Yes, provided they sincerely desire to come back. The book of Hebrews deals more with this issue of falling away than does any other book in the New Testament because many Jewish Christians were falling away from the church to go back to Judaism. In Hebrews 6:4-6 we read, "For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame" (ASV).
The Bible teaches that the gospel is for all regardless of one’s race, social status, skin color, or other physical appearances that happen to be different from others. John 3:16 says, “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.” God loved the entire world, every single person in it. God sent His Son to die for everyone.
I also want to emphasize that it is every Christian’s duty to evangelize. This isn’t something that is relegated only to the preacher, elders, or deacons. Every member is responsible. That does not mean that a person must stand on a street corner and preach a sermon. We have multiple opportunities to evangelize by inviting people to services, handing out tracts, sending cards, talking to people at work, talking to people at the grocery store, and just doing the things that we normally do as people. The key is what Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
God is serious about keeping his message pure. It is inconsistent for us to preach that we ought not to add to nor take away from the word of God, and then choose a Bible translation that does just that. A translation should be understandable and legible. However the deciding factor in choosing a specific Bible translation should be whether or not the translators have accurately reflected the word of God in their translation.
This is a translation of the Greek word ἀσέλγεια (aselgeia). In the New Testament it means: unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence. It has reference primarily to sexual type sins. So some examples of this behavior are: filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females. In what contexts might such behavior be found today?
We note that Paul's statement that Christ sent him not to baptize, didn't mean that Paul never baptized anyone. If it was the case that Paul wasn't supposed to baptize anyone, then he wouldn't have baptized Crispus and Gaius who he directly states in the context that he did indeed baptize. So the passage couldn't mean that Christ didn't send Paul to baptize at all.
It hurts to have your name defamed, but it simply isn't worth pursuing in such a manner. Sometimes it is better to suffer wrong than to demand your rights.
Do we have the gift of tongues today? No. We noticed that they were going to be done away in 1 Corinthians 13:8. So what about all of those people who claim to speak in tongues today? Here is the problem with modern day tongue speakers. 1) They don't speak in human languages; they speak in alleged “angelic” tongues, so there is no way to confirm whether they are truly speaking another language or not. 2) The tongues that they speak in, they speak for their own edification, not for unbelievers. 3) They don't speak in tongues to prove what they say is true. Here are at least three things in which the Bible contradicts modern day tongue speakers.
The baptism of Ephesians 4:5 is water baptism because water baptism is for everyone who believes. It is for everyone to obey. It is the baptism that Jesus commanded the disciples to practice. It is the baptism that we may preach and command today. Holy Spirit baptism was limited to a few. It cannot be obeyed. It was not commanded to the disciples, and only Jesus administers it.
Jesus had a task to accomplish while on earth. In John 6:38-40, Jesus said: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Getting married (to an earthly woman) was not part of the task that the Father gave Jesus, and that is why Jesus never married.
Is the gospel, the word, and the good news all the same thing? What is a good definition of them? What is the difference between them? The word “gospel” as […]
The basic gist of what is happening is that a man suspects his wife of cheating on him. He takes her to the priest. She offers a sacrifice of barley meal. The priest takes some holy water and mixes it with dust from the floor of the tabernacle. This is a harmless concoction that does nothing to human physiology. The mixing of the dust with the holy water represents impurity. It was not some kind of “morning after pill.”
There is, however, a second way in which God may justly put man's sin upon an innocent victim. This is when God Himself bears the punishment for man's sin. Everyone recognizes the principle that it would be just for the one sentencing punishment to bear the penalty for that punishment in place of the one who ought to be punished.
The subject of forgiveness is a great and wonderful study in the Bible. All mankind stands in need of God's forgiveness and the only way through which mankind can have forgiveness is through the blood of Christ (Matthew 26:28). We contact that blood when we are baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:1-11) and we are continually cleansed by that blood as we walk in the light (1 John 1:7). The forgiveness that God extends to man is conditional upon being washed in the blood of the lamb. This means that we must come to God for forgiveness, and after baptism, when we sin, we confess our sin to God and ask Him for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
The metaphors of the Bible show us that God speaks to us in terms that we can understand. We understand the relationship between a father and daughter. In doing so, we learn a little more about God and who He is. The Bible uses this type of accommodative language frequently—language that uses examples that we can understand so God may teach us. This is one of the reasons why Jesus spoke in parables. God makes every effort on his part to try to communicate with us in ways that we can understand.
All of these prophecies being fulfilled in this one scene was a proclamation to everyone that Jesus was the Messiah. There were many who welcomed Him as such as He rode into Jerusalem.
A prophecy could be any word from God, but we have come to understand the word specifically as applying to events in the future. The prophets of the Bible often prophesied of current events often calling attention to the sins of the people and telling them to repent. Nathan prophesied to David that he had murdered Uriah so that he could commit adultery with Bathsheba, an event that was in the past (2 Samuel 12).
Would You Explain "Rock of Ages" and "Cleft of the Rock"? The Bible compares God to a rock in many different places. Some of our beloved hymns use these images in their lyrics. What do these images mean and how should we understand them?
There are better ways of dealing with life’s difficulties than to end one’s own life, and it may very well be a choice that separates one from God eternally. Job was a man who endured great loss. He lost his family, his possessions, and his health, but he never lost his faith and trust in God, and that is what kept him going through all of the pain and problems that he suffered. We should look to his example of faithfulness and try to do what he did when we are faced with such suffering. It is much better to suffer through this life and to end up in eternal life than to risk ending suffering in this life only to face an eternity of more suffering. Paul wrote, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18).
So, would it be sinful to make an appearance of Jesus? What is one going to do with an image or likeness of Jesus? Admire it? Appreciate it? Respect it? If that is the purpose, then why would that not be idolatry? In Exodus 20:4-5, God told Mosees, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me…."
