Your Questions Answered By Dr. Silas C. Nair
Q. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. I am the vine you are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me you can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (Jn.15.2,5-6). “In me” here seems to imply “saved” persons. And we can see branches in Him(Christ) are saved persons. And that these saved people in Christ can be cast into the fire. This passage seems to suggest that we can loose our salvation. Do you agree?
Answer
Let us first note the context of the text under discussion. This is part of the upper room discourse spoken to his apostles. Here, our Lord washed the feet of the disciples and set before them a model in Christian service. He set also their minds at rest with His words of the Father’s home and the Comforter that would be sending to them after His departure.
Chapter fifteen begins with a parable of the vine and the branches. “A parable is a similitude used basically to teach or enforce a truth”. A parable has one central idea in most cases and if we ignore this fact, we will often miss the truth taught in the parable. There may be other ideas too in the parable — when it is specifically brought forth in it by the giver of the parable. The central idea in the parable is fruit bearing.
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Your Questions Answered By Dr. Silas C. Nair
Q: “Are some people destined for salvation as it says in Acts?”
Answer: Bible does not say, either in Acts or anywhere else that God has predestined anyone for salvation. Probably you are referring to Acts 13.48 when you asked the question “When the gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as has been appointed to eternal life believed”(NKJV). “ordained” (KJV).
Paul preached in the Synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia. The Jews when they saw the multitude listening to Paul were filled with envy, and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Paul told them: “since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold we turn to the gentiles”. But when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. The only way to glorify the word of God is to accept it and believe it. What the Jews refused to believed the Gentiles did. “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed”. They were favourably disposed to believe the gospel. The Greek Scholar W.E.Vine comments: “It is said of those who, having believed the gospel, “were ordained to eternal life” (W.E.Vine, Expository Dictionary).
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The High Cost Of Reformation By Dr. Johnson C. Philip
We stand at a turning point of history today. Several historical events and movements have completed a significant amount of time in history. It is now time to take notice of what all we have achieved and what all we have lost. An awakening is an immediate need.
The historic Protestant Movement has completed five centuries of existance and growth. Tthe movements associated with the Reformation brought freedom from spiritual bondage and tyranny. They brought in an unparalleled era of diligent Bible studies. If spiritual momentum is to continue, we must once again capture the essence of this movement.
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How To Have An Effective Prayer Life
Dr. Silas C. Nair
All of us want to pray. We start to pray. But in a few minutes it is all over. We have nothing more to say. We don’t know how to ask. When we hear of people praying throughout the night we wonder about how and what they do. Is it simply repeating again and again what we have said? May be we have tried that too. But it does not work. It is frustrating. Our prayers are not answered. We don’t feel that we have not made a real effort in prayer.
“Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples” asked the disciples. He taught them (Lk.11.1-4). Often it is mistakenly said as “The Lord’s Prayer” and some people simply repeat it. It is really the disciple’s prayer. In this lesson on prayer our relationship with God is explained in many ways: He is our Father and we are his children The Father who loves us and knows our needs (6.32). His name is holy (Cf. Isa.57.15) and is so different from us. He is intrinsically holy and we have only his imputed holiness. He is the King and we are His subjects.
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