I Thes 5:22

[simplejeff]

6 minutes ago, Butero said:

That is an example of an appearance of evil, and I am obeying God by following the instructions in his Word.  

Think rather of a 3 year old boy ,  joyously walking along with his father.

Whatever his father tells him,  he intently listens to with complete trust and carefreeness - no fear, no doubt.

When his father tells him "do this" or "do that",  he immediately does this, or does that, WITHOUT THINKING OF ANY OTHER PERSON OR VIEWER - it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks who is around or not around 0-

he does his father's will with total acceptance and trusting him and relying on him without any self-conscienceness.

 

Scribes and Pharisees - they read God's Word, and think that in it they will find life.   They are meticulous to a fault to tithe and to wash their hands to be seen by others as righteous.   It doesn't help them, since they ignore Jesus. (like the rcc catholics ignore Jesus - they do not dare do what Jesus says to do, since they follow a different leader than Him, opposed to Him, and love the approval of man more than the approval of Yahweh)

[Heleadethme]

1 hour ago, OldSchool2 said:

Then how exactly do you eat His body and drink His blood as per John 6:53?

"Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you....'" (KJV).

Understanding that the Lord gave to me is that it is by proxy.....just as legally binding as the spirit of adoption makes it "just as if" we are His real sons and daughters and inherit the kingdom.  We eat the sacrifice of His body and blood by proxy, through bread and wine.  God accepts is "just as if" it was His actual body and blood.  Eating His body and drinking His blood also means to partake of His life (psuche/soul - life is in the blood) ie, receive and drink of His Spirit, and eat His words because they are bread to us.  Christ IN us the hope of glory.....His Spirit IN us, His word IN us when it finds entrance, the word of His gospel.....which causes us to be washed clean and born again.

[Heleadethme]

1 hour ago, Butero said:

Romans specifically instructs me not do put stumbling blocks in the path of others.  I can personally know that any meat I purchase in the market place is good and to be accepted, but another person might recognize it as sacrificed to idols.  Even though I know that the idol is nothing, I am still not to eat that meat in their presence for their sake and how they will view it.  I can actually condemn myself in things I do, even if I have no conscience they are wrong.  That is an example of an appearance of evil, and I am obeying God by following the instructions in his Word.  

Well Jesus was a stumbling block to some wasn't He.......as well as testing and exposing wrong heart attitudes.........and for us it is part of bearing His reproach.  Doesnt mean we go around deliberately provoking reactions and misunderstandings, but understanding that verse aright sets me free to simply obey the Lord without worrying about how it will look to others, and I thank God for that.

The passage about meat sacrificed to idols...........is about meat sacrificed to idols.  It is not a sin to abstain from meat.......but it is a sin to abstain from obeying the Spirit because of worrying about what others think.

[Guest Butero]

36 minutes ago, Davida said:

In Christianity we don't use one scripture to obliterate another scripture.  When the Bible says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil" then we are to do like it says.  

I agree.  God uses different methods to speak to his children, and one of those ways is through his written Word.  I read what he spoke to me in the Bible, and obey, in just the way Simple Jeff said we should obey God.  If I hear a voice telling me to do something that is contrary to scripture, that is an indication to me that what I am hearing is not really the voice of God, but my own imagination.  God will never tell me to do something that goes contrary to his written Word.  That is a protection for me.  

The concern I have with what Simple Jeff said is that we can think a voice in our head is Jesus and obey it without question, and it might not be Jesus.  I look to the Bible to make sure what I heard is Biblical, and that keeps me from doing something wrong like leaving my wife to hook up with another woman because I think God is telling me to do that.  The Bible tells me I am not to do that.  I know not to go to the local store and steal food to give to the homeless guy down the street.  The knowledge of scripture keeps me from doing evil in the name of the Lord.  I am not saying my friend Jeff would ever do something like that.  I am concerned that if we don't use the Bible as our ultimate guide, things like that can happen.  

[Heleadethme]

42 minutes ago, Davida said:

In Christianity we don't use one scripture to obliterate another scripture.  When the Bible says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil" then we are to do like it says.  

