I think we should start a thread focusing on “verses of the day” certain passages to meditate on and then discuss their meaning. That to me would be very constructive.
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I would assume that the Vietnamese Catholics are a legacy of the French?
Not entirely off topic. In socialism, neither faith nor charity is voluntary. In Christianity, both are.
God gives us the ability to have faith…not the faith itself.
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I would contribute to such, however some larger Biblical themes span many books and passages. Such is the realm of systematic theology.
The scripture begs to differ:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God
The grace is the gift. Your voluntary faith is what brings it to you.
So I ask you; what is the only unforgivable sin?
Portuguese missionaries. In fact, they were the one that invented the alphabetic system (the only asian alphabetic system) used by Vietnamese til now. It gave Vietnamese the much needed identity as a whole, including both religious and national identities, to stand apart from the Northern overbearing Chinese neighbor who enslaved Vietnam for thousands of years.
The French built on that religious momentum, of course, and then the Americans.
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I did not know that I am under test here.
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
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Denouncing Christ? Or God?
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That is indeed interesting!
Thanks for teaching me something new.
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Yeah I am not brave enough to start such a thread for the simple reason I am no authority on the subject matter. I prefer to learn as I have a genuine curiosity of people’s interpretation of the Bible. I read the verses daily as I find it helpful to contemplate the meaning and how it applies to being cognizant of what we do in daily living.
You’re not being tested. I considered it a rhetorical question.
The only unforgivable sin is to refuse to accept Christ as your Savior. That implies that faith is voluntary and not imposed upon anyone.
Yeah this pretty cool stuff, and I too did not know about this aspect as it relates to Vietnam’s history. Thanks for sharing.
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You are incorrect.
Many people deny Christ many times, as did Peter. When they accept Jesus sacrifice they are saved.
There is an enumerated unforgivable sin. Look it up. If you can’t find it, I will help another time.
I love Billy, but:
Mark 2:8-…;
8 “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”
These are the words of the Lord himself.
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Doesn’t the Holy Spirit also mean the same as Christ and God? Arn’t they all part of the same? So in other words aren’t both of you right?
He has verified that. There is only one unforgivable sin.
…and yes, God is a trinity…God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. (some call it the Holy Ghost…but I consider that a somewhat morbid term.)
As described in the Bible, God is complex.
As an introductory illustration, I usually say: picture a triangular pillar extending through all space in time. Walk around it, and you only see, at most, 2 sides at once. Yet it is one consistent thing with three faces.
That metaphor is in no way Biblical, it is only a visualization.
However, notice that if it was more than three, it would not be fully connected.
God is subtle.
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I’m sure this has already been pointed out, but Jesus never forced His ways on others, nor did He take from Peter to give to Paul. He wants us to choose Life.
Socialists want to choose for us. No thanks.
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