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"Christians" and Post Modern thought

Active
Post Modernism says that there is no one truth to anything, that each person has their own "truth" in life. This nonsense has bled into many church-goer's thoughts, to the point that we can take five people, put them in a classroom, give them a single verse and ask them to write on a piece of paper their interpretation of that verse...and we come away with up to five different ideas about what that verse says. And then, we are told that each interpretation is right for that person. Nonsense and poppy-****!!!

This is one reason why the church is in such a pathetic situation that it is in today, when Biblical truth is said to be mandated by men, not God.

This has been compounded by the fact that hardly anyone in the church in America today is taught how to read and interpret the Scriptures. No one is taught the basic principles of Biblical interpretation. And the worst one yet...people who believe that "All you need is the Holy Spirit" nonsense. Those five people we took earlier, all claim that their personal interpretations came from the Holy Spirit, just as people claim today that have wildly different, even contradicting, interpretations of the same verse. If all you needed was the Holy Spirit, then God would NOT have added the office of Teacher to the churches offices of ministers.

God knows that we are like sheep - sometimes so stupid that we would glutton ourselves right over a cliffs edge because we think too much about what to eat instead of watching what we are doing. Anyone who thinks that alternative interpretations of Scripture, or that we cannot know what God tells us in His Word, is not only a sheep, but a blind one. Post modern thought is killing the church, and the only way to stop it is to educate ourselves in how to read, study, and interpret God's Word.

Blessings...
 
Loyal
Post Modernism says that there is no one truth to anything, that each person has their own "truth" in life. This nonsense has bled into many church-goer's thoughts, to the point that we can take five people, put them in a classroom, give them a single verse and ask them to write on a piece of paper their interpretation of that verse...and we come away with up to five different ideas about what that verse says. And then, we are told that each interpretation is right for that person. Nonsense and poppy-****!!!

This is one reason why the church is in such a pathetic situation that it is in today, when Biblical truth is said to be mandated by men, not God.

This has been compounded by the fact that hardly anyone in the church in America today is taught how to read and interpret the Scriptures. No one is taught the basic principles of Biblical interpretation. And the worst one yet...people who believe that "All you need is the Holy Spirit" nonsense. Those five people we took earlier, all claim that their personal interpretations came from the Holy Spirit, just as people claim today that have wildly different, even contradicting, interpretations of the same verse. If all you needed was the Holy Spirit, then God would NOT have added the office of Teacher to the churches offices of ministers.

God knows that we are like sheep - sometimes so stupid that we would glutton ourselves right over a cliffs edge because we think too much about what to eat instead of watching what we are doing. Anyone who thinks that alternative interpretations of Scripture, or that we cannot know what God tells us in His Word, is not only a sheep, but a blind one. Post modern thought is killing the church, and the only way to stop it is to educate ourselves in how to read, study, and interpret God's Word.

Blessings...
'But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.'
(Eph 4:8)

And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.'
(Eph 4:11-16)

Hello @Shaolin,

You describe a sad state of affairs.

I believe that the Word of God interprets itself: for the teachers given by the ascending Lord, taught; and their teaching is recorded in the Word of God; so that we need nothing more than the written Word. Having come to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord: He, by His Spirit will lead us into all truth; as we read and acknowledge by faith what is written for our learning.

I am afraid I do not trust any man sufficiently to teach me what the Word of God says. I prefer to read it for myself. For it needs no interpreting.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable to us, but not all Scripture is about us, and so we need to rightly divide it, by taking into consideration, who spoke or wrote it, to whom, at what time, with what intent, taking into consideration what the immediate context, and scope of the book being studied has to tell us.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris
 
Active
'But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.'
(Eph 4:8)

Sure...but this has nothing to do with what the OP says.

And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part,
maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.'
(Eph 4:11-16)

Yes, indeed, and this is what I was talking about...but here is a more accurate rendering of the Greek for verses 11-14...