Just depends on what the word appearance meant to the translators of that day........evil appearing/manifesting, is what we are to abstain from.  Don't let evil appear in us.......don't let it manifest.  This principle was pointed out early in the thread by someone else.  It is not talking about outward appearance, but appearing in the sense of someone appearing on your doorstep.....ie, showing  up, manifesting.

[Guest Butero]

1 minute ago, Heleadethme said:

Well Jesus was a stumbling block to some wasn't He.......as well as testing and exposing wrong heart attitudes.........and for us it is part of bearing His reproach.  Doesnt mean we go around deliberately provoking reactions and misunderstandings, but understanding that verse aright sets me free to simply obey the Lord without worrying about how it will look to others, and I thank God for that.

The passage about meat sacrificed to idols...........is about meat sacrificed to idols.  It is not a sin to abstain from meat.......but it is a sin to abstain from obeying the Spirit because of worrying about what others think.

I am disobeying the Spirit if I don't follow the Bible and avoid the appearance of evil.  The Spirit will not lead me to violate the written Word.  Those are the very words of Christ.  If the Spirit were to lead us to disobey scripture, then he would be divided against himself.  I am to be concerned with my brother's well being when I do things.  

"Hast thou faith?  have it to thyself before God.  Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."  Romans 14:22

 

[Heleadethme]

6 minutes ago, Butero said:

I am disobeying the Spirit if I don't follow the Bible and avoid the appearance of evil.  The Spirit will not lead me to violate the written Word.  Those are the very words of Christ.  If the Spirit were to lead us to disobey scripture, then he would be divided against himself.  I am to be concerned with my brother's well being when I do things.  

"Hast thou faith?  have it to thyself before God.  Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."  Romans 14:22

 

I do not, do not, never, never, advocate disobeying God's word.......I'm just saying it just depends on what sense the word "appearance" is being used, because there is more than one usage of it.  Anyhow, Butero, God bless you for following your conscience with the light that you have.

[frienduff thaylorde]

4 hours ago, shiloh357 said:

Jesus didn't do anything that had the appearance of evil, from a biblical understanding of what "evil"  means.   "Evil" is not an arbitrary word that means whatever anyone wants it to mean at any given time.

Jesus associated with those that the religious leaders would not associate with, but that does not mean that Jesus took on the appearance of evil.

The apostels Marvled that he spoke with the woman at the well.    This of course was not evil in any way .  But they did marvel.   perhaps it was against the customs of the jews

not true doctrine, but rather TRADITIONS .     they plucked corn on the Sabbath.  WHICH though it was not evil,    according to the jews who misunderstood TORAH

they thought it was.    THIS is what HE LEADETH me is talking about.   He healed on the Sabbath, which the jews By misunderstanding Torah thought was evil.  

YET had they read TORAH they would have seen WHAT DAVID DID.  or I should say IF THEY HAD UNDERSTOOD TORAH.    this is the examples our sister is speaking of.

NOT the dung pile real evil that occurs but man changes to make good.   ANYTHING contrary to CHRIST , HIS sayings , IS the evil.    no matter how well versed one tries

to justify their evil.  IF it contradicts JESUS , HIS sayings, THEN ITS EVIL .

[frienduff thaylorde]

1 hour ago, Butero said:

I am disobeying the Spirit if I don't follow the Bible and avoid the appearance of evil.  The Spirit will not lead me to violate the written Word.  Those are the very words of Christ.  If the Spirit were to lead us to disobey scripture, then he would be divided against himself.  I am to be concerned with my brother's well being when I do things.  

"Hast thou faith?  have it to thyself before God.  Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."  Romans 14:22

 

Butero , lets clear this up fast.   You and this SISTER do agree.  she does not support evil , what she is saying is what I said above in my last response is all. 

[frienduff thaylorde]

2 hours ago, simplejeff said:

Sorry,  this would be gross disobedience .... (disobeying God's Instructions) ....

Both the "thinking" and the affected "doing" based on what others think....

Jesus told His disciples:  That is none of your concern,  just do what the Father has told you to do.

Butero , I am happy for all the good things you have said.  BUT On this NOTE , JEFF IS RIGHT ON.    JESUS nor the apostels ever wondered or changed their speech

to not offend.  they did not worry over how people would take the truth.   THEY JUST SPOKE IT.    on this JEFF is so RIGHT ON .