Marbaniang, Domenic

In the book Answering Islam, authors Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb wrote: Allah is the personal name for God in Islam. We make no distinction in this book, as some do, between the word “Allah” and the English word “God.” As one well-known Muslim author puts it, “Al Lah means ‘the Divinity’ in Arabic: it is a single God, implying that a correct transcription can only render the exact meaning of the word with the help of the expression ‘God.’ For the Muslims, al lah is none other than the God of Moses and Jesus.” In agreement with this warning, Kenneth Cragg, the noted Christian scholar of Islam, also claims that “since both Christians and Muslim faiths believe in One supreme sovereign Creator-God, they are obviously referring when they speak of Him, under whatever terms, to the same Being. To suppose otherwise would be confusing. It is important to keep in mind that though the apprehensions differ, their theme is the same. The differences, which undoubtedly exist, between the Musli...

"A man's heart plans his way, b ut the LORD directs his steps." (Pro. 16:9) " Le coeur de l'homme se propose sa voie , mais l'Éternel dispose ses pas. (Proverbs 16:9, Darby) Means: The heart of a man proposes or plans his way, but God disposes or directs his steps (brings about his goings). Seems like this is the origin of the saying "Man proposes but God disposes."

If I believe that God created the entire universe, but fail to believe that He controls everything, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe that Christ forgave all my sins, but I still feel bad and guilty, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe that God cares for the flowers and the sparrows, but I still worry about food and clothing, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe that Jesus became a man, yet I feel life is meaningless sometimes, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe that Jesus healed all the sick, but wonder if He would heal me, am I not a man of little faith? If I can believe what God did in the past and what He will do in the future, but fail to believe Him to do something now, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe He rides over the waves and the storms, but am terrified by the sound of the wind, am I not a man of little faith? If I believe that He loves the world and cares for even the sparrow, but I feel unloved sometimes, am I not a man of...

1. The Rationalist: The Cross is too irrational! 2. The Empiricist: I won't believe unless I see and touch and verify. 3. The Utilitarian: What do I gain from all this faith-talk? What does it matter to me if God is God? I want to know what I benefit by accepting this Gospel now. 4. The Pluralist: All rivers lead to the same ocean. So, everything is alright. 5. The Sensualist: There is too little drama in this story. It is too plain if not too incomprehensible. 6. The Religionist: The Gospel will destroy our age-old religion. Begone with it! 7. The Believer: I believe!

The passion of a hurricane, The pouring of a cloudburst rain, Then, suddenly, a dumb silence; But, God, You are still there!!

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1 NKJ) In Christ we die to sin . How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Rom 6:2 NKJ) Christ also did not die in sins; for He is the sinless One. But, He died to sin, i.e. to the condemning power of sin that held over the old creation. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (Rom 6:9-10 NKJ) Therefore, we are called to reckon ourselves "to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:11 NKJ) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom 6:5 NKJ) Thus, in Christ, by faith in Him, those who are dead in sins become dead to sin so that they can live to God. To be dead in sins means...

Liberal Professor: How could you have finished your biblical studies without ever having heard of Bultmann!! Pastor: Bultmann is nowhere mentioned in the Bible. ~Simple Living~

Seminary Student: Why bother so much about theology and doctrine when there is a whole lot of suffering in the world? Instead, we must go out and serve the victims of suffering. Professor: So, why are you here? ~Simple Living~

ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας (Rom 8:3 BYZ) in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3 NAS) Albert Barnes: "That is, he so far resembled sinful flesh that he partook of flesh, or the nature of man, but without any of its sinful propensities or desires. It was not human nature; not, as the Docetae taught, human nature in appearance only; but it was human nature without any of its corruptions." Zodhiates, Word Study: homoíōma ; gen. homoiṓmatos , neut. noun from homoióō (G3666), to make like. Likeness, shape, similitude, resemblance. It is important to realize that the resemblance signified by homoíōma in no way implies that one of the objects in question has been derived from the other. In the same way two men may resemble one another even though they are in no way related to one another.... .... In Rom 8:3, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness [ homoiṓmati ] of sinful flesh, and for sin, ...

"that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor." (1Thess.4:4) Almost every translation in the English language, as well as translations in various other languages (including many Indian languages), preserves the idea of possessing one's own vessel or one's own body. However, the Hindi translation (OV) is variant. और तुम मे से हर एक पवित्रता और आदर के साथ अपनी पत्नी को प्राप्त करना जाने (And each one of you must know to procure his wife with purity and honor) One new Hindi translation (Adhyayan Sankaran) follows the popular translation of possessing the body; however, adds the following footnotes: अथवा तुम मे से प्रत्येक दाम्पत्य में अपनी ही पत्नी के साथ रहना सीखें (Each one of you must learn to stay with his own wife in the marital relationship) अथवा तुम मे से प्रत्येक अपने लिए पत्नी प्राप्त करना सीखें (Each one of you must learn to procure for himself a wife) The following English versions favor the "procuring a wife...

"Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." (Heb.7:9-10) If so, did Jesus also pay tithes to Melchizedek? Of course, not. For before Abraham, Jesus IS. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (Jn.8:57-58) In fact, scholars have identified Melchizedek with the Christophany, the appearance of Christ in the Old Testament; and it says: "Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives." (Heb.7:8)

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"After he said this, he showed them his hands and side....  Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."   A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." (John 20:19-27) Obviously, Jesus' body had the marks; for, if they were not there, then ...

Young Man: Pastor, why do I fall into sin again and again? Pastor: Because you do not do all you can to avoid it. The snares are everywhere, but the watchful perceive and stay away. But, the curious, the careless, and the self-confident venture close to the pit and slip into it. ~Simple Living~

One cannot sow wheat and expect somehow, by some miracle, rice to grow. What one sows is what one reaps. One cannot jump from a cliff and expect nothing to happen. Every effect has a cause. Every thought has a consequence. Every consequence follows from a chain of decisions. One cannot play with fire and not expect to burn. Therefore, be careful how and where you set your foot. Do not presume divine protection for careless stubbornness. Fear the Lord. There is a law of sin and there is a law of the Spirit. These laws don't budge to our whims and fantasies. If one tries to indulge in mire, even for a little while, by the edge, the mire will pull him down. If there is a warning or danger sign, better take heed. The fool hardens himself and gets punished. A man who repeats a mistake twice has failed to learn from it. A man who judges others for falling into a pit, and then himself goes and falls into it has not learned from the mistakes of others. But, it may not be a mistake the seco...

Paris Reidhead , "Temptation and Sin" (Audio Teaching) Temptation is the proposition presented to the mind or the intellect to gratify a good appetite in a forbidden way. Temptation isn't sin. It is an idea presented to the intellect. Our Lord Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Temptation isn't sin. Sin is the decision of the will to gratify a good appetite in a bad way. It's not the gratification of it; it's the decision to do it. The decision to do it before the act is complete gives to the act the character of transgression. The decision constitutes the essence of sin. When a child of God sins, 1. Fellowship with God is interrupted. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with one another.” If we walk in darkness, that fellowship is broken. If we never had the witness of the Spirit, and joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit, we would not ever know whether the fellowship...