be able to handle the load
of emails, so that those genuinely interested would get lost in the
shuffle. God knows what He is doing of course!
In Jesus Christ our dear Lord and Savior,
Bob L.
Question #19:
Hello--Quick question....in John 20:28, Thomas answers Jesus and calls Him his
"Lord" and his "God." An Arian I know on CARM claims that Lord refers to Jesus
and God refers to the Father, that Thomas was recognizing the Father in Jesus
Christ.
"The fact is, that Thomas wasn't calling Jesus God either and the fact that he
said, "The Lord of me and, and, and "The God of me", I believe is proof that he
wasn't also, for if he was only speaking to Jesus alone, he would more likely
had said "my Lord God".
However, instead he put the "of me" behind word "Lord" and then also behind the
word "God" and then also had the word "and" in between them revealing that he
was speaking to two persons and not just one."
Silly, I know...my question is, is the "Him" in "Thomas answered and said unto
Him..." singular? What would it be in Greek? Seems to me that IF Thomas had been
referring both to Jesus and the Father, the text would have said that "Thomas
answered and said unto them...."
Response #19:
The meaning in Greek is identical and exactly parallel to the English
translations. Greek says "of me" for "my" frequently, and in the NT it
is the preferred way to express possession.
This is clearly grasping at straws by someone who doesn't want to accept
the clear meaning of what the text says (expressed perfectly well in all
the major translations).
I've never heard anyone say anything like "My Lord and my God" in the
Bible or outside of the Bible if not referring to God. If anything,
saying it this way emphasizes the "my God" part which would not be the
case in the alternative suggested. But the text does say also very
clearly ". . . and he [Thomas] said to Him [Jesus]". So Thomas is
clearly calling Jesus his "God" I don't see any reasonable way around
that. That is one reason I frequently quote this verse for anyone with
questions about our Lord's deity. There may be thought to be some clever
way around this very clear statement but it is NOT in fact.
It's always frustrating to debate with people for whom words have either
no meaning or any old meaning they want them to have. That's why I leave
apologetics to others.
In Jesus our dear Savior,
Bob L.
Question #20:
Dear Dr. Luginbill,
May I ask how you came to believe in the Lord?
I know this is very personal, so if you don't want to answer you can of
course say it is personal and not answer. I was just wondering, only if
you felt comfortable sharing. No pressure.
I personally hesitate over sharing because I know some people will say
it was more emotional than logical. Which is not really true to me; I
mean having to separate the medium (my abusive parents) from the message
(the Word) takes more than momentary impulse emotion. And I used so much
logic the decade after asking Bible related questions that, now when I
question some not Bible related, taking apart non-Bible things is so
easy I feel offended Christians are tricked into questioning the Bible
so much. It is tricked! Nothing else would stand up to half of what we
allow ourselves to be led into doing on the Bible.
Anyway, please take care.
Response #20:
As I've said on the website on a number of occasions, I don't remember exactly
when I came to believe. I was very young. In thinking about this in later years,
I think it was the death of my beloved grandfather and the realization of death
and darkness and the grave for the first time that motivated me to "put
together" what I had no doubt heard in church (I wasn't yet five years old, I
don't believe) and put my faith in the Lord for deliverance. I do remember that
fear dissolving and being a "happy little guy" thereafter . . . until we moved
to Chicago a year or so later.
And yes, it was all pretty emotional in recollection but what could be more
emotional than deliverance from death, grave and darkness!
In Jesus our Redeemer who has set us free from all that by dying in our place on
the cross!
Bob L.