actually..
Submitted by Drifter on 2002-09-6 18:03:36, Friday
In reply to Re: God doesnt claim it as his word submitted by drew on 2002-09-6 15:53:10, Friday
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>Have you ever considered that maybe that was all part of God's plan, that if we had all the answers we would not need to TRUST Him? again, you go back to telling me I need to trust God. I do trust God, I dont trust the people who put together the bible. But God, I do trust. >So what do you use as your guide to the truth? I still use the bible. The difference is that I view it more as a guide to Christianity written by the people who lived in those times than as the infallible word of God. If it were the word of God directly as if it had been spoken by him (which is what a lot of followers of the 'sola scriptura' philosophy teach), then there would be no errors. We would know for example, whether Jesus' last words (prior to being resurrected) were 'my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' (Matthew 27:46), 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit' (Luke 23:46), or 'It is finished' (John 19:30). Obviously, a book with errors cannot possibly be written directly by God, though yes, I agree it can be (and I trust most of the scriptures were in fact) inspired by God. That is the real difference, wheras someone who believes 'sola scriptura' might pick out one verse and say 'see?? I told you thats what God says.' Id rather look at several verses in various places and form my opinion based on the general theme presented through studying the entire bible (as opposed to just one verse). Id rather look at the overall picture and not pick out just one verse. Thats the really big difference, when you believe it is the absolute word of God you treat it as such, and you can take one verse and use it to prove a whole theory, but when you realize that the bible is not necessarily the word of God the way he wouldve said it, but rather it is a guide written by men on how to follow Jesus' teachings, then individual verses become less important and the themes of loving your neighbor, forgiveness, etc. are what become important. >you cannot say that you believe John 3:16 was meant for you but not II Timothy. One has nothing to do with the other. In one, the message of salvation is given by Jesus. Obviously this message of salvation applies globally (although it took Pauls' conversion for the idea of saving gentiles to really take off).In the other verse, Paul is talking to Timothy about how scriptures are useful for teaching. Since the bible did not exist thats not the scriptures he was writing to Timothy about. >There has to be an absolute truth there is no middle road Thats right, but only God knows it. I will concede that it is possible that you are right and I am wrong. I dont believe that is the case, but only God knows for sure. It is also possible (and in my opinion much more probable) that the sola scriptura philosophy is wrong and the bible is in fact just a guide. >Throughout the OT He tells us that he will make a way and he did, Jesus. Since the NT contains the history and works of Jesus, and provides us with the key to follow him, because following him is the only way to the Father(John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.) The NT is in fact just as vital as the OT they go hand in hand I totally agree with those statements. There is no doubt that the events narrated in the NT are vital to christianity, the only question I have is whether we should consider the bible more than simply a book that tells us about those events and gives insight into their meaning. >You question the authenticity of the men that put the Bible together, do you also question the authenticity of the pastor of your church? My guess would be No Actually, I do question it. As a person who has witnessed the effects of cults, I am weary of anyone who preaches the word of God and I do not accept their statements right away. The pastor who led me to be saved was for many years an excellent pastor, a great man of God, blessed with a gift of preaching the word. However, as his church grew and became two churches and three and four, etc. The money got to his head, he started going down the 'prosperity teaching' route, and eventually began teaching that Jesus already returned and isnt going to return again. Many people continued to follow him (and continue to this day). But thanks to my being wary of all preachers, and thanks to the discernment given me by the holy spirit, I didnt fall for it and I left early on when he was going down the prosperity route. Now I attend an excellent church with one of the best pastors Ive ever met (and Ive attended many many churches), I know he is currently a man of God, but be assured that if he starts going down a false path, I will be one of the first to leave. |
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