Pocket Evangelist

[Beetow]

FAQ: Can a Christian be a Buddhist?

REPLY: Well, to begin with: classic Buddhism has no supreme being(s) like there is
in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism, i.e. classic Buddhism is atheistic:
consequently Buddhists experience relatively little anxiety about facing justice some
day.

Buddhism's goal is nirvana. However; the nirvana that Siddhartha Gautama taught
isn't a destination: it's a state of mind; and Buddhists who achieve nirvana live it
here as mortals; not somewhere else as immortals.

Technically, Buddhism has no afterlife. When those who achieve nirvana pass away,
they go completely out of existence. But the ones who fail to achieve nirvana have
to go thru a process called samsara wherein they undergo serial reincarnations;
which are quite a bit different than a standard resurrection.

Reincarnation doesn't return one's soul to their body, primarily because there is no
soul in Buddhism; instead, reincarnation reassembles one's karmic matter; which
doesn't always result in another human life, nor even the same gender. Sometimes
it results in a lower form of life, e.g. a horse, a meerkat, a moth, or a pheasant, et
al.

* Were I to question Buddhism, I'd focus on reincarnation and inquire as to the
source of power that makes it happen.
_

 

[lentz]

FAQ: Can a Christian be a Buddhist?

REPLY: Well, to begin with: classic Buddhism has no supreme being(s) like there is
in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism, i.e. classic Buddhism is atheistic:
consequently Buddhists experience relatively little anxiety about facing justice some
day.

Buddhism's goal is nirvana. However; the nirvana that Siddhartha Gautama taught
isn't a destination: it's a state of mind; and Buddhists who achieve nirvana live it
here as mortals; not somewhere else as immortals.

Technically, Buddhism has no afterlife. When those who achieve nirvana pass away,
they go completely out of existence. But the ones who fail to achieve nirvana have
to go thru a process called samsara wherein they undergo serial reincarnations;
which are quite a bit different than a standard resurrection.

Reincarnation doesn't return one's soul to their body, primarily because there is no
soul in Buddhism; instead, reincarnation reassembles one's karmic matter; which
doesn't always result in another human life, nor even the same gender. Sometimes
it results in a lower form of life, e.g. a horse, a meerkat, a moth, or a pheasant, et
al.

* Were I to question Buddhism, I'd focus on reincarnation and inquire as to the
source of power that makes it happen.
_

Quick answer is no

 

[Beetow]

● Gen 3:22 . . .The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.

The man became "like" one of us, which is different than becoming one of us. In
other words: the man became a tin God (Psalm 82) and his conscience-- which at
one time had the potential to be perfect in every way --is now a fallen conscience.

The Levitical system per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy specifies a
number of sacrifices and offerings for a man's behavior, but doesn't specify a ritual
that atones for a man's fallen conscience; not even Yom Kippur. (Heb 9:9)

But even if there were a Levitical atonement specified for a man's fallen conscience,
it would still need to be replaced with a conscience that has the potential to be
perfect in every way.

Well; the cross atones for a man's fallen conscience (Heb 9:14 & Heb 10:22) but it
appears to me that only a regeneration like the one spoken of by John 3:3-8 can
actually do something about correcting it. (cf. Ezek 36:24-27)
_

 

[Beetow]

● Luke 11:1-2 . . He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one
of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.
He said to them: When you pray, say: yada, yada, yada, etc.

When I was a little boy, just about every night at bedtime I recited the classic lay
me-down-to-sleep children's prayer. In my opinion; a rote prayer like that one is
okay for getting kids started communicating with God.

Jesus' disciples were full-grown men physically. But they were just babies
spiritually. A prayer like the Our Father is a good place for spiritually immature
Christians to begin, but it's not a good place for them to stay.

● 1Cor 13:11 . .When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason
as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.

Now you take Jesus for example. There is no record of him ever even once praying
the Our Father. In point of fact, when examining Jesus' prayers, it's readily
apparent that he always prayed in a conversational style instead of rote. A really
good example of his style is located at John 17:1-26. Jesus' style is the style that
mature Christians are to follow as their role model.

● Eph 4:15 . .We should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ

● Heb 4:16 . . So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy
and to find grace for timely help.

The Greek word for "confidently" basically means all out-spokenness, i.e. frankness,
bluntness, and/or boldness.

Reciting a rote prayer like the Our Father is not what I call forthright, nor blunt, nor
out-spoken, nor bold. No; it's actually quite childish.

When people have been Christians for some time, and still reciting rote prayers, I'd
have to say that their spiritual growth has been stunted, i.e. they're not developing
properly because they haven't been getting adequate nourishment.

