ogeelove: Can someone please explain Hebrews 4 14-16. Is it (1) our past sins are forgiven and so we should have confidence when asking GOD for anything. our manner when asking should be with boldness. Or (2) Christ was tempted in every way we are tempted and he did not sin. When we are tempted we should have confidence and approach GOD's throne knowing we will find grace to help us deal with whatever temptation we are faced with. Is The writer asking us not to beg but to speak boldly when talking to GOD? E.g some people say 'please GOD' while some say I 'command'. I ask this for a reason.
please I want simple and concise answers. I cannot get my head around tedious words. No name calling, no swearing and definitely no church bashing. Thanks

ogeelove: Can someone please explain Hebrews 4 14-16. Is it (1) our past sins are forgiven and so we should have confidence when asking GOD for anything. our manner when asking should be with boldness. Or (2) Christ was tempted in every way we are tempted and he did not sin. When we are tempted we should have confidence and approach GOD's throne knowing we will find grace to help us deal with whatever temptation we are faced with. Is The writer asking us not to beg but to speak boldly when talking to GOD? E.g some people say 'please GOD' while some say I 'command'. I ask this for a reason.
please I want simple and concise answers. I cannot get my head around tedious words. No name calling, no swearing and definitely no church bashing. Thanks

obadiah777: there are so many misconceptions in the religion called christianity. most of the books of the new testament are written to specific people. not the whole world. people who only focus on new testament always get this idea that the letters are written to the whole world. NO YOU ARE NOT SAVED BY GRACE UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ARE THE ELECTED FIRST FRUITS. the book of hebrew was written to the hebrews in italy around 2000 years ago. has nothing to do with you unless of course you are part of the elect, in which it refers to you. this whole grace thing let me tell you what it is. the lord appointed men to turn on each other so as to refine each other in affliction. gentile nation was put against the jews. the lord used the gentile nations as his beating stick ( nehemiah 5 vs 9, 2 samuel 7 vs 14, habbakuk 1 vs 12, deuteronomy 28 vs 26. its jew vs gentile. enemies. but since the world was handed to the gentiles they have the upper hand so they were pretty much kicking the jews butt and taking them into all kinds of slavery. the lord let them do it to the jews and will continue to let them do it to the jews till the second coming ( jews are not white by the way ). however he does not want his future rulers of the next world to come to be beat down by the gentiles after they had received enough beatings so he had to give them protection. and the protection he gave them is what is called grace. the protection means that they would no longer pay for any sins they commit after christ death. they are forgiven of any sins committed from christ death till the second coming. and this is so that he would not have to punish them again by using the gentiles. after christ death, their sins henceforth got pardoned till christ returns. but this only applies to the elect first fruit 144,000. study luke 1 vs 68 to the end. it explains everything i just told you. GRACE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU IF YOU ARE NOT THE ELECT. GRACE IS TO PROTECT THE ELECT FROM BEING FORKED UP BY THE GENTILES. YOUR SINS ATTRACT RETRIBUTION TO YOU. WHEN YOU SIN THE LORD PUTS A BULLSEYE ON YOU. AND YOU WILL GET JACKED UP BY WHOMEVER THE LORD ALLOWS TO JACK YOU UP. FOR THE ELECT ? HE HAS REMOVED THE BULLSEYE PERMANENTLY TILL THEY GET IN THE KINGDOM AND THE NEW CONVENANT KICKS IN WHERE HE CHANGES THEIR SPIRIT TO WHERE THEY CANT SIN ANYMORE. AND THAT MY FRIEND IS THE TRUTH RUTH

Bidam: the gentiles including you and i are en-grafted by GRACE into that olive tree..whosoever that calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved..it is a matter of choice..weda you are a jew, greek or gentile is irrelevant..salvation is a free gift from God. the ELECT are those who are washed, sanctified and purified from sin by the precious blood of Christ.

ogeelove: Can someone please explain Hebrews 4 14-16. Is it (1) our past sins are forgiven and so we should have confidence when asking GOD for anything. our manner when asking should be with boldness. Or (2) Christ was tempted in every way we are tempted and he did not sin. When we are tempted we should have confidence and approach GOD's throne knowuIing we will find grace to help us deal with whatever temptation we are faced with. Is The writer asking us not to beg but to speak boldly when talking to GOD? E.g some people say 'please GOD' while some say I 'command'. I ask this for a reason.
please I want simple and concise answers. I cannot get my head around tedious words. No name calling, no swearing and definitely no church bashing. Thanks

obadiah777: I AINT NO GENTILE. I AM A JEW. THE ORIGINAL JEW.

