LightShinesInTheDarkness Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 24 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 426 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 398 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/20/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) READING THE SCRIPTURES SELECTIVELY & SUBJECTIVELY VS READING THEM THOROUGHLY & OBJECTIVELY Not comparing scripture with scripture, reading or emphasizing the scriptures that agree with or support a doctrinal bias or premise (and ignoring, twisting or minimizing those that do not), and focusing on God’s promises while ignoring their conditions, is a recipe for error and potentially for harm. We should read God’s Word to know the truth, whatever it may be---not to confirm what we want to believe. Because if it isn’t true, even if it makes us feel good to believe it, there’s no power in it: Believing something that isn’t true won’t liberate or protect us from the realities and consequences of what is true, or prepare us for whatever we may need to prepare for. Whether bitter or sweet, knowledge is power; and deception and ignorance, however sweet, is weakness and vulnerability. (Don’t avoid the ‘scary’ or 'hard' scriptures: They’re just as much for our good as the comforting and encouraging ones.) EXAMPLES Reading this: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 ESV) But not this: But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:14 ESV) Or this: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV) ... Reading this: For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39 ESV) But not this: “Abide in Me, and I in you…If anyone does not abide in Me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (John 15:4,6 ESV) Or this: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:10 ESV) ... Reading this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 ESV) But not this: …who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1 KJV) Or this: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7,8 ESV) Or this: For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV) ... Reading this: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 ESV) But not this: Submit yourselves therefore to God. (James 4:7 ESV) -------- Edited January 25, 2018 by LightShinesInTheDarkness 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Adams Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 25 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 9,606 Content Per Day: 3.94 Reputation: 7,798 Days Won: 21 Joined: 09/11/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 I think I understand you. I have noticed that scriptures are used mostly as support for some belief system that somebody else has formulated. For instance: how many bible colleges were based on the Scofield bible? The 'translation' that assured the reader of a pre-trib rapture. How many thousands have taken that as given without studying for themselves. This is just one example I have at present to give us an idea of how man's ideas have supplanted the truth of scripture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GandalfTheWise Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Royal Member Followers: 24 Topic Count: 40 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,459 Content Per Day: 0.59 Reputation: 2,377 Days Won: 2 Joined: 08/23/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 One of my frustrations is Christians who do not want to put in the work of studying the Bible for themselves but want the authority that comes with quoting verses. These are often the same people who say "this is what this verse means..." (or "God's Word says...") when they really should be saying "I have not really studied this but my opinion is that this verse means..." or "my church has taught me that this verse means ...." When pushed that other Christians hold different opinions, they often resort to some variation of "Well God told me...." or "They are not really Christians..." or "only a heretic or false prophet could teach that" or "No real Christian believes that" or "They obviously do not believe the Bible." Too few Christians actually read particular books several times to get a good sense of what is meant. Individual verses and passages do not stand alone. Even fewer bother to do some basic research in Bible dictionaries (or other resources) to get any geographic, historical, or cultural information about the background of various books in the Bible. Most just take what someone told them once somewhere in church or a small group or in a book or a web site and run with it. Ultimately, they are taking one person's opinion or one group's opinion and elevating that to the level of revelation. They just take what they were taught as the complete truth and interpret everything they see in the Bible according to that set of opinions. Others just take the first thing that pops into their head and assume it was the Holy Spirit teaching them something new. My experience is that the following things are helpful: 1. Reading the Bible over and over in multiple versions, or reading a particular book over and over in multiple versions. Becoming familiar with the entire *message* in a book or passage is very important. There is NO substitute for years and years of consistently doing this. 2. Get some good bible dictionaries, bible encyclopedias, atlases, etc. and learn about the history, geography, climate, and culture that was the background for various books. Preferably, read a range of resources produced by groups and people with different opinions. Listening to only one opinion is frankly like picking which church or pastor to latch onto and then assuming that they are always right. 3. Remember that it is all about walking with God and growing spiritually. Bible reading should be helping us to learn more about God. 4. If you cannot find a handful of different passages that clearly say something, you can often get off on a wild goose chase. I used to foolishly believe that "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." Prov 25:2 was God's guidance for how to study the Bible and I used to spend my time fancifully creating interpretations based on single words here and there and isolated sentences here and there. I truly believed that God had hidden things in the Bible that only few could find and I was going to be one of them. What a bunch of baloney and I fell for it. If it is important, it clearly be there and in several places and in most every version and translation you read. I now see "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." Prov 11:14, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." Prov 24:6, and the standard of having multiple witnesses to a matter as being a better approach to Bible study. 