● Eph 4:11-13 . . And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as
evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of
ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full
stature of Christ,
_

 

[Beetow]

FAQ: Do you not know it is the kindness of God, rather than fear and threats of
fiery justice, that leads men to repentance ? (Rom 2:4)

REPLY: If the Bible's God weren't so kind, then He wouldn't bother with giving His
creatures advance notice of the potential horror in store for them in the afterlife.

● Luke 12:4-5 . . And I say unto you my friends; Be not afraid of them that kill the
body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom
ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into Hell; yea,
I say unto you fear Him.

Was Christ wrong to instill a fear of God within people's hearts? No; I think he was
110% justified. For example: when I was working as a professional welder for the
US Army Corps of Engineers, we had weekly and monthly safety meetings wherein
we were shown some grisly photographs of real life industrial accidents involving
burns, chain saws, punctured eyes, explosions, falls, crane collapses, suffocation,
crushing, and the like.

Let me tell you: those safety meetings got our attention, and really made a sharp
distinction between the fool and the wise. Somebody like Billy Graham needs to get
out there and let people know that they're up against a celestial despot far more
dangerous than the CCP and/or North Korea's Kim Jong-Un.

A Danger Foreseen;
Is Half-Avoided.
(Cheyenne Proverb)

● Prov 22:3 . . A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

The kindness of God has given the world fair and adequate notice of what to expect
in the afterlife. Those who don't care about it one way or the other would be well
advised to use what time they have remaining to begin preparing themselves for
the worst when they cross over to the other side.
_

 

[Beetow]

FAQ: Why is Palestine called the promised land?

REPLY: Back in the 17th chapter of the book of Genesis-- several centuries before
Moses --God deeded that region to Abraham, and to his posterity via Isaac, as a
permanent possession.

The covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy, isn't retroactive. (Deut 5:2-4, and Gal 3:17) Therefore
no matter how grossly, nor how often, Moses' people fail to honor their obligations
per that covenant, they will never lose possession of Palestine because Abraham
obtained it for them in perpetuity as an unconditional gift. There is always the
possibility of their losing sovereignty in that land, but never a possibility of their
losing ownership of it.

● Rom 11:29 . .God's gifts . . . are irrevocable.

** The actual borders of the land that God promised to Abraham, and to his
posterity via Isaac, delineate quite a bit more territory than today's squeaky little
State of Israel.

● Gen 15:18c-21 . . from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the
Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgasites, and the Jebusites.

The Euphrates is Iraq's eastern border. The "river of Egypt" is very likely the Nile
since there was no Suez Canal in that Day; though it's been suggested (with some
merit) this water might be a small stream south of Gaza known as Wadi el Arish.

If there's a map handy, it's readily apparent just how huge a piece of real estate
that God assigned to Abram and his offspring. It's very difficult to precisely outline
the whole area but it seems to encompass a chunk of Africa east of the Nile,
(including the delta), the Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Onan, UAE, Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

We're talking about some serious square mileage-- roughly 1,538,370 of them;
which is more than Ireland, United Kingdom, Scotland, Spain, France, Germany,
Sweden, Norway, and Finland combined!

Currently, Israel, at its widest east to west dimension, across the Negev, is less
than 70 miles; and south to north from the Gulf Of Aqaba to Shemona, about 260;
comprising a square mileage of only 8,473: a mere ½ of 1% of the specified region.

God has yet to give Abraham posterity via Isaac control of all the land. In point of
fact, the boundaries were very early on temporarily reduced for the time being per
Num 34:1-12)

The temporary boundaries run from the Mediterranean Sea eastward to the Jordan
River; and from the southern tip of the Dead Sea northward to a geographic
location which has not yet really been quite accurately identified. Ezek 47:15 says
the northern border passes along "the way of Hethlon" which some feel is very
likely the valley of the Nahr al Kubbir river which roughly parallels the northern
border of modern day Lebanon, and through which a railroad track lies between An
Naqib on the Mediterranean coast to Hims Syria.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
Heaven? Not Interested.

It's an alien world with which I am totally unfamiliar; and when I leave here, I will
be leaving behind everything dear to me, e.g. photos, mementos, souvenirs,
collections, sights and sounds, mountains, creeks, rivers and forests, clothing and
equipment, landmarks, entertainment, hobbies, a spouse, BFF, etc, etc.

The culture shock tsunami of leaving all that I know & love and going to a foreign
land where I know & love nothing at all, is not my idea of a good time. Personally; I
dread the thought of having to start all over again from scratch.

For many of us working stiffs, the first day on a new job is stressful and quite an
adjustment. The night before that first day can cause enough anxiety to keep us
awake fretting about what we might expect.

