Before I became an indie fundy Baptist, my first church was Herbie Armstrong's WWCOG. His messages seemed to be Biblical; even before I was saved, I believed ALL intel about God comes only from Scripture. (I simply paid it no mind in my BC days.) After salvation, I began looking for a local church, but was attracted to the WWCOG by its literature, passed out to me by a veteran member. I eagerly embraced its teachings.

Soon, I began attending a local indy fundy Baptist church, knowing it...

Acts 1:9 - 11 is a favorite passage for those who believe Christ returns in a physical body. But it shows the manner Christ went and was to return. Manner, not form.

He went in a cloud. And in the cloud He was then out of their sight. There is no explicit mention of a corporeal (flesh-and-bones) body.

If we do imagine that this passage teaches a physical return of Christ we will have a hard time reconciling this with other cross-references.

And how do we reconcile Luke 24:39 with 1 Cor....

The point in Calvinism from which all other points flow is "total depravity"... the notion that man is too sinful and disconnected from God to choose "good" or to choose "life" and that a sinful man cannot motivate God's grace. Arminius' position is the opposite and says man can choose God and his will can motivate God. However, I believe that both positions make the same, fattally flawed assumption; both assume that faith leads directly to salvation. In reality, salvation is INDIRECT....

Ephesians 1:4 says we (those who have been set apart in Christ) were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, meaning before creation.

Now exactly what the phrase "chosen in Him" means is not clear with several views found in the literature.

Were we chosen and somehow before creation transferred into Christ spiritually?
Were we "in Him" when we were individually chosen? How did we get in Him before we were chosen?
How could we be chosen individually before we were individually...

So I've come across a few sermons online where the pastor preachers certain theological doctrines like, Free will, predestination or dispy or reformed etc rather than a more neutral approach where one is saved by grace through faith etc. They can be pretty heavy handed even taking potshots at the other positions.

How should someone preach?

“NNE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS THE FATHER WHO SENT ME DRAWS THEM, AND I WILL RAISE THEMUP AT THE LAST DAY.” – JOHN 6:44
There are two basic ways to interpret this passage and it hinges on the words “draws” and “them.” Let’s look at the two renderings side by side:

Calvinists: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me *drags* them, and I will raise up *those who were dragged* at the last day.”

Traditionalists: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me *enables* them,...

Romans 3:11 makes this statement and some read this as saying "there is none who seeks for God at any time." However the intended contextual message might be "there is none who seeks for God all the time, or when they are going against God by sinning."

Contextually, since Paul is saying "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3"23) our third choice is most likely the inspired message.

This is a continuation of the thread titled "Catholic Who Embraced Jesus As Lord And Savior" because the first thread was closed because the number of posts reached the limit. I don't see what the problem is that I attend and am a member of the local Catholic parish on Saturday in addition to attending/being a member of the local Baptist Church every Sunday morning.

Christian giving should be done:

Cheerfully 2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Confidently Luke 6:38 give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Domestically (Familially) 1 Timothy 5:16 If any man or woman...

I discovered for my self the Bible taught a post trib rapture, and did not know it until I had studied the issue. So my question is, did you learn this from the Bible yourself or did you accept the arguments from others first, reading the pre-trib view into Scripture?