Bible Question:
First of all, let me apologize to the Forum in general. My posts seem to have caused quite a bit of controversy and that is certainly NOT what I was after. So, what am I after? I guess if you were to pin me down and put me in a pigeonhole, I’d probably label myself as a philosopher, much in the same spirit as my dad. In a lot of ways I imitate his lifestyle, including his way of looking at things in the world, studying other people and how they interact with each other and with our God in Heaven. I know and realize there's probably not many people on the Forum but I like the ideas and the brainstorming that result from it. I have studied the Bible quite a bit and although I’m not particularly good at quoting book, chapter and verse, I do read a good portion of God’s Word every day. As I do have a penchant for looking for the philosophical side of a particular issue or topic, that’s where I spend most of my time, looking for such opportunities. So, I like to ask questions like “How,” “Why,” and “How about another way of looking it” just like ancient Socrates. As you can imagine this “talent” I have is a little bit of a burden to people that love me, like my precious wife and my parents. I’m quite literally serious here: To this day, my brother, sisters and parents still say I ask too many questions. But I like to motivate people to think, to look behind the curtain and dare to ask Why to the boldest person. Yes, it gets me in trouble but it also makes me a good problem solver. The most important ingredient I’ve found to make a success out of this mess I see in my life is to love people, real love for their souls, love for them to reach their potential like our Father in Heaven has for you and me. It also helps to be open minded and open hearted to their position on a issue, listen to their side of the story completely before responding…now that’s tough, I know. As I size up the “field of play” we have on this Forum, we have plenty of folks who are very, very good at research and know God’s Word quite well. Their posts are filled to overflowing with scriptures and what they think about them. Sometimes they misapply those scriptures but don’t we all on an occasional basis. Sometimes we look at something one way for years and then discover at some future time a new perspective from someone’s first review of that thing i.e. scripture. We come away thinking “What was I thinking when I concluded that way about that particular thing?” Well, again back to that field business. I’ve recently resolved to try to cite at least just a few more scriptures with my statements/posts to the Forum but you’ll have to forgive me for the few times that I fail to do so. You see just as EdB discovered with my recent question about Paul scolding Peter for his sin of discrimination against Gentiles, the answers aren’t always in the Bible, especially when it’s about one of the How or Why questions. I really do appreciate you folks who are so good about quoting from the scriptures with book, chapter and verses but I’ll continue to hold down this end of the field with my conclusions and inferences but this I promise. I’ll ALWAYS TRY to make certain these statements/conclusions, etc. are in fact based on general Bible principles and hold true to the Spirit of the Bible. If it’s anything I’ve learned to appreciate in life, I’ve learned there’s tremendous value to the whole team concept. I may consider myself in the middle of the road like most people do on most subjects in life, most especially Bible topics and religion in general. But we need to appreciate those folks on both sides of that road for they’re there for a reason. They sincerely believe the way they do (at least most of the time) because they’ve studied the issues and concluded that’s where they need to be. So with that promise being made, if at any time, you disagree or think my statement in the future needs tweaking to make it just right, please feel free to post your statement to that effect. That’s why we’re here. One last thing, just as a reminder. We’re all human, every single one of us. None of us are going to get out of this world alive and take anything with us but our souls. So let’s love one another and do a lot more forgiving and a lot less griping and complaining. It will go a long way toward getting us to where we want to go after this world is over. God bless you all. |
Bible Answer: 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 |