I'd imagine that, whether we end up in the right place or the wrong place in the
afterlife, we will be just as stressed on our first day there as the first day here on a
new job.

The anxiety associated with death is to be expected seeing as how most of us have
no experience at all with that particular journey. But much of my own anxiety in
regards to death is related to what comes after. Pity there are no guide books
available in print to prepare us in advance for the adjustment folks are required to
undergo as they struggle to fit into Heaven's (or Hell's) way of life.

** The one thing I do look forward to in Heaven is its library where everything that
can be known about the cosmos is stored. Carl Sagan would've loved that library
because he went to his grave with a lot of unanswered questions. But now they'll
never be answered because Carl was, at best, an agnostic, and at worst, an atheist.
_

 

[Hekuran]

~
Heaven? Not Interested.

It's an alien world with which I am totally unfamiliar; and when I leave here, I will
be leaving behind everything dear to me, e.g. photos, mementos, souvenirs,
collections, sights and sounds, mountains, creeks, rivers and forests, clothing and
equipment, landmarks, entertainment, hobbies, a spouse, BFF, etc, etc.

The culture shock tsunami of leaving all that I know & love and going to a foreign
land where I know & love nothing at all, is not my idea of a good time. Personally; I
dread the thought of having to start all over again from scratch.

For many of us working stiffs, the first day on a new job is stressful and quite an
adjustment. The night before that first day can cause enough anxiety to keep us
awake fretting about what we might expect.

I'd imagine that, whether we end up in the right place or the wrong place in the
afterlife, we will be just as stressed on our first day there as the first day here on a
new job.

The anxiety associated with death is to be expected seeing as how most of us have
no experience at all with that particular journey. But much of my own anxiety in
regards to death is related to what comes after. Pity there are no guide books
available in print to prepare us in advance for the adjustment folks are required to
undergo as they struggle to fit into Heaven's (or Hell's) way of life.

** The one thing I do look forward to in Heaven is its library where everything that
can be known about the cosmos is stored. Carl Sagan would've loved that library
because he went to his grave with a lot of unanswered questions. But now they'll
never be answered because Carl was, at best, an agnostic, and at worst, an atheist.
_

We are not promised an afterlife in heaven. We are promised the resurrection of our bodies in a renewed creation. Heaven comes down to earth.

 

[B-A-C]

We are not promised an afterlife in heaven. We are promised the resurrection of our bodies in a renewed creation. Heaven comes down to earth

Right. There will be a new heaven and a new Earth, all the old things will be passed away. If you are married, you won't be married anymore.
Everything you knew, will be gone. You'll meet some of your old friends, but your house, your dog, your car, your job, even some of your family
will be gone. But the Bible says there is no sadness there. It seems we will be much happier in that place.

Rev 21:3; And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,
Rev 21:4; and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."
Rev 21:5; And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

There will be a New Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven as well eventually. That's where all the saints will live.

As good as this life is, there is pain and sadness here currently. There is still sin and violence, hurting and sickness. I won't miss it.

 

[Beetow]

Folks unable to form bonds and attachments will likely find moving from this life
to the next an easy adjustment.
_

 

[Beetow]

FAQ: What was the purpose of Jesus' miracles?

REPLY: Well, there's an official purpose, but I see in them an alternate purpose that
speaks to me in a special way.

God has given His son a number of sheep to be his own. (John 10:29)

It is God's will that His son lose none of those sheep. (John 6:39)

So Jesus' miracles demonstrate (to me anyway) that he has all the powers of the
supreme being at his disposal to ensure the sheep remain in his custody; and that's
final because Jesus is stubbornly, and resolutely, determined to comply with his
Father's decisions. (John 4:34 & John 8:29)
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Isa 53:2 . .He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is
no beauty that we should desire him.

Quite a few of the artistic representations of Jesus' face that I've seen depict him as
a rather attractive man but according to the Bible, he wasn't.

● Isa 53:3 . . He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.

My youngest brother was a chick magnet growing up, and very popular in school
amongst both the boys and the girls. He was admired and had lots of friends; but
apparently Jesus wasn't so fortunate. He was more or less one of the nobody's in
his community rather than a stand-out, and his peers tended to ignore him.

● Isa 53:4 . . Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did
esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Like Job's friends-- who were positive the old boy deserved what he got --the folks
in Jesus' community assumed his medical conditions attested that underneath that
facade of piety he was actually a bad man.

