Gandalf

Oh dear, not another attempt at Climate Change denial ...................................

Is it your position that all killing is murder? If the Gospels are to be believed, Jesus didn't seem to allow of any killing of people by people to be justified.

Yes, it does seem that the subject gets rather emotive and personal, almost as if some will personally lose something if their particular opinion is not upheld, so they must "post to the death". I usually try to avoid this discussion. And yes, I personally do lose something. For me, replacement theology negates the promises of God. If replacement theology were true, then God would be a liar as His promises to the Jewish people were not real. God could change His mind or could make statements to people He never really meant to uphold. . But if the Church is now God's people, His "Israel", that problem is overcome. His promises are fulfilled in Jesus, through His new creation people; they are eternally true and totally fulfilled.

Do you see this as true of all sin? Including your own? Or does it only apply to homosexual sin? Absolutely. We are all dependant on Jesus and His forgiveness. I have no strength on my own I totally depend on Jesus otherwise I fall as does everyone and if anyone says otherwise they are fooling themselves. Thanks, I fully agree.

Do you see this as true of all sin? Including your own? Or does it only apply to homosexual sin?

Yes, it does seem that the subject gets rather emotive and personal, almost as if some will personally lose something if their particular opinion is not upheld, so they must "post to the death".

I agree with what you have written....after the bit I high-lighted in red. It doesn't matter how many times you try and hold forth that spiritually the Church is the New Israel...even if it makes some sort of sense..the fact is that Christians have used this very terminology for centuries to cut Israel out of the equation, and to promote Christian anti-Semitism, and in doing so have made the mistake Paul told them to be careful not to make in Romans 11. I'm glad you agree with me - at least in part. We're getting somewhere.

This isn't going to happen. Far too much risk of the weapons ending up in Al Qaeda hands. Just think of the headlines!

Because Christians don't murder!

............................................... But in order for there to be a "new" Israel, there would have to be a new tree. No, the ones who rejected their Messiah were cut off, while the ones who believed and received remained in their tree. Eventually, Gentiles were grafted into the same old tree. There is no "new" anything. Why? A new branch can be grafted into the existing tree! The New Israel.

I don't know what more we can ask than for ANYONE, regardless of their particular temptations, to repent of their sins, and to pray for their desires and actions and beliefs to come in line with His. adding my little soul to this one And mine. Lets not slip into implying that homosexual sin is worse than the ones we ourselves commit!

There is not such thing as "new Israel". Israel was the new name given to Jacob, and it was his new name that his descendants called themselves by. "The Church" are not the seed of Jacob/Israel. .......................... Spiritually, the Church is the New Israel and appropriates the promises of God, fulfilled only through Christ, who is head of the Church, God's people, demonstrating His Kingdom on earth. There is no fulfilment of God's promises outside of Jesus!

Presumably Israelis are only grafted back in through faith in Christ? Just like everyone else. And together we become the New Israel. Outside of Christ we are of course separate, except in the sense of being human beings in need of the Saviour.

Guns cost lives! Every life lost is one too many.

Its very straightforward: God fulfils his promises in the New Israel, the Church. There is no problem at all. Nope. God fulfills His promises to Israel in the Millennial reign of Christ. Israel is always Israel. Read Ezekial 40-48. Not so. God fulfils His promises in Christ, and they are worked out in Christ's Body, the Church, the people of God.

Let's go to something real simple for you to reason with. The Church which is the Body of Christ is not waiting for an earthly kingdom, rather we already belong to a Heavenly Kingdom. As Christians, we are also not waiting for a promised land in the Middle East. As Christians, our citizenship is in Heaven, and we are certainly not the "New Israel". Actually, its because our citizenship is in heaven that we are the new Israel on earth! We are God's people on Earth, displaying His Kingdom, though not yet perfectly; who else can?

Maybe they've been reading the "Worthy Christian" threads on such matters

So why is "the West" supporting them? Are we mad?

The authorities in the UK are trying to do the same thing, but one of the Government Coalition partners has refused to agree - so far.

Its very straightforward: God fulfils his promises in the New Israel, the Church. There is no problem at all. This is absolute nonsense. The Church is NOT the new Israel. You might as well say that adultery no longer means adultery, or that Jesus is a metaphor for Buddha, or that the word Jerusalem now means New York. This is wrong in my opinion. You can't just change the meaning of scripture to suit your preferred interpretation! I disagree with your opinion; you can't just change the meaning of scripture to suit your preferred interpretation! The Church is very clearly the New Israel, the Zion of God. That's why God's promises make sense!

Its very straightforward: God fulfils his promises in the New Israel, the Church. There is no problem at all.

This will likely get some "Worthy Christian" posters agitated!

As we are finding in the UK, Coalition Government is tough and often leads to different parts of the Government saying contradictory things.

We need to keep in mind that our concept of time is limited; once dead we leave those limitations and enter the heavenly realm or dimension where time is very different. A thousand years could be just a moment and a moment could be a thousand years. Trying to work things out in detail from our narrow earthly perspective is not going to succeed; God is greater!