Ephesians 4:11-14
And truly, God gave the apostles, and the prophets, and the evangelists, and the pastors, and teachers to the church; for the end result of the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministering to others, the result of the process of building up the Body of Christ through spiritual instruction and edification: until we all attain to the unity of the doctrines of the Faith, and coming to know the Son of God through personal relationship, into a maturity of knowledge and understanding of the truth; into the measure of spiritual maturity in Christ, reaching the intended goal of life in Christ - the fullness of Christian knowledge and love: so that we might no longer be infants in doctrinal understanding, tossed here and there and driven about by all manner of the winds of shaky, deceitful teachings of men; deceived imposters who seduce people into sin and error through artifice as they walk in the directions of their own carnal minds, causing the unstable to wander out of the right way of God.



Hello...

You describe a sad state of affairs.

Indeed I do...

I believe that the Word of God interprets itself:

That belief is in error, and very simple to demonstrate, as I have in the OP already. While you are correct to a certain point, we not only need the Holy Spirit to interpret it, we also need to know and understand that there are historical, cultural, linguistic, and other "gaps" to us today in being able to simply read and understand everything that is taught or said in Scripture. "Jesus wept," yes...you can understand that, but when Paul makes apparent contradictory statements in Romans, unless you know what you are doing, you will not understand what he is talking about unless you apply a complete Biblical hermeneutic to study of those statements.

for the teachers given by the ascending Lord, taught; and their teaching is recorded in the Word of God; so that we need nothing more than the written Word.

So...you agree with others that you don't even need the Holy Spirit in order to understand Scripture, then? Your statement is general and not accurate. Again...

Romans 3:20
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Romans 2:13
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

In order to understand what Paul is talking about here in these two verses, you must understand cultural and historical issues, you MUST understand ancient near eastern covenant, which God patterned His covenants and doctrines after. Do you understand those cultural and historical tenets? Do you have any accurate knowledge or understanding of ANE covenants? You might, I am simply asking...


Having come to a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord: He, by His Spirit will lead us into all truth; as we read and acknowledge by faith what is written for our learning.

Negative...nowhere in Scripture are YOU told that the Spirit will lead you into all truth; the two places in John where Jesus says that, He is speaking directly to the apostles, NOT us living today. Or, you might also be referring to this verse:

1 John 2:27
But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Sadly, most English versions butcher this verse, like they do many, many others (which is why it pays to learn the Greek that they were originally written in); this is what John wrote according to the Greek:

1 John 2:27
And the Anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you should have no need that anyone teach you regarding the things of God; but as the Anointing from Him directs you regarding all things, and He is true, and is not a lie, and according to whatever He guides you to do, do it and remain abiding in Him.

"should" means can, might, may...it is in the Greek a particle of uncertainty, not meaning that the Holy Spirit cannot teach you, but rather on your part, whether or not you have the mind to listen to what He is trying to tell you, rather or not you will lay aside your biases so that you CAN hear His voice when He is trying to direct you into truth. This is why God also gave teachers...called, ordained by Him, equipped and gifted and anointed to teach the truth - because there are many people out there who are not walking with God like they should, so that they can hear Him...yet they claim that they can and do. However, their personal doctrines and statements make it obvious that they do not hear Him.

I am afraid I do not trust any man sufficiently to teach me what the Word of God says. I prefer to read it for myself. For it needs no interpreting.

Then you are basically telling God that He made a mistake in calling, ordaining, gifting, equipping, and anointing teachers. I will trust a person as long as he is teaching what the Scriptures teach, but far too often today the church is filled by false pastors that God never called into the ministry - they called themselves. And when God does not call them, they do not have the calling, ordaining, gifting, equipping, or anointing to be able to teach or preach, and they lead entire congregations astray from "the way of God" (Acts 18:24-26).

