Subject: To whom do we belong? |
Bible Note: John Let me respond to the following comments you made. "Did you recieve the gos[el from a person who taught you what it is or by learning it yourself from private reading of the Bible." In my personal salvation experience, I had been prayerfully reading my Bible, and desired to know what a certain passage meant. After reading and re-reading the same text over and over again, I got down on my knees and agonized in prayer for God to give me understanding concerning the text. I read it again, and the scripture became plain as if someone had removed the scales from my eyes. Just as it says in scripture - "Luke 24:45 - Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" Then after my understanding came of this initial text, I began reading Romans, then Proverbs, and other books of the Bible. I was amazed. The Bible had come to life for me. I couldn't put it down. And still can't. Now I am not attempting to say that I have perfect understanding. I don't. But I find that I am continuing to grow in my understanding of scripture. The hard part comes - how do I applt it in my daily living? "Most likely you heard it from someone else. My point is that though no teacher is perfect, he may be used by God as a means of opening one's eyes to unexpected spiritual truth." "To throw the baby out with the bathwater is foolish." I agree. But this brings to my mind a recent quote I saw which said - Studying theology will make one a theologian, but it cannot make one a saint" There is some truth to that quote. "On top of that, refusing to listen to others more mature in the faith and trained and educated in languages, history and hermenuetics will isolate a person from the rest of the body." I again agree. I just think we have to be careful to compare what is being said with what scripture says. We need to examine all things. "Do you go to church?" Yes I have been attending the same church now for 13 years and am a member. But I have recently vistied other churches of various denominations as well. "Do you listen to the preacher?" Of course. Our current preacher is a wonderful man of God. His messages, are I believe Bibically accurate, and he practices what he preaches. I sense that his desire is to preach more meaty messages, but there seems to be a majority who either are not able at this time to digest meat, or merely have itching ears for sugar-coated messages. "Have you learned nothing from others?" Yes I have. There are many in here who I have learned a nugget of truth from, as well as other various teachers. But I found that other teachers whom I once trusted in during my baby-hood in the faith, could no longer be trusted, because I began to spot obivious errors in their commentaries as I began to mature in the faith. "Or are you an mouth that has no use for an ear?" Actually I currently am a better ear, because my mouth gets me in to too much hot water. I have to work on that a bit. Quite a bit actually. "I do not mean to be cruel; but you are on the fringe of what many believe the Bible to say. God has not made us "lone rangers" but has incorporated us into one body "the church". I also don't mean to come off sounding mean, or as a know it all, because I don't know the half as yet. You say I'm on the fringe of what many believe. I am reminded of a quote I saw from Tozer which said. "in any generation, the majority are probably wrong" And the Bible says - Narrow is the way, and few there be which find it" Matt. 7:14 Grace, love and peace New Creature |