Results 1 - 3 of 3
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Individualistic Bible reading unbiblical | Eph 4:11 | New Creature | 45993 | ||
Not only does the Lord give the church gifted teachers, but more importantly the Lord gave us two safe-guards to prevent us from being deceived. He gave us the annointing of the Holy Spirit to discern truth from error, and He gave us the written word. The Holy Spirit is the believers most trustworthy guide through the Bible. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. When some false teaching is presented, the Holy Spirit reveals this to the Bereans. We need to like the Bereans, search the scriptures daily to see what is being taught is so or not. | ||||||
2 | Individualistic Bible reading unbiblical | Eph 4:11 | Reformer Joe | 46038 | ||
Please note that the Bereans were searching the Scriptures TOGETHER in the case of Paul's teaching. What one has to realize is that just as God has provided the Bible and His Spirit to help us discern true teaching from false teaching, he has also given good, spiritually-gifted teachers to help us discern our own false understandings of Scripture from the true ones. The best way of looking at it, in my opinion, is that the Bible is the ultimate, final, infallible authority and the only source of revelation for the Christian today. God has given the church, among whom the Spirit dwells, with His gifted teachers, to correctly interpret Scripture. The church is not infallible, but I would say that as far as an individual congregation or denomination adheres to the whole counsel of God explounded in the Bible, that the church is reliable. He has also given of His Spirit to all of us, so that both individually AND collectively He works within us to teach us truth from error. So there are several dimensions to learning from God about Himself, but nowhere do we see a scenario of "me, my Bible, and the Holy Spirit" as the sole and preferable means of knowing God. We are just as prone to error as false teachers are, because we each still have a tendency to want Scripture to say what we want it to say. The collective communion of saints helps us combat that tendency to justify our own particular sins. --Joe! |
||||||
3 | Individualistic Bible reading unbiblical | Eph 4:11 | New Creature | 46095 | ||
Joe Yes we are a body not lone-rangers, we are called to community. It's just that in these days there are many "wolves in sheeps clothing" and as christians, we need to beware and be discerning. Many believers who are in groups, sects, congregations, religious bodies, have been found to be collectively deceived together. So merely belonging to a denomination, or a community of believers does not necessarily assure us of not being in error. Many individuals as well as bodies of believers are sincere in what they individually and corperately believe, but are yet sincerely wrong. Thats why the word of God, and the Holy Spirit are the only reliable safe-guards against individual, and corperate error and deception. The number of false teachers is on the rise in our times. "O God, the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf close in to kill and destroy I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Save me from the curse of compromise." (Aiden Wilson Tozer) Even today many who desire Ecumenicalism, have compromised the truth in order to strive for unity. But I'd rather be divided by truth, than united by error. Blessing to you |
||||||