People really couldn't tell just by looking at him that Jesus was somebody special.
In point of fact, his own cousin John the baptist had no clue that Jesus was the man
for whom God sent him to pave the way. (John 1:29-33)

All in all, Jesus didn't fit the picture of God's choice for a man destined to be the
supreme of all prophets; not even close, so it's no wonder folks who knew him were
astounded to be told he was "the one". (Matt 13:54-57 & Luke 4:16-29)
_

 

[B-A-C]

he has all the powers of the
supreme being at his disposal to ensure the sheep remain in his custody; and that's
final because Jesus is stubbornly, and resolutely, determined to comply with his
Father's decisions.

I have 18 different Bible translations. Here are a few of that particular verse.

John 6:39
(GW) The one who sent me doesn’t want me to lose any of those he gave me. He wants me to bring them back to life on the last day.
(HCSB) This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day.
(ISV) And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything that he has given me, but should raise it to life on the last day.
(KJV) And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
(LSV) And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that all that He has given to Me, I may lose none of it, but may raise it up in the last day;
(MKJV) And this is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all which He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day.
(MSG) "This, in a nutshell, is that will: that everything handed over to me by the Father be completed—not a single detail missed—and at the wrap-up of time I have everything and everyone put together, upright and whole.
(NAS77) "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
(NAS95) "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
(NIrV) The One who sent me doesn't want me to lose anyone he has given me. He wants me to raise them up on the last day.

Almost all of them say something like "it is the Father's will" that I don't lose any of those who....

The Father's will. Of course Jesus always wants to do the Father's will. Even we Christians say we want to do the Father's will.
But the question here is... does the Father's will always happen? Just because God will's something, does that guarantee 100% that it will happen no matter what?

It's God's will that all men should be saved.

1Tim 2:3; This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1Tim 2:4; who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2Pet 3:9; The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

But even though it's God's will that everyone would be saved. We know not everyone will be saved. So just because something is the Father's will, doesn't guarantee 100% that it will happen.
I think sometimes we read more into a verse than is actually there.

 

[Beetow]

God has given His son a number of sheep to manage.

● John 10:29 . . My sheep . . my Father gave them to me

Jesus' Father expects His son to be reliable.

● John 6:39 . .This is the will of the One who sent me: that I should not lose
anything of what He gave me.

Jesus never fails to give his Father what He wants.

● John 4:34 . . My food is to do the will of the One who sent me.

● John 8:29 . . I always do what is pleasing to Him.

Now the thing is: were Jesus to lose even one of the sheep his Father entrusted to
his care-- just one --then Jesus would not be able to say that he "always" pleases
the One who sent him. He could say that he pleases the One most of the time, but
certainly not always.

And there's this:

● John 10:9 . . I am the door; whoever enters through me shall be saved.

Were Christ a common shepherds then he wouldn't dare say "shall be" saved; no,
he'd have to tone it down a bit and say "can be" saved. That would leave him some
room for error. But when Christ says "shall be" he's claiming a 0.0% failure rate.
That's how confident Christ is that he will lose nothing of what his Father gave him.

FAQ: Why can't the sheep of their own free will pull away from Jesus?

REPLY: The shepherd's free will trumps the sheep's free will.

In other words: the sheep have no say in this particular element of the faith. Once
Jesus puts his brand on them-- so to speak --they're his forever.

● Eph 1:13 . . Having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of
promise

And anyway, even if the sheep were somehow able to pull away from Jesus, they
would still have the free will of a higher power to contend with.

● John 10:29 . . My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
_

 

[B-A-C]

FAQ: Why can't the sheep of their own free will pull away from Jesus?

REPLY: The shepherd's free will trumps the sheep's free will.

Once saved always saved always goes back to Calvinism. ( no free-will )
But do you think Jesus wants you to sin? Do you think God wants you to sin?

Do you sin? Have you sinned since becoming a Christian?
So then, does Jesus's will always trump your will?

John 5:14; Afterward Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you."
John 8:11; She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."
John 8:34; Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
Luke 13:5; "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."
Rev 2:21; 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Did Jesus's will trump theirs?

● John 10:29 . . My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

True, but people are free to leave on their own, and Jesus Himself will cast some out.

Matt 13:41; "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
Did Jesus's will trump theirs?
Matt 23:37; "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.
Did Jesus's will trump theirs?

John 5:40; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

Did Jesus's will trump theirs?

 

[Beetow]

.

people are free to leave on their own

I'm pretty sure that the "no man" part of John 10:29 precludes the possibility of the
sheep extracting themselves from God's hand, and I'm also pretty sure that the
seal spoken of in Eph 1:13 cannot be undone because Eph 4:30 says, in so many
words: it's permanent.

