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Post by foxjj on Jul 21, 2022 7:08:58 GMT
The Precious Cornerstone
Among the many scriptures referring to The Chosen One in the Old Testament is Psalm 118:22-23 where it states: “22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” These verse’s in Psalm 118 are referring to Isreal's rejection of the Chosen One whom The Almighty would send. Although He was to be the cornerstone for the spiritual betterment of His people - He would be rejected by Isreal. This rejection would occur with the foreknowledge of The Almighty, notwithstanding, this Chosen One is, and will remain the chief cornerstone in God's Spiritual Kingdom. Therefore the rejection of The Chosen One was a serious act by the nation.
Jesus reminded His listeners regarding this Script in Matthew 21:42-46: “42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.”
Today we can look back and see how Isreal rejected Jesus as their Messiah, even though He was the Chosen One sent by The Almighty. As the ministry of Jesus came to its fulfilment, so also the Covenant would be replaced by A New Covenant through His death and resurrection. It is because of this New Covenant that you and I can receive Salvation and become part of God's Kingdom, as Paul explained: "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" (Acts 28:28.)
The cornerstone is crucial when used as the large foundation stone in the construction of two walls forming a corner. Without the cornerstone the building will not be firm or stable and risks collapsing. Peter teaches concerning the importance, and the blessings of accepting Jesus as The Cornerstone in our lives when he wrote:
“6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:6-10 (NIV)
Today, let us give thanks for Jesus, our precious cornerstone. John Joseph Fox.
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Post by randy on Jul 22, 2022 3:00:00 GMT
Yes, genuine love for and acceptance of Jesus as our Lord is the basis of salvation. Knowing him is to know eternal life. He is the basis for either accepting life or ending up in eternal death, separated from the congregation of the righteous.
The only way to understand this is to embrace him and to thereby know how he is the basis of all true righteousness. Accepting him alone leads to righteousness.
Taking a little piece of him and also serving other inconsonant gods is not the equation that leads to life. When we accept him as the exclusive basis for life, and then choose to live by it, we have indeed obtained eternal life.
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Post by princess on Jul 23, 2022 3:39:51 GMT
How children express love for parents and how wives express love for husband's is through obedience. Obedience is how the church (bride) expresses genuine love and acceptance of Jesus Christ.
This is the entire basis of salvation.
That's it!
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Post by randy on Jul 23, 2022 4:56:01 GMT
How children express love for parents and how wives express love for husband's is through obedience. Obedience is how the church (bride) expresses genuine love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. This is the entire basis of salvation. That's it! Yes, however this can be easily misunderstood if we fail to anticipate a poor reading of it. For example, there are those whose life experience has a limited exposure to divine love. So, for them, dutiful obedience can be loveless and actually, at worse, an agenda at work. So I like to add the emotional aspect of "love" along with the "obedience" that you rightly declare is necessary. After all, obedience to the Lord is the way we express our admiration for His ways, and the way we show respect for Him as our Creator. Even more, once we learn that obedience is not ritual, but moment by moment responsiveness in our conscience to the Spirit of Christ's love, we then know that we are living by a relationship, and not by a regimen. But thanks, "obedience" is critically important in our expression of good faith towards the Lord.
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Post by princess on Jul 23, 2022 5:59:15 GMT
Respect and admiration is not obedience.
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Post by princess on Jul 25, 2022 5:48:41 GMT
Respect is an admiration of qualities that I choose to give to someone. That admiration gives them authority and a voice in my life. But I am the source of their authority in my life. I am the one granting that they can speak to my life. The authority or influence they have in my life is derived from me.
Fear, the good kind, in Scripture, is brought on by a recognition of an inherent authority. I am not the one who is giving it. I am merely recognizing it and called upon to recognize it.
Randy, you fear (pun intended) that if we use this term the way it is supposed to be used that it will lead to confusion is an argument one can make of anything that is abused. The answer is never to teach or distort Scripture so that we make what is potent benign.
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Post by randy on Aug 2, 2022 4:34:21 GMT
Respect is an admiration of qualities that I choose to give to someone. That admiration gives them authority and a voice in my life. But I am the source of their authority in my life. I am the one granting that they can speak to my life. The authority or influence they have in my life is derived from me. Fear, the good kind, in Scripture, is brought on by a recognition of an inherent authority. I am not the one who is giving it. I am merely recognizing it and called upon to recognize it. Randy, you fear (pun intended) that if we use this term the way it is supposed to be used that it will lead to confusion is an argument one can make of anything that is abused. The answer is never to teach or distort Scripture so that we make what is potent benign. Sometimes I can anticipate how people will misconstrue truth. That's when I like to add to the truth being given. If you don't think anybody will misconstrue what you say, that isn't of any concern to me. My concern is what *I* think others could misconstrue.
