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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Joe, how do you know truth? | Rom 10:17 | Bill Mc | 20486 | ||
Joe, This is my opinion (as is everything that I write, I'm sure you would agree):) God is truth. Truth is God's viewpoint. Unlike your criteria, I do not consider human nature reality. Human nature is born fallen and should not be considered reality. God is true reality. If we want to know the truth, we must consult God. He and His Word are the embodiment of truth. God, through His Word, is the primary revealer of truth. He did not leave us without an Interpreter. Christ said that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will lead us into all truth, which, obviously, always leads us back to God. I believe in interpreting the Bible by asking and then trusting the Holy Spirit to show me the mind of God behind the words. 'Who has known the mind of God? No one except the Spirit.' 'We have the mind of Christ.'- it's available to us because He lives in us. That is one of the primary reasons He dwells in us. He takes the things of Christ and makes them known to us. To do this, I try to let the scripture say what is says without 'reading' my meanings into it. I use other related scripture to ensure consistency. I try to interpret verses in light of the context, of the chapter, the book, and the whole Bible. I try to interpret scripture in the plain sense of the scripture making allowances for idioms, historical settings, literary devices (hyberbole, parables, poetry, etc.) I then compare my 'interpretation' against what my pastor believes, what other SS teachers believe, what some of my commentaries say (Believer's Bible Comm and various study Bibles, Ryrie, Nelson, NIV, NASB, etc), other books in my library. I also put my interpretation up before other forum members to get their opinions. I do have a few friends who know Greek to help me with passages that are, to my understanding, ambiguous. But, over the years, because I did not use these techniques, and simply trusted and believed everything I was told, here are some things that I used to hold to simply because that is what I was taught: You don't have the Holy Spirit if you don't speak in tongues. God will heal everyone if they have enough faith. God wants you to be rich. "If you don't send me X amount of money, God will take my life." "If you send me X amount of money, God will repay you 10-fold." Christians can lose their salvation. There is no way to know for sure that you are saved until you die. Not all of your sins are forgiven, only the ones you confess. True worship is lifting your hands and being slain in the spirit. If you have any sin in your life, God cannot use you. If you take communion and forget a sin, God could strike you dead. Being a good Christian is keeping the 10 Commandments. Every one of these statements have scripture to back them up. Those choice is eventually mine to make. I alone am responsible to God for my interpretation or my belief system. In light of the fact that all teachers have their 'pet' scriptures (even me), ultimately, I have to weigh everything and decide for myself who I listen to. And, ultimately, I have to trust that God can cut through all this 'garbage' that I have collect over the years to reveal Christ alone as my hope of glory. In Christ, Bill Mc |
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2 | Joe, how do you know truth? | Rom 10:17 | Reformer Joe | 20491 | ||
Bill: You wrote: "Human nature is born fallen and should not be considered reality." The fallenness of human nature was what I was referring to. The reality is that humanity is not basically good nor morally neutral. Most other religious viewpoints (and many claiming to be Christian) do not agree with that. Therefore, the Bible does accurately reflect the observable reality of the depravity of man. As far as the horrible teaching you received, I understand completely. It's very much the same garbage that my wife heard through her formative years. And while they may have cited a Scripture passage to support their false teachings, it certainly would have been out of context. No one with a working, thinking KNOWLEDGE of Scripture would allow themselves to believe prosperity doctrine, for example. If they did, then poor, shipwrecked, beated, and imprisoned Paul was just to blind to realize the bountiful Christian life he was missing! That is why I am so adamant that we be using our brains when we study Scripture. Too many people substitute skimming or light reading for studying and probing with an alert mind the depth and wonder of the Bible, or else they try and find verses which support their pre-conceived notions or wishes, ignoring the passages which rule out their views. What happens in such situations is that any kooky idea that pops into their heads suddenly becomes a revelation of the Holy Spirit! After all, they couldn't have some up with such an interpretation on their own, could they? ;) By the way, I would be interested to know which verse they used to support being slain in the Spirit... In any case, may I suggest that you do not err toward the opposite extreme of rejecting any teaching which may challenge your views as you hold them now. For just as teachers can be false, so can our own interpretations of Scripture. I have worked in countercult apologetics for a decade now. Trust me when I say I know what it is like to dialogue with people who unquestionably accept what any church official says to them. However, I have seen the other side of the coin where people have the attitude of "this is what this passage means to ME" or "the Spirit has shown me the truth of what I believe, so that settles it." Such people make the error of refusing any correction whatsoever. The Word properly preached is a corrective for false thoughts, theology, and to point out to us things we never even have thought about in our own studies. Likewise, a thorough familiarity with Scripture will help us be discerning when confronted with teaching, which may or not be in error. That's why God gives us this dynamic, this "checks-and-balances system" so that we do not go to either extreme: 1. uncritically accepting everything from the pulpit or 2. pridefully thinking that we come to all knowledge and truth as individuals in isolation from the church. Neither practice is biblical. --Joe! |
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