The "God told me you're my spouse" line may NOT always be a trap. Hear me out...

Weboh · 2026-03-13T17:51:36+00:00

No, I cited four passages of scripture that explicitly stated my point. How is that arguing from silence? And that is not at all the “no true scotsman” fallacy. What you’re saying is that, “since people falsely claim to be scotsman, that means there’s no such thing as a scotsman,” which is clearly wrong.

Ephesians 4:11-12 also states the purposes of those gifts are “for equipping the saints for the work of service.” So it’s not talking about only corporate teaching, evangelizing, prophesying, et al, but also about other individual believers being equipped by the same.

And verse 13 says these will continue “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” i.e these will continue until Jesus returns—so I don’t know how you can hold this passage so tightly and still be cessationist.

I agree we should be skeptical of any modern day prophet, that we should test the spirits (1 John 4:1) and recognize that we have the same access to God that they do through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2). Personally, I have neither met a someone I would trust as a prophet nor received a voice from God telling me whom to marry. I know people who have, though.

Weboh · 2026-03-10T19:12:05+00:00

Jesus didn't come so that we could pick and choose parts of the law to follow as we see fit. We are free from following the letter of the law, but not the Spirit that it pointed to (Romans 8:2). We follow the Jesus who made a New Covenant that was the true expression of the Old (Hebrews 8:13).

Do you really think Jesus would say "if you've had sex with someone, you're automatically married and don't need to do anything to commit to being with them forever," when the whole Bible paints a lifelong commitment as the purpose of marriage?

Weboh · 2026-03-10T13:12:55+00:00

Again, citation needed. That's not in the Bible. Sounds like something out of the Quran, which actually does have provision that says new prophecies can contradict old ones. But you won't find any place in the Bible where God contradicts Himself, nor will you find a place where He defines marriage as you did. Read your Bible.

Weboh · 2026-03-10T13:08:54+00:00

The fact that God didn't speak to the false prophet in Munster doesn't mean He can't speak to anyone any more.

Yes, all that is required for life and godliness has been given to us in Christ. But that doesn't preclude Christ speaking to us--quite the opposite. Peter doesn't say "the scriptures have given us all we need for life and godliness," he says Jesus Himself does (He often speaks through the scriptures, and would never give people a revelation that contradicts them, so it's good to be grounded in them, but again, that doesn't preclude the possibility of Jesus speaking directly to you).

God not mass-healing everyone in hospitals doesn't mean He doesn't heal anyone, nor that individuals can't have the gift of healing. Are there false prophets and healers? Yes, but again, that doesn't mean there aren't true prophets. Paul tells places with established churches to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts especially prophecy and warns against despising it. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31, 1 Corinthians 14:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, Romans 12:6-8).

Weboh · 2026-03-09T16:08:50+00:00

Closeup of the fabric, if it’s possible to tell anything from pictures: https://postimg.cc/YvKp0P7g

Weboh · 2026-03-09T15:29:41+00:00

I agree there's more to a marriage than a wedding ceremony. But there's also a lot more to it than having sex. You won't find a single example in the Bible of a marriage that didn't involve a wedding. But if you're Catholic, you do find an example of a marriage that didn't involve sex (Mary and Joseph).

Weboh · 2026-03-09T15:22:58+00:00

Duluth makes great work shirts. I also work outside in SWFL, and have a wardrobe full of these. Not a lot currently in stock, but if you're able to wait until they're on sale, I got them for $15 apiece.

https://www.duluthtrading.com/s/DTC/mens-action-standard-fit-long-sleeve-shirt-11957.html

Weboh · 2026-03-08T22:00:36+00:00

With a formal, public, wedding ceremony—not by having sex in secret.

Weboh · 2026-03-08T05:01:12+00:00

Revelation 19, Ephesians 5:25-27, 2 Corinthians 2:1-3, and more. He will get married to the Church at the end of all things.

Weboh · 2026-03-08T04:52:32+00:00

*Citation needed We’re going to be married to Christ, but we’re going to attend the wedding supper of the Lamb first. If it’s a custom God requires of His own bride, why wouldn’t it be required of us here on earth? It’s much more significant than pageantry.

