Subject: Who is the 'lady'? |
Bible Note: Hank: Do you mean to tell me that the best way is not to read a verse and assume that the first interpretation of it that comes to mind must be THE RIGHT ONE? :-) Thank you for a fine posting, one that is intelligent, reasonable and filled with common sense. To expand on the subject a bit, it seems to me that to belittle and ignore teachers such as you and I have named is to deny the truth of Scripture that tells us the Holy Spirit gives gifts to men and then Christ gives those gifted men to the church for its edification. One category of gifted men that Christ Himself gives to the church is teachers. Many of these teachers have written books. Again, to whom it may concern, this is NOT rocket science. A little common sense, please. Also it is interesting to note: There is a consensus among prominent evangelical teachers and authors regarding the essentials of the faith. The fact of their consensus demonstrates that each teacher is not off on another planet of their own making. The fact that they don't agree on every last verse in the Bible ought to be sufficient to show that there is no "conspiracy" among them to defraud and deceive. The argument that the Roman Catholic hierarchy of the 15th Century were the experts of the day and were wrong is the poorest argument I've ever heard to ignore all Christian teachers. One might as well say that since the Pharisees had strayed from the truth of the Bible (2,000 years ago), then to be on the safe side we ought never again trust any Bible teacher. Or as you yourself (I think it was) once said, if we don't need men to interpet the Scriptures (which happens every time someone delivers a sermon), then why did Jesus commission the disciples to "go" into all the world? Wouldn't it have been equally effective and more efficient to just mail out copies of the Bible all over the world and let the unevangelized figure out the plan of salvation on their own? Alas, you and I waste our time presenting these truths. If one has some kind of psychological hang-up or childhood trauma in regard to "experts", then they will never change their mind though the apostles or an angel from heaven tries to explain it to them. (Of course, the apostles and angels are just so many "experts," so what do they know? After all, they're all in cahoots with each other?) --JVH0212 "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, and in all things charity." |