Therefore, when I became aware of the need for Biblical principles of interpretation, I learned them and run everything that I hear and study through them, because they ENSURE that what we *think* the Spirit is telling us, really is the Spirit or our own carnal minds listening to seducing spirits. The fact that you claim the Scriptures "need no interpreting" demonstrates that (to put it kindly) you don't know what you are talking about, respectively.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable to us, but not all Scripture is about us, and so we need to rightly divide it, by taking into consideration, who spoke or wrote it, to whom, at what time, with what intent, taking into consideration what the immediate context, and scope of the book being studied has to tell us.

While this is true, there are other considerations that must be taken into account. For example, does the verse or passage deal directly or indirectly with covenant? Are you looking at the Biblical principles of contradiction, topical study, the harmony of Scripture principle? What about progressive revelation, the Christo-centric and Full mention principles? You have a good start there with what you gave, but that is only the beginning, not the whole of the situation...there's the discrimination principle, human willingness principle, the bias principle. Then word definitions, word substitutes, and Scriptural definitions (like "eternal life" does NOT always mean literal eternal life, for example), and the all important grammar principle in the Greek.

It would probably shock your socks off to see all of the translation errors in your Bible due to the bias and grammar principles alone, particularly in versions like the KJV, NIV, and NET bible where the translators, out of their bias, have ignored the Greek grammar in order to make certain verses way what they want them to say, rather than what the Greek text actually says. And that brings me to another point...you can't even trust the English renderings of Scripture for accurate translation, so how in the world you think that all you need to do is read the Bible and you will understand perfectly everything that is stated - when some of the verses have been horribly perverted without your knowledge or understanding - and you think you can? Sorry, Chris...I hate to burst your bubble world, but that simply is not true.

And God KNEW this would happen, and that is why He also ordained that teachers would be in the church as long as the church is on the earth...men who He gifts, equips, calls, and anoints to not only be able to understand what most people cannot understand, but also able to teach in the power of His Spirit. God has indeed provided His church with all that it needs, and that is not the Bible alone - that is a false doctrine straight out of calvinism, another false religion like her sisters the mormons and JW's.

Blessings!
 
Loyal
This nonsense has bled into many church-goer's thoughts, to the point that we can take five people, put them in a classroom, give them a single verse and ask them to write on a piece of paper their interpretation of that verse...and we come away with up to five different ideas about what that verse says.
That pretty well sums up TalkJesus - no one agrees on anything.
 
Loyal
I agree that postmodernism is an intellectual and spiritual dead end but....

It also contains important insights: if you reject God as the creator and author of truth, then confidence in truth itself begins to collapse. We are left to determine our own truth - a lonely and anxiety inducing state to be in.

Jesus the way the truth and the life is the perfect answer and salve to postmodern angst.
 
Loyal
' The entrance of Thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.'
(Psa 119:130)

:love:
 
Active
That pretty well sums up TalkJesus - no one agrees on anything.

But is it because of post-modernism, or just because people are bias defenders and not really, true truth-seekers?

That's the main question for me...
 
Active
' The entrance of Thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.'
(Psa 119:130)

:love:

Yes, but in context, it only gives understanding to the simple who are looking for that understanding with their whole heart. Sadly, most people today are not looking with their whole heart, they are only here to defend their biases, whether right or wrong...and when a bias defender IS right in what he thinks, just the attitude of bias defending makes him arrogant and prideful, and he does not stand for very long.

Blessings.
 
Loyal
Yes, but in context, it only gives understanding to the simple who are looking for that understanding with their whole heart. Sadly, most people today are not looking with their whole heart, they are only here to defend their biases, whether right or wrong...and when a bias defender IS right in what he thinks, just the attitude of bias defending makes him arrogant and prideful, and he does not stand for very long.

Blessings.
Hello Shaolin,

With respect to you: when I look at the way you responded in reply#3, to my response to your OP in reply#2, and the assumptions you made about me, by not reading the whole, but dividing up my response into individual sentences and commenting on them out of context, I was not impressed. It certainly did not make me feel inclined to share my thoughts with you again.