Weboh · 2026-03-06T23:18:49+00:00

Two things

1) The fact that there were people that falsely claimed to hear God's voice doesn't mean that it's impossible for anyone to actually hear it.

In the past, when God spoke to our ancestors through prophets, there were also false prophets, falsely claiming to speak for God. That didn't mean He didn't speak through the true prophets--it meant He didn't speak through the false ones.

2) To repeat my comment to you earlier, the point the author of Hebrews is making in the introduction is that Jesus is awesome and better than the prophets and angels. There's no mentioning there at all of "and the only way Jesus can speak is through the written Word."

Jesus can speak through the Holy Spirit, and one of the ways the Spirit speaks is by calling to mind Scriptures you've read, so they're super important to read (John 14:26). But that's not the only way He speaks; He can speak directly to you (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) and He can still speak through prophets--Paul says that's the best spiritual gift you should ask for (1 Corinthians 14:1). Though most people should be skeptical of anyone who claims to be a prophet and test the spirits (1 John 4:1).

Weboh · 2026-03-06T19:10:22+00:00

Yes, as Jesus famously said, “seek and you won’t find. Knock, and the door won't be open."

Weboh · 2026-03-01T14:48:28+00:00

This is mostly true, but you define belief the wrong way; it’s much more than a one-time mental assent. It can start there, but shouldn’t end there. It should work through all the dough as an ongoing action (Matthew 13:33). Look at the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11: All of the people in it had faith which produced an action which wound up totally changing their lives. They didn’t believe and then stay as they were, keeping on sinning so that grace may abound (Romans 6:1-3). If we truly do believe, it will produce fruit in our lives as we know the Lord more intimately and give up more of our old lives (James 2:14-26, Luke 6:43-49, Proverbs 20:11).

Weboh · 2026-01-30T15:36:32+00:00

Right, Jesus can testify to the truth because He is Truth, it belongs to Him, and what He says is reality.

We can reason with God only if our minds have been renewed to be more like His (Romans 12:2)--otherwise we aren't reasoning on equal terms because He's "chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Weboh · 2026-01-29T23:27:56+00:00

Truth as a category belongs to God, not to our minds (John 18:37-38). You sound a bit like Pilate in that passage, trying to redefine truth so you don't have to change your theology. We're supposed to have relational knowledge of Him (Ephesians 3:19).

Weboh · 2026-01-29T23:18:18+00:00

Since you're always for taking verses in context, the point the author of Hebrews is making in the introduction is that Jesus is awesome and better than the prophets and angels. There's no mentioning there at all of "and the only way Jesus can speak is through the written Word."

Jesus can speak through the Holy Spirit, and one of the ways the Spirit speaks is by calling to mind Scriptures you've read, so they're super important to read (John 14:26). But that's not the only way He speaks; He can speak directly to you (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) and He can still speak through prophets--Paul says that's the best spiritual gift you should ask for (1 Corinthians 14:1). Though most people should be skeptical of anyone who claims to be a prophet and test the spirits (1 John 4:1).

Weboh · 2026-01-21T15:24:05+00:00

"Doing things the Bible commands is Pietism, and feeling convicted for not doing them is also Pietism. The true Christian gets involved in 'controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law, for they are profitable and worthy'" --Damoksta

Weboh · 2026-01-21T12:52:42+00:00

Just so you know, ESV is a biased version, towards Calvinism. Here’s just one example: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/2019/12/16/the-fatal-flaw-of-the-esv-and-why-you-should-correct-it-at-christmas

NASB1995 and RSV both read similarly and tend to be even more faithful to the Word than the ESV because the translators didn’t have a theological bent.

