What is the Gospel?

[footwasher]

Scripture Verse: Matthew 7

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

© Copyright Original Source

Nice. Now point out the mote you see in my eye. Or according to your analogy, point of the holes in my view!

And the silence is still deafening.

John 3
¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,”^(L) said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?

[footwasher]

Why is it that those who are so quick to stridently claim their own spiritual superiority are the first to scream for wood, matches, and petrol when they meet a saint?

Hi, being irrelevant again?

[Cow Poke]

Nice. Now point out the mote you see in my eye. Or according to your analogy, point of the holes in my view!

Just because you want to judge Christians and declare them unsaved or not spirit-filled doesn't mean I have to do likewise. I just offered you a scripture to ponder.

[footwasher]

Just because you want to judge Christians and declare them unsaved or not spirit-filled doesn't mean I have to do likewise. I just offered you a scripture to ponder.

Meaning you can't explain what you claim to have experienced. If my action is judgmental, then Paul's response to the Ephesian believers was judgmental. He should have just left them in their ignorance.

Acts 19
1While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when ^a you believed?”

[Cow Poke]

Meaning you can't explain what you claim to have experienced.

I can, but there's that "pearls before pigs" thing.

Any time I find somebody who claims to be a Christian, and delights in declaring other Christians unsaved, I know an honest exchange of ideas is not at all likely.

[footwasher]

I can, but there's that "pearls before pigs" thing.

Any time I find somebody who claims to be a Christian, and delights in declaring other Christians unsaved, I know an honest exchange of ideas is not at all likely.

Let me help you. You see those question marks? They are signs that he was not being judgmental, but carrying out diagnostics! He was concerned for their welfare, was trying to find out why they were not 'activated', enlightened. In the following passage, uninformed person, inquirer, in the Greek is 'idiotes':

1 Cor 14

24But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

But then, by your standards, the Ephesians should have just been insulted and refused to cast their pearls, show their lack, before Paul.

1 John 3
19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world ... but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

[Cow Poke]

Let me help you. ...

Thanks, but no.

[footwasher]

thanks, but no.

See?

QED

[Cow Poke]

q.e.d.

blt

[footwasher]

blt

As we can see, more marbles than pearls.

[Cow Poke]

For others who read, I always consider it so sad when Christians attack one another, especially when one person claiming to be a Christian declares somebody else is not, because of their own judgmentalism.

Also, when you see a Christian on a discussion board who calls himself by a name like "footwasher", it has that feel of "I am so much better than others, because I am so humble that I wash the feet of others".

While I don't wish to be at war with this particular person, just look at the condescending tone, the apparent eagerness of declaring others, in essence, "not fit for the Kingdom", when it's God's Grace that saves us.

When a person isn't capable of extending that same Grace to others, it honestly makes one wonder whether than person has ever actually exprienced God's Grace in the first place.

Still, I'm a always very careful to declare somebody "not a Christian" unless they have said so themselves, or their fruit is so disgustingly rotten that the likelihood of them being a Christian is incredibly remote.

Grace. If you receive it, you outta share it.

[footwasher]

For others who read, I always consider it so sad when Christians attack one another, especially when one person claiming to be a Christian declares somebody else is not, because of their own judgmentalism.

Also, when you see a Christian on a discussion board who calls himself by a name like "footwasher", it has that feel of "I am so much better than others, because I am so humble that I wash the feet of others".

While I don't wish to be at war with this particular person, just look at the condescending tone, the apparent eagerness of declaring others, in essence, "not fit for the Kingdom", when it's God's Grace that saves us.

When a person isn't capable of extending that same Grace to others, it honestly makes one wonder whether than person has ever actually exprienced God's Grace in the first place.

Still, I'm a always very careful to declare somebody "not a Christian" unless they have said so themselves, or their fruit is so disgustingly rotten that the likelihood of them being a Christian is incredibly remote.

Grace. If you receive it, you outta share it.

Ad hom, the last resort...

Why do you keep avoiding displaying your gift?

[Cow Poke]

Ad hom, the last resort...

Why do you keep avoiding displaying your gift?

Actually, I expressed my honest and sincere opinion, and fully expected for you not to get it.

[footwasher]

Actually, I expressed my honest and sincere opinion, and fully expected for you not to get it.

Ok, this is what happened.

The brother asked if you received the Holy Spirit. You took offense.

He showed what it meant to 'have' the Holy Spirit, the ability to only do what the Father does, say what the Father says. The brother is only a sock puppet, nothing to boast about, but what a privilege, to be used as a vessel for honorable purposes!

The explanation you heard is the work of the Holy Spirit. You can't find it in any commentary. You can't find fault in it. It is obviously 'of the Spirit'. This is what moved Nicodemus to come to Jesus.

Jesus took up the cross, attempted hard tasks, God lifted Him up from the earth, people were drawn to God.

But it's not irresistible.

Matt 11
21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

[Cow Poke]

Ok, this is what happened....

I'm really not interested in your version of what actually happened.

I don't trust your spiritual maturity or integrity.

I wouldn't say you're not a Christian, but if you are, I believe you are a very misguided one, and one who seems to be looking for a battle. Not interested.