Animal husbandry is very possessive. The thing is: to my knowledge, no one is
conscripted into the good shepherd's fold, i.e. it's an all-voluntary army, so to
speak. But be advised, once someone makes the decision to RSVP Christ for a place
among his flock, they relinquish whatever rights they had as a free moral agent and
become his property; and there's no going back because Christ plays for keeps.

So people really need to give this some thought first because the decision they're
considering is an honest to gosh game changer with long term down-range
ramifications: some pleasant, some not so pleasant. But when the alternative is
taken into consideration, signing on with Christ becomes a no-brainer.
_

 

[B-A-C]

I'm pretty sure that the "no man" part of John 10:29 precludes the possibility of the
sheep extracting themselves from God's hand,

And yet many times all through the Bible, they did.

Deut 29:25 "Then men will say, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Deut 32:15 "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—You are grown fat, thick, and sleek—Then he forsook God who made him, And scorned the Rock of his salvation.
Jdgs 2:12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger.
Jdgs 2:13 So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
Jdgs 10:6 Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.
1Kin 9:9 "And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the LORD has brought all this adversity on them.'"
2Kin 17:16 They forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
2Kin 21:22 So he forsook the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.
2Chr 7:22 "And they will say, 'Because they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them from the land of Egypt, and they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this adversity on them.'"
2Chr 12:1 When the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, he and all Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD.
Isa 54:7 "For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you.
Jer 22:9 "Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.'"
1Kin 11:4; For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

 

[B-A-C]

I'm also pretty sure that the
seal spoken of in Eph 1:13 cannot be undone because Eph 4:30 says, in so many
words: it's permanent.

Some Bible have a bad translation of this verse. The more correct versions say "marked with a seal".

Ephesians 4:30
(AMPC) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

(BBE) And do not give grief to the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were marked for the day of salvation.
(BSB) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

(ERV) And don't make the Holy Spirit sad. God gave you his Spirit as proof that you belong to him and that he will keep you safe until the day he makes you free.
(GNB) And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.
(Greek NT) καὶ μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ῞Αγιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ ἐσφραγίσθητε εἰς ἡμέραν ἀπολυτρώσεως.
(GW) Don’t give God’s Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free ⌞from the world of sin⌟.
(ISV) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
(KJV) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

(MSG) Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.
(NIrV) Do not make God's Holy Spirit sad. He marked you with a seal for the day when God will set you completely free.

A car might have a license plate or certificate of title, saying that it's yours, it belongs to you. That doesn't mean it always will be.
The certificate with your name of it stays with the car until it is sold.

Jdgs 16:20; She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" And he awoke from his sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

Even cattle are branded with a mark, that someone owns them... up until the day of slaughter.

 

[Beetow]

.

And yet many times all through the Bible, they did.

Jesus didn't begin accumulating sheep for himself until after Pentecost. The
language and grammar of His statement at Matt 16:18 indicates that his church's
construction was yet future when he spoke with Peter.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
During dialogue with a Jewish man several years ago, I was asked a very pertinent
question that went like this:

"Jesus died for your sins up to the point of your conversion. What about the sins
you are committing now?"

That's a reasonable question coming from a Jew because Levitical sacrifices and
offerings had to be repeated over and over again. Even Yom Kippur, the great day
of atonement, is only useful up to that point and from thence Jews began
accumulating sins towards the next Yom Kippur.

Now supposing God were to stop keeping track of a Jew's sins on Yom Kippur?
Well; that would be the cat's meow because the Jew would then need to avail
himself of the great day of atonement but one time only rather than repeatedly
year after year after year.

Well; the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God per Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy doesn't allow for God to stop holding His people's sins
against them; whereas Christ's crucifixion is much better than Yom Kippur because
it does allow for God to stop.

● 2Cor 5:19 . . God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting
men's sins against them.

The Greek word translated "counting" pertains to inventory, i.e. an indictment.
Well, needless to say; without an indictment, prosecutors have no grounds for
hauling someone into court.

** There's a bit of a moral hazard under these circumstances. Due to the fact that
Jesus' followers are on an honor system instead of a legal system, they have an
incentive to become ever more sinful; hence Paul's urging them to cultivate self
restraint.

● Rom 6:1-3 . . What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may
increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

● Rom 6:12-14 . . Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil
desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness,
but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to
life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

● Gal 5:13 . .You, my brethren, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom
to indulge the sinful nature.

FAQ: If God is no longer keeping tabs on the sins of His son's followers, then what's
with 1John 1:5-10?

REPLY: God desires fellowship with His son's followers; which of course requires
transparency on their part. But the important thing is: according to John 5:24
nothing Jesus' followers do now goes in the books to be used against them later on
down the road at the great white throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15. Their sins
are no longer criminal matters, instead; now they're family matters. (1John 3:1-2)
_