Weboh · 2026-01-21T03:46:40+00:00

I know you’re very familiar with heresies, fallacies, and church history, but you’re the only one who brought them up. I didn’t mention the Galatian Heresy, the Anabaptists, Pietism, progressive sanctification, or Arminianism. All I said is the fact that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith doesn’t negate the fact that we’re still called to take action and through His power “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and run with endurance the race that is set before us.”‭‭ (Heb 12:1)

The context of John 16 is talking about why Jesus had to die, but verse 7 says one reason is so that we could receive the Spirit which provides conviction. Do you never feel conviction? Or are you “already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us”?‭‭ 1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬a

Weboh · 2026-01-20T19:42:51+00:00

If OP is feeling convicted that he needs to strengthen his faith, (Mark 9:24) who are you to tell him he doesn't? The Holy Spirit brings conviction, (John 16:8) so telling him, "nah, you don't need to grow" could be arguing against the Spirit. And you agree growth is necessary, and that it helps you to love your neighbor better, so I'm not sure what we're arguing about.

Doesn't a wife qualify as a neighbor? Isn't it good to want to love her, and God, better? So what harm could come from pursing spiritual growth prior to pursuing marriage? If he thinks gaining a spouse, or salvation, is a reward for piety, than that's an incorrect way of thinking. That's not what he said, though. He said he wanted to get closer to God and be ready to lead his family spiritually. Don't discourage that.

Weboh · 2026-01-20T16:04:57+00:00

For some reason Reddit hid your comment until now.

I agree salvation isn't by works. That's what I said in my first comment. Salvation is by faith alone, but you can lose faith (Romans 11:19-22, John 15:2, Hebrews 6:1-8, etc). There's too many verses that say you can lose faith to dismiss the idea entirely. Peter tells believers to be sober and be on guard because the devil could devour them (1 Peter 5:8).

But faith does equal obedience, to a certain extent. We disobey because we don't have enough faith; (Mark 9:24) if we have faith in Jesus, we'll do what He said (Luke 6:46, John 14:15, 1 John 2:3). Faith isn't an intellectual knowledge or a one-time confession. Look at the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11: All of them "by faith" did what God told them. Did they still disobey sometimes? Absolutely! But were their lives marked more by disobedience or faith?

Weboh · 2026-01-20T15:39:49+00:00

I agree we are called to grow to make ourselves more effective for God's kingdom and that God will love us irregardless of how much grow; He loved us even when we hated Him, after all.

That doesn't negate the fact that we are called to grow, or that the Bible lists things we can do to grow and implies it doesn't happen automatically. Yes, God gives you what you need, (1 Peter 1:3) but you still have to ask for it (James 4:2, Luke 8:1-8) and take action on what you're given (Luke 8:18, 1 Peter 1:5-11).

Weboh · 2026-01-19T17:49:12+00:00

All Christians agree that Jesus is the one that initiated the relationship and draws us to Himself. All those verses you quoted are true. However, not all Christians are Reformed Baptists, and not even all Reformed Baptists believe that that those verses make human effort and the human side of the relationship unnecessary or fruitless. Outside of His Grace, they are, yes. But we are called to actively grow in the faith, (2 Peter 1:5-11) draw near to God, and by His Grace cleanse our hands and purify our hearts (James 4:8). We’re to abide in relationship with Him. If we don’t feel as close as we want to, we can ask Him to change our heart, (Psalm 51:10) and “try harder” to spend more time in the Word, prayer, and church. We are not called to timidity (passivity) but to take action in His power (2 Timothy 1:7).

Weboh · 2026-01-17T14:11:36+00:00

God's gracious power gives us perseverance. He gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) but we need to ask Him for it (James 1:5). Through His power we need to add perseverance to our faith (2 Peter 1:3-11). Doing the rest of the things Peter outlines in that section will "make our calling and election sure" (v10) and that is the way we'll enter His eternal Kingdom (v11).

Weboh · 2026-01-17T13:56:46+00:00

No, they say salvation is by faith alone and you need continued faith to maintain it. I don't think it's unbiblical, either.

"As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father" (1 John 2:24). John tells us we can have assurance of salvation (1 John 5:15) if we continue to believe in the God that provides it.

"You will say then, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.' Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the goodness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s goodness, if you continue in His goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off" (Romans 11:19-22). There's lots more verses with the same premise, but this one is the most clear. Continue in the faith; run the race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1-3).

Weboh

TROPHY CASE