AND ALOT OF YOU AFRICAN CHRISTIANS THROW THIS WORD 'GRACE' AROUND WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT IT MEANS. GRACE MEANS 'FAVOR'. MEANING ALL YOUR SINS FROM HENCEFORTH TILL I RETURN HAS BEEN PARDONED. THATS FAVOR. THAT DONT APPLY TO THE WHOLE WORLD. ONLY 144,000 RULERS OF THE NEXT WORLD. THE ELECT. HE IS GIVING HIS ELECT BREATHING ROOM TO OPERATE WITHOUT BEING SCARED OF THEMSELVES BECAUSE THESE BODIES ARE GUARANTEED TO SIN. WHEN YOU ARE CONSTANTLY WARY OF NOT SINNING IT IMPEDES YOU. SO THE LORD GAVE THEM THE FAVOR OF GRACE. NO MORE PUNISHMENT FOR ANY SIN YOU COMMIT BECAUSE YOU HAVE SHOWN YOURSELVES WORTHY IN ANCIENT TIMES. 'GRACE' HAS BEEN ABUSED AND BASTARDIZED BY EVERY AFRICAN CHRISTIAN. THEY ALL SAY STUFF LIKE 'WE HAVE BEEN SAVED BY GRACE'. NO YOU HAVENT.

Ihedinobi:

Sister dear, hi. Um, first of all, it's definitely not an encouragement to order God about. It is to a Throne that we come, and not just any throne but the Throne to which all thrones bow. The whole thing about confidence there is to make it possible in the first instance for us to approach a God Who is so Holy that the sinner cannot approach Him.

That portion of Scripture tells us the source of our confidence. It says to us to not let our failure and imperfection stop us from approaching this Holy God because we have been clothed in the perfection of a Man that has been completely accepted by Him.

We are free to deal with the Lord ans ask favors and seek help in times of need and pressure not because God has become more tolerant of sin or because we have become holy enough to speak to Him but because our Representative has satisfied all of God's demands of us and thus opened up the way of fellowship for us.

That passage also does not give us licence to sin. Rather it reminds us that the Throne which we approach is not accommodating to sin. It represents Grace, that is, it is a Throne of Grace because it offers help with our fight against sin and invites us to come in for that help.

So, in summary, the passage offers us neither licence to assume airs around God nor licence to sin because we are accepted on Someone else's merit. But it assures us that because of that Someone else's merit, the way to the Throne is open to poor sinners such as ourselves.

Ihedinobi: ^^^ Prayer is just talking with the Lord, sis. What matters to the Lord is that you can pour out your heart to Him when you pray. If it is best done with a lot of dramatizing for you (although I really have no conception how anyone can feel comfortable communicating like that) then by all means do it that way. God is not particular about the form your prayers take, just about the reality or "trueness" of them.

It is not easy, I'll grant, to follow the Lord for yourself. I know that firsthand. But I know that the Lord is reaching out for any believer that wants to know Him truly and in reality for Himself. He only needs you to want the union He wants as well and He Himself will make it happen. He doesn't need you to force anything. He only needs you to want what He wants. Once you do, He'll steadily lift you up into Him, freeing you from the need to be as others and get lost in the masses. It's His Job, not yours. Yours is to ask Him to do it and to help you cooperate with Him as He does it, nothing more.

Sister dear, if you look only at the work to be done, you will faint from fear and frustration for there is much to be done to make you what God intended from eternity that you should be, but if you look at the One Who can do it and wants to, your heart will know that this is a task that He will accomplish. He doesn't fail if anyone entrusts the work to Him. He will task His infinite powers to fulfill that trust.

Ihedinobi: ^^ Not quite. You know, I'm sure, that God seeks truth in the inward parts (Psalm 51:6), so even if you tried to go along with prayers that you are rebelling against on the inside in order to go with the flow, God is aware that you are not really praying. However, He is pleased with every genuine desire to be part of fellowship.

So, you could pray according to your best understanding in the matter raised during prayer meetings. And if in the given situation you know positively having been taught by the Lord in the matter, what the right thing to pray is, pray that way and also ask that your brethren may be taught as well and be ready to do your part in teaching them when the time comes. The tricky part may be when they ask you to do the praying for everyone. There, you will need the Lord to show you what to do. You may decline or the Lord may give you words to speak.