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Post by princess on Aug 2, 2022 5:34:13 GMT
I never said nobody misconstrues truth, I am not prepared to water truth down to make what is potent benign. Not sure how dutiful obedience is loveless because to do something for someone when we dont want to is the highest expression of love. To do something because we agree or like it is not obediance
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Post by randy on Aug 3, 2022 1:25:13 GMT
I never said nobody misconstrues truth, I am not prepared to water truth down to make what is potent benign. Not sure how dutiful obedience is loveless because to do something for someone when we dont want to is the highest expression of love. To do something because we agree or like it is not obediance Right, there is a dutiful obedience that is unselfish and loving. But there is also a dutiful obedience that is perfunctory and purely external, done to be seen of men, or done to prove one's self a "good" person, even if he or she is not good. Jesus spoke a lot about people who performed religious duties in this way without an acceptable sincerity and good faith. Again, if you are not concerned about that, that's okay. This is *my comment,* which has to do with what *my concerns* are. And I don't wish to dilute my comments either. I suppose what set off my concern was your statement that a wife's obedience to her husband is comparable to "salvation." Our obedience to Christ is "salvation." Though there is truth in this, I felt that had to be explained not as a form of legalism, but rather, as a form of righteousness.
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Post by Naama on Aug 4, 2022 15:21:22 GMT
I do not know what I should be concerned or unconcerned about because you keep moving the goalposts with vague and abstract scenarios. I hardly believe anyone is going to get brownie points being genuinely obedient because our culture sees authority as oppressive. Your response proves it. You mention in a few words there is truth in what I said but devote most of your time going around in circles undermining it and only then you go back to the original topic.
I did not say a wife's "obedience" to her husband is comparable to salvation but is the "entire basis" of salvation.
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Post by randy on Aug 11, 2022 6:21:27 GMT
I do not know what I should be concerned or unconcerned about because you keep moving the goalposts with vague and abstract scenarios. I hardly believe anyone is going to get brownie points being genuinely obedient because our culture sees authority as oppressive. Your response proves it. You mention in a few words there is truth in what I said but devote most of your time going around in circles undermining it and only then you go back to the original topic. I did not say a wife's "obedience" to her husband is comparable to salvation but is the "entire basis" of salvation. As I said, it is the way *I perceive it being possibly misunderstood,* regardless of how clear you think you are for others to understand it properly. For me, to say a "wife's obedience to her husband" is "the entire basis of salvation" is terribly open, for some, to misunderstand. Some women think they need to submit in marriage to husbands who cheat on them, who bring Satanism or Hedonism into the home, to raise the children under the influence of an alcoholic or drug abuser. This is not, in my view, "Christian obedience." And it is certainly not anything to do with Salvation, as some may think. Women are not called to be an "example" to such abusive husbands. This is not the "entire basis of salvation," no matter how you intended this to be understood. I am not equating obedience with authoritarianism. They can actually be viewed as opposites. You do obey authority, and authority is often derided in our culture as abusive and jaded. However, people don't do things to get society to hate them for their belief in divine authority. They aren't trying to get "brownie points" by provoking those who hate morals. Rather, I believe they're trying to earn "brownie points" within their own conscience, consoling themselves that they can cover their own selfishness by obeying rules that they make for themselves. Obeying husbands is just one of those rules that can cover the sin of rationalizing away the evil of their husbands, or even covering their fear of being without a husband. "Do not love the world" sometimes means turning away from ungodly, abusive husbands, preferring the Kingdom of God in their place.
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Post by princess on Aug 12, 2022 5:09:12 GMT
Let's replace "wives" obeying husbands with "children" obeying parents and see how this plays out Randy!
"I believe CHILDREN trying to earn "brownie points" within their own conscience, consoling themselves that they can cover their own selfishness by obeying rules that they make for themselves. Obeying PARENTS is just one of those rules that can cover the sin of rationalizing away the evil of their PARENTS"
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Post by randy on Aug 12, 2022 6:37:23 GMT
Let's replace "wives" obeying husbands with "children" obeying parents and see how this plays out Randy! "I believe CHILDREN trying to earn "brownie points" within their own conscience, consoling themselves that they can cover their own selfishness by obeying rules that they make for themselves. Obeying PARENTS is just one of those rules that can cover the sin of rationalizing away the evil of their PARENTS" We're not talking about children, though. We're talking about adults who try to earn brownie points by creating rules for themselves that they then say they're keeping. In reality, these are false constructs pretending to be good works, but actually covering up the control they retain for their own self-autonomy. They are not in submission to God, and so instead of serving God they serve themselves by following their own rules. Again, it can for sure be a godly thing for a woman to submit to her husband--even a flawed husband, as long as it conforms with the laws of Christian morality. When the husband begins to abuse to the point of obstinate rebellion and unwillingness to repent, it comes time to obey God by getting out. All this is a matter of *relationship with God,* because it is in our relationship with God that we can test whether our lives are in good standing with God or not. When a spouse drives us constantly away from God, then it is time to ask God, "What next?" It is a good sacrifice to give up family for God, though God prefers a good family living under Christian principles. And God never expects perfection. We simply need to know when enough is enough. And it should be pretty clear at some point. We should be like God, who is long-suffering, patient, and kind. We should be forgiving. At the point where there is no sense of repentance, we must fend for our own spiritual lives and for the lives of our children. The marriage God believes in is always based on His word. And if His word is being irretrievably broken, then you don't have a marriage any longer. Obeying husbands applies to adults. Obeying parents applies to children. Children are not old enough to understand "self-righteousness." Adults are. There is a basis for continuing in a marriage to a non-Christian. But again, it involves the laws of Christian morality. The non-Christian spouse must allow the Christian spouse to live a Christian life and to raise the children in a Christian environment. That is, the non-Christian must be tolerant of a Christian household. Paul argued that if the non-Christian wants to depart from this Christian environment, we are to let him or her go. God has called us to peace.
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