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NASB | Mark 9:41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Mark 9:41 "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he will not lose his reward. |
Subject: What is the "reward" ? |
Bible Note: Mommapbs: There is no fool like an old fool and I, having passed another milestone last week (I turned 69, but I'm actually too young to be that old). have all the necessary creditials to qualify for being old and for years have been somewhat of a fool. So I will, as unobtrusively as possible, enter into this thread and make a comment or two about your post and the post-modernist aspiring seminary student. In referring to him, you use the term, for which I don't for a moment mean to chide you, "post-modernist Christian" and I ask, "Can there be such a creature as that, as a post-modernist Christian? Given what post modernists stand for, or better, what they don't stand for, isn't the term "post-modernist Chrisian" closer to being in fact oxymoronic than an accurate label? What you report of this person's beliefs and interpretive slants on Scripture sounds far from Christian to me. This chap's exegetical skills are woefully flawed. His understanding of following Christ appears to be totally bereft of a real sense of Christ's mission. I read in his analysis of who Christ was (and is) no mention of the Cross, of man's depravity and his hopelessness without the atonement, without the finished work of our Lord Jesus on the Cross. His is a good works religion and in your description of his views, I see nothing about this self-proclaimed post modernist that differs materially from any other pagan view of good works salvation. ..... I believe I'd at least let him know that he doesn't know beans about Mark's gospel, and you can prove that to him (whether he will accept your proof is another question, of course) by whipping out your Bible and reading to him Mark 1:1: "The beginning of the gospel of Christ, the Son of God." Then let this whipper snapper tell you again that THIS is a term for the return of King David. But, dear Mommapbs, alas, I fear that any Scripture, any effort to get this person to see the truth may be pearls cast before swine, seeds sown among thorns. You might ask him to turn to Mark 4 and tell you into which category he falls in Jesus' parable of the sower and soils. Surely he could not claim to be the soil of verse 8. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I've lived for a week over 69 years on this earth. I have encountered a diversity of religious ideas, met many saints and sinners, butted heads with skeptics and liberals of many stripes, including the post-modernist variety, and rejoiced with born-again believers who believe in Christ and His word and trust Him as Savior and Lord of their lives. I have come to be convinced that all men in no wise will be saved, that some for reasons known to God alone will not see the truth nor respond to it. The best we can do, as ambassadors for Christ, is to share as much of the truth (not argue) with these people as they will allow us to, to pray for them, and to leave the rest to the Holy Spirit of the living God. "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet." Our Lord said that. (Matthew 10:14). The most distressing thing in your narration of your encounter with this person is that he is an aspiring seminary student. If he follows through on his aspiration and does not change the beliefs he appears now to embrace, may God have mercy on the flock who sit as this pastor's feet with expectation to be fed! --Hank |