My approach to the Word of God is direct, and simplistic, for I believe God says what He means and means what He says. I take what is written literally, unless it is made clear within the context that it is intended to be considered figuratively. I use whatever means there are at my disposal to compare Scripture with Scripture in order to arrive at a true understanding of what is written, in terms of word meanings etc., and thereby have very little problem with the text.

Such phrases as 'Post Modernism' go over my head, I'm afraid. Such things do not concern me. I am interested in reading the Word of God, for I believe it is 'God's' word to us: and the means whereby the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and makes them ours. It is my spiritual food and drink.

Though I do agree with you that instruction concerning how to approach the word of God is needed. I would be very wary regarding in whose hand I would place my trust to carry out that instruction.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris
 
Loyal
I am afraid I do not trust any man sufficiently to teach me what the Word of God says. I prefer to read it for myself. For it needs no interpreting.

2Pet 1:20; (KJV) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

There is power in numbers and experience. Many people go off on their own and come up with their own interpretations, this is why we have so many denominations.

Act 8:30; Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Act 8:31; And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Act 8:35; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Just about everyone here on TalkJesus claims to be led by the Spirit, and yet God is not the author of confusion.
Every false teaching is made by someone claiming to be led by the Spirit.
 
Loyal
2Pet 1:20; (KJV) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

There is power in numbers and experience. Many people go off on their own and come up with their own interpretations, this is why we have so many denominations.

Act 8:30; Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Act 8:31; And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Act 8:35; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Just about everyone here on TalkJesus claims to be led by the Spirit, and yet God is not the author of confusion.
Every false teaching is made by someone claiming to be led by the Spirit.
Hello @B-A-C,

There is safety in Christ: and by letting the Word of God be the arbiter on all matters of doctrine and practice.

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris
 
Active
Hello Shaolin,

With respect to you: when I look at the way you responded in reply#3, to my response to your OP in reply#2, and the assumptions you made about me, by not reading the whole, but dividing up my response into individual sentences and commenting on them out of context, I was not impressed. It certainly did not make me feel inclined to share my thoughts with you again.

With respect in return to you, I made no assumptions about you at all. If you think that I did, what are they? I read what you wrote before responding, and I divide up my responses so that there is no misunderstanding to each and every point you made...and I took nothing that you said out of context. You are not impressed because I told you that you are wrong, and the flesh doesn't like to be told that (I include myself in that statement).

My approach to the Word of God is direct, and simplistic, for I believe God says what He means and means what He says.

Yes, God does say what He means and means what He says, and that is why He says to "Study to show that you are approved by God," which taking a "simplistic and direct" approach does not do. Again, anyone's carnal mind can understand "Jesus wept," but in the example that I gave you of Romans 2:13 and 3:20 (which you did not even try to explain to me in your understanding, most likely because you can't) your approach does not work. And that is not the only passages that it won't work on. I was trying to help you understand that so that you could fix that issue, but instead you allowed yourself to be offended and responded out of that offence.


I take what is written literally, unless it is made clear within the context that it is intended to be considered figuratively.

And I applaud that, but again, it is only one out of several steps that one must take to ensure that what they are understanding a text to say is the Holy Spirit's intended meaning in that Biblical statement. That IS what you want, is it not?

I use whatever means there are at my disposal to compare Scripture with Scripture in order to arrive at a true understanding of what is written, in terms of word meanings etc., and thereby have very little problem with the text.

Again, while that is also commendable and the right thing to do, comparing Scripture with Scripture does NOT always bring us to the Spirit's intended meaning...and the example that I gave you yesterday demonstrates that fact avidly. Scripture does NOT always shed light upon other Scriptures unless one is using a FULL AND COMPLETE Biblical hermeneutic. That is a fact that has been demonstrated now for over 100 years.

Such phrases as 'Post Modernism' go over my head, I'm afraid. Such things do not concern me.

