Tuesday, December 31, 2024

interesting comments

Some interesting comments made to me over the years 


A woman at work approaches me in the break room and says, “there is nothing wrong with profanity as long as you don’t use the Lord’s name in vain.”


A man at work approaches me at my work area and says, “stop trying to be perfect. There is only one that is perfect!”


I asked a co-worker if he believed in God. He said, “I do.” But then he said with a raised voice: “But I do not believe in the God of modern-day Christianity!”


The same co-worker one day said to me…”you say we are saved by faith alone. So what about people in the Old Testament?” I responded, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” My co-worker stared at me for a moment, then said, “Oh.” And just walked away.


I showed a co-worker my senior graduation picture. He showed the picture to someone in management, who after seeing it, came up to me and pointed his finger at me and said, “That’s why I don’t go to church!” I didn’t have a clue what that was all about.


One day a co-worker came up to me and asked, “do you believe in eternal salvation?” I answered, “I do.” He responds, “well I don’t!” And he walked away.


The human resource leader at work asked me if I would do the invocation for a profit-sharing banquet. After I said the prayer, before the employees and the local and corporate management at the banquet, a man in management came up to me and asked, “do you have a vocation?”


A pastor once had me fill in for him for a church service. Afterwards, he asked to speak to me in his study. There he says, “Jason, tell us what you know, not what you don’t know.” I thought to myself, “what do I know?”


A man in church one day said to me, “If I studied the Bible as much as you do, it would mess up my mind.”


A pastor once asked me to fill in for him on a Sunday. He said, “don’t speak on anything controversial.” I think to myself, “what isn’t controversial?”


The same pastor, at a later time, asked me fill in for him and says, “you can speak on anything you want—literally.” I think to myself, “really?”


A pastor once told me, “I am [he is] analytical, but you [me] are philosophical.” I think to myself, “So I’m not analytical?”


One Sunday morning after I taught adult Sunday School, a woman comes up to me and says, “I was told that you are kind of Stodgy.” I think to myself, “what does that mean?”


An elderly woman at church one day told me, “you are the reason I come to church. I would rather just come to Sunday School.” I think to myself, “Really?”


A family member once said to me, “I like your method of teaching.” I think to myself, “what method is that?”

Friday, December 20, 2024

all Israel will be saved

Besides the numerous OT prophecies 
concerning the restoration of Israel as a people, 
there is Romans 11:26 that says: "all Israel will be saved."

I believe Charles Hodge, being honest with the text, 
came to the correct conclusion: 

"Israel here must mean the Jewish people, 
and 'all Israel' the whole nation. 
The Jews, as a people, are now rejected; 
as a people they are to be restored. 
As their rejection, although national, 
did not include the rejection of every individual, 
so their restoration though national,
need not include the salvation of every Jew. 
All Israel does not mean all the true people of God, 
as Augustin, Calvin, and others explain it; 
nor all the elect Jews -- i.e. all that part of the nation 
which constitute 'the remnant according to the election of grace' 
--but the whole nation, as a nation."
(Hodge's Commentary on Romans 11:26).

"For I do not desire, brethren, 
that you should be ignorant of this mystery, 
lest you should be wise in your own opinion, 
that blindness in part has happened to Israel 
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”
Concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, 
but concerning the election,
they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 
For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." 
Romans 11:24-29