5. Every person and group is wrong about something in the Bible. The quicker we can figure out where we are wrong, the better. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4LdKHVCzRDj2 Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 16 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 1,453 Content Per Day: 0.53 Reputation: 1,453 Days Won: 6 Joined: 11/02/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/23/1991 Share Posted January 25, 2018 53 minutes ago, Justin Adams said: The 'translation' that assured the reader of a pre-trib rapture. If people were focused in serving the Lord, in following, obeying, submitting to Him. Then the time He will come to gather those who are His would be of little importance. Because those who are His will be taken, and that is it. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. -- Matthew 24:45-51 But people, instead of preparing themselves for the Lord they just keep worrying about "pre-trib" or "post-trib" as if it was a salvation issue. Just a warning for people to focus on what really is important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightShinesInTheDarkness Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 24 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 426 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 398 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/20/2018 Status: Offline Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 50 minutes ago, Justin Adams said: I think I understand you. I have noticed that scriptures are used mostly as support for some belief system that somebody else has formulated. For instance: how many bible colleges were based on the Scofield bible? The 'translation' that assured the reader of a pre-trib rapture. How many thousands have taken that as given without studying for themselves. This is just one example I have at present to give us an idea of how man's ideas have supplanted the truth of scripture. Pretty much. It's unfortunate. People assume that because someone has a degree in theology or is an "ordained" minister that what he is teaching is Scripturally sound; but there is actually a lot of doctrinal error being taught in seminaries, and churches as well---things that are traditional and have been passed down from one generation to the next as "Bible truth", when in fact they are not---even though the Bible is used to support them. We seem to have forgotten that the Church has been progressing in apostasy for a loooong time; and the Reformation didn't restore Christianity to New Testament Christianity; it just "reformed" Catholicism. (A casual comparison of the teachings and instructions of the New Testament to what is practiced in the churches will show any discerning and honest Christian this fact.) It doesn't matter what the 'early church fathers' taught, or what your seminary taught you, or what your pastor taught you, or how traditional a thing is: It's either correct, or it isn't! (Like the theory of evolution, if you start with a bias, you'll find evidence to support your bias; and if you start with a crooked foundation, you'll have to build crooked to make the building line up with the foundation.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightShinesInTheDarkness Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 24 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 426 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 398 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/20/2018 Status: Offline Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 16 minutes ago, GandalfTheWise said: One of my frustrations is Christians who do not want to put in the work of studying the Bible for themselves but want the authority that comes with quoting verses. These are often the same people who say "this is what this verse means..." (or "God's Word says...") when they really should be saying "I have not really studied this but my opinion is that this verse means..." or "my church has taught me that this verse means ...." When pushed that other Christians hold different opinions, they often resort to some variation of "Well God told me...." or "They are not really Christians..." or "only a heretic or false prophet could teach that" or "No real Christian believes that" or "They obviously do not believe the Bible." Too few Christians actually read particular books several times to get a good sense of what is meant. Individual verses and passages do not stand alone. Even fewer bother to do some basic research in Bible dictionaries (or other resources) to get any geographic, historical, or cultural information about the background of various books in the Bible. Most just take what someone told them once somewhere in church or a small group or in a book or a web site and run with it. Ultimately, they are taking one person's opinion or one group's opinion and elevating that to the level of revelation. They just take what they were taught as the complete truth and interpret everything they see in the Bible according to that set of opinions. Others just take the first thing that pops into their head and assume it was the Holy Spirit teaching them something new. My experience is that the following things are helpful: 1. Reading the Bible over and over in multiple versions, or reading a particular book over and over in multiple versions. Becoming familiar with the entire *message* in a book or passage is very important. There is NO substitute for years and years of consistently doing this. 2. Get some good bible dictionaries, bible encyclopedias, atlases, etc. and learn about the history, geography, climate, and culture that was the background for various books. Preferably, read a range of resources produced by groups and people with different opinions. Listening to only one opinion is frankly like picking which church or pastor to latch onto and then assuming that they are always right. 3. Remember that it is all about walking with God and growing spiritually. Bible reading should be helping us to learn more about God. 4. If you cannot find a handful of different passages that clearly say something, you can often get off on a wild goose chase. I used to foolishly believe that "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." Prov 25:2 was God's guidance for how to study the Bible and I used to spend my time fancifully creating interpretations based on single words here and there and isolated sentences here and there. I truly believed that God had hidden things in the Bible that only few could find and I was going to be one of them. What a bunch of baloney and I fell for it. If it is important, it clearly be there and in several places and in most every version and translation you read. I now see "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." Prov 11:14, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." Prov 24:6, and the standard of having multiple witnesses to a matter as being a better approach to Bible study. 