Yes, I see this problem in many today, like all of these so-called pastors today that refuse to preach or teach out of Revelation because they don't like the implications. Post modernism is just as I explained it in the OP...where people believe that whatever interpretation they come to from a passage of Scripture is right for them. Truth is what you want it to be - that is post modern thought. In other words, the Scriptures do not have one intended meaning from God, but can mean whatever comes into their minds when they read it...a very direct, simplistic view of Scripture, and one that is not according to truth. I am not saying that is what you do, I am saying that this is what post modern thought tells people.

I am interested in reading the Word of God, for I believe it is 'God's' word to us: and the means whereby the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and makes them ours. It is my spiritual food and drink.

I agree, and I am also interested in God's Word, because it is spiritual food and drink indeed - but that is where the Application Principle comes into play. Because the Truth of God's Word cannot be applied to one's life if what one believes a verse means is NOT the Spirit's intended meaning behind that verse. For example, in Romans 1:21-32 Paul addresses people who were saved at one time but who walked away from God...unless you see verse 21 addressing apostates, you cannot apply the rest of the passage correctly, and that food and drink becomes poison.

God's Word must be correctly and accurately interpreted or it does more harm and no good at all. It cannot be applied to one's life if it is a false belief, just like you cannot drive a car without gasoline in the engine.

Though I do agree with you that instruction concerning how to approach the word of God is needed. I would be very wary regarding in whose hand I would place my trust to carry out that instruction.

Agreed again. I always tell people to seek out a pastor or teacher that God HAS called to be such, because they have actually been called by God, and gifted, equipped, and anointed to search for the Truth in God's Word, and deliver it to others. If a person is not called, then he has no place standing behind a pulpit, and such people fill more pulpits today than the called. There are more false pastors and false teachers per square mile today than legitimately called pastors and teachers, on this I am sure you would agree.

May I give one more example?

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris

You sign off with "in Christ Jesus," and I love that.

I am not talking about you here, I want to make that clear. When people say, "in Christ" do they actually know what they are talking about? Many claim to be in Christ, yet when they are questioned on what "in Christ" means, they hardly ever really know. Scripture tells us how to enter into Christ and how to remain abiding in Him, but many - because of false teachings - believe they are in Christ when they are not. Just another example of the importance of ensuring that what we are taught and what we believe Scripture says.

2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

People don't get saved, nor can they walk with God according to the "way of God" if what they believe Scripture teaches is NOT truth. I can hold truth in my hand in the form of the Bible, but if I do not know the correct intended meaning of a verse in the bible, then what I believe it says is not truth, and I cannot walk with God or be saved if how I believe we walk with God and get saved is not what Scripture teaches. Just another example of how utterly important it is to ENSURE that what we believe the Spirit is telling us is in fact the Spirit and not our own carnal minds telling us what a verse means.

I am sorry that I offended you earlier, that is never my intent.

Blessings!
 
Active
2Pet 1:20; (KJV) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

There is power in numbers and experience. Many people go off on their own and come up with their own interpretations, this is why we have so many denominations.

Act 8:30; Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
Act 8:31; And he said, "Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Act 8:35; Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

Just about everyone here on TalkJesus claims to be led by the Spirit, and yet God is not the author of confusion.
Every false teaching is made by someone claiming to be led by the Spirit.

Yes, indeed...another potent argument point for learning a complete Biblical set of principles for interpretation. I do believe that the Spirit wants to lead us into truth, but most of the time, most people are either not walking with God to be able to hear the Spirit's voice, or they allow their own biases to steer them away from accepting the truth that He is trying to lead them into.

The second issue is the one most people I talk to on the subject are stuck in. It took me a while to learn to reign in my biases and keep them from coloring my perceptions, and they still act out today when I am studying Biblical topics; but my desire and love for the Truth keeps me on the 'narrow path,' if you will.

Blessings!
 
Loyal
With respect in return to you, I made no assumptions about you at all. If you think that I did, what are they? I read what you wrote before responding, and I divide up my responses so that there is no misunderstanding to each and every point you made...and I took nothing that you said out of context. You are not impressed because I told you that you are wrong, and the flesh doesn't like to be told that (I include myself in that statement).



