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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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Micah 6:8 asks the question, What does God require of man? What does God require of us? |
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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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Micah 6:8 also answers the question... "...To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Thanks for making me look it up!
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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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You're welcome Shannon! :)
Nolan |
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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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Hi, In Romans,chapter12 verse 1.
Present your bodies a living sacrifice,holy,acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service.
I do not think reasonable service is to much for God to ask,do you?
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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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No, it certainly is not too much to ask for, preacher man! Actually, I present the idea that we must be 'bond servants' to our Lord, slaves to righteousness, and forever doing His will and service with no interruptions. |
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What does God require of a man? |
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Micah
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AMEN. |
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Without vision, people perish. Passage? |
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Mic 3:6
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Can someone tell me the passage that goes something like "Without a vision, the people perish"? |
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Without vision, people perish. Passage? |
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Mic 3:6
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Wing, I couldn't find that in over 20 translations. The closest is Micah 3:6.
The Bible in Basic English says "For this cause it will be night for you, without a vision; and it will be dark for you, without knowledge of the future; the sun will go down over the prophets, and the day will be black over them."
Whomever said this to you needs to be challanged ... have them show where their source, otherwise they need to retract what they said.
Searcher |
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Without vision, people perish. Passage? |
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Mic 3:6
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Wing
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. KJV
Many pastors have corrupted this word to mean they have a vision and without them the people will perish. If you look to a more accurate translation fo the Hebrew you see it means something completely different.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law. NASB Here the meaning becomes clear without God's word/revelation/law the people are unrestrained, but happy is he that keeps God's law.
EdB
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Israel-powerful nation-end days-where? |
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Mic 5:3
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I am searching for the book and chapter where Israel is notied to rise up and be a powerful nation and those who rise againt her will be "in trouble". I have been looking in the concordance and cannot seem to nail it down. My grandmother and I are in discussion what with the happenings in teh M.E. and this particular subject came up. Thank you.
Kari Bohag |
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Israel-powerful nation-end days-where? |
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Mic 5:3
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Dear Kari Bohag....The middle east country that is today called Israel is a political state fashioned by men. God has not yet called for Israel to return from all the far off places of this world. This is exactly why there will be no peace, ever, in this political state. Even the leaders of this country do not consider themselves particularly "religious" because they are not of God. They are the liars and the deceivers of men and nations. This is not the Israel of God. There is no contemporary proof that it is. I can sleep in the garage all night but in the morning I will not be a Buick.
God Bless....Jensen
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Israel-powerful nation-end days-where? |
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Mic 5:3
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Jensen, the first year my wife and I were married, we lived in a garage (apartment). We didn't become Buicks. It was all we could do to a Ford a garage. [Sorry, Jensen, it just bubbled out] --Hank |
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Israel-powerful nation-end days-where? |
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Mic 5:3
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Okay Hank....LOL....Good Night |
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Is it internal or limited external? |
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Mic 6:6
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Verse 7 continues "Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
Verse 8 "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Is this text (Micah 6:6-8)
1. refuting all external, cermonial religion in favor of internalizing our faith as a response to God?
2. saying that there are essential religious acts focus on the issues of justice, mercy and humility. Everything else is beyond waht God expects?
Which is it? Is it both? Is it neither?
After you chose, then explain. |
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Is it internal or limited external? |
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Mic 6:6
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Greetings Steve,
I believe that your Option #1 is the closest to understanding Micah 6:6-8..
Micah is asking the people how they can continue in their hypocrisy by being outwardly religious but inwardly sinful in spite of what God has done for them. Verse 8 seems to suggest that the people already know the answer. Spiritual blindness kept them from offering to God what He really wanted- a spiritual commitment of the heart.
--Nolan |
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Is it internal or limited external? |
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Mic 6:6
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I agree with Nolan number 1 is the closest however we have to remember what you call external ceremonial is what was required for forgiveness of sin under the Old Covenant. Unfortunately the people convoluted it and used it more as paying their dues. By that I mean if a person sinned against another he was to repent and offer a sin sacrifice and his sin would be atoned. Instead the people would sin against his neighbor and looked at the required sin sacrifice as almost the cost of doing business, there was no repentance. God through the prophet is saying what good is all the sacrifice if the heart remains unchanged. God was seeking people that held and lived the traits he mentioned in verse 8.
We have the same situation today. People say they believe in Christ and yet they treat others as dogs. If they get caught they will say their sorry but in the their heart it is not more than the cost of doing business. Yet Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments. Today there is the gospel of easy believeism where what is taught is all you need to do is believe. However salvation requires repentance, repentance a change of attitude, and requires a change of heart.
