Results 1 - 6 of 6
|
|
|||||
Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | with_faith_i_walk | 89478 | ||
After having read through many of your posts, I have a question that has bothered me, concerning the answers to questions posted? Why do none of you draw upon your own personal experience with God? Many of you are no doubt well versed in the Holy Scriptures, however, you spend so much time in discussions about the true meaning of each and every word, instead of the Spirit of the words and your own experience with God. Jesus has said explicitly that God is spirit and that the kingdom of God is neither here nor there, but that it is inside of each of us. Why then do you neglect your own revelations? | ||||||
2 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 89479 | ||
Perhaps the answer may be found in this: its not that we neglect personal insight or revelation, but rather that we seek to confirm they are truth by comparing them with Scripture, which we hold to be the ultimate authority on matters of faith and practice. I note that not all Christian traditions hold this "high view" of scripture, e.g. the Quakers. The risk of holding to your own revelation is that you risk being in error, or worse, being deceived. There is no doubt that we are called to follow where the Spirit leads, and this necessarily implies direct personal revelation and experience. |
||||||
3 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | with_faith_i_walk | 89486 | ||
Parable, I think you have the right idea when you say that "we seek to confirm they (our personal revelations) are truth by comparing them with Scripture." However, there is a bit of danger in saying that the words of the Bible are "the ultimate authority on matters of faith and practice." Here is my contention with that statement: Jesus (as well as other important figures in the New Testament) says time and again that God dwells within us in the being of the Holy Spirit. Isn't God the ultimate authority in all things? If His Spirit dwells within us, shouldn't that be the ultimate authority in all matters of practice? For example, a man living in a remote island in Micronesia, who does wrong by his brother, perhaps stealing from him. This man is convicted in his spirit and confesses to his brother his wrongdoing. Is this conviction because it is written in the scriptures, which he has never read, or because God, having made him in His image, dwells within him and he knows that what he did was wrong? That being said, we who are blessed to know the scriptures should always be thankful that God has seen fit to bless us with this most sacred and precious Gift. However, without a personal relationship with God, without His Spirit dwelling within us, the Scriptures are just paper and ink. It is because God lives in us that the Scriptures come to life and teach us. I think that BOTH scripture and personal experience is needed for understanding and truth. I think the risk of being deceived is not only in the reliance on personal experience but also in the reliance solely on scripture (for as we all should know, words can be twisted to mean anything we want; Satan himself used this tactic when tempting Jesus in the desert). We need both, and the point I was making was that in the posts I have read, there is a heavy imbalance towards scripture alone. Blessings, LGC |
||||||
4 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 89494 | ||
Yes, God is the ultimate authority in all things. Since scripture is His inspired Word to us, then scripture reflects God's authority. Of course, we must divide the word rightly or we face interpretations that reflect our minds and not His. If my personal revelation is contrary to scripture, I must conclude it is not from God, for His character does not change and His truth does not change. If my personal revelation is not contrary to scripture, but not explicitly endorsed either, then I must seek to understand how my revelation is consistent with Godly principles and truth as revealed in scripture. If I can't establish that consistency, then I must question my revelation. The idea that scripture is complete comes from the understanding that Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God to us and nothing more can be added. Thus, additional fundamental truths are not to be expected, for all we need, or can hope for, has been given to us through Christ. This does not undermine the importance of living for God and heeding the Spirit. Indeed, it demonstrates how important it is that we look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear. But it also recognizes that we see through a glass darkly, and can fool ourselves or be deceived by others. In any chain of command, one always confirms orders are genuine before executing them, no? |
||||||
5 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | with_faith_i_walk | 89502 | ||
Parable, This conversation is a blessing. I see we agree, in that we realize that both the scripture and "heeding the Spirit" are important for spiritual growth. I was not advocating in the least that scripture is not a high authority or that it is not God's inspired word. However, what I was concerned about was the imbalance towards scripture, and the neglect of the Spirit (and His revelations) that I saw in the posts that I read. We have dialogued in spirit, and have relied upon both scripture as well as personal revelations of the truth through God's Spirit to discuss our faith. We gain, as you say: "Godly principles and truth as revealed in scripture," but the reason you gain these things is not because the scriptures themselves but the scriptures working in conjunction with the Spirit of God inside of you. Like I said, there just seemed to be an imbalance towards interpreting the scripture zealously (what does this one verse mean, what does this one word mean) without any reliance on the Spirit or its revelations. Once again, you are correct that no more fundamental truths are to be expected than those that Jesus gave to us. Is this to say though, that His only gift is that of Scripture? Obviously not. My whole point was that we must focus not only on scripture but on other gifts as well: revelation through prayer, personal experiences with the living Spirit, etc. Blessings, LGC |
||||||
6 | Is not God inside of each of us? | Bible general Archive 1 | Parable | 89505 | ||
Perhaps the tendency to focus on scripture you describe is a manifestation of the mission of this forum. After all, it is a bible study forum. For the owner's guidelines, see the "About the Forum" under "Show Me" on the left side of the window. | ||||||