Teachers, can you do better, or worse?

[Whyme]

5 minutes ago, Josheb said:

Can you do better or worse?

First, if it is done correctly then that is a false dichotomy  (Gal. 2:20). 

Second, if it's a false dichotomy then what you just taught is false teaching . 

Third, that would still be you teaching and others learning from men (or women).  

 

What does the op ask? 

Can teachers be better or worse? Yes, of course they can; they can be better, or they can be worse. They can be better and they can be worse. Some are definitely better than worse and for others the reverse is true. Can the better teachers be better? Certainly. However, the question is somewhat of a "trick" question because it assumes teachers as a given! If we couldn't and shouldn't learn from others then there would be no teachers and the op would not exist. Do teachers exist? Yep. Should we learn from them? Yep. Are some better or worse than others? Yep. 

How do we discern which is which? 

Can a person learn by themselves? Certainly. From whom did Timothy learn? From whom did Polycarp learn? How about Ignatius? Clement? (Paul, John, John, and Peter, respectively) Who did they teach? Why did Paul, John, and Peter bother to teach them if all they needed were the scriptures and the Spirit? Was teaching-by-others to cease as soon as the apostles died? Not even cessationists believe that! Every single directive in the scriptures instruction teaching from one to another would be rendered meaningless if all we needed was ourselves. I posted a pair of ops on the value of learning from others who've walked the faith before us. They are titled "Those Who Enjoy Theology," and "Theology, pt. 2".  The idea we are to learn only by ourselves would necessarily mean the Holy Spirit would have to spend much time and effort teaching things It had already previously taught. In other words...... no fruit is born beyond a single-fold. There's no fruit born 10-fold, or 60- or 100-fold. One Spirit teaching one fruit at a time the same content for all time. Is that the example you see set in scripture? Furthermore, Christianity is very much a religion of relationship and God uses others to teach by example. Where would the lessons of confession, or forgiveness, or reconciliation between the sons and daughters if we did not exemplify those actions. Can a person learn by themselves? No, because mercy, and confession, and forgiveness, and accountability, and reconciliation, and blessing, and a whole bunch of other things require two or more people and the lessons of those experiences are born out by learning with and from others. 

Christ gave the Church pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11), and he gave them to the Church for a reason. 

You also ask that last question comparatively, not as I have truncated it. You ask that question in connection to "without the faulty doctrine of men"? You ask that question with the condition, "and be better off than following a denomination"? First, not all doctrines of men are faulty. Some may be faulty only in that they are incomplete, not factually or theologically incorrect. Big difference. Why wasn't the question asked, "Can a person learn by themselves without the correct doctrines of men?" That's a much different question, isn't it? The former question not only assumes faulty doctrine, but because it does so the question itself...... is faulty doctrine! We definitely should not learn faulty things from faulty questions. Paradoxically, we could learn valid and veracious truth from faulty questions . 

If we had such discernment . 

As to the question of being better off than following a denomination a couple of reality checks are in order. First, God is not a respecter of denominations but they serve His purpose. Second, factions (or sects or denoms) existed back in the New Testament and they were alternatively validated and decried (1 Cor. 1, 3, 11 & 12; Gal. 5:20). They are not new. Third, the reality is non-denominations are denominations. A pastor begins a congregation and calls it "non-denominational" because he's not institutionally affiliated but then as the congregation grows a group gets sent out to establish an adjunct congregation with a pastor of their own but still associated with the original congregation and its leaders. Then the first congregation sends out another team and so does the newer second congregation. Now there are four congregations birthed by the first pastor and the teachings from scripture he taught. Each of them sends out new plant, and then each of those do the same. Each and all of them associated with the original pastor and each and all of them calling themselves "non-denominational"!!! 

So how many affiliated or associated congregations does it take to qualify as a denomination?  

Conversely, is a congregation without any oversight or accountability a good place to grow in Christlikeness and the knowledge of God? 

 

 

Lastly........ 

 

 

Was anything learned from this post?  

 

 

.

Do you honesty expect me to read all that? 

[teddyv]

20 minutes ago, Whyme said:

Do you honesty expect me to read all that? 

I did. And you should. It's quite excellent.

[Whyme]

10 minutes ago, teddyv said:

I did. And you should. It's quite excellent.

What is excellent about it? I think simplicity In Christ is excellent. Its all about how good the Lord is. Amen.

Edited April 22, 2021 by Whyme

[Whyme]

Let us look within. Do we follow Christ? 

[Whyme]

Oh how I've Jesus. Amen? My brothers and sisters, I need to be a doer not a learner. Pray for that. If only I could be a doer.

[Wayne222]

11 hours ago, Whyme said:

I dont hold to creeds, but i dont disagree with them necessarily. Folks seem to hold a creed as if it were the scriptures themselves. People think creeds help us but how? Look at all the unsound doctrine of these churches, especially the ones holding to creeds. How does a creed help them see their error? It doesnt. The bible is my creed, not just little parts of it. 

Can you list the unsound doctrines ?I dont think there are many churchs with a lot of unsound doctrines. There diffrent points of doctrine like the pre trib the post trib the pre wrath or there is others too. But nothing to divide over. Cults are a diffrent thing. The JW or Mormens deny christ being God. I dont consider therr m christian to me. 

[The_Patriot21]

You are right...no church is perfect. Because no man is perfect. You can certainly learn quite a deal on your own, but you can learn even more in a good bible based church.

Not because the church is perfect, but a good God loving church understands its flawed and comes together and learns from each other. And holds each other accountable when they are in error.

You seem obsessed with not going to church. Your trying to find justification for it. Maybe its time to just face it...the Bible states not to forsake the fellowship. It doesnt say the fellowship has to be perfect. Perfection will never be obtained this side of heaven by any mortal man-alone, in a church, or otherwise.

[Whyme]

2 minutes ago, Wayne222 said:

Can you list the unsound doctrines ?I dont think there are many churchs with a lot of unsound doctrines. There diffrent points of doctrine like the pre trib the post trib the pre wrath or there is others too. But nothing to divide over. Cults are a diffrent thing. The JW or Mormens deny christ being God. I dont consider therr m christian to me. 

I didn't want to name names. But I don't agree with RCC, EO, SDA, Lutheran  or prosperity preachers. So I follow the Spirit as I see Him. 

[Whyme]

4 minutes ago, The_Patriot21 said:

You are right...no church is perfect. Because no man is perfect. You can certainly learn quite a deal on your own, but you can learn even more in a good bible based church.

Not because the church is perfect, but a good God loving church understands its flawed and comes together and learns from each other. And holds each other accountable when they are in error.

You seem obsessed with not going to church. Your trying to find justification for it. Maybe its time to just face it...the Bible states not to forsake the fellowship. It doesnt say the fellowship has to be perfect. Perfection will never be obtained this side of heaven by any mortal man-alone, in a church, or otherwise.

Who's church is Bible based? Lol, come on. Do you agree with all churches? I don't either. We are the same. I have Christ though. Praise God, my rock.

[Willa]

11 hours ago, teddyv said:

The three creeds that I mention were established early in church history and were specifically written to counter heresies that were be advanced at the time. These were laying foundational doctrine of the church like the Trinity and divinity of Christ.

 

The liberal Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) I grew up in denied both the trinity and the divinity of Christ.  It renounced creeds as well.    I didn't learn the basics like these and salvation by grace through faith until I took adult confirmation lessons in the Lutheran Church when I was in high school.  Some basics like these and knowing the Bible is God's word are a needed framework for correctly understanding the Bible.