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Is this past, present or future? |
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Mic 6:14
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Is this and Hosea 4:10 past, present or future? |
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Is this past, present or future? |
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Mic 6:14
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Le 26:26; Isa 65:13; Eze 4:16,17; Ho 4:10; Hag 1:6; 2:16 all speak of God's judement on Israel which was fulfilled by the Babylonian captivity. |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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God's Forgiveness of Sin
**************************************
1. God removes our sins as far as the E is from the W (Psalm 103:12)
2. God completely cleanses us from the stain of our sins (Isaiah 1:18)
3. God throws our sins behind His back (Isaiah 38:17)
4. God remembers our sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34)
5. God treads our sins underfoot (Micah 7:19)
6. God casts our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19)
[Taken from the MacArthur Study Bible, pg. 1307 [Micah 7:19], 1997, Word Publishing]
- Nolan |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Dear brother:
An excellent outline on the forgiveness of sin! When I read your note a verse from Col. 1:14 came to mind:
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:..." Is it not amazing that in Christ we are abundantly pardoned and clothed in his righteousness forever.
"Forgiven" not in part, but the whole.
Robert |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Greetings Nolan,
I'd like to comment on the scriptures you've listed relative to negative judgement and the believer. Please give me your views in return.
I understand these scriptures to say that God forgives all of our sins past, present, and future.
To me, the bible makes it clear that God has judicially removed sin from the believer and has done it completely. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 8:12)
With regard to sin, scripture affirms that the child of God under grace shall not come under judgment (Jn 3:18; 5:24). Our sin, past, present, and future, has been born by a perfect Substitute, and we are therefore forever placed beyond condemnation (Col. 2:10), accepted as perfect in Christ (I Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:6; Col. 2:10; Heb. 10:14), and loved as Christ is loved (Jn. 17:23).
However, we see in many other passages that God does judge us when we become carnal and does remember our sin. "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me (Jn. 13:8). So, if the Christian does not confess, he is not forgiven.
This sounds like a penalty for willful sin.
This is true even though Paul has declared elsewhere that "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God" (Rom. 8:39).
"And behold I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work" (Rev. 22:12).
This passage seems to assert that every man, Christian and nonchristian, will be judged according to his work.
We are also told that we will reap what we sow. We have been warned that there is no sacrificial protection from judgement in time (Heb. 10:26)for willful sin. Paul tells us that at the judgment seat of Christ we will be rewarded for both the good and bad things we have done.
For the persistently carnal Christian a dreadful experience awaits him at the last day. He will suffer the loss of everything but will be saved as through fire (ICor. 3:15).
We have Christ's warning to the wicked servant (Would He call an unsaved man a servant?), that he would be cast into the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. The foolish virgins are excluded from the wedding banquet, and the man without the proper attire for the banquet was cast into the darkness outside. These all sound like punishments. We cannot say that they are all unregenerate just because our theological system teaches that these punishments could not come upon the regenerate (born again).
As I mentioned in an earlier note, it seems as though there are three negative consequences for the consistently carnal Christian at the judgement seat of Christ. First, for some there will be a stinging rebuke. Could this be the meaning of the Lord's warning that some will be "cut in pieces"? (Mt. 24:51) And of his stern denunciation, "You wicked, lazy, servant" (Mt. 25:26) Second, such unfaithful Christians face millennial disinheritance. A father may disinherit his son, but the son is still his son. Isn't this disinheritance a forfeiture of one's share in the millennial reign. And finally, the carnal Christian faces exclusion from the joy of the wedding banquet, "Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?" (Mt. 22:12)
It has been suggested that this line of thought approaches catholocism's "purgatory". From "Dabney" pp. 538-545. "Purgatory must be rejected. The Scriptures teach that the saint is made perfect at death and there is therfore no room for a purgatorical cleansing. Satisfaction of Christ is complete in regard to providing eternal unconditional acceptance and immediate entrance to heaven at death. Therefore, what ever befalls the glorified saint at the judgment seat cannot exclude him from immediate entrance into heaven."
From R. T. Kendall, Once Saved Always Saved (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1984), p. 123 "We must deduce from this that there is no contradiction between Paul's doctrine of justification and his conception of the judgment of God; and that being declared righteous so as to escape the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9; I Thess. 1:10) does not exempt us from rewards or punishment in the Last Day."
I've written all of the above to express my conviction that the scriptures you listed are absolutely literal regarding final justification. I believe that carnal Christians who die without "Making a Comeback", will make it to heaven. I don't believe hell is a consideration for these Christians. They along with Christians that have disciplined themselves to walk with Christ to the best of their abilities, will be judged according to their works, whether good or bad.