5. Every person and group is wrong about something in the Bible. The quicker we can figure out where we are wrong, the better. We should always test and consider what we hear, and not assume that we have all the truth. Some Christians have more knowledge about or insight into certain things than others do and we can potentially benefit by taking what they share into consideration when appropriate. It's not a competition. We should always seek to add to our knowledge, while knowing for ourselves what to stand on by the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. It would be foolish for someone who is half-way up a mountain to say to the one who has reached the summit that he's lying about the view because he himself hasn't yet reached that vantage point. Sometimes truth may seem like error or foolishness to us because God hasn't yet shown us that it is actually correct. Another essential for knowing the truth is making sure we have a good conscience toward the Lord and that our motives for seeking knowledge are righteous---that we are not seeking truth for selfish or proud reasons, but rather for the purpose of knowing God better, and by knowing Him better to follow and serve Him better; to please and glorify Him, by doing His will and reflecting Him more perfectly. (Putting what we learn into practice faithfully is essential as well. God adds to our knowledge as we use what He gives us. If we're not walking in the light we have already received, He's not going to give us any more.) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Adams Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 25 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 9,606 Content Per Day: 3.94 Reputation: 7,798 Days Won: 21 Joined: 09/11/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 22 minutes ago, LightShinesInTheDarkness said: Reformation didn't restore Christianity It is so sad that so many lost their live before and after the reformation. I see it a a ploy to embrace heresy more fully in the pretense of supposed purity of doctrines. Very sneaky, very clever and very effective. This has worked so well that anyone such as you or me that dares oppose it will be in very real danger soon as Rome's tendrils seek to hook their former enemies under the all seeing eye of the cross-religion-culture of acceptance. Like in Assisi 1986. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Adams Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 25 Topic Count: 61 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 9,606 Content Per Day: 3.94 Reputation: 7,798 Days Won: 21 Joined: 09/11/2017 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 36 minutes ago, 4LdKHVCzRDj2 said: Just a warning for people to focus on what really is important. I do agree. However, the pre-trib nonsense has teeth. How many will be disillusioned and lost when they have not been prepared? 'As in the days of Noah'. We do have to warn others. Not to sound that trumpet is a gave omission. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LightShinesInTheDarkness Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 24 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 426 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 398 Days Won: 3 Joined: 01/20/2018 Status: Offline Author Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Justin Adams said: It is so sad that so many lost their live before and after the reformation. I see it a a ploy to embrace heresy more fully in the pretense of supposed purity of doctrines. Very sneaky, very clever and very effective. This has worked so well that anyone such as you or me that dares oppose it will be in very real danger soon as Rome's tendrils seek to hook their former enemies under the all seeing eye of the cross-religion-culture of acceptance. Like in Assisi 1986. Religious unity movements---including the 'uniting' of Christians and unsaved Jews---is likely the demonic preparation of the world for the one world religion of worshiping the Jewish antichrist (at the behest of the pseudo-Christian false prophet). It's not hard to see how someone who doesn't support what looks like such a nice and noble thing (bringing all the religions of the world together in the name of peace and love) would be vilified and hated. (But being hated and persecuted for living and preaching God's truth, and for not compromising their faith, is the very thing Christians are called to, and which many have suffered historically, and still do today.) It's not true that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all worship the God of Abraham. Only true Christians worship the God of Abraham; everyone else is worshiping a figment of their imagination. God is not in them, therefore it is impossible for them to be worshiping Him. (Those who worship God must do so in spirit and in truth; and no one who denies the deity of the Son has the Father---no matter what they say or how pious they appear or whether they use the Bible or not.) The Jews had God, but they haven't had Him since they rejected Christ. Their religion is dead---void of God, and hopeless to save them. Christians should not be trying to "unite" with unsaved people (whether Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, Jews or anything else), but rather evangelizing them. What looks good and feels good is not always what is good and does good. The forbidden fruit was visually appealing and probably tasty, but it was spiritually deadly. The demons know exactly what they're doing, and their agenda has not changed---even if the people they are influencing and working through are ignorant of it. Edited January 25, 2018 by LightShinesInTheDarkness type-o 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMatrixHasU71 Posted January 25, 2018 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 6 Topic Count: 21 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,573 Content Per Day: 0.51 Reputation: 723 Days Won: 0 Joined: 12/10/2015 Status: Offline Share Posted January 25, 2018 2 hours ago, 4LdKHVCzRDj2 said: If people were focused in serving the Lord, in following, obeying, submitting to Him. Then the time He will come to gather those who are His would be of little importance. Saving people so they wont have to go through the Tribulation doesnt make the pre trib Rapture any less important than any other gospel teaching Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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