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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Study Bible Forum or Bible Philosophy | Bible general Archive 2 | Hank | 115089 | ||
Rowdy: My response to your note will be as brief and to the point as I can make it. I fully appreciate your penchant for philosophy, for I have been through that phase in my own life and happily survived it! But Scripture and man's philosophies rarely if ever make good partners. Scripture is God's revealed truth to man. Philosophy is man's speculation about truth. The diligent study of God's word does not thwart the desire of man to know truth; on the contrary, it presents him with it, in its purest and noblest form. There is no genuine, eternal truth to be found aside from the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ: He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) ...... Yes, there is some merit in the teaching methods of the gadfly of Athens, Socrates, who taught by what is commonly called the Socratic Method, which is the practice of the fine art of asking provocative questions in an effort to goad the student to think for himself, to define the words he uses, to examine his life and his beliefs to the end that he may come to know and understand himself and his world better. This method of learning, while it finds ready application in secular matters, may not be entirely useless in spiritual matters, but the way in which a disciple of Christ should approach God's word involves, I think, a great deal more. Prayer, for example, was not a requisite in Socrates' method, but it is in the Christian's approach to Scripture. Nor was saving faith a requiste of being a disciple of Socrates, but it certainly is for disciples of Christ. One might believe certain teachings of Socrates and disbelieve others and still be called a disciple of Socrates. Jesus Christ gives His disciples no such option. ...... I would now like to speak to the question of maintaining a middle-of-the-road position on religion and the Bible. My first observation is that standing in the middle of the road is a most dangerous place to be. Moreover, that is not what Scripture teaches. Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me." (Matthew 12:30). Jesus calls for total commitment, for taking a firm stand. He left no room for middle of the roaders, nor intended to. ...... Finally, on the subject of providing precise (chapter and verse) scriptural references to support one's theological positions on biblical topics. No one is born with a knowledge of Scripture. It is something that is learned over a period of time by much prayer, discipline, dedication, toil and sweat. If a disciple of Christ does not know the word, he should get busy right now and learn it! He should commit portions of Scripture to memory. (see Psalm 119:11). In our day and time, with the abundance of concordances and various other study helps, there is no excuse for not being able to back up with Scripture what one posts on this Forum. It is far harder to engage in exacting and thorough scriptural research than it is to post ideas and opinions that happen to pop into one's head, but it is infinitely more valuable and rewarding both to the poster and his readers. ..... Now, having spoken frankly, I do not speak meanly of you or to you, but I speak in loving concern for this Forum and what it stands for. It is a study of the eternal word of God; not philosophical dissertations, not human speculations or the myriad opinions that flesh is heir to. It is designed to be a Forum in which the Bible is the text and posts are expositions and exegeses on that text. Anything beyond that leads us off course. ..... I admire your fresh spirit and your obvious zeal for life. And, most of all, I admire your charitable attitude toward others on the Forum, even those with whom you disagree and who have disagreed with you. That you will take this post of mine to heart and accept it in the spirit of loving reproof in which it is being offered is my earnest prayer. May God bless you and yours always. --Hank | ||||||
2 | Study Bible Forum or Bible Philosophy | Bible general Archive 2 | kalos | 115101 | ||
Hank: You write: "It [StudyBibleForum] is designed to be a Forum in which the Bible is the text and posts are expositions and exegeses on that text. Anything beyond that leads us off course." I have no particular individual in mind when I say that anyone who has trouble understanding or accepting what you wrote would be well advised to refrain from posting until they do understand and accept it. The following gets my vote for Quote of the Week. Hank writes: "If a disciple of Christ does not know the word, he should get busy right now and learn it!" RIGHT NOW! --kalos |
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