Please excuse the length of my note. I look forward to hearing from you.
Eagle One |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Dear Robert,
I appreciate your reminder of Col 1:14. And I am touched by what you said. "Is it not amazing that in Christ we are abundantly pardoned and clothed in his righteousness forever. "Forgiven" not in part, but the whole.
I've asked Brother Nolan to comment on my rather lengthy note to him. I would ask for your comments also. I look forward to hearing from you.
In Him,
Eagle One |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Thank you Robert!
Yes, I enjoyed writing that post, and Col. 1:14 is an excellent verse out of the NT to add to it.
Blessings to you,
Nolan |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Greetings Eagle One!
Thank you for responding to my post! You sure have put a lot of thought and time into your post and you've touched upon many topics while you wrote!
I agree with everything that you have written. From my experience as a Christian, I do believe in eternal security. I believe that what you have stated about Jesus Christ being the Substitute for our sin is correct! And when we are saved, we are irreversibly and "positionally" sanctified to having a part in the family of God instead of being lost and on the road to destruction.
However, the subject that you really want me to address is about a believer who willfully continues to indulge in sin after they have been saved..
(Part 1, continued in Part 2)
- Nolan |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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(Part 2, conclusion)
Once we're infused into the body of Christ, we're never excised from the body, since the Holy Spirit is what places us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). We are "sealed" by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). That seal guarantees that we are God's everlasting property, and God's plans cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24).
However, when a Christian sins, but chooses to remain in that sin, God will discipline him or her just as a father disciplines his children (see Hebrews 12:7-11). When we are saved, a facet of salvation, called sanctification, begins to carry itself out in our lives, to "increasingly" set us apart (1 Peter 1:16). However, this process will not reach its final completion here on earth, but only when we see Christ and become as He is (1 John 3:1-3). But all the while, from the point where you are at right now to that final point with Christ, we as believers must work and strive for perfection, to be in one heart and mind with God! And our sin breaks and interrupts our fellowship with God. So as we are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:11), we will experience a greater communion with God and with our fellow believers if we abstain from sin and do not indulge in it. Not only will abstaining from sin help to put us into the position that He wants us to be to do God's work and will, but it will also help us gain and have more heavenly rewards that await us! And abstaining from sin allows our spirits to grow and our knowledge of Scripture and of Him to increase! Sin only aids to derail us and hinders us in our spiritual growth. It is like a cancer. Sin, and its ill consequences, only works to keep us from being where we should be at, and where the Lord wants us to be for Him. If we are struggling with sin while the Lord needs us to be ready when a "spiritual opportunity" occurs, then our "unreadiness" because of sin could prove to have greater consequences than ever imagined if we had just been ready at the right time and at the right place for God to use us. While it is true that noone can be perfectly without sin on earth (Rom. 3:23), we can renew our relationship with God (which is broken to at least some extent every time that we sin) by repenting of our sins (1 John 1:9) and He will forgive us!
However, when a Christian chooses to continue to dwell in their sin, then not only are they in danger of not being "where they should be at" when the Lord needs them, but they are also opening themselves up to many complications that will only seek to thwart, or choke the faith that they once had, making it spoiled (Matt. 13:7,22). The danger in a Christian who does not wholeheartedly seek deliverance from sin is that they do not see the imminent consequences of that sin until it is too late! King David was guilty of this "blindness", and he had already committed adultery and murder before he finally realized the full measure of the consequences of his sin. Then how do we reconcile the parable in Matt. 13 with eternal security? We must break from our love of the world! (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17) The Bible repetitively leads us to the conclusion that those who love the world more than they love Christ will not enter into His Kingdom. We must love Him first and foremost, and repent of every evil thought or deed of sin that we have committed. I am not saying that the parable of the Two Servants (Matthew 24:45-51) is evidence that a person can lose their salvation, but I am saying that the person who does not love Christ more than he/she loves the world was never saved to begin with. And if we do, in fact, love Him, we will obey His commands and repent of our sins.
All Christians should be "watchmen", and should keep a lookout for His coming; doing what our Master commands us to do (Matt. 24:46, Ezekiel 33).
"But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel 33:6, NKJV)
"How then can we live?" (Ezekiel 33:10)
"..Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11, 2 Peter 3:9)
Our behavior is in full view before God, and we must consider that and reform it if need be, so that our behavior will begin to reflect the truth of our positional status before God. Some may feel that there is a "reciprocal" relationship between our behavior and our status before God (i.e., that we can lose our salvation). However, if we have truly once been saved, then our status before God is secure in Christ, regardless of our sin, even though we are admonished to strive for sinless perfection, and to fully cooperate with the Holy Spirit working in our lives to bring us to perfection (sanctification).