Yes, God does say what He means and means what He says, and that is why He says to "Study to show that you are approved by God," which taking a "simplistic and direct" approach does not do. Again, anyone's carnal mind can understand "Jesus wept," but in the example that I gave you of Romans 2:13 and 3:20 (which you did not even try to explain to me in your understanding, most likely because you can't) your approach does not work. And that is not the only passages that it won't work on. I was trying to help you understand that so that you could fix that issue, but instead you allowed yourself to be offended and responded out of that offence.




And I applaud that, but again, it is only one out of several steps that one must take to ensure that what they are understanding a text to say is the Holy Spirit's intended meaning in that Biblical statement. That IS what you want, is it not?



Again, while that is also commendable and the right thing to do, comparing Scripture with Scripture does NOT always bring us to the Spirit's intended meaning...and the example that I gave you yesterday demonstrates that fact avidly. Scripture does NOT always shed light upon other Scriptures unless one is using a FULL AND COMPLETE Biblical hermeneutic. That is a fact that has been demonstrated now for over 100 years.



Yes, I see this problem in many today, like all of these so-called pastors today that refuse to preach or teach out of Revelation because they don't like the implications. Post modernism is just as I explained it in the OP...where people believe that whatever interpretation they come to from a passage of Scripture is right for them. Truth is what you want it to be - that is post modern thought. In other words, the Scriptures do not have one intended meaning from God, but can mean whatever comes into their minds when they read it...a very direct, simplistic view of Scripture, and one that is not according to truth. I am not saying that is what you do, I am saying that this is what post modern thought tells people.



I agree, and I am also interested in God's Word, because it is spiritual food and drink indeed - but that is where the Application Principle comes into play. Because the Truth of God's Word cannot be applied to one's life if what one believes a verse means is NOT the Spirit's intended meaning behind that verse. For example, in Romans 1:21-32 Paul addresses people who were saved at one time but who walked away from God...unless you see verse 21 addressing apostates, you cannot apply the rest of the passage correctly, and that food and drink becomes poison.

God's Word must be correctly and accurately interpreted or it does more harm and no good at all. It cannot be applied to one's life if it is a false belief, just like you cannot drive a car without gasoline in the engine.



Agreed again. I always tell people to seek out a pastor or teacher that God HAS called to be such, because they have actually been called by God, and gifted, equipped, and anointed to search for the Truth in God's Word, and deliver it to others. If a person is not called, then he has no place standing behind a pulpit, and such people fill more pulpits today than the called. There are more false pastors and false teachers per square mile today than legitimately called pastors and teachers, on this I am sure you would agree.

May I give one more example?



You sign off with "in Christ Jesus," and I love that.

I am not talking about you here, I want to make that clear. When people say, "in Christ" do they actually know what they are talking about? Many claim to be in Christ, yet when they are questioned on what "in Christ" means, they hardly ever really know. Scripture tells us how to enter into Christ and how to remain abiding in Him, but many - because of false teachings - believe they are in Christ when they are not. Just another example of the importance of ensuring that what we are taught and what we believe Scripture says.

2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

People don't get saved, nor can they walk with God according to the "way of God" if what they believe Scripture teaches is NOT truth. I can hold truth in my hand in the form of the Bible, but if I do not know the correct intended meaning of a verse in the bible, then what I believe it says is not truth, and I cannot walk with God or be saved if how I believe we walk with God and get saved is not what Scripture teaches. Just another example of how utterly important it is to ENSURE that what we believe the Spirit is telling us is in fact the Spirit and not our own carnal minds telling us what a verse means.

I am sorry that I offended you earlier, that is never my intent.

Blessings!
Hello @Shaolin,

Thank you for responding.

I believe you had no intention of causing offense, None taken.

Within the love of Christ our Saviour,
our Lord and head.
Chris
 
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