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See post #47
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I'm curious about your 'no comment' response. Why did you respond in that manner?
See post #47
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I'm curious about your 'no comment' response. Why did you respond in that manner?
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Rom 12:16a . . Live in harmony with each other.
It isn't necessary to be in 100% agreement with others on everything in order to comply with that command. But it is necessary to practice courtesy, tolerance, and patience, i.e. make every effort to avoid feuding, one-upmanship, and debating. The opposite of harmony is dissonance which can be defined as. a mingling of sounds that strike the ear harshly, e.g. sour notes.
For some people, every disagreement is an act of war to be won at any cost. That's not harmony, that's hostility. It's far and away better for Christians to be diplomatic than to be right all the time.
"For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder." (2Cor 12:19-20)
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Webster's defines a Christian as a one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ; viz: one need not actually believe in Christ's teachings in order to qualify as a Christian. They only need to profess they believe.
A forum I was on several years ago stopped all the silly squabbling over who is a true Christian and who isn't by making it a rule that in order to qualify as a Christian people only had to believe themselves a Christian.
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on what basis Is a person a Christian.
You know what was over there on the left side of the freeway? Nothing. It was a 30-foot embankment of bare earth; an impenetrable wall of China. He was deliberately averting his gaze so he wouldn't have to wave to me. And guess what? Mr. Boatyard was on the board of a large Wesleyan church in Spring Valley that he and I both attended on Sunday mornings.
I'm not really an advocate of the "four" spiritual laws. I think we should do our best to obey everything we are asked to do.
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Rom 12:16c . . Don't be wise in your own conceit.
Webster's defines "conceit" as excessive self-appreciation of one's own worth or virtue. In other words we're talking about hubris; which often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities.
Conceit is uncivil, untrainable, and intolerable. It truly believes nobody beneath its dignity could possibly have anything to tell that it doesn't already know; and if it doesn't already know, then that's because the information possessed by those beneath its dignity isn't worth knowing.
Those kinds of people will interrupt you right in the middle of your sentence and begin talking about their own perspective as if your voice is nowhere to be heard in the whole room. You know why they do that? Because they sincerely believe that nothing you are in the midst of saying is nearly as important as what they have to say. In other words: you, and your thoughts, are superfluous.
Conceited folk are generally very picky about their influences too; in other words, even if somebody is a Spirit-gifted Bible teacher, but are neither published, accredited, or properly educated, then forget it. That Spirit-gifted somebody is eo ipso undeserving of conceit's intellectual attention right out of the box.
Conceit is not only stuck on itself; but very critical of others too. I've seen it to happen time and again that when a Spirit-gifted Bible teacher comes across with a personality like Elijah's or John the Baptist's that conceit summarily brushes them off as "unloving" no matter even if they speak as the very voice of God. In other words; conceit disdains to be taught; rather, conceit seeks to be accommodated.
I think most people in church are aware that conceit is unacceptable.
● Matt 5:3 . . Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Conceit is a psychological disorder, so people can't just turn it off at will. But unless something radical is done to correct their conceit; people will have to face the sum of all fears.
● Matt 18:3 . .Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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So we either live by keeping that commitment to Him or we live by faith in Him and all His promises to us that He will help us to follow Him because we cannot do both if we wish to avoid doublemindedness in our walk with Him.
Interesting perspective, but then again, maybe we can ONLY do it because we live by faith.
1 Jn 5:3; For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.
When the Bible speaks of being double-minded, it's usually about sin or faith.
Jas 4:8; Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.
Jas 1:6; But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7; For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord;
Jas 1:8; he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways.
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Rom 12:17a . . Never reciprocate evil with evil to anyone.
That is a really tough command to follow; for example: when someone makes a demeaning comment about us, the urge to bounce back with a retort in kind is very difficult to resist.
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