I hope that this has helped!
Blessings to you,
Nolan |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Praise the Lord! Good post Eagle one. I for one once lived that carnal christian life, but all that did was short changed my life, The thief cometh not, but for to STEAL, AND to KILL AND to DESTROY...John 10:10 kjv, I praise God that he brought me out of that "walking the middle of the road walk". God Bless you |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Eagle One:
Thank you for your kind response.
I have read your post to brother Nolan and I have a few comments to make.
I agree that "eternal life" is exactly that and that there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.
I believe that we should never lose sight of the holiness of God. Sin cannot come into his presence. He must judge sin. I say this reverently, "Not even the love of God can overlook sin". His love is pure and holy as he is.
In view of this, God by his grace in his eternal counsels divised a plan whereby he can pardon the guilty sinner by accepting the sustitutionary work of his Son upon the cross who bore the awful load of our sins. For those of us who live in this age of grace we look backward to Calvary by faith, all our sins were future when Christ died. In contrast those saints of the old testament acted by faith and in doing so looked forward to the coming redeemer.
We read "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2) In other words the sacrifice of Christ is sufficient for the whole world. Will the whole world be saved? No! Why? because of unbelief.
Forgiveness of sins is freely offered to the "whosoever" will. Forgiveness of sins cannot be realized until a sinner is willing to acknowledge his sinful need and by faith accept the provision which God has offered through his Son.
Brother, I am sorry if I am rambling.
I agree that God is going to judge all people by their works. For the unsaved there will be righteous judgement based on the light which they have had during their life time. A good example of this is the words of Jesus to the Pharisees "it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gommorah than you in the day of judgement".
Christians will also be accountable for their stewardship since they were saved. We must remember that we have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit to give us power over sin. In addition, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." (Romans 8:26) and even more wonderful "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34). Sin in the life of the Christian should be an accident and if we sin and confess it we are forgiven by his precious blood.
"For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing]".(1 Cor. 5:10 NASB amplified) Paul in this passage is referring to the "Bema" or the award seat connected with the olympic games. The lives of all Christians will be reviewed through the refining fire of God. Because we are overcomers in him, we will all finish the race, howbeit, some may crawl across the line, whereas, others may have wasted time by being occuppied with the wrong motives in service. Others may lose reward due to a sinful life or worldliness. Yet even though some will be saved as by fire, everyone will have praise of God.
Brother, our sins and the punishment for our sins were laid on Christ. Thus, I have difficulty seeing punishment at the judgement seat of Christ. However, we will suffer loss if we fail to commit ourselves to Christ in our lives and allow him to work through us. The awards of that day will be laid at his feet and to his glory forever.
The examples which you have given pretain to the Kingdom of Heaven which is the rule of the heavens over the earth in contrast to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of Heaven is a sphere of profession and we find that within professing believers there will be those who are false. When dealing with the Kingdom of Heaven we have the wheat and the tares which sybolize true Christians and false professors. We enter the Kingdom of God by birth from above John 3. We find that there are no tares in the kingdom of God.
I will give more thought to this part of the discussion.
Your brother by his grace alone
Robert
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Hello Robert,
Greetings to you in His precious name.
Your remarks and scriptual discussion was a blessing for me and for others that will read it.
Your comments were accurate and appropriate. In addition they conveyed your love for the Savior and His precious scripture.
Please share additional thoughts and insight with me soon. I will look forward to that.
In Him,
Eagle One |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Greetings to you Nolan,
I want to thank you for your response.
Your description of God's grace in giving us positional justification was not only accurate but solid.
In addition I appreciated your discussion of the risk of continuing in sin and the imminence of the consequences.
I am in agreement with all of your points and I ask you to share your thoughts and insight in other areas of His Word as well. Thanks again.
In Him,
Eagle One |
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God's Forgiveness of Sin |
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Mic 7:19
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Greetings to you HeistheOne,
Thank you for your post. It's uplifting to hear from a Christian brother that has had similar experiences, and I'm happy for you.
It's difficult to discuss a backslidden condition. When you're in the middle of it, you can't even remember the wonders of walking in His presence. During the time, I could remember that I had countless wonderous times with Him, but I just couldn't remember the depth and beauty of closeness to Him.
When I think about His faithfulness to me while I was being unfaithful to Him I experience a mixture of joy and regret. I'm reminded of the scripture, "Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Thanks again for communicating with me. I'd like to hear from you again. I try to hit the computer as soon as I can at the end of the work day. I'll look forward to hearing from you.
In Him,
Eagle One
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