Results 1 - 4 of 4
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Predestination | Eph 1:4 | Reformer Joe | 41750 | ||
You wrote: "One of the main problems with Theological Universities is that they are often guilty of spending enormous amounts of time, effort, and energy teaching students about the Great debates in church history" First of all, theology is not a dirty word, nor should it be reserved for those dreaded "theological universities." It is this kind of anti-intellectualism that has made the church so impotent today. It is completely ridiculous to think that it is possible to read Scripture "without any human influence." Isn't it quaint that it is the kind of thing the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults tell us to do. "If you read the Bible apart from the church, you will see that WE are right!" Come on. You are influenced by all kinds of people, both Christian and non-Christian, before you open up your text. We are sinful people who believe what we want to believe many times, and in our sin we often do not listen to the Holy Spirit, or misinterpret our own sinful desires as "God talking to us." That is why God has given us the church to collectively interpret Scripture correctly (i.e the Holy Spirit works in and through the communion of saints). He has also equipped certain people with the gifts of teaching and knowledge to serve the church in passing on the traditions in the Bible (i.e. the Holy Spirit works through His Word as taught by OTHER people). To reject the church's role in interpreting Scripture and the role of teacher as a vital one in the church is to dishonor God's gifts to the believer. NEVER has God intended the Christian life to be "me, my Bible, and the Holy Spirit." False notions like this are why people have such disrespect for theology and sound teaching, and a love for our own, "personal" meaning of Scripture, no matter how off-the-wall it may be. Lastly, God has revealed Himself and His characteristics in His Word. That means he wants us to understand some things about Him and the way that He operates. Again, to say that it is pointless to examine how God works in salvation -- to make light of His self-revelation--is to dishonor God. We must get away from the idea that it is useless to know what God has to say about Himself. Obviously both cannot be right in this debate, but to call it an unimportant one just demonstrates one's love of ignorance. And that is something on which Arminian and Calvinist will stand in agreement. --Joe! |
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2 | Predestination | Eph 1:4 | Scribe | 41766 | ||
1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. Now we know that the Bible does not contradict itself. 1 Cor 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. So we know that God has placed teachers who have a gift to take the word of God and teach it even as I am doing right now this very moment. But nevertheless the above verse..."But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you:" is still true. So what does it mean? If I have faith and walk by faith in the Spirit I can hear God and know what a verse of scripture really means and how I am to live it. If a man is speaking the same thing by the Spirit that dwells within him I will bear witness with it and we will agree spiritually. This is the heritage of all saints. Now some will not have faith for this. They want a man that has a theological degree to tell them what verses mean. But I find that idolatrous. If you love and trust God and read the Bible you can understand it. Is there value in Theological Universities? Maybe if they teach the Bible and the truths or themes that run throughout the Bible then they are very valuable. Do you have to attend one to know the truths in the Bible? Of course not. I believe in educaton not only in theology but in all the sciences and many of the arts. God ordained learning and we should apply ourselves diligently to pursue knowledge. However when it comes to walking in the light of God's eternal truths (not mathematics) Universities often to more to hinder a young man's spiritual growth than helping it. Why? becuase they often cast doubt on the Divine inspiration of the Word and many other such hienous sins. And they have a fine way of constructing nice sounding explanations about how this or that writer wrote this for this and that reason, and to hear them explain it the book is full of mistakes. Yes I know there are some very good Theological universites out there that reverance God's word as God's word, but they are rare. Seems I heard a story about Billy Graham having to leave a school that was trying to teach such doubtful nonsense. |
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3 | Predestination | Eph 1:4 | Reformer Joe | 41821 | ||
You wrote: "If I have faith and walk by faith in the Spirit I can hear God and know what a verse of scripture really means and how I am to live it." And how does God speak to you? Audibly? And what about when someone claiming to be just as "Spirit-filled," perhaps even in your own congregation, maybe someone you even admire as a great man of God, tells you that you are wrong and that it means something else? The book of 1 John, from which you deduce that no man needs to be taught anything if he has the Spirit, is itself a book full of teaching. If these people need no teaching at all about anything, then why in the world is John teaching them??? You are seeming to say that teaching is for the "second-class" Christian who cannot hear God on his own. Please tell me that is not what you mean! By the way, the apostle Peter himself, the great orator of Pentecost, said that Paul's writings were often hard to understand (2 Peter 3:14-16). Am I to understand that the Spirit was not speaking clearly to Peter? Okay, and you are making some pretty sweeping generalizations about schools of theology. Yes, there are without question some liberal seminaries out there. They teach garbage and do indeed deny the reliability of Scripture. SOME seminaries do that. Big shock. Counterfeit Christianity has been with us since the days of the apostles. That does not mean despair of learning the truth from gifted teachers in seminaries that exalt God and His Word. Your story that you think you heard about Billy Graham having to leave some school somewhere at some time is quite enlightening...down with all seminaries! --Joe! |
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4 | Predestination | Eph 1:4 | Scribe | 41864 | ||
Thank you Joe for balancing my statements. Not all Seminaries are apostate concerning the faith. And of course teachers are from God, teachers anointed by the Holy Spirit (and that does go beyond mere accumulation of bible facts) who are called and equipped by God not only in knowledge of the Word but also in spiritual gifts of teaching that has that element of imparting the word (in the understanding of the listener whose heart is open) as an operation of God and not simply natural oratory, is to be sought out by those that would grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not an island and we will not have the full revelation of Christ alone on an island, becuase God has ordained that we recieve the fulness of God in the church and partake of that which each member contributes in his/her God given gifts. So that I cannot say I do not need the hand or the eye or the foot. And yet each saint can have faith and know that God will keep him in the truth if he keeps a repentant and faith filled heart. The Holy Spirit will indeed be faithful to give you checks, alrams, and warnings when even your "Lettered" Pastor is speaking things that are not God's word on the subject. God Bless you ALL. |
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